The North Wind Gardens [Ifran]

[Tayhura]

Not a man to read between the lines, Tayhura continued the conversation without the slightest sign of suspicion. The stranger's speech did, after all, sound to be that of a common worker. Perhaps the articulation was more precise than Tayhura's own lazy slurs, but that was a matter of taste. Or perhaps... Tayhura let his imagination run wild for a moment but then promptly dismissed it.

The worker had probably been much more exposed to the linguistic priggery of the noble house and had let it take its toll on his enunciation. As far as Tayhura's untrained ears were concerned, however, the stranger still seemed as relaxed and simplified as expected.

"Minstrelsy?" Tayhura returned, "That's for the rich and well-bred, no? You need connections for that!"

[Ifran]

"Correct me if I am wrong, friend, but you work in the palace of Sadiki of the House of the North Winds. This Noble House is the premier promoter, producer, and practitioner of the arts in Ahnatep. And he says he has no connections..." The last was spoken as if to some silent listener, a bit of theatricality on the side. He was, after all, a creature of the theater. And he could have told anyone that politics was politics, whether in the Pressorah's palace or backstage at the Royet Theatre. "Besides, minstrels might be hired by the rich and well bred, but only rarely to they come from those circles."

[Tayhura]

"Well," muttered Tayhura hesitantly, "that's not what I hear, but I guess I don't hear anything at all, as I haven't thought about...minstrelsy before, not seriously, anyway."

Tossing his trowel into a wheelbarrow, he placed his hands akimbo and examined the small wall in the garden. Enough work for the day! he nodded to himself and picked up the barrow by the handles.

"Besides," Tayhura shouted out again, "What're the chances that Sadiki or any of the nobles should condescend to me? But you? You might do! Are you a minstrel?"

[Ifran]

"This Noble House has a history of supporting artists, whether they come from the family lineage or not," he informed him mildly. "Lord Sadiki rarely has time to take a personal interest in any artist's career, but he is not the whole house, merely its head." From the commotion, he assumed that the jig would be up quite soon, so he milked it for all it was worth. He anticipated an amusing look of surprise on the man's face when he saw him. "I suppose you might call me a minstrel," he agreed.

[Tayhura]

Rolling the wheelbarrow further into the garden, Tayhura approached a line of well tended trees, which stooped over and let fall a cool blanket of shade on the garden floor. Beneath the trees was a bench made of the region's prized purple marble.

As Tayhura walked further, he noticed that sitting on that bench was an Eypharian. By the Eypharian's poise and above all by the golden torc around the Eypharian's neck, Tayhura immediately realized that the fellow must be one of the nobles from the House of the North Wind.

He and that other worker had been speaking so loosely and informally--and loudly while nobility was present! Why, the nobleman must have been vexed beyond all measure, having come into his own garden only to be pestered by commoners' drivel.

Tayhura felt the fool now. He cursed under his breath but figured it would be wisest to pester the nobleman no longer. He rolled the wheelbarrow, saying not a word and keeping his eyes fearfully and fixedly downward.

[Ifran]

Amused, Ifran watched the groundsman pass. Apparently the man listened only to words and not the way in which they were spoken, and could not imagine some words coming from certain people. Either that or Ifran was a better actor than he thought. It wasn't until the man was making a beeline for elsewhere and very nearly there that he spoke again. "Cat got your tongue? Well, it was a pleasure conversing with you. Be careful where you aim that trowel."

[Entity]

Experience for You! Tayhura Experience - Singing +1, Masonry +3, Observation +2, Rhetoric +2 Lores [Location] North Wind Gardens, Design and Construction Haste Breeds Forgetfullness Pay Attention to your Craft! Switching Languages Mid Conversation Distingushing Dialects in Arumenic Ifran Experience - Meditation +1, Singing +2, Rhetoric +2, Interrogation +1, Intellgence +1 Lores [Song Theory] Breathing Excersizes and Practices [Song] The Love-Suicides of Menehat Subtlties between High and Common Arumenic Distingushing Dialects in Arumenic Nicely written, guys. I especially like that neither of you filled your posts with excess detail. I love seeing realistic interaction in spurts. Remember though, being poor in a language means it's barely conversational, you know phrases, and general concepts, but otherwise this was an easy read. If you have a problem with what I awarded please let me know via PM or over AIM.