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The moon was beautiful tonight, Giselle thought to herself. She stepped past the gates of Timberain, remembering that there was a small lake just outside of town. She couldn't sleep, so she had told Rico and Coda she needed some fresh air, and her dove Weiss remained inside the inn with the rest of the troupe. She also took her sword for some sense of security, although monster attacks had declined sharply since that long night.
She inhaled deeply, tasting the crisp night air, and the lake soon came into view, reflecting the comforting light of the moon. These days, she felt more at ease when the moon was visible, as moonless nights reminded her too much of that unnatural night that had taken away Tanzy. She laid her hand on the hilt of her sword; but even moonless nights still had the stars, so there was always light.
A familiar sound caught her attention, and she spotted another figure standing at the edge of the lake. Gentle fingers plucked the stings of a lute and a soft melody filled the air. The music was much like the moon itself, a beckoning beauty that thrived best in the darkness, a darkness that embraced the light rather than consuming it.
Giselle came beside the musician, a smile tugging at her lips as she listened to the final notes of the song. "Yomi," she said after a moment of silence.
Yomi turned her head, her dark eyes reflecting the twinkle of the stars. "Giselle," she replied with a nod. "You're awake rather late."
"I could say the same to you."
"My songs take on a different sound when only the moon and stars can hear." Yomi smiled, a faint smile that glistened in the moonlight.
Giselle's throat went dry, as it often did these days whenever Yomi flashed that mysterious smile of hers. "O-Oh, is that so…?" she managed to force out.
Yomi let out a low chuckle as her slender fingers traced the stings of her lute. "In truth, I want to remind myself of the beauty of night. After all, without the night, we would not even know of moonlight and starlight."
Again Giselle stared at the reflection of the moon in the lake water. "I never thought of it that way."
"Though to speak more practically, in a desert land like Ku, the night also brings a brief reprise from the heat."
"Oh, that I can understand. When my troupe first visited Hinoeuma, I was surprised by just how cold nights could get, considering how hot the days were." Giselle tried to laugh, but the mention of Ku reminded her of the true reason Tanzy had wanted to travel there.
A flash of worry crossed Yomi's face. "Giselle?" she said carefully.
Giselle bit her lip, remembering the words of Tanzy's journal that Agnea had shown her. It had been a year since that long night, but sometimes the grief felt like a fresh wound. "I want to think the night is beautiful too," she said finally.
A gentle, understanding smile crossed Yomi's lips. Giselle had told her a little of Tanzy, and in turn she had told Giselle of her sister Tsuki. "When that long night finally ended, I felt as if I was waking from a nightmare," she said, her voice no more than a whisper. "Even now, I can scarcely believe that the world came so close to ending…"
"I don't think I'd believe it either if Agnea hadn't told me." Giselle clenched her hand over her chest. "If she and her friends hadn't brought back the dawn…"
Again Yomi let out a quiet chuckle. "That young dancer certainly is something else, isn't she? Perhaps it isn't so surprising her path crossed with an idealistic exiled prince."
Agnea did travel with an eccentric group, Giselle thought to herself, and remembering how brightly she had shined at the Grand Gala, Giselle could easily believe that she and her companions had confronted an evil god to back the dawn. It was such a simple thing, that chance meeting in Tropu'hopu, which had changed both their lives. Giselle's chest tightened; if only that hope could've reached Tanzy too…
"We cannot forget grief," Yomi whispered, as if reading Giselle's thoughts, "but we can grieve because we love."
Giselle's breath caught in her throat, Yomi's profile clear against the moonlight. They had met during Agnea's performance in New Delsta, and when Yomi expressed interested in Giselle's Traveling Troupe, Giselle invited her to join. She had a warm, prideful air about her, and as they traveled together, Giselle had grown more and more drawn to her.
Yomi plucked a sting on her lute, that clear sound filling the night air. "A song for us, beneath the night," she said, and once more her graceful fingers danced upon the stings of her lute.
Giselle shut her eyes, letting the notes wash over her. Yomi boasted a thousand tunes, and sometimes Giselle wondered if that was an understatement. Her repertoire was vast, ranging from bawdy tavern tunes to the most somber of funeral songs. Some performances she played alone, and other times she played alongside Coda's flute, creating a wholly unique sound. Rarely did she play the same song twice, so each performance was always a surprise to their ever-growing troupe.
Yomi's song at this moment was like the stars themselves, the notes a gentle twinkling among the night sky. A sound not overpowering but too clear to overlook, a sound that danced at the edges of the darkness. The tempo grew more spirited, heading toward a rising dawn, and Yomi's fingers on the stings remained as elegant as ever. From night to day, and then day to night, the cycle that Agnea and her companions had fought so hard to protect. Giselle opened her eyes, and the stars greeted her.
When she had first set out on her journey, defying her parents and the unwanted marriage they had arranged for her, she had done so at night, with only the stars to guide her.
The star song soon came to an end, Yomi's fingers drawing just a few more notes from her lute. Silence fell over her and Giselle for a moment, and even in this darkness Giselle saw how flushed her cheeks had grown. "I've been working on this song for a while," she said, her voice quiet. "I am… honored you were the first to hear it."
"No, the honor is all mine!" Giselle exclaimed, and again her heart raced. "That was beautiful, Yomi!"
Yomi chuckled, a sound just as lovely as her music. "Traveling with your troupe has been inspiring." She raised a hand to touch Giselle's cheek. "Perhaps I'll even compose a love song or two."
"L-Love song?" Giselle repeated, and she couldn't help but notice how bright Yomi's lips were.
Yomi's smile grew warner, and she lifted herself onto her toes to press her lips to Giselle's. A brief kiss, with only the stars and the moon as their witnesses.
Carefully Giselle took Yomi's hand into hers, letting their fingers intertwine. The notes of Yomi's song still lingered in her ears, as did the warmth of those lips on hers. She could've spoken in that moment, but found no words. So instead, she bent to kiss Yomi again, another kiss beneath the stars.
And when the sun rose again, perhaps they would share yet another kiss.