35th of Summer, 515 AV
Autumn sat on the edge of her bed, her beloved necklace dangling from her fingers. A hollowed out silver rimmed miza hung from the necklace, catching the light of the fire in the hearth every time it spun. Grandmother had told her that it was the only thing Autumn's mother had left behind before disappearing, running away with her husband at the time, Autumn's father.
The musician didn't know if what she wanted from life was to eventually get to meet her missing parents. What would she say? What would they look like? Where could she even begin to look? They could be in Syliras for all she knew, and she wouldn't ever find them. The only clue she had of her mother, were the initials carved into the rim of the miza: P. W.
She sighed and closed her eyes, forcing those thoughts out of her mind. Her parents had left her behind, and that was that. It was a pretty necklace so she may as well wear it. Autumn tied the two ends of the string around her neck, causing the miza to hang just in the hollow of her neck, creating a sort of collar effect.
Autumn grabbed her gea'tar from her bedside and moved it to the table in the other room of the apartment. It was a working day, which meant she needed to be at her best. She made a quick meal then picked up the instrument and moved it onto her back. It was summer, which meant it wouldn't be too cool. Autumn wore a simple shirt, pants, and boots. She would need to purchase a skirt and some sandals soon.
The day was bright and shiny, as she predicted, and people moved about in a very fast way. The road was loud and bustling, the whole city was like that though. Zeltiva was nothing like this. Sure it had days where the markets would be crowded and people would be rather rude, but not to this extent. In some ways Zeltiva was much easier to navigate than Syliras. But perhaps Autumn was just biased because it was the city she grew up in, and she knew it better than this one.
The easiest way to navigate the city was to go with the flow of the crowds, Autumn learned that pretty quickly. And to not bother apologizing every single time you bumped into someone, because that happened every two steps you took. Even with Autumn's small stature, the extra bulk she carried did not help her case. She had fallen several times because of the weight of the gea'tar throwing off her balance.
When she arrived in the theatre she came to a surprise. A small group of children gathered around Amelia, Binger, and Alhon, the other three buskers that worked in the theatre. They were quite enjoying the little showing the performers were putting on, and some even danced to the flute's music. Autumn found herself smiling at the festivities and walked over to say hello to the others. Amongst the faces of the children gathered, one certain blonde-haired girl seemed familiar.
"Sara?" Autumn called out in the general direction of the girl. Immediately her head spun around and a huge smile soon plastered her face.
"Autumn!" She yelled, and came running at her through the crowd. The small child threw herself against Autumn and hugged her around the stomach. Sara had definitely grown a few inches in the past two seasons. They laughed and Autumn picked her up and spun her around.
"I haven't seen you since Fall! I hope you're staying out of trouble." Autumn playfully chastised her after setting her down. Sara nodded vigorously. The musician was so pleased to see the young one that had helped her in a snowball fight that had taken place at the end of Fall, when it was almost Winter. Autumn had promised that she would see the child around but this was the first time she'd caught sight of her since then.
"I've been very busy. Aenysa let us come out to the theatre today for the sunshine. She said to be back before the eleventh bell for lunch." This was all said in a quick rush. The girl's cheeks were flushed and her eyes were lit up with an emotion that Autumn rarely saw in adults. The innocence of children is a beautiful thing.
"Well, we'd better not waste that time!" Autumn exclaimed then hurriedly pulled her gea'tar out of it's case and quickly tuned it using the tuning fork she had purchased at the bazaar.
She started up with a little ditty that she had picked up from a drunken man at the Rearing Stallion. Something upbeat and quirky. A few of the kids joined in to dance, singing the parts that they recognized. Autumn suddenly got a flash of when instances like this would happen back in Zeltiva. The people knew all of the shanties from there and everybody would be dancing and drinking Kelp Beer, which Autumn actually rather missed. Nobody from outside of Zeltiva found the drink to be too delightful, in fact none of the locals from Zeltiva really enjoyed the drink, but it was a taste they were accustomed to and there wasn't much else to choose from.
Autumn suddenly started to feel a little nostalgic. She missed the salty, humid air and the constant smell of the sea. The breeze and wind through her hair as she sat on the docks and listened to the sailors singing and the seagulls quipping at each other. One day she would go back there.
But for now she would play her gea'tar and dance with all of the children and sing merry songs for those who might want to spare a miza or two.
The musician didn't know if what she wanted from life was to eventually get to meet her missing parents. What would she say? What would they look like? Where could she even begin to look? They could be in Syliras for all she knew, and she wouldn't ever find them. The only clue she had of her mother, were the initials carved into the rim of the miza: P. W.
She sighed and closed her eyes, forcing those thoughts out of her mind. Her parents had left her behind, and that was that. It was a pretty necklace so she may as well wear it. Autumn tied the two ends of the string around her neck, causing the miza to hang just in the hollow of her neck, creating a sort of collar effect.
Autumn grabbed her gea'tar from her bedside and moved it to the table in the other room of the apartment. It was a working day, which meant she needed to be at her best. She made a quick meal then picked up the instrument and moved it onto her back. It was summer, which meant it wouldn't be too cool. Autumn wore a simple shirt, pants, and boots. She would need to purchase a skirt and some sandals soon.
The day was bright and shiny, as she predicted, and people moved about in a very fast way. The road was loud and bustling, the whole city was like that though. Zeltiva was nothing like this. Sure it had days where the markets would be crowded and people would be rather rude, but not to this extent. In some ways Zeltiva was much easier to navigate than Syliras. But perhaps Autumn was just biased because it was the city she grew up in, and she knew it better than this one.
The easiest way to navigate the city was to go with the flow of the crowds, Autumn learned that pretty quickly. And to not bother apologizing every single time you bumped into someone, because that happened every two steps you took. Even with Autumn's small stature, the extra bulk she carried did not help her case. She had fallen several times because of the weight of the gea'tar throwing off her balance.
When she arrived in the theatre she came to a surprise. A small group of children gathered around Amelia, Binger, and Alhon, the other three buskers that worked in the theatre. They were quite enjoying the little showing the performers were putting on, and some even danced to the flute's music. Autumn found herself smiling at the festivities and walked over to say hello to the others. Amongst the faces of the children gathered, one certain blonde-haired girl seemed familiar.
"Sara?" Autumn called out in the general direction of the girl. Immediately her head spun around and a huge smile soon plastered her face.
"Autumn!" She yelled, and came running at her through the crowd. The small child threw herself against Autumn and hugged her around the stomach. Sara had definitely grown a few inches in the past two seasons. They laughed and Autumn picked her up and spun her around.
"I haven't seen you since Fall! I hope you're staying out of trouble." Autumn playfully chastised her after setting her down. Sara nodded vigorously. The musician was so pleased to see the young one that had helped her in a snowball fight that had taken place at the end of Fall, when it was almost Winter. Autumn had promised that she would see the child around but this was the first time she'd caught sight of her since then.
"I've been very busy. Aenysa let us come out to the theatre today for the sunshine. She said to be back before the eleventh bell for lunch." This was all said in a quick rush. The girl's cheeks were flushed and her eyes were lit up with an emotion that Autumn rarely saw in adults. The innocence of children is a beautiful thing.
"Well, we'd better not waste that time!" Autumn exclaimed then hurriedly pulled her gea'tar out of it's case and quickly tuned it using the tuning fork she had purchased at the bazaar.
She started up with a little ditty that she had picked up from a drunken man at the Rearing Stallion. Something upbeat and quirky. A few of the kids joined in to dance, singing the parts that they recognized. Autumn suddenly got a flash of when instances like this would happen back in Zeltiva. The people knew all of the shanties from there and everybody would be dancing and drinking Kelp Beer, which Autumn actually rather missed. Nobody from outside of Zeltiva found the drink to be too delightful, in fact none of the locals from Zeltiva really enjoyed the drink, but it was a taste they were accustomed to and there wasn't much else to choose from.
Autumn suddenly started to feel a little nostalgic. She missed the salty, humid air and the constant smell of the sea. The breeze and wind through her hair as she sat on the docks and listened to the sailors singing and the seagulls quipping at each other. One day she would go back there.
But for now she would play her gea'tar and dance with all of the children and sing merry songs for those who might want to spare a miza or two.
Autumn Wilde
