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 Posted: Thu Apr 03, 2008 3:45 pm
The theatre was never meant to provide much of a shelter, but the situation is desperate and there is no time to find a better place. There is a small area where one or two bards can hide before entering the stage and it will simply have to do for now. It provides some shelter for the wind and rain, but not much more than that.
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Posted: Fri Apr 04, 2008 9:41 pm
He knew soon Birch would command a presence on its stage, and other bards would join in entertaining the entire clan. Swooping down to a landing, lower then he usually dared in the theater, as no one was around at the moment. Sighing slightly heavily, wishing he could command an audience the way other Bards did.
Glancing around once, he hopped up onto the stage of his dreams and looked out to where the audience would be. Clearing his throat slightly and closing his green eyes, he just couldn't help himself he had to give the stage a try. Even if no one was watching.
"Ooooohhhh high in the skyyy, the tiny birds FLLLLYYYY!!" he sang with all his might, as he leaped across the stage, landing slightly awkwardly at the other end.
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Posted: Sat Apr 05, 2008 7:01 am
"Flyyyy!" a high pitched voice mimicked from above and behind Jester as a small red Parus entered the theatre and landed on one of the many perches on stage.
"Skyyy!" it chirped and shook a shower of rain drops from its wings. "Flyyy!"
Birch, the owner of the Parus landed not long after his enthusiastic companion. He was surprised to se someone else in the theatre, but didn’t question the presence of the other. Crownleaf was bard territory and this was a bard from the looks of it. Birch had decided to take a trip to the theatre to check on things since the weather was so nice, but it had started raining when he was nearly there. While Birch appreciated the rain it made for tedious flying so he was in no hurry to make the return trip. He could wait until it stopped raining.
"Hello there," he hooted and bowed his head in a formal but not fancy greeting, "I'm Birch, I hope Echo isn't bothering you too much."
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Posted: Sat Apr 05, 2008 8:16 am
"HURK!" Came the sound from Jesters throat as his song was mimicked, then when he saw the Parus land he exhaled his relief that it wasn't another. That is when the Sentinel landed, Jester gulped and straightened himself up quickly.
"I'm...I'm..I was..." Jester could hardly believe his eyes it was Birch! Mentally slapping him self to keep from stuttering any more. "Jester, I'm Jester." He curtly returned the casual greeting.
"I didn't think, anyone would be around...I apologize. I just couldn't help myself." it all tumbled out of his mouth in one breath. Then realizing Birch was still talking to him, "Oh no your Parus is a lovely singer!"
Jester could feel the color leaving his feathers, he surely thought he was stark white on that stage before the GREATEST Bard in the Brigadiers Troop. And then something burbled out of Jester's beak completely foreign to him, a decent poem.
"I was flying, enjoying the near dark light, when suddenly the theater appeared in my sight. I have always gazed at it from afar, never daring to to approach this near, fearing that someone might hear. My out of tune sining and unintentionally scar....the ears of the listeners." then his beak snapped shut with an audible click.
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Posted: Sat Apr 05, 2008 5:33 pm
Echo? Lovely singer? Birch erupted in a hearty belly laugh at the thought, and Echo mimicked the sound almost perfectly. The little creature was getting good at imitating.
"Jester huh?" he asked, grinning, "Well you're a funny one, that's for sure."
He blinked at the sudden outburst of poetry from Jester, and took a moment to mull it over while shaking the rain out of his feathers. Shaking did little good as it was starting to rain a bit heavier now. The stage was hardly sheltered at all so Birch got wet faster than he could shake the droplets off.
"You have never visited the theatre before?” he asked, “Well then I'll simply have to give you the grand tour!"
A crack of lightning interrupted him and he looked towards the canopy. They might be better off somewhere less exposed.
"Follow me," Birch said and showed Jester a more sheltered area next to the stage, "This is where we sit and wait for our turn to perform, and incidentally a bit dryer than centre stage. Care to try it out while we wait for the rain to stop?"
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Posted: Sat Apr 05, 2008 10:49 pm
Jester stood beak agape at the perfect mimmic of the laugh that came originally from Birch then from the Parus. After blinking twice he finally noticed his now rain soaked feathers.
"No I've never been here, well not this close before. I would love a tour! Especially there." Jester nodded quickly as Birch gestured to the wings of the stage. Hopping towards the canopy as quickly as a wet Sentinel could.
Very thankful to be out of the falling water, and even more excited to be able to speak with Birch. Jester still hadn't realized he had spouted a poem.
"Do you think the rain will last long?"
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Posted: Sun Apr 06, 2008 3:10 am
Feeling playful, Birch answered the question with a poem. He was sure Jester would recognise the opening verse to the Ballad of the Thunderbird.
The rain that pours,
The wind that blows,
Comes as it comes,
Goes as it goes.
Just as he finished the short verse the thunderbird roared again, and Birch jumped involuntarily.
"Ah, I'm not sure," Birch said, feeling a bit stupid for being startled by the thunder. "But this is good, my territory has been awfully dry lately and there's little to eat. I think the mice are moving elsewhere, and not only because they don't appreciate my music."
He moved further into the sheltered nook to allow Jester some more room. It should be dry in here unless it started storming something fierce.
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Posted: Sun Apr 06, 2008 12:13 pm
Jester again caught his beak agape, Birch had effortlessly spouted the beginning of the Thunderbird. He was about to compliment Birch when the thunderbird roared once more and the Sentinel next to him jumped. Jester stifled back a slight smile.
"It has been dry as of late, very difficult to find food. Some rain will do us good, but I do hope the Thunderbird doesn't have other ideas in mind." Jester shuddered a bit at the thought, and fluffed his feathers slightly in attempts to dry them.
Jester was slightly upset by the rain as Birch hand promised a tour of the great Theater, but he kept his irk to himself.
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Posted: Sun Apr 06, 2008 1:57 pm
Birch looked at the dancing tree tops with a twinge of worry. The wind was really picking up, and while their shelter was hiding them completely from the audience it wasn't capable of keeping the rain from blowing in. Echo squawked unhappily as he was showered in icy water.
"Is it raining... sideways?" Birch said and cocked his head. "Come here Echo, stay close."
The Parus hopped closer to his master and did his best to burrow in the thick down on Birch’s stomach. Birch started to preen the water from his chest feathers, but gave up with a disgusted sigh. His bells better not corrugate in the damp weather. The theatre might be Birch's second home, but it was a horrible shelter for the bad weather, and he thought longingly about the much better protected perches in his territory
"I think we better sit closer together," he said to Jester, "This is going to be a rough night."
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Posted: Sun Apr 06, 2008 4:16 pm
Jester agreed with the other bard moved himself closer to Birch in further attempts to keep the parus dry between them. Looking out onto the stage watching the wind whip the rain sideways, his thoughts drifted to Twilla, he hoped she'd found a dry safe place.
Turning his attention to Birch once more, "Well seeing as we'll be here for a while, care to talk?" Jester was ever positive, even in the worst of moments. And Jester had a gut feeling this would be one of the worst nights of his life.
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Posted: Mon Apr 07, 2008 9:59 am
Echo chirped happily as he sat wedged between the two large Wildtypes. At least one of them was comfortable...
"I guess it's perfect story telling weather," Birch mused, "How long have you been a bard, by the way? I'm not sure I've seen you around much."
Birch could feel Echo move around between then and then start to preen Birch's stomach feathers. The Parus apparently figured Jester was "friend" too, because when he was satisfied with Birch's feathers he moved on to Jester, preening and tugging at the beakful of feathers he could reach.
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Posted: Mon Apr 07, 2008 1:08 pm
Jester's eyes smiled he loved stories, and as the parus preened his belly feathers he couldn't help but hoot a low giggle. It tickled.
"I've been a bard since I was a fledgling, but I've kept more to myself." Jester shuffled his feet slightly, "I have a horrid habit of singing when its inappropriate." he didn't have the courage to say his singing was usually out of tune. "And well, did you hear me when you flew down to the theater?" He hesitantly questioned, a slight worry in his voice that Birch heard his 'singing'.
"I guess I've never thought myself worthy of being a part of the Brigadiers Bards, at least not yet." Jester sounded hopeful, as he truly wanted to be a part of the Crownleaf Theater someday.
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Posted: Tue Apr 08, 2008 1:31 pm
"Ah..." Birch said and nodded, "Well I guess being a bard can be more of a lifestyle than a task sometimes. I started out young too but I've only been a bard proper for about two summers."
Birch had heard the end notes of Jesters spontaneous song when he entered the theatre, but since the other bard seemed embarrassed about it he didn't say so.
"I'm afraid I missed your song," he said, "But I think Echo appreciated it. And if you are worried about your singing talent there's lot more to being a bard than just song."
Birch jingled the bells around his ankle with a grin.
"I like to make my noisemakers sing for me instead," he said, "And you can't go wrong with a good story."
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Posted: Wed Apr 09, 2008 12:52 pm
Slightly relieved that Birch hadn't heard his song. Jester thought about what the other bard said, about it being more of a lifestyle then a task. He agreed, bards weren't like other professions, then again Jester had no other profession to compare it to. Jester always seemed to be a bard, even long after his song was over.
"A good story." Jester mused, "Mind if I try one out on you?" he had never told a story to an audience before, so he wasn't sure how another would react to them. Now was as good a time as any, and it might keep their minds off the horrid weather.
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