Put On A Show

Writers: AL, Kaysea
Date Posted: 23rd March 2008

Characters: Fog, Eliste, Nico
Description: Fog and Nico put on a show in hopes of drawing out Eliste - and are both successful and unsuccessful in their attempts.
Location: Elsewhere on Pern
Date: month 8, day 14 of Turn 4

Fog cleared the last of the wood from inside the pipe, and blew down the hollow, carefully covering the finger holes along its length. A small, sweet note filled the air, more followed as he ran his fingers back and forth, covering first one then the other.

"You should play these more often." Nico said, taking a long draft of the almost cold klah from his mug.

"Nah, I get more enjoyment from whittling, than from playing." Fog demurred, "But I'll make you deal, I'll play for a little while, if you sing." he grinned across at his cousin.

"No, its too late, I don't want them all complaining to Lineal about some caterwauling feline that kept them awake in the night." Nico laughed.

"Aw, come on, you sing real nice, and I'm sure people wouldn't mind being serenaded to sleep - even Ellina would hear you from here." Fog hoped that the mention of the woman would spur Nico on. Everyone enjoyed Nico's voice and for turns the visiting harper had tried to coax him into apprenticing, but Nico's heart lay on the riverboat and here he'd stayed.

"Okay..." the one thing guaranteed to make him do something at the moment was mention of Ellina - or whatever her name was. It hadn't gone unnoticed by many of the crew that it always took her a few moments to answer when someone called her name - and they knew she wasn't deaf.

The deep timbre of his voice slowly danced into the night air as he sang of unrequited love. Not one of the traditional Weyr ballads for Nico, his bent was more towards romance and love - at least if there were a chance Ellina would overhear.

Fog kept time with him, playing the small pipes knowledgeably. Not too loud, either of them, but enough that the notes and words would carry on the wind across the river.

Several of the passengers heard the duet and came to listen. Eliste was one of them. She hesitated at first, but curiosity overcame her caution.
She opened the door and listened from there for a minutes, then closed the door and moved closer.

Eliste hung back from the rest of the small crowd that had, by that time, gathered to listen to the crew members playing and singing. She smiled a little, recognising the song and, softly to herself, she hummed a harmony. Her mother had sung that song from time to time. In fact, once, Eliste had even witnessed her mother and father together after she was supposed to be asleep. Her mother had sung that softly to her father while stroking his hair. As strict as her father was, her mother had cared deeply for her father.

She drew a little closer, but still did not mingle with the rest. It was nice to hear that song again, and the voice singing it was a pleasant one. She knew that Fog worked with wood, but she had not known that he knew how to play. Nor had she known that Nico had such a nice voice.

As the final notes left the pipe, Fog grinned across at Nico and tilted his head a little towards the bow of the boat. He hoped Nico realised their ploy had worked and Ellina was out on the deck.

With a wink, Nico mentioned another old favourite of the crew, and he broke into a lively, rendition of the song. It took Fog a moment or so to catch up with him but once more they harmonised with pipe and voice.

Fog was surprised to see Nico stand and begin a jig. It had been turns, not since they were both a great deal younger, that he had seen Nico act so childish, but sensed where the younger man was headed in his actions.
He hadn't missed the amusement of the passengers than had gathered.

For a moment, it didn't seem as if Eliste was amused by the scene. She stayed where she was, not drawing closer like some of the other stragglers who had just come from their cabins. Still, she had a decent enough view. She watched, for all appearances, unmoved by the scene that was growing more and more comical. After a few moments, however, as Nico continued his antics, a smile crept over her lips, and then grew. A moment later, she was laughing with the rest of the passengers, and had even begun to clap in time along with some of them.

The song finished, and he bowed to their enthusiastic applause. Pleased he had elicited a reaction from Ellina, he nodded to Fog and indicated a slower song. His rich voice once more became soft and soothing as the low notes caressed his audiences ears. He wandered through the small crowd occasionally taking the hand of one of the women and singing only to her.
A song of love, of need and commitment - he sang to the desire in all to feel loved; but there was one above all else who he hoped felt the emotion he was putting into the song.

Eliste had to admit that she was rather disappointed when the lively song ended. She had been enjoying herself, enjoying the song and dance. Still, the slower song was quite lovely. She watched as Nico weaved throughout the crowd, taking ladies hand. A couple laughed then grinned up at their husbands. A couple more batted their eyes at him, or gave him slow, sultry smiles. Eliste shook her head slightly at their attempts to keep him from moving on, but he kept doing so. She turned her attention back to Fog, watching as his fingers moved deftly over the pipe. Perhaps he wasn't as good as a professional harper, but he played well enough and had a certain style of his own that had its own charm. It wasn't until she felt a gentle touch on her own hand that Eliste turned her attention back to Nico and she realised that he had made his way over to her.

He took her hand in his, pleased for the moment that he had managed to do so before she realised he was so close. His eyes caught hers and he sang for the moment only to her, bending his head to maintain eye contact when she dipped her head to avoid his gaze. The song came to an end, Fog trilling lightly on a high note as Nico lifted Ellina's hand to his mouth and he kissed her fingertips lightly, before releasing her hand once more.

For a moment, the girl stood frozen. Her cheeks grew red and she drew her cloak about her more tightly. She took one step back, then another before she finally turn and fled, running all the way back to her room and quickly ensconcing herself within, the door slamming behind her.

For a moment Nico didn't know what to do, the small crowd began to murmur, and then he supposed, in deference to his feelings and the situation, began to disburse. he looked across at Fog. "Was what I did so wrong?" he asked.

"Form where I sat, I thought she was enjoying the whole show... looks like we were both wrong." he sat and twiddled with the pipes, turning them over and over in his hands, not looking back at Nico, not sure what comfort he could offer.

--

Eliste sat down upon her bed, breathing rapidly. She wasn't used to men approaching her like that. It had startled her. She wasn't sure what to make of it. Helvar had been like that at first. Charming. She remembered the first kiss had been on the back of her hand - that had been before her father had consented to their marriage and she had found out what he was really like. Nico's kiss had seemed even more intimate than Helvar's had been and she honestly wasn't sure what to do. He seemed nice, but so had Helvar at first.

When the contraction hit, she bent over, more in startlement than in pain.
It was painful, but not unbearably so - more uncomfortable. Her abdomen tightened and cramps danced across her back. She stayed where she was, frozen for a moment and then it went away. She didn't move for a long while, waiting to see if another one would it, but nothing came. She let out a long sigh of relief. It was probably just because she had gotten so worked up and because she was so tired. She relaly needed to sleep.

Eliste stood and undressed, almost expecting another contraction. It was odd that she would have one so early, but again, she had worked herself up. She wouldn't worry about it for the moment.

Once in her nightgown, Eliste turned down the covers, revealing a small baby quilt in different shades of purple, from lightest lavender, to the deepest, one that one expected a Lord Holder to wear. Eliste took it and cradled it to her. She could still smell Varel. She lay down, holding the quilt close and closing her eyes, though it was a long while before she was finally able to sleep.

Last updated on the March 29th 2008

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Put On A Show