[OPEN] Meanwhile, on the Sleipnir...

[calesitas]

Method: Action/Prose
Who: Anyone still on the airship
Where: The Sleipnir~ Everywhere and anywhere~
When: February 25th, afternoon
What: Nayan's making friends~ Or trying to

Comments

[banjjakbanjjak]

All this traveling around and training in different places still took some getting used to. While she felt that she'd improved in her archery a little and it did seem she was able to see and focus on whatever target she picked more clearly, she still wasn't too confident in her skills quite yet.

However, she decided she just wanted to take a break from the practice and honing skills and meeting new, different scary monsters.... so she was staying on the ship that afternoon. She took to the deck and was just looking out at whatever scenery there was while humming this softly.

[calesitas]

If there was something Nayan was good at, it was honing in on music. Even as he made his way up to the deck, he could hear it if he strained hard enough: a girl humming. And not just any girl, but the same girl who had nearly bumped into him the day they had left Izlude. Odin help him, what had been her name... Ava? That sounded about right.

And as she's the first person he finds, she, unfortunately for her, is the first person he approaches. Quietly, of course, so he can listen to her hum a little bit more before speaking.

"That's pretty, honey. What is it?"

[banjjakbanjjak]

Ava definitely didn't notice Nayan's approach at all, which probably didn't bode well for the future. Her voice faltered when he spoke and then petered out so she could turn to face Nayan.

She flashed a small nervous smile. "It's a song by a famous pianist back home."

[calesitas]

Ah, that was the problem with being support. Most of the time, one had to be aware of everything around them to best help those they were supporting in the first place. Of course, that didn't help when one was blinded, but... the Deviling incident had been a unique incident. He hoped.

Shaking his head and giving her a little smile, he shifted to lean against the railing. "I wish I could hear it properly some day. I bet it sounds amazing."

[banjjakbanjjak]

"It's a beautiful song." You couldn't miss the surety and conviction in her voice when she said that. "If I could get my hands on an instrument, I could play a rendition of it. Not as good but a little close...?"

She was sure of her musical abilities, but she also recognized and respected when there were people who were just naturally better.

[calesitas]

Music itself, sadly, was not Nayan's strong point. He could find a beat easily enough and choreograph the most incredible dance for the piece in question, but ask him to hum the melody or play it himself, and any confidence he might have had faded away. He was not a singer, after all. Dancing came more naturally to him than music really did.

"Everett or Mariam might let you borrow theirs if you asked them nicely," Nayan said after giving the matter some very serious thought. "Maybe they even have some spares." Though, if they did, he wasn't sure where they would be. Maybe Khepri stored them; Kafras could store everything if you asked them. "You'd have to ask them, though. That's not exactly my thing."

[banjjakbanjjak]

Everett and Mariam were both nice... Mariam made her uncomfortable sometimes, though, with her touchy feelyness... But... "I don't want to both them if I don't have to..." she said, looking down at her fingers.

Oh, but she didn't want to seem like she didn't want to play the song because of that. "But... I'll try and play it for you." Maybe she could do more of those quests and earn enough of this world's money to get one herself...?

[calesitas]

"I'd like that, honey." It was kind of cute, really. When she didn't seem like a nervous wreck, Ava was actually quite adorable. And a musician! She hadn't told him that when they had first met! Maybe it was true what some people said in the theatre. Maybe people like them just found each other, regardless.

"Though you've been keeping secrets~" With a grin, he shifted to playfully poke at her arm. "You never told me you were a musician!" Was she training with Mariam or Everett? These were things he needed to know, especially now that he apparently had a student of his own to worry about.

[banjjakbanjjak]

She smiled up at him, though she didn't think she was keeping it a secret... She told everyone who asked. "I'm not yet, but I'm studying to be one. It's why I thought training to be a Bard fit the most."

And she hoped it did end up fitting. She didn't want to waste anyone's time, but becoming a good archer seemed like such a roundabout way to doing it. Ava still couldn't say she understood the methods of this world.

[calesitas]

If Nayan knew what she had been thinking, he probably would have chided her a bit. She might tell everybody who asked her, but she hadn't told him. In the dancer's mind, that was just as good as keeping secrets from him, and if there was one thing Nayan didn't like, it was secrets he didn't know.

"Oooh, a bard!" He was quite fond of bards, particularly the female ones. After all, they had been in a similar situation when he had trained at the Theater. Really, Ava and Mariam didn't really know how good they had it, as far as he was concerned. It seemed as though the bards and dancers here had the gender restriction stripped away for much longer than his Midgard. "Who's teaching you? Everett or Mariam?"

[banjjakbanjjak]

"Everett," she replied. If Ava were a bit more honest with herself, she'd be more glad for that fact because she wasn't sure if she could handle Mariam's personality in strong doses. "He's very kind." He and his sister were so pretty, too...

"He's a very good teacher, too."

[calesitas]

In a way, he was almost disappointed to hear that, regardless of how sweet Everett and his sister seemed. It would have been very beneficial to the the dancers and bards on the ship if they could practice together, but he supposed one couldn't have everything. They'd pick up a dancer for Ava to play with and a bard for his student someday, he was sure of it.

"I'm sure he is." He hadn't heard Everett teach before, but he was sure the other man knew what he was doing. "He's cute, too."

[banjjakbanjjak]

That admission made Ava look up in surprise. Not that she thought it was a wrong opinion or that she didn't agree, but she didn't thing someone would say it so openly to someone he just met.

She plucked at the hem of her shirt. "He is," she said hesitantly, quietly. "... Sierra is really pretty, too." Stern from the few times they talked but still pretty. If Ava were the type to envy physical beauty, she would be jealous of those siblings' good looks.

[calesitas]

Ava would soon learn that Nayan hadn't quite mastered the concept of the verbal filter. He was quite open about who he was, and hoped others would be just as open with him. Of course, it never seemed to work out that way, but a man could dream

[banjjakbanjjak]

Nayan hadn't exactly made her nervous. She really was just surprised and didn't know how to take it completely in stride yet. It'd take some time for her to accept his openness or lack of verbal filter as it came.

"Relate to her more...?" she echoed. Did that mean in personality or just because they worked together better...? Was Nayan as touchy feely as Mariam was?

[calesitas]

Oh, he was just as touchy-feely as she was, yes. In fact, Nayan was showing a great deal of restraint by not hugging her right at this very minute. And, while it was true that they worked well together, that was hardly it, either.

"Well, sort of. She chose to learn the songs to support the soldiers just like I do with my dancing, so obviously we mesh really well, and I think she likes that she has someone else to be a bit girly with." Speaking of, Ava had amazing hair. Maybe if he asked her nicely, she'd let him play with it.