Andas – Sheryl, the Fae-touched – 8.12.2020
Dec 13, 2020 21:10:34 GMT
Daisy, Toothy, and 1 more like this
Post by Merla, the Daughter of Summer on Dec 13, 2020 21:10:34 GMT
The gathered gentry of Daring Heights fall silent as the Gilded Mirror fills with darkness. The band plays a tuning note that expands out, the room inhaling the sound, filling all the space between people, candelabras, soft carpet and polished, golden fixtures.
A single beam of light lands downstage centre whilst a second lights up a set of stairs where a petite woman with short black hair stands with all the air and importance of a gracious benefactor. Beside her is another slightly younger woman who could only be the woman’s sister. There’s a polite but full round of applause as a young speaker in a very clean cut, professional looking shirt and trimmed trousers steps into the spotlight on the stage. From somewhere behind them in the darkness soft music starts playing on a grand piano and casts a spell over the last whispered conversations. The young speaker, warm brown eyes looking around slightly dazed, takes a breath and then begins to speak, their voice carrying easily through the room by thaumaturgic magic.
“Thank you all, so much, for coming here tonight. This means so much to me, honestly. I come from what was a small town on the Sword Coast. This place, I’ve never seen anything quite like it and honestly, I’m shocked by how incredible the people who live here are.” Their smile is genuine and causes a few of the patrons to smile back up at them. “To everyone who even just came here this evening, I cannot stress how kind you are all being. This money is going to benefit so many people, not just the adventurers and the people they help in the process, but anyone who requires aid.”
The band has softly joined the piano, the sound from its keys getting fuller. The young speaker takes a small card from their pocket, glancing down at it as they continue.
“No colour, no creed, no faith, no force, no past, no present. All deserve aid and all are welcome.” They look out at the crowded room and shuffle nervously. A violin soars over the fading piano, it’s mournful, sustained notes a leaf dancing on coastal wind.
“I would be remiss not to mention certain individuals specifically. I want to thank Faye for thinking of all this and setting the wheels in motion for what is now such a wonderful evening.” There is polite applause as the piano crescendos up from the depths of the still dark stage. “I want to thank the FfirstGroup for their wonderful sponsorship of this project.” There are a few firmer clusters of applause at the mention of the Port Ffirst company. Indicating the petite woman, the young speaker says, “I want to thank Ms. Amelie Pierre-Vielle for her stunning contribution this evening.” The gathered people applaud up to her, the loudest it has been so far and Amelie’s lips turn up as she nods to them all. The band fades out as the pianist does a spiralling glissando up the keys until the music finally stops. The young speaker half glances back to the musicians, but waits for the audience to quiet down a little before he can continue.
When they do, the pianist starts playing again, alone. The young speaker takes their cue.
“But most importantly I want to thank Sheryl here.” They gesture and from the darkness comes a warm, golden glow like the rising of a summer sun. The figure, a small fey looking woman, elegantly plays the grand keyed instrument. The audience sees it is the musician herself that is the source of the light and some exhale in awe at the beauty before them. The iridescent, sheer, multifaceted fabric of her dress glows on its own whilst also catching the light she emanates, reflecting back fiery oranges, bright yellows, warm magentas, soft lilacs, and lush blue-greens. She gives the young human speaker a nod and a warm smile as she continues to play. “Not only for offering aid and money before anyone else but also for playing so wonderfully for us all this evening.”
There is applause again but the young speaker is lost in thought for a moment, the notes the fey-bard plays carrying through to touch his heart. They look sheepish for a moment.
“But I think that’s enough from me. Let’s let these fine people do their thing. Thank you everyone.” They bow and walk off stage as the song comes to its end… only to seamlessly transition into the next, the concert beginning in earnest.
The concerto was performed in three parts with Sheryl leading on the grand piano, the harp and then finishing on the oud, all the while accompanied by the Gilded Mirror’s small orchestral band. There were pieces where she sang, pieces where she played, and some where it was just her, taking the hand of each person, guiding them through the journey. The music was thought provoking, gut wrenching and cathartic all in one breath – not one eye was left dry that night. It was the greatest performance she had ever done, the feeling of flying through an ethereal soundscape, thoughts and feelings like raindrops falling on her face, a place she has only ever felt in her dreams, manifesting in the Material Plane.
Everyone, listen to my song…
Leocanto had asked her what she planned on doing for this concert, what it would be based around. She had told the proprietor was about returning back to our core – of seeing who we were, who we are, and who we are yet to become. It was an abstract concept, something Leocanto had half nodded at in understanding. But now, with a small part of Her Song woven into every note she played on the oud in her arms, Sheryl was able to reach out and connect with everyone in the Mirror. It didn’t matter if she sang in Sylvan, Elvish or Common; all were able to understand.
The candles were burning low, the night coming close to its end, what would be the last song beginning with the sound of ringing bells as Sheryl plucked the double stringed oud in her arms. None of her friends had ever seen her play the instrument before but she held it tenderly like a long lost lover, patterns of strange fey symbols on it. She sat upon an elegant stool, her feet bare, hair cascading down over her bare shoulder. The shimmering sheer fabric of her dress shows her curved, softly glowing form through it’s glowing, iridescent folds. There were a few who looked away, embarrassed at the spectacle, but they could not keep their eyes from her for long, not once she started singing.
Everyone calls me a ‘fairy’
And I try to live up to it
I can’t feel the weight in my heart
That’s why I chose to fly so high
Sheryl looks up and in her mind’s eye she sees the big, beautiful blue skies of her home as her voice and the echo of her voice swirl around her.
I was shaken by love from meeting you
And my wings lost their way
Exposed to the rain, they are wet,
Awoken to the sleeping dreams within
Fly away, for another day
“Call for me with your voice.”
I have no regrets except my secret love
Tell me you love me, but say no more for now
I mustn’t return to paradise
She weaves words of Elvish and Common seamlessly into the Sylvan she sings, the transitions flawless as her fingers pluck the drops of music that ripple out into the darkened hall.
I’m here I’m here,
Here’s where I live, now I sing in the silence
Right here, there’s no fear
Her eyes find Faye, her dear friend from the Winter Court. She asks them,
Is there such a place in these realms?
A place of warmth,
A place where we can dream together?
A light for something that wasn’t there a moment before is in Faye’s eyes. Sheryl sees it reflected across others as she peers into the dark, seeing clearly for the first time. It is in this moment she realises it was never the dark itself she was scared of but rather a frightening loneliness, the fear of abandonment, the unasked questions she has buried deep in the recesses of her own heart that she has been scared to give a voice. Her eyes gaze into a middle distance as shimmering tears start to gather in the corner of her eyes as she sings,
I gather the magical waves that shine in the darkness in my heart,
And I take to the skies
To your place in a distant land
As the rain falls like whip lashes
I’ll be fine even if my feelings unrequited disappear like bubbles
Believe in me
“Your light shines in my tears.”
The truth is simple
I love you
My beautifully tied hair is yours to undo as it collects dew drops
After I met you, I was always alone
Because I wanted to be loved
I want to watch the galaxy’s sunset
Bridging the future to the past, with you
Sheryl was in the throes of her song so she did not notice when it appeared. A giant spectral bear formed from the very constellations wove its way around the room, the climax of her song building into a euphoric heat that reflected in the imperial topaz of her circlet. It was painfully bright – a small, summer sun hot against her already extremely warm skin. She caught a glimpse of another galaxy swirling into existence from Ghesh as one of the last, low burning candles bathed him in light. There were “oo’s” and “ahh’s” as every person in the Gilded Mirror was swept away on the music and the universe spun around them all.
Sheryl’s voice wove around the music, swirling and tumbling through the tempest of notes that lifted her spirit up and buffeted her with their potency. As she sang one line in Elvish, her voice could be heard clearly singing another, more prominently in Sylvan.
Where are you? Why this love?
Fall into the end of the World
Fairy, realise why I can feel all my soul
I will break free from this magical tempest,
And fly to you…
Then, with a crash of symbols the band stops playing and it is just her, no accompanying music, all versions of her voice becoming one as she reaches out towards something unknown.
Where are you? Why this love?
Fall into the end of the World.
A single beam of light lands downstage centre whilst a second lights up a set of stairs where a petite woman with short black hair stands with all the air and importance of a gracious benefactor. Beside her is another slightly younger woman who could only be the woman’s sister. There’s a polite but full round of applause as a young speaker in a very clean cut, professional looking shirt and trimmed trousers steps into the spotlight on the stage. From somewhere behind them in the darkness soft music starts playing on a grand piano and casts a spell over the last whispered conversations. The young speaker, warm brown eyes looking around slightly dazed, takes a breath and then begins to speak, their voice carrying easily through the room by thaumaturgic magic.
“Thank you all, so much, for coming here tonight. This means so much to me, honestly. I come from what was a small town on the Sword Coast. This place, I’ve never seen anything quite like it and honestly, I’m shocked by how incredible the people who live here are.” Their smile is genuine and causes a few of the patrons to smile back up at them. “To everyone who even just came here this evening, I cannot stress how kind you are all being. This money is going to benefit so many people, not just the adventurers and the people they help in the process, but anyone who requires aid.”
The band has softly joined the piano, the sound from its keys getting fuller. The young speaker takes a small card from their pocket, glancing down at it as they continue.
“No colour, no creed, no faith, no force, no past, no present. All deserve aid and all are welcome.” They look out at the crowded room and shuffle nervously. A violin soars over the fading piano, it’s mournful, sustained notes a leaf dancing on coastal wind.
“I would be remiss not to mention certain individuals specifically. I want to thank Faye for thinking of all this and setting the wheels in motion for what is now such a wonderful evening.” There is polite applause as the piano crescendos up from the depths of the still dark stage. “I want to thank the FfirstGroup for their wonderful sponsorship of this project.” There are a few firmer clusters of applause at the mention of the Port Ffirst company. Indicating the petite woman, the young speaker says, “I want to thank Ms. Amelie Pierre-Vielle for her stunning contribution this evening.” The gathered people applaud up to her, the loudest it has been so far and Amelie’s lips turn up as she nods to them all. The band fades out as the pianist does a spiralling glissando up the keys until the music finally stops. The young speaker half glances back to the musicians, but waits for the audience to quiet down a little before he can continue.
When they do, the pianist starts playing again, alone. The young speaker takes their cue.
“But most importantly I want to thank Sheryl here.” They gesture and from the darkness comes a warm, golden glow like the rising of a summer sun. The figure, a small fey looking woman, elegantly plays the grand keyed instrument. The audience sees it is the musician herself that is the source of the light and some exhale in awe at the beauty before them. The iridescent, sheer, multifaceted fabric of her dress glows on its own whilst also catching the light she emanates, reflecting back fiery oranges, bright yellows, warm magentas, soft lilacs, and lush blue-greens. She gives the young human speaker a nod and a warm smile as she continues to play. “Not only for offering aid and money before anyone else but also for playing so wonderfully for us all this evening.”
There is applause again but the young speaker is lost in thought for a moment, the notes the fey-bard plays carrying through to touch his heart. They look sheepish for a moment.
“But I think that’s enough from me. Let’s let these fine people do their thing. Thank you everyone.” They bow and walk off stage as the song comes to its end… only to seamlessly transition into the next, the concert beginning in earnest.
The concerto was performed in three parts with Sheryl leading on the grand piano, the harp and then finishing on the oud, all the while accompanied by the Gilded Mirror’s small orchestral band. There were pieces where she sang, pieces where she played, and some where it was just her, taking the hand of each person, guiding them through the journey. The music was thought provoking, gut wrenching and cathartic all in one breath – not one eye was left dry that night. It was the greatest performance she had ever done, the feeling of flying through an ethereal soundscape, thoughts and feelings like raindrops falling on her face, a place she has only ever felt in her dreams, manifesting in the Material Plane.
Everyone, listen to my song…
Leocanto had asked her what she planned on doing for this concert, what it would be based around. She had told the proprietor was about returning back to our core – of seeing who we were, who we are, and who we are yet to become. It was an abstract concept, something Leocanto had half nodded at in understanding. But now, with a small part of Her Song woven into every note she played on the oud in her arms, Sheryl was able to reach out and connect with everyone in the Mirror. It didn’t matter if she sang in Sylvan, Elvish or Common; all were able to understand.
The candles were burning low, the night coming close to its end, what would be the last song beginning with the sound of ringing bells as Sheryl plucked the double stringed oud in her arms. None of her friends had ever seen her play the instrument before but she held it tenderly like a long lost lover, patterns of strange fey symbols on it. She sat upon an elegant stool, her feet bare, hair cascading down over her bare shoulder. The shimmering sheer fabric of her dress shows her curved, softly glowing form through it’s glowing, iridescent folds. There were a few who looked away, embarrassed at the spectacle, but they could not keep their eyes from her for long, not once she started singing.
Everyone calls me a ‘fairy’
And I try to live up to it
I can’t feel the weight in my heart
That’s why I chose to fly so high
Sheryl looks up and in her mind’s eye she sees the big, beautiful blue skies of her home as her voice and the echo of her voice swirl around her.
I was shaken by love from meeting you
And my wings lost their way
Exposed to the rain, they are wet,
Awoken to the sleeping dreams within
Fly away, for another day
“Call for me with your voice.”
I have no regrets except my secret love
Tell me you love me, but say no more for now
I mustn’t return to paradise
She weaves words of Elvish and Common seamlessly into the Sylvan she sings, the transitions flawless as her fingers pluck the drops of music that ripple out into the darkened hall.
I’m here I’m here,
Here’s where I live, now I sing in the silence
Right here, there’s no fear
Her eyes find Faye, her dear friend from the Winter Court. She asks them,
Is there such a place in these realms?
A place of warmth,
A place where we can dream together?
A light for something that wasn’t there a moment before is in Faye’s eyes. Sheryl sees it reflected across others as she peers into the dark, seeing clearly for the first time. It is in this moment she realises it was never the dark itself she was scared of but rather a frightening loneliness, the fear of abandonment, the unasked questions she has buried deep in the recesses of her own heart that she has been scared to give a voice. Her eyes gaze into a middle distance as shimmering tears start to gather in the corner of her eyes as she sings,
I gather the magical waves that shine in the darkness in my heart,
And I take to the skies
To your place in a distant land
As the rain falls like whip lashes
I’ll be fine even if my feelings unrequited disappear like bubbles
Believe in me
“Your light shines in my tears.”
The truth is simple
I love you
My beautifully tied hair is yours to undo as it collects dew drops
After I met you, I was always alone
Because I wanted to be loved
I want to watch the galaxy’s sunset
Bridging the future to the past, with you
Sheryl was in the throes of her song so she did not notice when it appeared. A giant spectral bear formed from the very constellations wove its way around the room, the climax of her song building into a euphoric heat that reflected in the imperial topaz of her circlet. It was painfully bright – a small, summer sun hot against her already extremely warm skin. She caught a glimpse of another galaxy swirling into existence from Ghesh as one of the last, low burning candles bathed him in light. There were “oo’s” and “ahh’s” as every person in the Gilded Mirror was swept away on the music and the universe spun around them all.
Sheryl’s voice wove around the music, swirling and tumbling through the tempest of notes that lifted her spirit up and buffeted her with their potency. As she sang one line in Elvish, her voice could be heard clearly singing another, more prominently in Sylvan.
Where are you? Why this love?
Fall into the end of the World
Fairy, realise why I can feel all my soul
I will break free from this magical tempest,
And fly to you…
Then, with a crash of symbols the band stops playing and it is just her, no accompanying music, all versions of her voice becoming one as she reaches out towards something unknown.
Where are you? Why this love?
Fall into the end of the World.
