• PM To Join • There's plenty of fish in the sea

[Denebah]

As he had anticipated, Rey'na had approached him. What he hadn't expected was for her to bring her friend along. He sighed a breath of disappointment before they were in ear-reach and greeted Rey'na as they closed in "It's nice to see you too, Rey. Yes and no, I'll be playing here shortly." he spoke with confidence, a complete lie - If he had the skill to play Violin for a stuck up meatling family, he wouldn't be playing on the streets of lowtown! He resisted chuckling as to not give away his lie to the stranger, Rey knew him well enough to be able to tell that he wasn't being truthful.

He gave a firm nod to 'Sintih' after he was introduced to him. Wait, 'Sintih'? He'd heard that somewhere before, but he was unsure of where. Perhaps the man was a celebrity, he cared not. "You bought my Rey a drink, right?" he spoke in front of the two, unimpressed. "Yes, Sir Frever is a family friend and I offered to play for him today" He said with a wave of his violin, noticing that the man had eyed up his clothing he built on it "Oh, my other clothes are upstairs, they're awful uncomfortable so I'm wearing this while I come to see Rey'na for a minute. Speaking of which, do you mind if we have a word?" he asked, turning to Rey'na. The look in his eye a serious one, a look that often meant it was important.

He was brilliant at lying through his teeth and doubted that this 'Sintih' would have been able to tell without considering the matter, though the fact that he'd over looked his violin and not just assumed that he was a musician getting ready to work told him that investigating was not the man's strong point. In truth, he had no idea who this 'Sir Frever' was and didn't particularly care. 'Idiot meatlings.' he thought to himself full of spite before he smiled to the Eidisi and motioned his head for Rey'na to follow him before making his way through the crowd to a more empty space and waiting for Rey'na.

[Rey'na]

When it came to Denebah, Rey could see something was wrong. He wasn't telling the truth, at all. But why lie unless something was wrong? Did they have a target here? Rey smiled back politely to Denebah, showing she understood. She gave a small nod, just go get the message across.
Rey'na then gave Sintih a smile as he called her a wonderful partner. Despite how unusual it was for her, she had enjoyed the dance tonight - and was glad that Sintih did as well. "The pleasure was mine, Sintih. You were the one who taught me to dance, after all" she said, obviously sincere.

Her smile faded quickly, however, when Denebah asked if she'd been bought a drink. That wasn't what made her frown though. 'My Rey'? She'd just said he was like a father to her, and she didn't want Sintih to have a bad impression of her from it. A part of her wanted to argue back, but she knew it was something important. But she wasn't 'his' Rey, father figure or not.
She grit her teeth, trying to avoid eye contact with either of the men in front of her. "Of course, I'll be right there" she said through her teeth. She then turned to Sintih. "Please, excuse me a second. This shouldn't take long" she said politely, faking a smile. It was easy to see through.

Rey walked over to the quiet area with 'Iden', before turning to him with obvious frustration. "I don't know if you noticed, but I was in the middle of something. What's so important that you disturb it?" she said, trying to hold back her annoyance. In truth, she knew she was being childish, but he'd interrupted her fun.
She took a deep breath to calm down, then looked back to Iden with a much calmer expression. "I'm sorry. I was just enjoying myself. So what's the situation?"

[Sintih]

Sin managed to sit through what little conversation he had to share with the man. The more he spoke, the more Sin felt like the man was one of those many annoying and stuck up nobles you found everywhere. Especially at parties like this. This was one of the reason why Sin didn't like coming to these events. He preferred a simple meal at the inn or even at home with some friends. Not that he had ever brought any of them home. Yet.

He didn't like how this Iden spoke in general but hearing him call Rey'na 'his Rey' told Sin enough about what sort of relationship these two had going on. On one hand, the news didn't seem all that upsetting. On the other hand, he felt a sting in his asterism as he looked at Rey'na quietly obeying orders. He didn't see any slave marks on her and yet she seemed to follow the man like one. Despite her words and smiling, Sin didn't believe for a trill that she actually wanted to go with him. But he wasn't here to cause trouble, even if it would have been a good way to take his mind off of things. What was bothering him again?

Sin shook his head as Faith and Padraig popped back into his mind. Dammit. When Rey'na and her friend were out of sight, Sin walked out of the veranda, leaving the dancing hall behind him. He went in search of a servant and ordered a glass of water before sitting himself down on one of the many seats spread around the walls of the room. His drink was brought to him and Sin sipped from it before letting his mind wander. He vaguely registered a pair of young ladies hovering around his position. He still didn't understand why he reacted so strongly to Faith showing up with her... whatever Padraig was. He didn't know her well enough for there to be anything besides them being acquaintances at best.

He took another sip from his glass and absentmindedly pulled on the collar of his shirt to get some more air. Dancing with Rey'na had caused his body to warm up quite a bit, his asterism pumping energy to his entire body, making it glow on the inside. On the outside, Sin looked a little out of breath and flushed from a short bout of dancing with a pretty girl. The reason for his state hadn't just been the dancing, however. A small smile returned to his lips as Sin quickly drank the rest of his glass, feeling the cool water rush down towards his asterism.

Was he some sort of flower for that girls in relationships just found themselves attracted to or did he single out those girls? Matters of the heart and asterism were so difficult to handle. Sin found himself wishing the campaign to the eastern settlements under Malcolm would start soon. How bad was his situation when he wished for Malcolm to take commands of him to get out of it? Before he could find an answer to his question, a voice pulled Sin from his thoughts. "Excuse us, sir." Sin looked up to face two young women, one with blonde hair and a bright smile and the other brown haired, wearing some sort of thin veil.

"We saw you teaching that girl how to dance before and were wondering if you could show us too. You were quite good." When the blonde girl mentioned 'that girl', her voice took on a sharper edge for a moment, possibly jealousy or even anger towards her. Why these girls had such an opinion of Rey'na was a mystery to Sin but he knew enough about nobles to know that most likely their reason was entirely idiotic and stuck up. "Thank you, ladies, but I don't think I have the time to teach you both. I'm just taking a quick break while waiting for my friend to come back." Father, if you could send someone, anyone to save me from this, I'd be ever so grateful.

[Denebah]

Once Rey'na had arrived, he turned to face her. He didn't need to examine her to tell that he'd annoyed her, he rolled his eyes. 'Typical child.' he thought to himself before stepping forward suddenly and embracing her - Something he'd never done before and doubted many people had done, he waited for a moment for her reaction. Then replying to what she'd previously asked with "I'm sorry, Rey'na." Regardless of whether she kicked him to the floor or returned his hug. "I know you were having fun... But this is important. Whatever you were doing in that strangers house before I got here, make sure you clean it up.. Okay?" He spoke, giving away that he'd followed her - not that it mattered much. His request was peculiar, he'd always been the one to clean up after her and was normally very enthusiastic with doing so, he trusted himself to do a good job and leave no evidence.

If she hadn't pushed him to the floor, he'd let go of her and rest his hands on her shoulders, looking her in the eyes. If she had, then he'd stand up and brush himself off before speaking regardless of her response "I'm leaving..." with an upset look on his face. "Mother wants me to join her in Uleuda and honestly, I've missed her." He confessed, telling the truth to her very blatantly. He'd never told her about Uleuda or his dead mother, so while he wasn't lying, she probably wouldn't have understood what it meant. He built on it with "It's very far away from here, it's gonna take me an eternity to get there..", coating the illusion even more. In truth, he just hadn't found himself. Alqahrisa, his mother, had promised to help him whenever he'd go to Uleuda until he was finally ready. "And I don't think I'm going to be able to make the journey back.." He continued, to ascend to Uleuda the Yludih needs to die. He was prepared to take his own life once he'd found himself.

He'd hug her once more, regardless of the outcome of the previous hug, with illusion tears filling his eyes. He hugged her tight, despite being a meatling. "I'm so sorry, Rey'na. I'm so so so sorry." He spoke through a sob, he'd never cried to her before, but he'd very sincerely miss his friend from where he was going. "But this is goodbye, my only friend." He gave her a squeeze before letting her go, he found the squishyness of flesh to be amusing which forced a chuckle from his crying illusion. He 'dried' the 'tears' on his sleeve and looked her in the eyes "I want you to have this, it was a gift from my mother many arcs ago. And since I'll be with her soon, I don't need it to remember her by if I'm going her way now, do I?" he asked, wiping more tears from his eyes before handing over his Violin to the girl.

"Take care of yourself, all right? I know you're gonna be great one day." He spoke before turning away from her, exhaling deeply then walking away.

OOC

Deducted 1x Violin from my ledger and I'm retiring denebah after this thread, so don't worry about grading him. Atashi and Fridgar are way more fun to play!

[Rey'na]

Rey'na went tense as his arms wrapped around her. What was he doing? Why was he hugging her? She was using the father figure as an excuse, albeit true. Did he realize he meant that much to her? She stood still, not sure of how to respond to the sudden show of affection.
"There isn't much to clean up, just a small knife wound" she admitted, looking up at him curiously. Her eyes watched him, a gentle look covering her delicate face. She didn't worry that he had followed her, it was something that she was almost grateful for. It showed he cared, cared enough to look out for her. She'd always been grateful he had cared, even if she was childish and got in a temper with him because of it. Guilt filled her.

That guilt was soon replaced with shock. His words echoed through her head, the egg in her head falling silent for the first time in what felt like an eternity. But it wasn't a warm or comforting silence, it was a pained one. Every single word he said sunk in to her skin. He was leaving, and he was never coming back. She didn't know what to feel, for a moment.
Hearing his sob pushed her over the edge. A small tear poured down her cheek, her body still tense. A part of her wanted to hug back, but a stronger part of her took over. "What do you mean this is goodbye!?" she shouted at the man, drawing attention of a few others at the party. She ignored them all.
"You can't just leave me. What about our plans, our goals? Who's going to come and see me now? Who's going to take care of me and make sure I don't get in to trouble? Who else will be there?" she said to him, her eyes pleading as tears streaked down her cheeks. She turned her face away from him - refusing to look at him.

After a few trills of silence, he offered up the Violin. She looked into his eyes again, surprised. That violin was his prized possession, something he played and prided himself on - the reason she even met him to begin with. If he was offering it to her, it must have been serious. Back came the guilt. It was like all of the emotions she rarely felt came spiraling back, just this once. She took the violin from his hands and embraced him, this time with all of her heart.
"I love you, Denebah. I'll become great, I'll make you proud of me - even if you aren't here to see it. I promise I will" she told the man. Where he was going, she had no idea. But she knew her chances of seeing him again were non-existent, if he was speaking this way to her. It was something she had never experienced before, and one she hoped to never experience again. With that thought in her head, she watched him walk away - before turning back to the dance room.

She found her way back to Sintih, tears still rolling slightly down her cheek. A few people noticed her, but none approached. She ignored the two girls on either side of the man and focused just on him, the heart break evident on her face - her eyes pleading to him for help. Gently pushing her way past the blonde girl, she kneeled beside the chair Sintih was on, before hugging into the man and sobbing - violin in hand.

► Show Spoiler

ooc: added one violin to CS

[Sintih]

Sintih wondered if people who worshipped Aelig were secretly looking for punishment, if they had some secret masochistic streak they wanted Aelig to take care of. In wondering that, Sintih wondered if he had one of those as well, considering the fact that he spoke to the immortal on a trialy basis. He had been chatting with both ladies, keeping things on the subject of dance while they spoke. There wasn't very much to say on his own experience and he had to tell the two women several times how he had only started learning a few trials ago.

Somehow, they couldn't quite grasp the fact that Rey'na had brought out the best in him for those two or three bits of time they had been standing on the floor there. The moves had been simple, the music had been way off their own tempo and the people around them had all overshadowed them with their own skills on the floor and yet, these two ladies had decided that out of all the potential on and around the dancefloor, Sintih had to be the one. He finished his drink during their conversation and had put his glass aside while they spoke. He learned that they both liked dancing a lot and that they thought he looked quite handsome in his outfit. They also thought that he would be better off spending time with them than with that girl. Sin nodded and smiled and slowly strangled the both of them in his head.

I'll settle for someone dropping their glass, just a split trill, that's all I need, Father. When he spotted Rey'na walking, he was about to send a big thank you to Aelig until he noticed she was in a horrible state it seemed. His thank you turned into a curse halfway. Some people were looking at her as she closed the distance to the young Eídisi. She had tears on her face? Why did she have tears on her face? What had that other guy done to her? It was obviously his fault or at least, he was the first person that came to mind for Sin. He was half in the process of pushing himself up from his comfortable seat when Rey'na knelt down besides him and wrapped her arms around him in a hug. The violin was poking in his back as Rey'na's tears were staining the front of his vest.

For a moment, human and Eídisi sat there, her arms around him and the sound of crying the only audible sound coming from their little area. The two ladies didn't know what to do in the situation and neither did Sintih. The manly man side of him wanted to get up and go punch whoever had put Rey'na in this state. His Eídisi-slash-University upbringing wanted to ask her what was wrong and then tell her how to fix it. The social, open and curious side of him understood that, at least for a bit or two, Rey'na required nothing from him except him being there. He placed his hand a little awkwardly on her back and rubbed in circles, not really knowing what else to do.

He let her cry until he felt she had calmed down a bit. He wasn't sure how long women usually cried for, especially not young girls like Rey'na who may have just been dumped by "the love of their life, they were going to have a home and children together" boyfriend. Or whoever this Iden was to her. He looked around and noticed that the two women were standing a little away from the two of them, whispering. There were some other eyes on them but Sintih simply stared right at them until they turned away. His hand on Rey'na's back had gone a little up and was now stroking her hair lightly. He didn't allow himself to make shushing noises, realizing that those were for children, not for beautiful women at noble events. He didn't even know if he was stroking the hair of someone who had just been invited here, much like him, or if she was the daughter of the host.

When things quieted down a little, he shifted a little and finally spoke to her. "You want to go and sit outside for a bit? Get some fresh air? You could tell me what happened, without all these idiots staring at us, like some strange show." He smiled as he spoke, making his voice sound more pleasant. He slowly pushed himself up from his seat, pulling Rey'na to her feet with him. If she allowed him, he would take the violin from her and gently, but quickly, guide her out of the room, through the dance hall and out one of the glass doors leading into the back yard. There were only a few other people here, cooling down or cuddling with their partners. Sin walked a bit further into the stone garden and found them a little bit of privacy. He didn't initiate the conversation and simply waited for Rey'na to start. Everything about him, from his hand on her upper arm to worry in his illusionary eyes, told her he was there for her if she wanted to talk or needed to cry more.

[Rey'na]

Rey'na felt his hand comfort her back, and it helped beyond words. She had someone at the moment she needed it. Whatever this was, she hated it. This devotion to a man, what she had told him was love. The pain that came with it. But was it really 'love'? He left her, and he wasn't coming back. Could that ever be defined as love? Just that thought alone made her tears flow even more. She hated him, because she loved him - but he didn't love her back.
As he brushed her hair, her crying slowed until it had stopped almost entirely. Instead she just treasured what comfort she had. It was a feeling she had never felt before, a comfort she had never experienced. Her father was abusive, and she had never cried in front of her mother. Denebah wasn't the kind to comfort her. Even her last hug with him hurt her more than it helped her. So this was bliss. It was comfort and care, and it was incredible.

She nodded, rising to her feet with him. She made no attempt at resisting when he took the violin, but kept a close eye on it. Even if he had left, she would keep that instrument and master it no matter what the cost. She walked beside him, keeping her head against his shoulder and her arm around his as they went. As they walked, she looked at the garden.
One happy couple caught her eye, however. She looked and held back the emotion it brought, alongside a realization. She realized that what she had for Denebah was probably not love. She had never felt care like he had given her, because he gave her even the tiniest bit of care. Like nobody else had. Or did that make it love? She hated the feeling of not knowing. Not knowing what to feel, not knowing what to think. She hated that Denebah had the nerve to put her through this.
But eventually, her and the one thing she didn't hate in this moment arrived somewhere quiet, and he looked to her with welcoming eyes. She looked up at him for a moment, then laughed uncomfortably. She looked away, back to where the couples had been.

"He left" she said, not making eye contact with him. "He left and I cared for him, and I thought he cared for me back. But he walked away, and told me he won't come back. He said he was going to a place called Uleuda, that he'd be staying there forever now. Told me the journey back would be impossible to make."
Her eyes fell back to Sintih, before hugging him once more. "I didn't love him, because love is a two sided relationship and I know that. But I thought he at least cared - and it turns out he didn't" she said quietly, just audible enough for him to hear. She then tightened her grip to be a much closer hug.
"Thank you, Sintih. For being here when the people I thought cared for me won't be."

[Sintih]

They walked through the garden. Compared to more famous people, it was a small garden but still it was at least four times the size of Sintih's house. Seeing the size of the house and the garden now, Sin understood that both were nothing more than an indicator of the owner's excess wealth. It probably wouldn't be a problem for the man to spend some of it to feed lowtown for a day or two and not notice a dent in his savings. It was nobles like these that caused people like Sin to dislike them all in general.

There were only a few other people in the garden and Sin walked straight past them, ignoring them as best he could. Rey'na was doing a little better as they walked out and she seemed happy to have been taken out here, as happy as one could be in a situation like this. They managed to find a quiet spot and Sin positioned himself so that he could see the building but Rey'na couldn't. Not knowing people were looking was often as helpful as people not looking. There was a quiet moment between the two of them and he wasn't really sure what to do next. Reading and listening to stories or instructions only got you so far. But it appeared that doing or saying nothing was what Rey'na needed.

She opened up a moment later and started talking. From her first two words, Sin knew exactly what had gone down and he was happy to see his initial thoughts on the man had been spot on. He managed to hold back any signs of anger on his face but when Rey'na mentioned Uleuda, the surprise was clear. He wanted to ask her if she was sure he had said that. It couldn't be, someone like him a Yludih? But then again even Yludih came in all shapes and sizes so why not personalities. Sin made a mental note to find this Iden person and give him a good talking to. But Iden was most likely not his name in Uleuda so the chances of finding him were as non existent as Sin's chances at getting promoted.

When she focused back on him and hugged him once more, Sin let her and put his own arms around her as well, holding her quietly. Her thoughts on love, however, caused him to speak up. He had no real experience with it but he still felt that he should explain it to her a little more. "That's not really true. Love requires nothing at all, from nobody else. It doesn't have to come from two sides or be rewarded in any way. Why do you think there are so many stories about people loving someone who doesn't love them back? It's in all the tragedies nowatrials. It's highly illogical and yet, people seem to spend their entire lives looking for it."

When she hugged him tighter, Sin worried for a moment that she might prick herself on the various shards of crystal that made up his body but she seemed to be fine as she pulled back. "I'm really sorry that this party turned out like this for you. I know it's horrible advice, I recently got it myself so I speak from experience, but there's plenty of other people out there, better people." Sin grinned at her, trying to make her feel a little better. Maybe if she knew that she wasn't alone in her love troubles it might cheer her up a little. He wasn't really sure how it worked for women.

As they were talking, Sin could hear the music slow down and stop, indicating that either the party was over, which was highly unlikely, or that someone was about to give a speech of some description. "If you're feeling a little better maybe you want to go back inside, see what the host has to say. Nothing will make you forget your own problems than listening to a noble complain about all the stuff he's lacking in his life." Sin shrugged lightly as he stepped back from her holding his arm out to her. Whatever was happening, speeches usually meant that the fun part of the party was over. The important guests would be invited for some sort of closed door dinner of some kind while the rest of the guests would slowly trickle out, end of the party for everyone. As he thought about that, Sin realized that Heran had been right from the start.

[Ent]

Name: Sintih

Knowledge:
Dancing: a simple box step
Dancing: not as embarrassing when done with a burly man
Dancing: best to learn at your own pace
Dancing: more enjoyable with an attractive partner
Dancing: on a three count
Physcology: others problems can make you forget your own
Rey’na: danced with you
Rey’na: is quite attractive
Rey’na: a distraction from Faith
Rey'na: was abandoned by Iden
Rey'na: seemed calmed by being outside
Denenbah (Iden): A violinist
Denenbah (Iden): Looks like he belongs with the servants
Denenbah (Iden): Abandoned Rey'na

Loot: Undergarments, Extravagant Chiffon Olive Vest, Extravagant Chiffon Shirt, Extravagant Chiffon Black Pants, Leather Boots (knee), socks and a belt and buckle -59 gn 6 sn.
Injuries: N/A
Fame: +1 General good deed (teaching Rey'na to dance)
Devotion: +1 (prayer to Aelig)

Story: 5/5
Collaboration: 5/5
Structure: 5/5
Magic: N/A

Comment: No issues with story, collaboration or structure. You did a great job like always, I never fail to enjoy the threads you are writing and I can spell you name right now! Very enjoyable, and I was impressed to see this kind compassionate and caring side of Sin. He seemed to be quite the gentleman, and although he was really looking for a distraction from Faith he did a good job being supportive. Good job.

Name: Rey'na

Knowledge:
Dancing: a simple box step
Dancing: start without listening to the music
Dancing: on a three count
Dancing: best to learn at your own pace
Dancing: more enjoyable with an attractive partner
Physcology: other's problems can make you forget your own
Sintih: danced with you
Sintih: taught you the basics of dancing
Sintih: was not a drunken fool
Sintih: cared for you when you were upset
Sintih: comforted you
Denenbah (Iden): Pretending to be a violinist for the party
Denenbah (Iden): Abandoned you
Denenbah (Iden): Must not truly have cared for you

Loot: 1x Violin, -12sn for heel shoes
Injuries: 1x Bruised ribs
Fame: N/A
Devotion: N/A

Story: 5/5
Collaboration: 5/5
Structure: 5/5
Magic: N/A

Comment: No issues with story, collaboration or structure, great job. This is my first thread of yours I have reviewed and it was certainly an interesting insight into your character. I like her a lot, and the variation from being a cold blooded killer to the girl who dances with a strangers and then breaks down in tears after a man leaves her is quite an interesting thing to read. I shall have to read some more of your threads.

If you have any questions or issues with this review please do send me a PM and I will do my best to fix it.