Street Music (Open)

[Deleted]

Aubree made her way gingerly through the crowded streets, trying to find her own little niche where she could set up. Her silvery hair cascaded down her shoulders, the light breeze picking up a strand or two and flipping them forward into her face, but she paid no attention. Instead, she was intent on keeping her gold-toned mandolin in one hand and her skirts in the other. She dared not let either of them go just to brush a few locks of hair from her face. One was her source of income and the other would get filthy. Well, to be honest, they'd both get filthy if she let them drag through the streets. But truth be told, the mandolin was easier to clean.

Her white eyes settled on a relatively quiet area, the gold flecks within almost seeming to dance as her lips curled upward. She liked the fact that she had enough room and silence to set up and she knew that once she started playing, she'd be able to draw people in. She worked her way over to the spot, her flat soled shoes lightly tapping the stone as she moved. As stone gave way to hardened dirt, she settled in, setting a tin out for donations and lifting the mandolin to place before her chest. She let her fingers pluck each individual string, making sure it was still in tune before she began. The instrument began to sing a light, yet somber melody and it wasn't long before the area around her grew quiet enough for her to begin singing.

"Darkness lies around him
and watches with dark eyes
whispering suggestions
suggesting lovely lies

The smoothest path is downward
the uphill path is rough
faith is but a tiny light
but faith is light enough

A man walks in darkness
he says his eyes are bright
he cannot see his blindness
and his eyes are wide with fright

He says his heart will lead him
but his heart is dark inside
a light once sputtered there
but even that has died."

She continued singing, repeating the chorus (second verse) a couple more times. Her voice quieted in the end, finishing the song in almost a whisper as the crowd had grown silent to listen to the flaxen-haired elf sing with her mandolin playing the sullen melody. ((OOC: I was too lazy to come up with my own poem, so I got this from pintrest lol))

[Xander Amzina]

Xander walked through the streets curiously. He wasn't quite sure how long he had been in this city after meeting with the satyr Iris, who brought him here. Whenever the night came he found himself so lost in the dark, as if the light would never return. He was terrified of it, as if, just like the time before his 'life' here, he wondered when the darkness returned tonight, would it envelope him forever? Xander continued to walk, and a small smile adorned on his face slowly faded as the crowds began to make him feel less and less alive, surprisingly enough to make the warmth of the sun uninteresting. Xander's attitude was much different as people bumped into him without a care, he had not spent much time around large groups of people, but from what he could tell they quickly seemed to treat each other as 'less than human' within a larger city, or at least it felt that way.


It was hard to miss, people avoiding each other, ignoring those In help. He wondered exactly what the future would hold for large cities like this one, would the people continue to grow away from each other? Or would they be driven closer in the smaller area? He groaned, feeling surprisingly cold in the large group, especially with the buildings casting a good amount of shadows, which made it harder to keep the sun bathing in his skin.


Xander made his way avoiding the large groups of people scattered about, finding himself a quieter location. He stopped, standing in the sun, finding a nice spot to sun-bathe. He breathed lightly, letting the melody of his own breath lull him into a sense of happiness. To an outsider, perhaps his actions seems different, awkward, weird. However, for Xander, his odd actions were based on logic, and were a must need for his mental health.


Xander paused, his heart felt like it was going to burst. Music always had a profound way of getting to him, when he heard the melodies of an experienced Mandolin player. A smile crept upon his face, he hadn't felt quite alive for a while now, as someone with a lot of energy had just left him, leaving him slightly filled with sadness. It was a great uplifting feeling, even if the music wasn't necessarily happy 'feeling' music.


Xander rushed to the source of the music, and found something which related to him more than he thought he'd ever find in a song, or poem. 

Her words poured into his soul, and shredded apart whatever 'heart' remained in his shell of a body. The sounds that had made him feel so alive, and reverberated through his body, made him happy, but the words, which he could so easily relate to, only reminded him of the path he had set himself on.


Xander found himself standing there, confused at this woman's song. It was all so lovely, yet all so terrifying at the same time. He reached his hand on his chest, where his once beating heart still thrived. "A light once sputtered there, but even that had died." Xander repeated the wording, feeling the words truly touch him.


It may have been a mixture of feelings for him, but this woman had certainly touched his soul in a way he had never felt possible. Through her music, of course. He looked up, his eyes meeting the musician's really for the first time. Xander had not paid any attention to her, he was so engrossed in her performance, he really didn't care.  

[Deleted]

Aubree's eyes had been scanning the crowd during her song, every so often closing as she fell into the melody. As she finished, she spotted the male who had touched his own chest. He seemed to be saddened but almost enthralled at her performance. The applause from her performance brought a smile to her lips and she searched her mind for another song. She never really liked to put together a set list, but took in the response of whatever crowd she drew to tell her what song to play next. As she settled on one, in particular, her fingers began to strum again.

The melody was airy, almost morose. The majority of this song was played on the mandolin, with few words. The final syllable of every line was drawn out, her voice as light and airy as the melody as she began singing, pausing between every other line to give another instrumental display:

Darkness surrounds
It feeds

Hearts unbound
They need

Light resounds
Replaced by greed

As was ground
A bitter seed

She ended her song with another mandolin solo, plucking the strings lightly with her lithe fingers. They danced across the strings and she found herself swaying with the music. She let herself be caught within as her gold-flecked eyes closed once more. She loved the feeling she got when she played...when all eyes were on her. 

As her song drew to a close, she opened her eyes once more, scanning her audience for the emotional response to her song. Silently she hoped that she'd judged her audience correctly. She was already working on finding a new song in her mind. She had two come forth and reading the people would tell her which one would work best.

Her ashen hair flipped behind her as a breeze came through, showing off the circlet and choker she wore. Her pointed ears peeked through the pale locks as she continued strumming her instrument idly, the melody still light and airy.

[Deleted]

A warm breeze; a warm …smelly breeze. Well with her heightened sense of smell, the country side appealed to her more and more each day. However the market had its own charm; the hustle and bustle reminding her of the streets she grew up on. Dodging feet here, dodging feet there, ducking out of guards sights. The maze of streets; there was a certain nostalgic charm about it for her. However her lot in life certainly was now a far cry from back then. Now when she walked the streets, she would get bowed to by guards who knew of her noble standing; people would part. Not do to her status so much as do to the growing drake that was fallowing closely behind her. After all who needed a guard when you had a large fire breathing lizard? Noky certainly had grown quite a bit in a year’s time; his back reaching her shoulder now; he made an impressive figure not even full grown. His scales were as black as ebony, and his sharp golden gaze spoke of intelligence. He wore a finely crafted leather riding saddle, specifically made for him; though Aria did not ride him yet. He was still getting use to the bindings; which would grow with him. For now it was good for him to get use to moving around in it.

Aria since she was out in a heavily populate area was dressed as expected of someone of her status. Her hair was brushed and tamed somewhat; pulled back in to a messy bun with a french braid. A decorative comb stood out against her red locks, decorated with seashells turquoise and pearls. Her dress was a halter strap neckline, with a crisscross pattern across her bosom. The material being a light pastel blue green with a white and pastel pink tribal pattern. The waist line was defined by the fabric wrapping around horizontally. The skirt of the dress was long and flowing in three tiers, the first tier being the same fabric ended at her knees, the second was an opaque light pink fabric that ended at her shins, while finally the same fabric of the majority of the last skirt made the bottom tier which ended at her ankles. The skirt was bell shaped, however loose and breezy. It was a good dress for the heat of the market place. Her feet were covered by straw sandals, made from beach grass woven tightly together.

Aria wore some jewelry today; a few silver bangles, which were an odd pairing next to the black dagger tattoo that was clearly present on her forearm. A decorative belt inlaid with pearl hung off her waist, and on it a decorative but fully functional dagger sat in its sheath. A gift from her dear friend Lilith. Last was an odd sort of necklace hanging from a silver chain. On the chain there was a round glass vial filled with water, sand, tiny shells, and last but not least a small starfish.

As she walked through the market place, a lovely sound reached her ears; drawing her closer to the center of the marketplace. Such a lovely sound; it made her curious to whom played such pretty music. Aria stopped not too far away, to observe an elf playing a mandolin. A small smile gracing her features as she listened to the somber toon. Really it was pretty, but for a summer day, in the hustle and bustle it seemed….unfitting. But it was pretty non the less. Aria reached into a bag that hung off of Nokys saddle, taking out a gold coin or two. After all if she was good enough to make you stop and listen, it was only appropriate to toss coin her way. So that was what Aria did, she tossed a couple of coins into the tin that sat by the elf. ”Truly lovely”

[Xander Amzina]

Xander looked curiously at the musician, although his focus quickly shifted as money was tossed in her direction. A somber look appeared on his face. That's right, it was a good gesture to send something her way. What did Xander have to give?


The red haired woman caught his attention, forgetting about what he felt he owed to the musician. The red haired woman was certainly intriguing, attractive, but more importantly, intriguing. He took note of her 'companion' and made no attempts to hide his stares, which made it look as though he was a man completely entranced by the beauty of the noblewoman. Xander really had no idea how to properly blend into society yet really, and had no idea what he was doing could be viewed poorly.

His eyes adjusted back to the musician. What did he have for her performance? He could not give money..

Xander looked frustrated, and then ultimately began to look more somber.

None of this mattered anyways, because when the darkness returned he would be entrenched in so much fear, he was sure he would forget the musician altogether, but at least her song would stick.

[Deleted]

Now that she had begun to draw a crowd and a few had even given her coin, Bree saw that the people were growing interested in her lyrics. She smiled at the redheaded woman and nodded her thanks to her as she began to strum a happier, uplifting beat on her mandolin. She called on her Charmed Voice to lace it into every word of her next song as she began singing:

Take a moment
Once in a while
And pause to breathe,
Reflect, and smile.

Remember yourself
And look around.
Feel the sun on your face,
Your feet on the ground.

Lift your face up.
Examine the sky.
Dance in the rain.
Watch dragons fly.

Make meaning from silence.
Let words lift your soul.
Explore every facet
Of your wonderful whole.

Take a moment
To count your wins.
Share Blueviolets Skies.
Drink it all in.

She let the song trail off, releasing her hold on the words. She knew her ability would affect people differently. Some would feel the joy of the words, others would be calmed by them. And although the words themselves tended to bring happiness without her ability attached, some would be affected by her Charmed Voice in a more...excited way. Of course, she had no power over the type of excitement these people felt, she hoped the words themselves would keep the more negative excitement at bay. As she finished her song, she continued strumming slowly, yet sweetly on her instrument, once again judging her impact on the crowd.

[Deleted]

A familiar feeling of being watched came over her; it was something she was familiar with but disliked all the same. Years of running and ducking had trained her to trust that feeling; and honed the instinct to immediately find somewhere to duck out of site. As a duchess…and as someone with a giant lizard with her; that wasn’t much of an option. However finding the culprit was. Her eyes scanned the crowd, there were a few passing stares that quickly looked down as she made eye contact…all but one. Her head tilted to the side as the man stared her down….was there something on her face?......ok silly question there was a large scar on her face. That and Noky certainly warranted stares.

The musician moved on to her next song; only this one itched of magic. A scowl quickly replace the calm expression she once wore. She highly disliked charms, even harmless ones being used on a large group of unsuspecting people. More so for a musician to use it who could have very well earned her coin from skill alone. Aria turned to Noky and motioned for him to fallow; grabbing his snout that was slowly getting closer to the woman’s plucking fingers. She gave one last smile to the staring gentleman before pulling Noky away, back into the crowd. The charmed drake gave her some trouble leaving, but once the woman hooked a finger in one of his nostrils he reluctantly fallowed. Snorting as he did so.

Aria and Noky left the area at a brisk walk, the tension and scowl on Aria’s face leaving only once she was out of the spells range. There certainly seemed to be a great increase in the number of magic users around the city as of late. It was beginning to worry her… Talking to Noku about it might be a risk though….then again. If it was worrying her there was a good chance it was already worrying the king; and with how many people were using it in crowded areas? Her ears around the city had already picked up rumors of unease. Magical kidnappings, massive undead rising, ect, it was beginning to cause a stir. Between mages and fated. This kingdom was circling the drain.

[Deleted]

Bree was glad that the effect she'd had on the crowd with the last song hadn't taken a turn for the worse. Most everyone's faces drew up into a slight smile and she let the effect slowly die away so it wouldn't be an abrupt change as she continued to hum softly with the melody of her mandolin. She did spot the woman with the dragon move away. It was the furrowed brow that caused Bree to release the magic and let the music alone take effect on people. Her strumming became more seamless, almost flowing from her fingers to the mandolin and then from the instrument into the crowd. Closing her eyes, she began to sing - light and airy.

She drifts in the shallows, watching...waiting
A siren's song, dark....grating
Skin become water, hair becomes weed
Eyes become seashells taken over by greed

She yearns for land, touching it brief
Becoming lost in the grief
She rages, beating the sand
Slamming down a watery hand

She screams, retreating back to her home
Shrinking back to her aquatic foam
She will never cease to be
She is open, she is the Sea

The song went on for a few more verses, repeating the third stanza a couple more times. She'd always loved this song and as her eyes opened and she finished singing, she could see that there were several in the crowd who'd been drawn in and had tossed her a few coins. She smiled at those who tossed money into her tin and gave them a nod as she continued to strum the strings of her instrument.

[Xander Amzina]

Xander listened to the tune, this one casting a less happy tone onto his thoughts. Xander was easily influenced by the outside stimulus, either music, or someone else. He had no urgent matters really to think about, and often his mind was cast onto what really his life meant. The other lyrics had struck with him, allowing him to feel more closely connected to this world. However, he knew he had to stay constantly on the move. There were only so many hours of sunshine, and he dreaded the darkness that always followed afterward. 

Xander smiled briefly at the musician, waving as if to say 'Goodbye". This was nothing because of her skills with her instruments, or song. Xander had hoped that she wouldn't think that, but was more because he wanted to continue on with the day, He felt bad, not having coin to give her. 

Xander sighed, and decided to leave.