PM to join When You Play for Me (with Yvaine)

[Ireth Telemnar]

Fall 68th, 513 A.V.

The sun didn't really rise that day. Well, Ireth knew that it did, but you couldn't really tell with the smothering cloud cover that hung over Nyka. The world just became light. It was that funny, almost eerie light that comes with the absence of shadows or glares. And as the city became light, Ireth lie awake in her bed, her arms tucked up under her head and her gaze tracing the alien patterns on the ceiling. A dreamy smile widened her lips as she thought of her Savio rising and stretching to meet the morning himself in his room at that combat school he attended. His stomach muscles tightening and becoming defined as he reached behind his head sleepily, those gorgeous gray eyes not quite yet open all the way...

A giggle flew from her lips as Ireth kicked the bedsheets from on top of her and swung her legs off of the bed, exposing her scantily-clad body to the light chill of the room. Goosebumps rose as she tripped over a board on her way to the piles of her clothes she kept along one wall. She loved Savio, that was true. She loved the way he treated her, how he never wanted to leave her. He was her everything here in Nyka. But he had a job, his little courier deal.

Ireth needed to get out into Nyka on her own though.

She dressed quickly in some breeches and a shirt, sliding her purse under the shirt and her boots over the bottoms of the pants. Then she collected up her little blue bowl, black cloak, and beloved flute in her backpack. She shrugged it on and walked out the door with a spring in her step.

~~~~~

After another one of the Hostel's lovely breakfasts (hardtack and an old pear this time), Ireth walked the long way around into the West Quarter, crossing the Lover's Bridge over the Aperture into the South Quarter and then into the West because she had been warned against the use of the bridge from the Celestial Square to the West. Craftsfolk inhabited this part of Nyka: merchants and smiths, weavers and tailors or all sorts. The Gates of Nyka that Ireth had entered the city through on her first day here were in this district. And some of the buildings were familiar, either from Ireth wandering about on that first day or from one of the excursions she'd been on.

It was here in the West that Ireth felt most comfortable. The sounds of metal clanking echoed from forges mingled with the singing voices coming from that interesting Studio. A smile graced Ireth's face as she found herself a spot beneath a brilliant blue canopy of a tailor's shop. She gently laid out her cloak atop the ground, and sat cross-legged against the wall. With care she drew her flute from her backpack, cradling it as she adjusted the beautiful pigeon totem and tightened the little leather thong that held the totem to the flute's body.

After a moment of contemplation, watching the Nykians walk by, Ireth set her little blue bowl at about arms length and put the wooden instrument to her mouth. At first the tune was light and airy, a warm-up piece that simply meandered its way through the air.

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[Yvaine Hardgroove]

Day 68, Season of Fall, 513 AV

Yvaine wasn’t having much luck. With anything. Living in a city was difficult for her, especially since most of her life she had lived without walls. And lately it was beginning to feel like they were closing in on her. It didn’t help that winter was on the approach either. As it was, she had a completely unsuccessful morning hunting, and if she had her choice, she would blame the scent of too many humans. But really, she knew the rules of hunting—she just wasn’t in the frame of mind for a good game of catch.

Which probably surprised her more than anything; Yvaine lived for games. But even those little joys seemed to be dwindling. Her mother suggested that maybe she needed to get out with the intent of meeting people. But her mother didn’t quite understand that her breed of Kelvic tended to be very solitary. Traveling with her father hadn’t been difficult, but when he disappeared for days on end, Yvaine knew to stay put and simply keep her head down. In a city like Nyka, you could easily keep your head down, but staying put was practically impossible for her.

Dodging beneath a merchant card entering the city, Yvaine crawled along the dirt road—dragging her belly through the dirt. Yvaine grumbled inwardly—she was going to look like a bedraggled cat. Most people in the West Quarter were getting used to her presence, Yvaine rarely shifted back to human form after a hunt. But the guards generally frowned upon her startling the merchants coming into the city. So she just didn’t let them see her, it was easy enough.

Pressing herself into the ground, Yvaine let the cart finally pass over her. The city around her was bustling with all the early morning activity. Yvaine’s stomach growled, and she stood up. Herring Square was sounding like an interesting start to the rest of the day. They often tossed her fish they couldn’t sell, and Yvaine didn’t have a problem scrounging for the scraps. Food was food after all.

But a sound drifted over the bustle of the people. Most of the humans probably couldn’t even hear it, but Yvaine’s ears twitched reflexively for the sound. There was plenty of music in Nyka—but not like this. For the moment, food could come later. Yvaine trotted off down the pathway to her left, sticking as close as she could to the shops. Despite being a large cat in a city, it was amazing how easy it was to get run over by people who were in too much of a hurry to get nowhere.

A few people scattered at the sight of her, but for once Yvaine didn’t notice. She was on a hunt of a different kind. The sounds taunted her, bouncing off the buildings around her. They warped the sound, making it incredibly difficult to pin point the sound. Yvaine growled slightly, and more people scattered. One even let out a small scream. Lovely…

Dodging around a corner before someone could start accusing her of “attacking them”, Yvaine’s eyes landed on the very sound that had attracted her in the first place. A flute, held in the hands of an average sized looking woman. Well—she would assume average size for now, since she was sitting. A performer too, by the looks of the bowl resting in front of her. Yvaine couldn’t help it, her curiosity was peaked—it always was when it came to music.

While Yvaine herself didn’t know anything about singing or music, it was one of the few things in her life that still held a great joy. Her father had said it calmed her inner cat and that if she wasn’t careful it would tame her. That was a hilarious though actually… music wasn’t going to tame her, the city was. But either way, she wanted to get a closer look at the flute, though in hind sight she probably should have thought of the fact she might startle the poor girl.

Her head kept low, Yvaine sidled up next to the girl, stopping within arm’s reach of her. Hunching down so she didn’t look entirely too intimidating, Yvaine tilted her head a little. And then she let out a chirp. Once, and then twice.

[Ireth Telemnar]

Zhidynach Telemnar had raised his little girl to never get distracted when she was doing a performance. And she had taken that to heart, commonly playing over the noises of the fights and arguments that broke out in the Ravokian Docks or just outside of the Silver Sliver Tavern.

But when an enormous cat walked up to her, submissive and friendly, Ireth's song stopped as her eyes grew wide and her mouth dropped open. She'd never seen a creature like this. Sure, she'd seen kelvics in Ravok who had been large cats, but Ireth wasn't sure if this was a kelvic. It was simply a huge, beautiful cat, all honey-colored with what looked like large ink blotches running along its back.

Gently, Ireth offered a hand to the cat. She didn't attempt to pet it, knowing how skittish most any animal might be around a new person. She closed her hand and offered it to the animal, palm up.

"Hello there. And what are you up to today, my friend?" Ireth murmured. Perhaps the cat had been attracted to her playing, though she couldn't remember a feline ever caring for the melodies of her flute.

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[Yvaine Hardgroove]

Day 68, Season of Fall, 513 AV

Yvaine watched the girl’s eyes widen. The beautiful song coming from the flute stopped abruptly and Yvaine’s head glanced around them in a quick sweeping motion. Luckily no one seemed to notice that she was present—or thought of her as some kind of pet. Probably for the better that second thought. Flicking her ears, Yvaine returned her attention back to the girl, tail swirling across the ground behind her. She took in the girl’s long hair and bright blue eyes, tinted with gray. She was beautiful, not generally a thought that crossed her mind over humans.

As Ireth opened her hand to her, Yvaine stood. Keeping her head low, she sniffed her hand. Her muzzle wrinkled up slightly, her tongue poking out from between her teeth… the stance only lasted a few moments but gave Yvaine all the information she needed. A scent committed to memory for future uses, though she didn’t actually have a specific reason as of yet. The girl made beautiful music and that was all she really cared about.

Leaning forward, Yvaine licked her muzzle before pressing her head into the girl’s hand firmly. Some Kelvics didn’t enjoy being treated like pets; Yvaine had little worry about it. She enjoyed a good scratch behind the ears… maybe even the occasional tummy rub—though that would be hard pressed for her to admit out loud. Her head went from her hand, to the side of the girls face, nuzzling her face before Yvaine sat hunched, impossibly close. A full out rumble echoing through her chest, mildly sounding like a large house cat.

Reaching out with one paw, she batted gently at the flute in her hands before looking back up at the girl, head tilted in a curious fashion. She had stopped playing, and Yvaine wanted to hear more.

[Ireth Telemnar]

When the cat's purr rumbled up from the core of its being, it made Ireth think of a boiling pot. The rumble started deep down and bubbled up, softly before growing deep and continuous. It made Ireth chuckle. It was the little things! Like meeting a friendly cat! After living her entire life in Ravok, it was both hard and distressing to have to make new acquaintances and friends. Sure, she now knew Savio and Xeona and that Sayren girl and a few others, but after having known half of a city?

The cat leaned in close to Ireth, and she continued to scratch the feline's head. When she pawed at Ireth's flute, Ireth hummed curiously. "What is it? You like my piping?" From what bare knowledge the girl knew about animals, she knew that cats were sensitive to certain types of sounds. But she couldn't remember ever luring a feline to her with the piping of her flute.

Nonetheless, the cat was definitely wanting Ireth to play the instrument again. It was in her eyes, her subtle nudges, her persistent pawings.

Ireth laughed "Alright, alright. Be at peace friend. I'll play you a song. Lets see..." She lifted to flute to her lips, covered the six holes with her index fingers, middle fingers, and ring fingers, and took a long breath of the sweet earthiness of the instrument. She let that breath out again, unleashing a sharp, deep note that resonated off of the wall she leaned up against. She closed her eyes, blocking out all but the presence of the pretty cat beside her. A new, strange melody dripped from her pipe. She was making it up as she went along, her fingers tapping along in a lively and cheery melody.

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