|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Sun Sep 20, 2009 6:29 pm
A silent day, as silent as things had been around the Weyrling Barracks could be after so many of them were trapped, tempted J'oss something awful. He didn't envy those who had been ill and removed to a more secure quarantine, even for their freedom that they had. They ability to wander the area roped off by healers - it had to be liberating.
The senior Weyrling stretched out on his bed, eyes fluttering closed for a moment before they cracked again. He sat up in his cot as though a sudden idea had struck him. Leaping up, he grabbed a few items from around his room, handling them with care. Going out, Ses. The brown stirred from his sleep slightly, but the weyrling was already gone.
As rosy dawn began to paint the horizon, J'oss sat the stool down by the main doors, out of the way, but appreciating the entrance hall. It was built to accommodate dragons, young queens even as they went to their rooms. It took only him to whisper "Well?" for the walls to play with the word, drawing it out. The grin that flitted across his face was the unmistakable mark of triumph.
The blond held his instrument with the same tenderness some might handle a child, aware that it was his only method of freedom, his only link to his past. His callused fingers danced across the strings, pulling out a harmonious chord. As the music was a part of him, so was the memory of her; thoughts of Kela danced in his head and the brownrider pulled a face. No, that chord wasn't right.
The minor chord that followed was the one he had begun thinking of. It echoed back to him with as much certainty as the golden rays seeping over the Weyr. That was Kela - J'oss's fingers began to compose, plucking the strings, silencing them in a dance, alternating between harmony - the first love, as perfect as newfallen snow, his times he had spent with her, growing closer at the Hall - and discord - the pain that remained, the freedom that was stifled that had kept his thoughts away bleeding in his mind until pale lips parted.
He had never been the best singer, and his voice was a little raspy from the lack of use over the last few days (he had spent most of it, miserable, curled up in his room with Sesilarth where he didn't have to talk), but he made due. The words that came were not of them, but the song meant the same.
He did not realize that the silence meant nothing anymore. As he fell deeper in tune with his music, he became oblivious to the fact that as the light outside grew brighter, he grew louder, the crescendo in time with his emotions until a voice in his mind spoke, shattering the feeling. J'ossmine, if you would be so kind as to keep it down to a slight infringement upon my right to sleep, I would appreciate it very much. I can hear you from our abode.
J'oss's eyes snapped open and he silenced the strings, looking to see if anyone had come to complain about the disturbance.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Sep 20, 2009 6:58 pm
Onie and Yokaith
Yokaith was drowsing, but Onie was not. Sitting alone on her cot the young woman felt suddenly alone. The feeling had begun to creep up on her whenever Yokaith was asleep now. Perhaps it was the isolation from the rest of the Weyr, or the fact that she couldn't spend as much time with her foster sibling as she was used to. Whatever it was, this lonliness was very nearly unbearable. She considered for a moment wakening Yokaith but decided against it. The gold looked peaceful in her sleep, far from the fretting, worrying creature that she had become over the last few days. The rumors had circulated, and Yokaith had caught hold. Believing them with a mighty conviction the young dragonling worried constantly for Hers.
Onie rose to her feet, her hands behind her back. Quietly she began to pace the small square that was her room in the barracks. Her heavy skirts made the faintest rustling sound against the stone floor as she moved. Try as she might she just couldn't bear wearing those legging things casually. They would be appropriate for lessons but until then they remained tucked away inside the chest at the end of her bed.
The goldweyrling's lonliness was so bad that she imagined for a moment she heard music. Discordant for just a moment and then suddenly it was wonderful. Oh, it was wonderful. She was happy to close her eyes and let her imagination take her away from the solitude of Yokaith's slumber, but she began to believe that this wasn't her imagination. No, this was a real sound, and there was a voice as well.
Very quietly, very quietly so as not to disturb dragon nor player, Onie cracked her door. When the music continued she pushed the door open just far enough so that she could peer out, looking for the source of the sound. Still she could not see J'oss. With footsteps that weren't really footsteps at all she stepped out into the hallway, squeezing her thin body through the opening as her door creaked terribly. She left it as it was and leaned against the cold wall, listening .. until it stopped.
An involuntary little grunt of frustration was heard from Onie. It was the only sound she had made, and she reddened as it seemed to echo through the hall. She didn't want to intrude, or for the player to think she had been spying on him or her.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Sep 21, 2009 4:23 pm
Music floated into the room. Quiet it was, slowly getting louder. The tail of a little green firelizard twitched. Slowly Quith opened her eyelids. She looked around the room. The green dragon she knew as Tertiath was still sleeping. The girl Quith had Impress not too long ago was still asleep, and the other firelizard, a brown named Capna, was curled up by her head. Quith got up and stretched. Where was that music coming from?
Quietly, she bounded into the air, and betweened to the other side of the door. Down the hallway she flew, over the head of a black-haired girl. The little lizard stayed close to the ceiling, watching, and listening, to the boy she saw. He was singing and playing some sort of instrument. It was nice. She was just about ready to land by him to listen better. Then he stopped.
Landing in front of him, Quith showed her quiet disapproval.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Sep 21, 2009 6:36 pm
The echo of frustration that reached his ears had J'oss starting to worry who he had woken up. Surely, they wouldn't be too cross with him, right? It had been a little harmless music. His hands idly played with the strings, causing a faint noise to echo down the hall, but he silenced them just as quickly as he could, the noise haunting down the hallway.
His heart hammering, he stood, with all intents of making apologies to whoever it was - assuming anyone was there. He would not put it past his mind to have made up the noise if just to distract him. It was tricky like that. The swooping in of a firelizard made him jump slightly, more so that she sounded angry.
The blond stared at the lizard for a solid moment, caught off guard. He gave a small laugh, "Sorry," he apologized to the green. "Here," experimentally, he strummed the harp again, keeping an eye on the firelizard. He would keep it down - the occupant could go back to sleep if they wished. If they wanted an apology from him, they could come seek it out.
Remembering an old dance song he had used to play at Gathers, a grin crossed his face. "Can you dance, little green?" His voice was soft, his fingers quickly picking up in remembrance, the old phantoms of Gathers past dancing in his mind. He could hear the other Harpers beside him, though he imagined that was beyond the small one's capabilities. When he slipped up, his hands protesting the quick pace he was asking them to play, he silenced the harp with a small grimace. "Sorry," he apologized again. Smiling warmly, the pale man asked, "Any requests?" as though the firelizard was another face in another crowd, just as easily able to give an answer as any human.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Sep 21, 2009 7:35 pm
As J'oss started to play again, Quith settled down in front of him. Good. She liked his music. Even if he did sound a little rusty. Things had been so quiet, too quiet even for this quiet green, that the music was a nice change.
The faster strumming of his fingers, and the question he asked her, had the little green swaying from side to side quickly. It looked funny, but she didn't care, the music was what she was here for. When he messed up and silenced the strings, Quith became unhappy again. She wanted more. Then his next question registered in her mind. Immediately she began to hum a few of the bars of the first song she heard.
She flew up beside him and looked at him with pleading eyes. She wanted to hear the first song again.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Sep 22, 2009 2:17 pm
Onie
Onie remained resting against the wall, oblivious to the green firelizard's appearance -- for she was around a very slight bend in the corridor and could not see either J'oss or the green. She could hear them, though. Wondering who J'oss was talking to the tall girl crept forward just a bit until he said "little green". It must have been a firelizard, she reasoned. Certainly a green dragon would not be wandering unaccompanied, and so she would have heard the sounds of human voices greeting one another.
As he played the temptation became too much for the goldweyrling. Very quietly she continued on her trek 'round the bend, coming to a halt as soon as she saw J'oss and Quith. She remained erect and silent, content to watch and listen. She had not heard music since the feast, and it seemed as if that was ages ago. So much had happened since then. Yokaith was already considerably larger, and Onie had begun to see subtle, small changes in herself that were merely the precursors to her eventual development within the Weyr. As small as they were these changes were nevertheless unsettling for one who thought she knew herself completely. There had been no teenage angst for Onie, none of that 'finding myself' business for her. She had always been secure in the knowledge of who and how she was. Now, she wasn't so sure.
The music was a pleasant distraction from the gloom of self analysis and the rumors of the plague. The second tune played as a little too cheery and fast for her tastes, but when he stopped she found herself wishing that he had continued. She folded her arms and leaned her shoulder against the wall, waiting to see if he would play anything else. She did not want to return to her room.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Sep 26, 2009 10:38 am
The green lizard swaying to the music forced his smile to grow. She was smart, wasn't she? He had to give her dues for that. He found the company of the firelizard to be delightful. When she saddened at his stopping, he felt bad for falling out of practice. At least, he thought, he would have plenty of time to correct that in the near future.
Her request made J'oss falter. The notes he had played swam in the back of his mind, ready. It wasn't that he didn't remember the music, it was that he didn't want to mess it up. Stuck on the idea of playing it again, the young man found his hands traveling back to the strings, positioning at where he had started. He felt unsure of himself, but, looking at her, how could he say no?
In the back of his mind, as his hands began to travel the instrument in a similar fashion to what they had before, he became slightly aware that his audience had grown slightly. He figured others mind be getting up, and he was tempted to step back and leave, but, well, a Harper wasn't much without an audience.
The tune flew from his fingers, softly, trying not to cause a commotion and wondering if there was anybody there or not. The paranoia that someone was waiting for him to stop playing with the lizard bothered him. He stopped focusing on the music for a moment to turn his head slightly, enough to see the figure in the corner. It was a junior, given that he didn't know who she was. He had been absorbed with getting Sesilarth ready to flame for his first time to pay much attention to the Hatching and it's aftermath. The brown was horrified that he was going to mess up somehow; J'oss continually assured him that if there was anything in the world that could not be messed up by a dragon (other than queens), it was flaming.
"Hello," he greeted her returning to the firelizard and the music, not to be dismissive, but they were there first. If she had something to say, she could; he wouldn't blame her for griping at him. He continued to play, alternating between watching the firelizard to see if she was satisfied to wondering what had come next. He did not sing along this time; it felt too personal, something he hadn't meant to share with everyone. At least, not yet.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Sep 26, 2009 12:50 pm
Onie and Yokaith
Onie flushed red at his greeting. She had not intended to be noticed, but it seemed presently as if she had not made her escape quickly enough. She stammered a greeting -- probably a mundane hello or some such thing -- and wiped her now sweaty hands on her deeply colored skirts. The situation required something by way of explanation but her embarassment at being caught in the act of eavesdropping (for there was no other way to explain it in her mind) halted her speech.
Finally, she burst out. "I did not mean to intrude," she said. "I was sitting in my cot with Yokaith and I heard music --" she stopped, sighing. Her sigh sounded as if it came from the very tips of her toes, and it encompassed all of the feelings dominating her at the moment -- fear, worry, and restlessness. "It's been so long since I've heard music," she murmured softly.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Sep 26, 2009 1:38 pm
Quith was pleased that he played the first song again, softer though, and without the words. But at least he played. And she'd make sure that he would play more if she was allowed to fly about the barracks freely again.
As he continued to play, she back to sing along, trying to keep in tone with his instrument. Sure she was a quite 'lizard, but singing is something they all did at one time or another. And maybe, if she kept singing, he might sing too, the little green hoped.
When J'oss said 'hello' Quith stopped for a moment to see who he was saying it to. Tilting her head to see, she recognized it to be the girl she had flown over earlier. She chirped a 'hello' too, then went back to singing. Maybe she'll come to sing too?
Quith continued to sing, yet watched Onie try to answer him. This one could use some help too. So the little 'lizard flew up to her shoulder and sang.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Sep 30, 2009 8:33 pm
J'oss listened to her as he played, eventually trusting his own fingers to look back over at her, smiling warmly. The gold's name reminded him of the girl's position, but he offered her no special treatment for such. Her being flustered made him chuckle slightly. Her sigh put him in distress - he did not like when other people were worried, and it made it worse that this... infection was not something he could simply attack. "A Harper is nothing without an audience. I apologize if I woke you." He turned his attention back to his hands for a moment, watching their alien movements across the strings. It felt weird to be doing this again.
The last time he had heard music had been the Gather. For a moment, he remembered the maiden collapsing, the fear flashing through his mind; he recalled fishing for candidates and other Weyrlings amidst the crowds, doing his duty, and eventually returning home. The Harpers there... were they sick with this as well? Did any of his friends from the Crafthall fall ill? Would they? A knot tied itself in his stomach. He hadn't been thinking about it... What about her? His breath hitched in his throat. She could be dead by now and he had no way of knowing.
Shaking his head to clear the thoughts, he sighed lightly, trying not to sound worried, focusing on the notes, the chords, the occasional clashing notes, anything to get his mind off it. "You're welcome to stay, if you like. I don't mind. If you like what you hear. I could use the company, not that little green isn't doing wonderfully."
Indeed, the green did a lot to bring a smile to his face, from the adorable singing to her flitting to Onie. There was some innocence left in the world, some hope for Pern that this was not the end (when you spend your days with a hopeless brown, one finds oneself slipping the way to pessimism).
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
