When the song ends, Neil takes a flourishing bow to the crowd. Their applause is tired from a long day, but genuine. Then, he takes a seat beside Gaeta.

There is still a slight air of anticipatory tension. They've been friends a while now, and in that time there have been... moments that seemed like more. A brunch over magical textbooks, an invitation to Merrymeet, and now this--- a breath caught at the end of a terrible day as Neil falls, exhausted but exuberant, into his seat on a log.

"I'm a bit rusty--- or rather, I was this morning. I'm fairly certain I've shaken it by playing all damn day," he jokes. "It's been a long time since I've gotten to play. How did I sound?"