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The hour was late. Not that you could tell in the Lighthouse as day and night never seemed to change. Regardless, it was that time that the team had each retired to their own quarters, all was quiet as far as he could hear, except for the room his vessel occupied.
Spite watched Lucanis as he kept himself busy, another night of meaningless tasks to keep himself from sleeping. The last time he had a chance to take over, he made the mistake of doing so when all the team was awake, the one that smelled of brimstone and jam was there to stop him, along with the one who smelled of woodsmoke and melon, and also…Rook.
Rook. I what to talk to Rook!
“No, Spite,” Lucanis sighed to the demon. “She doesn’t want to talk to us.”
YOU. You don’t talk to her. You hurt Rook.
Lucanis shot a glare at him, it was two days ago in the very room they were in now that Esmee Mercar, known by Rook, the leader of the team, was pushed up against the wall and Lucanis was itches away from crossing that boundary into his true feelings, but at the last second, he had made up an excuse and left the room quickly. “It’s…complicated, I can’t be what she needs.”
Rook likes danger. Rook likes to walk close to edge!
“Enough, Spite!”
Grrrr…Fine. But I want out. You promised!
“You are not going anywhere, that’s final,” Lucanis told him, picking up his book and proceeded to ignore all other attempts to talk to him.
Spite growled, he was bored. For two days, they had been avoiding Rook, not able to go out on missions, not being able to explore the area around them, he was even missing that spirit of curiosity.
As the hours went on, Spite waited and waited until…the book that was in Lucanis was holding slipped from his fingers, onto the floor as his head stumped forward.
Yes.
Lucanis body twitched as his head lifted once again, but this time his eyes glowed purple. Spite was now in control.
Taking careful steps, he got up from the cot and left the pantry. He slowly opened the dining room door out to the courtyard, scanning the environment. The baby griffon was no where to be found. The lights of the other quarters were extinguished.
Spite grinned, now was his chance!
He made his way across the courtyard, trying to act as Lucanis like as possible but kept his head lowered, if anyone was to see him from their window, hopefully they would think his host was just going for a walk.
Spite made it to the main building, getting ever closer to the stairs to the Eluvian, when he paused.
No one was in the main room, but that’s not to say it was quiet. Somewhere nearly there was…music?
His experience with the subject was limited by what he heard in the streets of Treviso in passing during one of their outings, Rook would always stop and listen as a strange person would make sounds by running their fingers over strings. Rook would always throw coins into their hat placed on the ground before moving on.
Spite patted the pockets of Lucanis clothes, he had no coins to give, but his sound wasn’t like the string sound. It was different and had a bit of an echo to it.
Forget his goal of the Eluvian, Spite began to sneak out the origin of the sound.
Along the side of main room, he pressed his back against the wall, feeling the sound vibrations the closer he sidled to the circular door. As he touched it, the door slid down and he could hear it more clearly, along with a voice that sang out.
I am a guardian, a watch of these ancient rites.
Yet I find myself drawn from the path on those dazzling moonlit nights.
It was coming from the end of the, newly revealed, corridor. Spite used his wings to lift himself off the ground, wanting to get closer but not to disturb whatever it was by his footsteps. The door slid back down behind him as he flew, Lucanis had never shown him this room before. He wondered if even Curiosity knew about it.
The voice continued to sing, echoing off the walls along with the music.
Let me hold you, feel you close to me, I long to hear your voice.
But dearest, I know better now I must give you this choice.
As he landed at the end of the corridor, he was faced with a door. What he wouldn’t give to be in his spirit form and just phase through, but that would mean Lucanis would wake up and have to go back to the pantry. No, he had to be quiet and open the door while not alerting who was on the other side.
Recalling Lucanis stealth like skills from being a crow, he slowly turned the handle, slipped through and quietly shut the door behind, taking in the sight before him.
The new room was bathed in the warm glow of the fade coming through the large windows along the back. The walls were decorated with murals and there were artefacts scattered in various places. But none of that mattered as the target he had been searching for was in the middle of the room, of which he knew very well.
The Qunari mage sat with her back to him, they were using their fingers to press down on something in front of them that Spite had not seen before. As they pressed the keys, it made sounds blending into a melody as she continued to sing.
I can give you everything you need, or do you want to hear me plead?
Just look my way.
Just look my way.
Spite felt himself relax as the melody went on, careful not to let go of control.
Is there something more that I don’t know, that you won’t say ‘til we’ve both grown cold?
Just say, “Please, stay, look my way.”
“I look,” Spite found himself saying out loud before he could think, he was not used to being heard by others.
The singing and music abruptly stopped as Rook yelped, slamming their fingers down harder on the keys before them and span around. Spite did not like this sound, covering his ears. “TOO LOUD!”
“Lucanis!” Rook gasped, she went to get up to move to him but held herself back. “What ar- what you doing here? I thought that-Wait, Spite?” In her haste of questions she finally noticed the purple glow around him.
“DON’T. DO. THAT. AGAIN!” Spite shouted, his ears still ringing and stamped his foot.
Rook flinched, holding her hands up, “Sorry, you settled me,” she took a deep breath. “What are you doing here Spite? I’m guessing Lucanis doesn’t know you have taken over his body.”
“I want out. Took chance. But followed sound. Found you. Found that. What is that,” Spite made his away over to the object of his curiosity, giving a poke to one of the keys Rook has previously been tapping, it made a noise and he stepped back.
Rook let out a little laugh, “I expected this from Manfred, but I guess he really having an influence on you. This, Spite, is called a piano, you play it to make music,” Rook demonstrated by tapping on the keys and playing a different tune from before, but something more simple.
“Music. Like at market!”
“Yes that’s right,” Rook nodded.
Spite looked around, “Where your hat?”
“My…hat?”
“Where Rook hat. Spite want to give coin for song. But Lucanis has none,” Spite patted his pockets again to make sure.
Rook tired to hold back her laugh but she couldn’t help but snicker a little. “Spite, I’m not doing this to make money, I just, couldn’t sleep and needed to blow off some steam. Besides, none one would want to hear me sing.”
“I did.”
“You were probably wondering what cat was getting murdered in here.”
Spite looked around frantically, “There a cat? Where?!”
Rook held up her hands again. “No wait I didn’t mean literally! It’s a just a saying. I’m not the best singer, but I’ve just had a lot on my mind and it just relaxes me.”
“Pretty Rook good at it. I want to hear more. Sing pretty bird!”
Rook freckled cheeks turned a shade of red, trying to look away. “That’s…kind of you, I don’t really sing in front of others, I can play you a tune though if you promise you are not about to run out on us.” Rook patted a spot on the bench beside her before starting playing the melody from her song before, just without the words. “I can even teach you if you like.”
Spite nodded, taking a seat next to her and sniffed the air close between them. “Smells of lavender and tears.”
Rook raised an eyebrow at him. “Didn’t Taash have this discussion about smelling others?” Spite grumbled. “The lavender is from my perfume, my mother wore the same scent, she was the who thought me to play.”
“I like it. As does Lucanis.”
The tune slowed down briefly. “I doubt that…”
“He does. Won’t admit it. He drawn to it. He look your way.”
“Then why-“ Rook began to ask, but thought better, shaking her head. “I think this is something Lucanis needs say himself.”
Through out the rest of the night, Rook had played a couple of different tunes for Spite as he watched on, feeling more at ease and less bored.
—
Morning had arrived at the lighthouse, Assans’s squeaks had indicated that as he did his early morning flight laps.
Lucanis had been awake for about an hour already and was busy making breakfast for everyone. He had woke startled but well rested for a change. He hadn’t meant to fall asleep but woke in his cot as if nothing had happened. Had Spite truly not done anything?
Whatever happened, it was pushed to the back of his mind when the team had started to enter the dining room one by one, along with Rook.
He had not seen her since the day he ran out on her, but the smile on her face and the little wave she gave was a comfort. Maybe there was hope for them yet. He turned his attention back to cooking, lost in his thoughts.
“Oh that’s a lovely tune, where’s that from?” Bellara asked, Lucanis assumed she was talking to someone else until he looked up and saw she was staring at him.
“What?”
“That tune you are humming, it’s lovely,” Bellara said again, Rook coughed into her cup of coffee, turning away quickly.
“I was humming?” He thought back, there was a tune in his head, along with an angelic voice to go along with it, but had failed to realise he had been humming out loud in his content state. “I don’t know, it just came to me, in a dream…”
Lucanis saw a flash of purple, noticing Spite next to Rook, unknown to her, with a smile on his face and humming the same tune. Rook for her part, was trying not to look at Lucanis, but was undoubtedly blushing behind her coffee mug.