Sing Along With Me? (Ghost/K'rad)

[Shoki]

76.07.10
Midday

It actually been easier then she thought, getting a room to practice in. The Weyrharper had mentioned something about getting people together to produce music, and she had just jumped at the idea. Nothing particularly solid on the where and when of it all had emerged, but if it was going to be open to everyone, there might be try outs. That being the case, she wanted to get some practice in. Zigbrieth had actually agreed to add singing practice to the schedule, without much beside a minute of thought. Obviously there was something about it that would suit the Blue’s agenda, which was just fine with her. So she had gotten her hands on a room to practice in, with Dawn and Breaker as her very well behaved audience. She had elected to pick a room besides her own because she didn’t really want to disturb the riders next to her (she knew at least one of the people she was close to had a habit of sleeping during day hours) but still needed practice singing in a room. As much as she liked singing next to the sea, it was certainly something else.

“Oh lovely ladies-“ Cyan stopped short, feeling like her voice was ringing too much on the walls. There were things in the room, table, chairs, and shelf with odds and ends. Mostly it just seemed like storage. It sounded odd to her, but she tried to keep singing and see if she could just adjust to it. “Grant me favor, let my words and verse ye savor, come around, enjoy the sound, let me be, a mouthpiece worthy of thee.” It was an odd old song, but she liked it. Even though the first verse didn’t really have anything to do with the rest of the song. She kept singing, but the words switched to a story about dragon rider’s rise and fall through the ranks, leading to both he and his dragon sacrificing their lives for their Queen in a dark day. Bright and happy she might be, but she sure had a thing for meloncoly tunes.

[Ghost of Fire (Fëanáro)]

K’rad adjusted the bundle of leather, rolling it up a little tighter and pulling the outermost piece back into alignment before tucking it under his arm and starting off again.

“Shard it!” he hissed, glancing down at the bundle in sudden realization. Naturally, he would have been sent off without the thinner strips that he’d need to braid together to hold all the rest of it in place.

Giving the bundle one last glare, he turned and headed back into the Lower Caverns. He expected that the woman in charge of the stores would find a reason to avoid giving him the leather; she’d taken him in dislike after one of her kids had snuck up on him and stabbed him, or rather, after he’d thrown the obnoxious little brat into the nearest wall. To be fair, he hadn’t actually been thinking at the time, just reacting, but she’d made it clear she wasn’t interested in being fair.

“Threadfodder piece of tunnelsnake slime,” K’rad muttered.

Walking up to the nearest storage room, he pushed open the door.

“Falling into darkness ever-more, to, fall, down. All for her…”

K’rad blinked as the soaring soprano voice dipped low and gradually faded out. What the… why would someone be singing in a store room? He hesitated a moment longer, than slipped in.

“Cyanee?”

[Shoki]

It was a lovely piece; she had great fun with it, the highs, and lows all adding to it. She didn’t hear her flitters so much as chirp out of place as she sang, but she did get pretty wrapped up in song. She had adjusted to the room, it sounded good to her now, but of course was paying most attention to the song as it wrapped up. Hanging on the lengthy notes with good support and then letting them go at the right moment. It was nice.

“Cyanee?” The rider turned as she noticed the door was now open and K’rad had entered. She looked a bit surprised for a moment, and then she broke into a wide smile.

“Hi Kel! When did you get here? Hope I have not been ignoring you.” Dawn and Breaker both chirped inquisitively from the shelf, wondering if they were permitted to ‘talk’ now. The Bluerider turned for a brief moment to tell them, “It’s alright.” The pair then began chittering among themselves, the little chatterboxes.

“Did you need something? I didn’t think anyone else would be needing this place.”

[Ghost of Fire (Fëanáro)]

Kel blinked again. Cyanee was just, well, Cyanee. There wasn’t much of any other way he could think of to describe her. Certainly, he’d met no one like her with the syndicate, and as for the drudges and guards of Igen… laughable that they’d anything of her openness.

“I’m just looking for some of the thinner leather strips.” K’rad held up the bundle as illustration of the point. “As to when I got here, it was just in time for the last part, you know…” K’rad opened his mouth and sang, in a passable falsetto imitation of Cyanee’s soprano:

“Fall, down. All for her…”

He was grinning. Like a dimglow, he suspected, but he let it stay a few beats before pushing it off his face.

[Shoki]

She observed the leather he produced and wondered for a moment if she had seen any leather around here. She probably wouldn’t notice if she had, she didn’t know how to do much but keep her riding gear in order. Besides knotting it obviously. As he described when he got in the room though, she grin faded into a brief look of surprise as he sang the last bit. The chittering flitters quieted, noticing someone else singing. Kel was grinning, and her face lit up as well.

“That was good! Were you thinking of joining up with what the Weyrharper was planning? I’m sure you’d be great if you did. I was going to see if I could help and…” Cyanee trailed off for a moment before she suddenly got more excited. She had a great idea. “I know! We could practice together! I almost never get to sing with anyone that isn’t family, and duets are way too much fun to keep them to only once in a while. Do you want to? It will be fun!” Figures she would be quite excited about it all. Give her too long she much just drag the other rider along to go get a new duet from the harpers or something. She basically forgot that he was in here on some errand.

[Ghost of Fire (Fëanáro)]

Kel felt like someone had hit him on the back of the head. Hard. He didn’t even know what the Weyrharper was planning, and Cyan wanted to do what? Surely he must not being hearing correctly.

“Um…” Kel hesitated. He really wasn’t sure how to say that he’d had only the most basic of Harper teachings, and had hardly ever sung since, except for mockingly imitating the singing of others with Nalkeldar. Such mocking was one thing, but to actually propose to sing? In front of others?

On the other hand, the leather would be safe here and he could always get the thinner strips in a little while, or…

Might be able to get Cyanee to get them for me. Certainly, it’d be easier than dealing with the Threadfodder tunnelsnake slime lady himself.

[Shoki]

Cyanee still looked enthusiastic even as K’rad looked unsure. The silence stretched after his unsure ‘um’ but she continued to look hopeful. After a bit though she felt like maybe he just needed a bit of encouragement.

“Don’t worry, I think you sound great, and Dawn and Breaker like all singing. Besides, it really fun.” She looked thoughtful for a moment, remembering when she first started singing, at least ‘properly’ singing. “If you are worried about singing in front of others, we don’t have to go the Weyrharper. I mean, I’m sure plenty of people want to join up and just perform music from time to time. I just really want to try, not being a harper or anything. I think I could do it though.” She scratched the side of her neck thoughtfully, not quite as amped up but still certainly in a good mood. A moment later though, she started talking rapidly again, once she remembered Kel was on a mission.

“Oh, I mean we can practice sometimes, you don’t have to right now if you need to grab leather strips right now. Sorry, got excited, I love singing. Did you need help with what you are using them for? I’m not super good with making things but I can probably help.” She looked a bit embarrassed at forgetting that he had some stuff to do right now, she did tend to be a little spoiled at times.

[Ghost of Fire (Fëanáro)]

Kel hesitated, but a better opening line wasn’t likely to come along anytime soon.

“Well, I was hoping you could get them from Assistant Headwoman Garvalla. Just ask for a couple sheets worth. She keeps deliberately skimping on my supplies.”

Kel accompanied the request with his “oh look, what a cute little harmless guy” stance, an action which was essentially instinctive, and somewhat belied by the hard look in his eyes for the last sentence.

“They’re not being used for anything too complicated. I just need to make a second set of fighting straps, we could certainly sing first…”

Kel’s voice trailed off. He really couldn’t help it, he missed the singing he’d done so mockingly with Nalkeldar, and Cyanee certainly seemed excited about the prospect.

You’re hopeless.

There’s nothing wrong with a little bit of-

Kel’s thought chopped off to Belegurth’s snort, but the dragon didn’t bother saying anything more. With an almost purely mental growl, Kel looked back up at Cyanee, clearly awaiting her answer.

[Shoki]

“Garvalla? Sure.” Cyanee knew a fair number of the people working around here that weren’t riders, she tended to help out where she could. So knowing the people that made up what used to be the headwoman’s position helped out. She didn’t know what Kel meant by her skimping on his supplies, but knew better then to pry at the moment. She might like everyone but she was used to others not getting along. Even if she didn’t see how two nice people like Kel and Garvalla didn’t see eye to eye. “I’m sure she won’t mind giving me a few sheets.” Cyanee’s enthusiasm bubbled up again when He mentioned it wasn’t a big rush and they could do some singing now.

“Really?! That’s great! Okay, what songs are your favorites? I know a lot of songs the sailors like, but we gotta see which ones we both know.” She didn’t notice the change in mood from a brief conversation she wasn’t privy too. Kel could be very quiet and not too excited, at least compared to her. He did have his share of pleased looks though, so she didn’t think she was just imagining that he was having fun too.

[Ghost of Fire (Fëanáro)]

“Thanks,” Kel said. He was relieved on that front, at least. He had to smile as Cyan switched to discussing songs. Sure, Belegurth was right, but, what could it hurt if he had fun? Then Cyanee asked which songs he knew. For one paralyzed moment, he couldn’t think of any but the most basic of the teaching songs, then the words dropped out of his mouth:

“The Friendly Lady?” He knew, as soon as he said it, that the song was not one that would be considered appropriate. Immediately, he spoke again, practically cutting off his own words: “Or, better, that comedy one ‘Old Gran’s Green’.”

“What’re your favorites?” he asked, hoping to further divert her from “The Friendly Lady”.

[Shoki]

Cyanee had just said that she was familiar with ones the sailors liked. Not that they didn’t try to keep it a bit more proper around the female fisherfolk, but they weren’t that quiet all the time. So a few tunes, ‘The Friendly Lady’ among them she knew by virtue of hanging around them. So when he mentioned it she raised her eyebrows high and had a mildly confused smile on her face. He also mentioned another one, which wasn’t thematically similar to the first, but for both she was less familiar with them. He tried to effortlessly divert it towards what she liked though. She let him.

“Weeelll, I like ‘Fool’s Game’, ‘Storm Skip’ and ‘Timely Turnover Gather’. I don’t think ‘Storm Skip’ though, that’s a bit too depressing I think.” Both of the first two songs were somewhat sad, while the last was merely contemplative. A bit different in song selection to say the least. “Old Gran is good though. Bit more fun, right?” She opened her mouth again for a moment but then closed it, like she had been planning on saying something else. Eh, best not say anything she supposed.

[Ghost of Fire (Fëanáro)]

Kel had just about choked at Cyan’s reaction to the name ‘The Friendly Lady’, but he had managed to get the other name out without reacting too obviously, and the question about her favorites certainly seemed to have done the job of a diversion.

“I know ‘Fool’s Game’,” Kel offered. “Although if ‘Timely Turnover Gather’ is anything like it, we’re definitely going to want Ol’ Gran as a change of tune.” Kel smiled with knowing irony at the pun. He wanted to know what Cyanee had been about to say, but not to the point that he was going to risk drawing her attention back to it by asking her directly. Putting the matter out of his head for the moment, he took a deep breath and opened his mouth into the first couple notes of Fool’s Game.

[Shoki]

Cyan laughed at that. “Come on, it’s not that bad. I’ll sing it for ya later.” She hummed a bit. “So Fool’s Game then Old Gran. Good plan.” She was having fun, even with everything else going on here. So it was easy for her to drop the other song.

K’rad started to sing, and Cyanee jumped in pretty quickly. Dawn and Breaker watched, keeping quiet as the two humans sang. Kel’s voice was different from the others she had tried to sing with before, a proper tenor for one. The notes and words of the song came together though, a little bit of adjustment went a long way. It was really nice.