Solo Ideals and Aspirations

[Sayana]

Spring 19, 515 AV – Sayana’s Apartment Sayana awoke with a familiar gut wrenching sensation. It only took half a chime to feel the urge to spew the contents of her stomach, and she did so promptly into the chamber pot at the side of her bed. When will this ever end? She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and filled a cup of water to wash down the awful taste. She had been warned that this was common for pregnant women, but it didn’t make it any less unpleasant. She let out a slow trembling sigh as she sat on the edge of her bed and only after a couple of chimes did she feel ready to get up. Despite her growling stomach, food was the last thing she wanted right now. It was dark, almost pitch black, despite knowing it was likely the morning. She had come to know her home very well in the darkness since it would be foolish to leave candles lit throughout the night. However now she went to retrieve one of her candles so that she might light it using the torches of the hallways. Back inside, she used the candlelight to build up some kindling interspersed with some large pieces of wood to get the fire going in the hearth. When it finally caught and kept blazing she gave a smile and happily stood before the hearth. All this time she had still not bothered to dress. The warmth of the fire felt good against her bare skin and the room was no longer as frigid as it had been in the winter. Now it wasn’t particularly warm either, but it was warm enough to manage and to enjoy the embrace of the heat from the fire. Her mid hands migrated towards her stomach. She was going to be a mother. And a mother in less than a year now. Her stomach had hardly changed but there were obviously changes within her. She reached out in a stretch to the right and then to the left, almost as if testing whether her body and particularly her stomach felt any different. It was perhaps still too early. Her hands moved along the soft curves of her body. It felt good to be completely free. Almost without thinking she began to move her hips up and down, twisting this way and that in the glow of the fire. She’d still be able to dance as she became more pregnant, couldn’t she? In Ahnatep it was somewhat rare for a working girl to continue during the time she was pregnant. The few girls who worked in that trade tended to get help during that crucial time, whereas others who were slaves tended to just get assigned different work. But there were some, even those who performed the Yemhu, that managed to dance long into their pregnancy. It was about training, physique, and simple joy to be moving about the stage with the drumbeat pumping in your heart. Sayana moved her chest in a few circles, each time trying to make the circle smoother and more seamless. She rarely got to practice her technique on stage, other than just doing it, and she now focused on specific movements of her body. There was the sharp accent of her hip. With one foot out front and raised on her tip toe, she accented her hip up and down by straightening and bending her leg. If only she had one of those Benshira scarves of coins to add a jingle to each move. Bringing her feet together she started to alternate her hips up and down. First starting with slow but sharp moves and then slowly speeding it up. The tricky part was adding one movement to another. As she kept up the shimmying of her hips she began to move her hips from side to side. This she had practiced and was fairly comfortable with, but as soon as she turned the side to side motion to a circle, then parts of the shimmy would tighten up and stop, only to restart again once she was getting the hang of it. Even as she practiced in front of the fire with her hands moving up and down in intricate ways, she wondered if this was the only dance she’d ever do and be comfortable with. In Ahnatep, there were a couple different dances. There was her own more sensual style that she had adopted from the Benshira slave concubines. There was the Semhu, of course, that she had dreamed about doing almost all her life. And then there was raindancing for Makutsi. A smile spread across her face at the thought and she recalled the Dhani she had met in the winter time. He would certainly appreciate the billowing waves of her veil, although more so if it was blue. But even here in Syliras people danced differently. At the Harvest Festival, there was lively upbeat music and dancers tended to pair up and simply skip about each other. And the flame dancers at the Herald’s Arms had been quite unique as well. She smiled fondly at the memory of Aren ‘dancing’ on the stage. It was certainly a performance but whether it was a dance was up to interpretation. Sayana took a couple steps away from the fire and began practicing her spins. She did quick short ones on the spot, others that were followed by a large hip circle, double spins, and three spins in a row while traveling in a straight line. She paused briefly and then repeated her list but in the opposite direction. There must be ways to dance with a partner more. She’d seen glimpses of lovers dancing, swaying in each others arms, but there must be more possibilities than that. Although she had to admit, even something that simple would take her breath away with Aren. How had she managed to become so attached and so quickly? Regardless, she wanted to learn more about dancing and get more out of it too. Improvise, yet also practice. She did a couple of undulations of her body and focused on all the little movements that created the flowing motion. Her stomach had to be strong and precise in its moves and her abs were kept fit by tightening her core muscles during the movement. She had to stay fit and healthy if she wanted her baby to be healthy too. But she also needed to start earning more if she wanted to provide well for her baby. Was the Rearing Stallion really the best place for her? When she arrived at the employment center back in the Fall, her hopes had been on employment at the Herald’s Arms. It was rather fitting too, due to the fact that she had six of them. And it was nicer there and classier there too. The Rearing Stallion had been her home and yet she felt like she could have a chance at a bigger stage or a higher class audience. The dancer swooped down in a flourish and brought her arms up on the other side of her body. Might she find other dancers to perform with? Other tricks and techniques to learn? And what would it take to get employed at the Herald’s Arms? As she fluttered her hands and arms through the air she considered this. It might simply be skill alone in which they hired their staff. But it might also be a sense of showmanship and variety. Already plans were forming in her mind. She would have to both improve her own skill and learn enough about different dances, or variations of her own to be an appealing prospect for the Herald’s Arms.

[Sayana]

It was time to get dressed… or was it? Even as Sayana went to retrieve her large silken veil she was curious about how she might play with the semi-transparent fabric and no other garments. Smiling to herself she danced and moved trailing the billowing silk about her body. Sometimes it was in the air and sometimes it half concealed her figure, yet it was impossible to tell just how good it looked since she lacked a mirror. She’d have to remedy that. She danced and pranced about her apartment and surprisingly didn’t manage to knock anything over with the silken veil billowing this way and that. However, the veil was rather easy to maneuver whereas the finger cymbals were not. It was now that she finally got dressed and took out her set of zills. Taking a seat in front of the hearth she gazed into the flames as she simply started with a steady beat of the finger cymbals. She made it twice as quick and then back to the original speed. Then she started practicing different patterns and variations. It was easier when she was simply sitting, but when she repeated the exercise slowly walking around the room, there were several instances that she fell off beat. Still, practice makes perfect. She wanted to get to the point where she could comfortably perform without any assistance from a musician. If the Herald’s Arms was accepting performers, she wanted to give them confidence that she could perform entirely on her own if need be. She took a pause from her practice of the finger cymbals and pulled out her tambourine. Sayana gave it a tap and then a shake and frowned at the limitations of the instrument. Was there anything more that one could do with a tambourine? After a moment’s thought she realized she had been thinking too much like a Benshira. Joyful, yet limited. With a smile she held the tambourine in her mid right and gave it a series of three quick beats, one each by her high, mid, and low left hands. She began to hit the tambourine in a larger variety of rhythms. Instead of simply sticking to a simple beat with one hand, she could effectively play it like a drum using mostly her mid and high hand but also her low hand. Her mind seemed to unconsciously wander to familiar beats and rhythms she had been exposed to back in Ahnatep and consequently she tried to mimic them on the tambourine. Ba-dum, ba ba dum. Ba-dum, ba ba dum. With a bright smile she attempted a drum roll with two hands and then a triad with three hands.

[Sayana]

The only problem was the tambourine wasn’t quite a drum. Nor did it have the two or even three distinctive pitches that a drum could make. Each tap had a lightness to it that didn’t come close to the pounding in her chest she felt when several drummers were playing at once. And every beat sounded the same, without any emphasis. Tentatively she tried hitting the tambourine at different spots. It produced a minor difference but it was hardly significant. Then she realized that there might be an alternative. Holding the tambourine within easy reach of her left low and mid hands she began beating out a rhythm interspersed with claps from her high hands. The change in sound was far more noticeable and she could emphasize various parts to the rhythm. She was about to test out patterns using snaps as well but then remembered she could only make a reliable snap with her left mid hand. With a chuckle she stopped and instead picked up her finger cymbals in her high hands. She first attempted a similar method of mixing the tambourine sounds with the zills, but it sounded a little off. After a moment’s consideration she tried a pattern first on the tambourine and then repeated it on the finger cymbals. Now that had an interesting sound. Rather like an echo, or a call and response. She tried it again, this time standing and slowly walking about to try to get more comfortable playing and moving at the same time. Since she was first using the tambourine and then using the zills, it was far less taxing on her brain rather than trying to do them both at the same time. A good solid drum beat then a ching-a-ching-a-ching. Bah bah bah Ching-ching-ching Bah, ba-dah Ching-a-ching-a-ching Bah bah ching ching bah bah ching Sayana let out a laugh as she found herself mixing up the tambourine patterns with the zill patterns

[Sayana]

But what might allow her to dance better, appear more skilled, and attract larger audiences? Of course her instruments were a fun addition, but did they really add to the dance? She pondered over the idea and wished she had a scarf of coins to jingle with every move. However, she realized that she might be able to recreate that illusion. The Eypharian stood up and let the tambourine fall to her side while readying the two pairs of finger cymbals. With a smug look she gave a pop of her hip and at the same time created a chime from one of her zills. She then did the same with her other hip, drawing attention to the movement. She began dancing with a walking shimmy of her hips and each triad of movements had three corresponding chimes with the finger cymbals. At last she could truly envision the Benshira concubines of the palace gardens. She even closed her eyes for a moment as she continued the walking hip shimmy to more acutely remember Ahnatep in its glory. The dancer started adding chimes to all her dance moves, or at least the ones with precise movements. There were shoulder twists, chest pops, head slides, hip slides… And when she wanted to do a full out chest shimmy she could highlight it by shaking the tambourine. She had been too worried about creating rhythms to provide music rather than simply blending her dance and the instruments. Of course, a steady beat is always something a dancer looks forward to, but she felt like she just increased the flexibility of her dancing, or at least her instruments, two times over. Smiling giddily she used both the finger cymbals and the tambourine to emphasize her moves as she danced within the small space of her apartment. But back on track. The Herald’s Arms. How did she plan to prove herself to the establishment and what were her plans to get better? She thought back to Ahnatep and how she had envied the dancers of the Semhu for so many years. They combined both acrobatics and combat skills to their dancing. Instinctively Sayana pulled out her cobra hilted dagger and examined it. She couldn’t help but feel a pang of loss for the other one but then quickly found the balancing point of the blade and placed it on her head. Of course, the foot long dagger didn’t have the same effect as a blade that was twice or thrice the length but it still provided a nice visual as danced and moved about her apartment. But the Semhu wasn’t about balancing blades, it was truly about combat and skill. Still keeping the dagger balanced comfortably on her head she dug out the pair of small throwing daggers she owned. They weren’t even remotely a good size for close combat or for a true stage performance but they would do the trick as she practiced. She put away the instruments and began weaving the blades this way and that, in an artistic fashion. She was careful to keep her head rather still, for the cobra hilted dagger was still balanced on top, but she was free to move her two mids holding the smaller blades in all manner of ways. Since losing her other cobra hilted dagger in Cyphrus, she had almost completely forgone using two daggers at once while training. Now, however, she began to modulate her ‘dance moves’ into realistic thrusts and jabs using both her mid hands. Left, right, thrust up, feint, jab and twist. She recalled lessons from long ago with her aunt where she drilled series of movements to get better. Some of the lessons had long escaped her memory but there were a couple that had stuck. For one, never hesitate to switch your blade to another hand, however, always remember your dominant hand and your opponent’s dominant hand. Swiftly, Sayana tried a series of thrusts and jabs and halfway through she switched her blades to her upper hands. A clatter to the floor brought her back to reality and she realized that even though she was plenty good at balancing a dagger while dancing, she was certainly not that talented when actually trying to fight or go through fighting exercises. But was dancing really like fighting, even if it contained combat moves? Was it proving one’s skill or telling a story? She had rarely done either in her own dances but she had watched the Semhu and also seen a dance or two that attempted to tell a story. Of course, she had tried to do this once by telling a story of a raindancer, but it was her words that told the story, and her dance merely mimicked that of the raindancer. Thoughtfully, Sayana considered what sort of story she might tell through dance and instantly her mind went to one. A painful story but a vivid one. Her travels with the zith.

[Sayana]

She had no music but within her mind she summoned a more mellow tune. She placed the cobra dagger on the table and simply decided to use the two smaller blades. She recalled the moment in which the zith had captured her and realized that it had been too sudden too quick to properly enact on a stage. However… The dancer began to move her blades as if fending off something attacking her from above. She struck left then right at the imaginary attacker and one by one her blades were ‘snatched’ from her and thrown to the floor. Accordingly Sayana also crumpled to the floor. She wasn’t the best at acting and she had no means of knowing how convincing it had been but she slowly got up regardless. She could attempt to go through all the physical actions of her story but would it evoke the right emotions? She tried a couple of other scenes from the tale. Some cut rather deeply in her heart and for those she abstracted them a bit. It was strange to be coming up with specific plans and movements for a dance that she was not currently performing. The dancer worked out a few more moves and focused on her face and how the movement conveyed the emotion. The end result was certainly not all choreographed, however, some of the main elements of the dance she now had an idea about how she would convey them. Perhaps after a bit more practice she’d be able to perform it at the Rearing Stallion. Now what else did the Herald’s Arms represent and envision for its dancing? Ahh… Sayana smiled broadly to herself as she remembered the night of passion she first shared with Aren. Yes, the place was rather well known for its sexual appeal. She started with a chest shimmy almost without thought but then stopped with a frown. Her top was really starting to get worn. She had postponed buying new clothing for at several seasons now and it was beginning to show. She’d have to make a trip to an Elegant Weave soon. She’d have to save that for later. Right now she wanted to try expanding her dances. Instead of focusing solely on her body moments, the dancer began considering the intensions behind her actions. With a sultry smile to a pretend audience she lifted her skirt to show the length of her leg where the long slit was. She then caressed her sides down to her bum and turned to look over her shoulder with a wink. Teasingly she pushed one of the straps on her shirt over her shoulder, giving the illusion that she might decide to take off the top entirely. However with a naughty wag of her finger she pulled the strap back up. The Eypharian couldn’t help but laugh at her own antics. It was different focusing all her efforts to create a seductive appeal, especially when there was no audience.

[Sayana]

There was one last thing she wanted to try before the end of her dance practice session. The Semhu was filled with not only displays of weapon skill but also with unarmed combat. Sayana set aside her things and moved to the more open space of her apartment. Balling all fists together she did a series of six punches: high right, high left, mid right, mid left, and finally low right, low left. Even though she didn’t have a target it still had an appealing look. She tried once more, this time aiming at different places and creating a more dynamic movement overall. Pensively, she thought back to how she was using her zills earlier to emphasize moves. Dashing over, she grabbed the finger cymbals and placed them on her low hands. This time she repeated the exercise with only four arms but at each punch there was an accompanying ting from her zills. She tried to remember what she could of the impressive dance and began mimicking lunges and controlled spins. Without even thinking she attempted a kick, but nearly hurt herself from not being used to such an action. She’d have to work on that. She did it again, much more slowly, and it seemed to work better. She even managed to create an accompanying chime with her finger cymbals. The dancer took a seat at the table and mused over the activities of the morning. She would start expanding her knowledge on dance styles, both through exploration and hopefully with the help of other dancers. She still had yet to meet someone like that, but even simple dances like the country ones at the harvest festival could give her new insights. And if all went well, she’d soon be an appealing candidate for the Herald’s Arms. And if Aren didn’t like it? Well she still had to work out that aspect.

[Nivel]

Sayana : XP Award: Observation 3 Dance 4 Endurance 1 Acrobatics 2 Instrument: Finger cymbals 4 Instrument: Tambourine 3 Musical Composition 1 Weapon: Dagger 1 Duel Wielding 1 Storytelling 1 Acting 1 Seduction 1 Unarmed Combat 1 Planning 2 Lore: Mourning sickness Building a fire The sensual style of the Benshira slave concubines The Semhu dance of Ahnatep Raindancing for Makutsi Dancing with a silk veil Thinking like a Benshira. Joyful, yet limited Tambourines are not drums Combining the sound of Tambourine and Cymbals Emphasizing movements with sound. Notes:Awesome, I hope I gave you enough XP . Additional Comments: If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to message me.