Open [The Amphitheater] Gifts Ungiven

[Jorin Ertihan]

Season of Summer, Day 79, 513 AV

Nineteenth bell Bell

"Our tale ends here, on hallowed ground
Where gods and kings have fought
The wind sweeps over a ruined sight
Of victory dearly bought

Though in the end the battle was won
No songs nor tales did sing
No sentries hurried to parapet tops
No victory bells did ring

Though we have now reached the end
And brung this tale to a close
When Ivak's rage burned across the land
A new beginning rose

From the ashes of the old
Has arisen a newer day
Our memories keep what was once before
That time has washed away

'Remember us', the only wish
That these ancient kings did make
For they knew that now in memories true
Could their lives once more awake

And now you've heard their tales and songs
Their lives and trials you've seen
And perhaps they've reached somewhat closer to
Immortality."

Jorin bowed low, a fancy, sweeping motion. It was a good night. The stars were beginning to wink in the sky, and a cool summer breeze was coming off the Suvan. He'd been selected to deliver the final address to the audience, something Jorin was quite happy to do. This particular address was not his favorite, as he preferred ones where he could do more gesticulating. Nonetheless he went into it with gusto, touching the stage while mentioning hallowed ground, and throwing his hands toward the heavens when mentioning gods and kings.

Yes, all in all it was a good night. But the night was not over. As the audience began filing out of the Amphitheater, Jorin hopped off-stage, offering thanks to the various members for their appearance. He knew some actors frowned on this practice, believing that there should be separation between actors and their audiences, but Jorin never subscribed to that theory, trusting that any who would come to his performance should be thanked, in person if possible, for their patronage. After all without such patronage, he would be out of work.

As he went from person to person, Jorin maintained an easy smile, and still dressed in his colorful costume he cut a dashing figure against the rapidly darkening stage.

"Thank you for coming!" Jorin said automatically, reaching out to the next pair of hands without looking. He was speaking a fresh-faced young man, much like himself, who smiled back and tossed him an easy wave. Then Jorin turned to see whose hands he had clasped. Before turning around, he'd already begun to speak.

"So sorry, I did not mean to be rude," he grinned. "Thank you so much for coming!"

[Krima]

79th of Summer, 513 AV Krima felt warm in the crowded Amphitheater. She always did while in crowds, being surrounded by so many people meant there was lots of love to serve as a bit of an incubator. Earlier she had put her things in The Pearl House and decide to explore the city. The Amphitheater seemed like a good place to start when she saw so many people crowding in. In the mess of people, she had lost the map she used to find her way around town. She had panicked about it until the curtain opened. As the first act started she had decided to calm down and enjoy the play, deciding to worry about being lost later. Still, throughout the intermissions she glanced at the floor around her, hoping to see her map. She was met with no such luck, and by the final act she gave up on trying to find it. She would just have to ask for directions to The Pearl House, or an Inn. Which would help her out more. The play had been lovely, making her cry, laugh, and cry again. Her favorite part being the closing address. Krima had been a bit Rusty on her Common, and listening to the play had helped her remember a word or two she forgot. In Mura she had spoken almost strict Kontinese, only knowing common from her Sister's foreign clients and school. It wasn't until now she realized that she would be speaking in common more than anything. Maybe I should pick up a book in common to learn some more. She thought as she was walking out. Lost in her own thought, she was startled when a stranger clasped her hands. She recognized him from the stage he was on moments before, delivering the final address. He had done an excellent job, though his colorful getup had made her chuckle when he first entered the stage. In fact, throughout the entire play she had to stifle her laughter at each costume. Mura wasn't known for vibrant colors, and it was rare color was used to such an extent as these costumes. Her sister would have endless spools of white, blue, and gold. However, if a customer wanted a color such as green or orange, Krima would have to buy it. She knew the more casual-wear tailors owned more colors, and she would have to buy from them. Usually at a price that disgusted her. "Oh, the play was fantastic!" she said in Konti. Her cheeks instantly went red, forgetting that she was just thinking about how she needed to speak in common. "I'm so sorry!" She said quickly. "I just arrive from Mura. The play was great." She smiled, trying to ignore the heat on her cheeks.

[Kirsi Winterflame]

Timestamp: 79th of Summer, 513AV Kirsi stood and applauded with the rest of the audience. The play had been a fun diversion, and she was glad she'd talked herself into going. She had not had a chance to lose herself in a story since leaving Avanthal; it was an activity she'd sorely missed. And to add to the entertainment of the night, she'd recognized her friend Jorin on stage, glorying in the dramatic effect of it all. When he'd stepped out to give the closing address, she couldn't help but smile. It was a new thing for her, seeing him in his element, and she recalled a statement he'd made the day they met. Something about being told he should have been born in Avanthal. After tonight, she had to agree he'd have fit right in. His sense of drama and timing would have been a welcome addition in any hold. When Jorin hopped off the stage and began chatting with the attendees, Kirsi had to laugh. Most of the actors had not deigned to acknowledge the public, but Jorin's opennesss did not surprise her. It fit what she knew of him perfectly. Torn between pushing through the crowd to say hi and pushing through the crowd to escape the Amphitheater, Kirsi simply stood for a few moments amongst the throng of people, then determined she would go whichever way seemed to clear out first. If she didn't make it over to him tonight, no doubt he would have no shortage of people to greet. She would just have to remember to mention the performance the next time they ran into each other.

[Jorin Ertihan]

Season of Summer, Day 79, 513 AV

The very first thing Jorin noticed when he turned was a mass of silver-gold hair, framing a fair face. He also noticed a few scales on the woman's forehead and on her hands, which told him instantly that she was a Konti. Thus he was not surprised when her first exclamation made no sense to him; he suspected that perhaps she did not speak Common natively. No matter, she quickly covered up by switching to Common a moment later.

"I'm so sorry! I just arrive from Mura. The play was great," the woman said, her face red with embarrassment. Jorin just gave her a warm smile to put her at ease. He would give her a sweeping bow, but there was not sufficient room, so instead he inclined slightly, and said, "Thank you for your kind words! We aim to please here at the Amphitheater. And do not worry about being new to Riverfall. I'm sure you'll find the people here are quite friendly!"

Well, friendly to some, Jorin mentally amended. He still remembered his sore bottom from all the times the Akalak had kicked him out of taverns for his "art". Clearly these dour warriors could not appreciate a good poem, but he didn't think they'd go so far as to evict him for it.

Nonetheless now he was much happier, doing what he loved. He was finally in his element again, so he pushed those other thoughts out of his head and, releasing one of the Konti woman's hands, indicated the Amphitheater in its entirety.

"Isn't it a grand sight?" he exclaimed, eyes shining. "Since it is your first time here, perhaps I could show you the stage. Come!" he gently tugged the woman's hand to lead her down the steps to the stage, with the props still standing from the show. As he led her down, he noticed black hair with blue-green highlights, laughing eyes that changed with the wind. A familiar face in a sea of strangers.

"Kirsi!" Jorin called, as he tried to wave over the tall heads of the passing Akalak. He hopped up and down to try to flag her down. Turning to the Konti woman, he gave her a sheepish grin.

"She's a friend of mine. A very nice woman from Avanthal by the name of Kirsi Winterflame. You'll like her, I'm sure! She's very friendly..." Jorin's voice trailed off as he scratched the back of his head.

"Ah, I'm sorry but I don't believe I caught your name," he finally finished, giving the Konti woman an apologetic smile.

[Krima]

79th of Summer, 513 AV Krima smiled back, relived that he didn't linger on her small mishap. She could tell it would take a bit of getting use to, to always use common. "Thank you for your kind words! We aim to please here at the Amphitheater. And do not worry about being new to Riverfall. I'm sure you'll find the people here are quite friendly!" the young man said to her. The last part made her feel more at ease. With so many Akalak around she felt pretty intimidated. She watched his hand as he motioned toward the Ampitheater. He was right about it being grand. There were dozens of trees and grass covering each terrace, making it feel like part of nature. She hadn't finished nodding her head in agreement when he started to lead her down to the stage. She held onto his hand to make sure she didn't lose him in the crowd. She looked around for the women he was calling too, but only saw one or two women in the crowd. She scanned for whoever's attention he was trying to grab when her eye fell upon a women with Black hair and blue-green highlights. The women stood out in the crowd, and Krima assumed this was "Krisi" "She's a friend of mine. A very nice woman from Avanthal by the name of Kirsi Winterflame. You'll like her, I'm sure! She's very friendly..." The man's voice trailed off as he scratched the back of his head. She tilted her head slightly before he finished his sentence. "Ah, I'm sorry but I don't believe I caught your name," Krima got a bit of a surprised look on her face, realizing she hadn't cough the actor's name either. "My name is Krima." She answered quickly, giving him a smile. "And I believe your name was...?"

[Kirsi Winterflame]

Timestamp: 79th of Summer, 513AV "Kirsi!" Jorin had spotted her; if she hadn't been faced in his direction, she surely would have missed the waving hand and bobbing head as he tried to hail her through a veritable sea of tall blue muscle. She smiled slightly, and sighed; the crowd didn't seem to be dispersing much in either direction. Shrugging, she picked her way toward the stage; at times like this, she could wish for a bit more height, a bit more presence. It was difficult to weave through a crowd when most of them stared straight over your head. As she meandered, she caught snippets of conversations around her, most in common. Kirsi was happy to know that the rest of the audience, for the most part, had enjoyed Jorin's ending as much as she had. It was silly, she knew, but Jorin's success in Riverfall gave her hope that she, too, would do well here. Stage and workshop were worlds apart, but if she looked very hard, she could find enough similarities to be comforted. Finally managing to complete her path through the Akalak and to the edge of the stage, she took a second to look around. It was a beautiful stage, and Kirsi was a bit enchanted by the atmosphere and lights and scenery. But Jorin was on the stairs, speaking with a pale blonde woman. Kirsi hesitated only a second before approaching the pair. "Hello! Jorin, that was wonderful," she enthused. "Everyone loved your closing speech." She gestured around her at the milling crowd, only just now moving out of the amphitheater. Turning bright blue eyes on the other woman, Kirsi held out her hand, smiling, and introduced herself, "Hi - I'm Kirsi."

[Jorin Ertihan]

Season of Summer, Day 79, 513 AV

"My name is Krima." Jorin returned her smile. He'd not met many Konti, but she certainly seemed nice.

"And I believe your name was...?" Jorin was about to reply when Kirsi finally appeared, bounding out from the sea of large purple Akalaks, we were just beginning to thin out.

"Hello! Jorin, that was wonderful! Everyone loved your closing speech." Kirsi said. Now that Jorin had a bit more room, he took a few steps back and gave both women one of his famous dramatic bows.

"I and the theater thank you for your patronage and kind words," he replied formally, before tossing off a huge grin. "And seriously, thanks for coming. This was my debut, actually, for the Amphitheater. I'm just glad I didn't miff any lines!"

Jorin turned to Krima. "Well, Kirsi kind of gave it away, but I'm Jorin Ertihan. But please just call me Jorin, everyone does." he hoped on stage, indicating that the women should follow. Kirsi was introducing herself to Krima, so he looked about for something interesting to show the women when ...

"Hey! Jorin we're gonna need the stage for cleaning!" called out one of the stage hands. Jorin waved him off.

"Come on," he begged, tossing the women an apologetic shrug, "Just give us twenty chimes, we'll be out of your hair I promise!"

"Twenty chimes? Why not twenty bells?" came the irritated reply.

"Hey give me a break here!" Jorin groused. "I said twenty chimes and I mean it! Not a chime more, and We'll be gone, I swear!"

"... fine. You've got ten." came the evental response, with a sigh.

"Could we maybe make that fifteen?" Jorin tried hopefully.

"This isn't a negotiation Jorin! Ten chimes and we need to clear the stage for the next show." came the final answer.

Jorin glanced back at the Krima and Kirsi, hoping the two had made their introductions.

"Well, my ladies, I am pleased to present to you the stage of the Amphitheater of Riverfall!" he cried, as he swept his arm to indicate the various bobs and ends scattered about. He thought Kirsi might be interested in some of the wooden carved props, and perhaps they might want to take a look at the costumes, which were backstage behind a large curtain.

"You get to see some behind-the-curtain things that normally only we actors get to see!" he continued with a conspiratorial grin, going to a large, ornately carved archway. "I think this prop was used during our last production of 'In the Arms of Fate'. It was supposed to represent the archway to the heavens, I believe. It's also been used as a door several times." Jorin grinned. "Hey, we've got ten chimes! Feel free to look around and ask me about anything you like."

[Krima]

79th of Summer, 513 AV "I and the theater thank you for your patronage and kind words," the man said to Kirsi in a formal manner, then switched to a big grin. "And seriously, thanks for coming. This was my debut, actually, for the Amphitheater. I'm just glad I didn't miff any lines!" Krima was surprised, it didn't seem like it was his first time on that stage. She wondered how long he had been acting, but decided that was a question for another time. "Well, Kirsi kind of gave it away, but I'm Jorin Ertihan. But please just call me Jorin, everyone does." She gave him a quick nod, but he was already making his way onto the stage, arguing with the stage hands to let them look around. "Hi - I'm Kirsi." Krima returned Krisi's smile and gave her a small handshake. The women's eyes stood out to her the most. They were a bright shade of blue she had never seen before. She began to wonder if they were a special gift from one of the gods. She didn't ask though, it felt a little rude to just go "Oh hey you have strange eyes! Did a god give you that?" "Hello Kristi, I'm Krima." Krima replied, dropping the women's hand to follow Jorin onto the stage. She kept her hands infront of her as she looked around, admiring the tall archway as Jorin spoke about it. She walked over the large red curtain and rubbed the fabric gently in her hand. It was made of plain velvet, expensive but sturdy. Velvet curtains were common in theater, since the right kind can stand up to being dragged back and forth all the time. She let go of the velvet and start to look at the other props. Most were simple, a chair here and a table there. Krima was more interested in seeing the costumes, with their vibrant colors and different fabrics. She wondered if any of them had a fabric she hadn't seen before, even if it was unlikely. "Is it alright if we see the costumes?"

[Kirsi Winterflame]

Timestamp: 79th of Summer, 513AV "Kirsi," she corrected the woman, Krima, gently. Names were tricky things, and differing cultures sometimes made them even harder to get a handle on. Kirsi didn't mind. The scales on the woman's forehead indicated she was Konti, like many of the women Kirsi had seen in Riverfall. With a welcoming smile, she repied, "Its nice to meet you, Krima." Jorin had managed to cajole the stage hands into giving them a few chimes to explore, and Kirsi was not about to waste it. Stepping lightly across the stage, she leaned in close to the door Jorin was showing them. She ran her hands carefully over the carvings, enjoying the smooth feel of the craftsmanship. The carver responsible for this had enjoyed his work, and Kirsi enjoyed the result. "Archway or door, its lovely," fingertips still trailing over the door, Kirsi turned curious green eyes to Jorin, "Have you many carved pieces as props? I would think that the details wouldn't stand out from the stage - unless they're very large pieces?" The opportunity to examine the work of other carvers was one that Kirsi was loathe to pass up. It was inspiring to see carvings on such a grand scale, and gave her hope that her works might amount to something similar in the future. Krima, on the other hand, seemed to be interested in the fabric of the curtains, and asked after the costumes. Those things were lovely, too, but Kirsi couldn't fathom how one might take a bolt of cloth and turn it into clothing. Clothes in general were almost outside her notice; she bought what she needed and wore what she had and gave very little thought to how either system could be improved on. Still the mystery of the stage was being unmasked for them, however briefly, and Kirsi would peek at whatever Jorin was able to show them.

[Jorin Ertihan]

Season of Summer, Day 79, 513 AV

At least Kirsi and Krima seemed to be having fun, looking at the various props that were on stage. It was rare to be this close to the props unless you were an actor or stagehand; they don't usually allow visitors on the stage before it'd been cleared. It was a unique opportunity to see the props up close, in their natural state.

Kirsi, as Jorin had predicted, was drawn to the carved arch. It was certainly a magnificent piece, and had apparently been in the Amphitheater's inventory for quite some time, and he told her so.

"That piece has been with the Amphitheater for awhile, or so I've been told," he mentioned. "But as for pieces that are carved in general, well just about everything wooden is! The Amphitheater's about art, after all. And just because the audience is too far away to appreciate, doesn't mean we actors are! Even some of our wooden swords for stage swordfighting are pretty fancy."

Jorin led Kirsi to the racks behind the big, velvet curtain of the Amphitheater. As he did, he noticed Krima was very interested in the fabric. Interesting, Jorin thought, making a mental note of that. Maybe she's a seamstress?

On the racks were all sorts of wooden weapons, from wooden swords, to just plain old sticks, to some seriously fancy-looking carved replicas of axes and lakans and other such tools of war. The actors usually just grabbed the first weapon that matched their scene and ran out on stage, then dumping them back when they came back off, so the racks were utterly disorganized and in a state of complete disarray.

"Ah, well, I suppose the racks have seen better days," Jorin chuckled nervously. Hey, how was this his fault? He wasn't in charge of rack duty! "But anyway, here's some of our carved wooden weapons. Here, see this one? Pretty fancy carving for just a wooden dagger, huh?"

The small wooden dagger he handed to Kirsi was fairly ornate for a prop, having a delicate, almost latticework carving on the handle, and a pommel that had been carved to look like a snake's mouth.

Turning back to Krima, Jorin just caught her question on costumes.

"Of course!" he cried, as he indicated with his arm to another section backstage. Here, there were costumes lying on tables and on racks, some tossed haphazardly across chairs. The stage hands were busy disassembling a large prop or they'd be flitting back and forth here, picking up this dress or that costume to be cleaned, repaired, or replaced. But there were only a few such stage hands there that chime.

"Please excuse the mess," Jorin apologized. "Things get a bit hectic backstage. I mean, first curtain is usually OK, but then there's only a few chimes for intermission, and everyone's trying to get into costume, and someone always spills their snack onto their shirt and the costume manager's yelling at us ... it's a madhouse back here." Jorin grinned. "You just don't see any of it. But we've got some pretty nice costumes in stock today. Why, I just did inventory yesterd-"

Jorin's blood almost froze as his eyes made a second count of the dresses. Twenty seven. He'd thought that was what he'd counted. Grabbing one of the nearby stage hands, he asked, "Why are there only twenty seven dresses here?"

"What do you mean?" the stage hand asked, looking very confused.

Jorin just shook his head. "I did inventory yesterday. There should be twenty nine dresses. There are two missing. Where are they?"

"Oh!" the stage hand shrugged. "One of the actresses wanted to borrow two of the dresses to go to a festival."

Jorin stared at the stage hand incredulously. "And you let her?" he croaked out at last.

The stage hand stared at Jorin like he'd grown an extra head. "Well, yeah," he replied. "It's not like she's keeping them, she just needs them for two weeks."

Jorin squeezed his eyes shut, pinching the bridge of his nose. He heaved a heavy sigh and opened his eyes. "You are aware that we have another show in a week? Why didn't you tell me this before?"

The stage hand shrugged. "You didn't -"

"- Don't," Jorin interrupted, holding up a hand to stop the stage hand. "Do not tell me I didn't ask. How am I supposed to run inventory when no one tells me these things? Do we at least have spare dresses?"

The stage hand shook his head. "We never inventoried for that," he said with a shrug.

"I. Know." Jorin ground out through gritted teeth. Sighing, he turned back to Krima, giving her an apologetic smile.

"I'm ... terribly sorry." he apologized. "I didn't mean for you to be there for all that. I don't suppose you'd know where I can acquire a few dresses?" He grinned good-naturedly. No, probably not. She was new to Riverfall, how would she know that? Jorin just sighed and continued, "Oh it's alright, I'll figure something out. Anyway, a lot of the fabrics used for our costumes are imported. We've got cotton, wool, even some silk costumes, although those only get used on the really special events."