melody's cabin (sfw)

[enchanting_melody]

*after kurapika falls asleep in his own cabin, melody takes her leave to give him some privacy. she intends to return to the music room to vent some of her feelings into the piano, but freezes in place when the next door she passes has her own name on it. she opens it up and finds herself in an elegant bedroom open to a balcony overlooking a peaceful spring field, not unlike the one she conjures with her flute. gasping in delight, she runs to the balcony and clings to the railing, breathing in the fresh spring air with a peaceful smile.*

what a wonderful place!

ooc: feel free to come visit melody here any time!

Comments

[phantom_memory]

*pairo hears the door open and greets kurapika’s friend with uncertainty.*

h-hello!

*he can’t make out her expression, but she sounds quite shocked to see him. he supposes that makes sense, considering she’s probably never met a kurta other than kurapika before. he looks up at his friend for guidance, gripping his hand.*

[scarlet_chains]

*Melody's shock is not surprising, considering what she saw in the memory room not long ago. Kurapika feels a stab of guilt for causing it, having not considered giving her a proper warning - he had just been so excited for her to meet Pairo. He tries conveying his emotions through his eyes - a mix of bewilderment, acceptance, sadness and joy at the situation, but he knows that Melody will be able to read him with her ears instead of her eyes. His eyes narrow just slightly as a warning for her not to give anything away, but greets her amicably in his next breath.*

I'd like you to meet Pairo. He's my childhood friend I grew up together with.

*The words are mostly for Pairo's sake, so he can follow their interaction. He squeezes the young boy's hand back.*

Do you mind if we come in for a bit?

[enchanting_melody]

*a flurry of emotions flutter across kurapika's features, but his heart tells her everything she needs to know. its beat reverberates with relief and happiness but is holding something back, a dam of sorrow that he's not yet ready to let break. she understands at once that pairo does not know what happened to him, or rather, would have happened to him if he hadn't come to the airship when he did, and kurapika intends to keep it that way, at least for now. so she must follow his lead, and pretend. her lips press into a bittersweet smile as she takes up the boy's hands.*

it's an unparalleled pleasure to meet you, pairo. please, step inside.

*the room behind her door is made up of a combined bedroom and seating area, furnished with a bed, couch, armchair, coffee table, and piano, all open to a balcony overlooking a field in spring, just like her song. she motions them over to the couch, taking up the armchair opposite.*

[phantom_memory]

*a pair of small, calloused hands take his, and pairo smiles at the warm welcome, entering with the woman's lead. she guides him all the way to a couch, which he hops up onto, finding it just right for his (and her) size. kurapika's legs may be a bit long for it, he thinks with a chuckle.*

it's nice to meet you too, melody! kurapika told me you're his friend, too!

[scarlet_chains]

*Kurapika watches the two of them interact, a meeting that should have been impossible. He has never imagined a scenario like this, but now that it's happening he wishes the moment could last forever. He sees how gently Melody guides Pairo over to the couch, and how Pairo happily greets her. Knowing Melody, she probably caught on rather quickly that Pairo can't see very well. He sits down in the armchair (it's lower than a regular chair, making his knees stick up a little) and sighs contentedly, feeling at ease in the calm and pleasant atmosphere of Melody's cabin.*

What were you up to before we arrived? I hope we didn't interrupt anything.

[enchanting_melody]

*melody smiles between the two of them, hearing the swell of kurapika’s heartbeat as he watches them interact and sharing in his unfiltered joy, just happy to see him so happy after so recently seeing him at his worst.*

no, not at all! i was just reading. the music room has some interesting books on music theory that i’ve been borrowing.

*she turns to pairo, whose glassy-eyed look has made it clear that his vision is impaired from the moment she saw him and he didn’t quite see her.*

i’ve been friends with kurapika for a long time now, but not nearly as long as you! we met in yorknew city when we started working for the same boss.

[phantom_memory]

*pairo’s eyes widen with wonder and joyful awe at the news that kurapika had traveled so far to meet her, his imagination immediately running wild in its attempt to envision him amongst the streets and skyscrapers of the outside world he’d only studied about.*

wow, yorknew city, really?! kurapika, what did you think of the big city?

*he’s on the edge of his seat? eager to hear more about their travels.*

[scarlet_chains]

*Kurapika hesitates for a moment, thinking about what to say. He doesn't want to divulge too much of the nature of his work, but saying too little can seem suspicious too. There hadn't exactly been a lot of time for sightseeing in Yorknew. I was too busy trying and failing to avenge you. He can't let on how hard his time in Yorknew was for him.*

Well, I was busy working, so I didn't actually get to see as much of the city as I would have liked otherwise. But it's a huge city, with more people than you could imagine. The lights at night were truly dazzling.

*His heart gives a sad little flop at having to cover up the truth with empty words, but he will protect Pairo from the truth with his whole body if he has to.*

[enchanting_melody]

*it pains melody to hear kurapika tiptoeing around the truth, his heart beating an uneven tempo of guilt and determination as he does his best to protect his young friend from the pain of his own death. melody hates lying, but even she understands that it is necessary in a situation like this.*

it’s true, we were very busy.

*she backs him up, then comes up with her own way to bend the truth into something satisfying for him.*

though i do remember getting to spend an evening on a rooftop with kurapika, looking out at all those lovely lights together.

[phantom_memory]

wow! i wish i could…

*the now-distant memory of the night sky full of stars twinkling in his uninjured eyes comes to mind. from their description, he can only imagine that what they saw was hundreds of times bigger and brighter than that, and he longs for the chance to see something like it one day… if he is ever able to see more than a blur again. ducking his head, he stammers:*

…um, i wish i could have been there, too.

[scarlet_chains]

*Kurapika smiles, grateful to Melody for the backup. But his face falls when he sees the wistful expression on his young friend's face. A fierce protectiveness flares to life inside of him, stronger than he's ever experienced, even stronger than the brotherly love he's felt towards Gon and Killua.*

Pairo... Let's go there together. We'll explore the city - the shops, the streets, the food... I'll take you everywhere.

*All the things Pairo never got to experience, all the things he never got to do... he'll give him everything this world has to offer.*

We'll always be together from now on.

[enchanting_melody]

*the sound kurapika's heart makes when he promises to pairo is like nothing melody's ever heard from it before. it was as if all that fierce determination he'd always poured into avenging the boy has now been redirected toward protecting him and making the most of the life he'd nearly lost. melody feels herself choking up as she listens to that vibrant rhythm of devotion, no longer marching toward destruction but hope, and for the first time feels grateful that they were brought to this place, where pairo can live and kurapika can have a chance to truly heal.*

even just this airship has so much to explore. killua told me yesterday that there's a door that leads to a theme park! you'll have to make a visit.

[phantom_memory]

*ignited by kurapika's burning flame, pairo lights back up, smiling with uncontrollable joy. just his morning he'd thought he'd have to say goodbye to kurapika indefinitely; but now, here he is, telling him they'll never have to be apart again. he couldn't possibly be happier, beaming up at his dearest friend.*

i'll be our own adventure!

*he shifts his attention over to melody, excitement surging at the mention of a theme park, another thing he's only heard about in stories.*

and it starts here!

[scarlet_chains]

That's right! We'll have our own great adventures, just like D Hunter. And I've never been to a theme park before. It'll be a first for us both, Pairo.

*Relief and satisfaction soothe him as he sees Pairo's smile yet again, along with a heavy-hitting realisation - there's no going back now. The trajectory of his life has changed, but for the better. He's been given a chance to save Pairo, and he'll take it as his new life mission to make him feel safe and happy. But deeper than that is the deep-seated joy at having his best friend, his partner in crime, back after all these years.*

Will you join us to the theme park, Melody?

[enchanting_melody]

*bringing her hand to her mouth, melody giggles at their combined enthusiasm. she can tell how much this means to them by the matching swells in their heartbeats, and she doesn't want to encroach on their shared dream.*

i think you two should experience it for the first time together! i'll sit it out for now.

[phantom_memory]

*excitement mounting, pairo jumps to his feet faster than he should and stumbles, catching himself with his hands on kurapika's lap. his cheeks flush but he's otherwise unfazed, still smiling up at his friend.*

should we go find killua next?

[scarlet_chains]

*He nods at them both, a long-forgotten excitement bubbling in his chest. He hurries to steady Pairo as he stumbles, grabbing onto the boy's shoulders.*

Are you alright? Yes, let's go - I'd like you to meet everyone.

[enchanting_melody]

*melody hops to her feet as well, stepping around the coffee table to beckon them toward the door.*

killua spends most of his time in the cat room — i’m sure we’ll be able to find him if we look there. come, i’ll show you the way!

[phantom_memory]

*held safely in kurapika’s grasp, pairo can’t imagine being more alright.*

i am! i just… never thought this day would come so soon.

*his smile reaches from ear to ear as he tugs at kurapika’s pant leg.*

let’s go!