Post-Persuasion Performance (A Pre-Finale Narrative)

Post-Persuasion Performance (A Pre-Finale Narrative) Jun 13, 2020 17:51:40 GMT Pieni, Laurel Shortstride, and 1 more like this

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Post by Deleted on Jun 13, 2020 17:51:40 GMT

The speech was over, Aurelia and Khazifa had left the stage and Arkadius was sat at a table in the Ettin where he'd been for most of the morning already, nursing a glass of water. He was avoiding his standard Fire Whiskey, it was a big day and he couldn't risk being drunk when everything happened. He took a few moments to look around at the faces around him. Some people looked confused, some were clearly nervous, despondent, brave, fearless, worried, frightened… Every emotion was on display in that busy room, and with what was happening, he couldn't blame them. He was all of the above himself, all at the same time, but he had one other feeling: He wanted to help.

He saw an opportunity, and he grasped it with two six-fingered hands. He downed the rest of his glass of water, and picked up his lyre from his side. As he stood, he cast Thaumaturgy on himself to make his voice three times as loud, making sure it would carry through the loud room, and darted to the stage as fast as his feet could carry him.

"Folks..." he called out from the stage, "Things are afoot, and this is the day that many of us have been dreading for so long. It's impossible to deny that we are facing a hell of a day. So… for just for a few minutes, we should relax. Preparations for the day can wait just a few moments. For now... listen and relax, because all that is stressful can wait for when we are good and ready."

Arkadius relaxed Thaumaturgy, confident it was no longer needed, and plucked the strings of his lyre. His fingers stretched while he held his eyes firmly closed, preparing for what he was about to do. He was rusty, he hadn't been playing as much as he had before, but he knew it would all come back to him instantly. With one last note, he paused for a beat before launching straight into song.

“I used to bite my tongue and hold my breath,
Scared to rock the boat and make a mess,
So I sat quietly, agreed politely.

I guess that I forgot I had a choice,
I let you push me past the breaking point,
I stood for nothing, So I fell for everything.

You held me down, but I got up,
Already brushing off the dust.
You hear my voice, you hear that sound,
Like thunder gonna shake the ground.
You held me down, but I got up,
Get ready 'cause I've had enough,
I see it all, I see it now,

I got the eye of the tiger, a fighter,
Dancing through the fire,
'Cause I am a champion...
And you're gonna hear me roar
Louder, louder than a lion,
'Cause I am a champion...
and you're gonna hear me roar…”

He finished with a flourish, breathing heavily after putting his all into the song. He was grinning, riding the high of playing for an audience again, and letting all the stress that had been building within him over the last few days fade away. He'd follow his own request, for just a few minutes… he was relaxing, having the time of his life. He was happy. He was… feeling free.

His eyes passed over the crowd, eyes landing on a handful of people he cared deeply about, and his smile faded just a little as his fingers started plucking at the strings again, launching into a slower, more relaxed song. He spoke over the intro, repeating the chords to give him time to talk. “This one goes out to the people who need someone in their life. Someone they trust, someone they love, or… Just someone to be there for them."

“So no one told you life was gonna be this way
Your job's a joke, you're broke, your love life's D.O.A.
It's like you're always stuck in adventurin' gear
When it hasn't been your day, your week, your month, or even your year, but…

I'll be there for you
When the horde starts to pour
I'll be there for you
like I've been there before
I'll be there for you
'Cause you're there for me too

You're still in bed at ten and the battle began at eight
You've burned your breakfast so far things are going great
Your mother warned you there'd be days like these,
But she didn't tell you when the world has brought you down to your knees that

I'll be there for you
When the horde starts to pour
I'll be there for you
Like I've been there before
I'll be there for you
'Cause you're there for me too…”

As the song wrapped up with the final note, Arkadius hopped off the stage, straight into the crowd. He wasn't going to milk the moment, he wasn't even waiting on a reaction from everyone else in the room. He just wanted to give people a few minutes away from the events of the world, and he wanted to give himself a few moments to relax, because the rest of that day… It was going to be a hell of a day. He sat back down at the table he leapt up from, and picked up his empty glass. He chuckled to himself for a moment, and placed the glass back down on the table.

[Massive thank you to Ian for confirming I would have the time to do this after the speech! Want to reply? Feel free to do so here! ]