Solo [Sukina Geysers] [Skill Thread] Sour and Sweet

[Azcadelia]

Azcadelia Rosan
15th of Spring
Year 513
11th Bell

It was a cool morning; the dew that usual collects on the blades of grass was still there, unwavered because the path was travelled by few. One of the only people that dared to cross into nature's sanctuary was Azcadelia. She shared it with nature, reveled in the winds, cool breezes and shouting geysers. It made her feel at peace.

Azcadelia was travelling through a Bronze Woods, taking the same path as usual. Her destination was another usual spot, the Geysers - the Geysers that shouted and plumed with the heat of a boiling spring. As always, she was barefoot. The feel of cool, dewy grass in between her toes and on the bottoms of her feet was wonderfully cooling. A centerpiece of her mediation was to be outside, one with nature, one with peace. It was the only way she could do anything productive when it comes to improving herself.

She made it to the clearing, entering from the west as always. The clearing was empty, as expected and she approached the Geysers that seemed to have awakened at her presence. They screamed out, firing liquid ash from its chutes. The mist brought a smile to Azcadelia's face as it pattered her paleness. The magus never talked during her training sessions, all thoughts were focused and there wasn't any room to use her vocals. But, this time was different. This time Azcadelia came to her place of solitude to engage in her fear and terror: singing.

Singing had never been a strong suit of Azcadelia and whenever she tried she quickly stopped, vowing to never attempt again. But her mother had been a great songstress and if her father was right, she was the splitting image of her mother. She'd have to have great voice like that of her mother. Azcadelia found his words to be another bitter lie; her voice wasn't half the voice of her mother. Caitlyn could weave words with elegance, grace and drawn out sighs that sound like they'd been lifted on the wings of gods and angels.

Azcadelia frowned as the doubts already ran through her head. She hadn't even begun to sing and she already knew how she would sound. Terrible. Still she stood, determined, in front of the Geysers. The rumbling in the gut of the ground stopped, quieting the area. Azcadelia cursed the Geyser and herself. If she began to sing now surely someone would hear her screeching. The thought was dismissed, she came here to do one thing and one thing only and that was to sing, or at least try.

Azcadelia took in a breath and started with a quiet 'ha', long and drawn out to warm her voice. Her voice was lost in the whipping wind. Nature was silencing her, but she would fight it. This time she sang louder. The tone was mono and the power was invisible, not present. Her voice was personality-less. Tarnish to her mother's name.

[Azcadelia]

Azcadelia Rosan

Azcadelia dug her bare heels into the grass, inhaled deeply and exhaled, her vocal cords ringing with a chime, a note that didn't sound too shabby. Her lower jaw moved rhythmically with the note, mimicking the way her mother use to sing. The note wasn't held long, no more than five seconds - enough to satisfy her. Azcadelia smiled, pleased with herself and her five second performance.

Azcadelia had never been one to seek out help for such trivial things. Though, help for this would be welcome. However, without a basic grasp on things alone she wouldn't be prepared to show a teacher her incompetence, it's embarrassing and one in her feigned status wouldn't want to lose face in the presence of a simple song weaver. The very idea made her nose scrunch in displeasure.

This displeasure fueled her next note. This time she varied her tone. Azcadelia tried to go from her monotone way to a more personality filled way. Too soon, she thought when her voice shriveled up into a shriek at the attempting of a high note. Again, she cursed herself and the Geyser protested her high-pitched, pig's squeal with an eruption. Or, was the Geyser rooting her on?

Azcadelia took it as the latter, her determination was refilled and she attempted again, this time not going as high as previously attempted. The note came out smooth and quiet. She smiled, pleased with her baby steps of progress. At this pace she'd be experienced enough to not seem like a complete imbecile in the eyes of a singing teacher. If only her mother was here to teach her. It'd be easier with her compassion and patience that was always shown when Azcadelia was the student.

The thought of her mother kicked at her sides, spurring her own like a mare under load. She sang again this time a slew of words, "Mother, I miss you," she sang, using a simple variation of small high and small low notes. The low notes were much easier to sing than the high. It was just as her mother said it had happen to her, when she was learning to sing. Again, she sang, repeating the statement, dragging out the words 'mother' and 'you'. Dipping deeply inside her abdomen for the breath to continue... she failed, her 'you' turning into shrillness at the tail end.

She groaned in displeasure, rubbing at her throat hoping to smooth out some knots in her singing. Azcadelia craned her next to the side, the bones of her spine cracking, loosing up the muscles. She remembered her mother doing so before a show, she had said that it made her more relaxed, made the notes easier to come. Again, she tried, and again she failed. The note had flowed out smoothly only to crumble and die in the end. The Geyser shot into the sky once more, either applauding or mocking her efforts.

[Azcadelia]

Azcadelia Rosan

Azcadelia sucked her teeth emitting a loud clicking sound. She was annoyed, very much so. She couldn't hold a note; she couldn't hold enough air to even think of holding a note. The entire circle was contradicting and annoying. What person can't hold air in their lungs? Then, it hit her. Her mother didn't sing from her lungs, she sang from her abdomen, her soul is what she called it. Azcadelia had always mocked her mother's naming for her stomach but now she thought the woman was genius.

"You beautiful soul," she said softly to herself, talking more to her mother, wherever afterlife she may be. Azcadelia recalled the exercises that her mother use to do. Caitlyn use to expand her abdomen, hold the expanded state then release after ten to fifteen seconds. Azcadelia tried only to be able to hold it for no less than five. "I can't do anything!" she yelled into the noon sun. "Why didn't you teach me anything more than magic! Why'd you have to leave me, mother!" she yelled in anger.

Her anger stifled as she continued to recall memories of her mother. "Be better than me and your father combined," she use to tell Azcadelia. The magus reminded herself of her motivation: to be better than and for her mother. That is why she did what she did. That is why she strived to be the highest in everything she did.

Azcadelia drew another breath and withdrew a note that lasted a second longer than all her others. Then she attempted the phrase "Mother, I miss you" again. Drawing out the 'o' in 'mother' and the 'ou' in you she achieved her goal: to not have her voice sound like a witch burning in the night. Azcadelia smiled, pleased with herself. She sounded again this time saying: "Thank you, mother, for my gift." The ou's and o's and my dragged out with an unwavering degree of monotoned singing. It was enough for her. Her voice didn't crack and her control was improving, if only slightly. With more practice at home she'd be willing to approach a teacher in search for finer tuning.

[Accolade]

Azcadelia

Experience

Skill	XP Earned
Singing	+ 2 XP
Observation	+ 1 XP

Lores

•	Lore Earned
•	Sing (basics)
•	Self motivation
•	Memories of a loved one

Notes :

Nicely written! Short but sweet.

The Sylir has spoken

If you have any questions or concerns regarding your grade, please send me a PM and we can figure it out.