Lifting a Heavy Soul (J'zen/Yuu)

[Lady Smara]

Prontin was moved closer to one of the hearths this morning, the table she normally sat at was needed to work with the younger Weyrbrats. Not that Prontin minded, she enjoyed feeling the fire’s warmth on her face just as she enjoyed the feeling of the sun’s rays kissing her skin. The latter she was able to get rarely, even in this southern continent as it was considered too dangerous to have her wandering around outside the Weyr without an escort.

She suspected the hearth she had been sat at had a pot of klah above it as the aroma was stronger here than it would normally be at her other table. She also guessed it was one of the hearths more commonly lit at night as she found herself seated on a couch instead of one of the familiar wooden chairs. This too was a pleasant change that she was not going to argue about this morning.

Lifting her violin to her chin, she took a few moments as she wondered what to begin with. The night before last she had ran into the Northern Harper turned Blue Rider. While she had not seen him the following morning, her hopes were still high that he might come to hear her play. Their conversation had not gone as smoothly as one might expect between a harper and a wanna-be-harper, but even so Prontin suspected it was more due to a culture clash or even simply the late hour of the night they had bumped into eachother.

Bringing up the bow, she touched it lightly to the strings as she began to play.


_{[[[[Music can be heard @ www.youtube.com/user/pyrofiliac#p/u/8/gpWWvgZsxtY Please note this is not my music and I am in no way claiming it.]]]]}

[Yuu Kanduet]

J'zen strolled through the halls with Tyreth at his heels. Luckily the weyrlings had been given a day off from their lessons, and J'zen had gotten up later than usual. Not only had J'zen slept in, but he had spent a good deal of time properly cleaning himself. His clean hair brushed his shoulders and framed his face in a wave of glossy black silk. J'zen had thought about putting it up but decided against it. It looked better down anyway.

Tyreth shook his head at his rider's antics and took the lead as they walked. The Blue had taken only a few paces when he began to hear music. It wasn't like the music that J'zen played, and that made Tyreth curious. Quickening his pace, the Blue hurried towards the direction that the music was coming from.

As Tyreth was taking off without him, J'zen huffed. It was unbecoming to hurry anywhere. All the same, J'zen quickened his pace as well. It was a few minutes before J'zen's human ears could pick up what Tyreth's sharper hearing had detected. Someone was playing a violin in the dining hall. There wasn't much question as to who because J'zen had been told by Prontin herself that she often played. Only J'zen's strict lesson schedule had prevented J'zen from hearing her until now.

Entering the dining hall, J'zen overtook the Blue dragonet that had been patiently waiting for him and proceeded to the table that the unseeing girl was seated at.

J'zen, do you know this girl? You sit close to her and listen to her play.

J'zen reached out a hand and rested it on Tyreth's head so that he could scratch at the Blue's sensitive eye ridges.

I met her last night and said I would listen to her play.

This seemed to satisfy the Blue, and he fell silent.

[Lady Smara]

While Prontin might not have been able to watch the man approach and sit at her table, she did hear the movement that signaled to her that she was no longer alone. She could not make out who it was over her song, but none the less she always felt good when someone stopped to listen. Finishing the song with a smile on her lips, she finally brought the violin down.

“I hear someone has joined me.” She said politely as she began to bring the violin back into playing position. She paused and did not ask for a request, however, when the spicy smell of a dragon caught her senses. Instead she carefully placed the violin on the table before her along with the bow.

“Forgive me,” she said as a slight blush rose on her cheeks and she just over the young dragon’s head. “I did not realize I had two who had joined me. My name is Prontin, please introduce me to whom I have the pleasure of company this morning.” Prontin was still unsure of which rider sat in front of her, but to have their dragon in the WeyrHall she knew it would need to be a weyrling or the dragon healer.

[Yuu Kanduet]

J'zen cocked his head and smirked. He knew the girl could not see him, but still he felt composed to tease her. Maybe it was rude, but it was his way of signaling that he thought highly of her. J'zen didn't banter with just anyone.

"Come Prontin, have you forgotten me so quickly? Here I was just thinking we had begun to get along."

Beside J'zen, Tyreth snorted. His rider was so weird, but this had its advantages. Sneaking the boy's meal while he was acting coy was one of them.

J'zen, upon noticing his breakfast mysteriously vanished, glared at the still chewing Blue, but Tyreth was too busy acting inconspicuously innocent to notice.

[Lady Smara]

The voice that broke through the black void to begin painting the picture for Prontin was one that had been on her mind. Her own excitement grew as she realized he had actually come to listen to her, but upon realizing the words that came from the Harper’s silver tongue she found her cheeks warm. Her first instinct was to take offense at the banter that she could not recognize someone she couldn’t see, but the one of his voice and the lightness of his words washed away that first instinct.

He was teasing her, but in a friendly way. It was a strange concept to the blind woman, yet the warmth on her cheeks and the excitement of his company made it fun.

“Well, I only know one man who’s silver tongue could talk so smoothly.” She finally responded with a smile. “I am glad you have joined me, Rider J’zen of the North.” Resting her elbow on the table, she put her chin in her hand. “What did you think of my music? Is it similar to what you have in the North?”

[Yuu Kanduet]

Lowering his hand, J'zen pretended that he hadn't been about to smack Tyreth who had stuck his forked tongue out at his rider while Prontin was talking. Instead J'zen settled for a withering glare and a snub, which only seemed to delight the Blue's sense of humor.

"Your music? Well each person's music is distinct. Sure it may take on some tones of the teacher, but aside from that, each person has a very unique way of playing even the same song. I'd say that your music was different form mine, but that doesn't mean anything in the concept of North and South tastes in music."

J'zen sighed.

"I have not made my point properly. Our music is not so different, just our method of playing, and I don't just mean the instruments we use. You put your whole essence into your song. Your very being is intertwined with the notes that you play. It gives your song more depth than most players will ever be able to achieve.

So I guess the technical answer would be 'no.' Still that does not mean it wasn't beautiful."

[Lady Smara]

While Prontin had become much more keen than most at reading the tone and the words people spoke, she still found herself hanging on every word the harper spoke. He made several good points and she found herself enjoying his comments, they too had much more depth than she would hear from anyone else in the Weyr. Most people gave her a simple ‘well done’ when she asked if they liked her music. The man before her now gave an honest opinion that reflected not only on the question she asked, but upon several more she had yearned to ask.

“Are you a teacher?” she asked when he was finished, a smile curling up on her lips. “I only ask because you are very knowledgeable and thorough with answers. You sound like you could easily teach on the subject.”

Finding herself enjoying his company, she brought her hand down from her chin and continued. “My father is the WeyrHarper here. He has several songs and sheets of music from the north, but nothing new. Even if they would have been, I cannot read them so I need to learn by listening. Would you teach me a new song? One from the Harper hall sometime?”

Blushing, she let her sightless eyes fall to the table for a moment before turning her gaze toward him again. It was not often her eyes would fall upon a person correctly as she usually looked over one shoulder or another, but her eyes fell upon the blue rider correctly this time and she gave him a pleading look of sincerity with her clouded eyes. “I promise, I am a good student.”


((((sorry it took me so long to reply, my life got turned a little upside down, hopefully you are still around Yuu I was enjoying our threads together.))))

[Yuu Kanduet]

J'zen looked into those pleading eyes and sighed mentally. Why did girls have to have such big, watery eyes that were impossible to refuse. J'zen wasn't the most patient of teachers and was notorious for being short-tempered when it came to mistakes or failure. Ah, well, it wasn't like he had the heart to say no.

"I am not a teacher, no. I was told, quite frankly by my father, that I lack the delicate touch needed for education, but if you are willing to put up with me, I will try to teach you. However, I will teach you more than just the songs and new instruments. You will learn each compositions history as well as the histories of the composer. I find that the background of the song is of far more importance than the song itself."

Brushing the hair from his face, J'zen cocked his head and gave Prontin a good, hard looking over.

"Do you play anything beside the violin? Do you own any other instruments? What do you already know about Northern harpersong?"

Without waiting for an immediate reply, J'zen continued.

"Our first session will be after training today and after every third training henceforth. Is that acceptable? If so, then come to my quarters around the seventh candlemark following noon."

J'zen's words were spoken in a faraway tone, as if he was already planning out the practices in his head.