[prp Oba] figure of a dancer (Vodyanoi & Kalliope) [FIN]

[Stereochrome]

Heras Box

When the time came for the troupe to divvy up the money from their performances in the town marketplace, Vodyanoi was suitably excited. As a junior member, his share wasn’t particularly large… but it was large enough to do some shopping for himself, something he had never really gotten the chance to do. He’d shopped for fish and supplies for the troupe, of course, and he’d run to the market to do errands for his masters before that, but…

Today, he had something different in mind.

He had left the main market to head to another one, further out from the center of town. This was the textile market, renowned for selling fine fabrics and clothing for the fashion-conscious everywhere in Oba… and beyond, as was evidenced by the large number of merchants’ wagons being stocked for their treks.

The wagons had brought textiles, too – things from as far as Sauti, thick fur-trimmed garments that Vodyanoi stroked curiously. There were many other strange things to look at, but his small bit of earnings would not cover any such exotics.

What he was able to afford was a spool of golden-yellow thread. It came at a high price for such a small thing, but it was of fine quality. He pocketed this and turned to walk back through the city.

On the way, however, a glimmer of something bright and moving caught his eye. At first he thought it was just billowing fabric, but it was much too elegant and controlled for any such thing. He turned his gaze towards the small urban park where he had seen it, and recognized now the figure of a dancer – a young Oban girl, moving unaccompanied among the carefully-tended desert foliage.

He approached her and stood at the edges, standing out in the open where he might avoid startling her.
 

[Heras Box]

Stereochrome

Kalliope moved her body gracefully as she had been taught. Her teacher was busy today so she was practicing outside and without music. The sheer fabric of her sleeves billowed behind her as she twirled, likely being what caught the attention of passers-by. She didn't notice if anyone stared as they walked on, the red head was too focused on doing her best. Kalli did her best to move to the music in her mind, remembering it as her teacher played it, though there were obvious signs of change in tempo.

It wasn't until she turned yet again, this time showing off the sway of her hips, that she noticed that there was someone that had actually stopped to watch. The tiny dancer offered a smile and slight nod of her head as she continued the moves that she knew so well. However, once the small set was finished she stopped moving and seemed to debate on whether or not she should speak to the water tribesman. With a wave of her hand she came to a decision. "It was a horrible performance wasn't it?." Kalliope grinned as she spoke about her dancing skills.

"Do you dance?" She wondered aloud as she motioned with her hand to the space beside her. If the man had been watching her with such interest she wanted to know if he was judging her moves.  

[Stereochrome]

Heras Box

He wasn’t sure how she’d take to him watching – interacting with Obans still felt a little like walking on eggshells. Some were friendly, some were standoffish, and yet others were downright hostile, convinced that every water earthling they met was some sort of desperado with a blade hidden in their belt (and, well, ok, maybe Vodyanoi did have a belt hidden in his belt – but that was for protection, and not the other way around).

Anyhow, this particular young Oban seemed friendly -- friendly enough, given that her first few words were not an accusation or some other judgemental remark. If anything, she seemed to be expecting him to do the judging.

“Well… it would have been better with some music, but I thought it was pretty enough.” He spread his hands in a casual shrug. “I’m no expert in Oban dancing, so I guess you’d know better than I do, if you made any mistakes. And if you did, what would it matter? I figure you’re practicing, and it’s ok to make mistakes while you’re practicing – that’s what it’s for!”

“I dance some.” He nodded at her next question. “I’m a drummer mostly, I mean, but I dance while I play my drum. It’s handy, you never have to dance in silence.”

He winked at that, maybe just a little teasing. He didn’t mean it in a bad way – it was nice to see an Oban in his profession (or at least, aspiring something of that sort), and a little teasing was normal among his kind.
 

[Heras Box]

Stereochrome

He was right. Music would have been ideal. However, since her teacher was taking the day off she would have to do without. "Well thank you." Kalliope grinned once more. As this stranger said he danced some she moved quickly over to him and grabbed his hands so that she could pull him along with her. "Dance with me then!"

The red head swayed her body a little so as to entice the Matorian to join in. "I'd like to have a dance partner."  

[Stereochrome]

Heras Box

He grinned as the girl waved him forward, asking him to be her ‘dance partner’. It wasn’t that he was particularly shy, not these days (after having spent some months performing in front of large crowds, and having had to bear the brunt of his troupe’s teasing on account of being the youngest). But, well… he wasn’t entirely sure how this was supposed to work. Their styles of dancing were fairly different, to say the least.

“We can definitely try.” He shrugged, stepping closer into the clearing. “If you can keep up.”

Vodyanoi didn’t have his drum with him – but with all the bracelets and decorations on him, he didn’t have any trouble making some music. The cowrie-shell anklets around his feet in particular rattled rather merrily if he put energy into his step. He kicked up a bit of a beat with these, and clapped his hands to add some hopping syncopation. His bracelets jingled in time.

It was hard to tell, really, at what point he stopped simply making sound and started dancing. His footfalls became faster and more nimble, his clapping was decorated with flourishes and sweeps and other pretty gestures as he moved around the girl. His hips did not swing anywhere near as much as hers, but… well, Vodyanoi was not a bulky warrior, but he wasn’t a slender young girl either.

“How’s that?”
 

[Heras Box]

Stereochrome

Kalli was pleased when the male agreed to at least try. That was all she really wanted. However, when he started to create music with his body and accessories the tiny dancer giggled with delight. She had to get her some of those! Bangles and anklets to make a rhythm would definitely be a boon. So she made a mental note to ask her parents for some when they returned from their trip. "Amazing." The girl practically squealed.

It took her only a small moment to join in on his dancing, matching his fast pace. With the matorian going around her in one direction Kalliope decided to spin in the opposite as she sashayed her hips and moved her feet. Her own hands joined in on the clapping as she raised them above her head and added a click of her fingers every so often. Winding down with a big smile she nodded her head to give an answer to the man's question. "Wonderful!" When her body finally stopped she noticed that her breathing and her heart did not which made her laugh. "I shall have to dance with you more often." Kalli claimed.

"I'm Kalliope, by the way." A little late to introduce herself but she hoped this guy didn't hold it against her.  

[Stereochrome]

Heras Box

The dancing was, admittedly, quite fun. It wasn’t that he hadn’t expected it to be, of course -- he was hardly a reluctant performer -- but he’d had some questions about whether they’d be able to make their styles work together. His troupe sometimes incorporated Oban musical influence into their performance, but never dancing. It just seemed so… different at first, so swinging and sensual, with all the pretty floating fabrics and technical gestures.

And yet… it sort of worked. Vodyanoi provided the rhythm and set the pace of the dance, while she spun around and added an eccentric sort of movement to the Matori beat. It was like a campfire in the rain, he thought, imagining the image of a merry fire sputtering and smoking as it was pelted by drops -- never dying, just dancing around each one with warm abandon.

“I liked that too.” He nodded when they had finished, both trying to catch their breath. “We could make an interesting routine together, if you wanted.”

“I’m Vodyanoi.” He introduced himself in return, not minding the lateness of it (dancing was as good an introduction as any, after all). “I grew up here in Oba, but I’ve been in Matori for a while now. I learned how to dance and play drums there, so… now I’m back, to perform.”  

[Heras Box]

Stereochrome

"What an interesting name." Kalliope grinned. "May I call you Yanoi for short?" While she didn't know this man well enough to be so familiar with him she didn't seem to care. After all they had just shared a dance! Her face brightened a little more when he mentioned making a routine together. "That would be wonderful. Performing with you again would definitely be fun."

Knowing that he grew up in Oba made her wonder for a moment. "Were you a slave, per chance?" Not at all delicate but she didn't know any other way to go about asking. Kalli didn't want to blind to the past anymore. She knew what her country did, even if it was before her time, but that didn't mean she agreed with it. Plus, she knew a shifter that was in Oba still serving someone. Although the tiny dancer couldn't be sure if her friend wanted to leave or not since she'd not seen him in some time. "Pardon my asking, I just don't wish to be ignorant of such a thing if it happened to you."  

[Stereochrome]

Heras Box

“Go ahead.” He shrugged on the subject of shortened names. “It doesn’t bother me -- some of the others in my troupe use that too.”

There was a bench nearby, shaded from the sun by the short and scraggly branches of a local tree. Waving a blue-green hand towards it, he crossed the hard-packed earth to sit down on it and waited for the girl to join him. If they were going to speak a little longer (a fact to which he was not opposed, since maybe she could tell him a thing or two about Oban dancing) he saw no reason to stand around in the open sun -- not at this time of the day.

He was surprised, a little, when she asked him about this past. It wasn’t the sort of question that Obans usually asked. Part of the reason, he was sure, was because they didn’t want to bring up the issue, but… part of it was simply because it was sort of an obvious question. There hadn’t been any free Matorians in Oba. That simply wasn’t a possibility.

“I was, of course. Not far from here, even, in a manor up that way. It was not the worst way to live, all things considering, but it was slavery. If we hadn’t been freed, I could have never become a musician.”
 

[Heras Box]

Stereochrome

She followed as he motioned to the bench. Of course she hadn't thought much about the sun since she often times was outside in it when she was at home. When Vodyanoi answered that he had been a slave she frowns slightly but nods. "I'm sorry you had to go through that." It might not be heard from Oban lips very often but it was something that Kalli thought needed to be said. For a moment after she was silent, unsure of what to say, then she smiled at him. "You are a wonderful musician, even without an instrument."

The beat that he'd managed to create with his bangles had amazed her. "Where did you learn to create a rhythm like that?" Admittedly she had her own selfish reasons for wanting to know, since she planned to learn and use the technique herself, but she did find she was curious about the Matorian's life after slavery.  

[Stereochrome]

Heras Box

He looked up, genuinely surprised at her words. In his time back from Matori, he had met a fair number of decent Obans… but as decent as they might have been, having someone apologize to you directly was sort of different. He was sure that some of the other performers on the troupe would never believe that he had heard an Oban say such a thing. Then again, most of the performers hadn’t even been slaves. It was their friends and families that they had seen taken from him, and so their anger took on a rather different shape.

For Vodyanoi, the experience of slavery had been his. And so he felt, with a rather glowing lightness, the ability to forgive.

Even if it was to the face of someone who had never really done him any harm to begin with.

“It’s alright. And thanks.”

She asked about his dancing then, and he grinned.

“I always had a thing for making noise, I guess. But there are some things I wear special for it. See, like this one.” He pulled one of his bracelets off. It was a rather plain-looking one, as far as ornamentation went -- not gold but wood-brown, and strung with seed-husks of some sort. When he shook it, however, it let out a rather merry, woodsy sort of rattle.

“I’ve got similar ones on my ankles too. I got them in Matori. Do you know how they use them there? It’s the most amazing thing to watch!”  

[Heras Box]

Stereochrome

There was a solemn nod from her as Vodyanoi thanked her. Kalliope would leave it at that. There was no point in dragging the event onward. After all, she was sure he didn't want to remember it. Instead she focused on the bracelet that he removed. When he shook it and she heard the woodsy noise she grinned. "Oh wow." Curiously she reached out to touch the husks and feel just how it worked.

Moving her eyes from the accessory to Yanoi's face she pressed her lips together and shook her head in response to his question about Matori. "The last time I was there I was only a youngling. I had wandered off and gotten lost. I was returned home but there was a certain degree of dislike for me that rolled off my rescuer." It had been what had opened her eyes to the wide spread hate of Oban's and their dirty past.  

[Stereochrome]

Heras Box

Once she had taken a good look at the rattling bracelet, he put it back on his wrist -- giving it a good shake to make sure it was in a comfortable spot.

“You wandered off all the way to Matori?” He laughed, trying to imagine how that might have happened. “But it was silly of someone to dislike you when you were just a youngling. Children aren’t to blame for these sorts of things, after all. I’m glad you got home safe nonetheless. Although of course, if you had gotten seriously lost and grown up in Matori, I think you would have done alright eventually. But that’d be one funny story to tell.”

He shook his head, little bits of woven-in decoration glimmering in the sunlight.

“In Matori, a lot of the music comes from… working traditions, you could say. For example, fishing -- see in some villages the fishermen go out and cast these huge nets, way bigger than a house. The nets are so big that they have to be pulled in from the shore, and it takes a long time because a net that size is as heavy as a house! So all the people of the village come to the shore, and they start pulling, step-by-step. And you’d think they would just, you know, pull as hard as they can and get it over with… but they don’t. They just take it one step at a time, and as they step they stomp their feet and sing a song. Little rattling anklets like this help everyone keep time! It’s really something.”  

[Heras Box]

Stereochrome

She turned a deep shade of red when Vodyanoi laughed at her. She knew he didn't mean it harshly but Kalliope felt she needed to say something to defend her actions as a child. "I was following the tracks of some animal that had bother my mother's familiars. I didn't realize I had walked that far." Or for that long. It was a wonder she had even reached that distance as a child on her own. "Oh, Azure didn't mean it really. He did save me. He just didn't know how to let go of the hate." Even if she knew nothing about her supposed friend she didn't want someone else to think of him as bad.

As he told her the tale of how a village in Matori would come together to bring in the nets and make music as they did she perked up. Kalli's eyes showed signs of delight and wanting as she tried to imagine the scene. "I would love to see that!" It had to be remarkable. Something truly worthy of traveling to witness. Who knew, she might just make her way into Matori one day to learn how they dance.  

[Stereochrome]

Heras Box

Vodyanoi might have apologized, had he know that he had embarrassed Kalliope that much. But, as it was, he couldn’t quite tell. Being a somewhat fair-skinned Oban, she was already sort of… generally red, and the blush went unnoticed.

“Well, if you walked that far as a youngling, you could probably make a good traveller in the future. That’s what I’m planning to do, anyway. I figure there’s always going to be some nasty people everywhere… or like you say, people who aren’t nasty but just don’t know how to get over their hate. But there’s good people, too. Like you. Hm?”

It was nice to see her interest in his story about the Matori fishermen… surely, not every young Oban would be itching to learn about something like that. But he thought it was remarkable, and he felt that… maybe he saw some of the same fascination in Kalli’s eyes. He sort of hoped she did get a chance to see it. It had inspired him a lot when he was a youngling, that was for certain.

“I guess that got me thinking that music wasn’t just this pretty background thing, you know. That’s sort of how I used to feel, when I was living in that manor, and the lords of the house would sit there and eat while musicians played in one corner. But in Matori, music had a use. It had energy. I’m sure the best Oban dancers and musicians have energy too, don’t get me wrong. But it meant a lot to me then, to see it from my own people.”

He shrugged his shoulders, kicking his feet a little. “What about you? Why did you decide to dance?”