Closed [Windward Boardwalk] A Tune in the Wind (Balthazar)

[Geothryn]

3rd of Summer, 512 AV Geothryn, with nothing better to do but practice his lute, took a stroll to the Windward Boardwalk. He sat on a stone bench off to the side of the Snowsong portion of the park, and stared at the lute long and hard. His eyes followed each string as they went from soundboard to fret, tracing their path along the neck of the stout wooden instrument. He knew what noise each string would make when he plucked it, and what noises they would make when he held the frets down, and what noises they would make when he strummed them. It wasn't just noise, though, it was more than that; it was music. He picked up the lute and held it neck facing left. Gently resting his right hand over the body, he positioned his left and pressed down on the strings, plucking them now and again to hear the different notes. Geo knew some music theory from his father, but he preferred to do things by ear. He didn't need a circle of fifths to tell him which notes were dissonant and which were harmonious. He often played like this for hours, plucking one string and then the other, testing different chords and different progressions. It was like this that he composed his greatest songs, notes and chords flying from his hands like water pouring from a pitcher. And when he was done he took a towel and mopped his forehead, then the floor, soaking up all the music and squeezing it back into his head so he could remember it. At least, that's how he fancied he did it. The song he played wasn't too quick, but he set a medium tempo with his tapping foot. On a wooden stage the foot would be as good as a drum, but out here on the snow covered ground they were just simple thuds. Plucking and strumming when required, he blended the notes together into a melodious composition. When he played he felt a pang of loss for his dead grandfather, but mostly because he would have enjoyed this song he was cooking up. It was a delicious song indeed.

[Balthazaar Kraigen]

Balthazaar was lost again. Somehow, even after making a conscious effort to find Avanthal’s library again, he had found himself standing at the Windward boardwalk. Although it was a wonderful place to visit, it wasn’t the library which meant that he still didn’t know his way around the city. With a grunt of frustration he put any thoughts of visiting the library behind him and decided to take a stroll along the park and enjoy the scenery. Although he had only been to this place several times since arriving in Avanthal, he found it to be one of the most peaceful places in the city. It was a great place to relax and reflect, as well as a great place to lament at one’s lack of direction.

After traveling through the park for a few minutes, Balthazaar soon picked up the sound of music in the distance. Although music was not uncommon in the park, this particular melody was different from any other type of music that he had heard there previously. It was a beautiful piece of music, mellow with a hint of melancholy thrown in; enough just to brush against your heartstrings and perhaps remind you of someone who is dear to you. Without hesitation, Balthazaar set off to find the origin of such a tune and perhaps meet its producer.

It was only a matter of moments until he found himself standing in the midst of the Snowsong section of the park, staring at a young man who seemed to be roughly his age. Without taking anytime to assess the situation or think of something to say, he introduced himself:

“I’m sorry to interrupt you, but that song you're playing is beautiful and I couldn’t resist the urge to say “hello”. My name is Balthazaar and I’m new to Avanthal, do you play here often?”

[Geothryn]

Geothryn smiled. Though humble by nature, he did appreciate someone who could appreciate his music. "You do me too much honor," He said in common, which was what this stranger spoke. A stranger no longer, since he gave his name. "I am Geothryn, though you can call me Geo. I come every so often here to the park. The snow and trees and wind help me think of new songs." Though common was not his first language, Geo knew it well enough. He liked to speak to visitors, and more often than not that is what they spoke. Very few could learn the language of Avanthal, Vani. Geo didn't move to get up when the man spoke, instead lifting his gaze to meet Balthazars. His eyes turned a pensive shade of bluish-jade as he examined the the man, who appeared his age or possible slightly older. They would have, anyway, had the djed storm not kept them a solid shade of emerald green. Balthazars light green eyes had just a hint of yellow, not an altogether odd colour, yet something about them was off... Smiling, Geo continued. "What brings you to Avanthal?" He asked, continuing to fiddle with his lute, softly. Every so often he would repeat a few chords, nodding his head imperceptibly.

[Balthazaar Kraigen]

What brings you to Avanthal? Balthazaar wondered how many times he had been asked this question since arriving in the Icy City. It was quite an uncomfortable topic for him by this point, as every time he had to answer it, he had to lie. Although in desperate times he could be pretty smooth with his words, lying was not something that he did well or with pride.

“W-well…you see… I-I came here because I heard about all the unique and interesting plant life that surrounds the city. I-I’m a botanist…well a novice botanist at least and I came here to collect and study as much of the flora as possible. Unfortunately, I haven’t been very successful thus far.” The young man said with as smile, his eyes searching Geo’s face for a reaction. It hadn’t been his best performance, but it also hadn’t been his worst. Still, he wondered if he had stuttered too much to make it believable. Either way he decided to steer the conversation back in the direction of his newly acquired companion with the hope that he wouldn’t be tempted to investigate the botanist's story further.

“You’re a very talented musician” The young botanist said with a grin. “I must admit, I’m a little jealous. I’ve never had any luck with musical instruments myself. I always end up making music that sounds like the cries of a dying animal more than anything else.” He continued, mustering a laugh upon finishing.

“So…how long have you been playing?” He asked with another smile, his eyes once again searching the young man for a reaction. He hoped that even if he didn’t believe his lie, he would continue forward with the conversation as if nothing had happened.

[Geothryn]

Geothryn cocked his eyebrow, something he was wont to do when his attention was caught, as it was on this mans' nervous stuttering. And the eyes, always searching, always peering... "Well, here are trees," He joked, gesturing at the parks many arboreal guests. "Over yonder we have more trees, and in that direction there are some trees... Oh yes, have I mention the trees?" Grinning, he reclined a bit, supporting his torso with his hands firmly on the bench. Because of Morwens' gnosis, he barely felt the cold stone beneath his fingers. "I can't imagine you lacking subjects to study." "Again, friend, you due me too much honour." He said, smiling. He often liked to play with words like that, and only in common could he mix due with do like he did. In Vani the difference between the two words was stark. He briefly wondered if this man would catch that, but in the end it didn't matter; they meant the same, either way. "Musics come in many forms. I have myself a few pieces that sound like dying beast, but probably more harmonically than yours do. My mother says when I was born, I passed easy, but the lute I was holding took all night." Geo responded, reciprocating the laugh with a hearty one of his own. Scooting over on the bench, he patted the space next to him. "Please, sit, or all the blood will freeze in your boots. The cold bench keeps it in your arse, closer to your heart." He grinned again. Though not wanting to pry, the foundations of acquaintanceship usually began with a mutual exchange of information. Geothryn would probably not have worded it so elegantly, though. "I do not know how you can study plants. Nature is beautiful, true, and a source of inspiration, but a plant is a plant - some are prettier than others, sure, but in the end they're all the same, are they not? What draws you so to our green leafy friends?" Geothryn gave no impression that he thought Balthazar was lying, but neither did he seem to avoid the subject of botany...

[Balthazaar Kraigen]

‘Be wary of this man’ A voice whispered in the back of Balthazaar’s mind sending a brief shiver down his spine. Pushing the thought from his head, he decided to accept the young man’s offer and took a seat on the bench. He already enjoyed this young man’s company, he was smart and seemed to have a good sense of humor. It was a nice change from most of people that he had gotten to know in this city thus far. Still, there was something off about him that Balthazaar couldn’t quite put his finger on. Maybe it was the way he could change his eye color, maybe it was his manipulation and use of Common or maybe it was just something that he couldn’t identify. Either way it wasn’t enough to deter the young botanist from further interactions with said individual.

“Well for me, Botany is…” He paused, he was having trouble articulating his feelings. He had such a strong love for nature and plant life, it was difficult to put in a few brief sentences.

“I guess for me….well, Nature is….no…ummm, I think that…no that’s not right either” The botanist mumbled to himself, too many things running through his mind at once.

“Wow this harder than I thought” He added with chuckle. “Nature…is just so beautiful. Plants especially, I just find them fascinating…it’s…difficult to explain I suppose.” He sighed, it was definitely not his most eloquent string of sentences.

“So, you never answered my question before. How long have you been playing?”

[Geothryn]

"I didn't?" He asked, recalling a comment made about his mother passing a lute as well as himself on his birth day. "Well, let me put it in a song," He said, grinning. Sitting up, he rested his hands on his lute for a few moments before playing a simple repetitive set of notes that hinted at a childrens' nursery rhyme. Licking his lips, he began to sing. "A young babe was born by the name of Geothryn. And to test his strengths gathered all of his kin. They gave him a fiddle and told him to play, but the boy would not listen, came no sound where he lay The panpipes, the harp, and even the flute, the boy would not play 'til they gave him a lute And from his small crib came a wondrous sound! The boy played the lute, t'was his instrument found." Geothryn had a pleasant voice, a gentle baritone that carried far. He ended the song with a broken chord, plucking each note so it reverberated for some time.

[Balthazaar Kraigen]

“Well said or sung I suppose” Balthazaar said with a laugh, thoroughly impressed with the Vantha’s little ditty. He had to say, the young man seemed to be exceptionally talented when it came to music and quick on his feet to boot… very quick on his feet. For a brief second his mind wandered to the thought that had popped into his head only minutes ago.

'Maybe this guy was a little too clever to be trusted, maybe it was best to keep your guard up around him. Who knows what he's capable of...'

Once again he dismissed the thought as paranoia and focused his attention back on their conversation. He didn’t like the idea of being so distrustful of someone that seemed so friendly and wished his that his excessive suspicion would seize to vex him.

“So judging from the way you are able to change your eye color and the fact that you are sitting on a bench on the Snowsong section of the park, I’m going to take a wild guess and say that you are a Vantha and a member of the Snowsong Hold. Am I correct in assuming this?” Balthazaar asked with a smirk, pretty confident with his conclusion but prepared to be humbled if his assumptions were to be proven wrong.

[Geothryn]

Geothryn returned the smirk with a grin. "Your powers of observation are astounding, Balthazar. What you say is true. My father is a Snowsong, and my mother came from Skyglow." He answered. Balthazar seemed to enjoy the song. That was good, songs were meant to be enjoyed. Lightly plucking the lute, Geo turned to face the blond-haired man and asked, "And you? Where are you from? I would venture to guess, but I know I'd be off by at least half a continent."

[Balthazaar Kraigen]

“Closer than you think!” The young botanist said with a smirk, without thinking about the implications of words. When the sentence finally settled into his mind, he realized the mistake he had made. The only real hospitable location closest to Avanthal was the Spires, even the simplest of minds could figure it out. He wasn’t supposed to tell anyone of his origins, not even his closest friends (not that he had any). He had to recover, he had to say something to draw the young man’s conclusions away from the Spires, anywhere would do.

“B-but farther than you would think too!” He said forcing a laugh and making the whole thing seem completely unbelievable.

“Not in Taldera, of course. Close as in…ummm… a very short distance away…relatively…by sea...not by the sea I mean, but rather if you traveled by sea it would be considered pretty close to here…” With each word he spoke he was digging himself into hole and he needed an escape plan, a change in subject. Within seconds, something came to mind.

“So, you wouldn’t happen to know the way to ‘Stories in the Snow’ by chance, would you? I found it once, but I can’t seem to remember what part of the city it’s in. If you could show me the way, I would really appreciate it!” He said quickly, trying to feign a smile.