Fantasy RPG Forum - Standing Trials

Cylus 19, 720

Natalie was wandering through the streets of Scalvoris Town, much like she often did while here. She was in a residential area, all houses and apartments, with the occasional small shop here and there. Nat was watching the windows she was passing by, mostly seeing curtains. There were lots of pretty designs. Blue florals, pink swirls, calm beiges. Many pleasant colors and styles for curtains. No plants in the windows though. She wondered why. Then she shivered from the cold, and laughed out loud, realizing she'd forgotten it was Cylus.

Shaking her head at herself, not noticing that a couple who'd been walking on the other side of the road was now openly staring at her, she continued onward. Green curtain, white curtain, flowery curtain, vines curtain, no curtain. No curtain? Natalie stopped in her tracks, a couple feet away from the window she now was staring through.

There, on the other side of the window, was a small child sitting on a table, staring up at her. The baby held the open curtain in one hand, suckling on the corner of the cloth. It was fat, its face was dirty with a meal recently eaten, as was the cloth it was wearing. It didn't seem at all bothered by her presence. Nat looked past the fat baby, and saw others in the house. There were two children running after each other with wooden swords, toys and clothes on the ground, dishes on the counter. Another child was standing on a chair cooking at an iron stove. In a chair, in the corner of the main room there, a woman was snoring, her head backwards over the top of the seat, yet another child in her arms, asleep.

Natalie was utterly disgusted by the scene. Clearly the woman was completely miserable and bound to these dirty, little children. The house was a mess, a death trap, caused by the woman's own mistaken use of her loins. Horribly stupid, this woman was. Nat vowed in that moment to never have children. Little demons. She moved in close to the window and made a scary, snarling face, her hands up like claws, at the baby. She watched as tears filled the babies eyes, and in that moment, Nat turned and continued her journey down the street, just as the sound of the baby screaming echoed out of the home.

After much walking, Nat began to hear music in the distance. Her eyes tore from watching the curtains of people's windows to the source of the noise ahead. It looked to be a tavern of sorts, big fancy sign hanging out in front, in a language she didn't know, warm, flickering fire light spilling out of the front windows. She smiled, and began walking toward it.

She was startled by a loud screaming neighing. She looked to her left to see a horse suddenly stopped in front of her, a cart behind it. The driver there began angrily speaking at her in a language she did not recognize. It was strange, everyone had spoken Common to her since her arrival here. He did some angry gesture with his hands. Nat returned the gesture in kind, putting on her most stern face. Then she stormed off toward the tavern.

She pushed through the door, her temper instantly dispelling. It was crowded, cramped, noisy. Off to one side, a man was singing loudly, drunkenly before the crowd, while a few bards played their instruments; one lute, one wooden flute, one set of drums, and a metal triangle. The bards played masterfully, showing a true command of their skill. Natalie wandered over, listening to the song, which was thankfully in Common and not in that mean horseman's language. It seemed to be a song about a warrior's quest for a woman who did not love him.

As she moved through the crowd, she saw that the man was singing the words from blackboards held by some women, written in chalk it seemed. She smiled wide. This was new. A barmaid came over and Nat looked at her.

"Hey there hun, want something to drink?"

The woman was long blonde hair, coloring on her eyes and lips, pointy ears of the Biqaj. Her smile was toothy and looked genuine. Nat's eyes fell upon the woman's very ample chest, enjoying watching her breasts bounce as people jostled in the crowd. The barmaid didn't seem to notice.

"Yes. Surprise me. What's your name? I'm Abigail, though you can call me Abby."

The woman smiled broader, "Mixiebelle! My pleasure to meet you Abby. Welcome to the Four in Hand!" The woman bounced in her excitement, much to Nat's enjoyment. "It is nice to meet you Mixiebelle. What language is on the sign out front? I couldn't read it."

"Oh hun, that's Scalveen, the native tongue here. Though Common seems to be so common these days." Then her eyes lit up, "Oh my gosh, is that why its called Common?!" She was beaming at her discovery, "I'll go get your drink hun."

The man singing finished his song, and the crowd was all clapping and cheering. Drinks were bought for the man and the bards, coins were tossed as well. Nat clapped in the excitement of the crowd, and grabbed a few coppers, throwing them over the crowd. Or rather tried, as the coins mostly just hit various people in the backs of their heads.

One of the bards stood up, "Who would like to sing next? We know many songs and can write the words for you in Common or Scalveen. Step up, name your song, if you are brave enough."

It seemed no one was willing to step up to do the singing. Though maybe several had already gone before Nat had arrived. She wouldn't hold it against any of them personally then. She waved and shouted from her table, "I'll go!" She began to work her way through the crowd, passing by the serving woman from earlier, talking to a good looking man. Nat stopped before him, "You're very good looking." She raised up on her tiptoes and kissed the man on the cheek. Then grabbed a glass of liquor from Mixiebelle's tray, drained it on one deep swig, setting it back.

She looked at Mixiebelle, "He said he'd buy that drink for me. He'll pay you." She kissed the man on the cheek again, "Thanks love."

She then continued through the crowd up to where the musicians were. Once up there, people looking on clapped politely for her. She waved at all of them smiling. One of the bards approached her, "Well aren't you just a peach. What's your name?"

"Abigail Baker. Though you can call me Abby."

"Well, Abigail. Abby. What song would you like to sing today?"

She smiled politely, "Well I don't know so many... but I learned just after I departed my ship arriving here in Scalvoris for the first time. I think they called it 'Blow the Man Down.'" This came with many hoots and hollers from the crowd, it was a well known song in these parts. The bard nodded as his writer began furiously writing down the lyrics. It didn't take long. He looked at her, "Ready?" She nodded, and the music began, starting off fast as the song were.

She took a deep breath and it began.

"Oh, blow the man down, bullies, blow the man down!
To me way-aye, blow the man down.
Oh, Blow the man down, bullies, blow him right down!
Give me some time to blow the man down!"

She was screeching like a cat in heat on the high notes. Practically yelling at the people in the front row.

"As I was a-walking down Paradise Street,
To me way-aye, blow the man down.
A pretty young damsel I chanced for to meet.
Give me some time to blow the man down!"

The low notes sounded like a dying whale. She was all over the place on the tempo, seemingly no sense of time.

"She was round in the counter and bluff in the bow,
So I took in all sail and cried “Way enough now.”

I hailed her in Common, she answered me clear,
“I’m from the Black Arrow bound to the Strongspeare”

So I tailed her my flipper and took her in tow,
And yardarm to yardarm away we did go."

She sounded as though she were in severe pain, much like many of the listeners of her singing.

"But as we were going she said unto me,
“There’s a spanking full-rigger just ready for sea.”

That spanking full-rigger to Rynmere was bound;
She was very well manned and very well found.

But soon as that packet was clear of the bar,
The mate knocked me down with the end of a spar,"

Now it just sounded like a woman faking a very intense orgasm.

"And as soon as that packet was out on the sea,
`Twas devilish hard treatment of every degree.

So I give you fair warning before we belay;
Don’t never take heed of what pretty girls say."

And now that it was finally over, not a single set of hands clapped together. It was, by far, the worst singing they'd heard all night, possibly ever. There were a few people right then and there who lost faith in humanity after that performance. Some became religious after experiencing such a trauma. The bard came up to her, a bit lost for words. "Um.. well its done now. Anyone else..?" But it seemed that Natalie had single handedly killed the event. The musicians even stormed off, likely to get a drink, such a beautiful song of theirs utterly ruined.

Natalie didn't seem to notice. She was beaming and had had a lot of fun. As the crowd dispersed, she went looking for the good looking man who had been so generous as to buy her a drink.