Welcome to Gaia! ::

[.the singing platform.]

The man simply smiled and placed the application form in front of her along with a pen, he did this for quite a few people who wished to enter the contest and wearily shifted the hair from his eyes - it seemed that there were a lot of late arrivers for this one.

"The competition will begin after the next demonstration." He assured and motioned to the other stall with an 'a-ok' hand signal, they seemed to have been waiting for his confirmation.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, please take your places for the demonstration. We are about to begin!" The voice boomed from the next table as both Aversham and Hayaharu stood up and swiftly made their way towards the other singers, neither appeared to be remotely nervous either and continued to chattered calmly to one another.

"Are we ready?" The Geisha enquired softly as she glanced down to assess the height of the steps before moving up onto the platform. Still perched on her shoulder, Aversham remained unmoving and kept his gaze ahead as he considered her enquiry before giving a slight nod of confirmation - he'd discovered long ago that crowds didn't scare him.

"Good, then we shall show them what the North has to provide." She announced defiantly as she came to a halt near the pedestal that had been set up on her request and allowed the firebird to hop down from her shoulder and on to the pedestal which was a more appropriate place for him to stand during the demonstration.

"Ladies, Gentlemen, Boys, Girls and other such guests - we thank you for your time and sincerely hope you enjoy our performance." Aversham announced eloquently as he puffed out his chest briefly in preparation.

"We would like to introduce you to the one of the rarer cultures and the fine arts within it, hailing form the Lands of Shoichi, we will introduce you to the qualities possessed by the City of the Stars." Hayaharu finished as a small and demure smile lingered on her rosen lips, it was only when the crowd had hushed somewhat around the platform that she nodded to Aversham who provided her with the start she required.

His voice throbbing with power, rich in quality and as distinguished as an experienced artist. He was able to not only provide her with the necessary notes to meet him in harmony but also to magnify both voices by alternating the manner in which he threw his.

Regardless of this however, those who had been watching the dancing were overwhelmed with a sense of de ja vu.

...Hadn't they heard that voice before?

Under other circumstances, Trelweny might have spoken longer with the booth attendant to ease the boredom of his job. However the young mother was too out of sorts to come to terms with his weariness.

Although a little confused about the difference between 'demonstration' & 'competition', Trelweny set about filling out the form as best she could. At a few spots she bit her lip nervously, seeing multiple ways she could reply & not being sure what exactly they wanted. She was just inking the last when the notes of the current performance began & she nearly dropped the pen. With shaking hands she passed both pen & finished form back to the man with an apologetic smile as her attention focused on the voices. As if in a dream she turned to watch Geisha & phoenix perform. Dear God! How can I hope to compete with that!

Keyna nuzzled her human, having heard the strong thought through their telepathic bond. You can do your best. It will speak enough. In his stroller, Theron too was quiet as the toddler was awed by both the singing & the pretty bird's plumage.

Understanding that something wonderful was occurring, Myranda adjusted her recorders. Perhaps she could study the phenomenon of this performance later at her leisure. That was, if the magic could be held in recording.

The man's comment startled her & she jumped a little before laughing nervously. Then the reality of what he had said dawned on her. "Oh! They're not competing?"

Trelweny was not sure whether to be glad or disappointed. Surely something as lovely as that should be allowed to compete. The rest of his speech became clear as well. "No... There’s no cheating there. Certainly in a different league than what a human could do." The legend of the phoenix had always fascinated her, so Trelweny knew quite a few of the legends from different cultures. It was not so much that she was surprised by this display of singing prowess, merely in awe at hearing such wonder. It transcended her deepest dreams of what the sound of a phoenix singing might be like. That the Geisha's voice similarly went beyond the normal beauty of the human voice only added to heighten the effect. "I suppose I could understand why some would make such accusations, should they compete."

Myranda nudged her again & Trelweny looked at the android perplexed. The witch only nodded at the form. The human woman's face took on a startled expression. "Oh! 'Help'!” She smiled sheepishly at the man behind the desk. "I'd be grateful for your help... if it's not too much trouble for you. If only to glance over my form & check that I didn't forget anything?"

It took conscious effort to pull & keep herself out of the lulling effect the song had on her, thus the thankful & entreating look given the man was wholly genuine.

And they were finished, as Hayaharu drifted into silence Aversham gave the last few notes and allowed the silence which followed to be savoured. It was rare that these platforms were so quiet for so long but it seemed the avian's lilt and the Geisha's well polished performance had given them that awe-struck silence they deserved...it really was nice to know you were appreciated.

Nevertheless, the crowds recovered quickly and many applauded enthusiastically as Hayaharu bowed her head in appreciation and Aversham hopped back onto her shoulder with surprising agility, his wings slightly out stretched for balance.

"I think that went rather well." He mused as the geisha descended the stairwell and swiftly made her way towards her seat as the next singer approached the stage for her performance.

"Indeed, I couldn't have planned it any better." She teased and stroked at his plumed head as she turned her attention to the next artist.

Meanwhile, the man at the stand was carefully examining Trel's application with his lips pursed in thought. Name - check, age - check. She seemed to have eveything he required but he supposed he better confirm some of her choices to make it official.

"What music would you like accompanying you?"

"I can accompany myself on my harp... unless there is a specific song we are all supposed to perform." She mentally chastised herself for having skipped over something so obvious. Now that the magical performance was over Theron & the kunkun were beginning to stir again. Trelweny cast a wild look at Myranda, hoping the GaiaCom would be able to do something about toddler & Tien before things got awkward.

Shyam's arrival brought a smile to her face. A blush too, as the 'beautiful' comment registered. "That's the plan." Her grin was kind of goofy but she did not mind. Somehow the thought that she would have a friend around -that was not family- eased her mind.

Theron laughed as his nose was poked & his hair was ruffled. He liked the smiling rogue. "h-up! h-up!" He insisted, raising his small arms eagerly & squirming in the constraints of the stroller's belt.

Not wanting to be left out, Tien flew down to grab at Theron's ear. "Aamha!"

Myranda smirked, not quite wanting to thank the human male but grateful that he was inadvertently handling what would otherwise have fallen as her duty. Trelweny too was smiling. She turned back to the man at the desk. "Was I unclear on anything else?"

The rogue also reached out and poked the Kunkun's belly.

"Alright, little man, let's give your Mommy a break." Shyam knew that he could pick the most intricate of locks, but he had to struggle with the restraints on the stroller, until they grudgingly let go. "Okay, up we go." Once Theron was free, he hoisted him from the contraption and then swung the child around to sit on his shoulders. "Hang on tight, and you'll now have a perfect view of your Mommy as she performs!" He winced a little as the chubby hands dug deeply in his hair, getting a tight grip. The young man indicated that the Kunkun could ride on his shoulder next to Theron.

He then turned to Trelweny. "Well, these two are out of your hair, so go knock 'em dead... or break a leg... or something like that." He winked at her and then winked at the Gaiacom, almost sensing the android's relief as he disappeared into the crowd to get a better view. As he did so, he waved at Mirror who was just trying to sign up as well.

((Purr, Zy, and I are off to Anime Expo, leaving as soon as I get home from work tomorrow.
We wish everyone a very happy and safe 4th of JULY!!))

Theron squealed with happiness at having gotten his way & latched his hands onto Shyam's ears feircly. Tien was still giggling at being treated like a doughboy. Occasionally the kun would poke itself in the belly & giggle all over again. "Nin!" From his high vantage point Theron giggled too, squirming to catch his mother's eye. "Bah-bai!" He called out happily, letting go of Shyam's ear then making a shoo-ing motion at Trelweny followed by a wave goodbye.

Trelweny could not help but snicker. "Thanks, Shyam." She called out to his retreating form.

((mer... that's gonna have to do for now. Lost train of thought. *sheepish*))