A Curious Thought (Open)

[Rowen]

Itona had been to the school room with her sister several times, to learn what she'd been missing being holdless. She had no problems with the letters, the numbers gave her problems and sometimes baffled her. Taking two identical numbers gave you a completely different looking number it was beyond comprehension sometimes.

However on each visit she had spotted a door, that had always caught her attention. She'd wondered what was inside, but hadn't heard anyone say what the room was, or what was in it. It could be a bathing room, or a storage room, but Itona didn't think so, no there must be something of interest in there.

Finally it was a day where the school room was empty, and no one was around. She did a quick look in the hall to make sure no one was coming before quickly moving through the school room to the door. She opened it peeking inside, what met her eyes was interesting. There were instruments, and sheaf's of paper that made her slowly move into the room.

She glanced back at the door before leaning close to an instrument she hadn't seen before, she could guess what it was. She'd seen something similar, but not with nearly so many tubes and with so many varying lengths. On the similar instrument the merchant had said that it was played by blowing into the tubes, but Itona hadn't dared touch it. She clasped her hands behind her back resisting the urge. It was tempting, to try to make sound that was other wise unobtainable.

She finally reached out a hand and touched it feeling it's smooth outer surface and wondered if the inside was as smooth, maybe that is what made the sound? Or maybe it was the roughness of the inside of the tubes.. She carefully lifted the instrument thinking she might break it, and then she'd really be in trouble. She closed one eye to try and see into the tubes but couldn't see through the small dark tubes to the inside.

Letting out a sigh she started to put it back but paused looking around as she felt a little sneaky urge creep over her. She couldn't resist, she already had the instrument in her hand, and she'd never before had a chance to touch one, now she found the drawing urge to irresistible. She lifted the tubes to her mouth and blew, the sound didn't have the desired effect. Examining the instrument she made another try at it. This time it had more of a sound that she wanted to it, though a little off key.. Maybe if she blew a little softer...

Finally getting the sound she wanted she did it again smiling slightly at her success, playing a instrument wasn't as hard as some made it out to be. Giggling at her own antics she blew again listening to the sound change as she moved down the row of tubes. She glanced around again letting and slowly her smile vanished. It was no good doing something she might get in trouble for. She set the instrument back down where it had been and moved to see if she could find out what kinds of papers were in the room.

She found herself staring at a rhyming set of words that likely went to a song that the harper could probably play in tune with an instrument. She found herself speaking the words aloud trying to figure out exactly what kind of tune the harper would play with the words. She was repeating the words for the fifth time when she groaned and started over she was stumbling over a few of the words since she wasn't very familiar with them, and was still learning a lot, it made it so much harder to read a song than to hear it sung. "I really suck at this." She muttered to herself as she started over again. The least she could do was figure out what all the words were and say them properly without stuttering or stumbling over the words.

[Redden]

Zace was making his way down to the school room to pick up extra strings for his lyra, the blasted things broke off upon tightening. "This is what I get for neglecting you for so long, such a bad man is I!" He chuckles to no one while shuffling down the hall. Dressed to day in a hunter green robe with only three strands of beads and a brown sash he hums happily to himself. Once close to the school room he hears what sounds like a herd beast choking.

After taking a moment to look around and make sure it was not him, the portly Harper meanders closer to the school room door and listens closely. He can hear what sounds like someone attempting to play a pipe instrument. The older man grins widely, someone trying to play! And he did not have to bribe or torture anyone! Oh what a glorious day! Slowly opening the door he peaks in to see a young girl he did not reconize at first.

After a couple minutes of watching her from the door, listening to her try to speak the rhythm of a childrens song he realized she must be one of the Holdess' that he had heard about coming up. Well any child is a good child to teach! The girl pauses for a moment and he hears her say, "I really suck at this." Before starting over again, he decides now was a good time to inturupt before she lost interest.

"Well that my dear girl is because everyone sucks at everything at first! Oh you should have heard me the first time I tried to play this." Zace holds up his small pear shaped string instrument with a couple broken strings. "I think I made my fathers ear's bleed and the candidate master cry! Oh and singing, I even made a wherry lose it's feathers I was so bad. But like anything if you want to do something, you will, especially with a little bit of help."

He moves into the room more, his beads jingling softly with each step, "Here my girl let me get some strings for this poor devil and we'll see what we can't do to help you with that song, shall we?" He smile warmly up at her as the short man motions to the instrument closet. "Oh me oh my where are my manners dear girl! I must have left them in my other robe... Please I am Zace and as a cruel joke to children everywhere I am the Master Harper, you must be one of the Holdless I heard about because I know everyone and saddly to my shame I do not know you."

[Rowen]

Itona dropped the paper she was holding at the sound of the voice, but quickly scooped it up again making sure no damage was done before carefully setting it back. She tucked her hands behind her back clasping them together as if to say she hadn’t been touching anything. Her eyes slowly widened in what could have been horror or fascination as he continued to talk.

Was this man insane? A master harper? Itona wasn’t quite sure what he meant, but she had a feeling it was a rank of some sort. Perhaps someone important, she should tread careful then, getting in trouble would be a bad thing she didn’t want to get pushed out when she was just now learning so much, and Dela was getting help as well.

“Ah, I’m not sure I understand what you mean.. It’s a bit..” Itona looked for one of the big words that she’d been taught recently. “Over welcoming.” She bit her lip no, that didn’t sound right. “Ah, over whelming?” She chewed on her lip trying to think what excuse she could have for being in this room. Maybe the ‘master harper’ wouldn’t mind and would just let her leave. He had said he’d left his manners in his other robe, but maybe he’d left his memory there as well. Maybe he’d forget about her when he changed robes again and forget she’d been in the room, touching things that weren’t hers.

She backed away as he moved into the room her eyes wandering over him to find the source of jingling that followed him. How hadn’t she heard him coming? Perhaps she’d been to busy listening to her own voice and trying to understand the words on the paper that she hadn’t heard the jingle sooner. If she’d been back at the caves, or back in the out skirts of town her lapse of awareness could have cost her much.

She started edging slowly toward the door trying to keep at a distance from the man, he didn’t seem too bad, but neither had Snake, not at first anyway. Dela would be mad at her if she got hurt now, if she found out that she’d been caught doing something she shouldn’t. It was a rule that you learned quickly, you didn’t touch what wasn’t yours when you were holdless, because there was always a price if you did.

“I was just… leaving..” Itona cast a glance at the door then back Zace ‘the master harper’. Did he really know everyone? Of course not, if he knew everyone then he would know who she was, so did that mean he wasn’t who he said he was and he was actually confused about who he did and didn’t know? This was all just very confusing, but if she got to the door before he stopped her or someone else came in, then it wouldn’t matter would it? She wouldn’t have to run into the man again… She could only hope.