[Flashback] A Song and a Reel (Lilith)

[Ishara Dossari]

-47th of Fall, 511 AV- Ishara's hand fell to her side, fingertips brushing the silken crest of Raj's skull as she hesitated on the threshold of The White Crane. The gesture was made more to comfort herself rather than the leggy sighthound at her side, a habit that had formed during her stay here in Riverfall. Everything about the city was so far apart from the desert, and even weeks after her arrival Ishara still found herself oggling over the abundance of water. 'Riverfall' could not have been a more appropriate name... Steeling herself with a deep breath, Ishara adjusted her small pack over her shoulder and ducked into the tavern, Raj at her heels. The hound's ears fell back, and his whip-like tail tucked itself a little closer to his underbelly, but otherwise he gave no further indication at his uneasiness indoors. In this, they were of the same mind...wide open spaces were always preferable to the confinement of walls. Ishara dispelled the encroaching sense of anxiety with a toss of her head, reaching up to comb her dark hair over one shoulder as her glacial eyes combed the bar. Lilith was due to meet her here, and though Ishara had been sure to arrive early, there was always the possibility that the other woman had arrived earlier to rehearse. A wry smile tugged at the corners of her mouth as Ishara noted the abundance of patrons crowding the bar. There was an air of anticipation buzzing through the atmosphere. Some of the patrons had instruments slung over their shoulders or resting nonchalantly in their laps, and the strumming of soft melodies hummed through the room as one or another busied themselves in tuning their pieces. It was Amateur Night, and Ishara was still finding it difficult to believe that Lilith had managed to talk her into this...or, had it been the other way around? "Funny how something seems so brilliant an idea right up until the execution of it," murmured Ishara, glancing after Raj as he slunk off between tables to find a suitable place to curl up on the sidelines.

[Lilith Krahe]

Lilith had spent the entire day practicing and her fingers were sore, but that wasn't going to stop her from performing. She was bursting with excitement as she bounded through the streets of Riverfall. Lilith ran as fast as she could while carrying the large, wood box that held her cello. Her nerves ate at her gut, but she did her best to calm them. Still, Lilith heart was probably pounding loud enough for those she ran past to hear. She ran through a mental checklist on her way, making sure she had remembered to bring everything. Although she had been practicing for weeks, this night seemed to sneak up on her and she suddenly felt unprepared. Lilith thought back to earlier that day when she had played the song over and over again. She had done quite well for someone with her experience on such a complex instrument, but she couldn't help but think she would make some massive mistake. But that was what this night was about, right? Lilith knew that, when compared to the other amateurs, she was actually pretty good, but she still had a lot to learn. Lilith went around to the back entrance of the White Crane, which the performers for that night had been allowed to use. As she entered, she walked into a small back room full of musicians tuning their instruments and playing warm ups. Lilith set down the large box in her arms and peaked through the door that lead to the main room of the tavern. Her eyes scanned the crowd until she picked out Ishara. Lilith was relieved that Ishara was already here. Perhaps they would get a chance to warm up together. Lilith waved to Ishara and motioned her over to the back room, waiting to make sure she had been seen before ducking back through the door. As she waited for Ishara, Lilith began to prepare her cello. She had heard of people naming their instruments, but still didn't have a name for hers. Hopefully she would come up with one soon, but, for now, it was a passing thought. Lilith began tuning her cello, looking up periodically to see if Ishara had made it through the crowd. Once Ishara had entered the room, Lilith inundated her with statements and questions. The words came too fast and were probably an incoherent mess. It was an obvious indicator of her nervousness. "Hi, Ishara. Are you excited? I'm kinda nervous myself. But don't think I'm not ready, I've been practicing a ton. I can't wait to hear you sing on stage. I bet you'll sound great." Lilith rambled on idly and wouldn't stop until she ran out of breath or someone calmed her down.

[Ishara Dossari]

Ishara caught cello-player's eye and raised a slim hand in recognition, noting the direction the other woman indicated. Catching on when Lilith disappeared into the back room, Ishara ducked through the crowd, grateful for her small stature when it came to navigating the press of patrons. Still, it was no easy task, and the young Benshira's features bore a relieved expression as she finally reached the back room, expelling a deep breath. With a smile, Ishara ducked her head in a nod as Lilith's nervous chatter rose slightly above the din just beyond the room they were in. It took her a moment to find her own voice, and it emerged hesitantly, flavored with her slight accent. "A practice would be good. I could use some warming up, I was not expecting such a crowd..." Ishara trailed off meaningfully as she parted with a glance over one shoulder. The stage itself looked small, surrounded by the mingling crowd of people. The Akalak stood a head taller than the other patrons, remarkable in their blue skin. Theirs was a race that Ishara was still growing accustomed to. "But, no matter!" she exclaimed, a forced smile smothering the nerves threatening to attack the wave of courage that had carried her thus far, "the night is about fun, and fun we shall have! What would you like to start with?"

[Lilith Krahe]

Lilith was panting for breath by the time Ishara had finally injected herself into the conversation. She noticed Ishara's glance toward the stage and started to worry that the girl was going to get nervous and back out on her. In an attempt to comfort her, Lilith placed a hand on Ishara's shoulder and was trying to think of words of encouragement when she turned back and shouted. It caught Lilith off guard, but she was relieved it was a happy shout. She smiled a brave smile, and, grabbing Ishara's hand, lead the other girl over to the corner where her had been preparing. "Well, I'm in tune and I should start doing some warm ups. Is there anything you usually do to ready your voice?" Lilith sat down on a rickety chair and positioned the cello between her legs. Her fingers began to move across the the neck of the instrument, each one touching at a different note as she ran through a scale. She wasn't running the bow across the strings to make any real sounds, but it did still help her get her fingers stretched. Lilith had practiced the song they were preparing so much that day that she could play most of it by memory. She would use the sheet music durring their performance, but for now, memory was good enough. Lilith changed from fingering the notes of a scale to the notes for the song. Realizing that she was getting absorbed in the song and not really paying attention to Ishara, Lilith looked up awkwardly. "I'm sorry. I get distracted sometimes. Didn't you say something?" Lilith realized that the girl had probably already answered her question once, and it mortified her to admit that she hadn't been listening. However, it wasn't like she could just pretend she had heard Ishara, Lilith didn't even had a clue what had been said. She looked down shamefully but forced her face back up toward Ishara in order to listen more intently. It really was a bad habit of hers to become so self absorbed, and Ishara could probably pick up pretty easily on Lilith's apologetic attitude.