Ezvin hadn’t expected her to be timid.
Not Cadence Mathis, who could command a stage with the promise of her voice alone. Where a wink and the world went wild. Who wielded melody like a sword and wrapped truth in verse so raw it left even seasoned session players blinking through emotion. But now. Here. She kissed him like someone stepping into the sea for the first time: careful, cautious, and quietly brave.
She tasted like the peppermint tea she’d been sipping, and something else. Something sweeter, warmer. A flicker of cinnamon, maybe, or simply the unmistakable flavor of sincerity. The kind of sincerity that couldn’t be faked because it trembled, just a little, on its first leap out of hiding.
When she drew back just enough for breath, not rejection, her lips were still close, but her eyes searching, waiting… Ezvin didn’t press forward. Didn’t deepen the kiss. He let it rest where she left it.
He smiled. That soft, boyish smile of his that rarely made public appearances but had a habit of showing up in these quiet intimate moments.
“I hope that was okay.” His hand lifted again, fingers brushing the edge of her jawline, the cold forgotten in the hush that lingered around them.
He stepped back just enough to give her space. Not because he didn’t want more, but because he’d felt the tremor in her touch, the nerves behind the boldness. And he didn’t want to shatter the moment by holding it too tightly. So instead, he redirected the current. Shifted its tone like a song slipping into a more delicate key.
He turned his face toward the cracked angel statue again and spoke lightly, almost playfully.
“I think she approves,” he said, gesturing at the broken-winged angel. “She’s a romantic, clearly. Likes the whole wounded-souls-meets-at-dusk vibe.”
The wind picked up, brushing snow off the shoulders of the statues, a soft rustle that moved through the courtyard like breath. His scarf fluttered slightly, and he tugged it tighter with one hand while the other stayed at his side, relaxed.
There was only a slight disappointment that he didn't accept her invite, but she didn't expect it was for lack of wanting. The way he spoke to her - hoping that it was okay - made her feel like he had perhaps wanted more. His step back then wasn't because she had overstepped or had even been bad. Ezvin was just being respectful - a gentleman. Knowing him, he'd probably say something poetic about it - something like the moment had to be preserved. The thought gave her a smile because Ezvin was right.
"It was okay," she said, responding to his first statement after the kiss. There was relief in her voice in hearing that she hadn't done something that hadn't been wanted.
The tone shifted, but remained intimate. They were alone in the statue garden. Cadence couldn't recall if others had been there before or not, but being here in this space with Ezvin was still comforting. Her nerves were also simmering down to a less chaotic level and that helped immensely. Ezvin spoke of the statue's approval and Cadence gave a slight laugh. "You're probably right about that."
The wind picked up, but Cadence didn't shiver. She just looked at the garden, unmoving. She noted Ezvin's hand by his side, another invite maybe? She was feeling braver now, so she took his hand in hers without the hesitation of the kiss. She remained silent for a bit.
She took a deep breath before she spoke again. "You know...I've never done that before. With anyone..." she said. Part of her thinking that she should be embarrassed by that, but she wasn't. Just...doesn't matter why..." She smiled and faced him. "I liked it though." Honesty. It was who she was and she couldn't hold back from saying it.
It was then the cold started to sink in. It wasn't heavy or biting, but she felt it now. She adjusted her own scarf before wrapping her free hand around her body. They should probably head in, but Cadence didn't say it. Not yet. She didn't want to go in quite yet. She wanted to be in this moment a little longer.
When her hand slipped into his, he responded naturally, easily, his fingers curling around hers like it was a gesture he’d made a thousand times before. Maybe he had. That was the thing about Ezvin. He made every gesture feel genuine, and maybe most of them were. Her hand was cold in his, but not uncomfortably so. He gave her hand the gentlest squeeze. Just… an acknowledgment.
“You liked it,” he said softly, not asking but acknowledging. He gave a small nod. “Good.”
He felt the flicker when she’d said it. A stirring in the quiet gravity of her honesty. He could tell she wasn’t ashamed. But he felt something twist behind his ribs anyway. A twinge of guilt, maybe. And here she was, offering something that felt weighty, and he’d nearly waltzed past it on his own agenda. He held her hand tighter.
He turned his eyes back to Cadence. Her scarf tugged tighter around her neck, her free arm wrapped across her middle. The cold was creeping in again, just enough to make the breath between them visible. He leaned slightly, lowering his voice.
“Alright, Midwinter Mystic,” he said gently, with that teasing cadence she’d come to recognize as his way of softening things when the emotions became too real. “Let’s get you out of the cold before you turn into a marble statue yourself.”
With a final glance at the angel, he gave her hand a small tug and began walking slowly back toward the doors of The Nest, her fingers still folded into his. The silence between them was peaceful. Familiar.
Cadence allowed herself to be pulled inside. The mood had shifted somewhat, and it was in a way she didn't understand. She wondered if she had done something wrong - or said something wrong. But Ezvin still held her hand, and squeezed tighter, but still gentle. The silence as they turned back towards the Nest still wasn't uncomfortable. It was just hard for her to understand unspoken cues. Maybe her kiss had been bad, but she hadn't lied. She liked it. She had wanted it. And she wanted to do it again.
They entered the building and Cadence followed, her thoughts going back to the angel and Ezvin's words right before he had leaned in prompting her kiss.
"Someone else has to hold the other side for awhile."
More thoughts came. A zine written by a man who didn't want to talk to anyone who knew his name. A zine about people setting themselves on fire trying to feel something. Wounded souls meeting at dusk.
Souls. Not soul...souls.
Her parents had told her that she was neurodivergent and when she had asked what that meant, they had told it just means that you processed information differently. For Cadence, that usually meant it took longer. Especially when a lot was going on, and she had changed a lot in a short time. There were pieces there. Pieces that were coming together now, and she wondered was Ezvin trying to tell her something. Had she been so absorbed in herself that she had missed it? Had she been selfish? Along with that, her neurodivergence also tended to overthink things. Perhaps she had missed nothing. Perhaps she was over thinking.
"Ezvin, wait," she said quietly, her voice quiet. She looked back towards the statue garden, where the angel stood, quietly watching the silent winter. "Wounded souls..."
Cadence's eyes moved through the corridor as her brain shifted through information, trying to put them in neat rows that made things make sense. That wasn't how the world worked though. Things weren't simple and neat. They were messy, harsh, and unorganized. Unordered. As a musician, that's what she tried to do - make sense of the chaos and help others do the same.
Her eyes landed on a woman, sitting in the a corner where the hall turned. A guitar leaned against the corner. She sat with her knees drawn to her chest, her elbows resting on her knees, and her face buried in her hands. A notebook, opened to a blank page, and a pencil sat next to her. Cadence recognized the position. Any musician would. It was the position of someone who knew the chords, the guitar riff, or the lyrics were right there - right behind a wall that you just couldn't get through. But Cadence knew better. It wasn't a wall - it was a door. A locked door, but still a door.
And Cadence knew she had the key to the door.
Cadence bit the inside of her cheek lightly in thought, as she remembered in college her choir director saying he was looking for a song to finish out their concert, but hadn't found the right one. She remembered her power being there as she whispered the words telling him to write it. The next day he handed out a new choral arrangement penned by himself. And she remembered Matt. The small wisp of power that had accompanied her telling him to trust his instincts. She had given them nothing. Nothing but the key. They had opened the door.
Cadence released Ezvin's hand, but instead wrapped him in a hug, and when she spoke into his ear, her voice was twinged with fear. Not fear of begin held by him. Not fear of people, but fear of what she was about to do. She was about to step out in a way she never had and in a way she wasn't sure she understood yet. "I'm not sure what's happening right now, but it's important. I've been given a gift. Power. Power that I've held back because I haven't understood it. My power...my...fire... she said, the word just sounding right. "Isn't just conjuring tricks or a gift to heal. It's more...and...I don't want to hide anymore. It's time to embrace this. It's time to understand. I'm terrified Ezvin because it's new, it's real, and it's truth. You have seen it once - with Matt at the studio. That was a trickle...this will be...a storm."
She sighed a little bit, a smile coming to her face. "I need you to hold me so I can fly. I hope you don't think me selfish. I have a feeling your soul may be wounded too, and if you'd like. I will be there to help you fly too. Please bear with me...for this..." she paused. "Is a sacred duty." The words came out in instinct - but she knew they were right.
As Cadence begin to move back, she brought her lips once more to Ezvin's. The kiss started light, but it lacked the tentative nature of the previous one. Cadence had put together enough to know that Ezvin didn't want a relationship with her. Cadence, although not opposed to a relationship, didn't need that either. She pressed slightly harder before releasing it, a slight smile curving on her lips. "Now watch...and listen."
Cadence pulled the power into herself, the light within her growing brighter than it ever had before. She turned to face the woman, one arm still around Ezvin's waist as she began to weave the power. It was an ancient power, and this magic was an ancient and powerful magic. The words she had spoke to Matt came back into her head. Trust your instincts, for they are strong.
An image came to her as she wove. She carried a sick child, and sang to her. As she looked up, she approached a tall white tower.
Trust your instincts...
Another image: She stood with eight women before a mighty king to receive their divine mandate.
Trust...
A man knelt on the ground, lyre clutched to his chest, as he grieved the loss of his beloved. As she knelt down and touched his shoulder, he whispered her name.
Instinct...
A Man sat on a boat, looking at the ocean. As she approached he began to write a poem of an epic journey.
The images were fast, appearing quickly one after another as she drew upon her power. More of it filled her, and the weave came together. Cadence knew then how dangerous what she was doing was. She knew a slight change of the structure or even the use of more spirit could bend the woman to her will. She would do whatever Cadence wanted her to.
No! I will not taint my gift that way. She thought to herself.
Not compulsion, but inspiration.
The weave settled over the woman and she raised her head, tears in her eyes. "I have shown you the door and I have given you the key. Only you can unlock it," she whispered a quiet cheer to the woman that only she and Ezvin could hear. When she moved, she didn't reach for her guitar first. She pulled out her wallet, pressed a few times on the screen and then set it in front of her. She was recording it. Cadence continued her whisper as the woman reached for her guitar. "Yes, trust your instincts."
Cadence pulled Ezvin gently around the corner, not removing her arm from his waist. What was about to happen wasn't for them to see, but hearing was a different story. She leaned a little more against Ezvin for support, suddenly feeling tired from the channeling. She had never used that much power before. The woman began to strum and sing, the words coming from deep inside her. Cadence smiled. "Yes...set them free."