Welcome to Gaia! ::

As the two candidates stumbled out of the center of the gather, Lireal began to breathe again. She'd known they'd come looking for her eventually, but she'd hoped to have impressed or at least found a place before they did. She sighed shakily, running a hand through her hair as she tried to gather her thoughts. She looked over at her friend, and found her staring at her, a question in her eyes.
"Umm, I'll bet you're wondering what that was..." She searched for an explanation, and failed to find anything but the truth. "And, to tell the truth, it's rather a long story. Let's just say, I have some rather insistent relatives, and they'd like nothing more than to see me settle down in a marriage that's advantageous to them."
She spread her hans in front of her, palms up, in a movement of loss. "I really, really don't want to. So, I ran away a few years back. They seem to have found my trail though. Anyway, the point is, I really don't think I can stay out here much longer. I'm gonna head back and hope no one sees me."
Lireal hated this feeling of being trapped more than anything. Still, if everything went well, it would only be for a little while longer. "I won't ruin the gather for you, though! I'm sure that the others are down at the feast by now, so I'll just head back, and leave ya to have some fun."
She smiled at Freya, turned, and started back towards the barracks.
((sorry I haven't been on much this week. I've got finals... sweatdrop ))

He had greeted the Lord Holder and his Lady as he did every other time he had seen them. He knew they disapproved of his appointment as the new MasterHarper but it was the former MasterHarper's wish and they had no say in the hall to renounce him. He was polite, cordial, he talked formally and smiled as he listened to their strained politeness then took his leave as soon as it was safe to do so. He hated running out on the Lady Queen riders like that, it wasn't so often that he had a chance to converse with such intelligent, not to mention, beautiful women. Ah, but he needed to put those days behind him. He doubted either would be interested and his actions reflected the Hall, he had to behave now... no more journeyman days of wild flings with various holder girls and the only journeywoman at the time... He was surprised that he missed those days, but not as much as he thought. He was an adult now and the leader of the Hall. Perhaps he ought to find a wife. That would help him settle down... or drive him to new areas of stupid acts.
He watched the journemen set up and the apprentices waited, paitiently lined up beyond the preformance area. Ipsen hid is agitation well but Trick was displaying it so keenly, the poor dear, that Ipsen sent him to watch over the Weyrwomen just out of curiosity. He wanted to see how they would fare with the Lord and Lady of the Hold and their distinguished guests from the other Holds.

Soon all the main guests and, it seemed, every man, woman, child, and dragonrider from the mid continent were gathered to listen to the preformance. The sun was sinking in the background creating a dramatic background. Ipsen was extremely pale but the sharp golden light lit him with a vibrant glow. Alright, alright. It was time to see if Pern was with him or against him. He feared the latter.

The singers and accompanists were lining up as Ipsen made his way back to the head table. He was seated at the far end, this did not surprise him, the Fort and Benden Weyrwomen and Weyrleader sitting across from him. He flashed a dazzling smile at the women and turned towards the preformance. Such a good view from the raised platform on which they sat.
His post was relaxed, one elbow resting against the table, the other resting on this thigh. His eyelids drooped in concentration as he seemed to be drinking in every drop of the preformance. This was a lie. He was straining his excellent ears to take in every reaction, from body movement to breathing, from his esteemed table mates. He watched them warily from drooping eyelids.

The drums boomed across the gather area cresendoing to a furious beat then dropping down to a slow but powerful beat. This was the Red Star rumbling through space. The beats would increase in intensity throughout the first part signalling it's journey closer to Pern. The bass and baritone picked up the voice and sang of it's dread journey. The tenors picked up in the second part singing the voice of Pern and it's horror at the menace of the deadly thread. They soon became the voice of the people desperate for help. The tenors and bass played off one another when another voice broke in. It was fragile and hopeful, the voice of a single queen dragon hovering over her beloved eggs, fearful as her children and breathren few off to face the deadly menace. Ipsen though this part of the a loving, fearful queen dragon rather perverse considering their temprement but it was better fit to the boys beautiful soprano voice.
The next voice was the baritones bringing in the powerful dragons to fight the menace. The holder voices and the dragons grew in intensity and and were sweet and echoed about the gather wonderfully but then, slowly, it was berely noticable at first, the voice became discorrdant and grew until the parts clashed and were ill on the ears despite the beautiful voices speaking them. This grew until they were all but shouting at each other, thead always looming the background it 's presence growing even more menacing and determined when all ceased in one blow of silence, it seemed that no one was breathing. Gently, almost sorrowfully the sorprano picked up his solo. The trial of wars and senseless fighting, the depression, the hatred, the fear. But then the other voiced picked up softly. It ended with a mummer of hope and happiness then diminished away soft and sweet.

There was silence then. Complete and whole. It was blunt, even a child could catch the meaning of it. Ipsen had to be blunt at this point, he couldn't weedle his way in any longer. They had to see how big of dimglows they'd been. But one thing he knew, and he knew it well. The Fort Lord was mad as hell.

She tried to hide that she was crying. "Just...forget about it. I'm drunk, Daniel. Forget it all!" she spat, hurling the words behind her as she wobbled away. Why had things suddenly become difficult? Things were fine before; fine! She thought angrily.

---

Freya winced as Lireal told her her story. "It's alright, I get it," she said as her friend made her way back to the Barracks. "I'll make sure they don't follow you back."
After seeing to it that the holders were no where to be seen, she decided to return to the square alone. A rather grand performance was beginning, and, realizing that she hadn't had the chance to listen to a lot of the music, she sat on a low wall by the stables with a chilled glass of a marginal Tillek white.

As the last tremulous notes of the ballad faded away, she realized that she had completely forgotten about her wine. The entire crowd was dead silent, except for a group of Amerons cheering in defiance of the holders they hated. The dissent was audible among the audience, and it made her frown. The Healers were some of the only crafters that supported the dragonriders, being as their trades were complimentary. She had seen time and time again what thread could do, how it could take a whole man's arm in seconds or reduce a whole field to ash; that the holders were unwilling to recognize it properly made her more angry than she was used to feeling. If they had treated the injuries she had, they wouldn't be grumbling about crop tithes.

She clapped softly, defiantly, in the silence then tilted her glass towards the pavilion in a silent toast before taking a sip from it; if the Harpers had no other support, they had hers.

She nearly sobbed when he grabbed her, but she stayed facing away from him. She didn't say anything, but she didn't try to move again.

She just turned around and buried her face in his shoulder, crying.

((*wipes away a tear* how touching! whee ))

From the folds of his tunic came the muffled sob of "I'm sorry!" and she meant it. How could such an emotion be such a mystery to her? She had convinced herself that she was alone...that no one, especially him, meant that much to her...but it was a principle that she felt herself abandoning against her own will. She wrapped her arms around him. All that was left was to go with it, even if she had no idea where it went...

Akai and the other drudges had been working hard, filling mugs replacing plates of wherrry and other foods. Scurrying here and there. When th eHarpers started to sing everything seemed to slow, and then just like everyone else the food area was quiet.

Akai blinked, it had been.. a very intresting song, funny she never remembered hearing any of it at all while working at the harper hall. Not a singel line. How... odd. She shrugged it off as the ones eating recovered slighlty but still it was nearly muted in sounds. Though hearing it andhaving heard so many snatches of conversations, she fully agreed with the performance.

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Kopi trilled at Reina from her eggpot, again shoing Akai and him chearing for her as she won. THen he flew off the egg pot circling infront of her chirping attempting to get Reina to follow him. His eyes whirled gently happy colors and he trilled agian, hovering infront of her nose.. He even nipped it gently to see if that would get her to move.