A rush of ocean breeze blows with it this one looking more like she should be walking along the beach, hair tossed, feet bare, and if you look closely they seem to leave silouttes of footprints in her wake....sand" seawater"....she wanders without seeking, yet always with wonder.
The place seems empty. She smiles and skips over to one darkened corner. She sits before a piano. Really' Has it always been there, hiding in the dark, or did some magic of her own arrival make it appear" Hands lift to delicately touch fingers to ivory, in the position of one who knows the instrument well. A rift of the treble keys, the sound like seashells clinking together gently by the wind that tangles their lines together and makes them collide, she looks over her shoulder to see if anyone should object, or even be present.
Seeing no one, she lifts her other hand and begins to play a melody that floats upon the air, from the piano strings, light and breezy, like the sea that rolls a gentle wave toward the shore, nothing anyone whould have heard before, but a sweet yet haunting tune of a different time, a different race, melancholy and reminescently sad of a sort, her body bending this way and that over the keys as she plays.
The wolf strolled casually through the door, his hood down to reveal his pointed, furry ears and the dark fur that covered his head like another layer of flesh. His tail wagged happily whilst he showed a beaming smile to those he passed, nodding politely, and sat by the bar, another bottle floating to his hand in a instant from the rack behind the counter.
Lost in the music, the corner in which she plays the piano is no longer dark, but growing lighter with the notes played, not that she notices, she just plays on and on, the melody in treble, the harmony in bass, the fingers touching the ivory so lightly and producing the notes that float out from the instrument on the wind, carried to the room and beyond.
The wolf closed his eyes and tapped the fingers of each paw, one on the bottle and the other on the counter's hard, wooden top, humming along with the tune as best as he could, smiling happily.
The sound crescendo's and then falls back into a sweet lull of soothing, notes that compliment and wind around each other in the air as they travel to the ear, and ends with a final flourish of high octave notes like a child's music box tune. Hands lift and pause in the air over the finally played keys, then drop to her lap as she drinks in the fading sound, feeling it in her heart, letting it linger in her soul, still unaware of anyone else being present or not.
Crowe began slapping the counter lightly with the bottom of his paw, in time with the lovely tune, and began whistling alongside the piano's chorus, almost drowned out by the musician's skill on the instrument; who looking carefully at now turned, looked strangely familiar....
Elete and sensitive ears brought to her the sound of something not of the piano's making, she turned on the bench to see, and jumped up, running lightly over to him, a smile of dazzling brightness for him, a hug of gentle gladness. "Crowe! How glad I am to see you again! Its Rande, Darius' friend! How do you fare these days" And your lady love?" A gush of words tripping one over the other in her rush to greet him.
He smiled, returning the hug and replied, rubbing the back of his head, "It's been a while and I've been good, Darius has been a good master...so far," chuckling, "...and me and my wife Eclipse are good together," whispering in her ear, his smile growing, "She's pregnant now as well," placing a gentle paw on her shoulder, "What about you? You were amazing by the way."
Clearly astonished, but pleased for him. "Married and to be a father" I hope you ar ready for that!" A laugh as she blushed at his words of praise. "I claim no talent it is the Mother who gives all to me. She sings her beauty through however I can give voice or play to her songs. But I thank you. I have not seen Darius is a little bit, but we too have married." A shadow crossed her face, she worried for Darius and his future, but it was not hers to share, and soon she smiled to Crowe yet again. "When does your child come?" A rush of chilly bumps up her arms that she rubbed at, wondering of why they came, but he concentrated on Crowe and chose not to look about for the origin of the disturbance.
He saw the worry on her face, and thought of asking her if it was what he thought but quickly silenced the thought and replied, "Oh, I expect the child to be due in 7 months, they also could be twins y'know?"
"Twins! You will have to hire a nanny. Either that or give up the wielding of your sword and take up the art of diapering instead." She jostled him companionably. She looked like she had just stepped in off the beach, a gauzy coverup over a white bikini, bare feet, too late realizing her hair must be a mess, she combed her fingers through it in a failed effort to be presentable and wrapped a tie around it at the nape of her neck. A little grin as she asked Crowe. "So where is Eclipse, she let you out to wander around without her today?"
"She's home, just had some morning sickness, she lets me off the leash from time to time," laughing.
" I don't know about taking Elcipse something home to cure her morning sickness, but maybe you shouldn
He chuckled at Rande's enthusiasm and replied, "You're right, know any good jewelry stores?"
Laughing at Crowe's question, she winked at him. "I might." A hand spread out across the bar in front of him a silk scarf, deftly untied, to reveal a selection of such....pearl bracelet...a pearl pendant on a silver chain...pearl studs and another pair of danling earrlings....and a full beaded necklace. All beautiful in the soft white of nature's lving gem. "How do these look to you, my friend" I have an idea. They are yours....and Eclipse's....as a belated wedding gift. I insist." He could oogle them then she would wrap them all up in the silk and hand him the little bag.
He widened his eyes in shock at the beauty of the pearl necklace, rubbing his paw softly over it, he flustered slightly until he managed to say, "These are wonderful! She'll love em!" He quickly moved forward and hugged her, "I am eternally grateful, so will my wife," he held the baf tightly and bowed low in appreciation.
"You both are welcome! It will help my business, people admire Eclipse's jewelry and she gets to say she has such a thoughtful husband and you get to say, you got them from the pearl merchant in the marketplace, and I get customers!! Everybody's happy! Now if you see Darius about, tell him to come find me, and I'll give him a present, too! I won some lovely elven knifes aat the raffle. Only don't tell him what!" She wanted that much to be a surprise.
He chuckled, thinking of Darius, "He sure does love his weapons, I'm sure he'll enjoy them and be glad he has someone as wonderful as you."
"I hope they will like him, too. Elven knives you know. They have to respect and appreciate their masters, in order to properly use their great magic. If they don't it can be quite disasterous. But Darius.....being Darius....I think they will understand he is so much more on the inside than what he appears on the outside. " Said with the wisdom of an elf, who knew more about elven forged weapons than she might initially reveal.
He nodded, frowning, "And I've seen what has been happening to him," he placed a firm paw on her shoulder, whispering as he stared into her eyes, "I know, he will be glad to spend his remaining time with you, of all people."
His remaining time. She hadn't really thought of it that way. She believed what Darius told her, lock stock and barrel, and didn't question it. She looked at Crowe a moment, then quietly said. "Love reaches beyond the boundaries that we think we know of. I believe in love. And I have to believe in what Darius has told me. He might be going...but not forever. He might one day soon be gone....but he will return. Its just something I have to believe." A sad smile to him, she would not think of it in another way. Darius would always be with her.
He nodded, "Still I shall miss him, he has been a great friend and master," showing a small, comforting smile, "He did say how he would return as those horse-creatures, one of which he possesses, so yes, he shall return into something magnifisent."
She gave a start, and stared at Crowe. "He. What' " Uh oh, Darius had left that part out, or maybe they just hadn't gotten there in their conversations yet. "He won't come back as....him?"
He shrugged, "That I don't know, I don't know if he shall or not, death is a complicated business, reincarnation is worse."
((Adapted from the live play of Crowe and Rande))
Lost in the music, the corner in which she plays the piano is no longer dark, but growing lighter with the notes played, not that she notices, she just plays on and on, the melody in treble, the harmony in bass, the fingers touching the ivory so lightly and producing the notes that float out from the instrument on the wind, carried to the room and beyond.
The wolf closed his eyes and tapped the fingers of each paw, one on the bottle and the other on the counter's hard, wooden top, humming along with the tune as best as he could, smiling happily.
The sound crescendo's and then falls back into a sweet lull of soothing, notes that compliment and wind around each other in the air as they travel to the ear, and ends with a final flourish of high octave notes like a child's music box tune. Hands lift and pause in the air over the finally played keys, then drop to her lap as she drinks in the fading sound, feeling it in her heart, letting it linger in her soul, still unaware of anyone else being present or not.
Crowe began slapping the counter lightly with the bottom of his paw, in time with the lovely tune, and began whistling alongside the piano's chorus, almost drowned out by the musician's skill on the instrument; who looking carefully at now turned, looked strangely familiar....
Elete and sensitive ears brought to her the sound of something not of the piano's making, she turned on the bench to see, and jumped up, running lightly over to him, a smile of dazzling brightness for him, a hug of gentle gladness. "Crowe! How glad I am to see you again! Its Rande, Darius' friend! How do you fare these days" And your lady love?" A gush of words tripping one over the other in her rush to greet him.
He smiled, returning the hug and replied, rubbing the back of his head, "It's been a while and I've been good, Darius has been a good master...so far," chuckling, "...and me and my wife Eclipse are good together," whispering in her ear, his smile growing, "She's pregnant now as well," placing a gentle paw on her shoulder, "What about you? You were amazing by the way."
Clearly astonished, but pleased for him. "Married and to be a father" I hope you ar ready for that!" A laugh as she blushed at his words of praise. "I claim no talent it is the Mother who gives all to me. She sings her beauty through however I can give voice or play to her songs. But I thank you. I have not seen Darius is a little bit, but we too have married." A shadow crossed her face, she worried for Darius and his future, but it was not hers to share, and soon she smiled to Crowe yet again. "When does your child come?" A rush of chilly bumps up her arms that she rubbed at, wondering of why they came, but he concentrated on Crowe and chose not to look about for the origin of the disturbance.
He saw the worry on her face, and thought of asking her if it was what he thought but quickly silenced the thought and replied, "Oh, I expect the child to be due in 7 months, they also could be twins y'know?"
"Twins! You will have to hire a nanny. Either that or give up the wielding of your sword and take up the art of diapering instead." She jostled him companionably. She looked like she had just stepped in off the beach, a gauzy coverup over a white bikini, bare feet, too late realizing her hair must be a mess, she combed her fingers through it in a failed effort to be presentable and wrapped a tie around it at the nape of her neck. A little grin as she asked Crowe. "So where is Eclipse, she let you out to wander around without her today?"
"She's home, just had some morning sickness, she lets me off the leash from time to time," laughing.
" I don't know about taking Elcipse something home to cure her morning sickness, but maybe you shouldn
He chuckled at Rande's enthusiasm and replied, "You're right, know any good jewelry stores?"
Laughing at Crowe's question, she winked at him. "I might." A hand spread out across the bar in front of him a silk scarf, deftly untied, to reveal a selection of such....pearl bracelet...a pearl pendant on a silver chain...pearl studs and another pair of danling earrlings....and a full beaded necklace. All beautiful in the soft white of nature's lving gem. "How do these look to you, my friend" I have an idea. They are yours....and Eclipse's....as a belated wedding gift. I insist." He could oogle them then she would wrap them all up in the silk and hand him the little bag.
He widened his eyes in shock at the beauty of the pearl necklace, rubbing his paw softly over it, he flustered slightly until he managed to say, "These are wonderful! She'll love em!" He quickly moved forward and hugged her, "I am eternally grateful, so will my wife," he held the baf tightly and bowed low in appreciation.
"You both are welcome! It will help my business, people admire Eclipse's jewelry and she gets to say she has such a thoughtful husband and you get to say, you got them from the pearl merchant in the marketplace, and I get customers!! Everybody's happy! Now if you see Darius about, tell him to come find me, and I'll give him a present, too! I won some lovely elven knifes aat the raffle. Only don't tell him what!" She wanted that much to be a surprise.
He chuckled, thinking of Darius, "He sure does love his weapons, I'm sure he'll enjoy them and be glad he has someone as wonderful as you."
"I hope they will like him, too. Elven knives you know. They have to respect and appreciate their masters, in order to properly use their great magic. If they don't it can be quite disasterous. But Darius.....being Darius....I think they will understand he is so much more on the inside than what he appears on the outside. " Said with the wisdom of an elf, who knew more about elven forged weapons than she might initially reveal.
He nodded, frowning, "And I've seen what has been happening to him," he placed a firm paw on her shoulder, whispering as he stared into her eyes, "I know, he will be glad to spend his remaining time with you, of all people."
His remaining time. She hadn't really thought of it that way. She believed what Darius told her, lock stock and barrel, and didn't question it. She looked at Crowe a moment, then quietly said. "Love reaches beyond the boundaries that we think we know of. I believe in love. And I have to believe in what Darius has told me. He might be going...but not forever. He might one day soon be gone....but he will return. Its just something I have to believe." A sad smile to him, she would not think of it in another way. Darius would always be with her.
He nodded, "Still I shall miss him, he has been a great friend and master," showing a small, comforting smile, "He did say how he would return as those horse-creatures, one of which he possesses, so yes, he shall return into something magnifisent."
She gave a start, and stared at Crowe. "He. What' " Uh oh, Darius had left that part out, or maybe they just hadn't gotten there in their conversations yet. "He won't come back as....him?"
He shrugged, "That I don't know, I don't know if he shall or not, death is a complicated business, reincarnation is worse."
((Adapted from the live play of Crowe and Rande))