• Open • Famuly Side Hug and Song Festival

[Kalortah]

22nd of Ashan 720


Kal was set up on the corner of the Scribe's Nook when Ibudo arrived on his little mouse mount. The poor tunawa could scarcely stay on top of the thing as it darted skittishly along the street. Yet made it to Kalortah he did, complete with his finger cymbals which were really more like full-sized cymbals in his hands. Kalortah held a silver drum, strapped around his neck, with the dual-sided baton to strike its tongues. He was ready for a bit of music and fun with his bandmate.

"Sorry I'm late, Kalortah!" Ibudo exclaimed loudly, for one so small. His voice was very impressive, and it was one of the things that prompted Kalortah to take him on as a bandmate and travel companion.

Kalortah cleared his throat and looked down at the treeman skeptically. "Ahem, I prefer to go by my titles these days, Ibudo, but you are excused for your tardiness..."

"Oh, sorry your honor... Well..." Here the tunawa jumped halfway up Kalortah's robe, and then began climbing until he arrived at the avriel's shoulder. "Shall we begin?"

Kalortah smiled at the treeman, and nodded his head. So they began testing their instruments. The sound of the metallic percussion instruments was new to Kalortah, it was something he'd picked up from Scalvoris' Market. The sound reverberated in a very pleasant way on the air. Kalortah thought he could easily get used to the sound.

Eventually, they found a rhythm, and Ibudo started the background chanting. The Tunawa had the most enchanting way of throwing his voice, so that it echoed and presented a choral quality as he sang. Once he was underway, Kalortah began his song, which he'd performed several times before, but never in Scalvoris. So it was his Scalvoris debut:

"”Grand Calamity, your riches are without bounds,
Your majesty unchallenged,
Your beauty still astounds.

Grand King of Birds, to thyself due must be given,
My gifts are not worthy,
My wretched soul unforgiven...

So the first few lines went, but many more besides remained. Kalortah went through them all in his time, with Ibudo backing him with his echoing chant. He thought it gave off a nice sound, but other people passing by would be the judge of that.

[Alyssia]

Alyssia walked down the road trying to find something to go do. Looking around the teen yawned slightly bored in the sunny day of Ashan. It was good to have the light back during the day rather than have the same twilight feeling all the time. Popping her neck, the Aukari jumped back out of the way when a male ran across her path without much thought. Glaring, the girl growled behind her pressed together lips. She was trying to make sure to keep her words from leaving her mouth more than she should. Not all thoughts were constructive in any way.

The smell of food made the girl’s stomach growl. Her face scrunched up one hand covering her stomach. It was clear to most that she was not the proper weight for her age. However there was not many who would feed an “urchin” as they called her. Deciding to see if the owner would let her work enough for a meal, the teen found the near by source of food. source of food. The Scribe’s Nook. It was a funny name, but the girl walked into the building being careful not to get in anyone's way. The sound of music made her look over, it was a shock to see the same funny man from Yaralon. He had called himself a minstrel, one that made music for others.

She felt the urge to go to him and say hello, but he appeared to be busy. A funny looking little person was beside him speaking with the much larger man. Alyssia turned and went to find someone that could help her get some work. The last thing she wanted was to be showed the door after only just arriving. Not many establishments cared for someone not paying to just stay in their building. Thankfully the girl was given a small job to keep the room clean by sweeping. Alyssia was glad to not run food or drinks to people as they filtered in. Starting at the far end, the girl began her job listening as Kal began to sing along with the little creature with him. It was an amazing combination.

[Faith Augustin]

The Scholars' Nook

Faith loved it here.

Scalvoris, as a place, was close to Faith's heart and the Scholars' Nook specifically was very dear to her. She came here and she sat, curled quietly in a corner, to read and drink tea. It was a place where she felt at home and, although this trip to Scalvoris was a fleeting one, Faith had made sure to take the time to visit the Scholar's Nook. Caz and Flea were in good form, and Faith had enjoyed catching up with the brother-sister pair of owners. She had spent a little time chatting with the pair and then, she had retreated to one of the very many corners in the room where she sat with a book and a cup of tea.

Of course, it was difficult for Faith to be alone, anywhere. People recognised her, these trials they recognised her wherever she went, but Scalvoris even more so. She was well-known here and was seen as belonging to Scalvoris; she'd been the one who organised and headed up the docks rebuilding, who'd built Beacon and, of course, who had abolished slavery. All of these things were part of why she was considered "theirs". So, as she sat in the Scholar's Nook and she focused on the book she was reading, there were whispered conversations and nudges, people motioned to others that she was there. Faith saw all this, of course, or most of it at least ~ and she largely ignored it. It would pass and calm down, she knew.

There was the usual hubub of the Nook, but then an avriel and tunawa (quite a combination, Faith thought with a smile) began to play musical instruments together and the avriel began to sing. It was beautiful, and Faith closed her book, lifted her feet up so that they were planted on her chair, her knees almost touching her chin ~ and she listened. She understood enough about music to know how technically demanding and skilled the performance was, and she recognised that it was ~ also ~ beautiful. As there ever would be, Faith thought, she had a slight moment of concern when she saw the avriel. But she was no longer that person, so she quelled it and, instead, simply chose to listen.

[Kalortah]

It was easy for Kalortah to get lost in the sound of his own voice. Yet for all of that, he could tell when attention was diverted from his performance. Nothing was more distracting when you were in the middle of entertaining a room full of rubes, and someone, some showboat was drawing attention away from you. Whether it was a particularly loud cough, an isolated fit of clapping, or even a laugh. But no, something else was amiss, as Kalortah went through the lyrics of his old song.

"Grand King of Birds, to thyself due must be given,
My gifts are not worthy,
My wretched soul unforgiven."

As he sang, he saw most of the attention was directed toward a less trafficked corner. He frowned, even as he sang, trying to crane his neck to get a look at what was going on there. His bright red wings fluttered irritably as he tried to get a glimpse of whoever was trying to upstage him with their mere presence.

"Master of the Wind, your gifts are without compare,
Your wings soar above all,
Your ears won’t hear my prayer.”

The show had to go on though...

"Damnit..." Kalortah interrupted his own performance, when it became apparent that half the room was divided between himself and someone drawing attention. There were people pointing and whispering to each other, but they weren't paying attention. A cardinal sin to Kalortah's mind.

He abruptly stopped his performance, and stepped down from the small stage where he was singing for the scholars and various bookworms. Ibudo looked up at him, concerned, stopping his singing in half-note. "Something wrong boss?"

Kalortah's lips tightened in a grim frown, as he beheld the one who had drawn so much attention from his performance. It was... Oh, it was Faith Augustin. Kalortah had heard of her, anyone who didn't live in a cave had... He knew all about her mostly that she'd been raised in Athart, his own home city. The people who'd owned her once upon a time, took her accomplishments as their own. They used her prestige and everything else she'd done to promote their own family.

Yet, for all Kalortah had seen of his own people and come to several realizations. One was that slavery is the death of potential. Nobody was raised to greatness because of slavery, but in spite of it. Still, this little human had disrupted his performance. He couldn't concentrate, and so he thought to give her a piece of his mind.

"Mistress Augustin." He said to her, in Lorien. She would probably know the language, having grown up in Athart and learning to take orders from those speaking it. "Welcome to my show!"

His wings twitched in unconscious annoyance. Yet he tried to rein in his aggressive impulses. Perhaps this was an opportunity to find a patron! The irony that a slave should patronize a glorious avriel wasn't lost on him. It was almost poetic.

"Would you object to my joining you?"

[Jackalope]

]

Experience: +15 xp
Magic: No.
Collaboration: Yes
Wealth Points N/A
Loot None.
Renown No.
Injuries Kalortah's fragile ego may have been bruised when his singing was interrupted by Alyssia's stomach growling, but otherwise no.

Knowledge:

Kalortah

Singing x 2

General comments

It is too bad this thread was abandoned. It looks like it would have been fun. It was strange reading from a time when Alyssia was still an underfed urchin!

Faith, I respected your decision (communicated by Cal in the review request) not to award you anything. Should you change your mind, let me know.