Tea and Cakes

[Zana]

10th Saun, 717

"What? You have to be joking, yes?" Zana said and her manager, Corey, looked at her and smiled. He nodded his head, not speaking but merely grinning. "A tea party? For elderly women? I am moderately confident that this is not the best use of me, you know"

Corey chuckled and reached out to stroke her cheek. "I agree, beautiful. We can use you much better." Zana chuckled and lifted her head, leaning into his embrace.

"I am employed here as a singer, Corey. That is what I am here for," Zana looked at him and if she seemed to be somewhat regretful then it was because she was. She would be much happier if she was working in an environment which she was used to and in a job which she was used to. However, it appeared that this was not what she was going to be doing this trial. Corey's Lounge had been booked for the afternoon for a tea party for a woman who was celebrating her seventieth birthday.

Zana looked at the instructions she had been given, written in Corey's neat notes. "She wants me to sing and dance? Dancing, also? Corey, why are you doing this to me?" Zana looked positively pained. Corey chuckled and kissed her. Normally, Zana would not allow that to happen, not when she was not working. However, Theo wanted to cultivate the relationship with Corey and they were hopeful that they could supply girls to events held here, so she returned the kiss and let out a low groan. "When are you and Theo meeting?" Zana asked, her expression pained. The implication was simple. The sooner they met, the sooner that Zana could engage in the behaviours that both she and Corey so desperately wanted.

However, professionalism must prevail and Zana sighed and lowered her head to the list of songs which was required. They were not songs she knew, largely, so she was going to have to work with Rowan, the pianist, in order to ensure that they were absolutely in synch and in tune with each other.

"You'll ask Theo for a meeting?" Corey asked and Zana nodded. "Soon, then, yes? We have a lot of things to discuss." Zana smiled and made her way over to where Rowan was, pausing only to trail a hand over Corey's shoulder and then walk away. He watched every step, of course, and Zana resisted the urge to smile

Tell me lies, tell me sweet little lies

[Zana]

Since she didn't know the songs in question, she and Rowan spent a few breaks practicing together. The talented pianist would not be there when Zana was actually performing, but being able to practice to music made an enormous difference. So, first of all she sat on the stool, suggested which warm up exercises to do and Rowan nodded.

Zana purposely remained sitting because it was harder to breathe from where she needed to, from deep within her stomach when in that position. That made the warm up exercises that bit more tricky and Zana was always looking for ways to improve her singing. When Jaq, her first ever handler had trained her, he taught her to sing scales counting numbers so that she always knew what number she got to. This she did now, but in letters and then in in dance moves. She knew that she needed to practice projecting her voice and so that was where she focused in her warm up.

Projecting, it was important that she was not too loud for someone who was sitting close to her, but equally that others in the room could all hear her. So, it was not about increasing volume entirely, it was about deepening her tone, ensuring that she sang from her diaphragm and not her chest. Zana practiced that and pressed against her stomach, forcing the air out to make sure that she could feel that.

Once they had practiced scales and Zana was clear that she had warmed up sufficiently, she turned her attention to the songs in question. Reading the music she thought that she understood what the song sounded like before she heard it, but then she went through the strange but usual ritual for her. She listened to the song in her head, then asked Rowan to play the song on the piano for her. Once she'd heard it all the way through, Zana hummed along with it so that she got her voice used to the song and then, she sang it.

Each song, and there were three of them which she would be performing, she did the same thing going through the same steps. Every time, she repeated the song until she could sing it without looking at the music or the words. No doubting, she was careful about this and she paid attention. To her, it was important.

Tell me lies, tell me sweet little lies

[Zana]

Once she had prepared the songs, it was time for her to go and get ready and she smiled at Corey with a coy and coquettish smile as he watched her. "What's your favourite colour for me, Corey?" Zana watched him and he answered without hesitation. She smiled and nodded. "Then red it is." He and Theo were going to make a business deal and Zana knew that she would be part of what sweetened that deal, so she did her job and she made her way to the dressing room.

There, hanging on the rack was a nice red dress which would work. A tight bodice combined with a full skirt which fell to just above her knees. That was just perfect and so she stripped off and got into that, then sat in front of the mirror.
"Father," she whispered, her eyes looking at her reflection in the mirror. "I could have him, I could seduce him now and he would beg. But he will bring me gold, lucrative business deals which allow me to build wealth in your name. He will pay and pay again." She looked at herself and smiled, "my beauty, in your name Father. My vanity, in your name."

Whilst she worked on her make up, she pulled her hair back out of her face. Then she applied a light base to even her skin. She needed very little of it, her skin was largely flawless as it was. However, this was an act of worship devoted to her father and Zana attended to each and every detail. The red dress showed in stark contrast to her pale skin, so Zana knew that she would need to achieve something similar with her make up. Ice blue eyes showed her pleasure at what she saw as she applied the very subtle rouge very lightly to her cheek. When she turned her attention to her eyes, Zana applied a dark kohl to beneath the lower lashes, just a very thin one and then a smoke-coloured shadow mixed with a coppery tint.

Her lips were a deep red.

Tell me lies, tell me sweet little lies

[Zana]

Having prepared her make-up, there was a thump on the door. "Zana, it's Rowan. Corey said to tell you, it's been over a break and you should hurry up." Zana chuckled and shook her head.

"Tell Corey that he can have me perfect in my time or not at all," it was perfectly reasonable to her and she moved on to her hair. She worked, brushing it and letting it hang loose with a side parting. The majority of it she wore in curls, ringlets which cascaded down her back and the put a head-dress on, a band across her forehead which was thick and had a large flower on it. The band was white with splashes of colour and the flower white with red trim. That took her another twenty bits to get just right and then she slipped her feet into her shoes and looked at herself in the mirror. "Delroth's daughter," she whispered and she sent a prayer of love to her father.

"Every woman that looks at me and envies me, wishes she was beautiful like me, Father, I dedicate to you. May you gain pleasure from knowing that they covet your child. Zanik, this performance I dedicate to you."

Then, finally she was ready to go and sing and Corey met her with an expression which said that he was going to tell her off, not be happy with her. Zana looked at him with wide eyes and a pouting expression and his entire demeanor changed. "You will be the death of me," he declared and he looked at her with desire shining in his eyes.

"Then you will die happy," Zana replied and she blew him a kiss. She moved, then, into the room where the party was taking place. There were a group of mostly human in there. The woman whose birthday it was sat, surrounded by sons, daughters grand-sons and grand-daughters it seemed. As she walked in, Zana made sure to move carefully and she stepped up to where her performance spot was and she looked around. There were small and pretty cakes on the table, small sandwiches and other snacks.

The men in the room all turned and looked at her and Zana smiled at them. She was well aware of the looks she was getting from some of the women and in truth those pleased her as much as the gaze of desire from the men. Moreso. She introduced herself, then wished the woman in question a very happy birth-trial before raising her voice in song.

Singing, performing in Zanik's name as she did, Zana used her voice, her appearance and her ability to move her body in a seductive manner. The combination was, it seemed, mesmerizing and they all watched, entranced. Each song she introduced and dedicated to Zanik. What she aimed for was that each person got from it what they could, from the elderly woman to the youngest male. That was what she aimed for and, largely, she succeeded.

Her voice lifted in each of the three songs, she moved around among them and she teased with her movements, trailing her hand over one of the males, running her finger down the arm of one of the women, that sort of thing. There were a number of them with very obvious reactions to her, when she got close enough to see and Zana smiled, sure that some of them would ask about her. Corey would respond, she knew because she'd seen him do it before.

All in all, she thought, as she finished the third and final song ~ tea and cakes could be a lucrative way to drum up business. Not a bad trial's work at all.

Tell me lies, tell me sweet little lies

[Pash Raj'oriq]

Thread Rewards

Zana

Skill Knowledge:
➳ Singing: Projecting your voice
➳ Singing: Warm up exercises
➳ Singing: Practice with an instrument
➳ Singing: Tell a story with a song
➳ Singing: Performing for a small group
➳ Socialization: Working a crowd.

Other Knowledge:
N/A (nothing ventured, nothing gained)

Loot: N/A
Injuries: N/A
Fame: Public Performance +5Devotion: Delroth +4, Zanik +10 (nice!)

Points: 10 These points cannot be used for magic.

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Comments:
I don’t think I’ve ever spent that much time getting ready for anything in my life. Clearly, Zana enjoys the birth-trial celebrations (heehee).