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 Posted: Thu Sep 10, 2026 12:12 pm
Follows Resonating StonesBackdated to April 26, 2026
Reims led the way downstairs with the lion falling into step beside them again as soon as there was enough room for it. The first melody seemed to linger somewhere above, faint enough that Reims wondered if he was imagining it until the stone beneath his boots gave the slightest answering hum.
At least that meant they hadn't somehow messed it up by leaving.
The alcove itself sat beyond a narrow side passage Reims had walked past plenty of times without thinking much of it. There were no windows there, only old stone and shallow decorative recesses built into the walls.
Reims checked the page again.
"North alcove," he murmured, then looked around. "Helpful."
The lion moved ahead of him, sniffing along the wall before stopping beside one of the recesses. Reims narrowed his eyes. "Oh, sure. Now you know where we're going."
He stepped closer and brushed his fingers over the stone. Nothing happened at first.
Then he found it. The same narrow arch crossed by three lines had been worked into the border, nearly invisible beneath years of dust.
"There."
Reims glanced over at Dering and held out the second page.
"This one's yours."
He hesitated before putting his hand against the carving, remembering the heat, the memories, and how quickly everything had disappeared around him before.
The lion pressed its broad head against his arm. Reims let out a breath through his nose.
"I'm fine."
Probably.
He rested his palm against the stone.
A faint warmth blossomed almost immediately, and somewhere high above them the first melody stirred, as though the cathedral had noticed they were ready for the next part.
Reims looked over at Dering with a nod. "Whenever you're ready."
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Posted: Thu Sep 10, 2026 12:14 pm
Dering drew in another breath, bracing himself. There wasn’t a reason for it. He knew how to read sheet music, and he knew how to play his lute. Reims wasn’t in any imminent danger, and there (probably) wasn’t going to be any repercussions if he messed up.
So, he was ready. The only thing holding him back, as per usual, was himself.
There was no joy when he played, just dutiful diligence. He ran his eyes across the page and let his fingers hover over the strings while he tested how he was going to play.
Then, he did.
The music sounded far more confident than he looked, not because he played with pride, but because he was determined to make sure he performed exactly as the page demanded.
Reims wanted answers.
Dering didn’t want to be the reason he didn’t get them.
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Posted: Thu Sep 10, 2026 12:14 pm
Reims kept his eyes on the carving instead of Dering. The melody came more smoothly this time. Even Reims could hear the difference — not necessarily in the music itself, but in the certainty behind it.
The stone beneath his palm warmed.
Then the first melody seemed to resonate with the second. It came faintly from somewhere above, joined by Dering's playing until the two wove together through the cathedral. The sound was strange and beautiful, hanging in the air long after Dering reached the end of the page.
The symbol beneath Reims's hand gave a brief pulse of light.
"Got it," he said quietly. He glanced over at Dering then, a small grin tugging at his mouth. "Two for two."
No comments. No reassurances about Julian doing a good job or the mistakes he hadn't made. Just the simple truth.
Before Reims could move his hand, something shifted beneath the floor. A low vibration traveled through the stone and disappeared deeper into the cathedral. The lion immediately lifted its head, ears turned toward the central sanctuary. Reims followed its attention.
"Guess that's our hint."
He carefully took the page back from Dering and tucked it with the first. "The last one was by the organ."
That was where the memory had ended, too. Three melodies, then stone moving somewhere nearby.
Reims's stomach tightened. Answers were suddenly much closer than they'd been a few minutes ago. He looked at Dering, then at the lion beside him.
"Last one," he breathed. His hand pressed briefly to the lion's mane before he started back toward the main cathedral. "And then we find out whether past me was hiding treasure or something horrifying." He cringed. "Probably horrifying."
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Posted: Thu Sep 10, 2026 12:14 pm
Dering knew where the organ was, but he wasn’t sure if there was any comfort in that given the conclusion Reims had already drawn.
He was used to seeing his friend worked up–stressed, with too much energy, that often manifested in something like anger, but not quite. This was different.
Naturally, Dering didn’t comment on it. Reims was self conscious about his emotions, and anything vulnerable even more so. The last thing he wanted to do right now was give him any extra stress. Reims would just try to hide it, anyway, and that wouldn’t do either of them any favors.
The music was done. He lowered his lute.
Dering walked silently, lightfooted and careful, and stood by Reims.
“Is there anything I can do to help?”
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Posted: Thu Sep 10, 2026 12:15 pm
Reims glanced over when Dering came to stand beside him. For a moment, he almost said no. It was an automatic response. He was fine. There was nothing Dering needed to do.
Except that wasn't really true.
His shoulders eased a little. "You're already helping," he said quietly. "A lot."
The answer felt embarrassingly sincere, so he looked toward the organ instead.
"I wouldn't have gotten this far without you."
Maybe Reims would have found some other way eventually, but that wasn't the point. Dering was there now because Reims had wanted him there, and then the cathedral had handed them something neither of them could have solved as easily alone.
Reims knew Dering would probably keep going simply because it was something that mattered to him. That made it even more important not to treat him like something fragile that needed to be pushed out of the way.
He reached over and briefly caught Dering's sleeve near his wrist. "Just… stay close, okay?"
His grip loosened again almost immediately. "I don't know what's going to happen when you play the last part, but… we'll figure it out together, I guess. You've got the music. I've got…" He gestured vaguely at the cathedral around them. "Whatever weird connection this place decided to give me."
He glanced over, his expression slightly exasperated. "And we've got him."
The lion gave a low rumble beside them.
Reims looked back at Dering.
"So if something happens, don't worry about trying to keep me out of trouble by yourself. Tell me what you notice. If you think something's wrong, say it. If you need me to do something, tell me."
His voice softened. "I trust you."
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Posted: Thu Sep 10, 2026 12:16 pm
Dering doubted that Reims wouldn’t have gotten this far without him, but interrupting or arguing felt like it would cause more problems than if he just stayed quiet.
Dering’s eyes fell to where Reims’s fingers had curled around his sleeve and stayed there even after they’d fallen away.
“I trust you, too.” It was spoken instinctively. Dering often spoke without thinking, not in a careless way, but because he was very good at guessing what someone wanted to hear.
Sometimes, more often these days, his words came easily simply because of the surety behind them.
He didn’t have to think about trusting Reims, he just did.
But where he trusted Reims, he didn’t always trust himself. Promising to stay close was easy–he had no intention of straying from such close proximity.
Promising not to worry about trying to keep Reims out of trouble by himself, more difficult.
Of course, he trusted the lion. He’d seen how powerful the summon was, and he knew it was capable–probably more so here than anywhere else.
…But if he couldn’t notice differences on a page, why was Reims trusting him to notice something more important?
The lute strap felt heavier, digging into his shoulder in a way that bit into him more than usual. He adjusted it to no avail.
“I’m not sure if I’ll know when something feels wrong,” he confessed. Reims was a beautiful wonder, but he’d seen the long shadows and felt the cold spots. The sensation of eyes watching from empty space. The long halls had a strange, disorienting pressure.
…And these days, Dering often felt wrong.
He didn’t want to disappoint Riker. He’d do his best, like always, but his best never felt like enough.
“...I just need you to be safe, please. I’m trusting you to do that for me. Whatever’s been hidden, we’ll be okay. I’m–” the words came slowly, and he shrugged, and fumbled with how to say anything. Especially when it almost passed for confidence. “–okay at getting myself out of dangerous situations. So, um. I’m more worried about you. You’re the only one that’s gotten, um. Hurt? So far.”
He didn’t quite know what Reims experienced while he was touching those papers, or the walls, but he knew it hadn’t all been pleasant.
Dering, aside from the crushing weight of his own inadequacies, was unharmed.
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Posted: Thu Sep 10, 2026 12:17 pm
Reims expression softened. He could hear what Dering was really saying underneath all of it. Not that he didn't want to help. Not that he was afraid of the cathedral.
That he was afraid of missing something important.
Reims reached over again, this time resting his hand gently against Dering's upper arm instead of just catching his sleeve.
"You don't have to know everything," he said quietly. "Neither do I."
He held on for a moment before letting his hand fall away again. "And I'm not asking you to decide whether something's dangerous all by yourself. If you notice anything weird, tell me. If you don't, that's fine too. We've got two sets of eyes. Three, if he actually decides to be useful."
The lion's tail flicked.
Reims ignored it.
"As for me…" He made a face. "Yeah… I know."
He wasn't thrilled that Dering had noticed how much the memories had affected him, but pretending otherwise would be pointless.
"I'll be careful. I'm not touching anything else unless we have a reason to." That was a promise he could actually keep. Reims glanced over at the organ, then back at Dering's lute.
"Can you do me a favor?" he asked, stepping a little close to the instrument, but didn't touch it. "When we get there, don't worry about everything around you. Just focus on the music. I'll watch everything else. You're better at that part than me anyway."
He started forward again, keeping his pace slow enough that Dering could stay beside him. "And if I start doing something stupid, you're allowed to tell me to stop."
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Posted: Thu Sep 10, 2026 12:17 pm
Dering matched Reims’s step as they walked together.
He didn’t say much, but he rarely did. Most of his thoughts were buried before he ever brought them to life. Nothing really felt important enough to speak into existence right now. He nodded, but the movement was slight enough that it would have been easy to miss while they walked.
Then, finally, “I don’t think you do stupid things,” he mumbled.
“I think you make decisions that seem like they’re the best option you have at the time.”
They weren’t always decisions Dering would have made, nor did Reims carry them out in the way Dering might have, but there was a reason no one suggested Dering should lead anyone.
Just as he couldn’t imagine anyone trusting him with that much responsibility, he couldn’t imagine telling Reims he was doing something stupid.
But, speaking of best options at the time…
He swallowed the lump that kept swelling in his throat but it was back before he could speak.
“Was I sloppy playing a minute ago? I’ll do my best to focus on playing it right.” …Was Reims worried about what happened if it was played wrong, too? …Did he have a memory that predicted the stakes were higher than what Dering already knew?
Reims asked for a favor–and of course, Dering would do anything to grant it, but now he wasn't sure what he should focus on tuning out.
…Maybe it should have been the rest of his thoughts.
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Posted: Thu Sep 10, 2026 12:17 pm
Reims glanced over at him, then slowed.
"What? No."
The answer came quickly enough that there wasn't much room for doubt in his tone. "You weren't sloppy. That's not what I meant."
He rubbed at the back of his neck, mildly annoyed with himself for making it sound that way in the first place.
"I meant you know what you're doing with the music, and I don't. So you handle that part, and I'll worry about whatever the cathedral decides to do."
Simple. That was all it had been.
Reims gave Dering a small nudge with his shoulder as they walked. "You already got the first two right, remember?"
He didn't add anything about perfection, or mistakes, or doing his best. Dering had played them, the cathedral had responded, and they were still moving forward. That seemed like enough proof.
"Just so you know," Reims added after a moment, "you're allowed to tell me something's a bad idea without calling me stupid. I'll probably complain about it, but I'll listen."
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Posted: Thu Sep 10, 2026 12:18 pm
Dering didn’t seem entirely convinced, but it was less about how he played his music and more about criticizing Reims.
He exhaled, but there was so much pressure built up in different parts of his body that it didn’t do much to relieve any of it.
“Well,” he said slowly, but then pressed his lips tightly together.
His pace still matched Reims, and their shoulders remained close, occasionally bumping as they walked.
“...I was just thinking, um. Well, after I play the music, I should probably pay attention to what the cathedral decides to do, too. If I’m going to watch your back. I mean, I should probably keep an eye out so I can tell if something looks wrong. Or, I mean…”
Oh, what did he even mean? Why was he even talking?
Reims was just trying to tell him not to overthink, not to take on too much of a burden, not to stress. Of course he didn’t mean ‘only focus on playing the music and then not anything else,’ he’d just been talking about all of them keeping their eyes out for things.
Once again, Dering was complicating things.
He was worried about messing up so he was overthinking everything.
Walking in silence did little more than let the thoughts rattle around in his head, but before they could percolate, he did his best to push them away.
“Actually, sorry. Don’t listen to me. I don’t know where my head is right now.” He laughed, a little more tired than usual, and therefore slightly less convincing, but said, “I guess that doesn’t bode well if you need me to be paying attention. But I’ll watch your back. I’ll let you know if something seems off.”
He felt off, himself, but didn’t report on that because Reims was probably already painfully aware.
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Posted: Thu Sep 10, 2026 12:18 pm
Reims stopped walking. Not abruptly enough to startle him, but enough that Dering would have to stop too.
"Jules."
He waited until Dering at least glanced his way, then lifted a hand and lightly touched the side of his face, fingertips brushing near his temple. Careful. Brief. He didn't try to move the lute or invade the space Dering had put between them.
"You're fine."
Reims said it with more confidence than Dering probably felt. "I'm not worried about whether you're paying attention. You always pay attention."
Especially to Reims. Sometimes more than Reims deserved.
His expression stayed serious as he studied Dering for another moment. "And I know you're going to watch my back. I'm important to you."
Maybe it sounded a little arrogant when said so plainly, but Reims knew it was true. Dering had told him as much, more than once. There wasn't any reason to pretend otherwise just because Dering had a habit of minimizing everything he felt.
Reims let his hand fall before the gesture could become too much. He could already feel his ears burning.
"You don't have to figure out the perfect way to do it. If you notice something, tell me. If you don't, I might. Or he will."
The lion gave a low rumble nearby. Reims glanced toward it. "Probably him, actually." Then his attention returned to Dering. "And if your head's somewhere weird right now, that's okay too. I don't need you at a hundred percent."
His voice softened. "I just need you here. And you are. So we're fine."
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Posted: Thu Sep 10, 2026 12:19 pm
When Reims stopped, Dering stopped, and he turned towards him. For a few seconds he held Reims’s gaze, but that felt too heavy–or maybe the conversation was–and his eyes drifted to the ground, but when that was too obvious, he redirected his attention to the lion, and then past him and down the hall.
The touch was–
Well, not bad. Dering didn’t always know what to make of it, but it wasn’t intrusive. Physically. Mentally it was, and it was as if Reims’s finger had scattered the thoughts inside his head far enough that things finally quieted down.
“Okay,” he said, too soft, and too resigned. Like he wanted to believe it but there was still something nagging him.
But then, he nodded, and repeated the word with a little more conviction.
“I mean, I’ll do my best.”
Which wasn’t always very good, but he always tried.
He wanted to apologize, again, but Reims was probably so tired of hearing it. The words would just give him another thing to stress over.
Dering bit his tongue instead.
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Posted: Thu Sep 10, 2026 12:19 pm
Reims caught the way Dering bit his tongue and had a pretty good idea what had almost come out. Another apology, probably. Something Dering would twist around until Reims had to reassure him again, and then somehow apologize for needing reassurance in the first place.
So Reims didn't give him the chance.
"Good," he said simply. "That's all I'm asking."
He turned toward the organ and started forward again, trusting Dering to follow beside him. The main sanctuary was colder than the alcove, but brighter where fractured light spilled through the stained glass. The organ rose against the far wall, restored enough now that Reims still sometimes wondered how much of it had repaired itself without him noticing.
The lion moved ahead first, nosing around the base of the instrument while Reims checked the final page.
"Arch beside the organ," he murmured.
That should have been easy… except there were several arches worked into the decorative stone surrounding it.
Reims stopped and frowned. "Of course…"
He could still feel something faint beneath his boots, like the cathedral hadn't quite gone silent after the first two melodies. He didn't know enough about music to make sense of it, though, and he wasn't going to pretend that he did.
A thin layer of dust shifted somewhere near the organ, disturbed despite the still air. One of the hanging straps of old fabric nearby moved a fraction, then settled again. The lion's ears turned sharply toward the right side of the room, though it didn't move.
Reims glanced down at the last page instead.
"Can you hear the other two from here?" he asked, holding it where Dering could see. "Or anything that sounds different?"
He looked toward the arches again, but didn't choose one. "You're probably going to notice it better than me if it does."
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Posted: Thu Sep 10, 2026 12:19 pm
‘His best’ suddenly didn’t feel very good at all.
Dering had followed alongside Reims. The organ looked so much cleaner, so much healthier, than the first time he’d been to visit. The status of the instrument wasn’t really important to this task–probably–so he regretted being distracted by it.
He hadn’t missed the way the dust shifted by the organ, or the way the fabric nearby moved faintly. Maybe it was the lion sniffing around over there. Maybe it was a ghost. Maybe it was air from a hidden passage slipping through the cracks.
Even before Reims had asked, Dering had turned his head to angle in the same direction as the lion’s had. Maxim did that sometime–picked his head up and listened. When he focused on something, Julian did, too.
If he strained, sometimes he could hear something–music from a distant car, the neighbors having a very loud conversation, a siren.
Most of the time, he couldn’t hear anything at all.
Dering didn’t know what he expected to hear now, so ‘nothing’ wasn’t very surprising.
“I don’t know about that,” he admitted after a moment. “...You’re much more in tune with everything here. I think you might notice something before I do.”
Reims had been speaking to its Knight already, with flashes of memories, and things Dering could only imagine.
“...Can you hear the other two from here?” he asked, holding his lute up with one hand, and rubbing at his ear with the other.
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Posted: Thu Sep 10, 2026 12:19 pm
Reims looked over at him for a moment. Dering had already turned toward the same side of the room as the lion before Reims asked anything. He couldn't know what had caught his attention, but it was enough to make his brow furrow.
"You looked over there before I said anything," he pointed out quietly. He didn't make more of it than that. Maybe Dering had only been following the lion's attention. Maybe he'd heard something Reims hadn't. Either way, Reims wasn't going to let him dismiss himself before they'd even figured out what was happening.
Instead, he went still and listened.
The first two melodies were there, but faintly. Not quite something he could hear with his ears. More like the memory of music vibrating through the stone beneath his shoes.
"Yeah," he said after a moment. "Sort of."
He turned toward the right side of the organ, following where both Dering and the lion had looked. The sensation strengthened slightly as he moved closer.
"Not really with my ears, though."
The lion stepped ahead and nosed near the base of one of the decorative arches. Dust shifted loose from the seam around the stone.
Reims crouched beside it without touching anything.
"Well… I guess that's not nothing," he huffed, then glanced back at Dering and held the final page out where he could see it. "Come closer and see if anything changes for you?"
A moment passed before he added, "Music, air, whatever. Doesn't have to be anything specific."
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