Just a Kiss (J'zen)

[Lady Smara]

Prontin sat at her corner table, out of the way of the Weyrhall’s normal flow of traffic. In front of her she had empty hides and a writing quill though each have so far gone unused. Instead of her normal violin, she held a guitar carefully in her lap, humming as she carefully slid her fingers across the strings as she sought the cord that would fit the song playing in her head.

Dressed in a simple sundress, it was not her usual long skirt or long sleeved shirt. Instead it held simple straps over her shoulder and had a gentle floral design to it. Reaching to just above her knees, it also flared out slightly instead of simply hanging straight down. It was much different to her normal taste, but she found the difference a pleasant one – especially with the song currently stuck in her head.

Crossing her legs so she could more comfortably rest the guitar there, she played a few cords again. Even her dark hair was pulled back into a half runner tail and tucked behind her ears. It left her pale face to be even more noticeable and her clouded eyes plain for anyone to see. Bouncing the dangling foot in tempo, she started from the top, humming to herself quietly.


((I know I asked for this forever ago, I'm sorry its taken so long Yuu!! Please forgive me! This takes place after the dancing. <3))

[Yuu Kanduet]

Striding into the Weyrhall like he owned the place, J'zen quickly snatched up a few meat rolls and headed over to the table Prontin was occupying. Usually he would have taken his time getting his food, agonizing over each choice as if choosing an even slightly sub-par or scantly stuffed morsel was the act of criminals, but the sweet sound of a guitar and the even sweeter sight of a female harper had caught his attention upon entering. It just wouldn't do to keep the lady waiting.

Slowing his steps and composing himself, J'zen smoothly slid up to the table and leaned over until he was practically whispering in Prontin's ear. His tone was light, teasing in a manner that reveled his joy at seeing the blind girl.

"Is this seat taken? A lovely girl like you cannot possibly be sitting here alone, and if you are then I pity the men who decided to place their rump elsewhere."

Without waiting for a response, J'zen sat beside Prontin and placed his plate on the table to be quickly forgotten. Reaching over, J'zen brushed his fingers across the strings lightly and then brushed his fingers just as delicately over the back of Prontin's hand as he withdrew his own.

"That is a beautiful instrument you have there. It is nice to hear a guitar in the same tuning range that I use. We should play together sometime."

[Lady Smara]

Having been caught in the music that was slowly developing in her mind, Prontin did not hear the blue rider make his way behind her. Hearing that silver tongue and that satin smooth voice color her world so close to her ear, the blind woman’s fingers paused and her mouth fell open before slowly closing into an almost sheepish smile. Turning her face toward his voice, she heard the gentle sounds of him taking the seat in question before she even had a chance to answer. She didn’t mind though, she was certain it was obvious nobody had been sitting with her.

Hearing the sound of his fingers brush across the strings of her guitar before sliding across the back of her own hand, she found her face flushing ever so slightly. The truth be told, she had actually come to the WeyrHall today in hopes of enticing this very man to her table. It had, after all, been several days since they had danced and the song she had stuck in her mind was, well, almost embarrassing to ask her father or her brother to write for her. It would have brought too many questions out of her family. That left her with the only other person she could think of who would have any musical knowledge.

The Silver Tongued J’zen.

“I…” she began before shaking her head, a look of embarrassment threatening to take over her features. Trying her best to look him in the face, she managed to get just over his right shoulder, but her look was sincere. “I was actually hoping to see you today, J’zen.”

The flush on her face deepened before she quickly plunged headlong into her request. If she got it out quickly, perhaps it wouldn’t feel so strange to make such a request of a rider – even if the rider was once a harper. Reaching a hand over to where she had left the blank hides and writing tool, she touched them but did not make to move them.

“I was wondering if you would… would be willing to help me with my music, J’zen. Are you busy today?”

[Yuu Kanduet]

Smiling at the admission that Prontin had wanted to see him, the Blue rider reached for Prontin's face so he could maneuver it until she was looking at his face. J'zen was no longer afraid to admit to himself that he was quite smitten with the young woman. His eyes followed Prontin's hand as it sidled over to her writing tools. He was quite flattered by the request.

"I will always have time to help you Prontin. My plans for the day are of little consequence."

Somewhere in the back of J'zen's mind he could hear Tyreth's large snort. The Blue was a Casanova himself, but that didn't stop him from teasing his rider and vise-versa. They were both smooth-talkers and charmers. So much so that they sometimes used each other's ideas.

"Tell me, what sort of music are you trying to write, and do you have any of it written?"

Perhaps if he had a basis of what was required, J'zen would be more able to help Prontin with her predicament. He was curious to know what sort of song she would be writing in the middle of the hall, and had to hold himself back from glancing over at her writing tools more closely. J'zen could be patient. That didn't mean he liked it.

[Lady Smara]

Feeling her face adjusted, she blushed as she realized she must have been off in her attempt at a gaze. Hearing his words, however, her smile never faltered. He would make time for her and her endeavor, what more could a woman ask for? At his following questions, Prontin found her smile growing futher as she shook her head with a light laugh.

“I’m afraid I’ve no writing done at all, J’zen. Writing is a weakness of mine, being unable to decipher what is on the hide. All of the ones I have here are blank.” Taking hold of the corner of one, she moved it carefully toward him so that she would not distrupt the guitar in her arms.

“See, this is why I need the help. I could tell you what cords I play, the beat and the time. I can even sing the words, having already memorized a good portion of what is in my head. But for others to learn it, they learn easier by reading it rather than listening like I do.”

Bringing her hands back to the guitar, she strummed a cord before laying her hands flat against the guitar strings again to silence it. “Will you help me write what is in my head, J’zen?”

[Yuu Kanduet]

When J'zen had mentioned writing, he had done it without thinking about it. In his head, writing simply equaled the measure of the work you had done since he was always careful to record his own work. At least Prontin didn't appear too perturbed by his slip of the tongue. He would have to be more careful in the future.

"Put your mind at ease. I would be honored to record your song for you. Of course you may have to play it more than once so that I can differentiate between the notes of the instrument and the words of the song. Then we'll have to go over it a few more times to make sure there were no mistakes."

J'zen's voice had slipped into it's more serious tone. Music was a major part of his life, and he would always strive for perfection when it came down to his profession. If only he would be allowed to teach some of the weyrbrats running around the Weyr. Teaching and recording history had been the main focus of his harper training after all. If it weren't for his being chosen for the expedition to the South, he might even have been assigned a Hold by now.

It hardly mattered at this point. Impressing Tyreth had long since made up for any slight of hand he had been dealt in the game of life.

"Whenever you are ready Harper Prontin you may begin."

The writing materials had been arranged carefully out so that J'zen would be able to swiftly switch between them should one's tip grow dull or break. There would be no need to interrupt the song. The parchment had been laid out much the same way in the other direction. It was a technique his father had taught him so that he could act as a efficient scribe without having to stop the speaker or miss anything said.

[Lady Smara]

Hearing his reassurance, she smiled and let her chin drop to her chest as she positioned her fingers correctly. It took her a moment longer, having to feel from the knobs of the guitar slowly down the strings, counting the length silently. Finding herself positioned, she blushed as he called by the title Harper.

“Not a formal Harper, like you J’zen.” She said softly, strumming the guitar just once to test that she was in the correct place. Finding it to be so, she played a few cords, her foot moving silently upon the ground. Opening her mouth to let the words come out, however, she found herself stopping suddenly and blushing even more as a strand of hair fell into her down turned face.

“You have to promise not to laugh, J’zen.” She said, the embarrassment clear upon her voice. “I… I don’t usually perform this sort of song. Which is why I felt strange asking my family to help me with it…” Closing her mouth, she smiled and realized how silly she was being. Shaking her head, she started again before she lost her courage a second time.

Going through the cords once more, she began to sing softly so that only their little corner of the WeyrHall might hear.

Lyin' here with you so close to me
It's hard to fight these feelings when it feels so hard to breathe
Caught up in this moment
Caught up in your smile

Finishing the first verse, she found herself smiling at the memories it brought and shook her head again. In a soft, almost breathless voice, she couldn’t help but apologize. “I’m sorry, J’zen. It probably sounds silly…”



_{((The song in question is borrowed from Lady Antebellum and all rights are hers -- www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_yTphvyiPU))}

[Yuu Kanduet]

Forgetting his business like approach towards the recording of the song, J'zen felt a tad risque as he slipped a hand onto Prontin's shoulder so that he could use it as leverage to whisper in her ear. His voice was low and smooth, betraying nothing as he spoke.

"To me you are a Harper and nothing less. You think of that when someone calls you Drudge. Remember that in these moments with your fingers on those strings and your voice ready to slip from your mouth that you are on another level than those fools, a level they will never reach."

The moment was over as quickly as it had been initiated, and J'zen was back to his serious and steady demeanor as he listened carefully to the first few cords, a warm up, so that he would know when to begin recording. The first few notes were put off a few more moments as Prontin hesitated out of shyness or possibly coyness, but J'zen wasn't sure Prontin knew how to be coy.

"I sincerely promise not to laugh or find any amusement in your song."

The words turned out to be very true. Amusement was far from the forefront of J'zen's mind when Prontin started singing a love ballad. He was so detracted by her words and tone that he almost forgot to start recording the song, almost. When she stooped, J'zen looked up from the parchment in confusion. Prontin had been doing very well in his opinion, and his opinion was the only one that mattered really.

"It does not sound silly. I find it very nice, simply yet elegant. Please continue."

[Lady Smara]

Those words… whispered ever so softly into her ear held weight to them and they meant the world to Prontin to hear. To know that someone seen her as a Harper, and valued her as such. With no sense of sight, music had become the colors of her world. Sounds, voices, emotions had all become part of the music that was her life. To be told that her singing and her playing put her somewhere special, somewhere rare… it warmed her heart and she felt her pulse quicken.

Ah, J’zen of the silver tongue.

Hearing his reassurance that she did not sound silly and remembering his comment of her being no drudge, but a harper in his eyes, she took a breath and started over once more – with the song memorized as it were in her head, it was easier to start from the beginning than in the middle.

Lyin' here with you so close to me
It's hard to fight these feelings when it feels so hard to breathe
Caught up in this moment
Caught up in your smile

I've never opened up to anyone
So hard to hold back when I'm holding you in my arms
We don't need to rush this
Let's just take this slow

Just a kiss on your lips in the moonlight
Just a touch in the fire burning so bright
And I don't want to mess this thing up
I don't want to push too far
Just a shot in the dark that you just might
Be the one I've been waiting for my whole life
So baby I'm alright, with just a kiss goodnight

I know that if we give this a little time
It will only bring us closer to the love we wanna find
It's never felt so real, no it's never felt so right

The song as far as she had gotten it so far, she knew the chorus could be repeated a few more times and perhaps another verse added in, but so far she was very happy with it and its simple, soft melody was firmly stuck in her head. The lyrics themselves held meaning and while the song was not yet solidified, she still put passion into the words there.

Stopping, she wrapped her arms around the neck of the guitar as she brought one leg up to the bench she sat on, pulling herself all the closer together as she once more looked above J’zen’s shoulder. This time, however, her cloudy eyes held a spark of passion there even as she bit her lower lip lightly. “What do you think, J’zen?”

[Yuu Kanduet]

There were a few moments during the song that J'zen cursed himself for having to actually concentrate on writing instead of simply sitting back and listening to that perfect voice. Women always made such a nice contrast to the overwhelming voices of the men in the Harper Halls. All of his sisters had been taught to sing, and J'zen realized it had been far to long since he had heard a woman's song. It was even better because it was Prontin.

Placing his writing chalk down on the table, J'zen spared a glance at Prontin before he gathered all the things back into orderly rows to be used again in the same manner. He wanted to join Prontin as she sang, add his voice to hers. Sharing a duet was something very personal to a music lover like himself, and he felt it would further cement the claim he had started to make on Prontin in his heart.

"My dear Prontin, I think you should consider making your lovely song a duet. A man's voice would fit perfectly with the mood you are setting and also take up some of the epmty space you have yet to fill. Would you mind adding me to your song. I would be most honored."

Looking from his fiddlings with the parchments, J'zen reached out a hand to lazily brush it some of Prontin's long hair back. It was soft, like silk against his fingers and he couldn't help himself as he brought it to his lips for a gentle kiss. His food had long since been forgotten and lay cold on his plate as he allowed Prontin's hair to slip from his limp fingers so that he could watch it fall back into place against her face and shoulder. There was such passion in her eyes that J'zen wished to just lean the rest of the way and kiss the lady harper senseless. Of course he refrained.

[Lady Smara]

“A duet?” she asked as she listened to him move around the parchment upon the wooden table. She could not deny the fact that she loved the sound of J’zen’s silver tongue with his silky smooth words. Simply speaking with him was almost intoxicating to her senses and the thought of singing music with him… Well it was not something she was going to pass up.

“I would love to sing with you, J’zen. But how would we fit a second person into the song?” She asked curiously, as she listened carefully, playing the song back in her own mind already. Feeling her hair moved, she tilted her head toward the movement, taking a moment to wonder what was playing with her hair. The gentle kiss went unheard to Prontin’s ears as she felt the hair slide slowly black into place, hanging lightly from her own head under its own weight. Her eyes could be seen flicking back and forth, almost as if searching for and explanation to what had happened even though she'd never be able to see it.

((GAH! Short, I’m sorry, but I hope it’s enough to work with. ^_^))

[Yuu Kanduet]

Realizing he would not be able to point to the moments in the music that would be good opportunities in which to split their parts, J'zen decided to show her with his own voice instead. He would have to ask to borrow her instrument since he had not thought to bring his own to the Weyrhall.

"May I use your guitar? It would be easier to show you than to try and explain it. We both see music differently, but we express and teach much the same."

Holding out his hand, J'zen used his other to reassuringly run his hand across Prontin's arm. J'zen knew he hated handing over his instruments to other people, and he wanted her to know that t would be in capable hands.

"I will be very careful with it."

[Lady Smara]

Holding the guitar for a moment as she listened to his request, Prontin finally nodded, holding the guitar out from herself a little bit to allow him to take it. She couldn’t, after all, place it in his open and waiting hand. Feeling his warm hand run down her arm reassuringly, however, Prontin felt a little better about her decision to share and she was slightly thankful that she had decided to do the song with a guitar rather than her violin – her violin she would have had a much harder time handing over.

“Of course.” She replied, belying her hesitation. It was at his words that he would be very careful with it that she smiled over his shoulder once more. “I trust you, Harper J’zen.”

And that was the truth. Of course, Prontin had an unfair disadvantage when it came to trust. Because of her blindness, she had to give a certain amount of trust to those who could see – no matter who they were. If they told her something was in the way, she trusted them and went around so she wouldn’t stub her toes. If they told her something was blue – or pretty – or looked like it tasted good. She really had no choice but to trust them in that too. If Prontin had ever chosen to withhold that trust – well she would end up living in an even darker world.