The First Lesson
This day, the minstrel wasn't wearing his hat. It was left at home. His clothes too, weren't quite as bright as they usually were. A dark blue tunic with some plain cloth pants. No cloak either. The smell of wildflowers had gotten his attention first, due to his sensitive nose. However, a bit of looking around as he approached let him catch sight of a familiar gryphon. He grinned a little to himself and started to wander over to Aeriel. A hand was put into his pocket as he did so.
Aeriel had been lazing about in front of the porch, sprawled out in the sun much like a cat would be. She perked a little bit when she heard another approaching, and even more when spotting a familiar face she liked. With a chirp she moved to her feet, and started to pad towards the minstrel quickly to close up space between them, immediately standing on hind feet to put her paws on his shoulders. Certainly in a playful mood, as always.
He chuckled heartily and reached up to pet Aeriel. "Well, hello there. Behaving today, are we?" A grin. From his pocket, he produced a strip of jerky. "I brought something, just in case we ran into each other." It didn't matter much to Soerl that the gryphon couldn't speak back to him, at least that he knew of. He lifted the jerky up fairly high.
And jerky? Well, that was one of her absolutely favorite things! Beak opened to take it somewhat greedily as she hopped back down, askew wings fluttering in delight. Oh her owner would be annoyed to know she was being so spoiled, but they didn't exactly have to find out, did they? She chirped again, when the jerky was finished, and seemed ready to attack the minstrel with more affection, but a passing butterfly caught her attention. So very cat-like. Tail swished as she turned and trotted, following and sneaking behind the butterfly towards a nearby field.
He had to grin at that. Both hands soon met with their respective pockets as he went up onto the porch. He had the memory of picking potatoes pop into his head as he withdrew his right hand to open the screen door. He knocked solidly on the oak door behind it.
"Coming!" Lydia's muffled voice called out from behind the door, and a few moments later it started to open, revealing the elf. She was dressed in a simple light blue cap sleeve dress that fell to around her knees, and paired with that? Worn, brown boots. They didn't match at all with the dress... but she seemed to not care. "Hey there." Smiling to Soerl, she stepped aside and gestured for him to enter.
"Afternoon." The minstrel smiled as well and stepped inside after Lydia gestured to him. He looked around for a moment and stepped inside far enough to be out of Lydia's way. The gash on the back of his head had been cleaned up well by Poppy. "I noticed your gryphon hadn't run off yet today." Of course, he thought that Aeriel might have after the jerky, but he didn't mention that.
Inside was pretty much par for the course when it came to a person's living room. There was a couple chairs, a couch, and a coffee table. To the right upon entering, was a closed door, and straight ahead was an entryway that lead to the kitchen. A couple pecuiliar drawings done by children hanging on the walls might stand out, as well as the wood-burning stove (currently not in use) in the corner. The phonograph on the table and records scattered around it likely did too, or the fact all the furniture had been pushed to the edges of the room to make a clearing in the middle of the room. Or maybe the little white cat that sat in one of the chairs, intently peering at the minstrel.
"She's being good for a change I guess." Shutting the door, she turned back around to face Soerl. Poppy must have done a good job, because she hadn't noticed anything too off kilter with him just yet, except maybe the lack of the hat he usually wore. "I don't think it'll last long though." Chuckling, she tilted her head curiously. "Did you want something to drink? You eat lunch yet?"
"Maybe a bit of water, if you wouldn't mind." Emerald eyes peered at the white cat for a moment. Sometimes he felt an unusual aggression when seeing a feline. This time he hadn't. It was odd to him, the way the feeling came and went. The drawings caught his attention not long after that. He stepped closer to examine them while speaking. "I hope your day has been pleasant so far."
The drawings were somewhat abstract, especially the way nature was depicted in them. And the sun. Blue and oval? That must have been slightly peculiar... "It has." She nodded. "It's nice, today. Usually is this time of year." Hand was held up in a 'one moment' gesture before she turned to retreat to the kitchen. Not long after, she was returning, glass of water in hand, extended to the minstrel. "What about your day?"
"Thank you." Any opinion of the drawings didn't quite make it to his facial features. He smiled to Lydia after accepting the water. "Ah, it's been... all right, I suppose." He did his best not to leave much of a pause in his answer. His sore back was a reminder of just how well the day had gone so far. "I prefer the warm weather, myself."
Given how down on their luck they've been lately she refrained from prying about his 'all right' day. "Me too. Warm or hot weather doesn't really bother me at all." Which shouldn't be surprising, if she's able to touch fire without burning herself. "It's the winter I don't like. The snow is nice to look at for about a week, but when you can't even touch it?" She shrugged, shaking her head.
"I'd say that'd be a bit annoying. Does it hurt you to touch snow?" He had to wonder, especially after finding out a bit about her control over fire. "The only problem I ever had with it was it made traveling slower than usual. And it was cold, of course." He took a drink of his water and turned to face Lydia more.
She nodded. "Snow, ice, slushies, ice cream. Anything particularly cold like that, yeah. But heat's not a problem." She grinned faintly. "I've heard ice cream is one of the best things out there though, so I'm a little annoyed to be missing out on that." Her gaze shifted aside to a picture on the wall, briefly, then back. "I refrain from travelling much when it's that cold. Usually resort to teleporting more often, so I'm a little more tired than usual in winter time."
He tried to imagine how that might feel. He ended up just shaking his head. "Ice cream is fairly good, but only once in a while." His eyes moved when Lydia's did, but he didn't quite figure out what she had looked at. "Ah, I can understand that. Magic can quickly fatigue." He finished off the water in a large gulp.
"So it's not just me then?" Brows lifted curiously in Soerl's direction. "I've seen so many use magic and it doesn't seem to drain them at all. Yet it's so easy for me to overexert myself with it. I figured I just needed to practice more." She took note of the fact the water was finished quickly, and held her hand out to take the empty. "Did you want a refill?"
"No thank you." A smile. He addressed the questions in reverse order. "I'm not sure how they do it, myself. There was an incident in the Glen a couple of weeks ago. I had to use a spell I didn't really want to. It knocked me unconscious from the fatigue, actually. Luckily, my sister was there at the time."
Lydia listened to him as she set the glass down on the table, opposite from the phonograph and records. She couldn't help but frown faintly, as whenever she used a spell that powerful, it was often because she was left with little choice. "I've done that, from time to time, and usually been lucky enough to have a friend with me when it does." She was curious what could have compelled him to use such strong magic, but decided not to pry.
He nodded a little. "It's not something I like to do. I'm a little lax with what I use my magic for, but I know it isn't really to be trifled with." His eyes followed the progress of the glass and ended up on the phonograph. He'd heard of them before, but he'd never seen one.
Straightening, she turned to wander towards the middle of the room, where the clearing was. "I try not to abuse it either. I've seen what doing that can do..." Shaking her head, she dismissed certain thoughts from her head before smiling. "Were you ready to begin soon?"
"Yes, I'm ready. I didn't get to practice at all really, though. I apologize." He brought his eyes from the phonograph and back to Lydia. No reason to go into the why on that one. So, he just smiled in a meek manner to accompany the apology.
"That's alright. It was so late when we had practiced anyways... So do you remember proper positioning?" She was curious how much he had retained from their 'pre-lesson', and it seemed her cat was too. The feline had sprawled out on the couch by now, lazily watching the two.
"I think so." He had to consider it for a moment. He was pretty sure he remembered. "I might have it reversed." Admitted after a moment. He figured she'd correct him if he did. He held his left arm out, as though he were going to hold onto something and then curled his right arm a bit. He was trying to demonstrate.
"No, you got it right! Very good." Nodding, she stepped forward, reaching out to take his left hand with her right, and settled her own left hand on his shoulder. "And do you remember the steps?"
This is the part where he has to think. Which came first? The engage or the disengage? His expression might have betrayed his line of thought. "Engage first, right?" And he moved his right foot forward slowly.
"That's right, yeah." And she started stepping back with her left foot. "See? You're a natural at this." And when the step was complete, she started to step aside, seeing if he could follow.
His delay in following Lydia to the side was only minor, but it was still there. He moved with her and turned a bit as he went. "I'm just glad I'm not tripping either of us. That'd be enough of a victory." He chuckled quietly.
"There's still plenty of time for that later." She grinned, almost cheekily, before stepping forward with her left foot. Her pace was increasing, just a little, to a more natural flow. She was pretty confident he'd be able to keep up, and it wouldn't be long before he mastered the basic waltz steps.
Another chuckle at the sight of her grin. "That sounds promising. The day's never complete without a failed feat of agility." He did a fairly good job of keeping up with Lydia's movements. He brought his right foot backward.
((Edited from Live RP.))
This day, the minstrel wasn't wearing his hat. It was left at home. His clothes too, weren't quite as bright as they usually were. A dark blue tunic with some plain cloth pants. No cloak either. The smell of wildflowers had gotten his attention first, due to his sensitive nose. However, a bit of looking around as he approached let him catch sight of a familiar gryphon. He grinned a little to himself and started to wander over to Aeriel. A hand was put into his pocket as he did so.
Aeriel had been lazing about in front of the porch, sprawled out in the sun much like a cat would be. She perked a little bit when she heard another approaching, and even more when spotting a familiar face she liked. With a chirp she moved to her feet, and started to pad towards the minstrel quickly to close up space between them, immediately standing on hind feet to put her paws on his shoulders. Certainly in a playful mood, as always.
He chuckled heartily and reached up to pet Aeriel. "Well, hello there. Behaving today, are we?" A grin. From his pocket, he produced a strip of jerky. "I brought something, just in case we ran into each other." It didn't matter much to Soerl that the gryphon couldn't speak back to him, at least that he knew of. He lifted the jerky up fairly high.
And jerky? Well, that was one of her absolutely favorite things! Beak opened to take it somewhat greedily as she hopped back down, askew wings fluttering in delight. Oh her owner would be annoyed to know she was being so spoiled, but they didn't exactly have to find out, did they? She chirped again, when the jerky was finished, and seemed ready to attack the minstrel with more affection, but a passing butterfly caught her attention. So very cat-like. Tail swished as she turned and trotted, following and sneaking behind the butterfly towards a nearby field.
He had to grin at that. Both hands soon met with their respective pockets as he went up onto the porch. He had the memory of picking potatoes pop into his head as he withdrew his right hand to open the screen door. He knocked solidly on the oak door behind it.
"Coming!" Lydia's muffled voice called out from behind the door, and a few moments later it started to open, revealing the elf. She was dressed in a simple light blue cap sleeve dress that fell to around her knees, and paired with that? Worn, brown boots. They didn't match at all with the dress... but she seemed to not care. "Hey there." Smiling to Soerl, she stepped aside and gestured for him to enter.
"Afternoon." The minstrel smiled as well and stepped inside after Lydia gestured to him. He looked around for a moment and stepped inside far enough to be out of Lydia's way. The gash on the back of his head had been cleaned up well by Poppy. "I noticed your gryphon hadn't run off yet today." Of course, he thought that Aeriel might have after the jerky, but he didn't mention that.
Inside was pretty much par for the course when it came to a person's living room. There was a couple chairs, a couch, and a coffee table. To the right upon entering, was a closed door, and straight ahead was an entryway that lead to the kitchen. A couple pecuiliar drawings done by children hanging on the walls might stand out, as well as the wood-burning stove (currently not in use) in the corner. The phonograph on the table and records scattered around it likely did too, or the fact all the furniture had been pushed to the edges of the room to make a clearing in the middle of the room. Or maybe the little white cat that sat in one of the chairs, intently peering at the minstrel.
"She's being good for a change I guess." Shutting the door, she turned back around to face Soerl. Poppy must have done a good job, because she hadn't noticed anything too off kilter with him just yet, except maybe the lack of the hat he usually wore. "I don't think it'll last long though." Chuckling, she tilted her head curiously. "Did you want something to drink? You eat lunch yet?"
"Maybe a bit of water, if you wouldn't mind." Emerald eyes peered at the white cat for a moment. Sometimes he felt an unusual aggression when seeing a feline. This time he hadn't. It was odd to him, the way the feeling came and went. The drawings caught his attention not long after that. He stepped closer to examine them while speaking. "I hope your day has been pleasant so far."
The drawings were somewhat abstract, especially the way nature was depicted in them. And the sun. Blue and oval? That must have been slightly peculiar... "It has." She nodded. "It's nice, today. Usually is this time of year." Hand was held up in a 'one moment' gesture before she turned to retreat to the kitchen. Not long after, she was returning, glass of water in hand, extended to the minstrel. "What about your day?"
"Thank you." Any opinion of the drawings didn't quite make it to his facial features. He smiled to Lydia after accepting the water. "Ah, it's been... all right, I suppose." He did his best not to leave much of a pause in his answer. His sore back was a reminder of just how well the day had gone so far. "I prefer the warm weather, myself."
Given how down on their luck they've been lately she refrained from prying about his 'all right' day. "Me too. Warm or hot weather doesn't really bother me at all." Which shouldn't be surprising, if she's able to touch fire without burning herself. "It's the winter I don't like. The snow is nice to look at for about a week, but when you can't even touch it?" She shrugged, shaking her head.
"I'd say that'd be a bit annoying. Does it hurt you to touch snow?" He had to wonder, especially after finding out a bit about her control over fire. "The only problem I ever had with it was it made traveling slower than usual. And it was cold, of course." He took a drink of his water and turned to face Lydia more.
She nodded. "Snow, ice, slushies, ice cream. Anything particularly cold like that, yeah. But heat's not a problem." She grinned faintly. "I've heard ice cream is one of the best things out there though, so I'm a little annoyed to be missing out on that." Her gaze shifted aside to a picture on the wall, briefly, then back. "I refrain from travelling much when it's that cold. Usually resort to teleporting more often, so I'm a little more tired than usual in winter time."
He tried to imagine how that might feel. He ended up just shaking his head. "Ice cream is fairly good, but only once in a while." His eyes moved when Lydia's did, but he didn't quite figure out what she had looked at. "Ah, I can understand that. Magic can quickly fatigue." He finished off the water in a large gulp.
"So it's not just me then?" Brows lifted curiously in Soerl's direction. "I've seen so many use magic and it doesn't seem to drain them at all. Yet it's so easy for me to overexert myself with it. I figured I just needed to practice more." She took note of the fact the water was finished quickly, and held her hand out to take the empty. "Did you want a refill?"
"No thank you." A smile. He addressed the questions in reverse order. "I'm not sure how they do it, myself. There was an incident in the Glen a couple of weeks ago. I had to use a spell I didn't really want to. It knocked me unconscious from the fatigue, actually. Luckily, my sister was there at the time."
Lydia listened to him as she set the glass down on the table, opposite from the phonograph and records. She couldn't help but frown faintly, as whenever she used a spell that powerful, it was often because she was left with little choice. "I've done that, from time to time, and usually been lucky enough to have a friend with me when it does." She was curious what could have compelled him to use such strong magic, but decided not to pry.
He nodded a little. "It's not something I like to do. I'm a little lax with what I use my magic for, but I know it isn't really to be trifled with." His eyes followed the progress of the glass and ended up on the phonograph. He'd heard of them before, but he'd never seen one.
Straightening, she turned to wander towards the middle of the room, where the clearing was. "I try not to abuse it either. I've seen what doing that can do..." Shaking her head, she dismissed certain thoughts from her head before smiling. "Were you ready to begin soon?"
"Yes, I'm ready. I didn't get to practice at all really, though. I apologize." He brought his eyes from the phonograph and back to Lydia. No reason to go into the why on that one. So, he just smiled in a meek manner to accompany the apology.
"That's alright. It was so late when we had practiced anyways... So do you remember proper positioning?" She was curious how much he had retained from their 'pre-lesson', and it seemed her cat was too. The feline had sprawled out on the couch by now, lazily watching the two.
"I think so." He had to consider it for a moment. He was pretty sure he remembered. "I might have it reversed." Admitted after a moment. He figured she'd correct him if he did. He held his left arm out, as though he were going to hold onto something and then curled his right arm a bit. He was trying to demonstrate.
"No, you got it right! Very good." Nodding, she stepped forward, reaching out to take his left hand with her right, and settled her own left hand on his shoulder. "And do you remember the steps?"
This is the part where he has to think. Which came first? The engage or the disengage? His expression might have betrayed his line of thought. "Engage first, right?" And he moved his right foot forward slowly.
"That's right, yeah." And she started stepping back with her left foot. "See? You're a natural at this." And when the step was complete, she started to step aside, seeing if he could follow.
His delay in following Lydia to the side was only minor, but it was still there. He moved with her and turned a bit as he went. "I'm just glad I'm not tripping either of us. That'd be enough of a victory." He chuckled quietly.
"There's still plenty of time for that later." She grinned, almost cheekily, before stepping forward with her left foot. Her pace was increasing, just a little, to a more natural flow. She was pretty confident he'd be able to keep up, and it wouldn't be long before he mastered the basic waltz steps.
Another chuckle at the sight of her grin. "That sounds promising. The day's never complete without a failed feat of agility." He did a fairly good job of keeping up with Lydia's movements. He brought his right foot backward.
((Edited from Live RP.))