After her crazy trip to Sunset Falls, Sayana performs a dance for Leena inspired by the wondrous landmark.
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This shining population center is considered the jewel of The Sylira Region. Home of the vast majority of Mizahar's population, Syliras is nestled in a quiet, sprawling valley on the shores of the Suvan Sea. [Lore]
For several days after returning from the trip to Sunset Falls, Sayana choreographed and practiced her dance. It needed to be vibrant and have the energy of the pounding water but it also needed to have some sort of story that the audience could follow along to. Looking back on how the trip had gone she could only focus on all the chaotic drama with feelings and emotions lit up, and the picnic that had been disastrous yet beneficial at the same time. She would not include all this in her dance. The audience needed something simple to grasp and that could be conveyed in an artistic form.
She started by weaving a story. Something that focused on lushness and beauty because that had struck her most about the falls. As thunderous as it was, it was a thing of life, yet it could also take away that life. She shivered as she recalled her incident in the Avitar river and that heart clenching moment when she passed the half-way point when they had forded the rushing water. Yes, as much as Makutsi brought life, she could also bring death.
At last Sayana was ready to go to the glass shop and perform her dance. Part of her was concerned that she would be too late with her entry, having needed the time to perfect her routine, but Orin had said that they’d be accepting entries all spring and that the important part was quality and inspiration. Taking a deep breath, Sayana stepped through the door. She carried with her the usual set of daggers at her hip as well as her finger cymbals, tambourine, and shakers in various hands. She also carried her silken red veil that could be held aloft in her hands to float seamlessly behind her.
Nervously she touched up her lips with red lip pomade and smoothed in some of the face pastes she had put on that morning. Adorning each of her wrists were three copper armbands and a beautiful silver necklace graced her neck. She had considered wearing her long red sleeves but she ended up just coming with her customary red top and skirt.
“I have an artistic performance entitled ‘Falling into the Sunset’,” Sayana announced as she tried to keep her voice steady with articulate sounding words. “Might I clear some space?” The shop was a little bit crowded and despite practicing in her own small apartment she wanted to be sure she wouldn’t bump into anything or run out of room. The Eypharian mentally planned out how much space would be required and also made note to keep her steps a little smaller. It wasn’t ideal but it was better than trying to dance in a crowded street with people getting in the way.
Sayana started off calm and resolute. Her shakers in her belt, tambourine in a low hand and finger cymbals in her high hands. Ching… ching… She let the little cymbals ring out and followed up with a short spin on the spot. “Far away stood a landmark. Tall and mighty. Watched by a silent guard of pines.” She drew her hands up and brought them down pair after pair slowly in front of her face as if she were praying, giving a sense of height and groundedness.
“A bird call here.” Ching-a-ling-a-ling. “A rumble of a bear there.” Pata-pata-bam. Went the tambourine. “The woods were not as still and silent as one might think.” She pulled out her red silken veil and began to move with it trailing lengthwise behind her. Dipping and turning, twisting and churning, her body was one with the flowing cloth as she moved about the small space. “And through it coursed a river that knew no bounds. It pumped life into the land and its power drove it to the sea.” She suddenly gripped the fabric in two hands and pulled it taut, stopping all other movement. “But. It was time to see where this river began.”
The dancer took a moment to tie the silken fabric around her forehead like a bandana and the long pieces of silk trailed down her back. This subtle change gave her a more determined look and her eyes and face matched this. With her fingernails she tapped at the drum of the tambourine. Ca-clop. Ca-clop ca-clop. She galloped in a circle, her head bobbing up and down with each step. In her mid hands were imaginary reins and she once more faced her audience pretending to gallop on the spot. “We rode hard, following this mighty river. It twisted and turned…” Sayana moved from side to side all the while maintaining a steady rhythm on the tambourine. “And the trails were just as harsh as we dodged trees and tried not to get lost.” She mimed ducking around a tree to the left and then to the right.
“And suddenly we could hear it.” With her mid hands she carefully retrieved the shakers from her belt and gave them a gentle shake. “We galloped harder, faster.” She increased the speed of the drumming upon the tambourine and mimed the jostling gait of a horse. With a bit more creative freedom she danced around the small space giving the impression of small twisting trails. Each duck and swerve she emphasized with a ring of her cymbals and ever so slowly the sound of her shakers got louder.
The two lengths of silk streamed behind her as she moved faster and faster. Suddenly, all sound and movement stopped. Her eyes stared down and slowly moved upwards to the sky and back down. “Finally, we had reached the waterfall.”
“And so began the climb.” Ta, ta, ta, ching-ching. Ta, ta, ta, ching-ching. She started up a new rhythm incorporating both her tambourine and the finger cymbals she held. She made exaggerated movements with her feet as if carefully trying to find her footing on a steep trail. “We had to dismount the horses and sometimes we had to go the long way around.” She did a short interlude of dancing with her mid arms grasping high as if climbing something far steeper.
“At last we were at the top of the falls… the top of the world.” She untied the veil from her forehead and spread it out behind her, grasping it with only her mid hands. Taking a step forwards she let the silk billow behind her. She stood still for a moment with only small practiced movements with her hands to keep the silk aloft.
After four small rings of her cymbals she continued. “It was stunning. With the wind in our face and the thunderous water crashing down onto the rocks below, we could see Syna slowly, slowly beginning to set.” The dancer began to spin with the fabric. Slowly at first but steadily getting faster. Even with all the movement she spoke clearly, “And in that moment I felt Syna and Makutsi wrapped up in a heavenly dance. Syna’s ray shone against the sparkling waters of Makutsi and Makutsi’s torrent thundered an applause for Syna’s final bow at the end of the day.”
“And that’s when I heard it, a soft whisper to the water’s edge.” The Eypharian unwrapped herself from the silk and held it low behind her. Step by step she slowly moved forwards. Her high hands reached out one at a time as if drawn in by an invisible force. “Syna’s dance was captivating especially from atop the falls.” She stopped and began to whirl the silken veil about her body. “I was standing on the edge with the water rushing past my legs and the orange rays of light making rainbows in the mist.” She allowed her torso to bend and weave with the motion of the twirling silk creating a chaotic but flowing appearance.
“Where Syna brought life, Makutsi refreshed it. Yet where they could bring life, they could also bring death. And amidst the thunder of water, I leapt.” Sayana first shook her tambourine and shakers hard with her low hands and then mimed diving off the edge of the falls. Hands above her head, veil billowing behind her and spinning spinning spinning as she soared down the falls.
“Falling… falling… into the clutches of Dira and the rocky water below.”
Sayana held her pose on the ground, face to the floor and silken veil covering her haphazardly. After several ticks the dancer finally rose. She disentangled herself from the cloth as gracefully as she could manage and then did a second bow for Leena, the glassblower. “I hear you are willing to compensate those that give you true inspiration. What I wish most would be a window, something installed in the ceiling of my apartment that would let the light of Syna through. Simple or ornate, it would not matter so long as I could see her rays within my own home.”
There was certainly longing in her voice but she was not about to sound desperate or like a beggar. “I would be happy to repeat this dance for yourself or for others, so long as it does not conflict with my work at the Rearing Stallion,” Sayana added for good measure. “However, I will also accept mizas if that is to be the method of compensation.”
There was little else for her to say and the Eypharian waited patiently for an offer of compensation from the glassblower.
To Grader :
This thread is in reference to the Spring 515 calendar event:
19th of Spring - Leena Holbrad, owner of Inner Fire Glass, is in need of inspiration for the New Year. Because she is so busy, she is willing to compensate anyone who is able to capture Syna's setting at Sunset Falls and bring it back to her. This can be done in any art form, including poetry, music, painting/drawing, etc.
Mostly I wanted to put this down now for seasonal experience but if any of the Sunset Falls threads ought to be finished before compensation, let me know.
I asked plume when I started grading what compensation I could give you not knowing about the window request and they said 50 GM. I sent them another message about the window if they agree I’ll send you a message, but you probably can’t have both.
Notes: I went a little weird with some of the points I gave you, I know you didn’t directly make a disguise but I felt like your make up skills will aid you if you ever attempt that. I felt you needed some skill points for your use of the Silk in your dance, also kinda took a chance with the “Spacial awareness” since I’m not sure if thats a Miz skill but I felt it worked.
Additional Comments: If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to message me.
by Sayana on May 20th, 2015, 1:44 am 
