Wind Legato III

Seth found it puzzling. If what he said was true and he wasn't entirely human then…what was he? He smirked at Sin and then shook his head as he dismissed the thought. It was only a theory, the other had said. "So not even you know the full truth? Heh, guess I'm just special. Still, don't you get tired of being invisible and mute all the time? I mean, you play so many instruments, and good, too! Don't you want others to hear it?"

Sin's response was spat out bitterly. Yet, he did not look at Seth directly when he spoke and only continued staring into the flames. "Humans are not special."

Sin remained silent. The barrage of questions caught him a little by surprise, even slightly overwhelmed him, and left him unsure how to answer. His eyes downcast, a bit annoyed as he pursed his lips. He had never been asked his honest thoughts about his existence before now. Well, come to think of it, Sin had been alone almost his entire life after his birth. He glanced back at the water behind him and his ears twitched. The gills on his neck flaked open and shut quickly. His thoughts drifted.

The crackle of the fire, flow of river waters, and chirping crickets were the only noises keeping the tension from choking Sin at the moment. Yet Seth just stared at him, smiling and eager to hear what he had to say. And then when he noticed the discomfort weighing down on the grim his face dropped. "Hey, never mind. No need to answer if you don't want to. I was just curious, was all," he said as he reached for a few more branches and tossed them into the pit.

A soft hmm buzzed from Sin's lips as he look back at the flames, noting the crows would no doubt be burned black if they remained there any longer. He chose to ignore it, finding his appetite had left him. "I do," he said with his lips thinly parted as he met Seth's eyes and he blinked. A moment passed in slow motion as though his ears took a second to process that he had voiced that thought out loud. Hearing it caused him to blink again in surprise, rapidly and frequently. He had admitted something he had tried so hard to ignore or deny until one person was able to hear him.

Seth only stared back at him, a bit surprised that Sin had answered. "Oh…"

Then, Sin's thoughts started to swirl within him like a typhoon and he spoke before he could stop himself. "This river has been my home and my stage for over a century and you're the first to wander over here and be able to hear me. I play every night and I make the winds howl, the trees bend, the water flow, rain fall, and flowers bloom. But in the end, no one can hear me. No one can see me. I was born in this river and I will die here."

"Then why don't you just leave?"

"If someone were to see me-"

"Can't you just disguise yourself? Shave your claws down and cover your gills with a scarf? Hell, maybe if you wore any clothes at all…" he paused, looking Sin's naked body up and down. Surely he could get him something fetching from the king's personal stylist, couldn't he? "... you could go into town like any other human. Just cover up in case someone is able to see you and then you could at least walk around."

Sin only shook his head. "I can't," he whispered. "It's a meaningless existence to go where I would never be seen or heard like everyone else. That is why many grims will pass their knowledge and talent onto humans for something as simple as hot food. It almost has nothing to do with the bribe. It's about the chance of their music being heard through someone else. The quality of the meal just measures how badly one wishes to learn."

Seth lowered his head, staring into the small fire between them. "I see…" He thought back to their chat from the previous week when Sin had attempted to teach him the harp. A small bit of melancholy and even guilt arose in his gut when he recalled having rejected the other's offer. "Is that why you- I mean last week when you tried to…" his voice trailed off. His ears twitched and his gaze shot up when he heard Sin had begun blowing into his flute again. When had he...hadn't he dropped it into the water, earlier? Then again, he was magical.

A gentle breeze blew right past them, tickling Seth's skin through his chainmail. "It matters not. You declined in the end."

"But what if I let you teach me? I mean...then everyone would hear your songs. I could learn even just one instrument, and I could play whatever you teach me to everyone in town, and then they'll know and-"

"No." His voice was stern. The music halted. Sin's eyes leered at him as he shook his head, slightly. "Seth...do you remember what I said about humans? They have their kind of free will. Truly a wretched thing you have, being able to turn against nature but it is also a gift. You're able to shape your destiny and defy fate." Sin dragged out a few notes and the wind slowed before he spoke again. "I take it you chose to become a wyvern rider, did you not?"

"What does that have to do with this?" Seth almost sounded sad. He was offering this person any hand he could give to grant Sin the opportunity he wished for but in the same instant, he denied himself a chance at what he seemed to long for so many years. It was pitiful to hear him playing another song that sprang with charm and cheer. As happy as it was it, the look on Sin's face couldn't be mistaken; he was holding himself back.

Seth swallowed his urge to argue. "Well, no. I because a wyvern rider I was the best at it. No one else could command wyverns and salamanders like I could when I was in training. So it just seemed nat- …" He froze, realizing what he was saying. It all clicked in his head.

"Seems that you've been following nature's path for you just as needed," Sin smirked at him as he began playing once more. "You have free will, Seth. What you do with it...that is still always your choice. Following your heart, natural law, and instinct, neither is good nor evil. It is what you do with it that matters most. You're just a lucky one where it would seem that both fate and choice aligned perfectly for you."

"Sin…" Seth couldn't find any further words. Had his nostrils not flared by the sudden intrusion of smoke, Seth would have let their dinner fall into the fire pit and burn black. Still, he couldn't take his eyes off the man even as he lunged forward to grab the pike and pull the birds from it before they caught flame. Through the dark haze, he saw Sin sitting cross-legged on a large rock, tooting away on his flute and making the wind brush against his cheek. His hair draped down over his frontal and collected in his lap, tangled and messy with sand clinging all over. This person was a wonder to him and Seth was enchanted to watch him play.

Sin began to slowly fade into a thin veil of mist and seth realized this he returned to his senses.

"W-wait! Hang on! Don't leave. We haven't even eaten yet. I'm not done talking to you! Please, j-just-" He scurried to his feet. In a panic, Seth dropped the burnt crows into the fire pit and began sputtering curses to salvage whatever he could that wasn't tainted by ashes and charred wood. Flames sparked and cinders stung the palms of his hand. He dropped the birds back into the pit once more and fell back on his rear.

When he looked up Seth saw the faint image of Sin walking onto the water and vanishing once again. The mist faded and he was alone, save for the forest breeze comforting him. "Dammit! HEY!" The dragoon pulled himself back to his feet and stepped over the fire pit into the shallow waters. He winced, feeling stones stab at the soles of his feet, yet he pursued deeper until he almost lost his balance to the river's tide. "Get back here, dammit! You owe me a song!" he shouted.

As if on-demand the air became filled with the playful and charming melody of Sin's flute. The tune carried a mocking tone to it. Yet the legato stretched on, smoothly as did the calming winds. Seth gritted his teeth, yet slowly found himself soothed like a beast eased to rest with a lullaby.

A voice whispered to him. It was Sin. "You know...I'm quite happy playing for an audience of one. Return here, once again…."

Seth didn't respond. He only stood there, listening to the grim's song and admiring the wind. He gripped his chest as when they both came to an end. His heart felt heavy and his gut empty, like a piece of him was missing, now. He stood there in silence, looking into the distance across the river in the direction Sin, and walked as though he'd reappear if he waited long enough.

His hand stung, still. Seth looked down at his wound and grunted his teeth before finally turning to make his way back to his spear and armor. The stones collected in the river's shallows bit into him with every step as he replayed that evening's conversation over in his head. Had he said something wrong? What could he have done better?

Once more, he looked at his wounds and blinked before shoving his hand up to his face to look closer. His hands! Seth's eyes were wide. He could have sworn that he had burned himself. Seth remembered the sting and the heat from when he had grabbed the burning crows, yet his skin looked as if there had never been a wound at all. No soot or scar was anywhere on his palms.

"What...what's happening?" he whispered to himself.