[The Sanctuary] Should Have Bought A Drum (Solo)

[Gianne Basete]

54th Day of Summer, 512 AV Evening The Sanctuary Gianne peered down at the lute nestled neatly in her lap, a little apprehensively. She was seated in a comfortable chair under the shaded area in the Sanctuary. This had turned into a very regular hangout area for her. She briefly wondered if that was a bad thing, but pushed the thought from her mind. This instrument was her main concern at the moment, not the fact that she may have no real social life aside from the horses and a handful of locals. Had this been a hasty purchase? She'd never played before, let alone held a lute. Too late now. It had been expensive and she was definitely going to make the most of it. The Akalak in Riverfall had assured her it was tuned and ready to be played. With a tentative flick at one of the strings, a high and pretty note sang. A smile broke out on her face, making her eyes crinkle. How hard could this really be? She grabbed the instrument and propped it properly against her body, cradling it like a young babe. She strummed the strings, watching them vibrate with their individual sounds. Pressing on the top string at a random point on the lute's short neck, she plucked it. The note changed, deeper since her finger was near the base on a low fret. Adding another finger to the second string, she strummed an experimental chord. It made a very awkward sound. Definitely not pretty; very off. For a while she experimented, playing around with the frets and strings, figuring out the sounds and growing a little more comfortable with the instrument as a whole. It wasn't as awkward now cradling the chubby wooden frame against her breasts. A sudden idea struck her and she giggled a little hysterically. Plucking the bottom string, the highest in sound, she tried to copy the note with her own voice. It wasn't a very good mimic; her voice was flat though not unpleasant. Gianne tried again, this time with the middle string. Her voice flowed better with the pitch of this note. She glanced around quickly, hoping she hadn't caught anyone's attention. They'll think I'm losing it if they see me fiddling around like this.

[Gianne Basete]

Several people were meandering about, finishing their main chores. It was too early for a lot of the workers to be asleep, so she hefted her new instrument and ducked away to the paddocks. The horses snorted and nickered or greeted her in other ways as she approached their pens. Gianne smiled and whistled to them like she always did, and Gill especially reacted to this. He threw back his head and stomped his hooves, prancing in a quick circle. They all thought she had treats. It was her own fault for spoiling them so badly. She propped herself up on the fence of the paddock Gill was in. He and a few other horses clustered around her, sniffing at the lute and snorting loudly in the anxious way that they tended to do when faced with something new. "It's going to gobble you all up, see?" she said, holding it out to them. Two of the horses squealed and pulled back, trotting quickly away. "Oh come now! You silly things," she chided them lightly. If horses only knew what would and wouldn't hurt them. For giant animals that averaged at half a ton, they sure were flighty. But she smiled at their nervous curiosity, patiently holding the instrument out for them to continue examining. Gill would need to get used to it most of all. But they all seemed fine now, their curiosity watered down to a wary acceptance. Maybe they figured the lute wouldn't eat them quite just yet. Gianne laughed at the thought, wobbling a little and catching herself before she fell backwards off the stone fence. Oops. The sudden movement startled the horses and they fled like the first two, some just a few feet away and some all the way across the paddock. Losing her balance had made the lute tumble from its precarious perch on her lap, and it was lying face down in the hay strewn dirt. She made a sound somewhere between surprise and worry. Quickly sliding from the fence she picked up the isntrument, turning it this way and that to see if anything was damaged. It was all dusty now, no longer gleaming, but it seemed alright. One of the strings seemed a little loose. Out of tune? She didn't know how to tune it. Wonderful. Should have bought a drum, she thought bitterly. Those were easier to take care of and all you had to do was beat on them. Simple and straight to the point. Gianne would have to find someone to show her how to properly tune the thing. Hopefully she wouldn't have to go back to the city and pester that Akalak about it. Petch...

[Mist]

Thread Grading! Gianne XP/Skills: +3 Instrument(Lute), +2 Singing, Lore: Combining singing with a instrument, Being self conscious of listeners, Accidentally scaring horses Item/ Consequences: N/A Additional Notes: A simple short thread to get some initial points. Though I am wondering were you got the lute, since there is no mention of you having one on your character sheet, in inventory or your ledger. So if you indeed bought it, I would like to see it on your CS, deducted in your ledger, and under your inventory. Thanks in advance. -If you have any questions about the grade, don’t hesitate to PM me.