CH 94: Performance

Alice wanted to. She really did, but she advised Toni against it. It would be funny to present that song before her. But Myrtle was the law in this land, especially in her own estate.

Toni picked the safer choices. A few classics he enjoyed personally. Then he picked a few that would flatter the nobles in attendance, as much as it annoyed him.

Another knock came from the door, pausing their preparations. “Yes?” Alice asked.

“Lady Alice, I’ve returned with Maeve to help.” The butler replied from behind the door.

“Coming,” Alice said, moving towards the door. “How’s the living situation?”

“Good. Well, more than good. It seems she pulled out all the stops.” Maeve said entering the room. “Your Lady is a gracious host.”

“Thank you, Mistress Maeve,” Casseus said, gracefully bowing.

“Just Maeve is fine,” Maeve said with a small smile. “If you can grab that box right there, I can take care of the harp.”

“Yes ma’am.” Casseus bowed again before grabbing the box filled with smaller percussion instruments.

Maeve waited until she could no longer hear his footsteps before turning to the mother and son. “He’s got scars on his wrists.”

“We saw. Well, Toni saw.” Alice said, patting Toni on his back. “What kind of scarring?”

“Looked like restraints. Old, and like he wore them for a long time. I caught a glimpse under his collar… He has one there, too.” Maeve said, crouching down to pick up the harp’s case.

“Think they’re all like that?” Alice asked. She shifted uncomfortably on the bed. Her stomach was churning.

“That would explain all the high collars…” Toni said. “Thought they looked… tacky.”

The two women exchanged a glance. “Most likely. Gods…” Maeve said in disgust. “I can have my knights try to look around, but I doubt we’ll find anything noteworthy…”

“True. Best not to upset Myrtle with any investigations…” Alice said, rubbing her chin.

“Ohh!” Toni said excitedly. “I could ask for one of them to help with my bath. Get a better look then.”

Both women looked at him. There really was no point in finding out more, as they couldn’t do anything about it. “Sure… Just, don’t get your hopes up.” Maeve said, leaving the room with the harp.

Toni stared at the doorway, watching the woman leave. His thoughts were on the butler and his near-perfect professionalism. How his smile never reached his emerald colored eyes. The practiced movements and gestures that seemed so hollow. Toni hated it all.

Alice packed up the makeup, letting her son wallow in his thoughts for a moment. She set the box aside and picked up their itinerary for the night. Her son had thrown in a few songs with subtle jabs towards their host. She giggled softly before tapping his shoulder.

“Come on, we should get going.”

They entered the estate’s grand hall, the lower seating filled with commoners while the nobles took the booths above them. Alice couldn’t help but laugh at the setup. Myrtle probably thought she was a generous Lady by inviting her people in to see the performance. But her people had those same dead eyes.

Toni was looking up towards their hostess’s booth, where her captain and head butler stood. He could see that Casseus was incredibly tense, even from the stage. He stood unmoving while the two women conversed. His heart ached for the poor boy.

His mom, preparing her guitar with a few strokes, brought him back to the stage. His adrenaline started to kick in as he surveyed the crowd. They wore similar eyes to the butlers, ones of gilded perfection. Their smiles never reached their eyes. For a moment, he froze.

Then his mom’s guitar started playing, silencing the crowd's murmurs. The notes beckoned for him to sing despite his distaste. His mom repeated the intro once more, Toni’s frozen state making her panic for a moment. Then he began.

His voice filled the stage and reverberated through the halls. Their first song was supposed to butter up the nobles in attendance, but Toni’s voice wasn’t filled with the joy they’d expect. It was filled with longing and deep sadness as he sang about the noble knight’s journey.

Despite the worry that their host would pick up on the reason behind his despair, she was the first to stand up and clap after he finished. The rest of the nobles joined in, while the commoners quickly joined. It seems Toni’s subtle jabs fell on deaf ears.

After the crowd settled, Alice quickly started on the more upbeat tune. It was one of the more famous tunes they would be playing. She could see the recognition form on the faces before them as the commoners’ eyes finally lit up. Toni started dancing as he sang the joyful tune. A stark contrast to his previous song.

The crowd clapped along as he danced and sang for their enjoyment. A wide smile on his face as he gracefully danced across the stage. His rhythmic dancing entranced the audience enough for some of the crowd to join in on the dancing. His performance perfectly bled into the next one.

Another more famous tune, one played at festivals for Benos, and a celebratory tune of the harvest. Given the time of year, he thought it’d be appropriate. The commoners left their seats as joy descended upon them. They danced along to the performance as the nobles watched from above.

All this time, though, Toni refused to look towards Myrtle. Not because of her or the nobles alongside her, but because of the boy. If he saw how Casseus looked right now, he’d lose all joy and momentum in his performance. He had a special song in mind for them.

With an illustrious bow, he finished the song. Applause boomed and echoed across the stage as the common women applauded him. He continued on with a few more songs with similar tunes, meant to please a crowd. Get them all excited and happy for his finale.

This is where he wished to play “Penelope’s Brother” to hammer home his sorrow from the first song, but Alice rejected the idea. So, he went for a different song. Along the same lines, but more of a tragic romance than anything. It was meant to tug on the heartstrings of all in attendance.

Alice moved to the harp, her tune gentle and quiet. Toni let the rowdy crowd settle before starting his performance. All eyes were on him as the harp’s melody grew louder and louder with each verse. He began the accompanying dance, the opposite of his usual dances.

Slow, drawn-out movements. His voice began on the next verse, his movements extenuating his sorrowful voice. The slower movements and drawn-out words captivated the audience as even the talking nobles quieted down. Now was the time to look towards their host’s booth.

Toni looked towards the butler as he sang about lost love and abandonment. He could just make out the boy’s shadowy figure as he stood like a statue. It was for a brief moment, but Toni saw him falter. He continued to look up towards the booth, letting Myrtle believe he was focused on her, as he sang.

The song was about a woman whose lover was taken from her during war. Her sorrow about missing her wife and the torture she must be enduring. Toni took a moment to look towards their host, looking for any signs of recognition. But the woman leaned forward, too engrossed in the performance to care about the words.

Though, her captain did seem put off. But Toni ignored the woman and looked back to Casseus. A smile grew on his face as the song came to its resolution. The woman reuniting with her lost love and caring for the scarred woman.

Toni saw the boy move. He couldn’t make out what he was doing, but it was better than standing like a statue. His smile widened as the songs slowly came to an end. He finished his performance with a deep bow.

Silence filled the room after they finished. The audience was stunned by the sudden change in tones and by the beautiful display. Myrtle was the first to clap; her booming applause led more to join in. Toni soaked in the applause, loving the attention before standing back up.

The hall grew quiet as he spoke. “Thank you! It was so much fun performing for you all. Sorry for the sudden tone change for the finale, it’s one of my personal favorites.” He cried out as Alice joined him.

The two bowed before the audience before another round of applause erupted, and the curtains closed. The two were now covered by the velvet curtains and Maeve joined them.

“Thank the gods Myrtle isn’t the brightest…” Maeve whispered to the two.