Welcome to Gaia! ::

[.the singing platform.]

It was a few hours (or seemed like it) but eventually the demonstrations ended and the competition began to get underway. Various aides ran out to shift various placeables off the stage and then, with a nod, indicated that they were ready for the contestants - most of which had taken their seats at the side of the stage.

"You, are up first." The man at the table pointed out to Trel with a bemused smile, "Goodluck."

[.the dance platform.]

The woman gazed at the small man in surprise before flicking her gaze towards Xo, Xo appeared to have his gaze trained on the lanterns above his head but ultimately was uninterested in competing.

"Very well, I need you to fill out this form." She said at last as she slipped it forward with a pen, "Please include your choice of accompaniment for your dancing and note down any specific things you would like to have on stage for your performance."

Swallowing nervously, Trelweny gave the man a trembling smile. "Thank you."

Her hands were eerily steady as she withdrew her small lap-harp from her bag, plucking the strings to check their tune. Only one was off, & she quickly adjusted it. Keyna rubbed her knee with encouragement. Sing as you do at home and all will be well. Thank you. She smiled at the kyunru as Myranda patted her on the shoulder saying, "Sing from the heart." Then, showing more confidence than she felt, the young woman grabbed a stool & climbed the stage.

Setting the stool center stage Trelweny perched delicately upon it, resting her harp on her leg. She could feel the eyes of the crowd upon her & her eyes widened, feeling the first trembles of stage fright. What was she doing? It had been over two years since she sang in front of a crowd. She had not even chosen a song. Her eyes scanned the crowd & she spied Theron on Shyam's shoulders, ignoring the playful kun & waving happily at his mother. She caught Myranda's eye & the GaiaCom nodded once. The brief seconds of turmoil washed away, and Trelweny calmly placed her fingers on the strings starting the opening chords. She had sung this song on an empty stage once, this song that spoke the current state of her heart so well. Now she would sing it again, to all those gathered. She could not sing more from the heart than that. Trelweny opened her mouth & her light lyric soprano joined the accompaniment on her harp.

Oh my Hero, so far away now
Will I ever see your smile?
Love goes away, like night into day.
It's just a fading dre-eam.

I'm the darkness, you're the sta-ars.
Our love is brighter than the sun.
For eternity, for me there can be
Only you, my chosen o-one.

Her eyes moistened, threatening to burst, but her tone did not waiver. If anything, it grew slightly sweeter.

Must I forget you? Our solemn promise?
Must autumn take the place of spring?
What can I do? I'm lost without you.
Please speak to me once more.

Her fingers nimbly danced along the strings of the harp, as the instrumental bridge rose & fell with practiced ease. Trelweny no longer noticed the crowds, only her friends. Even they were dreams in the mist. In her mind, she danced with Timex to the tune from her harp. Part of her knew she was just daydreaming, but she did not care.

As the interlude concluded, tears were streaming down her cheeks. Practiced now in singing through her tears, she entered the end of the song with none of her earlier teary-tightness.

We must part now, my life goes o-on.
But my heart won't give you up.
Ere I walk away, let me hear you say
I meant as much to you-ou.

So gently, you touched my hea-art.
I will be forever yours.
Come what may, I won't age a day.
I'll wait for you, a-always.

She dropped her chin to her chest, letting the harp play out the last fading notes. Song concluded, Trelweny lifted her tear-streaked face to smile warmly at the crowd then curved her back & neck in a light bow. She had done well, and she felt no embarrassment with her performance. All that remained was to see if it had been enough.

((I was waiting for someone else to post before I did again... but cannae deny the RP! heart ))

The young woman blushed at the crowd's reaction & bowed again. She thought she could just hear Shyam's voice shouting over the noise but she was not certain. Either way, it was good to know she had a friend in the crowd. Enough that she could see him whistle & her little man clapping from his perch. She bowed one last time before beating a dignified retreat.

"Yenenin!" Tien called out gaily, fluttering around the humans' heads & intermittently whistling parts of the song in its shrill fashion. "Lipaza! Lipaza!"

Dodging the over-excited kun, Trelweny gleefully -yet frightfully- accepted her small son, glad that Shyam had saved him from a typically Theron fearless act. "Thank you, Shyam." She snuggled her son a moment, unable to meet the thief's eyes. Theron -blissfully unawares- played with the still moist rivers coursing more calmly now down his mother's cheeks. "I'd wanted to play something... happier ... but I just couldn't yet." The young widow murmured happy little things to Theron who laughed. Then she was able to meet Shyam's eye.

"I'm glad you liked it... so glad others seemed to as well. Perhaps... perhaps I can truly return to singing again sooner than I thought." She smiled, still sad but a little less so. Like a thin ray of sun shining through after a bitter storm. "Timex would like that."

She stepped away from the stairs; away from the path between the singers' sign in tables & the stage. Trelweny gave the man there a grateful smile before embracing Shyam in a tentative & gentle hug. "Thanks for being there." She whispered. "You don't know how much that means to me."

Myranda & Keyna had been watching the exchange as they approached. Both females could hear everything in their own fashion, & knowing this the little moomba "Meep?"ed in frustration that she did not. The GaiaCom murmured with surprising gentleness to calm her. "Later, little one."

By the time they joined Trel, Theron, Shyam, & Tien the young woman was already releasing her friend from the short impromptu embrace. Nodding knowingly, the GaiaCom just smiled bemusedly.

The Al Sylian looked a bit saddened but then he sucked in his lip and thought about what she was purposing. Then he gave a smile and grinned, "You're right, I guess I'll use the stage instead of the grass and...Sticks and branches for replacement of the swords. I would use swords, but don't think you'd appreciate me damaging your stage."

Mirror gave the lady a chuckle and he leaned down over his paper to finish filling out the lines with inked answers. Fluttering his wings as he singers upon the singing platform continued to sing, he tapped his right foot against the grass in synch with the rhythm. He had wanted to perform the dance with swords, it would be a whole lot more breath taking considerg the 'danger'...But Mirror respected the stage. So he'll just make due with what he had.

Determined, Mirror finished the paper and handed it in to the lady. He'll take their breath away even if he didn't have what he had wanted.

"Thank you, again, kind miss." Mirror smiled, fluttering his dusty-colored wings slightly as he gave her a slight bow of the head, "I think I'll go get myself prepared for the performance before I use the free time given to me...Oh. A special guest? I wonder who that could be." Mirror tiled his head in thought and listed off the important people he had come to know in his stay of this world. He hadn't been here for long, but perhaps he had already met this person in his many wild travels with the members of Turtle's Paradise, the tavern.

Grinning, he leaned in (from what he could, being his size and all) and replied in a mock secretive manner, "Any clues as to whom it might be?" But before she could answer, he pulled away and floated a foot in the air, "Nay, do not tell me! I'll guess. The suspense is always a healthy thiller! And, once more, thank you. I'll see you from the dance floor."

And with that said, the Al Sylian left the line, floating slightly so that he oculd find his companions. Exodus wasn't far off (he was still gazing at the many brightly colored lanterns), ao Mirror first went to him. "Xo, I'm going to need to collect from sticks for my performance. If you would like to join me, go ahead, but, if not, I'll meet you in the crowd as the competition starts."

"Building a nest?" The Al Sylian echoed with a choked chuckle. He shook his head as he led Xo and himself into the grass area to search for the elusive tree limbs, "No, I'm not a bird. I may have wings but I do not have anything to do with nests. I'm finding sticks for my dance. I was going to use swords, but I don't want to damage the stage..."

Leaning down to collect a particularly nice long thick stick from the cool grass, Mirror paused in mid-bend and looked up to his green-hued companion. "You can summon sticks?" He looked down at the stick he had just wrapped with his small fingers and then back up to Xo in confusion. "Show me, please."

"Sort of..." Xo's tail gave a twitch of uncertainty as he eyed Pen, somewhat confused as to how the man carried himself in public and how he acted towards those around him...including Xo.

"It's more of a manipulative ability, my father can do it." He cleared his throat and tensed slightly as he caught sight of the rice hat in the distance, shifting ever so slightly as though looking between individuals...evidently his father was about as Pudge had told him previously.

Nevertheless, placing the odd mannerisms of Pen to the back of his mind he slipped a smile onto his lips and held his hand, palm open as though waiting expectantly for someone or something to hand him the object he desired. Such a subject seemed rather unwillingly, but, at last the grass beneath his feet began to grow and spiral upwards towards his fingertips.

There, while suspended above his palm the strands began to weave themselves into a light orb before giving a rather loud crack as each detatched itself from the soil beneath the Nalgae's feet.

"How many did you need?" He enquired curiously, failing to look up as he coaxed the now detatched strands into the woven orb...