Work Text:
"We drink to our youth, and to days come and gone. For the age of oppression is now nearly done~"
You sang out with slightly forced cheer, eyes darting left and right through the murky shadows. You heard grumbling from the pixie in your lantern as you inched forward through the dark.
"I hope walking through this bloody fog is now nearly done" Karlach laughed, sword at the ready to your right.
The dreary, dark Shadow-Cursed Lands had you all on edge. Gale and Wyll were bringing up the rear, shielding spells prepared in case the magic of the lantern suddenly stopped working. After an hour of trudging miserably through the dark, Gale had requested one of your famous songs to try and salvage the dismal mood, albeit at a lesser volume than usual. So here you were, voice carrying the sweet strains of any two-bit pub shanty or melodramatic opera you could remember to ward off the fright. Usually you'd be belting these over a fire and sharing drinks with your friends at camp, but at the moment it was all but a shield against pure anxiety. At least focusing on hitting the right notes was staving off your panic about heading to a mausoleum.
As the gates to the ruined building loomed out of the darkness, you felt a touch of relief. It could hardly be worse than what was out here, and you finished your refrain with gusto.
"But this land is ours and we'll see it wiped clean. Of the- SHIT!"
It was a curious sensation having your stomach drop at the same time you started blushing furiously, but that was a normal reaction to the figure before you. Raphael's face, handsome and distinct even in the dim light, was grinning like the cat that got the canary as he appeared out of the mist.
"How amusing! I've been practicing a special little poem for you, little mouse, and yet you bring me a song instead. How charming."
"I didn't know you were there!" you blurt out inelegantly, feeling so frazzled you forgot to feel scared about his presence. You rubbed a weary, embarrassed hand over your chin as his mocking laughter escaped.
"Then how fortuitous that you did not see me, as I was enjoying your performance. Perhaps there is more value in your squeaks than your swordhand."
"Let's pretend you didn't hear that. What are you here for?" you ground out, internally dying of shame.
The only positive was that none of your companions laughed at you - Wyll and Gale were too polite and Karlach was hardly in the laughing mood with the devil around, otherwise she'd be snorting loudly at your blushing face.
Raphael of course broke into his own poem, hands gesturing grandly and with purpose through his tale. You ended up getting distracted when he got this way - the words "creeping and crawling" passed through your ears unheard as you watched his expressive dramatics. The combination of his passionate performance and his sinfully deep voice was mesmerizing. Funnily enough, he seemed to genuinely enjoy the theatrics. Maybe the two of you had something in common, bizarre as it seemed...
After solving a murder for the Mamzell, enjoying yourself with a handsome Drow and scoping out the bar, you finally managed to spot Korilla indulging in a drink at Sharess' Caress. A talk with Raphael was long overdue after all you had learned recently, and she directed you to find him in an upstairs room. Assuring your companions that you would be alright alone (Wyll and Karlach in particular hovering in worry over you), you left the bar and walked up the wooden stairs.
You went a little pink remembering that you had embarrassed yourself last time you had seen him. You walked along the balcony, enjoying the summer wind blowing your hair as you looked for the correct doorplate. Funnily enough, it was very close to the room the Drow had taken you to-
You stopped. They were neighbors. A healthy distance between them, but neighbors. Shit. Could devils hear through thick walls? Surely he couldn't know it was you? Was he even here yesterday?
You forced yourself to remain calm; of course there was no way he could know. You took a bracing breath in, and turned the doorknob with a steady hand.
He was grinning again. Shit.
"I'm glad you came. Here I thought you were slightly lost yesterday on your way to my doorstep, but you had a different terminus in mind. I did so enjoy the singing from here."
You were ready to die on the spot. Why were you ALWAYS on the back foot with this man?
(Devil. Stupid man devil.)
"I-it was a reward for helping out the Mamzell, nothing more. And why were you listening in, Raphael?" You tried to say smoothly, raising an eyebrow with a courage you barely possessed.
His smile resembled a wolf the moment it spied a delicious piece of prey. It should have marred his face, and yet somehow the dark twist of his lips made him look more appetizing than ever.
"I must say, your meek little voice has left quite an impression on me. Whether it's singing twee ballads or crying out for more, I can't help but want to indulge."
You couldn't help another blush returning to your face, legs shifting uneasily. You didn't currently feel equipped to hear comments about 'begging for more' coming from him alone in a room together. You cleared your throat, trying to stand straight.
"Well, I'd like to hear more from you about my little tadpole. You promised you had a cure, and yet here we are" you huffed, trying to appear unbothered.
He started on another monologue about the final reckoning, but your shifting thoughts blurred your focus. Your eyes fell unwittingly on his lips, and the rich sounds that exited them gracefully, the twisting words that danced around your head, feeling every deep syllable on your own tongue like a fine whiskey-
"Little mouse. Are you paying attention?"
You jolted up straight.
"A hammer. Sorry, which hammer?"
He tutted, and the sound really shouldn't have done something to you.
"This is all important context for a deal I'd like to strike with you, my dear. I do dearly hope I'm not boring you."
The last three words came out in a hiss - he was annoyed. You scrambled to find a way to smooth things over, settling on the easiest solution of playing to his ego.
"Sorry. You could say your voice leaves an impression on me too. I'll pay more attention to the actual content this time, promise" you demurred, trying to look remorseful.
It was the truth, and luckily it worked like a charm. His eyes gleamed with satisfaction at the compliment, long fingers curling against his elbow.
"I can hardly blame you. We would make a stunning duet together, I am sure - but let us not distract ourselves from our current predicament."
This time you did pay attention, and mulled his offer over in your mind carefully. It was a tempting offer, but surely one with a deep hidden cost besides the Crown of Karsus. You remember Gale mentioning it before - was this something that was too good to give up?
You hummed, combing over the details in your brain.
"Apologies Raphael, but I can't commit to anything without talking to my companions. I'll have an answer for you in the near future."
He bowed his head, acquiescing.
"I understand completely. When you make your decision, and I am sure it will be the right one, I shall be here."
He sent a dark, fond smile your way - it made your knees feel funny.
"I'll be keeping an ear out for you singing my name, little mouse."
You weren't sure whether to laugh at the furniture inside the House of Hope.
Of course the place was decked out in crimson reds, pictures and statues of Raphael adorning every table. It was impossible to mistake this place for anyone else's - a resplendent dinner table for the clients in good graces, and a hopeless prison for those who had failed their end of the bargain. You were one of the few lucky souls who had been invited, as you'd been searching for a weapon to help you take down a particularly stubborn foe back in the city. Raphael had appeared brazenly from a portal beside you, sending you almost jumping out of fright into Gale's arms. Luckily, he had just the weapon you needed and was requesting something you could feasibly get your hands on - no souls required. After a few days of searching you had finally gotten your hands on it and was invited to his personal domain for an exchange of items and... dinner.
You should probably feel more nervous about being here, but the invitation was too enticing to resist, as well as the appeal of having a quiet snoop through his belongings. You saw an inviting looking piece of paper with his writing on it near you and quietly picked it up, grinning in anticipation at looking through his things.
You were instead surprised at the music written on the parchment - now that you had brought it closer to your face, you could see the lyrics and the notes beside them. You couldn't stop the amused smile cracking your face as you realized it was a song about Raphael being ordained under the Crown of Karsus.
A laugh escaped you. He was writing an opera about himself? His ego truly had no limits. And yet, you couldn't help find it endearing, seeing the swirls and lines so passionately written by his hands. He had experienced difficulty with the last two lines, surprisingly inelegant scribbles hiding them from view. It was... bizarrely cute, and reminded you of your younger self writing music about your own potential adventures as a future grown-up.
'Well younger me, you had no idea what you were getting into...' you thought dryly, your mind passing over mind-flayers, demons and Bhaal worshippers.
"Something caught your eye, my dear?"
You couldn't help it - a little squeak escaped your mouth, causing a genuine bark of laughter to escape from the figure that had just entered the room.
"Now there's the little squeaks I'm so fond of. Have I caught you doing something... naughty?"
Gods. You could NOT keep thinking about how that sounded coming from his mouth, especially in his fully demonic form. You rarely saw it and it was distracting .
"A-apologies. I was just captivated by this music I found" you explained, trying to sound as innocent as possible.
He looked down at the writing in your hand, and a genuine gleam of excitement seemed to appear in his dark eyes.
"I should not be surprised you were drawn to my latest masterpiece, little mouse. Would you care to regale me with a few lines, so I may hear how it sounds from another?"
He waved a respectful hand towards you, the gesture at odds with burning hunger in his eyes. They were fiercely locked on you, almost desperate. With a start, you realized that he had written this with the intention of wanting to hear you sing it.
Nerves exploded alongside pleasure in your stomach - a devil, a genuine infernal devil, had written something with you in mind. It was a dangerous honor, and you had a nonzero chance of completely fucking it up.
You cleared your throat nervously, feeling incredibly hot. A sudden memory came to you - your first school recital, where you'd burst into tears during the chorus from anxiety to the mixed sympathy and laughter from your schoolmates. Your eyes found him again, and the absolute focus there was almost reassuring. He wouldn't have asked if he thought his little mouse was completely bereft of talent.
Feeling slightly more confident, you opened your mouth and let the words flow straight and true. You wrapped each lyric in velvet, putting slightly more theatrics than usual into your hands due to the present company. His burning eyes slowly became less of a pressure and more of a motivator - his unrelenting gaze causing your voice to strengthen, your pronunciation perfect.
You finished the last line on the page, one hand spread wide as you carried the note to a near-faultless conclusion.
Raphael had not moved. But a shock of pleasure went through you at the slight flush in his face and the intrigued shine in his eyes. Finally, he straightened up and gave you a few short, but utterly reverent claps of applause.
"A fine performance."
He didn't need to say anything else - you flushed with pride at the genuine smile tugging at his lips.
"Well, I had good material to work with" you uttered, trying and failing to look modest.
Gods, you felt good. The pride and joy of a performance well-done in front of the toughest crowd in Faerûn glowed in your chest. An idea seemed to hit Raphael, his back straightening.
"Do you remember what I remarked to you when we last met? We would make a stunning duet. Wait here."
He hurried off towards a bookshelf, deft fingers swiftly picking his way through various sheets of paper. You had to choke back a laugh in shock, barely believing your eyes as his tail slightly wagged behind him. With a brief "Aha!" he all but ran back to you, eyes gleaming with manic excitement.
"While this particular piece of work has not yet been finished, it would surely benefit from the inspiration of hearing our voices together. If you would indulge me, little mouse..."
He held out a piece of paper. You gently took it from his large, warm hands and inspected the lyrics.
"All mortal lives expire?" A grim opening..." you tease, raising an eyebrow.
"As I explained, it is an ongoing project. One that will benefit greatly from our collaboration. Come, sing the opening line for me."
His genuine excitement was utterly charming and strange - for a moment, he seemed so much like a man made of mortal delights if you ignored the horns. And you were all too willing to ignore it at the present moment, mouth opening wide to deliver the opening line. You sang through the opening, aware of the captivated look he was giving you. But the warm feeling it gave you was nothing compared to when he finally joined in - his rich, low notes intertwining with yours.
If you were a sane individual, you would probably be more put off by the mention of wars and doom in the lyrics. But as your harmonies and breath mingled together in the warm air, the strange connection you had established was undeniable.