Private Tales Dreams Do Come True

[revenant]

The world is full of liars and cheats and charlatans and a number more of people who simply wish to deceive. And while Elianora Ardor would be considered one of them, it did not stop her from angrily adding fortune tellers to her “people I hate and also should not be trusted” list in her head. She personally added them as she trudged along the streets of Alliria, her traveling pack weighing heavily on her shoulders, her lips quietly cursing that woman who so lied to her. “You will gain great acclaim in Elbion,” she had foretold. Well, rather, she had lied. Acclaim was much too heavy a word for a horse thief.

At the first inn she found, she walked in, dodged a flying plate, and then walked out. At the second inn, she found it was a bit more hospitable. No flying cutlery, at least. And the room was simple, not big, but no roommates, and at least she didn’t have to set up camp outside the city… It would do.

The sun had just set when she walked back out, her food reserved diminished to nothing but dried fruit and even drier meat. Elia had only heard of Alliria through passing travelers in her village. O’lthalas was not big, but it had a small inn with a tavern, a small market, and a small prostitute community, so it was enough to find a couple of stories being told. From the stories, Alliria was a beautiful, but dangerous place. Walking around, it seemed to live up to it. Now, if she could just find somewhere decent to eat.

 

[TheScarletDastard]

Long straw-colored hair obscured the young man’s visage as he doggedly wiped the bar down with a barely clean rag. The late Allirian sun shot angled beams of light through broad windows, into the shadows of the restaurant’s interior. The clamor from the kitchen was growing more boisterous with each passing minute; it was nearly time for the dinner rush.

And that meant Dez was done playing busboy. Flashing a cheeky grin at the owner, who’d just come down the stairs, he flung away his soiled apron and dashed out from behind the bar. Up the stairs, past Dugrom, his boss, and then down again from his attic apartment just as fast, this time a long black case in tow.

As Dugrom went to check in on the kitchen, the grizzled old trader watched his young tenant head outside to set up. Having the kid living over the place hadn’t been so bad. All the dishes got cleaned, the trash never stockpiled, and though Dug would’ve never told the kid outright, he wasn’t half bad at what he did.

Standing outside the restaurant‘s huge canvas sign, the young bard blinked into the sunset. Fiddling nervously with the knobs at his lute’s head, Desmonthenes called out to the evening’s passers-by. “Here she comes, folks! The end of another beautiful day! Come spend it with us here at Missing Scales! Feel-good food at feel-good prices!”

Wishing Dug wouldn’t insist that he end with that corny line, Dez started his set with an aggressive picking pattern. “Listen and weep o’er the tale of Fae’n Ranon; son of a riverman, drowned in a stream. Kissed by a Seelie, and killed by a dream....”

 

[revenant]

The further Elia walked, the more people seemed to joint her in the streets, laughing joyously if they were in groups, but still making their way happily if they weren't. Deep brown eyes wide and curious, she peaked into manny a bar and eatery, but none had quite caught her eye. If this was to be her first night in the city she dreamed so long to visit, she would treat herself.
Walking a bit further proved to be fruitful: it wasn't long until she could hear a faint melody playing in the distance. Like a pirate to a siren’s song, she followed it best she could, though there was a small hiccup when she found herself walking down an alley a bit too dark for her fight or flight instinct.

Purples and pinks and golds washed over the city as she finally came upon the source of the music: a straw-haired boy with a lute outside a restaurant, Missing Scales. Just catching the end of his warm-up speech, he played beautifully. So beautifully that Elia found herself nearly trampled by a group of men boisterously taller than her on their way to whichever tavern. Retreating to stand across the way, she watched, intrigued, smiling brightly.

It had been too long since she’d heard good music. Sure, there were musicians on the caravan from Elbion, but too much of one thing for too long simply become too much. (In this case, three minstrels in her group—all of them playing every night, all of them competing, and all of them with only two dozen or so songs each in their talent—for three months.)

Grazing her foot in the dirt, she found herself wanting to be bold. She wanted to dance. But it was crowded, and no one else seemed to be thinking similarly to herself.... Maybe she would just leave him a tip, a coin, and then walk inside for food. No, that would be backing away. She wasn't that girl from the outskirts of O'lthalas anymore, shy and scared to talk to people. Her persona was Lady Elianora Gwyneth von Ardor now, a woman who was not afraid of people looking at her. And so she danced.

 

[TheScarletDastard]

Dez was halfway through Fae’n Ranon when she began, twirling one way, then another, as if caught in the river of the song. The countermelody swirled with a touch of a minor key and gave the woman’s brown eyes a hint of intrigue. Dez wanted to be certain he’d never seen this girl before, but there was something about her... he could almost believe she’d been a regular here for years, and he was just now noticing her.

Her eyes met his for a moment as she spun by him, and swell of bravado went through him. He interwove the Ranon harmony with the lilt from another song, and patrons who knew both tunes turned their heads at the complicated bit of fingerwork. His showing off drew more attention to the lone dancer, and a young couple began their own dance. Then a few women from the fruit stands were dancing, and the the stableboys joined in to impress them, and now Dez had a crowd.

Grinning broadly at the pretty lass who’d drawn the happy throng, the young bard whooped loudly, walking to the center of the square as he played. Fingers flying down the neck of the lute, a tricky run ended with several bold strums as the second song took over. “Timekeeper, Timekeeper! Slow down the river. Hold back the tide as I fight my way to her! Time is a thief, and He stole her, he stole her from me.” A second refrain of the Ranon lilt, and now the big finish. “He stole her! From! ME!” The final chord echoed with the shrill twang as the boy‘s high string snapped. There was a laugh, and then a rousing cheer.

 

[revenant]

Elia spun around to the notes floating in the air just as she did, her skirts twisting around her ankles in one moment, just to be whipped around in the other direction just as quickly. The dust in the cobbled streets kicked up beneath her feet, leaving a shadow of her previous movements behind her.
After the first few moments, she completely forgot about who might be watching. In fact, she relished in it.

In a spin, she met the lute player’s eyes for just a moment, but just a moment was enough. Feeling courage rush through her veins, she spun faster, hearing the playing complicate. The new lilt inspired her, and she turned onto the crowd, encouraging them to join her. With the handsome man’s music and her dancing, it was not long until they assembled a crowd, all of them simply enjoying the evening together.

As the bard walked away from the restaurant and into the fray, Elia found her way around him, her hair, long and as thick enough to more than cover her shoulder, around her. The moon to the Earth to her sun. Soon, the words to the second song flew out into the air, Elia catching them and playing with them, handing them to other dancers or to onlookers. Then, the big finish and the sound of a string breaking. Elia finished as dramatically as she could, her skirts swishing, wanting to follow into the next movement, but savoring the peace. She took a few deep breaths before clapping alongside the crowd, motioning to show him off to the crowd.

 

[TheScarletDastard]

Dez noticed her directing the friendly praise his way and stepped forward. Taking her hand, he held their arms high in the air together, standing side by side, before leading her into a slow, deep bow at the waist. There was a renewed cheer, a few wolf whistles, laughter. Straightening himself, Dez soaked it all in, reveling in the atmosphere.

“Friends, thank you for joining us this evening! As you can see I’ve suffered a bit of an equipment malfunction.“ He held the lute, and the dangling high string, up for the crowd to see.

“She danced your string off!” came a jeering call, and a hearty laugh all around. Dez joined in, before continuing.

“I’ll need to retire briefly for repairs; more than enough time before the next number to find a seat, order a starter, and begin a lovely evening’s experience here, at Missing Scales. I’ll see you all inside!”

Then, as he turned away, the show was already dissolving, and the murmur and noise of the square began to return. Looking down, Dez realized he’d not yet let go of the dancer’s hand. Glancing up and flashing his trademark grin, he gave her hand a light squeeze. “My name‘s Dez. C’mon, dinner‘s on me!”

And, as if that had settled the matter, he turned to lead her by the hand towards the entrance of the tavern, just ahead of a good sized crowd that was largely made up of their short-lived audience.

 

[revenant]

Elia gratefully took his hand and, using her other to raise her skirts, lowered into an equally deep curtsy. A new wave of cheers arose around them and she smiled to herself, her ego inflating delightfully as she fed off the crowd.

The bard spoke and someone jested and Elia’s face mantled for a moment. Hopefully, strings weren’t too expensive or scarce, she worried to herself. She wanted to quip back, too, but she couldn’t come up with something clever enough before the bard spoke again.

Elia waved to the crowd as he said his goodbyes, giving off little curtsies and brilliant smiles to those who caught her attention or whooped just that much louder when she turned their way. She was aware of her hand still in his but did not find it uncomfortable. For whatever reason it may be, he felt familiar. He felt as if she had known him for years and could call out a hundred inside jokes.

She turned back towards the Missing Scales and looked down at their hands, grinning despite herself, only to find his gaze there moments later. Had he caught her staring? No….he couldn’t’ve, he’d been addressing the crowd. Still, the grin did not exactly prove that theory.

The bard—Dez, turned to head into the tavern, but Elia gave his hand a little tug, stopping him for just enough time for her to reach up and give him a peck on the cheek. “Mine’s Elia. Thank you for playing so wonderfully,” she replied, then continued onward, a skip to her step, a swing to her hand.

 

[TheScarletDastard]

All the heat in a summer‘s day seemed to bloom where her lips had touched him, and quickly spread across the rest of his face. Turning hurriedly and trying to not smile too widely, Dez led Elia through the double doors and into a familiar site for the lad; it was dinner time at Missing Scales.

The clouds of steam wafting from the kitchen gave the dining room a heavenly scent, as Dez picked out two seats at the bar. “Dug! Hey Dug! This is Elia. Anything she wants, on my tab, yeah?”

Turning from the wine cupboard, the owner eyed Dez. The sassy look that Dugrom gave his dishwasher was comical on such an old and weathered face. “As if, songbird. Her food‘s on my tab. I watched you two out the window, and I happen to know that this“ he chuckled, gesturing around a rapidly filling dining hall, “is more thanks to her than you.“

Dug performed some ancient culinary wizardry, and two flagons of cider appeared in front of the performers. Dug shot Elia a wink. “Anything you like on the house. Seafood‘s the speciality. HEY! Wennick!! Your tray’s slipping!” And with that, the portly merchant was off to terrorize the staff.

Dez took a long drag from his cider, then sighed contentedly. “He grows on you.”

 

[revenant]

Earlier, when Elia had begun her search for dinner, she had looked into many a tavern of Alliria but hadn’t actually gone into any. As it would turn out, a peek was not enough to truly illustrate the size of those taverns, for when Dez brought her in through the Missing Scales’s doors, she was awestruck by the sheer size of it. She knew rationally that it probably wasn’t that large in the grand scheme of taverns, but it was gigantic compared to what she knew.

She tried to keep calm and collected but failed miserably as she surveyed every last inch of everything she could see. Every person, every seat, and every surface. Every piece on the wall and every dish on every plate. She had expected this of the world, but it still brought a glimmer to her eye.

Elia surveyed “Dug” too. He was older, larger, a manager, and willing to pay for her food.

“It’s what I do,” she said with false charisma, leaning back in her seat, flagon in her hand. Then she paused. “Well, actually, it’s not really, but—,” she corrected, but Dug had already started speaking again, leaving without a pause after that.

Cupping the cider with both hands, she took a delicate sip of the drink, holding it in her mouth for a second before swallowing quickly. She’d never had cider before, only stolen wine from town festivals. “I bet he does, but I’m already rather fond of him,” she mused, looking directly at Dez. Averting her widening eyes, she continued, “Because who doesn’t enjoy a free meal, of course.”