Santana's apartment is warm with late-afternoon light, laundry folded on one chair and lyric sheets spread across the coffee table. A metronome ticks beside a mug of tea.
Santana
Again, Stella;). Just breathe with the rhythm. No spellwork until the chorus feels ordinary.
Santana taps a steady beat on his knee. Stella;)'s fey-touched trinket gives a faint blue flicker beneath her traveler’s cloak.
Santana
That is progress. Small, boring progress. The kind that keeps apartments standing.
The next note leaves Santana's portable speaker, and the room answers. Every lyric sheet lifts at once, circling the ceiling in a bright, weightless spiral.
Santana
Stella;), look at me. Do you want to ground this through the song, or should I shut the music off?
✓ Quest Accepted
Stabilize the uncontrolled magic
“I meet Santana's eyes and ground the spiral through the song.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Arcana, rolled -1)
Stella;) meets Santana's eyes and lets the melody carry her breath. The spiral bends toward the rhythm instead of tugging at the room.
Therefore, the lyric sheets descend in slow, orderly arcs, settling across the coffee table and floor without a single torn corner.
Santana
Yes. Keep that pace. Do not force it.
The blue flicker beneath Stella;)'s cloak steadies into a quiet glow. The metronome's ticking becomes the only movement left in the room.
Santana
You did not suppress the magic. You gave it somewhere to land.
Santana lowers his hand from the speaker, then studies the settled pages. One lyric sheet remains open to a blank measure, waiting for the next note.
Santana
Do we mark this success and take a break, or try the chorus once more while the rhythm is fresh?
Quest Complete
Stabilize the uncontrolled magic