The Passion of Music

[Riamah]

On her home world of Trian, the arts were very important. All arts were appreciated, but Ailuros had never excelled at anything but music and dance. It was music that drew her out of her cat nap. She was taking a break and resting in the corner of a cantina. It had started off as her watching the people come and go around here, but that grew old and the opportunity to nap came up and she took it.

It the soulful sound of music that drew her from her light sleep. Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, the cat sat up to see what was going on. A man sat at the stage with a variety of instruments around him. He was in the process of tuning one and the few notes he had played was what woke her up.

Moving in closer, she took a spot near him as the rush hadn't started yet.

"If you want accompaniment, I offer to join. I can either dance or play something with you. If you want. I'm Ailuros."

She spoke only loud enough that he would hear and hoped he would offer her the opportunity to join.

[member="Sierce Alderech"]

 

[Sierce Alderech]

For as long as Sierce was able, music had been his livelihood, his everything. He'd endured what home life he had, if it could be considered much of a life, for this trade, had sacrificed nerves for just another song. Any other career would've been more secure than musician and yet here he was.

Some composers had been considered crazy in their lifetimes, long after, even. But their music wasn't crazy. It was balanced, nimble, clear. One didn't hear the composers doubts, their own trials and tribulations. No, one just heard exactly what the composer wanted. Everything else became irrelevant. Sierce took that perhaps a bit too much to heart, sometimes practicing until he could no longer hold his instrument, hands growing numb with overexertion.

That wouldn't be today, though. No, today was just a quick gig, something to earn pocket change, really. That hadn't stopped him from giving each instrument the cantina had a quick tune up, the same he would his own instrument as it came closer to performance time. A quick tightening of a peg, a little practice scale here and there. He wasn't expecting an audience.

The man of white observed the native girl with a scrutinizing eye, hidden behind blinders. Part of him was tempted to ask if she could even play, or if she mistook him for an amateur, hoping to con coins from the purses of the drunk with songs even the most novice of players could deal. His better judgement, a rare appearance for man, had him refraining from such harsh questions.

"Name's Sierce. What do you play?" Hardly the most polite of introductions, but he could do so much worse.

[member="Ailuros"]

 

[Riamah]

Ailuros watched as the man deftly tuned the instruments and looked up when she spoke her name. Giving his own in return he asked what she could play. Looking the items over, she picked out the drum, a fiddle and guitar.

"I can play any of these very well as well as other percussion instruments. The others I can play reasonably well, probably well enough to please a crowd that would frequent a place such as this."

She motioned with a paw to the room behind her. A few more people had showed up, but not yet full.

Picking up the bow to play on the fiddle, Ailuros started in on a slow tune that picked up in pace. After about a minute, she slowed back down and ended the song. It was just a quick show that she knew what she was doing. The voices behind had grown quiet as she played and a mild applause was heard when she finished.

"Good enough, Sierce?"

[member="Sierce Alderech"]