Music in the Dark (Shale)

by **Shale** on June 13th, 2011, 10:26 pm

Shale was quick to try to rationalize her concept. "Consider it for a moment. Someone could be playing the Divine Symphony, here, in Syliras!" She struck the palm of her left hand with a fist.

"It can make anyone sound like a great musician, right? But to do that, it would have to mess with your head, either taking control of the player or affecting those around it." Shale paused to make sure she was still on track. "You have heard the rumors going around about recurring nightmares, right? Well if the Divine Symphony is powerful enough, I imagine it could affect people, even in their sleep."

The Kelvic clapped her hands together, proud of her deduction. "That explains why the nightmares from the reports are musical, always featuring the same notes!" Shale started to pace back and forth in the room, eagerly explaining her idea.

"I had a dream that matches with the accounts I've heard. Afterwards, I even met someone who had gone insane from dreaming it right after I had the nightmare too! and, and... I heard you playing the same notes from my dream when I got here." She looked at him with uncertainty, hoping that she was right. "You've had the dream too right? Those same notes over and over again."

Caught up in her utterances, Shale tried to hum the tune from her nightmare, zealously trying to prove her point.

by **Archon** on June 15th, 2011, 2:35 am

Alphonse listened quietly as Shale spoke, at first appearing pessimistic, but then as she gathered momentum he started to stroke his chin thoughtfully. When she started to pace back and forth he even started to nod in agreement, "Yes, that makes sense!"

He paused when Shale mentioned the notes, a faint hint of a frown appearing on his lips for just a moment, but it quickly vanished as he gave a shake of his head, "No, I've had no such dream. The notes I was playing were from Matthew's notes," he gestured to the written music on the piece of paper, and then stood up, "Still, if those are the same notes that people are having in these dreams then it's clearly a sign we're on the right track!"

As Shale hummed the tune Alphonse nodded energetically, a smile sliding over his lips, "Yes! That's it exactly! So, we know it's here, but the only question that remains is where?" Alphonse turned and looked at the piece of paper on the table, studying it intently for a few moments as if it would simply say the answer to him.

"What of this?" he indicated the long meandering line sporadically marked with various symbols, "Does this make any sense to you? Maybe a map of some sort Matthew made?"

Upon first glance the markings hadn't really revealed much to Shale, but upon a second look it seemed that they couldn't really be a map to anywhere in Syliras. From her experience the passageways in Syliras were all sharp turns and right angles, but this meandering line was all gentle curves.

by **Shale** on June 17th, 2011, 12:32 am

Shale raised an eyebrow. So Matthew even had it mapped out. She leaned closer, how hadn't she noted that earlier? Must have been so caught up with the design...

The Kelvic's eyes narrowed, eyes scanning over the symbols. Was this really a map? Didn't match anything from Syliras. She regretfully took her gaze away from the paper, refocusing on Alphonse. "Are you familiar with Ahnatep?"

by **Archon** on June 20th, 2011, 2:11 pm

Alphonse's look of excitement and eagerness was replaced with confusion at Shale's question, but it seemed he was trusting her to know what she was doing, as after a moment he replied, "Well, I know it a little. I've visited it a few times in the past. It's a very grand place filled with amazing things you won't find anywhere else in Mizahar, even with some of it buried under sand. Why do you ask?"

As Alphonse spoke Shale became aware of two sets of sounds. The first, most prominent, sound was the muffled sound of heavy footsteps from the hall beyond the door that seemed to be slowly coming closer. The second, which was most likely just in her head, was the sound of music. It was ethereal and faint, like what you would hear if it was a long distance away and carried on the wind, but it was unmistakably the same music she had heard in her dream that morning.

This time, with the sound more subdued, Shale could grasp a bit more about it. The sound was like that of a bellows organ, much smoother and fuller than any Shale had heard though, and it was unmistakably playing through the intro to the old song "Rebirth in the Darkness". The voices were even calmed, singing faint words, but they were much too soft for the Kelvic to make any sense of them.

OOCSorry for the delay in getting this reply up, weekend was busier than I expected.

by **Shale** on June 23rd, 2011, 10:48 pm

Shale was about to explain, before her face became a deep grimace and her eyes were as wide as dish-plates. She didn't seem to even hear Alphonse anymore, and right towards the end of his commentary, too. The Kelvic flicked her gaze towards the door. Someone was walking with a heavy thud in the hallway outside.

And the music, it lacked direction, source, so strange compared to the acutely physical noise of plodding footfalls. It was distant, but so similar to the dream. And so much more real. A shiver ran up Shale's spine and she made a noise in surprise. "Bbbbluh! Whoa." She cleared her throat as if recovering from a sudden cough and swapped her ghastly expression for normalcy.

The Kelvic could understand Alphonse's apparent lack of awareness. After all, it's not like he had the hearing of a fox. And by his expression, he probably wasn't hearing any mysterious, haunting music and accompanying choir.

Shale finally took the time to explain her questioning. "Well, Matthew thinks it's there, and this might very-well be a map of Ahnatep." She moved slowly towards the door she had first entered from as she continued, gingerly snagging a slice of lamb off the plate as she passed by it. "I'm, not very familiar with the city. Ahem, excuse me for a moment." She took a bite of the food in her right hand just as she started to open the door with her left.

Shale put on her most nonchalant air and continued with her action.

Those two who had caught her eye downstairs had gotten the entertainer paranoid. Hopefully what awaited her in the hallway wasn't what she tensely expected.

OOCHey, no problem. You're doing very well and it's fitting into my schedule perfectly.

by **Archon** on June 24th, 2011, 2:01 pm

Shale's expression and strange noises caused a faint hint of a frown to appear on Alphonse's lips, but as she explained her thoughts on the strangely marked line his frown disappeared, "That could be it..."

Leaning over the piece of paper Alphonse traced a finger along the line, speaking softly to himself about possibilities of what it could represent. He seemed to pay no attention as Shale opened the door nonchalantly, and revealed the two men she had spotted down in the dinning room.

The imposing, well muscled, man filled most of the door frame, and he regarded Shale with brown eyes that held a faint hint of sadness to them. With him standing within close proximity it was hard for Shale not to be aware that this man was not only thicker than her, thanks to his strong body, but several inches taller as well. The lanky, pale skinned, companion of the man was to the side, in the direction of the stairs, and he had a slight grin on his lips as his red eyes regarded Shale.

Back in the room Alphonse looked up from the paper and then gave a smile, "Ah! Revara and Stew, just in time. Come in and shut the door," Alphonse motioned with his hand and turned his attention back to the paper.

The lanky man slipped his way into the room quickly, moving to a corner of the room, and the larger man followed a moment after. His brown eyes rested on Shale the entire time, and once he was inside the room he slowly, but firmly, shut the door whether Shale released her hold on the door's handle or not.

by **Shale** on June 29th, 2011, 8:15 pm

The Kelvic was about ready to jump out of the nearest window when the two men revealed themselves. Hopefully, no one had caught that slight whimper she gave. With her suspicions mostly turning out to be paranoia, she swallowed the food already in her mouth, having nearly forgotten its presence.

Shale sighed with a deep breath and sauntered back to the practically untouched plate of food, trying to vent the tension that seemed only present from her perspective. The performer made it back to the chair, but did not sit down, as she expected a proper introduction to ensue at any moment.

Matthew always said that the introduction was always vital, and as such, Shale would be found with but a pleasant, calm smile, as if she didn't think of Stew and Revera to be anything but friendly folk.

by **Archon** on July 1st, 2011, 2:49 pm

Alphonse seemed engrossed in the piece of paper for a time, but eventually he looked up and then gave a soft smile to Shale, "Ah, how rude of me. Allow me to introduce all of you. The pale skinned one is Revara," the red eyed man bowed theatrically at Shale as he was introduced, a grin still on his lips as he regarded her, "And the small walking mountain is Stew," the other man, who had taken to resting his back on the door, gave a small nod of his head, "They are my guards and... helpers. They help me get things done when I need to. Obviously," he then gestured to Shale as he glanced at the two men, "This is Shale, the one we came looking for."

"A pleasure to meet you, Shale," Revara's voice held a soft, creeping accent to it as he stepped forward and moved to take Shale's hand, revealing his long and sharp looking black nails, to plant a soft kiss on the top of it, "It seems that Alphonse was mistaken when he spoke of your beauty, as you a far more enchanting than any words he used."

Stew simply remained standing at the door, his brown eyes simply watching the others in the room. Every time they touched on Shale though they seemed to gain just a touch of sadness to them, and then would quickly move on to gaze at something else.

After a few more minutes gazing at the piece of paper Alphonse gave a sigh and then sat down once more, "We're closer, but still don't know where to look. Syliras is not a small city, and I doubt the Knights would just let us wander where we will. Perhaps they even have the Divine Symphony hidden away somewhere in their fortress," sitting back in the chair he turned his gaze to Shale, and gave a faint smile, "Do you have any other thoughts Shale? Any other ideas or mysteries to reveal to help us figure this out?"

by **Shale** on July 2nd, 2011, 11:01 pm

Shale felt her face blushing from Revera as she responded. "Sadly, I was more or less kept in the dark about just what it was that dear Matthew was working on for his grand scheme." She said resignedly and snatched up at the paper. Surely there was something that could hint at how Matthew figured all this information out. Surely he had some sources they could use.

The fact that Alphonse now seemed to think the item was in Syliras was not lost on her.

"All I can really do is say that we should check up on the nightmares that have been haunting people here in Syliras. They seem linked to the Symphony. If we can find out when they started, we could check and ask around for any special shipments that came into Syliras right before that. Probably something heavily escorted, more than usual." Shale raised an eyebrow. "I don't suppose there's a way we could get a list of what went through the gates..."

by **Archon** on July 5th, 2011, 5:17 pm

"Yes, Matthew was rather secretive on this project," a faint tone of anger started to creep into Alphonse's voice, "Rather frustratingly so," he paused a moment, and then turned a smile to Shale and with a more pleasant voice spoke again, "Still, thanks to you we now know at least what city it is in."

Shale's suggestions on what to do next brought a small nod from Alphonse, "Yes, excellent ideas," again Alphonse smiled at Shale, but there was something a little off about this one, a coldness to his eyes, that left it feeling hollow, "Why don't you stay here and eat your meal, the next course will arrive soon, and see if you can get anything else out of the paper. Stew and I will go see what we can find out about the nightmare, and see about getting information about possible shipments."

"Sounds like a plan," Revara said with a slightly disquieting smile, and he moved from his previous position to come up beside Shale and place a pale hand lightly on her right shoulder, "Why don't you sit down and eat a little Shale? We can talk over the note while you eat."

Alphonse gave a nod and moved towards the door, Stew opening it quietly for him, "We'll be back by nightfall," again, he turned that slightly off smile to Shale, "Feel free to order any more food or anything else you need," he then turned his gaze towards Revara, "Revara, behave yourself. Playing can wait until once you're sure the paper has no other secrets."