Open For Love of the Art

[Jorin Ertihan]

Season of Summer, Day 57, 513 AV "Forsooth! For thine eyes are the most blazingly blue! Thou art the greatest of the great, mine eyes ... eyes ... line?" Jorin glanced worriedly at the stage master, who motioned him to look back forward. "... mine eyes hath not seen the like in the twilight sky," came the whispered response. "Err, right! Mine eyes that not seen the life in twilight spy! Though not with glory be, thou ... thou ..." "Cut! Cut! Please stop." The stage master's hair was standing curiously on end, as though he had been pulling it out in chunks. Jorin sighed. This was the second practice he had ruined. Why couldn't he remember the lines? They weren't even that long. "Sorry, boss, I'll try harder next time, I promise!" Jorin begged. The stage master gave him a wild-eyed stare. "Next time? You mean like last time?! You nearly ruined the second curtain!" "But they loved it! Didn't you see the way they clapped?" "They were being kind! Far more kind than we deserved, with your atrocious acting! You have one chance to get this right, Jorin, or I can't use you as an actor." Jorin nodded, and bowed, a dramatic flourish of the arm followed by a flowing bending of the knee, his silk cape billowing behind him. "Thine wish is my command, melord," he cried, "Through whips and swords and tumultuous sea, I keep mine heart to give to thee!" "... just stick to the script, will you?" came the tired reply. The Knirin Gardens were beautiful this time of day. Jorin Ertihan was not surprised to see the troupe set up here; using one of the smaller gazebos as a makeshift stage. They couldn't afford the prices the amphitheatre charged, and to be honest, Jorin didn't know if he could perform on such a grand stage. He'd seen better actors than him choke when confronted with such a large and expectant audience. Jorin had never been to Riverfall, but the beauty of the place was such a lovely contrast to the martial might of its inhabitants, he felt compelled to pen a poem or two in honour of it. Sadly, things would take a rather unfortunate turn for him. "No, no, no!" the stage director yelled. "Your place is to the left! Jorin, why can't you follow simple directions?! Farline! Stop laughing, his prat fall was not that funny!" "Oh come on, give her a break," Jorin grinned, as he took up a new position. "We've been here all day! And besides, stage directions did say that 'Doran falls'!" "But not like a sack of potatoes! Why do you always do this? Ok, once more from the top." A collective groan went up. Jorin grinned as he surreptitiously snuck an insect he had pulled from a nearby frond and palmed it in his hand. "Oh, glistening skies of Mizahar!" the lead actor cried. "Why hath thine light abandoned me? Why hath the stars cursed me so?" Jorin came in, slapping his hand on the lead actor's back and simultaneously depositing the insect within it down his back. "Beware, mine captain, that in thine haste to see the stars, that thou not lose sight of the insects at thine feet." At the word "insects", the lead actor made a most extraordinary feat of contortionism, nearly bending all the way backward, his arms flailing wildy as he leaped from the gazebo, eyes wide with terror. He fairly tore his costume off, shaking like a leaf and rolling about on the ground. The tiny, utterly harmless beetle immediately hopped off his back and scampered off. "JORIN!" the stage director roared. Jorin's eyes went wide and his mouth dropped open. "Why, boss, you can't imagine I had anything to do with this!" he protested, all innocence. "That is IT! You're done! You're OUT!" The stage master stomped up to Jorin and had shoved one finger nearly up Jorin's nose. "I've HAD it with you! You never take our art seriously!" Jorin drew himself up. "That's not fair," he argued. "You know just as well as I that I take it very seriously! On stage, before an audience, I give it everything I have. I may not always get the line perfectly, but I always give every ounce of my soul to every performance! Working us to death late into the night isn't going to get a better performance, just tired performers!" The stage master shook with rage. Suddenly, he calmed, as though all the rage had oozed out of him, leaving just a tired, cranky old stage master, who had nothing left to say. "You are a performer, Jorin," he said quietly. "And a good one. I'll be the first to admit it. But I don't need performers here on my stage. I need actors. And until you become one, until you understand the difference, you don't belong here." Jorin Ertihan had only twice been on the verge of tears. The first time was when the stage master had said "yes" to him becoming an understudy and stage hand on the travelling troupe. This was the second. "I'll show you, boss. I'll make it in this town, and every town, and I'll show you I'm right!" with that, Jorin stormed off. Blinded by his emotions, he did not know where he was going until he found himself at Rookery Park. Shrugging his shoulders, Jorin flopped down on one of the benches, watching as the birds flew by. "Swift be the flight of the free," he mused as they passed. "For you are not burdened by the weight of the world."

[Rinya]

Day 57, Season Summer, 513 AV Rookery Park was a beautiful but unusual place for Rinya to visit. Most of her time was spent enjoying the bay, as it was the easiest way to cool off in heat of summer. Now that she was getting settled into the city, Rinya was beginning to look for other ways to occupy her time rather than just fishing out the bay for fish. Sunning herself at the rookery was quickly becoming one of her favorite hobbies now. Even an occasional nap if the gulls allowed it. Today however the Silk Gulls didn’t seem too fond of her presence. She did her best to tolerate them however, despite their brave attempts to drive her off, pecking and pulling her feathers. She merely slapped them away with her wings with more than enough force to knock them off the railings. The bay was too beautiful and not even the heat was bad enough to force her into the shade. The sounds of someone behind her pulled Rinya out of her drowsy state. Tilting her head a little, she noticed a man collapse onto one of the benches nearby, eyes glued to the sky as several of the gulls flew by overhead. ”Swift be the flight of the free, for you are not burdened by the world.” Rinya hummed inwardly at the man’s musings. She supposed it was true but she didn’t have much time to think about it herself, seeing as a gull fledging decided to take the moment of distraction to sidle up next to her, and yank a few soft feathers from her underbelly. She couldn’t help the screeching whistle that escaped her beak, and swatted the young bird away from her with a wing, perhaps a little more roughly than she originally intended. OOCHope you don't mind, saw it was open!

[Jorin Ertihan]

Season of Summer, Day 57, 513 AV As he sat on the park bench, Jorin felt the bitter disappointment from earlier drain away, like water from a sieve. Nature always had that effect on him, ever since his mother had taken him to the Piers of Seltiva. She said that the wind and waves, gulls and ospreys, the salt air and calm waters inspired her works of art. Jorin sighed heavily. He wished the peaceful scene he was watching could inspire his art, but that didn't seem to happen. What was he going to do now? Beg to be let back in, tail between his legs? No. His pride as an actor wouldn't allow it. But then what? Perform for a few coin at the local taverns? His personal musings were cut short when he heard a screech, and his gaze shifted from the gulls passing overhead to the very curious sight of a lovely brown-and-white sea osprey batting away an over-adventurous gull which, from the few white feathers in its beak, had apparently been plucking the poor osprey. Jorin couldn't help but laugh as the gull squawked awkwardly as it lost its balance, falling only to catch itself and fly away. "My, my, little osprey, even you are a better actor than I." he murmured to the bird as he took a quill, an ink stick, and one of his empty books out of his body pack. "I hope you don't mind if I do a little composing," he said. "To be honest, I feel a bit silly talking to a bird. Still, one must always respect a fellow actor, even an accidental one. Now I wonder, what sort of poem should I compose for you?" He tapped the top of his quill against his chin and considered. Out of Character NoteNo problem! I wouldn't have made it open if I didn't want people to join Also, Jorin is aware, of course, that there are many varied and interesting races in Mizahar, and one of the reasons he loves to travel is to meet them. Alas, until now he's never met a Kelvic before . Well, he probably has and didn't realize it, but he certainly has never seen one transform. If she transforms, he's gonna be in for a shock!

[Rinya]

Day 57, Season Summer, 513 AV If grumbling were possible in her current form, Rinya would have done so. She quickly shifted through the feathers of her underside, feeling the sting of her skin beneath. No blood, she was in luck, but the feathers would take some time for sure to replace. Tilting her head, she glanced at the man laughing behind her. She warbled a few tones at him before fluffing her feathers up around her in her annoyance. The tone of his voice however didn’t seem to be mocking her, so after a moment or two her own curiosity got the best of her. Spreading her wings she balanced herself in a quick hop to turn and face him, leaning forward to observe him as he pulled out his writing utensils. He called her an actor. Rinya couldn’t help but figure part of him was right, though some days she could never figure out what part she was playing. Being a creature that was neither… was she a bird playing human—or a human playing bird. She didn’t like this train of thought really. It followed a little too closely with the thought that maybe she was a type of pet like the people of Riverfall seemed to believe. To distract her from her own thoughts, she reached over the railing to a small nearly perfect blue feather preened from one of the gulls and carefully picked it up. In one smooth movement she pushed off the railing and sailed the short distance to the farthest end of the bench he currently occupied and lit on the end of it. For a moment, she hesitated. She generally was very wary of people, especially in her bird form. But the man seemed gentle enough to approach. But this was much easier than trying to speak in human form… Rinya was not so gentle in words, she knew that well enough. After eyeing him for a moment, she hopped across the distance til she sat just barely in arm’s reach and stretched out her neck, offering the blue feather to the stranger.

[Jorin Ertihan]

Season of Summer, Day 57, 513 AV Jorin watched with curiosity as the little bird decided to grasp one of the blue feathers left behind by the gull with its beak, hop on over to his bench, and hesitatingly offer it to him. This was certainly an unexpected act of generosity. "Why, thank you! For me?" Jorin cried in genuine surprise. He accepted the proffered feather gratefully and examined it in his hands. It was azure blue as the sea at its base but grew gradually lighter as it reached the tip. A most remarkable feather. He could certainly write a poem or two about this! Carefully storing it in one of his body pack's many pockets, he turned to the bird and smiled. "Well, after a gift like that, I certainly should not leave you emptyhanded! Alas, all I have to offer you at the moment are words. But I shall endeavor to make them the best words I can!" Jorin thought for a moment, then started scribbling madly in his book. After about a minute, he turned to the osprey and read what he had written. "High on the cliff, a predator waits close to the shore, on sunset gates Eyes of gold and a plume of brown Snow white chest and a brilliant crown With crashing waves, the ocean roars And into the breeze the raptor soars..." Jorin's voice faded with the last verse, his eyes shifting from the osprey in front of him to the faraway horizon. For a brief moment, silence reigned, and then he sighed. "It was terrible. I know. I should do better than that. Especially since you were so kind ... I know! I'll make one out of the thought that brought us together. How about that?" More mad scribbling. This time, Jorin even had to go to the second page, his eyes gleaming with the light of inspiration. Finally, after a few more tense moments, he turned his attention back onto the bird, who curiously had not flown away. "Tell me what you think of this one!" he cried. "Swift be the flight of the free! Not burdened by the weight of the world Soaring high across the sky Upon their ivory wings unfurled Here on land I must stay For I must care for those who can fly And work the hard earth all day While my compatriots soar through the sky I envy not their heavenly flight Nor do I seek to join their ranks I prefer my earthly bonds To cruising among cloud banks For though winged and free they might be Yet I have you, and that's enough for me" Halfway through the poem Jorin had jumped up and started gesticulating with his arms, his actor's instincts kicking in as his whole body participated in his narration. When he was done, arm outstretched toward the bird, he closed his eyes and smiled, imagining thousands of observers applauding. Then the fantasy ended. "It'll be a long time before I'll be a real poet like my mother," he admitted, "but I thank you all the same for your patience, little osprey. You're the best audience an actor like me could hope for. Here," he offered, as he reached into his pack and took out some of his rations. He knew enough that ospreys only ate fish. Did he have any on him? Fortunately, he had some sardines left. He tried that, offering it to the bird. "It's the least I could do, for such a good audience," Jorin explained, as he sat back down, still offering the fish. "You want to know why you're a better actor than me? It's because unlike me, you don't pretend. No matter who you are, or what you do, at that moment you are who you are. See, you're the best kind of actor. The stage master was wrong. I do know the difference. I just can't sell it."

[Rinya]

Day 57, Season Summer, 513 AV Rinya was a little more than surprised he appreciated the feather so much. Honestly it had been the only thing she could think of—other than perhaps catching him a fish, but that didn’t seem very appropriate. He certainly looked brighter… happier than he did before, so she wasn’t going to complain. However, the fact he wanted to return the favor struck her as… well it was different. Granted her human experiences of generosity were only observed, it was never directed towards her. She wasn’t someone people gave things to, but the fact he wanted to give her something in her current state, it baffled her a little. His first poem was simple, but she didn’t think he really realized just how well he touched on the words. When he started to doubt himself, she hopped a little closer to him on the bench, just inches away from him. Being in her bird form really did have it’s disadvantages however, she couldn’t say how much she enjoyed the poem. Before she could make up her mind on the thought nagging in the back of her mind, he was off again. Rinya nearly jumped off the bench at first at his wild gestures, it took her a moment to realize he actually meant it when he said he was an actor. Watching him move, he certainly looked to be in his element too. Fluffing her feathers a little, she let herself rest more comfortably on the bench as he recited the second poem even more beautiful than the first. In fact she enjoyed it so much, she hadn’t realized she actually liked the attention. Had she been human, her face would have been undoubtedly red. Rinya could easily see however how much enjoyed his craft. Eyes closed and smiling, she wondered if she would ever be that happy in human form. The offer of fish sparked her to stand back up to full height. But speaking of pretending, Rinya could feel the nag of honesty in the back of her mind. She feared the thought of turning in front of the gentle and obviously good natured man. Besides, with another offering for her attention to him, Rinya knew he at least deserved to know how much she appreciated his poems. Taking a deep breath, she ignored the pull of the fish and hopped off the bench. Her nerves made her stumble against the ground, her wings tangling up in her feet slightly. Well there went the graceful approach to this. Squawking more to herself than at him, she took a few steps away from the man, before closing her eyes and focusing on one thought. In the bright flash of light, Rinya could feel the immediate difference. The heat of the day felt so different on her skin—her bare skin. She winced inwardly before slowly looking up at the man from her crouched position on the ground, her left hand coming up to brush the dark hair from eyes. Feeling insecure was something she wasn't great with dealing with. She usually just feigned ignorance to the feeling until she was alone. ”The poems… were beautiful. You—you have a way words.” Rinya wrinkled her nose slightly. That wasn’t exactly how she planned on opening her mouth. Compared to his words, she sounded flat. Clearing her throat a little, she pushed herself up to stand, trying to ignore how red her face was getting. She wasn’t like most Kelvics, she didn’t enjoy being bare in front of anyone. ”I suppose you could call me an actor of sorts…” She mumbled more to herself than to him, not realized he was certainly close enough to hear it.

[Jorin Ertihan]

Season of Summer, Day 57, 513 AV Jorin's face made the barest flicker of disappointment when the osprey seemed to refuse his offering, instead choosing to hop off the bench it was on. He almost thought it wanted to fly away, but then something truly remarkable happened. There was a brilliant flash of light, one which caused Jorin to shield his eyes, and then, there was a woman crouching before him! He'd never seen anything like it. She was slight of build, wiry yet well-defined, with rich, chocolate-brown hair. She was also completely unclothed. Jorin almost missed it when she spoke, so enraptured was he in the new discovery, but he belatedly realized she was telling him that his poems were beautiful. For a moment, just a moment, he wanted to tell her she was wrong; the truly beautiful poems were those of his mother, whose compositions could move stone to tears. But he realized he could not compare everything he did to his parents. Then the woman stood up. That was when Jorin noticed that she seemed very uncomfortable, and as she stood she mumbled that she was an actor ... "of sorts". Jorin gave her his best smile. "My, but you are a better actor than I thought!" he said gently, as he took off his cloak. "But where are my manners? Please, take this," he offered, as he laid the cloak on the bench the both of them had sat upon just earlier. "I regret I have little else to offer," he explained, before turning around so as to not further offend her dignity. "Oh!" he cried, without turning around. "I nearly forgot! I am Jorin Ertihan, from the city of Scholars itself, Zeltiva! Far have I traveled, and wide, from the..." As he introduced himself, Jorin had begun to throw his arms about once more, in what would have been a dramatic gesture, except he accidentally stumbled upon a pebble on the ground and nearly threw himself off the cliff-side. Grasping wildly, he caught the railing and prevented an untimely demise, but his arms and legs had gotten tangled and it took a moment for him to extradite himself. By the time he did, the moment was well and truly ruined. He turned to the girl, hoping she had put on the cloak by then, and threw her a sheepish grin. "That's ... not how that was supposed to go," he explained, face red. "But you're a Kelvic, aren't you? That's amazing! I'd never seen a Kelvic transform before. I've only read about you in books! Oh, but I'm rambling. As I mentioned earlier, my name is Jorin Ertihan, but please just call me Jorin. Or just Jor, if that suits your fancy! What's your name?"

[Dust]

Dust didn't come down to Rookery Park often; when she did, it was usually in raven form, where she delighted in the double-takes her pale plumage inspired among visitors. Today, though, she strolled along the walkway in human shape, dressed in white shirt and brown trousers but no cloak. She didn't find the summer sea breeze at all cold enough to merit wearing that. The gulls, she thought, were like the exact opposite of Akalaks -- pale blue instead of dark, raucous rather than stern and dignified, and way smaller. And they had a park all to themselves, or would, if it weren't for the spectators. Stopping at the top of the stairs, she leaned forward to peer down the cliffs towards the observation deck... just to get a glimpse of what interesting things might be down there. If nothing else, Dust would just go down and play with the birds... but there was a man, flailing his arms and then hugging to the rail, looking like he'd just managed to save himself from falling over. That piqued her interest, and the raven Kelvic found herself wanting to know just what was going on down there. Was that his voice which had carried up earlier? Dust hopped down the stairs two at a time, both feet in unison, to the squawking annoyance of the sky-blue gulls which had to scurry out of her way. That got old quite rapidly, however, and after the first flight of stairs, the girl just ran. At the bottom, she bounced off the observation platform's railing in premeditated fashion, one hand latching onto it to drag herself to a halt. There was another person on the deck, too! That cheered the raven Kelvic, enjoying company as she did -- not that she needed more cheering as such. Half winded, half elated from her headlong rush down, Dust leaned her elbow on the rail and grinned brightly at them both. "Hello!" More words required more breath, though, and it turned out she needed a little longer than instantly for that to happen... RinyaI leave it up to you whether this is before or after our other thread -- personally, I would figure after, so that the other can still be our chars' first meeting, but I'm flexible.

[Rinya]

Day 57, Season Summer, 513 AV Rinya smiled weakly as she took the offered cloak. There wasn’t much she could do about this particular embarrassment. But she very much appreciated his endeavor to leave what little dignity she did have left intact. The moment his back was turned she snagged the cloak from its resting place and twisted it around her body. While it would be a little warm to wear such an item, she much preferred it to walking around nude—or the eventual sunburn her fair skin would pick up nearly instantly without the protection of feathers. Before she could properly thank him however, his voice cried out and nearly sent her through the proverbial roof. She winced slightly at the thought… she really needed to get over being so skittish in her human form. But the man—apparently Jorin—couldn’t have noticed, he was far too busy introducing himself and…! ”Don’t fall off the ledge!” She yelped, nearly jumping over the bench to get to his side. But he caught and righted himself just as she reached his side, shooting her a grin that she couldn’t help but return. His energy was disarming; Rinya couldn’t find it in her mood to be her usual distant self. Perhaps contagious was a better word? Yes, that one fit quite well too. He smiled—and so did she. But since he didn’t need her assistance she found herself much closer to him than she would have normally allowed. Biting her bottom lip, Rinya dropped her golden yellows eyes to the ground, shaking her head slightly before looking back up at him. Her smile shifted into something far more gentle before she shrugged lightly. ”Kelvic… yes that’s what they call the shape shifters. It’s a pleasure to meet you Jorin… of Zeltiva.” Rinya’s smile fell slightly. She sounded so… so proper; there were so many kinks to work out of her speech. Taking a deep breath Rinya refocused her attention to Jorin. ”You may call me…” Her voice trailed off sharply at the sight of movement to the side. Rinya’s face instantly melted into a neutral one. She hated to be surprised on most occasions, but the new arrival looked familiar. Blinking several times, Rinya cocked her head to the side before realization dawned on her. The woman was familiar. ”Dust?” DustYeah that sounds good to me. I was planning on dating out first meeting before this anyways, so it works out just fine for me.

[Jorin Ertihan]

Season of Summer, Day 57, 513 AV "Don't fall off the ledge!" the girl had shouted. Jorin was honestly very surprised to hear it. Most of the time, when his over-theatrics put him in danger, it wasn't concern he heard, it was annoyance. "Seriously?" they'd sigh. "Again, Jorin?" they'd sometimes say. But he could hear the genuine worry in the Kelvic girl's voice and it warmed him. Someone cared enough ... and the moment was over. When he gave her his sheepish grin she had smiled back in return. It lit her face up, like the sun's rays lighting up the twilight sky. She had verified that she was, indeed, Kelvic. For some reason, this admission seemed to dim her smile. Why? Was she unhappy with being a Kelvic? Or was there some other reason? Before she could give her name, an energetic young woman bounded into view. The girl's smile faded completely. Jorin glanced over at the newcomer. She was a fascinating person, to be sure. Light, short-cropped blonde hair, a friendly, energetic face, and huge smile. She seemed slightly out of breath, for all she could make out was a cheerful "Hello!". The Kelvic girl seemed confused at first, but then seemed to recognize her, calling her "Dust". "My apologies, Dust!" Jorin exclaimed. "I didn't see you arrive. I suppose I should introduce myself, I am Jorin Ertihan, of Zeltiva. It is such a pleasure to meet you. Although it seems the two of you," and here Jorin indicated the Kelvic girl in front of him, "already know each other? Perhaps later today I should write a poem in commemoration of today's events!" Jorin tapped his index finger on his chin. "Yes, I think I shall!" he concluded. Now turning back to the Kelvic girl, he made a sweeping bow, but not before carefully examining the pebbles at his feet so as not to repeat the performance of before. "My lady," he said, "a thousand pardons, but I did not get your name." He decided to give her his most disarming smile. Jorin realized with a start he was hoping to see her smile again. Hey, it worked the first time...