RP:A Concerto for Two
Summary: Lita gets in touch with her contact at the Bard's Guild to arrange something special for Mahri, and the two enjoy a performance by a strings quartet and an aspiring singer in the community.
Acanthus and the Larketian Quartet NPC'd by Kanna.
Concert Hall
A magnificent hall stands before you. Constructed of an elegant mahogany with tasteful gold trimmings, it is one of the marvels of Larket. Created a long time ago for the ruler of Larket and his court, it is now open to all who can afford the ticket price. Concerts usually play in the evening and are usually performed by grand orchestras. Sometimes however, more modern music is played, and the hall becomes a disco. The stage on which the orchestra performs is huge, necessary for the amount of musician in an orchestra. A large number of benches are set out on the floor with comfortable cushions on them. For those who really want to splash out, a number of balcony rooms are set into the rooms, heavy red curtains can be drawn around the box for a little more privacy, and the seats are luxuriously comfortable. The only way out is to the south.
Lita is pacing nervously outside the door of the concert venue, still only slightly worried that Mahri might not even show. Not that she'd blame her after the news she'd dropped earlier in the day and regardless, she'd enjoy the show. It was all set up anyway. Hopefully. She's dressed in some fancy new dark gray dress with a lace top and sheer drop-sleeves that left her shoulders bare, and layers of gossamer pretending to be an asymmetrical skirt. It was easily the most girlish thing she'd worn in years, complete with suede dress boots, the heels of which clicked across the ground with each step. Raven curls were pinned up in purposeful disarray, rebel strands falling around her temples and neck to frame her face in sultry elegance. And she was chewing at the corner of her lower lip. It was nearly time for the show to start…
Mahri thought about not coming. In fact, every bone in her body said don’t go and yet here she was, wearing the cream dress that seemed to flow fluidly over her body, looking like it would be modest but instead clung to the curves beneath. It isn’t her usual black and drew attention she was not prepared for, given the number of scars the dress exposed as well. It’s Larket, she’s sure that there were some who would know just now she had gotten those scars. Still, Mahri holds her chin up, silver eyes meeting those of the onlookers until they turned away. Jet-black hair was pulled up and pinned with artistic disarray so strands strategically escaped their confines and curled over the wolf’s shoulders. Heels snapped smartly on the floor, slowing only when she catches sight of Ace. “Lita,” she calls out to halt the pacing, “You’re going to wear a groove under your feet.” Speaking of, a brow quirks in amusement seeing said feet covered for probably on the second or third time ever.
Lita turns to catch sight of Mahri in that dress and her smile is slow but warm. "Well, you keep a woman guessing." She answers as Mahri draws closer and she can lean to kiss her cheek. "You look stunning." She loops an arm around Mahri's waist, tugging her into a brief hug while also ushering her towards the door of the venue. "The view is definitely worth you almost being late for." She teases. "Come on, before we can't find our seats..."
On this beautiful chilled night, something special was occurring. The Grand Larketian Concerto tonight boasts no long lines, nor the clamoring of young bards looking to be the next great star. Instead, two rows of lit lanterns illuminate the large sign above the entrance that reads ‘Welcome, Mahri and Lita’ in swooping font. A dwarven woman awaits the pair at the door, dressed every bit as elegantly as the concert hall’s decor. Her golden beard and hair is perfectly curled, with a single purple amethyst fashioned into a treble clef clipping the braids adorning her beard into a fine tapered point. On the lapel of her similarly amethyst suit jacket is a tag that reads ‘Acanthus.’ “Dearest Lita… You must be Mahri, it is so wonderful to meet the woman of the hour.” She says with a bow of the head in greeting. “Your entertainment for tonight is all set.” Acanthus opens the grandiose mahogany doors, where a plush deep red carpet leads further in.
Mahri glanced up as Lita leads here into the hall and both brows wing up at the sign. The hell? The wolf glances up curiously at her companion before her attention is drawn to the lady dwarf. “Uh. Thank you,” her voice lilts up a bit at the end, making the statement more of a question. What in the world did Ace have up her sleeve. Once at their seats, Mahri adjusts the dress a bit out of nerves rather than for comfort. Leaning closer to Lita, Mahri whispers while watching the stage, “I have a lot of questions for you.” Later.
The women are led through immaculate hallways, showcasing framed scrolls from the past highly acclaimed performances. The Barber of Cenril, Loving The Obedient Bird, The Prophet of Vakmatharas, each of these and more are intricately painted, making for a beautiful view as they are led into the main concert hall. Acanthus stands at the doorway and bows with an arm outstretched to motion them to go on ahead. Here, the room opens up to a private balcony area, lit by romantic glass lanterns that bathe the area in a warm light. With a single plush loveseat and a small table with a spread of delectable fruits, treats, and meats, along two glasses of their favorite drinks with a bottle to pour more, it is clear no expense has been spared here. The balcony is complete with heavy red curtains on either side to be drawn at their leisure, and provides a perfect eye-level view of the concert stage, whose curtains are still drawn.
Lita keeps an arm at Mahri's waist as they're left through the brilliant hallways of the establishment. She's rarely been one for such high-brow artistry but music, not unlike art, has long since been a favored love affair. The posters are beautiful but she rather enjoys the stolen glances of the she-wolf at her side. It's an entirely new setting to see her in. She's still a bit surprised Mahri hadn't worn her trademark duster over the gown. "Thank you." Lita says to Acanthus, discreetly slipping the woman a velvet bag with a healthy tip therein. She'll join Mahri on the plush loveseat, leaning forward to reach for a raspberry, popping the fruit between her lips as she pours glasses of champagne and hands her one. "I will pretend to have all the answers." She promises, leaning sideways to press another kiss against her cheek.
Acanthus bows and takes her leave, leaving the women to watch as the heavy curtains rise. There on the large stage is a quartet of strings, one cellist, two violinists, and a violist. While all are at the center of the stage, the cellist and violist stand to the left, while the two violinists stand to the right. A white carpet runner bisects the two sides of the stage, just wide enough for a person to walk down as if it were an aisle. With the wave of an unspoken spell, the lanterns lighting the audience area are dimmed, leaving the focus of the candlelight solely on the quartet. The cellist begins, drawing their bow across the strings. The low note reverberates throughout the room, its note mysterious and beckoning as though to call their attention. ‘Listen.’ The two violins join in, their melodies seeming distinct from one another until the refrain links them together with the same notes. The cellist alternates to a mix of strings and plucks that provide a distinct beat not unlike that of a heartbeat. The viola finally joins in, providing the underlying melody that bridges the harmony between the light strings and lower strings. The space beneath the balcony box, where the commoner seats would be, begins to fill with a mist that pulses with a hauntingly beautiful light that beats softly in time with the cello’s tune. Then, the second curtain behind the quartet lifts.
A secondary curtain rises, revealing a blonde-haired feline dressed in muted red gown and matching lipstick. She makes eye-contact with the viola player, who offers her a nod and smile, one last boost of confidence before it was her time to join. Slowly, the feline known as Astanet takes a deep breath and begins to sing, her voice eerie but sweet, a soft lullaby like those sung by the sirens of the sea. “You and me… We’re in this together now. None of them can stop us now… We will make it through somehow.” The blonde songstress moves forward on bare feet, slow steps taken carefully as she joins the quartet, transforming it into a quintet. As the musicians carry the song forward, so too does Astanet add her part, her lips parting again to sing. “You and me. If the world should break in two… Until the very end of me… Until the very end of you…”
Lita had known what to sort of expect but also not. This was still more than she could have imagined. She'd certainly be sending the bards guild a really generous guilt in the very soon future. She definitely had not expected plush box seats and the fancy spread... the curtains lift and the stage demands their attention. Lita shifts slightly in her seat, a hand on Mahri's knee as the music begins to settle, the air flush with anticipation. She's transfixed on the violinists, her preferences entirely biased, but once the feline joins the quartet, it's hard not to focus on the young woman. Her voice is beautiful and such an elegant harmony for the music at hand. She scarcely notices the mist that begins to fill the lower level seats where the rest of an audience would be, had the hall not been closed for this private viewing.
Mahri accepts the glass of champagne, a little fancier than she’s used to but she’d had it before. Lita might have aimed for her cheek, but Mahri turns her head at the last second to take the kiss to her lips, “I know you will.” A smile tugs the corners of her mouth upwards and she takes that first sip of champagne, the bridge of her nose wrinkling just as the bubbles tickled her nose like she expected they would. The music starts and silver eyes are riveted to the stage. Lita might take fruit, but Mahl’s a carnivore – she chooses one of the meat offerings and pops it into her mouth, licking off her fingers between chews. She might be dressed fancy, but no one ever accused her of being lady-like. As the intro reaches its peak and the singer enters the stage, Mahri leans forward. It’s not because the feline’s voice doesn’t carry well, it’s very clear despite the softness of the singer’s voice. Great acoustics in here. The words though, the weave their way to Mahri’s heart and pull on strings there that she’d thought long plucked to shreds. Mahri didn’t realize it, but she reached to twine her fingers between Lita’s as the vampire’s hand rested on her knee. Her other hand shook as she raised the glass of champagne to her lips and drained it.
The song continues like this, the string quartet and songstress weaving a ballad that immerses Mahri and Lita into a world of their own. The mist rises no further than the floor of the balconette, and the ethereal lights now pulse softly in time with each of the four string’s staccato notes in four delicately muted colors. The concert hall is alive with music and soul, only for them.
Astanet gently sways from left to right as she sings, her hands twirling in lazy circles around her lithe frame as if possessed by the music of the strings that surrounded her. Her golden eyes gaze seductively towards nobody in particular- into the darkness of the empty theater, empty save for the sole two witnesses Lita and Mahri. A light smile grows on her lips just before she sings the next verse, this time with more gusto. “Well, they've got to kill what we found. Well, they've got to hate what they fear. Well, they've got to make it go away. Well, they've got to make it disappeaarrrr…” The music swells into a crescendo and the feline steps towards the edge of the stage. "The two of us... All used and beaten up..." Slowly, the songstress crouches as she sings, reaching a hand into the mist. When her hand lifts, it appears as though a cloud were floating in her palm, wisps of it visibly cascading down her hand even from the distance. "Watching fate as it flows... Down the path that we choooooose...."
Lita glances sideways when Mahri squeezes her fingers and she practically does a double-take, a little surprised to see the emotion on the she-wolf's face. Not that it existed, but the depth of it. She'd chased Mahri for a good while before Mahri would even entertain the thought of more than a friendship and now, somehow... Lita had a knack for screwing things up. She sets her own glass on the table and reaches for the bottle of champagne to refill Mah's glass, not wanting to let go of her hand as she turns her wrist so she can squeeze her fingers in turn as the music swells around them.
The melody crescendos with her voice, the quartet’s melodies intertwining to create a beautiful echo. At the end of the crescendo, as soon as ‘chose’ fades from Astanet’s painted lips, the key of the song changes to one that goes from hauntingly nostalgic, to one that makes the heart swell. The violins reach a high note that break back into the melody, and the light that had been pulsing below Lita and Mahri is released. Light motes rise up from the mist, dancing upwards like fireflies reaching for the twin moons above as the song continues. The cloud in the singer’s hand bursts as well, turning into a silhouette of two birds taking flight. For a moment while the singer pauses in the crescendo, the two violinists stand to give their solo performance. With the lights focused on the two now, it can be seen that one bears a violin of silver, and the other as black as the night. Their harmonies intersect, weaving in and out of shared notes and flourishes that work off of each other while remaining distinct. The two birds of light make their way around the violinists, each taking their rest at the scroll of the instrument. With practiced expertise, the musicians turn in sync so that the scrolls of their violins are only a hair apart, allowing the birds of light to be reunited. The birds transform into slow-rising motes of light as their heads affectionately touch and the dual solo finishes, giving way for the songstress to finish.
Astanet stands, remaining mist spilling from her hands all around her. Soft footsteps lead her backwards, taking the eerie mist with her to join the quartet of musicians, shrouding them along with her. From inside the thin fog Astanet sings again. “The farther I fall, I'm beside you… As lost as I get, I will find you. The deeper the wound I'm inside you… Forever and ever I am a part of…” She stops in the center of the stringed instruments once again, the mist in her hands expended and drifting low to the floor. “Even after everything… Nothing else means anything… You and me.” The feline songstress leaves the circle, retreating back to the edge of the curtains. “If the world should break in two… Until the very end of me. Until the very end of you.”
With Astanet’s finale and the long-held note, the mist and the lights fade, casting the concert hall into silence again. When the lanterns are relit, the songstress has disappeared behind the curtains, and the quartet rises to take a bow as the curtains fall. The balcony remains an unhurried sanctuary for as long as the women would like, until the time comes to bid farewell for Acanthus at the front doors, so that Lita can show Mahri what comes next…