Singing to the Fishes (Kiara)

[Lucah Ivaskov]

Thinking of it as a sort of goodbye, Lucah had decided to go around the campus to his favorite spots. His guitar was strapped to his back and he had been avoiding all of the people crowding in the dorm rooms. He was also avoiding Romeo for as long as possible. Their last encounter had annoyed the living hell out of Luc and he couldn't handle it anymore. He was sick of being angry and cold. Ever since Belle had been taken out of his life, he hadn't been happy and he hadn't smiled once.

It was like after his mother had passed away, all of the happiness had gotten sucked out of him. When he met Belle it had been momentarily replaced. Now it was gone again. Trudging through the campus, he made his way to the pond, the one place anyone could find him if they needed him. It was where he felt comfortable and relaxed. It was where he went to play his guitar and sing.

Which was exactly what he was going to do.

As he sat against his tree, the one that he always sat under, he pulled his guitar back in front of him. One song had been playing over and over again in his head. Since coming to America, he'd found that he could tolerate some of their music. One of the bands he'd began to like was 3 Doors Down. The song in his head was Here Without You and as he sat there he began to play it.

[Deleted]

Nothing had been the same anymore lately. Ever since her friendship with Aiden had made a severe crash, she often found herself roaming around the campus with no specific destination in mind. The only goals she had as of late involved music and distancing herself from practically everyone. The one person she had expected to never betray her, had abused her ability to get into a relationship, so it was incredibly difficult to allow others close out of the fear of being nothing but a solution to their problems.

Kiara was having a rough day again. During those, she usually went to the lake or pond to untangle some of her thoughts. Her guitar had ended up being her new best friend, hardly ever leaving it behind anymore, and today wasn’t an exception. It was securely strapped to her back as she approached the pond. Her usual spot was still available, she could see it from a distance, but something distracted her and she ended up straying in another direction. A guitar; she would recognize that sound anywhere. Curiously she stepped closed to where Lucah sat. Ki knew that song. It was beautiful.

Caught in the melody, Kiara found herself sitting down without having asked permission. She carefully placed the guitar down next to her, looking over at the young man. He seemed to be in deep thoughts and she wasn’t sure if he had taken notice of her presence. Or, well, he probably would as the blonde instinctively began to whisper the lyrics that belonged to the song. She didn’t sing; she hardly ever did so in front of someone. She could sing though. In fact, after a couple of seconds, her voice slowly developed into a more musical one. Subconsciously, Kiara was slowly starting to sing along… until he stopped playing the guitar.

Blue eyes immediately flashed to Lucah and a mix of apologetic and sheepish smile settled on her lips. ”… Sorry.”

(((Hope it was okay to assume he would stop playing. ^^)))

[Lucah Ivaskov]

Lucah had been less himself after his sister was taken back to Romania. That was when everything went downhill. Belle had been so busy and he couldn’t talk to her so he ended the relationship in order to fix things. Little did he know that it would only make his life worse once that small burst of sunshine had been pushed away. How he’d managed to screw his life up so much was beyond him. First making his father angry enough to take his sister away and then listening to his roommate that he didn’t even like and dumping his girlfriend. Lucah had become the master of disaster.

Being so caught up in the music, Luc didn’t even really notice the girl as she walked closer to where he sat. His eyes were closed and he had blocked all noises besides the music he was playing and the soft music coming from the moving water around him. Days like this, he was happy to be alone because he didn’t have to worry about being so cruel or harsh to anyone and he didn’t have to worry about snapping. Lately, he’d snapped far too often and he had a feeling soon he’d have a stroke from all of the anger and stress. It was only a matter of time.

It wasn’t until he heard the whispering that he realized he wasn’t alone anymore. Lucah wasn’t entirely sure who the person was because he had kept playing for a few more moments. Maybe he was imagining the whispers? His eyes stayed closed and he tuned out the soft spoken lyrics again, fairly sure that they were in his head. Then the whispers grew in volume and his eyes opened. Without realizing it, his fingers stopped moving along the strings and his head had turned towards her. It wasn’t that he was angry she’d joined in, in fact, he didn’t mind it at all. Lucah appreciated those who had musical abilities and he would never turn someone down who could hold a solid note. As she apologized his lips turned up slightly in the corners and he shrugged, “There’s no need to apologize. You have a lovely voice.”

[Deleted]

Why had she even allowed herself to give in to this temptation? Singing in front of an audience, even if this merely existed out of one person, was something to be avoided in her opinion. Perhaps it had been tempting because the young man’s eyes were closed, or because it had never been her intention to have her voice increase in volume. Either way, it truly did not matter anymore at this point for she had made her own presence known and he had acknowledged it, too. Part of her considered to rise and to leave as soon as the apology got muttered, but the words that followed soothed her and the compliment added to her confidence. Maybe there was nothing to be ashamed of after all. Surely this guy would have been honest if she had ruined this musical moment. She could use the little ego boost too, especially now that Aiden wasn’t around to playfully do so.

”Thank you,” Kiara answered sweetly. She shifted, bent her knees and then embraced her legs. Her head was slightly tilted to the side, momentarily observing the guy in an attempt to conclude whether or not he was the type of man who would be approved by Aiden. Then again, she should not care about his opinion anymore. So with that conclusion, her smile expanded in an appropriate way and she found herself turning enough to grab her own guitar that lay by her other side. Stretching legs again, feeling the grass tickle bare legs given a summer dress was being word, Kiara tugged it onto her lap. ”I play the guitar, too. It makes it easier to practice.” Not to brag or anything. It seemed to be worth a decent conversation. ”I… have never really sung in front of someone.” Her gaze averted and the blonde took the musical instrument out of its bag. Fingers absentmindedly strummed the cords for a second before her head snapped back to him and she realized no introductions had taken place yet.

”You’re Lucah, right?” And she immediately regretted that. She should have introduced herself first, instead of sounding like a creepy stalker or something. But hey, the guy was cute. How could Kiara have ignored his name as it got dropped while she had passed him and someone else in the hallway? Right, impossible. ”Um, I mean, Kiara. I’m Kiara.” The girl quickly offered her hand to him, almost as if it would erase the previous words that had been blurted out.

[Lucah Ivaskov]

Had Lucah been disturbed by her intrusion, he’d have said something that would not have been so polite. Lucky for her, he had a weakness for women of any age and simply couldn’t snap at them unless he was pushed to it. Or so he’d thought until he’d snapped at Belle, but he shook the thought from his mind. He would not think of her. Not when he had such a beautiful girl in front of him. Maybe this was what he needed. A distraction in the form of another beautiful blond. He had to admit that he found her attractive, and her voice just complimented her looks. By the way she reacted, Luc knew she hadn’t really meant to intrude as it was. There was no point in making her feel uncomfortable, even if he was in a bad place to begin with. He could manage to be polite and friendly for a little while.

Smiling wider, Lucah nodded. He couldn’t help but appraise her while they sat there. Her eyes were blue, lighter than his, but just as bright. Her hair shined in the sunlight and it sent a sharp pang through his heart as he was reminded of the other blond that had green eyes instead of blue. But she wasn’t Belle, and Belle was no longer his. He knew he had to get over the other girl as soon as he was able and if that meant moving on, he had to do it. After all, she was caught up with some other guy already and he was still moping around campus waiting for his time to go to college and not deal with seeing her every day. When she pulled the guitar around to the front, his eyes went from her to the instrument. It was a fairly nice guitar, acoustics were always best to play in his opinion. “Most instruments do make it easier to practice singing because you have notes to go off of,” He commented quietly with a small smile. At her confession he found himself smiling wider. It appeared that not many singers at this school were comfortable with their voices. Though why she wasn’t was a mystery to him. “I only ever sing to myself anymore, but I used to sing to my sister.” And there it was, the first bit of personal information he’d ever share with a stranger that he could actually get along with.

The fact that she knew his name wasn’t entirely surprising. What was surprising was that she hadn’t called him by his oh-so-irritating nickname that Romeo had spread around campus. Luc tried to remember the girl’s name in front of him. Surely, he knew her from somewhere. She was always around another boy that was close to him in age. Aiden. Yes, he knew the boy’s name because he’d spoken to the water manipulator that was currently infatuated with him. Aiden and…but the name wasn’t coming to him yet. It started with a K. And as soon as she said it, it came to mind. Kiara, of course. “Yes, I’m Lucah, but you may call me Luc. It’s a pleasure to meet you Kiara,” He took her hand and brought it to his lips as any romantically educated man would. Not to mention, it was something he did in his country when meeting any woman.

[Deleted]

Ugh, right. Lucah was playing a guitar, so she should have known that he was aware of the link between singing and the ability to play an instrument. Kiara felt a little bit dumb after this, having stated something that was common sense along those who had a musical ambition. But hey, the tiny piece of private information made her feel better. In her opinion, it had to be a sign that Lucah still appreciated her company. ”Used to? So, um, why don’t you sing to her anymore?” Hopefully death would not be involved. Kiara would feel horrible and regret even having asked this is the conversation were to develop in such negative way. Unaware of what the answer might be, she quickly threw in another statement in an attempt to make sure the mood would not get killed either way. ”I… don’t think I would mind listening to you sing someday. If you want that of course.” Her voice was soft, reluctant to ask this of him for she knew her own reaction if someone were to say something like this to her. No one could be obligated, but Ki sort of had this feeling he missed singing to someone. Then again, how often had she been wrong following her instinct? Look where it got her with Aiden.

Also, Kiara was not even up to date when it came to the nickname circulating. Or maybe she did, but didn’t realize Lucah was the owner of it. Anyway, the gentleman move to kiss her hand erased any other thoughts and her cheeks grew darker and she could feel this as heat rose. If he were not this good looking, she wouldn’t have felt as bothered by it. ”Ki. You can call me Ki. Or Kia. Or Kiki.” Or anything he wanted really. What the heck was going through that head of hers though? Kiara never acted this incoherent around a guy. Then again, Aiden hardly ever let one get close enough for her to end up this flustered. Perhaps with a good reason. Exhaling a small sigh, not knowing she had been holding her breath in the first place, the blonde slowly retrieved her hand and placed it next to the second one on the guitar. Blue eyes drifted towards the pond, able to spot the fishies flocking together.

”I used to come here with my best friend.” It came out in a whisper without her really having had the intention to share this. Kiara cleared her throat, forced a soft smile on her lips and looked over at Lucah again. ”I shouldn’t bother you with that… He has taken off with another girl. Nothing we can do about that.” A somewhat saddened chuckle escaped as fingers strayed over the chords. It was her way of saying it might be best for him to not dig any deeper unless he wanted to have a sensitive girl on his hands. ”How about you? Didn’t you used to have a wing buddy either?” Might be inappropriate to ask, but eh… they were in the same boat. Except that Ki was not aware of this. It could make them bond though.

[Lucah Ivaskov]

He should have known the question would be inevitable. After all, he’d opened it up for conversation. Still, he wasn’t exactly sure how to say that his father was a total prick that hated his son and took away the little girl because her brother was a ‘bad influence’ on her. The feeling of uneasiness was shown in his eyes, which was why he’d cast them down at his own guitar. It was ancient and had been worthless when he’d first gotten it as a ‘gift’ from his father. He’d spent a solid year fixing it up and learning every inch of it. Finding strength from the instrument in his hands, he looked up at her and answered, “I can’t sing to her anymore. She’s in Romania, and she’s not allowed to speak to me.” His voice was sullen and full of a desperate need for his sister. It’d been rough with no contact with her. The only time he’d heard from her was when she wrote the letter for his birthday. It was surprising that their father had even allowed that. Rubbing the back of his neck, Lucah froze at her offer. Sing to her? He did miss having someone to sing to, someone that would listen to him and actually enjoy his music. Jezebel had been his guinea pig to listen to any of his new creations. Was she really offering to be that for him? “I…I’d quite like that,” He cracked a smile and watched her carefully.

Lucah was convinced that everyone in Hammel had heard of the Princess nickname that Romeo insisted on calling him. Romeo had turned out to be a royal pain in this ‘Princess’s’ ass. Always harassing him and stealing his belongings, it was one thing Lucah would not miss at the University. Thankfully the younger boy would not be graduating with him. Noticing the bright crimson color of her cheeks made him smirk. Well at least he hadn’t lost his charm. “As you wish it, Ki,” He smiled wider. It had been months since he’d really had to turn on any amount of charm. Alyssa hadn’t really needed his charm. The last time he charmed anyone was…he cut off the thought kept his eyes on her, trying to figure out what was going through her mind. Her eyes drifted to the pond and his followed. The fish were clustered in groups all swimming in sync.

Once she began speaking, he glanced at her realizing what she was saying. The way she said it came out quiet and almost pained. Luc hadn’t known that she and Aiden had a falling out, not that he’d kept up with it really, but still it was sad to hear. His eyebrows pulled together and he couldn’t be sure what to say. If he got into it with her, she might start crying. Lucah Ivaskov did not handle crying women well. “I’m a good listener, I wouldn’t mind lending you an ear. If he’s gone off with Ther…another girl and left you behind, he’s obviously not that good of a friend to begin with. Of course I may be out of place because I don’t know him, but I’m merely calling what I see.” Luc never had been that good with offering advice, but still, many of his friends would come to him for these situations. Once he heard her question he cringed unintentionally. Wing buddy. Wings. Belle. Clearing his throat, he looked out at the pond and sighed, “Used to, yes. Not anymore though.”

[Deleted]

Kiara felt pleased to know this young man would be willing to sing for her whenever the need arose or whenever he needed a honest opinion. Perhaps, but it would take a certain effort and convincing on her part, she could allow him the same privilege. For now, however, she kept that possibility to herself and continued with a light conversation. Until Aiden got mentioned. He never left her mind, so it wasn’t too surprising for her to bring him up. Especially since the Laveaux man used to accompany her here every once in a while. With a sad smile, she nodded at his statement, exhaling a small sigh as her head tilted to the side to gaze at Lucah once more. Oh no, she wouldn’t cry. Otherwise she had nothing to do during the nights. “No,” the blonde whispered, shaking her head ever so slightly. “He… failed me as a friend.” A saddened smirk broke free as a curl got smoothed from delicate features. It did pain her to discuss this, but for once she felt confident enough that Lucah’s company provided the soothing she needed to avoid tears from breaking free.

Apparently they were in the same boat, much to Kiara’s surprise. Was the end of the school year really filled with so much stress that close friendships came crashing down at a rapid pace? It wasn’t exactly the best timing to go and make new friends or, well, to lose old ones. ”Sorry,” Ki spoke quietly, rather reluctant for she wasn’t sure what else to add. For being an optimistic person, she could feel happiness flee way too fast. It could be blamed on the topic at hand, hence she attempted to cheer both of them up again. Neither of them could fall back on a wing buddy anymore, so. The young woman leaned over a tad bit, it being handy they didn’t sit that far apart to begin with, and nudged her shoulder against his. ”I could be your wing buddy, and you could be mine.” Because it would be sad to roam about by themselves? And because she could use the company of someone who did not remind her of Aiden or had a friendship with him.

With a sheepish smile, blue eyes averted and she focused on the pond. It was a win-win situation. Both got some distraction and, who knows, perhaps the future held something nice as well. “I mean, if you want to. I wouldn’t mind spending time with you.” Lips held together, Kiara prevented herself from rambling on. Was she being too bold?

[Lucah Ivaskov]

Lucah could more than understand having someone invading every thought. Belle still did and as much as he wished she didn’t, he’d be empty if he forgot about her. It was rough having someone who knew every part of you, every flaw be ripped away for some reason or another. Belle had often been to the pond with him as well, and he often sang to her. Not thinking about her was the hardest thing he had to do. Listening to her, seeing the sad smile she wore, Lucah felt for her. He wished she hadn’t had to deal with something so similar, but everyone did at one point. “I’m very sorry, Kiara. I know how you feel though, at least, I know the feeling of losing someone close.” He had lost Belle as a friend, too, even if she said they still could be friends. He never spoke to her, she was far too busy for him. It hurt, and the pain was showing in his eyes.

It had been a few months before school ended that this all happened to him. His world came crashing down, not just his friendship. He lost his sister, he lost the girl he loved, he lost everything that mattered to him. No family, few friends, he was staying in Vermont to keep away from his impending doom, but it was only reminding him of the pain he still had deep in his heart. At her apology, he merely shrugged. Lucah was a dark person, very rarely happy. It would be helpful hanging around such optimistic people. Belle, Jez, Kiara, maybe soon he’d find a way to look at the bright side every once in a while. It was unlikely, but hey, it was worth the try. When she nudged him, his mouth quirked up slightly. “If you are willing to put up with my brooding, I would love to be your wing buddy,” But was this really a good idea? Everything about her reminded him of Belle. The blond hair, the singing, the optimism. Maybe that was why he had been s drawn to her in the first place.

Lucah finally broke out into a form of his genuine smile and nodded, “Spending time with you doesn’t sound so bad either.” He laughed and nudged her back playfully. This could be the start of a good friendship, and maybe just maybe, this friendship could lead to distraction (and jealousy from the woman he loves).

[Deleted]

Lucah had a great smile. He quite possibly did not realize just how contagious it was, or perhaps the curling of her lips got caused by his confirmation of wanting to spend time with her. Was it sad that this current urge founded upon the empty feeling Aiden had left behind and that she had already convinced herself that this guy could fill that void? Possibly, but self-pity did a lot of funny things to people. But hey, if her ‘best friend’ judged it okay to move on with someone who was the opposite of her, she might as well do the same. With a teeth-baring smile, blue eyes lingered on the pond , only for them to drift back towards Lucah a split second later. ”Maybe we could, you know, meet up later today? Eat something decent? I think my appetite might return with the right company.” With a sheepish smile, truly hoping it wasn’t too flirtatious, Ki sucked both lips together and waited for his answer.

”I could play some of the lyrics I wrote as well.” She managed to quickly shove that in between, but sort of regretted it right after for it was rare for her to play in front of someone. It quite probably had been added in order to convince him even more to accept the idea. So once he did, Kiara felt her smile expanded and then gave a brief nod as obvious relief washed over her features. ”Good. Great.” With a weak chuckle, slender fingers smoothed a curl behind her ear. ”I… should get going now though. Maybe you could come to my dorm?” She mentioned the number to him, along with the fact that her roommates might not be around, so they shouldn’t be bothered. And that brought a slight brush to both cheeks due to the sexual connotation to it, depending on how he interpreted it. ”I didn’t mean… you know.”

Huffing out a deep breath, Ki pushed herself to stand up straight, feeling even more ashamed than before. Perhaps Lucah had known she didn’t mean it in a sexual way, but not she practically said that she could think about it. Picking up her guitar, the blonde offered him a last smile. ”Don’t forget to bring your guitar.” And with that, she spun around, refraining from casting a glance over her shoulder because that would have made her fondness too obvious.