{Fragments of the Moon}-Felix?/Open

[{J I S A}]

I’M STUCK HERE IN THE MIDDLE
AT WAR WITH GOOD AND EVIL

Jisa fought the urge to roll her eyes at Felix's over the top gestures. He was something, alright, and he took joy in it as well. Luckily, Jisa was in a strangely accommodating mood. Thanks to his earlier offer, she had nothing occupy her thoughts and put her on edge. Thoughts of who she would have to hunt down and kill would have put a damper on the whole evening, had it still been on the table. She was grateful for the respite, however brief it might turn out to be.

"Oh, I assure you that credit is given where it is due," she said. "I get the feeling you're quite practiced in evading prying questions."

Jisa's tone was light, and not accusatory as the words might have expressed. As Felix thought about his question, he took a piece of bread from the platter and stared at it intently. She fought the urge to narrow her eyes or steal herself for what the first question might be. Realistically, she thought he wouldn't go straight for something too serious or weighted, and what were the chances that his first question would be whether she was human or not? Somehow, it didn't make her any more assured in herself to know those odds. To take her mind off it, she dipped a bit of her bread in the chowder and savoured the taste.

"Do you like the opera?"

The question came soon enough, but Jisa looked up to ensure she had heard correctly. That was hardly the line of inquiry she was expecting. It had come not even out of left field, but out of a different field entirely. However, from his tone and sudden serious expression, Jisa realized that he wasn't joking. The opera? She paused thoughtfully. Music on a whole hadn't been on Jisa's radar for a long time. Thinking back to her inherited estate, she remembered the empty silence that it had sat in since the murder of her family. At first, it had been shock that had robbed it of its vitality and liveliness. Then, Jisa supposed it felt like an affront to have anything joyful permeating the morose quiet of her family's home. It was irrational, to be sure, but true.

There had been days where she'd come home after school or after an evening at a friend's house to find the radio on and filling the kitchen with gentle notes. On looking around the corner, she'd find her parents in there, her dad trying to cook dinner, and her mother distracting him as she coaxed him to dance with her. It had once made her smile, filled her with love for her parents. Since then, she hadn't really touched a radio or anything else to do with music. But that wasn't the answer to the question. Jisa tilted her head for a moment more and then decided on the truth.

"I've never been to one," she said. "Never really heard any music from one, either. I don't listen to very much music, honestly. So I suppose I can't rightfully pass any sort of judgment on it."

She assumed that Felix either loved the opera, or hated it, from the earnest, searching expression on his face. Maybe he'd let slip, in his reply, which one it was.

"If you find that sufficiently honest," she replied. "Then my question is one from earlier. What do you do for a living?"

DON’T WANNA SPEND MY TIME AFRAID OF DYING
I WANT LOVE IF LOVE WANTS ME