deep into that darkness peering

He was enjoying himself. Oddly, awkwardly, and for the first time in a very long while. The offer to keep the lute had Korbin's eyes go wide in surprise - for a moment, his hands tightened possessively around the instrument. Then the clause came, and it was like a door slamming shut within him. His expression turned blank, the look in his eyes gone weary, suspicious. A wild creature smelling a trap. "I... can't stay," he mumbled. Looking away at the fire, long digits pried off one by one, until the lute was gently placed down onto the table. It looked physically painful for him to part with it. "Can't make promises." He always broke them. K O R B I N It's a lie for a lie and I'm getting tired An old lullabye, drifting through the sky

"What a shame she's fucked in the head," they said.

Her smile faltered and she quickly shook her head, "You don't have to stay." Maeve let out a breath, straightening slightly, brows drawing together in concern as she watched him stare into the fire.

He was already shutting down and withdrawing again. It was the last thing she wanted. "Truly, I don't care if I never hear you play again if it means you'll take it. It would only gather dust here. No one would appreciate it the same way that you do." Maeve told him earnestly, voice soft as it mixed with the crackling of the fire, teeth sinking into the plush flesh of her bottom lip as she placed her hands in her lap.

"Please take it." She yearned to reach out and touch him, the physical person that she was, always craving contact from those she was with. A desperate need she never truly shook, but she restrained herself, fingers curling in the skirt of her dress instead as she drew in a shaky breath. "Please."

Maeve

The way she so suddenly changed her mind confused him. Why did she do that? Had she not meant it? The lute... even when the strings lay silent and untouched it sang to him. Of times long past, of moments that had been good and bright. Full of laughter and love, in a time when a dark haired woman not entirely unlike this one had been laughing until her honey brown eyes danced. He had promised himself to never forget that. Had sworn to never for a single moment allow a beautiful girl with a bright future be reduced to dust, a mere footnote in history at the precipice of change. But... but he had. Today, here, in the rapture of music... he had not thought of his sister even once. The lute... such a blessing. What a curse. Clutching the golden gemstone like a tether thrown for a drowning man, Korbin poured all the confusion and relief and regret into it. As a star shot up to join so many others, the heave of his shoulders slowed, and mounting tension bled out. A pustule drained, a wound cleansed. Music could do that too... but first he needed the courage to accept kindness from a stranger. Only very slowly did the young man look up. The nod was hesitant, a fight within barely won, and for all that the light in his eyes shone brighter for it... there was so many shadows left to haunt him that it was hard to tell if this really had been a favor. K O R B I N It's a lie for a lie and I'm getting tired An old lullabye, drifting through the sky

"What a shame she's fucked in the head," they said.

Maeve is left to wait for his answer, struggling with the unease that was twisting in her belly, jade eyes searching his features for any sign that he might accept her offer. They sit in strained silence, only the fire crackling to keep them company as well as the sound of distant waves crashing against the shore. The Madame licked her lips, swallowing thickly just as a star shot up through the ceiling to disappear with the others he'd made tonight. Finally, he nodded, meeting her gaze with a brightness in his eyes that wasn't there before.

A breath escaped her and she relaxed, slumping back into the cushions once more, "You're welcome back whenever you want. No stipulations." Maeve murmured and she finally shifted forward, moving to settle on the floor by the low table. She dragged her tray over, taking up her fork and beginning to pick at the food in an attempt to eat something herself.

Maeve

Her shifting tensions did not pass by unnoticed. It seemed Korbin was still causing unease to others with his unsettled emotions, and it was only one more reason to consider declining the gift. It was attached to so many strings (just one) and seemed a terrible burden (light as a feather) and yet... and yet... he could not resist. Her relief was palpable, and the blue-eyed raven frowned quizzically at the lady. Why did she care so much? He was no one. Just a stranger in the rain, blown in by wind and happenstance. A bit of music and a dance should not mean anything. "Thank you," came a hoarse murmur, quiet and alive with questions he did not dare to pose. Reaching out for the lute, he stroked gentle fingers over the polished wood, wonder and trepidation quivering within, across the gaunt and haunted angles of his face. Damn... he would have to remain human now. How else could the thing be carried all the way back to Halo? Suddenly untethered from the chair, the lanky youth unfurled himself and reached for the tray of food. There was something voracious over his manners as he devoured the contents, neatness implied in the handling of cutlery yet ignored for the simple purpose of filling an empty stomach. Shadows of wolf's teeth and raven talons overlaid the image, until the room seemed transported to some other place entirely. Somewhere colder and darker, and far less civilized than this decadent parlor in the heart of Torchline. K O R B I N It's a lie for a lie and I'm getting tired An old lullabye, drifting through the sky

"What a shame she's fucked in the head," they said.

He warred with it, but eventually Korbin caved, stroking his fingers across the smooth wood of the lute. Maeve let out a breath, willing to let herself relax now that the raven boy had made his choice, keeping her gift with no strings attached. It was what allowed her to focus on her food, picking at the various vegetables and meats as Korbin suddenly lunged forward for his own.

With a ravenous ferocity that Maeve wasn't expecting, he dug in, using the cutlery that was there if only to shovel it in more quickly. They ate in silence, her eyes occasionally flicking up to watch him, but no movement was made otherwise. Not until there is a gentle knock at the door, Maeve lifting her head as Amelia peeked inside, "Maeve, some people are asking for you." She said softly, earning a nod from the Madame before she made to stand, offering Korbin a small smile.

"You're welcome to stay as long as you want. No one will bother you in here. Feel free to leave out the window. Just shut it behind you." Maeve told him, drawing herself up and stepping towards the door with one last look over her shoulder, finally slipping it closed behind her.

Maeve

The raven man's head shot up at the knock on the door. Only crumbs remained on his plate, and a slow, heady sense of well-being had begun to settle into his bones. The disruption set nerves on edge all over again, and he watched with unreadable expression how the lady - Maeve, apparently - got to her feet. Her offer and welcome to linger was met with a curt nod, only silence following in her wake as she left. Mingled regret and relief haunted the man as he looked around - alone now in an empty room, where the echoes of music and relaxation drifted to the ground. Dust mites and dreams, now, no more. By the time Maeve returned, she would find the room empty and the window open. A single black feather teetered on the window sill, about to be blown out into the rain. The lute was gone - as was the rest of the food in the room. - FIN K O R B I N It's a lie for a lie and I'm getting tired An old lullabye, drifting through the sky