Page 29 of Noble Charms

Aria added, memory providing him a name he often tried to forget, “Or the St. Clairs. They've got plenty already, too.”

“Exactly.” She held her hands together, and glanced up in prayer. “May Elysium care for Fordham as he has cared for me.”

Fordham had been a wealthy half-elf inventor twice her age, yes, and had a smoking habit that no doubt resulted in his sudden death, but Aria had seen Romy before Fordham and knew her well during Fordham. He could confidently say: she did not seek his riches. Truly, she loved him.

Her heartbreak at his loss no doubt contributed to her decision to retire from the bardic arts.

The song ended, and Aria bowed his head to the crowd that clapped politely. He placed his lute to the side, and stretched out his fingers. That would be his final song for the night. He said, “I will miss you, though. The Post won't be the same without you.”

“Stop that,” said Romy. Her eyes brimmed with tears. “I'm going to see you all the time.” Aria had heard that before, from others in the guild. And that thought must've been evident in his gaze, because Romy snapped, “I mean it. You must promise to join me for supper every Friday night.”

Ellor was occupied most Fridays with the last-minute business required of his station. Sometimes he never returned home from the office his family kept in downtown New Hieroph, sleeping on the luxurious sofa he'd kept there for those long nights. Aria could concede, then, “It would be nice to have standing plans.” Too often he ate alone in the kitchen of Ellor's townhome, scrambling an egg and eating whatever stale bread had been left behind after the working week. Ellor didn't hire in-home services. Didn't require them. I'm just one man. That's hardly a household for a butler to manage. He said. Aria, who did most of the shopping for their food, had the vague notion that he should be paid a butler's wages in addition to his adame salary, but⁠—

He couldn't get into another fight with Ellor. And especially not about money. Those arguments made Ellor the most upset. I’m generous to a fault, he’d say. You know you only need to ask me for what you want!

Romy let out an excited chirp. “Perfect. Then Friday nights—those are for you and me. See? We're not just work friends, Aria. We're best friends.”

Aria laughed and said, “I don't know that I've ever had one of those before.”

Romy leaned in and whispered, “Me either, but there are definitely a few people that would be infuriated that I've said as such.”

Aria continued to laugh as he packed his things. He cleared the stage for the next set—a fiddler named Coal and a pianist named Olive. He changed out of his performance robe and into a casual, loosely fitted white shirt and a pair of trousers that were snug against his legs, to stave off the chill. He was heading upstairs, to the dorms, and the windows there did little to hold in warmth. Ellor had promised he’d come to Romy’s send-off, but mentioned he may retire to the dorms for some rest. Aria would find him there, no doubt, and tell him they could head home early.

It wasn’t often Aria went home before midnight. His skin buzzed with the possibilities of it—energic love-making, instead of the sleepy kind he and Ellor had to settle with on the rare nights they got to have sex.

He stopped to kiss Romy upon her cheek before he left. “Enjoy the rest of the night,” he said. “I'll see you soon.” And he meant it.

“Say hello to Ellor for me,” she replied, winking. “Go give him that good sleep.”

Aria waved her off, blushing, as he pushed out the double doors of the guild headquarters, and circled up the staircase at the entrance. The second floor, the dorms, had a locked door.

“Odd,” Aria mumbled. During party nights like this one, it was usually left open for the bards to come and go more easily. Perhaps someone was being particularly safe. He fished for his key. It took a few tries to unlock—the damn thing stuck all the time.

As he entered the entrance hall, he called out, “Ellor? I’m done for the night,” and unlaced his boots. No shoes on the nice carpets The Bardic Post installed on this upper floor. His socked feet creaked with each step upon. “El? Are you up here?”

A thunk and a few quiet voices echoed from a bedroom down the corridor, past the sitting room. And then Ellor called, “Yes, love. Sorry, one second.”

Aria blinked, confused. “Is someone else he⁠—"

He didn't even need to finish the question before he was provided the answer. A thin blonde human woman, probably closer in age to Ellor than Aria, stepped out of the bedroom, wearing nothing but a robe. It took Aria a moment to recognize her with her lipstick smudged, and her perfectly straight hair all mussed, different from her typical bob.

“Lind?”

She stood on her bare toes, heels lifted high into the air, and she presented Aria with a smile that made his insides turn to ice. “Hi, Aria. You’re early.”

Ellor took a single step out of the bedroom doorway and leaned against the jam. He was fully dressed, minus his suit jacket. But his shirt tail was halfway untucked from beneath his vest, and his right shoe was untied. Shoes he shouldn’t be wearing on the carpet.

Aria asked, “What's going on?”

And Ellor continued to lean. Casual. “I got you a gift, my love.”

Lind trotted forward, the sound of her bare toes shuffling along the rug, and held out a hand for Aria to take. “We were waiting for you.”

Aria took her hand into his and gave it a squeeze in greeting, but he experienced her touch like he was out of body. “I'm sorry. I still don't understand what's happening.” Lind tugged him forward, standing close enough that he could smell her perfume. And Ellor’s cologne.

“I got you a gift,” Ellor repeated. He stood up, finally, and strode over to them both. He placed a hand against Aria's hair, and did the same to Lind. “I know you're shy. I'll do all the talking. I'll do all the work. Okay?”

Aria looked into his face, baffled. He couldn't ask it again. What's going on?