Song and Drink [Dhanya]

[Edalene]

10th Winter, 510AV

Winter. Again. Why did this season seem to come round the quickest of all? Eda hated winter. It was by far her least favourite season. Winds, frost, ice, snow - it all happened, and none of it pleasant. Did it really occur to no one but Eda that winter meant joints aching, nights not slept well and having to freeze into an ice block whilst outside? Other people had Striders... Eda didn't. It meant that all work she had to do outside took twice as long without any form of transport but her own two legs. Eda shuddered and pulled her cloak around her shoulders, tucking her legs under her stool. She really, really hated winter.

Eda was currently in the tavern, taking advantage of the warmth of the fires and the masses of people. She was alone, as per usual, but that was okay. Maybe, soon, she wouldn't be alone. She blushed as she thought of a certain someone. But, no, Eda had promised herself that she would not think of him tonight. Tonight was about relaxing, about being herself, about observing life outside of her own little bubble. She pulled her glass of beer closer, taking a hearty sip of the warming drink. Eda was, to put it simply, content. The tavern was a lively place to be at the best of times, and this was certainly one of them. There was drink, laughter, friends and a constant stream of music. Talking of which, there was a voice that was rising up above the chatter and laughter of the patrons. Singing, and not bad at that, could be heard. Eda sat, content, listening for a while. She then picked up her drink and began weaving her way through the crowd in order to get a better look at who was performing.

[Dhanya]

The music at the tavern was suited to Edalene's mood, gentle balladry that did not disrupt her thoughts. Good music to be alone to. Winter called for far mellower music than Dhanya was usually interested in, but having found herself without her usual manic energy, it was a welcomed change of pace. Hel, her taciturn guitarist did not seem to care eitherway. The woman was as constant as a mountain.

Those closest to Dhanya were seated on the floor, legs crossed or lying against loved ones. There was no talk this close to the stage. Drykas seemed to be more respectful audiences than most Dhanya had ever sung for. Edalene easily got a close look at both performers.

Hel was a classic Drykas woman, lean and tan, with intricately braided hair and flowing windmarks. She had a serious expression that was so at home upon her face that it was difficult to imagine her without it. She might have been pretty once but time had made her impressive and perhaps beautiful.

Dhanya wasn't a classic anything. Her hair was shorter than a Drykas would keep it, with a few hap-hazard plaits to keep her from being mistaken for a slave. She was short, her body rounded and curved. She wasn't a warrior, probably wasn't capable of anything physically impressive. Her hands were smoother than any working person's should have been. Foreign was the easiest way to describe her.

Then she looked up, at Edalene, smiling at a new patron before looking out among the others. Her eyes were strange, with horizontal pupils and golden coloured irises, entirely out of place on her face. They were the kind of eyes you expected to see on an animal, not a young woman.

Perhaps Edalene was aware of that, the Kelvic performer didn't have what you would call a following so much as a familiaring. She performed enough that people who visited the tavern were aware of who and what she was.

"If I talk real slowly, if I try real hard." She sang. "To make my point dear, that you have my heart..."

She didn't really like love songs but... They helped.

[Edalene]

Eda found the music relaxing, and it drowned out all other sounds as she got closer to the stage. Finally getting a clear view, she looked out over the seated men and women in front of the stage, and drank in the sight of the two performers. There was a guitarist on stage, who was clearly a Drykas. Her hair was braided, her build was impressive and her windmarks were doubly so. An expression of fierce concentration was on her face, as she plucked along to the singer's voice on her guitar. Eda turned to look at the other performer.

The other performer was not your typical looking Drykas, or even normal human. The eyes were what grabbed you first, strange eyes, horizontal pupils and golden irises. Eda had never seen such mesmerising eyes before, and they drew her in for several seconds, before releasing her. She then took in the rest of the woman's body - shorter, rounded, and altogether normal.

The crowd seemed familiar with the two performers, no gawking faces amongst the watchers. They were all sitting in comfortable silence, sitting alone, with friends, or leaning into their loved ones. The woman was singing a love song, with heartfelt emotion behind it. The voice was beautiful, and Eda felt the need to listen carefully to what she was saying. The emotion sprung out to Eda, pulling her into the performer's heart. She sat with the rest of the Drykas on the floor, pulling her knees into her bodyn and resting her cheek on one. She waited patiently for the end of the song, wanting to speak with this strange but compelling woman.