M’traliel and Jahrae had been working for months developing a rough plan on how to celebrate the fifth anniversary of the Nenseru Woods Concert.

So much had been triggered by that concert, very good things, and very bad things – Jahrae’s personal loss of llhaesa.

Jahrae was once again softly singling, and M’traliel’s thoughts rolled backward in time, to two years before.

M’traliel and Jahrae were setting up for a secret meeting of the local chapter of EREGS – at that point, Brellian’s forces were everywhere, and anyone actively engaged in working to change the government risked death if caught. And so they had developed elaborate means of communication and interacting, all designed to minimise the damage where any one person caught.

As the two friends went about the necessary task of setting up for the meeting, Jahrae softly sang one of llhaesa’s songs whilst she went about her work. When retelling the story now, M’traliel was busy unpacking a box of items to be used to present to the other members of their group. Her mind suddenly became aware of this sweet voice singing nearby, one she had never before heard. M’traliel stopped and turned towards the sound, now amusingly transfixed as she stood holding an about to be set up projector. She watched intently even as Jahrae was unaware M’traliel had refocused from unpacking and towards the singing Jahrae.

Finally M’traliel spoke, her words stopping Jahrae from singing and working. “Jahrae, did you ever sing like this around llhaesa?”

“No, she was the musician; there was no way I’d have crossed onto her space in that way… and really… I was never one to sing in showers or anywhere. Why?” Jahrae was totally clueless of M’traliel’s intent.

“You have a beautiful voice, Jahrae. The only questions I have his how much power you can put into your voice, how long you can sustain that power, and whether you can master your voice through professional coaching.” M’traliel was going all out, a plan already forming in her mind. M’traliel was more than capable of coaching her friend in how to make full use of her voice.

Several months before, M’traliel was assisting the still weakened Jahrae, helping her clean her flat, get it back in order. Jahrae insisted on remaining there, for llhaesa had loved it so. M’traliel methodically worked through each room. The studio was untouched from when llhaesa had last used it, no one had entered since that time. As she began to clean the thick layer of dust that was seemingly everywhere, M’traliel found a rather thin box of chocolates. Opening the box, she winced at the stale confection which long ago should have been tossed in the disposal. She held the box over the portable disposal and shook. The chocolates tumbled out, followed by the paper liner at the base of the box slowly falling, part of it clinging tightly to the box sides.

M’traliel shook harder, the shaking overcoming the resistance. The paper fell, followed by three shiny disks. Fortunately the machine was not running, and so M’traliel opened up the maintenance door, pulled out the receptacle, and retrieved three disks.

Each had a quickly scrawled ‘for Jahrae, with all my love’ written upon it.

M’traliel walked out into the kitchen, where Jahrae was cleaning things after their just eaten breakfast. “Jahrae, there were three disks from llhaesa to you in the bottom of a box of chocolates. They fell out and into the disposal, I had no idea they were in there!” Why did you put them in that box?” M’traliel surmised the placement came during Jahrae’s substance abuse days.

“What disks?” Jahrae was clueless.

“Here…!” M’traliel handed them over.

“Ohhhhh, myyyy…” and with that, Jahrae had fainted for the second time in her life.

After Jahrae had come to and regained her strength, the two anxiously moved to listen to the recordings, unaware of how much music each disk contained. Jahrae excitedly fumbled with the first disk as she inserted it in a player. Once in, she set down next to M’traliel to listen.

The llhaesa triad of songs discovered many months after her death were all intimate declarations of love to Jahrae. The musician sensed she was not long for life on that last night, and wished to give to Jahrae some of what she did best: perform.

The first song was of llhaesa singing and playing piano. The second was with a six stringed instrument, the final song was performed a capella. They were subsequently released sequentially and to great effect, triggering altered circumstance where the always committed M’traliel and the reinvigorated Jahrae now planned an Nenseru anniversary concert. So much had changed, and they no longer had to fear for their lives. Their biggest problem in the moment was choosing which musicians would be invited to perform.