[Day of the Dance] A Little Faster Now

by **Ragdoll** on July 12th, 2014, 5:37 pm

Lapis Park
85 Summer
514 AV
19th Bell
OOCNo need to keep in post order here. If I'm needed, then I'll post, but you shouldn't wait for me to post again. Feel free to NPC the musicians and Coren within reason, though I ask that you leave Inika to me.

I can't believe I ended up with this much work to do! thought Inika to herself. Even though the slow dance had gone off wonderfully and the class she'd been forced to teach had been...interesting, there were still two more major parts of the day to go before she'd be done.

First, and least stressful, was the faster dance.

Taking place in Lapis Park-Inika's personal favorite of the many parks in Riverfall-it would hopefully be one of the more popular dances that took place in the city that day. At least, of the dances that the Konti woman was organizing, she had particularly high hopes for this part of the Day of the Dance. Musicians from all across Mizahar would play tonight, each musician assigned to a particular area of Lapis Park. Near each musician, space in the park had been made level for dancing. Currently, Inika was coordinating these musicians, reading each of their places off a sheet of paper she held in both hands. No two were assigned to the same area. This was slightly worrisome for Inika, who was concerned that the music wouldn't be loud enough.

When she had placed all the musicians in their corners of the park, the Konti sighed. At least that was done.

Since participants here would be more active than participants in the slow dance had been, dehydration was a concern. Inika had been very pleased with her solution to that problem. She knew a Drykas, Ceron Swiftriver, with a magic ability she'd always wanted to learn, but never had managed to talk him into it. Ceron had a table set up in the middle of Lapis Park and a barrel underneath it. Whenever someone came over and requested water from him, he'd fill a mug with water from the barrel-in turn, when the barrel got low, he used his abilities to refill it with clean and pure water. Inika got a kick out of watching him work.

Another table next to him was where participants in the festival could receive the necklaces that were given out as part of the festivities. People were to give the person who they believed had danced the best their own necklace. The ten people who came to this table at the end of the bell with the most necklaces would take place in a dance-off competition-whoever won that would earn a prize that Inika had been tight-lipped about up till this point.

Convinced that not everything was going to go wrong, the Konti woman clapped her scaled hands before cupping them over her mouth. "Let the fun begin!"

by **Alia Beaudouin** on July 20th, 2014, 8:18 pm

85th of Summer, 514 AV

Outfit :

Flower Crown :

Song :

Well, wasn’t this exciting.
The third event of the day had finally begun, and now Alia had moved once again, this time on to the Lapis Park. Unfortunately, it had taken her a bit longer than she would have wanted to find the park, despite it being quite the attraction. Unlike all of the other events, Lapis Park was some place Alia had never really visited, nevermind found without a map. Not to mention it was quite the walk from the Amphitheater. All in all, though, Alia was glad she had finally found it. One wouldn’t want to be late for what could arguably be the most important event of the festival.

Of course, from the atmosphere, it didn’t seem that way.

Everyone seemed to be having fun, dancing about the park, taking breaks and mingling, even singing along with the musicians. Though Alia wished she could join them, she felt as if tonight was for dancing, not playing. She could join in with her mandolin anywhere someone was playing; she couldn’t always dance.

Speaking of dancing…

Alia led herself to the center of the park, where a large barrel full of presumably water stood. A man stood by it, offering mugs of water to anyone that came by. Alia shook her head at the offering, instead taking a look at the table next to the water station, full of necklaces. Curious, Alia wondered what purpose the jewelry pieces could have. Luckily, her questions were answered by none other than the man handing out drinks.

”Those are for the competition. Feel free to take one, you’re supposed to hand it to the person you think danced the best. The people with the most necklaces by the end of the bell will get to participate in the dance-off.”

It was interesting how the people in charge planned to do this whole “Dance-Off” competition. Then again, the entire festival was interesting. Though, this was something new. Usually, competitions in Riverfall; or even Wind Reach, for that matter, had revolved around brute strength and agility, or how well one could shoot a bow. They always seemed to be about stereotypical skills of the people that lived there, so it was a bit of a surprise when the announcement came that the tough brutes of the Akalak would be holding a dance competition. Not that Alia was complaining.

No, finally, she had the chance to win something, something that she’d never have the chance to elsewhere, and Alia fully planned on winning, or at least trying as hard as she could.

Thanking the man and taking her necklace, Alia walked back out to where a musician stood, a flute player, it seemed, playing a lively tune Alia felt she should recognize, but did not. She set down her mandolin not too far away, underneath a nearby tree, and prepared herself as the tune began to repeat. Soon, the music picked up again, and Alia felt a confidence swell through her. Today was going to be a good day, and so, with positive thoughts in mind, Alia began to dance.

Because there wasn’t exactly time to plan out a routine, Alia had to improvise, and improvise she did. Her dance started off as little more than fancy skips, going up on her left toe and pointing her right foot in front, but it soon became more. Though Alia didn’t have much experience with dancing, she knew how to please a crowd. Reaching her arms up as she danced, Alia untied the ribbon that had so strongly held back her hair. She pulled it out with a flourish, letting her hair fall down in a now unsupported braid.

Now using the ribbon as a sort of prop in her dance, Alia repeated the sequence of skip-like movements. Somewhere behind her, someone had begun clapping along to the beat of the flute. It gave the song a better rhythm, which always helped in dance. The clapping ended up in beats of three, giving Alia time to adjust her improvised moves. She froze every third beat, arms above her head, before returning to her skipping pattern when the clapping stopped.

Alia seemed to have attracted the attention of at least a few people, and another person had even joined in her dance. The woman, a brown-haired girl looking just a bit younger than Alia’s age, was copying Alia, doing the same skipping motions and freezing. Alia was smiling now. The whole festival had been fantastic, but this was the best. She wasn’t even doing very flashy moves, just a simple step dance, yet it seemed the girl at very least had liked it. She had already nearly fallen twice, mostly due to her lack of balance, but she used what she had learned in the dance class as much as possible. The class had been interesting, to say the least, not to mention informative.

As her partner of sorts continued the makeshift routine, Alia grabbed her ribbon in both hands, pulling it taut above her head. She then took a chance, jumping into a spin and unraveling the braid she had let loose at the beginning of her dance. It surprised Alia that the flower crown, made of petite white flowers and bright green stems, still sat upon her head. The headdress had been surprisingly persistent, staying tangled in Alia’s hair, even after she removed the braid. Sure, several petals had fallen off, getting entwined in her bright red hair, but as Alia spun, the flower shreds flew off with the momentum, creating a tiny flower rain that landed many of the petals at her feet. It gave for a nice finish, so as she came out of the spin, Alia planted her feet, right foot in front of left, and put her arms in the air.

She was breathing heavily now, even from the simple routine she had made up, but she kept her broad smile on the entire time. She received a few claps from the three or four people watching, but it wasn’t like Alia had expected much. She didn’t really care for the applause, but she did want to thank the woman who had decided to partner with her. The woman didn’t say anything, nor did she ask Alia’s name. All she did was smile broadly and push her necklace into Alia’s hand before walking off into the crowd of dancers that had arrived at the park.

Tying her hair back once again in a simple ponytail, Alia went off to explore the rest of the park. She had already gotten one necklace, she eventually had to give out her own.

by **Calters** on July 22nd, 2014, 12:16 am

85 Summer
514 AV
19th Bell

Calters eagerly waited for Inika to call off his name. The young musician had been prepping for days, and now the day to show off his skills had finally arrived. He could tell simply by looking that he was not as experienced or as talented as some of the musicians present.

While Calters wore the same outfit he had earlier in the morning with a few sheets of music tucked into his belt and carried his ocarina on a strap around his neck, many of these musicians had intricate cases and large instruments. They wore dressy outfits that Calters could only dream of and a few of them even had White Crane lapel pins or earrings.

It made the ocarina player feel a little better when he realized that he would have a corner to himself. That meant he wouldn't have to compete with the others as much. By the time he was told where to go, Calters felt good about leaving the group behind. He headed for the spot he had been instructed to occupy for the few chimes he would be performing.

It was a peaceful area in Lapis Park that he would play. He stood near a large gemstone that came up to his knee. Across from him was a bench for those who might want to sit and admire the art, or in this case, the music.

The musician started off with a brief warm-up. He ran through each note, trying to make sure it was still in tune. If it wasn't, there wasn't much he could do out here to fix it but luckily all was well. Next, he warmed up his voice. It sounded rusty at first- probably from speaking over the music at the slow dance- but as he hummed and coughed it slowly loosened up.

By the time he was finished with warm-ups, there was already a Konti child sitting on the bench with a necklace clutched in her fist. She burst into a grin and clapped enthusiastically.

"Yay! Again!" She cheered him on in Kontinese.

Just as Calters was about to ask if she had a request, an older Konti woman came running up. Obviously her mother, the woman talked quickly in a stern tone using words Calters could not understand. The girl frowned and looked down, disheartened.

At this point, Calters felt the need to interrupt. In the best Kontinese he could manage, Cal began to explain to the mother that it was okay.

"Um, Ma'am? The girl...she is good. I play for her?"

Although it was clearly not his first language, the mother seemed to get the gist. She smiled and nodded at the Akvatari. She spoke slowly for him, but Cal was only able to catch bits and pieces. Then she turned to her child, chastised her once more, and strolled away. Left alone, the girl switched to Common which was clearly not her first language either but was much easier for Cal to understand.

"Common is good, yeah? Can play a fun song for dance?"

Calters felt a genuine grin press into his cheeks. "Yes. I can do that." Without another confusing word, Calters brought the ocarina to his lips and launched into song. At last, they had found common ground. The girl laughed and got up, twirling around and holding her arms above her head. Soon enough, others gathered. With his up-beat music and youthful dancer, Calters quickly became the caretaker of the festival. A handful of children gathered around him, dancing, laughing, and trying to hand their necklaces off to their best friends.

Calters hated crowds, and he hated noise, but somehow this was different. There was an energy about the area that rejuvenated musician and dancers alike. When the song was over, Calters stopped for a breath. No sooner had he breathed in than a request came sounding out from the back. A young boy poked his hand up and spoke loudly, asking for a song he had been taught in school.

Cal sighed and shook his head. "Alright. How does it go?"

by **Alyra** on July 26th, 2014, 3:29 am

Hair :

Outfit :

Alyra fussed with the braid that ran across the top of her head. It felt weird. She didn't like it. Nevertheless, she wore it. She wore it for the same reason she wore half a shirt, and a bizarrely patterned skirt: it was a special day.

Alyra was a newbie to the city, which was a very apparent fact. She dressed differently, spoke differently, and, well, she had horns. Though she had spent the majority of the season acclimating to the culture of Riverfall, she still didn't want to push her luck. Thus, she made sure that she looked the part of a riverian today.

Before she set out for the day, Alyra brushed her hair for what might've been the third time in a year. She then spent the better part of two bells attempting to braid her hair. It was a struggle, to say the least. There was a reason eths weren't known for intricate hairstyles. In fact, there were two: the big, indestructible, immovable, obnoxiously-placed antlers stuck into their temples. They made doing anything tedious. After a while, Alyra began feeling a bit indignant, so she threw in the towel and just left.

Despite the hair debacle, the day had been good thus far. Alyra had never been to an event this large that was dedicated solely to dancing, and she was reveling in the new experience. Anytime a dancer caught her eye, she would stop and watch for a few ticks. Then she would mimic them, not really caring whether or not she looked like a clumsy fool. She was learning, and that made her happy enough.

As she reached Lapis Park, Alyra wasn't greeted by much. She was early, per usual. The Ethaefal enjoyed people-watching, and beign early facilitated this hobby nicely. She sat on a bench that allowed her a decent view of the park, and waited. As musicians arrived, Inika directed them to their places. Alyra frowned. She found it sad that that Konti couldn't enjoy the day like everyone else. Why did all the work get dropped into her lap?

Then, a familiar face appeared: Alia. Alyra smiled. The two had met earlier that season under conditions that were . . . unsavory. Nevertheless, Alyra still thought fondly of the redheaded woman. Alyra stood, then followed Alia to the water station (which confused Alyra; if these people thought they could ration out one barrel of water to this group, they were wrong. A good sixty percent of that barrel had Alyra's name all over it).

As she approached, she noticed Alia picking up a necklace. Alyra didn't know what they were for, but there were an awful lot of them on the table. The woman assumed that they were for the celebration, and, furthermore, assumed they were free. Free is good. Free is very good. Alyra stopped at the table, sweeping one of the blue necklaces up onto her neck while accepting a mug of water from the server. Taking a less-than-ladylike swig from her mug, Alyra continued her pursuit of the redhead. By the time Alyra had found her, Alia was already dancing in the middle of a decently sized crowd.

As Alia danced, Alyra shook her head around awkwardly. It was a simple dance, and Alyra was confident that she could mimic it. That is, after she drank her water (she didn't want to become dehydrated or ill). And let it settle for a bit (it would be rude to have an upset stomach during the celebration). And found a dancing partner (it would be rude not to share her raw talent. Very, very, very, raw "talent").

Alyra wandered off. She could greet Alia later. What had caught her attention now was a group of children dancing around. Finding that to be more her speed, Alyra walked over. She stopped near the fringe, sipping at her water as she evaluated the scene. There were quite a few little ones, and that made Alyra smile. Children were less judgmental, and more welcoming to fun. Besides, with their shared lack of skill, Alyra was sure she could learn from (or share with) these kids.

Having made her decision, Alyra set her mug down. She waited for a new song to begin before approaching.

"May I dance with you?"

by **Calters** on August 2nd, 2014, 7:48 pm

85th of Summer, 514 AV

Ocarina Music :

For the second time that day, a smile ghosted over Calters' features. He had played multiple tunes at the request of his crowd. By now, his mouth was dry and his throat was tired from singing but he did not want to leave his attentive listeners. Just as he was about to break the news that he needed a drink, a new dancer wandered up.

The girl had a timid feel about her, sporting a soft smile and wild hair that resembled a bramble but never once did she hesitate to jump into the crowd of children. She immediately asked to dance, at which point she became an honorary child and was accepted into the small writhing mass. She did not seem to care what anyone thought of her, although Cal was sure that more than one passerby noticed her...unique moves.

Calters ignored the dryness in his throat and put on a song of his own design to commemorate her joining. It was a slower song than he had played before, but it was still light and bouncy enough to keep the little ones entertained. The youngest swayed while the older ones bobbed their heads or swung their arms in circles. One pretended to fly like a bird and Calters was almost certain he could see an Akalak boy simply sitting and listening. All seemed to enjoy the scene, no matter the age, skill, or intent of the participant. Everyone was involved and entertained, and as a busker Calters could ask for little more.

When the musician's fingers cramped from playing he would take a break, letting the instrument fall to lay against his chest. During these breaks he would sing. Sometimes he would sing simple notes and sounds without any real meaning- other times he would make up words. They were jumbled and didn't have a real meaning, but it didn't appear to bother anyone. There were even a few clapping hands after his first verse. By the second verse, he had really found his groove.

"The waves whisper in the ocean.
They come and talk to me.
They tell me not to worry, not to try to understand.
It'll all be okay, as long as you're with me.

"So just relax, let your worries go free;
You don't need them anyhow.
Let the music carry you!
When you're here by the sea, there's nothing you can do
but just give up, give in, an'...dance!"

At this point Calters longed to jump in with the group but then there would be no music. He contented himself with watching the happiness flicker in the eyes of his audience as they followed his suggestions and frolicked freely.

by **Alia Beaudouin** on August 8th, 2014, 7:44 pm

A familiar face.
Just what Alia needed at that moment. And, what was better than a familiar face?
Two familiar faces.

As Alia had picked up her mandolin and wandered around the park, she had spotted an unforgettable sight, this time in much better lighting than when they had met. Calters, ”of the sea and sky”, was standing, or rather, floating near a group of children, playing what Alia could only assume was his famed ocarina for the kids. She had met the Akvatari just a few days earlier, after falling asleep at the beach and stumbling home, only to run into the unique man.

After hanging around the White Crane for a while, Alia had parted with Cal, and hadn’t seen him since. Until now, that is.

As for the second familiar face, well, it was one associated with some of Alia’s less-favourited memories. Alyra. Not that Alia had anything against the woman, it was just the way they had met had been quite… Disturbing. Walking straight into a crime scene had that effect. Even though the incident had happened in the first days of the season, Alia still had vivid memories- And vivid nightmares- about what she had seen. Seeing the body that had been found in the bazaar actually hadn’t been that bad, it was just one minor detail that had haunting Alia, and which was quite responsible for the shivers that went down her body when she saw the woman.

Pushing back the flashbacks that came with the familiar face, Alia decided to approach Calters first, as he was closer and, at present moment, it appeared Alyra was busy dancing. Calters was, apparently, the musician for that corner, and was acting as such. At the moment, he was singing a joyful tune that the children surrounding him seemed to be enjoying. As the song progressed, Alia found herself clapping along with several other members of the audience. The words were awkward at some points, mixed up, almost, but Alia rarely cared. Calters hadn’t been lying when he had told of his musical ability, he was really quite good.

Once the song came to a close, Alia clapped her hands in applause, approaching Calters from the side. Tapping his shoulder, she took note of the fact that he seemed almost out of breath, despite not dancing. Alia didn’t have any experience with wind instruments, so she assumed all that playing might have been the cause of him being out of breath. An idea came to mind, though she decided to say hello first.

”Hi- Uh, Cal.” Alia’s original momentum quickly wore off. What was she supposed to say? ’Remember me, from that time when we couldn’t see heads or tails of each other?’
”I see you’ve brought your famed ocarina. Glad I finally get to see it. You’re very good, you know.”

by **Alyra** on September 8th, 2014, 1:19 am

Alyra had no rhythm. Even worse, she had no problem with that. She moved spastically, doing whatever came to mind as it came to her mind. No thought went into her dancing. To her, dancing was purely recreational and refreshing. She wasn't here for the competition, just for the fun.

Originally, she moved at a slow pace. She stepped to the side, clapped, then took a step in the other direction. Eventually, she loosened the tension in her body; her hips and shoulders swayed, popping out slightly on the side-steps. When she grew bored with clapping, she switched up her routine. Her sidesteps became steadily faster until they looked more like hops than steps. When she hopped to the right, she would fling her right arm up. When she hopped to the left, she'd drop her right hand and fling her left arm up. Her head tilted towards wherever she was hopping, nodding along to the beat she was creating in her head.

Around Alyra, the children laughed. She wasn't sure whether it was because of her "dancing" or not, but she truly didn't care. Alyra spent the majority of her time with children now. The kids of The Sanctuary had not only become her job, but her life. She lived to make them happy. Now, that seemed to be bleeding into the way she led her life. If these kids were laughing at her, then she'd keep doing whatever it was that she was doing; their happiness was paramount to her.

When the song finished, a few of the children came over and grabbed at Alyra. She laughed as they threw Tukant phrases her way. She wasn't proficient enough at Tukant to know exactly what they were saying, but it seemed to be pleasant. Some jumped happily while holding onto her skirt, while others haphazardly jumped around and threw their arms up. One group got called away by a large Akalak man--Alyra assumed he was the father--and a few of the young ones hesitantly walked over. The man smiled as he walked over, then handed his necklace to Alyra.

Alyra was too shocked to say anything. She had won something! A dance-related something, of all things! By the time she recovered from her shock, the father was already walking away with his herd of boys.

"Thank you!" She shouted after the man. Obviously he hadn't rewarded her for her dancing skills...she would be worried about his mental health or his eyesight if he had. He was grateful that she had occupied his children. He possibly even admired her for her ability to do so. Either way, it felt nice for her work to be acknowledged.

Alyra turned, then walked back to where she left her mug. She sat next to the mug, then lifted it to her smiling lips. When she finished her drink, she began to examine the necklace closely.

OOCOh my gosh, I'm sorry for making you wait so long. I could've sworn that I posted, and didn't notice that I hadn't until I was updated my thread list. Ugh, I'm such a goof.

Open [Day of the Dance] A Little Faster Now