The Avriel that Hums and Drums (Vega/Alyssia)

[Kalortah]

75th of Ashan 719

The Avriel's drum beat a steady rhythm that reverberated against the trees and mudbrick structures of the Tree Burho. He only hummed a little bit here or there, mostly wordless, letting his drum do most of the illustration. His eyes fixated on the vibrations and air currents all around, those created by a stray breeze here or there, those created by his music. His singing was getting fairly good lately, but he still had ground to make on his composition, as well as his drumming. Granted, the drum was one of the more simple instruments, or so it seemed. It did take an impeccable sense of timing, however. Something that Kalortah still lacked.

While he played the drum, he watched passersby and their multitude of reactions to the winged man that hummed and drummed. Most in truth didn't seem to care or bat an eyelid. Stranger things were seen in Yaralon. From goblin invasions, freak fractures breaking out into open air, and all manner of death and mayhem. Yaralon was a place unlike any other.

Above it all, beyond the smell of Kalortah's perfume, the smell of excrement pervaded in the air of this city. The sanitation was horrible, hardly developed. The least these Yari could do was take their business outside the city, or dig latrines. It was an unpleasant fact of life in Yaralon, but one that could not escape Kalortah's notice everytime he inhaled through the nose.

He put on his perfume extra thick that day, as he stood on the frame of the door of a house he was renting to stay. The rains had been scarce up until now, but he heard it would be coming soon enough next season. So although the humidity was quite bad, he went without his valance cloak for his wings, letting them soak in the 'fresh' air.

He drummed and hummed along, letting the uneven beating of his drum to interrupt his streams of wordless vocals on the air currents.

[Alyssia]

Alyssia walked through the streets of Yaralon trying to find where the medicine man was; or as the knights called it the clinic. The child had been sent to retrieve medical supplies. She was confused as to how they were going to buy the medicine without the city finding out about them. Even though their new home seemed to be without rules there was no street urchins about. The young red headed child was still trying to figure out who could be trusted among the adults.

A large yawn escaped her little body, she had not slept well the night before. The cold weather was still handing around even after the winter season had passed. Her thoughts drifted back to the man that the girl had met only a few days into her arrival. He had seemed to truly care about the girl. Slowing down, Alyssia decided to take her time. If she hurried there and back to the knights there would be another task waiting to be done.

The rats nest of red hair bounced around as the child walked. Looking around, she was trying to make a few landmarks to help learn her way around the city. It would help if she could ever get free from the knights. Popping her neck, the sound of music caught the girl's ears. Looking around, she tried to follow the sound not caring about her mission for the knights.

“What is that?” Alyssia asked quietly to herself.

The young child picked up her speed wanting to make it to the noise before she was spotted. It took some time before the young girl managed to find where it was coming from without getting confused. The sight that met her was what really shocked her; there was a man with white hair and wings sitting on the ground. Her curious nature failed her once again as she walked over wanting to know what he was and what he was doing. Several of the adults would pull their children closer to them when they saw the child walking by. She stuck her tongue out annoyed by them hurrying over to him.

“Who are you?” Alyssia asked curiously.

[Kalortah]

The minstrel perked up when he heard a voice calling out. It’s tenor rose above the usual din of the street corner. The voices of children were often thus, higher, on a different frequency than others. Especially when they were trying to keep a low voice. Children often lacked the modulation to keep their volume down while hushing.

It wouldn’t have been enough to hide from Kalortah’s searching eyes. He was getting fairly adequate at spotting the differences on the wind, when a voice rose above the rest of the noise, or set itsself apart in some way.

It was especially easy to notice when one was approaching, getting closer as they spoke in a more or less direct line toward him.

Who are you? The little one asked. Kalortah would’ve scoffed, yet had learned perhaps the difficult way that children were not to be trifled with in this place.

Not only were the Yari fiercely protective of their young ‘citizens’, but they were also protected by impossibly dangerous demons that stalked their shadows, and came to their aid when threatened.

Kalortah hadn’t been at the receiving end of one of these defensive measures, but had seen it as a man tried to arrest an urchin stealing from his good stand.

So while he was no fan of children, the avriel had mellowed considerably since his time enslaving them in Athart. More than that, he began to see the lesser races perhaps as more than just chattel.

”I’m Kalortah, little one. A travelling minstrel.”

”Who are you?”

[Alyssia]

Alyssia stood before the man with no qualms about him. Her head cocked to the side as her wild hair puffed out looking unkept. Her clothes resembled what most of the street urchins wore or at least the few that could be seen. She was surprised there was not more running around in a city like Yaralon. With the constant fighting, it looked like that would be a very common trend for the world around them. Yet it was as if the very citizens themselves were afraid to mess with those that ventured the city alone.

“I am Alyssia,” the child said raising her head.

She did not want to look weak in front of the man. Though he did not appear to carry any kind of weapon on him. That was even more confusing to the child; why would one travel or live in Yaralon without some kind of weapon to defend yourself. Looking at the thing that the man had in his hand, the child was not sure what it was. But the noise that it made sounded enjoyable to her ears.

“What is a minstrel?” Alyssia asked and sat down in front of him.

She scooted over some so that others could see the man perform. Her little mind was whirling trying to learn as much as she could. It would only be a short time before the knights sold her off to someone who wanted an exotic pet. Or that is what they had called other children that had been already sold and shipped to people far from this city.

“What is that thing you are playing? Is it easy to learn?” Alyssia inquired again.

If the man would be open to it, the child would ask for lessons on how to play it. What he was using looked simple enough, but as was often the case that simplicity would come back to bite her in the arse. A weapon would be a smarter thing to learn how to use, but she had seen some children along her travels that could make the most beautiful music. Often times getting paid for what they were able to produce.

[Kalortah]

Perhaps it was why they'd allowed him into the Nest Keepers in his time in Athart, but Kalortah found the more time he spent among lessers, the more he felt compelled to be kind to their children. He couldn't put his finger on it, but he felt like being kind to them. It began, he supposed, with Minnow's child Ashan in Scalvoris. Although granted he hadn't met a child that misbehaved yet. There was still plenty of time for him to meet an urchin that was entirely intolerable.

"Hello Alyssia." He nodded, not smiling yet not frowning. "A minstrel is one who plays music, sings, tells stories, and sometimes seeks them out."

"Do you know any stories?"

In fact, Kalortah did have a weapon, although it might've been difficult to spot from Alyssia's angle. It was a steel saber, it's scabbard slung across his back. He drummed a few times lightly before stopping. "It's called a drum, little one. It's very easy to learn, you don't need a drum to learn rhythm."

He scooted over, and pat the ledge of the mudbrick enclosure he was seated on, allowing for her to take up a seat beside him if she wanted. "I can teach you a bit about rhythm, if you like? You only need, hmmm. lets see."

Kalortah picked up a nearby twig, that was decently sturdy, and then another and handed them over to Alyssia. "There, you can tap those together as we go through the lessons. They'll do for now."

So saying, the avriel began tapping his drum, in a simple pattern of evenly spaced out taps. "Can you tap the sticks at that rate? I'll keep going until you've caught up and got it."

[Alyssia]

Alyssia looked at the man as he explained what a minstrel did for a living. She had heard music players before in other cities. The noise had always been very pretty, sometimes it had even been upbeat. The child had never really been a part of what others called a party. She had watched from a distance as people danced showing off their skills to one another. Then there were the young ones that would play games with each other or try to have a contest to see who was better. The thought of telling stories were interesting to the little one.

“I have some, but I do not think they would be accepted here,” Alyssia stated while choosing her words carefully.

The few stories that the girl could recall were all from when she was much younger. All about how her people were formed, and the love they had for the Immortal. The child looked at the man curious to try. When the man patted beside him, the little girl slowly walked over and sat down on the ledge. Alyssia watched him and took the twigs from him. Slowly she began to tap them together, it took several bits before the child finally managed to get on rhythm.

Scrunching up her face, she focused as hard as she could to keep up with the man. It was not long before, the child winced when she would get off tempo several times. Looking up Alyssia watched the man closely, even the slightest change in his rhythm the girl wanted to catch. Truthfully, the child was trying to figure out how to sneak a hit on the drum as he called it.

“What is next sir,” Alyssia dared to ask him. Taking a deep breath, the child decided to just ask, “when can I hit the drum like you do?”

The girl knew better than to keep sitting there instead of doing her assigned task, but learning had always made the world seem to make sense. Even something that she may not use later on in her life. Grey eyes looked at the man that had called himself an Avriel, she had never seen the winged face before.

[Kalortah]

Perhaps Kalortah’s experience with the prodigious Ashan, Korva’s daughter, had the avriel ill-informed to how insolent children could really be. Or perhaps he was feeling a lingering guilt toward the children he oppressed under the Nest Keepers in Athart. One way or another, Kalortah had forgotten one very important fact of life.

Children were wretched, grasping little thieves, who would as soon kick your prone corpse as breathe.

Kalortah seized himself up, and stood to attention. ”That’s quite enough for today. Lessons aren’t free, you know.” Kalortah said, haughtily to the human child. ”And I really must be off. I have a busking appointment at a tavern…”

He quirked an eyebrow at the girl as one last gesture, ”Don’t you have business elsewhere to attend?” His voice lifted at the last few syllables, to impress upon her that he wished her to leave.

”Where are your parents, anyway, child? Do they always let you run wild in the streets of Yaralon?” He glanced this way and that, looking for signs of any adults that might be trailing the little wretch.

Before she could say much more, Kalortah took to the air, jumping up into the sky, and catching some wind to the west. He beat his frustrations out on his drum as he flew along, reveling in the sound the drum made while soaring on the air.

He only spared a cursory glance at the child behind him, idly wondering if she would open fire with a sling shot or some other weapon of mischief before he got away.

But away he was, off into the distance as was his wont to do. Kalortah could only stomach the company of humans for so long before his naturally sweet disposition and impeccable manners soured.

[Werewere]

Review Is In!

Alyssa

Knowledge:
Discipline: Following the direction of an adult.
Etiquette: Some Avriel are especially possessive of their belongings.
Meditation: Patience is a virtue.
Research: Curiosity is the first step to acquiring knowledge.
Rhetoric: Ask a question, get an answer.
Smithing: Beating a drum is a transferable skill.
Smithing: Rhythm of a drum is hypnotic, much like the forge.
Socialization: Contact: Kalortah: A rude avriel bard.

Loot: N/A
Injuries: N/A
Renown: N/A

Points: 15 May not be used for Magic

Kalortah

Knowledge:
Meditation: Music can soothe one's aggressive and irritable impulses, and improve concentration.
Meditation: Switching behavioral modes when your possessions are threatened with tampering.
Music: Drums: Almost anything is a potential percussive instrument.
Music: Drums: Tempo and rhythm are all about timing.
Music: Drums: Tapping sticks together can teach one rhythm.
Music: Drums: Instrument: A raptor-skin drum.
Music: Drums: Instrument: Sticks.
Music: Drums: Technique: Slapping a drum with your palms
Music: Drums: Technique: Using your finger tips for lighter notes.

Loot: N/A
Injuries: N/A
Renown: N/A

Points: 15 May not be used for Magic

Ahhh... Such a sweet moment. A child finding a minstrel and wanting to learn about it. To bad it was a Avriel, maybe the man would of stuck around longer if he wasn't. Kalortah played the role of a Avriel well, as they see all other races as small annoyances. Alyssa was perfect as well, with a child like wonder towards the odd sounds of drums. I hope that Alyssa follows the man further, try and test the ego of an Avriel. Maybe even break it.

Any injures are based on a 1d100 roll using applicable skills