[PRP Zena] Lutes, Flutes, and Drums (Aldren/Alek)

[Smerdle]

Even after having come to an understanding with his sister regarding his wandering, Alek was still a little nervous the first time he actually decided to make good on their agreement. It was only a local fair a short distance away, and he would only be gone during daylight hours, but the possibility remained that she might still disapprove. That wasn't what had made him nervous, surprisingly enough. He had been nervous because he was pretty sure he would have gone no matter how she felt about it.

Luckily, he hadn't been forced to make that decision. As Alek left his underground home—with Kayin's knowledge this time—he was happy to find that the sun that warmed his face was comforting rather than guilt-inducing. It had been a brutally chilly winter in his part of Zena, but today the temperature was back to tolerable. Alek even grinned when he finally heard music up ahead, quickening his pace to close the distance between him and the fun that much faster.

Fluffesu

 

[Fluffesu]

Smerdle

There weren't a great many days that Aldren felt comfortable enough to leave his sister's side. She was small, weak, and needed constant protection. That wasn't to say that she didn't have her moods... Sepharine was generally chipper, sometimes downtrodden, and other times, outright annoyed. But as she watched her brother stare longingly out the window in the direction of a small fair they'd seen advertised on little strips of paper, she turned into something else entirely.

"Get out," she spat, voice like venom and eyes like hardened gold.

Aldren held up his hands apologetically. "Just take it easy. It isn't an important event.Even less so if you can't join me."

Seph scowled, and dove forward with all of her weight to shove against her brother's shoulder. "You stupid oaf! I don't need constant protection! I am not so pitiful that I can't survive a few hours on my own!" She quieted a bit, gaze flicking to the side. "You deserve to go. You deserve to enjoy something that isn't here when the opportunity presents itself. I'll be fine. Really."

Despite his lingering hesitance, Aldren had set out on his way. It wasn't necessarily a long trip, and if he stuck to the designated paths, than the roads weren't even too terrible, despite the harsh winter. It was the wafting scent of fried fair food that drew him forward, coupled with the soft hum of gathered people and the drifting tones of a beat ahead. Aldren moved ahead with renewed vigor, golden eyes sparkling as he nudged his way through a small conglomeration of people.

Most of them were Ice Tribe, like himself, but one or two of the onlookers were of the Leaf Tribe. The traveling troupe of musicians, however, was made up of all kinds, more than Aldren had even seen before. He turned to the person nearest him; a boy close in age to himself, with straight, inky hair cut short on one side and swished elegantly long on the other. Aldren beamed good-naturedly, caught up in the delightful sounds of the small fair. "How long do you think they'll play? All day?"  

[Smerdle]

Alek didn't do anything as drastic as flinch away when the other spoke, but he did duck his head momentarily like a bird, his eyes reluctantly leaving the performers as he turned to see who had spoken. The boy at his side seemed amiable enough, his smile coaxing Alek's back to his lips.

"I hope so. I mean, they'll probably need a rest eventually, but I hope they're on as much as they can be. They are... wonderful." He looked at the musicians again, then back at the Ice boy. "Do you play?"

He forced himself to stop speaking by curling his arms around his stomach under his cloak, physically holding the words in. Had he really shut himself away for so long that he was reduced to babbling? Yes. Probably.

Fluffesu

 

[Fluffesu]

Smerdle

Aldren scratched his cheek thoughtfully as yellow orbs roamed back to the performers. "I suppose I can't begrudge them a break," he admitted with a roll of his shoulders, hardly taking note of the way the other Ice boy's head briefly receded against his shoulders. It had been along while since he'd seen or heard any real group of musicians perform. Sure, back at home, there was the bumbling group that tooted away of their horns and flutes. They were certainly lively, just...not very good, despite their enthusiasm.

But here the group seemed delightfully exuberant as well as pleasing to the ear. The only thing that would make this better would be a fried snack... Briefly, his gaze flicked to a stall off to the side, well out of the performers' ways. Perhaps in a bit.

"Me, play?" Aldren chuckled as he turned back to the other male. "Nothing anyone else would want to hear, that's for sure," he admitted with a grin. He turned fully to face the other, settling his thumb thoughtfully to his lip. "But you... seem just the type to speak better through music than words, huh?" He questioned, trying not to laugh at the poor man's attempts to curl in on himself. "I bet you could learn, if you don't know, already."  

[Smerdle]

"Ah," he said with a small smile. He supposed it didn't matter that neither of them played. They had plenty of music to listen to at the moment without either of them being required to supply it. "I don't play either. Not yet, anyway. But you're very kind. I did try out someone's lute once and it agreed with me well enough." He hadn't thought to take playing seriously in a long while, except in his briefest daydreams, but this boy was so confident about it all that Alek wanted to believe what he said was the truth. "I should probably give it another try." The statement rose at its end as if he was asking permission.

"I'm... um... Alek, by the way," he said, offering a cold hand to shake. "I don't come to these sorts of things very often. They're quite... loud." He didn't look put off by this fact, it was simply the truth. He did look like he would follow the other Ice if he tried to venture off without him, but Alek was probably very easy to outrun.

Fluffesu

 

[Fluffesu]

Smerdle

Aldren blinked in surprise, almost seeming taken aback by the statement. "If you liked it, and it liked you, why wouldn't you continue to play?" He questioned in his most flabbergasted tone. If the other lad- Alek apparently, had an actually talent it was simply cruel to himself and those around him to see it wasted. Aldren likely could've talked his new companion's ear off about striving to be the best you could be, and taking advantage of all opportunities (and talents) presented to you.

But it was perhaps a little much for someone he just met.

So instead he just smiled sheepishly and accepted the offered hand, meeting it with the warm leather of his own gloves and giving it a firm shake. "Aldren," he greeted with a nod of his head. With a chuckle, he reached to itch the back of his head. "Me neither," he admitted. "I don't live too far off, but my chores keep me busy. I rather appreciate the booming clarity of their music! I can feel it straight down in my gut. I mean... maybe I wouldn't appreciate it on a daily basis, but... for now... it's nice." He smiled, turning his gaze back to the thickly-clad group of musicians.  

[Smerdle]

"I..."

He doubted this was the time or place to discuss his past or current familial situation, but it was a fair observation nonetheless. Surely he could have found time to learn to play something between the more dramatic chapters in his life. Such a hobby might have even been soothing. But that was part of the problem, wasn't it? He hadn't wanted to be soothed. He had wanted to punish himself.

Yes. Also too much of an informational burden for a new acquaintance. Instead of replying right away, Alek simply shrugged. When he did speak, his words were barely audible. "I don't know."

He came back to himself again soon enough, suddenly glad that the fair and the band were so loud, even if he didn't appreciate the music... in his gut as much as Aldren did. He continued watching for a time, tapping his roes and loosening up over the length of a longer song. When he faced the other prentice again, he wasn't quite so turned inward.

"What other sorts of things are there to do here?" Not that he wanted to leave the musicians, but to be fair, he could hear them everywhere.

Fluffesu

i'm sorry ;;
i really shouldn't RP with alek
he gets away from me a lot

 

[Fluffesu]

Smerdle

Weird guy. Kind of introverted. Tucked in on himself a little. Aldren wasn't going to pretend to know what caused such a thing, and asking seemed to be out of the question, considering it outwardly appeared to be a touchy subject. Or an uncomfortable one, at least. Whatever thoughts could make a guy curl in on himself had to be unpleasant, so Aldren glanced away, back toward the band, and allowed the lad some 'privacy' to mental deal with things that needed dealing with.

But when he spoke again, Aldren turned back to him with a grin. "Glad you asked." The Ice man didn't frequent parties or events or fairs, but he saw posters, read tales, and heard stories. There was excitement all around, and if he had someone to accompany him through it, that was just all fine and well. Beaming, he collected the other boy's arm in his own, locking it within the crook of his elbow before moving off. "There's food," he started. "Lots. Probably stuff you've never even seen before. I know I haven't. The band, of course, maybe there'll be another before the day's end. I don't really know."

He pulled them through little throngs of people, pointing out little stands perched on tightly packed snow, smoke rising from them, accompanied closely by the smells of foreign meat and treats. "But I think, if not for the music, I'd be most interested in games. Are you good at anything? Feeling lucky, maybe?"