A day of play [Docks]

by **Gwin** on January 1st, 2015, 2:37 pm

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OOCSince Tyrion is inactive, I'll continue this thread as a solo for job purposes. I'll try to focus on Gwin and keep Tyrion's part as vague as I can.

He chose a light and easy melody, one that jumped over the highest waves effortlessly and came to rest on the warm planks not long after. It reminded Gwin of the other Svefra she’d played with, Malus, but she guessed all of their kin had that light step and carefree music in their hearts. She allowed the first few beats to wash over her, to win her over, before she lifted the bow and joined.

Once again, the voices of their instruments, so similar yet different in the undertones, mixed and danced around one another, challenging, but never colliding, in a careful yet paralyzing dance of the sun and the waves. The children who had returned to their watery games while they’d spoken stopped in their motions and returned to the pier to listen. Their solemn faces took in the warmth and light of the music like sponges. It was always best to play for listeners with such innocent faces.

And when the melody rose into a fast and beautiful chorus, a small girl broke into a smile and started splashing around in the water to their feet. For a moment, Gwin inched away from the wet drops, then she closed her eyes and returned to the music, content. The children were dancing to their tune.

Soon Tyrion adopted the low, sweeping notes while Gwin challenged the children’s feet. The sweet voice of her violin rose into a whirlwind of notes, dancing together with them and racing them to the finish line. At some point the notes blurred in her mind and a musician’s instinct took over. Her body turned into an oiled automaton with too many wheels and cogs. Her fingers upon the wooden board did what her furry tail would never manage. In her own way, she danced with the Svefra and some sailor’s children.

The song galloped on and on. Tyrion’s low notes mapped out the landscape and she filled it with ecstatic arabesques. He led her higher and higher until they peaked together in one grandiose flurry. Eventually the music exploded and silence followed. For a moment or two, Gwin tilted her head and bid the echo goodbye.

“That was a beautiful song. I imagine you sing and dance to it around your campfires on Suvan islands with white sand and palm trees…” A distant longing for that carefree attitude rose in her chest, but there was no way Gwin could become like them. She could only share her love for the sea and sky, a life free of chains. Like that, they moved on to the next song.

Boxcode by Nyxie Nadira Draer

by **Gwin** on January 1st, 2015, 2:59 pm

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“Do your people have sad songs too?” she asked with a quirk of her lips. To the Akvatari, the Svefra seemed all laughter and sunny warmth, one with the sea and its sudden storms, but she wanted to know if they could also be the subtle noise of the tides and moonlight on water.

Giving it some thought, Tyrion answered not in words alone, but in music. He let the fiddle rest and raised his voice alone. The children stood still in the water, listening with some respect. Each syllable came out clear as glass in the velvety night.

The tide rises, the tide falls,
The twilight darkens, the curlew calls;
Along the sea-sands damp and brown
The traveller hastens toward the town,
And the tide rises, the tide falls.

Darkness settles on roofs and walls,
But the sea, the sea in the darkness calls;
The little waves, with their soft, white hands,
Efface the footprints in the sands,
And the tide rises, the tide falls.

The morning breaks; the steeds in their stalls
Stamp and neigh, as the hostler calls;
The day returns, but nevermore
Returns the traveller to the shore,
And the tide rises, the tide falls.

The day returns, but nevermore
Returns the traveller to the shore,
And the tide rises, the tide falls.

Closing her eyes, Gwin listened intently to the words and their hypnotizing rhythm. They drew her in, invited her to trace their pattern, feel the beat hidden between the lines and embrace the melody that spiraled ever deeper. When he came to the end and the voice died down, there was only a moment of silence before he started again.

This time, Gwin joined with her soft soprano, barely audible above the white noise of the waves. Their voices spread under the sky in a haunting duet, accompanied by the occasional lone note plucked with gentle fingers. In the middle of that song, Gwin had no doubt that mysterious and alluring creatures lived under the dark waves, deeper than she’d ever dived.

The sea revealed itself to her as an eternal riddle. Nobody would ever learn all of its secrets, grim Laviku took care of that. After that song, however, Gwin understood it better and she saw the same knowledge reflected in the Svefra’s eyes.

OOCThe above lines are actually a poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.

Boxcode by Nyxie Nadira Draer

by **Gwin** on January 1st, 2015, 3:16 pm

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Together they returned to the song. Gwin realized her voice was rough and not as precise as his at hitting slow notes and holding them. So he showed her what kind of breathing he used to hold a long note and keep his voice steady. Sitting straight, feeling her belly and lungs with curiosity, Gwin strived to imitate his self-confident baritone.

Then they went through the song again. Gwin paid more attention to each and every note, often repeating a line or two. When they sang it a third time, her voice rang clearer in her ears. On top of the melody, she heard what was right and how to correct the notes that were just a tiny bit off. Her voice melted into his, breathy instead of strong, but fitting for the slow lament. Her fingers plucked the strings lazily, adding weight.

Eventually she developed a melody that contrasted their voices in a way. Tyrion was eager to play what her fingers had come up with and she showed him how. Soon she was putting his fingers in the right places, working him all over the fingerboard to demonstrate her technique.

Only when a cool breeze arrived from the sea, they realized how long they’d sat and played. The children had disappeared into the city a long time ago. Tyrion bid his farewell too, taking his fiddle and thanking her many times, while Gwin remained, dreaming and humming just a little longer.

Boxcode by Nyxie Nadira Draer

by **Zandelia** on February 4th, 2015, 12:54 am

Tyrion :

Gwin :

Notes :

Any questions or concerns please PM me. As always, keep writing!