<span style='width:100%;font-weight:bold; font-size:10px'>Out of Character</span> <table class='ooc'><tr><td> Who: Diavolo Skiver Timestamp: Dyo 47, 81370 Private: Nafel Isunari </td></tr></table> The red hue of his fur-scales stuck out like a sore thumb against the muddy brown colour of the rotten wood that made up the pier. ‘Volo wasn’t much for vanity, but today he seemed more pulled together than most days. He was shirtless, as most days, and a few bandages were wrapped around his chest, hiding most of the ugly scar that crept up and across his back. Pulling up his baggy shorts, as they were beginning to slip off of his hips, he pulled the sleek black guitar off of his back, wincing a little as the strap pulled on the beads and bangles that were littered about his wrists. He set the instrument in his lap and pulled off one of the bracelets and put his hair that had been in his face into a messy ponytail to keep his sight about him, should anyone linger around and sneak up on him. He wasn’t the most alert of ‘dragons and didn’t feel any reason to keep up a guard, as he was rather peaceful and his personality didn’t permit him to have many enemies. Replacing the strap around him one again, he sat down and began to play something that he had come up with on a whim the day before. One arm wrapped along his guitar, he reached up for the pen that was behind his ear, as he kept one there most often, and began to scribble the names of the chords for the song he was trying to write down in the palm of his hand. His brother had told him to buy a ‘Learn to Play Yourself’ book, but ‘Volo didn’t think a bit of it, he’d much rather bang around on the instrument and learn that way. He knew how to read music and most of the theory behind it due to the annoying piano lessons that his mum put him through for about a year before he finally got through to her that he wasn’t interested. That was when he picked up a guitar and strummed on it, trying to learn by teaching himself rather than being taught. He was rather stubborn like that, most likely for the pride of teaching oneself. His feet dangled off the pier, and he stopped for a moment to linger on the sun that was breaking off in the distance. There was a beautiful scene of greens and yellows lingering in the sky, as usually there were different varying colours of the sunset in the many different regions of the planet. He ran his feet through the water and his thoughts ran back to teaching himself to play. He figured the ‘dragons that were younger even than he that were starting up numerous rock bands around the planet would laugh at the way he played. He would get to where he would learn one thing and forget it as he figured out another. Loosing hope for his new hobby, he laid back against the deck, the guitar against his stomach, and ran his fingers up against the strings. One thing was for sure, he would need to get it at least tuned – the sound from it now was giving even himself a headache.
Nafel sighed happily, stretching her arms above her head and relishing the small breeze that came her way. She was enjoying the lovely weather, as it allowed her to play her lute outside; for once, it wasn't raining. Shaking her hair back off her face, she gathered her bag and her lute, and began to walk down the pier. She had played through most of her repertoire, and so she planned to give her fingers a rest and take a brief stroll before she resumed playing. "Not too much, though," she said to no one but herself. "After last time, we've learned that pacing is a good thing." The "last time" referred to a few weeks ago, when she had run after Nurano (he, the fool, had forgotten to take his wallet with him) and promptly collapsed in the Bhim marketplace, scaring Nurano half to death. Weak as she normally was, it had not been a good thing to happen. In fact, the vacation she was on was a thinly-disguised attempt by her mate to assure that she got some rest for once. As Nafel strolled, she heard what sounded (to her well-trained ears) like a dying animal -- or, at least, a badly-tuned instrument. She winced. The sound was getting louder as she approached a red-and-orange arden. She paused for a moment, biting her lip. It was not like her to intervene in such an instance, but he was just making the poor guitar wail. Her fingers clutched at the bridge of her lute as if in sympathy for the instrument. He stopped for a moment, and Nafel sighed, relieved. Hopefully she would be able to just sneak on behind him. Unfortunately, clumsy as she was, Nafel managed to catch the tip of her foot on a piece of the pier, and she stumbled in what was an excruciatingly loud fashion behind the other 'dragon. So much for secrecy, she thought to herself.
It was a rather peaceful evening. His thoughts were growing slim on any hope of ever really learning to play, or at least for today they were. He’d most likely be picking the instrument up tomorrow and having another go at it. Setting it aside further inward on the dock, he peeled back the bandage to examine his scar. It had reopened in the previous days and was proving to be a nuisance. The irritation he picked up from it was probably the reason why he couldn’t think long enough to remember a thing. Fastening the bandage back in its place, he put his arms behind his head and closed his eyes, lying there quietly. He hadn’t noticed anyone else at the pier, not really wanting to either. It seemed the perfect place to relax and get away from the usual crowds and antics of life. For a moment there, he even drifted off into a sort of mesmerized sleep with the sudden sound of another instrument playing in the near distance, though was unaware that it was the presence of another. Long enough to loose track of his surroundings at least, it was then that he felt the sudden shock of the pier from the ‘dragon that had lost her footing a moment behind him. It vibrated one good time, just enough to give him a good fright and send him headlong over the edge of it. He surfaced, head peering just above the water and, almost as if he were a cat, began scratching at the water as if it were a carpet he’d care to rip to shreds. A hand reached up to grab the edge, after he had overcome the abrupt fright that had been given him; he pulled himself over the top, though feeling rather weak, as if the movement had fatigued him. Looking up, he gave a sort of scowl towards the turquoise hued ‘dragon, blowing a tuft of wet hair out of his eye. The ponytail he had made had been pulled out in the whole mess. He hoped she was having a good laugh at him, for he almost wanted to laugh at himself for his reaction to the scenario. That must have been payback from the deity of music for his horrible solo aboard the edge of the pier.
Nafel had almost escaped without being noticed. And then... well, though the other dragon was forced to stop playing, he was also submerged in water, and so Nafel did not think that it counted as a victory. She paused for a moment, about to have a panic attack on the pier. (OhnoohgodohnoIsenthimoffthePIER -- deep mental breath -- He'sgoingtodrownohgod), but was able to begin breathing again once she saw the other 'dragon's face poke above the water. He scowled at her, but he wasn't screaming in pain. Thank whatever deity is out there, he's not dead! Not only was he not dead, he was able to pull himself out of the water, and that seemed to indicate that nothing too serious had happened. "Ohmigawds! Are you okay? I'm so sorry!" She hurried over to him, careful not to trip. Her first concern was, of course, the instrument (she double-checked it, and it was undamaged), but she immediately checked the sodden arden over, and he seemed relatively unharmed. Damp, perhaps, but from what she could see, there were no obvious broken bones or sprained muscles. She was relieved -- the last thing she needed to end her vacation was a lawsuit due to her own lack of coordination. "I'm so clumsy, I'm sorry! Are you okay?" The sudden shock of flipping another 'dragon into the water had overcome her usual introverted nature. "Do you want me to help dry you?" she asked, wincing at the unsavory connotations. "Er, I mean... I'm training in Elemental Magic, up at Janardian. I know a spell that would evaporate the water, if you want me to use it. It's the least I could do." And it was, though knowing her usual reactions to small bits of magic, she'd be sore all over for a few days after. The Laws of Magic are a pain, sometimes. "I'm Nafel... And again, I'm really sorry about flipping you over." She smiled, blushing; this was more than she usually said over the course of an entire hour. She ran her left hand nervously through her hair, half-extending the right one to be shaken. Even when alarmed, she was polite.
<span style='width:100%;font-weight:bold; font-size:10px'>Out of Character</span> <table class='ooc'><tr><td>It's pretty late here, so I'm going to hit the sack. I'll reply first thing tomorrow, most likely when I'm at school around 8:00 est. 3</td></tr></table> Now that he was over the initial anger he felt from being uprooted of his perch along the side of the pier, a short grin spread across his face. He then looked down to his chest and noticed that the bandages were soaked with the salty water and he began to remove them, revealing the two flat iron-like growths that wrapped around the most part of his body until they reached the end of his tail. Realising at once that he had completely left the instrument unattended, he scrambled around for it, dropping the wet bandages on the deck. He had somewhat tuned out her alarmed ramblings for the moment, trying to regain his wits about him. The scene came back into view as his eyes blinked out the water blurring up his vision. His mane was dripping wet and hung limply in his face giving him the impression of a unpleasant kitty after an unexpected bath. The sourness of his expression had gone and was replaced with a cheerful disposition. He could only help but laugh at how things had played out in the past few minutes. Priceless… he though rather modestly. “That won’t be necessary, I can manage," he said, trying to at least pull together some of his pride that had been mangled in the incident. He wasn’t overly prideful, but jumping headfirst into water after hearing only the slightest stumble from a ‘dragon didn’t really help too much. “Thank you for you kindness, anyway," he said gratefully, clutching to the guitar as if it were melting away in his hands. Looking at the ‘dragon, he noticed that she had a sort of instrument on her character as well. “You like music?" he asked, standing up on the pier, still holding the guitar in one hand and holding his ragged shorts up with the other. The beads and bangles covering the most part of his wrists were clinging to his arms. His tail writhing around his leg, he rubbed his eyes as they readjusted to the light of the evening, seeing as the sun was departing and he didn’t have to squint so much anymore. He really wanted to dismiss what had recently happened, as it gave an, although humourous, but embarrassing impression of himself. <span style='width:100%;font-weight:bold; font-size:10px'>Out of Character</span> <table class='ooc'><tr><td>Here it is </td></tr></table>
Nafel lowered her hand, as the other 'dragon had not offered to take it and did not need her help with drying off. She wondered what his name was -- he hadn't given her one -- but decided that to ask would probably be nosy. For all she knew, he was a spy or something; if that was the case, he couldn't give her a name, of course. However, the other's expression had turned to something that seemed happy enough, and so Nafel figured that he wasn't just putting on a brave face when he said he could handle himself. "Yes, I'm training in music up at Janardian. I play the lute," she said, as she lifted the thing over her head and brought it in front of her. It was, as usual, a beautiful thing of dark wood. As well it should be; it had been a birthday gift the year before, but Nafel had a sinking suspicion that it was the most expensive thing she owned. It does play beautifully, though. She looked over at the guitar that was now clutched in the hands of the sodden 'dragon. "You play guitar?" She wondered if he knew any duets, but didn't ask. If the last part i heard is an example of his finest, I don't think it would be a good idea to attempt it... Since she now seemed to be (her attempts to avoid it to the contrary) in a conversation with the arden, she seated herself on a support beam on the side of the pier so that she faced him. She had already been standing for several minutes, and she knew that once the adrenaline caused by her flinging someone into the water had subsided, she would be woozy. She ran her fingers across the strings of the lute for a moment, sighing as the notes came out. "What about you? Do you play? I mean, sorry, I already asked you, since you've got the guitar and all, but... What sort of music? Are you self-trained, or are you at school as well?" She figured that what she had said was enough for the moment -- she was just going to continue rambling until her heart rate came down and she quit feeling like she was going to faint.
Still rubbing his eyes, he looked up at the turquoise coloured pendragon. He wasn’t sure if the glow around her was due to the broken moon reflecting off her brightly coloured pelt of fur-scales or if it was just his eyes filled with salty-like water. Feeling a bit woosy, as it wasn’t every night you go off the deep end of the pier, he gathered his thoughts after hearing her comments on his question and tried to manage a reply. It was somewhat strange that he was taking so long to regain himself, but he only accounted it to the fatigue he was beginning to feel. “Oh, cool." He replied, for at the moment it seemed the only thing that he could think of to say. And at the moment he began to speak, he realized that he had begun to speak in Ramathian, unknowing if she could understand the language. “E pym's jaulli cmyf nokh uryos sha doesuj, E qots leca sy tsjon ym es ump sji sy saukh nitalv." Pausing to take a piece of some bending foliage, he proceeded to pull it through the loops on his shorts, as they had begun to irritate him to the extent of wanting to streak. “Ros, notek. Fall, ni nyshaj suodhs na sy glui sha geumy, nytsli sha umkeams kluttekt yv sha Aujsham lyja. Ros ut vyj u siga shus E fyolp gjavaj, fall shus fyolp nyts lecali ra sha, fhus py iyo kull es- jykc." “You don’t speak Ramathian do you?" he questioned, feeling an eerie silence creep up on him. He wasn’t sure, as many pendragons did not know the language and only the well educated and persistent were the ones who did. He was beginning to feel a bit embarrassed after what had happened and couldn’t find a way to overcome it. “Oh, I’m sorry, the name’s Diavolo. Diavolo Skiver." He said stretching out a hand to her, remembering that she had offered hers a few moments before.
Nafel shook Diavolo's hand gingerly. He was not looking too good. First, he had begun to speak in what she recognized as Ramathian, and he kept squinting as he talked to her. Oh gods, what if he hit his head? It was strange that he would speak in Ramathian as if it was his first language. Very few 'dragons did, outside of those in religious orders, and even they didn't use it as their common tongue. "I... I speak a little, but mostly spell words and things. I used to speak more, but I haven't had a chance to use it much in a while; most of my spells at this point are non-verbal. But, I mean, I was never fluent with it. Where did you learn to speak it?" She laughed a little, nervously putting her hand on the back of her neck. She wished she had Jyta or Nurano with her. Jyta knew it from her language classes and Nurano used it when sneaking around higher-class areas, sometimes, but they could both run circles around her few phrases. "I mean, most 'dragons don't, and all. did you grow up near priests or something?" Nafel took a moment to puzzle over what Diavolo had said. She could only catch a few words -- piano and guitar, for the most part -- so she had a very basic idea of what Diavolo had said. "Do you play the piano?" She smiled, playing with the strings on her lute out of nervousness. "I always wanted to learn, but with the tattoo and all, I figured that the lute was a better idea." She gestured to the lute engraved on her hip, shrugging. She was still not entirely sure why the seer had suggested that tattoo, but he had, and she had wound up reasonably happy due to it.
After pulling his hand back from the shake, he reached up and grasped the back of his neck and began to wonder if he was only having a bad day or if he had really been knocked silly with amnesia. He didn’t usually speak Ramathian and didn’t know why he had begun to utter in it now. Bringing his hand back to his side, he watched as she tried to translate what he had said. It was really no use in repeating it, so he didn’t and kept up with her questions. She sure did ask a lot. Perhaps it was just the scare he had given her after falling overboard. “I went to this fancy school. Oh what was it called," This really made him think that he was loosing his mind, now that he couldn’t even remember the simplest of things. “I remember now. Hyota Yv Daujt. Engineering school primarily, although they have a rather extravagant department for the language arts as well." He said smoothly, and then added “I’m not particularly religious, but I don’t have any problems with it." As she had said, she could make out a few of the words he had mentioned before in Ramathian. “Yes, my mum put me through it. I wasn’t as enthusiastic about music as I am now, but I didn’t completely dread it." Beginning to feel that she was uncomfortable, he asked, “Are you nervous?" He had previously accounted it to the incident that had played out in the moments when she had been playing her lute, but now he was beginning to think that she was having an anxiety attack. Maybe it was just nervous energy, and he left it at that.
Nafel listened patiently to her companion's replies and was about to ask more about his piano lessons (she hadn't been just making small talk with the comment, she really did enjoy the instrument), but was stopped by his last question. "Am I nervous?" He's certainly direct. He must think I'm a nut for asking all these questions -- but what am I supposed to do? He fell in the water and started speaking Ramathian! "Er..." She paused for a moment, trying to figure out what the least offensive way to say "yes" was. She decided to go with the truth. "A little. I'm not usually very talkative, and so I was kind've nervous about running into another musician, and then you fell in -- again, really sorry about that -- and started speaking Ramathian." She laughed a little, this time less out of nervousness and more at the general abusurdity of the situation. "I'm sorry, I'm not a nut, I swear. I'm just really hoping you didn't injure yourself. The last thing I need is a lawsuit!" Moving back to more mundane topics, she continued, "You didn't like music as a kid? What prompted you to take up the guitar, then?" Having not-quite-understood his Ramathian, she did not know that he liked rock music, though she might have guessed it from his choice of instrument. Nafel would have continued with the questions, but she checked them, reminding herself that two many questions made her look like she was crazy, and looking crazy was not the goal of the situation. Nafel shifted a bit on the wooden pole she was seated on. It was not the most comfortable of seats, being uncushioned, and so she scanned the pier for a better location. She did not see one, however, and so simply stood up. Being sufficiently rested from her excitement, she was able to stand without fainting, and it seemed to be the most practical of positions at the moment. I wonder what was with the Ramathian...
Leaning up against the railing of the dock, which was in pretty pitiful shape to say the least, he looked over to his guitar as she mentioned it. He wasn’t exactly sure why he hadn’t liked music as a child, but one reason did seem to stick out. “Well, when you’re forced to do something, like I was to play piano, at that age, you might not be too grateful about it as you would’ve been if they’d suggested it to you and you figuring out how wonderful it is on your own." He shrugged, realizing that that statement was rather long and wondering how all of that was locked away in himself, but at least he made sense with it; even if it was completely mental. “I guess it’s just a mental thing." “And half of the reason why was because I felt like it was girly and that the rest of the guys would take the mickey out of me if they’d ever found out." He added, scratching the back of his neck in embarrassment. It made him somewhat ashamed of himself, for he felt a professional musician would disapprove, but at least it was the truth. “Even as I repelled it as a child, when I grew older it just grew on me I guess and since I’ve learned as much as I can with the piano, I want to try something else; so I bought an acoustic guitar." He suddenly felt a sharp pain in his hand and pulled it back to reveal a small splinter in his palm. He picked at it for a while before giving up until he could get a pair of tweezers. “At the facility where my brother works, there is a sound-smart room that is pretty neat." He paused, noticing that he had been fervently talking with the use of his hands, and promptly shoved them in his pocket, and winced as he felt something of a sharp pain again and remembered the splinter. “It simulates different settings for different places, like arenas, football stadiums, auditoriums… y’know? If I ever do invest in something, I’d want it to be a sound-smart arena for music performances and plays. I think it would be something worth putting money into, and have it completely run by machina." ‘Volo nodded. He wasn’t much of a musician, but he could appreciate a sound-smart stadium for general use. “Perhaps it could even be as sensational as the ‘Panic Room’ we all used to go to."
Nafel nodded at his comment about being forced to do something. "Yeah... being forced to do something, even if it might have been interesting at first, is the quickest way to make it unplesant." It was her uncle's insistence that Nafel learn to do elemental magic when she was young that had, until she moved away from him, discouraged her from persuing the field. Heh. Well, look where I wound up, now. Just goes to show, I suppose. She wondered if this was just something that all children had to deal with; even the children with great relationships with their parents probaby had to deal with unwanted pressure at some time or another. At hearing Diavolo's comment about the opinions of his peers and the piano, Nafel chuckled. That was something that she was sure every creature had to live through. She felt bad that he was (at lest, judging from his clutching of his neck) embarassed about it. There was no need to be, since he had eventually redeemed himself by taking up the guitar. She wondered why he was picking at his palm, but as he moved it quickly away, she couldn't quite tell what it was that was causing him irritation. Nafel's ears perked up as she heard Diavolo's discription of the sound-smart room. "Oh, wow, that sounds amazing. If it works well," Nafel had had some bad experiences with computer simulations that had caused her to loose some faith in them, "That would be really awesome. Have you played in it before?" She smiled, thinking of what the experience would be like if one were to play in the room. Though, come to think of it, I'm not sure lutes are exactly suited for arena play. "So you're teaching yourself to play the guitar? I would imagine that's difficult... I know I couldn't do it!" She smiled and shrugged. It was true; Nafel was the sort of person who did best with lots of books to teach her instead of her own ears.
