so_far_fallen | For immortal

Aria hadn't taken well to sea life at first - the motion of the ship rolling on the waves had done nothing for his health and he'd been rather poorly. They'd been at sea a while now and he'd become used to it.

He'd spent a lot of time with Morgan during the day when he could, but he'd been sure to retire to his own room each evening.

This evening he'd settled himself against the ships railing to watch the sun set on the horizon and then spotted a pod of dolphins. He'd never seen the sea mammals in the flesh before, he'd heard about them, but this was his first sight. He was enchanted by them and completely lost track of time as he watched them weaving and and leaping about the waves made in the ship's wake.

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"I love the theatre too, I went once and it was wonderful. I've never seen a ballet though," Aria said. "You must be so proud to have your own company, you must be a hard worker."

"I think you'd enjoy it," he continued to stroll with Aria beside him. "All my life. I ran away from home when I was fourteen and signed on as crew for a ship. I haven't stopped working yet. It helps to love what you do."

"I've never had a real job before, not a proper one anyway..." Aria blushed. "I've never really considered what I'd like to do."

"What did you do before you started working at the house?" he asked discreetly. "Did you go to school?"

Aria was grateul for Morgan's subtelety and smiled.
"No, I actually did nothing before that. As a child I was homeless, my lover took me in at a young age and had me educated at home. I was kept from any kind of work, my lover wouldn't allow it, so I filled my days with crafts and activities. I was spoilt."

The blonde shrugged a shy shoulder, a little embarassed at the confession. He didn't wish to appear lazy in front of Morgan, but the truth was the truth.

He didn't think Aria was lazy at all and he knew all too well, how difficult it was to live to please someone else. "When you were studying, what was your favorite subject?"

"Hmm," he considers a moment before answering, but when he speaks it is with a fond smile. "Music. I enjoyed music immenseley."

"Did you play an instrument? Or sing?" he asked softly as they walked along the deck.

"I do both," Aria replied. "I play piano and also the flute. I also sing... well I used to. I used to write music too..."

He didn't know why he felt sad suddenly, perhaps because it had been a long time since he'd last let music touch his heart and he missed it.

"I would love to play music with you," he smiled. "I think there's a piano in the lounge."

Aria smiled.
"I'd like that very very much."

He allowed Morgan to lead him to the lounge, the room was empty but for them, and there was indeed a piano.

Morgan sat on the piano bench and lifted the lid. "What would you like to play?"

Aria took a seat beside him and said nothing, instead he glanced at him and smiled before touching his lily white fingers to the piano keys and launching straight into a flawless rendition of Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata.

"Well done," Morgan applauded softly. "Shall we try a duet? Are you familiar with Mozart's Sonata for piano in C Major?"

"Oh, yes I am. I'm very fond of it," Aria nodded. "I'd like to play that with you."

He touched his fingers to the piano keys once more, appearing calmer and more relaxed than Morgan's ever seen him, having lost himself in the music he was playing.

He smiled, Morgan liked this side of Aria. The young man was so beautiful lost in the music. He set his fingers to the keys and started playing his part of the Allegro.

Aria relaxed further as they continued to play together. He glanced at Morgan, smiling. After some time he shuffled a little closer to Morgan.

It had surprised him that Morgan had not visited his chamber or attempted to share his company in a more intimate manner since he'd taken him from the brothel. Now he had no doubt that Morgan's intentions had been nothing but good and he allowed himself to recognise the attraction he'd felt at their first meeting.

He noticed Aria scoot a little closer to him on the piano bench and just smiled. Morgan kept playing. Since he was no longer a whore, he didn't want to treat him like one. He couldn't force himself on the lad. Never in all his years had he ever had to resort to rape to get what he wanted. Morgan wanted to give Aria a chance to decide whether or not he liked him naturally. However, it did seem as if he was interested.

Aria finished with his last few notes before folding his hands in his lap and smiling to himself.
"You play beautifully," he commented.

"Thank you, so do you," he started playing a new piece he'd heard by the French composer Claude Debussy. He liked it, the piece was fairly dramatic.

Aria didn't know this piece, but he listened carefully, soaking in the sounds. As he watched Morgan play it occurred to him exactly how fond he was of the man. He was undeniably handsome, he reminded him of a stallion - strong, bold, but also graceful in a way. He was a fine man, a magnificent one in fact. Aria owed him a lot, but he thought his liking of him ran deeper than that.

He realised he was staring and turned his eyes to his lap, smiling softly.

He did notice Aria watching him and smiled softly as he continued to play. Morgan liked Aria as well. He was beautiful, intelligent and talented. He wanted to get to know the young man better. He finished the piece and looked over at the younger man.

"It's called Claire de Lune."

"Moonlight," Aria translated, "Very fitting."

There was a silence, it seemed even more prominent after such beautiful music had filled the space before it. Aria took a deep breath and spoke again.
"Morgan... I want to say thank you again, for everything you've done for me. You can't know how you've saved me, it's taken a little time for me to realise it myself. If it's not too much a burden then I'd very much like to stay with you a while in New York."

"I thought so," Morgan admitted about the music. "Of course, you can stay with me a while. I figured you might want to until we got you established in a place of your own." He hadn't dared to hope that Aria would want to stay with him for another reason.

Edited Date: 2011-12-31 02:35 pm (UTC)

"Yes.. well... I wouldn't want to outstay my welcome..." Aria said, quietly. "Thank you."

He was blushing and he didn't really know why. He stroked the piano keys lightly with his fingertips absenmindedly.