lyre • venti

i

"good morning marjorie!"

the said lady gave a closed-eye smile at the person who walked in. "y/n, good morning! how are you?"

they sighed, holding up a cup of iced coffee. "honestly, very tired. school's been killing me. but hey, i have an iced coffee! and i also have some pastries we can share too if you'd like."

"aren't you sweet! i haven't had breakfast yet so i would love some food," marjorie laughed. with a nod, y/n sat at the front of the shop with their friend on the other side of the counter. during the time that they were studying in germany, y/n came across the small shop, with wind comes glory, and took interest in all the wondrous artifacts and items from around the world. most of them were very vintage, and y/n loved to collect the (most affordable) trinkets on display. it was their way of rewarding themself after exams or long study sessions, and marjorie would also give something on the house in celebration.

she would always tell the student to come back once every week or two to check for new items, and sure enough, the two got closer over time. marjorie served as a sort of guardian for y/n, and they'd always come to her for advice or help with schoolwork. it was comforting, as they didn't exactly have any other friends or relatives that they could turn to in the foreign country.

"oh y/n! before i forget, there was something new that came in today that i think you'll really like," marjorie remembered. she exited to the back of the shop and called, "but you might want to put your food away first!"

y/n hummed, quickly taking a final bite of their sponge cake before putting it away to save for later. marjorie emerged not long after with a clean, white box in hand.

"alrighty, here we are. actually, i came across this find at an old church back when i visited home a few days ago. i spent a long time trying to revive its condition, and i thought of you when i first came across it. you used to be in orchestra, right?"

y/n nodded. "in high school. but that was a long time ago," they laughed.

marjorie gave them a bit of a sly smile. she lifted the cover of the box, revealing a lyre sitting atop some tissue paper. it looked extremely old and outdated, with rusted silver embellishments that wrapped around the instrument. there was a dull turquoise gem at the bottom, and six strings were strung down the center, though they did look quite worn.

y/n gazed at it in awe. marjorie took the item and held it up closer to the light. "i tried my best to clean it, but there are still specks of dirt here and there. but get this...."

the seller raised a hand and strummed the strings. however, nothing sounded.

she sighed. "it doesn't play anymore. i tried messing around with the strings, but nothing worked unfortunately. i even checked with a music shop and they couldn't do anything with it. it's probably nothing more than an ancient relic now."

y/n reached their arms out for the lyre. they also tried strumming the instrument, but nothing worked.

still, the young one was intrigued.

"hey marjorie, how much is this?"

the seller smiled, knowing that they would still be interested despite the few malfunctions. "it's on the house. i think you have a strong shot at repairing it, and if you can fix it within a week or two, it's all yours."

they looked up the seller in awe. "marjorie, thank you!"

she waved a gloved hand. "no need, no need. anyways, don't you have classes soon?"

y/n checked the time on the old grandfather clock situated towards the center of the shop. "oh shoot, you're right. i just wanted to stop by for breakfast," they laughed. after packing their stuff and safely securing the lyre, they called back, "thanks again maj! take care!"

the woman smiled, "you too, y/n."

. . .

once the student was completely out of sight, the seller faced the empty space next to her. "are you sure this is a good idea?"

the spirit of the nameless bard materialized next to her. he strummed his own ghostly lyre in his hands, playing a few chords and notes. "it'll be fine. i've watched them for a while and they seem pretty reliable. i'm sure venti would love to meet them."

"are you sure he still cares about that lyre though?"

the bard paused. "maybe not, though there's someone else who does. and i'll know how to reach him then."

marjorie raised an eyebrow, then retreated to the back of the shop. "you can be scary sometimes, y'know."

he simply closed his eyes and continued to play his instrument with a smile. "it will play out just fine."