Callie's Heroes

PART VIII - A WONDERFUL WORLD

“Damn, I hoped you would forget about that,” Callie grumbled, as Vanis handed the instrument to her. It was big in her hands, and slightly awkward. She could make chords, though, and had spent some downtimes the last two weeks learning the new finger positions that would approximate what she had learned over the years back home with her dad.

Carefully, Callie played through each of the chords she would need to play Rainbow Connection, just making sure she had all the fingering down and quickly warming up. It had been a while since she had really played back home, but Pixyl had encouraged her to try here, and Callie had found a little joy in playing for her Pixie friend. Now, being thrust into playing before a large group was making her nervous, and she was worried about messing up the song.

The unfamiliar chords being haphazardly played started to quiet people, and they looked to see Callie, almost hidden by the instrument. Whispers quickly followed, and soon most eyes were on her. Callie remained almost oblivious, running through the lyrics in her head while she finished her brief warm up. Then she realized how quiet it had become, and looked up to see the faces looking at her.

“Oh great,” Callie mumbled to herself.

“Please, play for us, Corporal,” Koda said, grinning his beautiful big bear grin and making sure to use Callie’s new rank. A few others echoed his encouragement.

Swallowing, Callie suddenly wished that, at least, the instrument was properly sized for her. With the pressure, it felt extra-huge and awkward on her lap. Then, she chuckled, realizing something sized for her would probably be a ukulele, not a guitar.

Ukulele …

Callie glanced at Reynard, seeing he was watching her in curiosity, as were the officers. As was everyone, for that matter. “I’ve got a better rainbow song,” she said quietly to Pixyl.

Quickly, Callie fingered out the seven simple chords she would need, rushing the lyrics through her head to make sure they were all there. This had been one of her grandmother’s favorite songs, and in her final years, as dementia increasingly took its toll, Callie would often play and sing Israel Kamakawiwoʻole’s medley of Over the Rainbow and Wonderful World for her. Towards the end, when her mind was finally completely gone, the simple notes, Callie’s soothing voice, and the beautifully simple lyrics somehow made it through, her grandmother seeming to smile every time. Those were bittersweet moments, but they were wonderful, important memories.

Clearing her throat, she spoke up nervously. “Uh, hi everyone. You all know I’ve lost most of my memory of before I got here. They say music is part of your soul, though, so I remember a bit of it, apparently. This one is for Reynard. And for all of us I suppose. Better days will come.”

Callie played out the simple seven chords, sounds and rhythms that had never been heard in this world, before closing her own eyes, and singing like she used to. She channeled all the love she had once put into music in another life, and let it pour out here. The eyes of many watching went wide, expecting … not this.

The vaguely calypso island sounds played out for the first time ever in this world, with the lyrics celebrating the simple joys of life, and what it meant to be with friends. Callie opened her eyes briefly, seeing Jesca across the circle was watching her, still being held by Ambria and Koka, a hesitating look of wonder on her face as she heard a simple song about hope.

Vanis, as dumbstruck as everyone, finally collected enough wits to channel his Dancing Lights spell. Overhead, a simple image of a rainbow appeared, hanging in the air, pulsating slightly with the rhythm. Like watercolors flowing together in the sky, images of birds and clouds appeared, soon turning to random faces as the words of the song called for them. Vanis had never been very good at this spell, usually only able to make vague patterns and sparkles of light, but Callie’s song carried a clarity that somehow allowed him to paint actual pictures with it, and suddenly he understood the finer parts of the Illusionist magic in the spell that had eluded him for all these years.

Xera heard the strange music and felt as if the wind had been knocked out of them, and actually had to find a seat. This song was so simple, the lyrics at best vague ideas, but with the echoes of their conversation with her best friend earlier that day replaying in their head, they suddenly knew the time had actually come. Xera had asked for a day to think about seeking help and leaving Between, and that need for time had just ended in an instant, Callie’s voice and strange music simply evaporating the worry of what the next stage in their life might bring. Xera was no longer afraid, and more importantly, able to finally admit to themself it had been fear holding them back this entire time.

Around the circle, everyone had their own personal insights on hearing Callie play and sing. For some, it was simply this strange, Gnomish music they had never heard before that drew their rapt attention. It was different, yet so simple and filled with feeling. But for many, they welled with their own personal emotions, thinking back to family and old or current loves, and feeling a hope for what future lay ahead. They hadn’t expected to feel this way, and more than a few drunken tears fell. Many more moved to be close to others they’d connected to since arriving, simply enjoying being together.

As for Reynard, he had stiffened upon hearing Callie’s dedication to him. He had expected the Gnome to launch into some kind of a bawdy rendition of the One-Legged Elf from Fardorro, or something else to make fun of his predicament, even if in jest, but not this. As Callie’s simple Gnome chords and words played out, the Foxkin was whisked back to his much younger days. Times of laughing with Jorin and Talania when coming back from a successful outing played in his head, accompanied by the bittersweet emptiness of her being gone, followed by sadness they never reached the point they were ready to have children. He had no need to dwell on those memories, though, and made an effort not to live in the past. Simply to focus on the present. For the first time, though, a teeny part of him felt he could look forward towards the future, thinking maybe it couldn’t be all bad, and maybe even could be good. Better days could indeed come.

Jesca wiped a paw across her eye, embarrassed, as she listened to Callie and tried to understand what she was feeling. Earlier, while she had been telling the story of their Bogwump adventure to the rest of the recruits, her mind kept drifting back to the practical joke Ambria and the others had played on her, just like it had all afternoon. It was a good joke, and she wasn’t angry at any of her friends in any way. But, for the tiniest of moments, Jesca stopped being one person, suddenly becoming a ‘them’. In that simple moment, she felt something she had no words for. She’d never really felt romantic or physical attraction to people. Friendships, sure, even close ones, and she enjoyed being physically demonstrative of those friendships. But that was a different kind of love than most people felt, and different from what had tugged on her in that joking moment.

After she finished telling the story, Jesca struggled, her head swimming as the constant heartbeat of ‘them’ sounded in her chest. She had a sudden need for … someone … to be there. She wasn’t sure why she had gone to talk to Ambria, instead of Callie, who was sitting right next to her. Once she reached the Faun, she wasn’t even sure what she wanted to say, and finally found she couldn’t say anything. She couldn’t shake the word, and she simply collapsed. Jesca simply sat there, holding that brief moment of the afternoon’s ‘themness’ protected inside her like a tiny flame in the dark of a loneliness she didn’t know she had, with the Faun being the only one that had shared that moment with her, even if it wasn’t real. Nothing made sense.

Ambria had been confused by the approach of her Cheetahkin friend, and more confused as Jesca sat, saying nothing for several long seconds. “I need to be held,” was all Jesca had been finally able to squeak out, and the Faun instinctively rushed to her side, not questioning why. Questions could come later, if they were even needed. Ambria waved Callie off, not wanting to make the moment more awkward for Jesca, while Koka, ever so empathic, had rushed to the other side of the Cheetahkin, helping to close the lost soul in a cocoon. As Jesca sobbed silently in their arms, they shrugged to each in confusion and worry with their eyes, not really sure what to do. Then, Callie had started to sing.

It took a while for the music to reach her, but soon, like most of the others in the circle, Jesca found herself entranced. The words, the strange Gnome music, the soft sentiments of hope for a future, was somehow perfect for her in this moment of confusion. She realized that she didn’t necessarily want a lover, or even a mate, but Jesca did need a person. She needed to be a ‘them’ again, to be a part of someone’s life, and have them a part of hers. But she also realized she had to do it in her own way, and not the way that was expected of a Beastkin. She had no idea what that meant for her, or what it could mean for the other person, or even people, that would be there. In the end, while Callie’s music didn’t show her the directions to find what she needed, it did somehow show her a new destination.

The whole song was only about four or five minutes long, and quietly came to a close, Callie echoing Israel's final jazzy ending. She opened her eyes, seeing many faces transfixed on her, a few with wet cheeks. Overhead, the images in the air wiped themselves away, leaving only the embers of the fire rising into the night. Some people clapped politely, but there was no outburst of applause; that would be the wrong response to her song.

“That was lovely,” Vanis said quietly.

Callie saw a warm smile on the Warlock’s face, and she handed him the instrument. “It was one of my grandmother’s favorites,” she said, almost in a whisper, as if that was some kind of an explanation. She didn’t know what she was trying to explain, though.

Next to Callie, Pixyl was absolutely amazed. The singing-frog rainbow song had been one of her favorites that Callie had practiced with her, but this new rainbow song she sang was so rich and wonderful. It was all she could do to resist the urge to throw herself at her friend and clutch her in a never-ending embrace. Pixyl couldn’t understand how she could suddenly love Callie even more than she already did, but somehow it happened with the simple words of this strange song from another world. Her heart fluttered as her head swam, and she did all she could to push her feelings away. She couldn’t ever tell Callie what she felt, because that would risk their friendship, and to Pixyl, that friendship was more important than anything else she may hold in her heart.

Slowly, everyone moved on from Callie’s strange, Gnomish song, returning to their own interests. Soon, someone else took up the lute, but it became quiet background music, rather than something to focus on. Callie caught Reynard’s eye just as he was being wheeled away, and they gave each other a simple nod in acknowledgment. It was obvious now he was beyond exhausted, and she was sure it took all of his strength to come up the hill and stay as long as he had.

The other officers mingled, but made a point of avoiding Callie and the rest of the team. It didn’t seem a purposeful slight, but more that Xera and the others wanted to make sure that the attention wasn’t solely focused on the day’s excitement, or the people directly involved in it. As Tasi had told Xera earlier, all the recruits were important, and needed to feel they were getting the attention they deserved as well.

Eventually, the fire burned low as people stopped adding new wood to it, and slowly people began to disappear, most returning to their cabins. Callie had lost sight of Jesca, as well as Ambria and the twins, and wondered briefly where they had gone, and if they had gone there together. She pushed back the implied innuendo of that thought, shifting instead to worry about her friend, and the emotional turmoil she was obviously feeling. Something had triggered the reaction, and she could see her friend was in pain. She wasn’t sure if she should talk to Jesca in the morning, or wait and talk to Ambria first, and decided to sleep on it.

Soon, Callie herself, feeling the day’s exhaustion finally becoming unavoidable, decided it was time to return to Ogre House. Only a few remained around the fire, with Pixyl the only one of her cabinmates. Together, they walked quietly home, passing no one, saying nothing, and simply enjoying the starry skies with each other. It had been a long day, full of amazing experiences on so many levels, none of which could really be properly analyzed in what little time remained before sleep. Tomorrow was another day though, and maybe the answers would come then.