15 of Summer 519 AV - The Scholar's Demise
Moonlgiht shone through the skyglass windows of the Scholar's Demise, bathing the bar in gentle blue light. The effect was intensified by the blue-burning candles perched on each table. Patrons had already begun filling in for the night, many taking the clear night to wear their more elaborate and breezey summer outfits. The energy of the bar was ethreal, at least to the more plainly dressed young woman taking her seat on the designated stage area.
Not quite a proper stage, but it surely was more sat up than the deck of a ship. Pluckett still wasn't entirely used to the idea of playing to seated patrons, without the rocking of the sea and the sound of creaking wood. The idea of doing a proper performance made her just a tad nervous. She pulled the large case from her back. Like her clothing, it was plain. She briefly entertained the idea of looking for some decorations with the pay she'd be getting for the performance. Her eye was caught by a woman's elaborate necklace, a long silver chain with a deep black stone. Pluckett didn't know her rocks very well, but the way the blue light reflected on its surface reminded her of a pair of obsidian earrings her mother often wore.
Enough distraction.
She pulled the gamba from its case. The finish was a bit worn. Salty ocean air combined with age and use from its previous owner resulted in a patchy dull spots all over. The bow was fraying as well. Pluckett couldn't recall any stores that would supply musical instruments or their repairs, but Lhavit has enough musicians that it would be sure to exist somewhere. A man wearing some kind of ruffled purple tie over an even more ruffled shirt took notice of the instrument and seemed to nod to himself, before turning back to the table of similarly colorful-looking individuals. Under any other circumstance, she'd definitely approach and join whatever conversation they could be having. Not tonight. She had a job to do.
She drowned her curiosity and focused on music. Shit, what song would this crowd even want to hear? With the svefra, anything praising Laviku, or any of the shanties sailors were seemingly born with the knowledge of would rouse a crowd sufficiently. The energy was too calm for that. She bit her lip, and decided upon an instrumental melody to start with.
The bar was certainly not silent. Soft conversations drifted around the air, feet shuffling, glasses clinking. However, the first note rolled out and filled all of the gaps in the noise. The distinct wooden boom brought Pluckett's attention fully to her performance, as well as hushed a few patrons at least temporarily. A short rest after that, then into a rolling melody. The instrument vibrated under her fingers, letting out chords that rose and fell. It wasn't a complex song, but it made the atmosphere just a little more alive.
The song followed a simple formula. The intro kicked for about half a chime, then into a section that could be repeated until the player or listener got bored; preferabley rising an octave before returning to its base every other repeat. The interlude dropped and stretched compared to the first verse, giving the listener a sense that whatever merry things were going on until now were interupted by some unfortunate event. The hero found his match, the loving couple found themselves seperated; the beauty of music is that it doesn't need to speak its story to be told. Just as fast as it faded, the story picked up again. This section, as well, was repeatable and short on its own. As all good things must come to an end, she only ran it through thrice before moving to the climax, the booming part of the song where the story begins to wrap up. The hero slays his villian, the artist puts the final brush strokes to his canvas, and the song slowly fades to its final slow notes, recalling the motif from the start as it lets the listener down gently.
A simple five-sectioned song, but Pluckett hoped it would please the crowd. She held her breath as the final note snaked its way out, leaving silence in its wake.