[Flashback] Hold Your Applause {JonDuFraine, Rhuryc}

[Lilith]

17th of Winter 508 AV Lilith’s ass hurt. A lot. She was packed in with numerous sacks full of rice, wheat, barley, etc. on the back of a wooden wagon, and was literally being thrown about every five seconds from the bumps in the road. She winced as the merchant continued his typical route, apparently content on his lifted seat. The woman glared at the back of his head silently before turning back to look at the road behind them. Her past. Sunberth. Two gold mizas had bought her passage to Syliras. Her means of transport wasn’t the best, but…well, it had been cheap. She thought of her money pouch and felt a twinge of sadness. She would need to begin working immediately if she wanted to eat that night. Groaning, she placed her hands on the stiff sacks and stood, carefully holding her balance. Making sure she wouldn’t fall, she called out to the driver. “Soon, then?” “Aye, soon.” And that was all. She sat back down and crossed her arms, watching the sun lazily begin to set. Her stomach growled. Soon was not soon enough. ----------------- The merchant dropped her off at the gates shortly after the sun set and, honestly, Lilith was not sure she would be up to dancing with her aching backside. But she was hungry. Giving her thanks to the merchant, she quickly made her way up the city streets, inquiring where a good tavern was located. She was directed to The Rearing Stallion, which seemed homely enough. Loud chattering was already beginning to build, even at this early hour. The drunks hadn’t even left their homes to arrive yet. Glancing inside, she pulled out her money pouch and checked the amount, frowning. Sighing, she turned and looked around the bazaar. Entertainers were there, taking spots left by the day crew. They set up their instruments and seats and began to play, asking for money through their songs. Finding a spot free of musicians, she placed her backpack next to her and stood quietly, closing her eyes and listening to the music around her. A few citizens had already paused to look at her garb, which was admittedly strange and utterly dramatic. She could hear them. Smiling, she listened for the loudest bit of music and began to dance. Body swaying, belly rolling, spine bending. Her lithe form spun, pivoted, and fell to the ground gracefully in gravity defying backbends. Her face took on a feminine grace and seductively looked to the crowd as her hips moved to the music, popping at every loud note and gently swaying with every soft chord. It was a dance many had not seen. Men gazed at her longingly, women watched her curiously, in amazement. Children, clinging to their mothers, clapped at every seemingly impossible backbend, lost in the dance. Lilith closed her eyes, smiling to herself. She became lost in the music, body expressing the sound with fluid, loving, intoxicating movement.

[Rhuryc]

Just another crowd. Rhuryc found himself caught within the sway of the bazaar's daily traffic, boot trouncing on the under-levels with a dwarfed step-click of hardened soles. He was not much among the Sylirans. One of many. His attire did little to stand out, the casual, thick leather coat he wore over his torso hiding the brunt of his muscles beneath, complete with a shirt bereft of a suitable collar. He kept a knife at his belt, but little else decorated his person with the exception of a suitably full coin purse. For once he had a day off. Rare as it was, any smith would lose his edge worked to the bone, so it was that the apprentice had his free reign of the day. He had little trouble navigating his way through the twisted corridors. His height - never mind his size - gave him an edge in wading about the city. Able to clear clots without much of a fuss, most people tended to wander away from the young man, giving him a wide berth amongst their paths and forays. Although his goals this day were unapparent. He meandered for some time, reveling in the subtle noise of the day-to-day activities of his people. It was the music that finally drew him. The soft, embellished notes of the local musicians always perked his interest. And his coin. A patient shuffle brought Rhuryc to the forefront of the performance, his mind and focus shifting to the antics of the players and their craft. His hands were far too clumsy to enact such feats, perhaps calloused as well. The crinkle of leather followed as he flexed his fingers, unconsciously aware of his own shortfalls. And yet, something different caught his attention. Something new. Who? Or rather, what? Rhuryc felt himself drawn aside. Moving with a strange, ethereal grace, the woman found his eye - or rather the opposite - and he stepped to the side, one of the few at the front of the audience. Unlike the others the smith found himself absorbed in the motion. She was pretty, for sure, skin smooth as silk with an unblemished exterior, yet it was how she held herself that spoke to him. The gentle sway of the hips, the way her arms weaved through the air, each step a new experience that begged an origin beyond that of mortal conception. In short, he was entranced. In every moment the music fit the dance. From beat to beat, note to note, each entwined within one another in a glorious rhythm. Very suddenly, Rhuryc was glad he venture into the markets this day. He fumbled at his belt and withdrew a few coins from his pouch. Five glints of gold flashed in his palm before he deposited them into the bag and replaced the source, standing back upright and resuming his speculation. The worst part would be when it ended.

[Lilith]

The musicians had finally realized their crowd had been stolen by this girl and, angry and curious, they continued to play, weaving carefully through the small mass of people to catch a glimpse. Realizing her dancing was taking in much more money, they shifted closer to her and stood, playing in accordance to her movements. The change in song caught the dancer off-guard, but she quickly adjusted, not letting herself get mixed up in the new placement of the beat. Instead, she moved carefully, judging the musicians’ playstyles. She anticipated a change in meter, and was correct. The song began to speed up. Her eyes were closed, mind shut down to everything but the music and her own body. Feeling the changes, her hips dipped and twisted like a snake before she stood nearly straight and began a shimmy with her lower body. As guitar strings were plucked loudly, her chest popped out and in to match the notes, calculated and controlled. Her belly rolled as her hips moved wildly beneath her, as if her body was made of four parts, not merely a lower half and a torso. Her head moved to the side and, as if that began a chain of events, the wave made its way down her body, her chest moving back as it popped and her belly rolling with massive control. The wailing of a fiddle caused her dance to become wild, leading her to do jumps and complicated layering of arm, chest, and hip movements. As the song neared its climax, she pivoted off on one foot and began to spin, smiling as her body whirled to the sound of anarchy. Counting a few beats, she flashed a musician a short smile as she spun by, cuing him to end the song. On the final turn, she suddenly stopped the spin, clearing all momentum, and posing dramatically, arms poised in snake-like grace. There was cheering and clapping, and for a moment, Lilith felt pride. She had been the first of her kind to perform in Syliras. That was good. Her lips parted to help her breathing as she looked toward the musicians. Knowing her business, she beckoned to the others to pick up their change. They quickly divided up the money and she was left with enough to eat that night and the next. Smiling, Lilith felt content. Counting the money in her hands, she looked to the tavern and once again smelled the intoxicating scents of beer and meat.

[Jonathon DuFraine]

Jonathon had been one of the many lost in the movement of the dancer. Unlike others in the crowd, Jonathon didn't watch the movement, not really. Being a boy of only seventeen, he was far more intrested in the exotic beauty of the woman. The dance was quite seductive, as well. Jonathon watched halfway through the show with an open mouth until he regained his senses.

With a calculating eye, he looked at the money at the girl's feet. All Jonathon had to do was sweep up a few, and his father could eat for another couple of days. But they had money right now, and Jonathon could never bring himself to steal, not when he could help it. In fact...

Jonathon held the heavy gold miza in his hand, clinched between finger and thumb. All he had to do was give it a flick! and the woman would be that much richer. But he couldn;t do it. His father and him were too poor for that. Regrettfully, the coin retreated back into the boys' pocket.

As the song and dancing ended, Jonathon was among the loudest to clap. It was very... exotic, for certain. Jonathon watched the woman look to the Rearing Tavern. He had stopped in there on occasion, when he needed entertainment or relaxation. Maybe he could talk with her?

Jonathon was too nervous. In fact, he was blushing up a storm, while he debated inside himself on whether or not to go up and talk to her...

[Rhuryc]

That was oddly disappointing. When the musicians finished and the dancing ceased Rhuryc found himself waiting for more, his arms crossed over his chest in stagnant anticipation. And none came. Balls. The spectacle now over, the man shrugged and shifted his focus away from the entertainers, though he suspected his gaze lasted far too long on what had been the sole means of procuring so much profit. The woman was unique. Among the usual females of Syliras he had yet to find anything quite so, well, exotic. Konti, sure, but they had an air of superiority so thick about them that Rhuryc had never once imagined it was possible to approach the women. What a tangent. Turning, the young man shook his head and departed from the now disbanding crowd. What fool was he to imagine that this girl would want anything to do with him? Would he appreciate it if some woman disturbed him while at the forge in the interest of nothing beyond the realm of physicality? Well, yes, but that was besides the point. His boots clattered away. He needed to clear his head. With one last glance at the supple, well shaped woman, Rhuryc retreated and turned his attention to the nearby pub. Ah, the Stallion. Now that he could get behind. Passing beneath the front door was such a familiar practice. The dull thunk of his soles on the wooden floor was a pleasant welcome, the stale, thick air of beer and ale more than enough to ease his day. Wonderful. There were few inhabitants - well, fewer than usual with most of the city's populace hard at work - and it made his trek all the less disturbing. He slid up to the main counter and set himself down, one hand waving through the air to catch the attention of the tender. A few mutters and a curse later Rhuryc placed his meal order and received a stout mug. Now that was friendly. He spun. Ale in hand, the young man leaned his back against the counter and eyed the door, his vision occasionally flickering to the various inhabitants while he drank. An issue of loneliness never occurred to him. This was simply his habit.

[Lilith]

Lilith couldn’t resist the urge to spend her hard-earned money on a meal and a bath. Running the coins through her fingers, she entered the tavern and, eyes filled with bright curiosity, made her way to the main counter. The bartender noticed her smile and approached, quickly taking a meal order. The girl was offered a drink with a smile, to which she immediately nodded. A few coins were dropped on the table and the dancer was set for the evening. The tender handed her an ale, to which she began to sip. Instant warmth coursed through her body, though the taste wasn’t exactly heavenly. Her mouth twisted into an involuntary grimace for a moment before she turned to look at the patrons that chattered endlessly. Her outfit set her apart, obviously, but she had not caught too much attention. The men and women seemed to be in their own worlds. Lilith smiled, glad. She hadn’t had a knife pointed in her direction yet. The dancer turned her head to the left and noticed a gentleman that had been in her crowd. Interesting. He was delightfully handsome and made Lilith almost giggle just by looking at him. His stature screamed elegance, though that could have been a biased opinion taken from his hair and face. The man needed to be in armor. He would make a beautiful knight. After a moment of watching, she slowly made her way to him and smiled, hoping she wouldn’t be turned away. She hated that initial ice breaker. “I might be mistaken, but I think I saw you during my performance,” she said, looking at him curiously. “What did you think? Honestly.”

[Jonathon DuFraine]

Jonathon watched the dancer girl leave. She was headed to a tavern; the Rearing Stallion. Jonathon had only been every once and a while; the owner was rather generous, and had let Jonathon work on the fast days, not to mention selling him food, when they had had the money.

Jonathon had nothing else really important to do; why not drop in for a visit? And maybe the awkward teenager could actually manage a chat with the dancer girl. Beyond the surface interests, Jonathon had yet to meet many who had come from out of Syliras. This girl seemed exotic, and Jonathon was deeply curious as to where she had arrived from.

But the woman had found someone else to occupy her attention; an adult, tall, strong-looking. Typical. Jonathon looked down at his own, slighter and more malnourished frame. Not exactly impressive. She wouldn't be interested in you anyways; you're probably like a decade younger than her! Jonathon, dissuaded by his inner voice, took a seat, watching the two. His mind churned, trying to come up with ways to approach the two without seeming weird and childish.

[Rhuryc]

Rhuryc found himself violently ripped from his reverie. What now? Who? Hips? Oh. Oh! He shook his head and lowered his mug, the frothy liquid inside swirling about and spilling over his thigh. Balls. Twice balls! Way to be smooth. He followed up with a grin. And a glance. His eyes followed the trail of the dancer's body up to her eyes and there they stayed, proper, formal. He wasn't about to get chased off by a woman that depreciated a few looks here and there. Though he did not think she cared so much. Not after that performance. After a moment or two he found his voice. Strange, where had it gone? "Ah, yes, I was there." What the hell did he say? Yes, you had every man's jaw down to his loins? That and maybe more. Honesty was best. Sometimes. "Honestly? I've never seen anything like it. Dancing, sure, but the way your hips sort of, well. Swayed." His head tilted to the side as he imagined how most of those movements were even possible. It was like her stomach was a wave. "Other than the occasional churn I thought you were going to fall over a few times. Or break your back. Or even that the crowd was going to storm you and whisk you away to their private cellars." He bit off a laugh at that. He turned and placed his mug on the counter, a hand raising into the air to call over the tender. "Let me buy you a drink, take a seat. And you can tell me just where in the void you learned to do that." Familiar, cordial. Rhuryc had his best hat on.