Searching for Song(Priv-Gareth, O'Brien)

[Solaris Silverarrow]

They day had started anew as he walked along the streets with his sprite friend. Indeed they must look odd, an elven half breed and a sprite, but none the less they had forged a good friendship in just a few days. However they were not the oddest people that had ventured the streets of Arios today, Infact most of the people were quite odd, something he was finding to be quite normal in this city. The weather however, was normal like usually. The warmth from the sun shone down on them both as a soft breeze blew in from the sea, indeed it was a nice day to be out.

However, their purpose was not to simply enjoy the fine the weather or the oddities of Arios, but to find a being who knew about this form of arcana called Song. Gareth had spoken to him about this arcana, and it had sparked his interest. Gareth had also said that it was one of the main forms of arcana of the island, that and Ikos, whatever that was. It wasn't quite sure how they were going to find anyone who knew it and was willing to teach, but Gareth and him both had happy-go-lucky attitudes so they were sure to find some eventually.

He smiled at his friend. "So then Gareth, in this city, where do we start? Is there an arcana school anywhere in this place, or do people just teach each other by friends?"

[Gareth Gruven]

"No no no," the Sprite explained as he faked a 'I know everything and you dont' tone. "There is no Arcane Academy here in Arios, and I suppose you can say people teach it to friends. However if that is so we better hope they make an exception, because I doubt people will automatically become friends with you like I did," he said with a pleasant tone as he drifted along with Solaris, or what used to be Solaris. "I think the best way to find someone is to ask for directions of course!" the Sprite chimed in merrily as they continued to walk around.

As the two walked through the city, Gareth would stop and ask questions to random people who looked smart enough. Obviously he wouldn't ask an Orc, but a man or elf, even a katta or fae he would most certainly ask. Hopefully...they would get lucky. Gareth got tired of repeated the phrase, "Serale, I'm looking for someone to teach my elf friend song, do you know where I could find such a person?" But, a promise was a promise, and he intended to help Solaris out as much as he could.

[O'Brien]

Ariosans were not antisocial people, nor could they really be called xenophobic, but for one reason or another they simply tended not to be particularly welcoming of visitors. Well, one could certainly attribute that to the fact that Arios hardly ever had visitors. Some of the younger Ariosans have never seen an outsider in their lives, so when Sal opened up the island to current and aspiring archers from around the Empire, it was a bit of a culture shock to the generally quiet folk. Now of course, Gareth had himself become an Ariosan, the Assistant Aedile at that, but none of the citizens were yet aware of this.

It was a particularly quiet and slow brightening out around town when Solaris and Gareth went to find Song training. As if the gods disapproved of the situation, there was hardly a person outside, and those that were out generally could offer only some sort of apologetic mumble and an occasional shrug. The search seemed thoroughly fruitless.

One of the two was about to suggest a different course of action when a faint sound graced Silverarrow's acute elven ears. It sounded like a melodic screeching noise - if that was possible - that tickled the elf's eardrums. The coordinated screeching noise started quiet but began getting louder and louder, until eventually the sprite could hear it as well, and by then Solaris was beginning to hear it as high-pitched and somewhat annoying, yet at the same time a bit pleasant.

The enigmatic sound continued to be amplified, and by now both friends recognized the blaring noise for what it was...the music of bagpipes. Was that right, bagpipes? Yes, it was unmistakeable. But who was prancing around Arios spouting out bagpipe music? There was only one way to find out. The sound was distinctly coming from in the forest, but close to town, to the west. It would be a short walk for Solaris, and quick flight for Gareth.

[Solaris Silverarrow]

He sighed, it would seem things would be against them today. The people had cleared the streets for himself and Gareth it would seem, for there were hardly any folks to be found. Those that we're around didn't seem to care or didn't know, indeed it seemed as if nothing would be able to help them find something about this Song. "Perhaps we should go about this differently Gar..." He stopped mid-sentence, for something graced his ears. He strained to listen for the noise, for its sound was as odd as the island. 'Does nothing around this place ever consider to be normal?' He thought. "That noise do you hear it Gareth, it's so odd, do you have any clue as to what it is?"

He turned to his sprite friend with a grin on his face. "Race you!" He shouted as he started to run off into the direction of the noise, and hopefully leaving the sprite with a bit of shock before he too started to chase after the sound. With his maj blessed speed and agility it wouldn't take him very long to reach the destination, but would he beat Gareth was the question?

[Gareth Gruven]

Gareth sighed as a miserable sight appeared to him. No citizens were out. "Don't these people ever shop or enjoy themselves?" he asked increduously, and then mentally slapped himself afterwards. Of course they enjoyed themselves, they were known for partying all night, well, every night just about. "Heh...nevermind that," he murmured under his voice as he continued to fly through the city with Solaris, a frown forming on his face.

He listened as Solaris began to talk about going to another city for his Song. "Yea, you're probably right, but why didn't you finish your sentence?" he asked curiously, he had never known Melonamin to do that before. "Mel, you there man?" he asked as the Elf listened to whatever he was hearing. And then Gareth heard it too, a low singing melody, though he wasn't sure of the direction it was coming from until it silently rose. A smile drifted over his features. However, a look of concern soon spreaded over it, perhaps it was a Siren? He was forced to shrug it off though as his elven friend started to run off in the direction. "Wait, Melonamin, hold on!" he exclaimed as he took off after the Elf. Hoping the magical rign would help him, he held it close to him and prayed to Carmelya that the gift of flight was faster than running.

[O'Brien]

The elf ran and the sprite flew in the direction of the blaring sound of the bagpipes. Into the forest they went, and Solaris began jumping over large roots as Gareth flew up and down to avoid branches. The tune carried on, starting with slow, distant notes and increasing in speed to a very fast pace, with notes jumping up and down producing a sound only bagpipes could truly do justice to. It wasn't long before the duo saw a broad, and perhaps a bit chubby, man hopping around the forest, with gigantic bagpipes in arm. Based on the size and build of the man, as well as the size of his pipes, the two could guess that the piper was probably a half-giant.

Solaris and Gareth saw only the side of the huge man at first, and he soon turned away and began hopping away from them, though this seemed a coincidence as they did not see the man make eye contact with them. The notes of the pipes, however, soon began jumping abruptly from high to low and back again. The music remained melodious, there was still order in the irritating sound, but it was unpleasant to hear. Suddenly, the huge visage of the piper belting out his annoying tunes seemed a bit frightening to the elf and sprite.

As the piper continued to hop away from the two, bagpipes playing, the adventurers were faced with a choice. Would they ignore these new ominous feelings, or would they return to town before they got too deep into the enchanted woods of Arios?

[Solaris Silverarrow]

OOC:I should really check my own threads more often^^;; sorry for the delay

IC:He smiled as he ran through the forest, hoping over the brush and roots of the trees. He was however; puzzled by the fact Gareth was able to keep up with him. With his Maj blessed speed, he should be far out running the sprite...something was going on and Gareth had failed to tell Solaris. Oh well, it truly didn't matter how Gareth was able to fly so fast, for it only made the race more exciting!

His ears soon noted that the notes were getting louder, and thusly their source was getting closer and closer. Soon he was within view of the man and he stopped running; he want into a following mode so to say, trying to stay out of eyesight of the man, but still have the man in his. He thought they had been seen when the man started to move away, but how could they have been, he was sure the man had not seen them yet. It didn't matter though, the man's music could still be heard and so he would be easy to follow, and soon the music returned to its same chaotic order, however it was still harsh to his sensitive elven ears.

He turned to Gareth, letting the man slip out of eyesight but he could still hear him. "Gareth," he whispered,"you do not have to come any further, you have done all I needed. I shall be fine if this turns to danger, I can always just ran with my speed, or if worst comes to worst, I could fight him." He thought about the prospect of fighting this man alone. He seemed rather large as it was who knew what abilites he might have. He could be unable to fight, or he could be a master in some sort of combat, who would know? "On second though, you'd better come with me, I might need your bow skill." He grinned and started to head off into the woods, whether Gareth followed or not would be his own decision.

[Gareth Gruven]

"I think you'll be fine on your own...I have to attend to my archery practice for the moment," Gareth spoke out loud, hesitating at leaving Solaris alone. Of course, he would not really let Solaris go to his own doom, but the Sprite had an inkling of a feeling that the elf would be alright. He sighed and and said farewell to his friend. "Soalris, follow whoever is playing that instrument, ask him to teach you whatever you want, Song I believe, right? Shout if you need anything, I'll be waiting here. I don't think it would be right if I went off with you on this little adventure for some reason..." Gareth explained as he ran a slender pale hand through his luminous silver hair. He smiled half-heartedly, and watched Solaris trek through the woods, before silently looking for a comfortable tree limb to sit on. He would wait for Solaris to shout anything, otherwise...he'd wait there for a while, before leaving.


OOC: Sorry for the late reply guys, kinda forgot about this thread.

[O'Brien]

As Solaris went onward, Gareth spied a gnarled tree limb that had a single bend in a U shape, just perfect for a little sprite such as himself to sit down in and rest his arms on the sides. It was a good thing he had found this too, because he found his heart beating quite rapidly, sweat coming from his skin, and all around feeling like he needed a good rest. Perhaps he had simply flown a bit too hard in his pursuit of the piper. The bracelet was still around and functioning, but then again hummingbirds' hearts beat so rapidly, and biologically Gruven wasn't a whole lot different - they were both small individuals who flew at relatively rapid speeds. With that lesson in nature and organisms, we will now move on to Solaris's (considerably more interesting) part in this story.

The elf went off at a brisk pace, though it was reasonably manageable for him, to keep up with the piper. The possibly half-giant man wasn't running hard or anything, but he obviously had powerful legs and each small hop he took propelled him forward anywhere from half a meter to a full one - with tree roots and various forest debris on the ground, one's steps had to be erratic. By keeping up at between a half-run and a full run, Solaris was able to stay in hot pursuit of him.

Perhaps in some accordance with the pace of the chase, the piper's tune changed yet again. The notes ceased to tear away at the listener's ears, and though the melody was still vigorous and spirited, it had a very calming effect now. The song started out slow, alternating between high and low notes but this time in a very orderly way. Soon, however, the notes began picking up and resuming the vigorous, spirited tune. The notes seemed to tell some otherworldly story, a ballad of sorts. But if Silverarrow became too absorbed in the song, he would probably be distracted, and who knew whether or not that was the piper's attention. He hadn't specifically looked at either the sprite nor the elf, but he seemed to know that they were around and he didn't seem to be very receptive to the idea of socialization. There was just the question of whether or not he would go out of his way (pardon the weak pun) to deter the duo.

[Solaris Silverarrow]

He jogged within the forest, trying to keep his eyesight on the man, which at times was rather difficult. He would lose sight for a few seconds while moving through brush, or have to look down to make sure he was about to trip over a trunk or root. He smiled though, for he wouldn't have to worry about getting tired here, for apparently no one ever did. He would have to test this out later with some vigorous training, but he was losing sight of what he had come to do.

"What is this man doing? Does he know I'm here? He has too; otherwise he wouldn't be doing such a job of trying to run away." The thought puzzled him, for if the man did know he was there, would it do him any good to purse any longer? The song was catching his thoughts though and he had to try concentrating on just the man alone, lest he be lost in its tune. This was getting tiring though, just chasing the man wasn't going to get anything done, so there was only one thing to do.

He moved his figure into less of a trailing view, and started to come closer to the man. "Sir, may we talk for a few moments?" He hoped the man had heard him, if not-or he had ignored him- he would place on an extra burst of speed to bring his body beside the pipers and repeat the question.

[Gareth Gruven]

Gareth sighed. He was bored, and Solaris was moving at too fast of an incredible speed to catch up with now anyways. He looked around at the forest pleasantly, resting himself and the rapid beating of his heart. As soon as he felt well enough, he stood up upon the branch and took to flight, leaving the woods and heading back to his home...hoping Solaris would be alright by himself.

[O'Brien]

Perhaps granted a favor by Maj, Solaris was able to get close enough to the enigmatic piper to speak with him while Gareth waited some distance back. The elf asked his question, but for all the response he got, he might as well not have. The piper continued half-prancing, half-running through the cluttered forest. It was fortunate that he was not quick to give up, though, because the second time he approached the musician, there was a response. Very abruptly the piper stopped and hopped up into the air once, perhaps to expend a little extra energy. Before he said anything, though, he moved his lips to the reed of his bagpipes and began playing once more. It was a tune much like the one he had just been playing, but at least four times as quickly as before. It was almost as if he was trying to finish up the song before speaking. Again, the notes were only irritating from the natural quality which makes bagpipe music irritating to those people who had not developed an appreciation for it yet, and did not have the probably Arcane-induced effects in addition.

After he had finished his tune, he set his bagpipes down a bit, which were secured to him by a strap. He rested his hands on his hanging pipes and looked at Silverarrow quizzically. "Ya wanna tolk?" he exclaimed. "Uh...g'head then." He looked a bit apprehensive, as though he could dash off once again at any moment.

[Solaris Silverarrow]

OOC:Sorry for the long wait ^^;;

IC:He was getting a bit agitated that the man would not answer his calls, but perhaps his music was too loud for him to hear anything else. He wasn't one to give up when he wanted something though, so with his speed he had run up to the man asking the same question again and this time he did get a response. The man did a little jump in the air...and started playing again! This however, the song was more irritating to his sensitive ears, the normally harsh notes were twice as bad with the song going four times as fast.

He smiled once the man had finally placed away the instrument.
He gave him a quick look over, for now he had a good view of the man, standing right in front of him and all, unlike before. The man's words weren't the greatest thing ever, but they got the point across. "Yes, I want to talk with you. Well you see I set out today to learn about a type of magic called Song. My friend Gareth introduced the concept to me and it made me very interested. I was looking through the city for someone who might know about it when I heard your...melodious tone and well, I think a gamble and headed this way. I don't suppose you could help an elf could you, or at least point me in the direction of someone who knows Song?"

[O'Brien]

Upon closer inspection of the piper, Solaris could tell that he was more likely than not half giant. He was at least three feet taller than the elf and was very muscular - his arms looked about four inches in diameter at the thinnest spots! With plenty of dark stubble around his large face and all-around gigantic appearance, he looked like he would be more at home cutting heads on the battlefield than prancing through the Ariosan woods with bagpipes in hand.

His pipes bounced up and down slightly on their hanging strap as he swayed and stroked his chin, obviously thinking about something. "Augh," he finally said, certainly sounding like a highland giant - though what that meant was anyone's guess. "Soooo ye wants ta play the muuuuusic? Well Oi ah...Oi guess Oi could help ye. Wh...whaaat instrument?" The only thing stranger about this man's place in the woods was the way he spoke. "Oi" didn't seem to be his name - his accent was simply outrageous - and it was difficult to say whether he held out his vowels purposely or not. Still, something about him now seemed a bit less eager to flee. Perhaps this strange man would help Solaris after all.

"By th'wy," he added, "m'name's Rrrrrothrodapa!" Alright, so it wasn't just vowels he rolled.

[Solaris Silverarrow]

He was looking at the half-giant--which was easy to confirm at this range--and smiled. The man was from a race of brutes and warriors, never before had he heard of one dancing around in the woods, that sounded more like an elf. "Just like me, he is different from his appearance," he thought. Once the man started to speak...or at least something like speaking, it was hard to tell what he was saying. The giant made a good point, what instrument would he like to play? When he had lived in Prime and Tirisfal, he had seen many different kinds of instruments, which had all produced beautiful sounds and made him want to dance.

"Well...Rothrodapa (He hoped he got it right) to tell you the truth I'm not much on the ways of Song, but I have seen bards--not magical ones though--play, and I personally don't know what I would want to play. I have never played an instrument before and my knowledge of instruments ends at the ones I've seen and I don't even know the names of them." He smiled, which turned into a grin, and hoped the giant wouldn't think him as a bumbling fool.