Work Text:
"Oh! You're here!" She says as she looks at you through the door. "Don't just stand there, come on in!" She quickly takes your hand and pulls you inside her hive with glee. You've never been to Aradia's hive before, so you just stay close to her as she shows you around the place. It feels nice to see her in person for once and not behind a screen. The two of you have a wonderful time throughout your visit, as it feels like the night just passes away without either of you noticing. By the time either of you bother to check what time it is, you realize that you have to return home before it gets too late. You're about to say your good-byes to her, but she stops you. She wants to do one last thing before you leave, she promises it will only take a minute. You decide that it couldn't hurt to stay for a while longer and allow her to escort you to another room.
There doesn't appear to be anything special about it, it's actually pretty empty aside from a few pieces of furniture. In the center of the room stands a piano. It looks amazing, you think, as Aradia sits down on the bench in front of it. She tells you to sit down somewhere with a look of glee on her face. She just refuses to play until you sit, so you take a seat down on a nearby chair. After a moment, Aradia takes out a sheet of music and places it in front of her. Delicately, she begins to play the instrument. The song she plays is sad, yet hopeful at the same time. As the song continues, there is no other sound in the world. There is only the sound of the keys and the notes they make. It is beautiful, fitting of her. As the song comes to an end, you can feel a tear trickling down your face. You quickly wipe it away before she sees. She walks up from the bench, and comes over to you. "What did you think?" she asks.
You tell her that it was wonderful, and that the piano suits her. You want to hear her play more, but she shakes her head. She reminds you that you have to get going before the sun rises. You don't want to leave now, not after hearing her play. She laughs, and promises you that she'll play for you again the next time you come to visit her. To make you stop going on and on, she kisses you on the cheek which causes you to blush. You give up the fight, and begin the trek back to your hive. You look back to see her standing at the door and waving good-bye. You yell out to her that she'll keep her promise right? "I promise! The next time you come to my hive, I'll play the piano for you again!" she answers back as you disappear from her line of sight.
-------------------------------------------------
You finally return many perigees later. You find this notion ridiculous, but you figure you might as well come. You enter the remains of Aradia's destroyed hive solemnly. As you thought, just about everything was destroyed. A few bits and pieces of furniture remains, but not much else. What did you expect after all? The place had been completely destroyed that night, along with her. You search through the remains, hoping to find what you had came for. You eventually find the room you were looking for, as well as the object.
Although it's damaged, the piano is still there. You can tell that it's still able to function though, by the looks of it. Down by one of the legs, you find a worn-out sheet of paper. You pick it up to find it's sheet music. You look back at the piano and place the sheet up so you can read the notes. Without waiting another moment, you begin to play.
The tune reminds you of a day you once spent with the girl you were flushed for. Your mind flashes back to the moment where you were sitting on the chair as she played for you. The memories haunt you as you play, bringing back the painful memories of when she died and how you never got to say good-bye to her then. In the middle of the song, you stop playing. The tears falling down your face stain the keys as you sit there in sadness. After a moment, you finally turn around, and begin to return to your hive. No good is going to come of you staying here. You silently whisper you're sorry to no one as you leave.
Something stops you. As you exit the ruined hive, you hear a sound. The sound of a piano playing. The song is continuing where you left off. You rush back to the room, but find nothing there but a piano playing by itself. You wonder how this is possible, but quickly dismiss it off as going crazy from what had happened. Yet you decide to stay and listen for a moment. You're not sure why you stay, but for some reason the remainder of the song comforts you a little. The song ends, and you decide to leave. You're not sure why you let yourself stay to listen to a piano that wasn't really playing, but you shrug it off as the sight of her broken hive leaves.
Back at her hive, a young ghost girl was hovering hear the piano and waving good-bye to a figure that couldn't even see her. Although she couldn't remember what happiness was like, she felt a sense of relief for some reason. Maybe it's because she was able to see the troll she was once flushed for again. Or maybe it's because she was finally able to return a promise she had made a long time ago. Whatever the reason, she floated away to prepare for a game that would soon be played.
