RP:Tiny Dancer
This is a Bard's Guild RP.
Part of the Vakmatharas' Jar Arc
Summary: Raven gets reacquired with Professor Lanara, tiny dancer. (Because she's short, petite, and the dance instructor~)
Hold me closer tiny dancer
Count the headlights on the highway
Lay me down in sheets of linen
You had a busy day today
DeVere College of Bardic Arts
After finding your way through the Topiary Garden it would only be fitting to happen upon a building which looks like a section taken right out of any castle in the same style as all of Schezerade, in all its decadence; marble forming the entirety of the large building accented with gold and platinum in which you'll have to cross over a glass bridge in order to reach it. The front door is welcoming for all shapes and sizes that are the citizens of Hollow and spans a great distance in it's solid French Door of a design. Opening it up one might be perplexed at the ability for the fortress to hold such music coming from the two story main hall with all of the astute students practicing their talents within. Once immersed, the eyes might be stolen by the gaping cathedral ceilings above, spotted by gold and platinum in which encircle mini glowing stones to mimic the night sky, but beauty is not only what the ceiling is for; it carries one's voice in the most pleasing fashion. This area is quite a vast oval-shaped grand hall, but nearly every space on the marble walls are shelves, carved into small diamond shapes. Each slot contains a scroll to nearly any song someone might wish to hear or practice in it's magic. Among the marvelous white-wood, gold-accented, concert grand piano in the middle of this large room there are a plethora of nearly every musical instrument imaginable, one just has to look.
Off to the west of this area are exits to the wondrous courtyard beyond, north holds the kitchens, dining hall and secret passageway to the wine cellar. The second story, easily reached by one of the staircases hugging the curved walls leading to a balcony within the hall, one will find many doors leading into teaching rooms; some of them lecture halls and performing arts rooms. At the northern peak of the oval main hall at the second level any new students are directed to the offices where any and all are encouraged to apply.
Raven was sitting at the pianist bench of the locked up piano while students were starting to thin out from the main hall. She’s felt so lost and out of place, but Corvo won’t let her play because the first day that is all she wanted to do instead of listening to him drone on about politics. Miss Dewfoot-Barrows sat with her and asked if she’s sure she didn’t want anything to eat as the hobbit hear the woman’s stomach growl, “anything that didn’t originally have a face?” Brennia wasn’t a vegetarian and Raven’s hidden soft spot for animals made it hard to try and stomach anything that was once alive. Her teal tinged eyes stare down at the white wood of the grand piano and she undoes the button of the blazer to her chic suit. A group of men dressed in suits pace about the main hall to continuously check for threats, but they continue to go unnoticed by Raven. The counselor returns with some meatless snacks and a thin sketchbook mentioning that she had left it at the table, “thank you Mary-Anne.” She flips it open and a adorably poor sketch of a short woman smiling in the middle of a pirouette with the words ‘tiny dancer’ written in flourished cursive under it… It was obviously Lanara, but she doesn’t remember that.
Lanara knocks on the door, pleased to see that Brennia had returned, though if she were to be honest, the senetorial candidate didn’t look quite as she had remembered. Did she do something different with her hair? Her… Her eyes? The dancer approaches the woman at the piano, uncertainty evident in her gaze, as she offers up a small smile. “Hi, Bren! What are you up to? The cheerleaders are wowing everyone with their new routine! Also, I’m in a relationship! I’m so excited. His name is Eirik, and yes, I now he’s an ex-witch killer and all but we are really hitting it off.” Lana’s words trail off as she sees a drawing of herself, and she points. “Aw! I love it, Bren!” Clearly, the petite elf, is ‘tiny dancer’ as Raven would now figure out. The elf is wearing a pink tutu, her hair in a tight bun, and her ballet slippers are a sparkly shade of silver. She must have just come from a class, or perhaps she was heading to her next? Either way, she must have seen the crowd of secret service men loitering in the halls and assumed the senator was back at the school. Lana eyes the snacks as they’re put forward, and shakes her head. “You don’t want those, Bren. Try these…” Rummaging in her satchel, the woman hands Raven a small package of homemade chocolate-chip cookies.
Raven is a rather dull seeming individual, think Daria(yeah that 90’s cartoon!), and teal eyes half lidded watch the woman with no expression change from its calm. Miss Dewfoot-Barrows gulps and glances around, she’s only been talking to people and referring to Raven as the Dean, or headmistress after the attack. Monotone velveteen alto timbre breaks the dwindling bustle of the students, “bummer I’ve missed it.” There was that subtle Veretian(French) accent atop her tongue just before Lanara could further inspect and notice all the ink is gone from that dewy caramel skin the counselor gently says, “professor Lanara, Dear… You haven’t heard.” She takes the woman by the hand as Raven takes a bite, she’s one of those vegetarians, ovo vegetarian, that eat dairy and eggs, just not meats. Also, no Daermon, but many trained combatants had to take that powerful vampire’s place, but the hobbit goes on, “we are unsure of what happened. Brennia Smyth’s memories have all gone after a horrific attack in the wine cellar… It’s a wonder she’s even still alive, but… She seems to have taken on this Raven Cadenza de Vere persona. That vampire fellow seemed to know more about it.” A hesitant look from Lanara to Raven, “sometimes… I feel Brennia is still in there at least pushing her to do the right thing - like a little angel on her shoulder.” The counselor starts to get teary eyed, “but we must give her a chance. She’s different and that doesn’t mean she isn’t also good.” She waves some of her own tears away, “oh I’m sorry dearie, it’s been a tough week ever since.”
Lanara sighs as she’s ushered away from Brennia, her eyes narrowing on Dewfoot, as though she were somehow responsible for something. Those tears. The wine cellar. Brennia’s… Gone? Raven. Vampire. “I’ve heard enough. Miss Dewfoot-Barrows, what in the hell are you babbling about? Brennia lost her memory… -And- her tattoo’s. And she lost her taste for meat. And she’s no longer friends with Daermon? And…” Lana points to Raven, who is eyeing the cookies at this moment. “Where is Brennia? She’s just… Hidden inside of that woman? So Brennia is just… She’s just… Fading?” The last sentence is said, along with a whimper, before the ballerina bursts into tears. What happened to her beloved Avian friend? She was so full of life. So simply stunning. So powerful. So loving. And now… Not that Raven wasn’t lovely, but she wasn’t the Avian that Lana had grown close to, and held as a role model. “What about the school? Brennia held everything together. And what about her guild? Last I heard Alvina was made her co-leader. Does Alvina even know about this? Has Bre- Er… Has Raven been to a healer? Is there anything that can be done to reverse the damage?” Lana is beside herself, sobbing and sniffling, pointing and pacing. What is going on?!
Raven rose out of her seat, the sash draped over the gap of those beautiful wings unmoving which is an old avian custom that means her emotions that tie to every avians wings is very disciplined and that sash will never shift because her waters are too calm for that. Just as the counselor went to explain Raven was stepping closer, “Miss Lanara, she still has Alvina, Mister Corvo and us to help her. She’s a quick learner and she’s very duty driven. Now more than ever she needs those who were close to her to keep reminding her of the good that is within her because we must keep the memory of Brennia alive.” The counselor motions to the sketch, “she hasn’t completely forgotten us because she’s been sketching some things she says she dreams about.” She stopped when Raven was right next to them, “did you make these tiny dancer?” She started chewing on the last bite of cookie and no matter the answer she would swallow it down and conclude, “they are good.” Motioning for Lanara to follow, heeled steps make their way before the fire of the main hall while she was using a kerchief to wipe her hands of the chocolate and teal eyes get hypnotized by the flickering flames. “You mentioned a new prospect?” Relationships make her awkward and uneasy, but Lanara seemed so aflame with excitement earlier she wanted her to finish her story. Her laid back and calm exterior remains as her eyes eventually look to Lanara in wait to hear all about her new love.
Lanara looks at Raven, though it pains her to do so, as those beautiful rune tattoo’s are no longer etched into her skin, and her eyes are no longer liberty blue. Even the personality seemed so off, too calm and even balanced, not as fiery as the headmistress she had called friend. But still, Brennia was in there somewhere, she was convinced. Blinking back tears, she swats at her tear stained cheeks and she lowers herself into a chair before the hearth. “I’m glad you liked the cookies, I will make you some more…” Tiny Dancer. Oh dear, that had broken the dam. Lana bursts into fresh tears all over again, and though she tries to regain her composure, she simply cannot. This wasn’t Brennia. Something awful had happened to the Avian and she was only now hearing about it. So much for all her protection! Was it the Flewminati? Daermon? The elf vows to find out, and make whoever hurt this beautiful woman pay dearly. “Yes… His name is Eirik. He’s a witch killer. And I’m a witch… I guess you could say it’s opposites attract, really. But he’s turning over a new leaf. And he’s really handsome. He has these grey eyes. And he has two direwolves as pets.” Suddenly, she breaks off, and looks at the woman. Talking about Eirik had momentarily distracted her, but she felt so awful about the loss of Brennia. This Raven… Should she treat her as if she was Brennia? Or try to get to know her, as if Brennia were gone? Uncertain, she gives it a shot. “So… It must be tough being here and not knowing who is who and what to do, huh? Have you made any friends?”
Raven was giving a half smirk in listening to Lanara, “a tale for the ages.” It was probably the Flewminati- one last attempt to snuff her out, but they didn’t account for the ink having different plans. Raven couldn’t let Brennia’s life end that way because she became too attached to Brennia. Raven looked upon her like a daughter even when things were not always harmonious between the two. It was because of this closeness that Raven could not live on with Brennia’s face without breaking down every time she looked in a mirror… As if to finish that train of thought and answer her question, “I’m placing my trust in those I’ve surrounded myself with to remind me of all that is good.” A soft and bored sigh as her sarcasm took over, “that Corvo, a delightfully dull individual.” Which is funny coming from her - it was meant to be a joke because surely Lanara has met the campaign manager and he is awfully boring if you don’t follow policks. She would crack that subtle half smirk. “And yes, he’s such a good friend that he’s locked me out of that piano,” more sarcasm and what most didn’t know is that Raven is where Brennia has derived her Bardic powers from, but that’s essentially been reset and all she has left is just a musical talent and the love for the arts. As for not knowing who is who and friends, “you just have to relax, wait and listen through the silence. It will all fall into place.”
Lanara finds herself amused by Raven’s sarcasm, and she actually giggles as she listens to her describe Corvo. “Not to mention his hair. I mean… Who thinks man buns are in style? So gross.” Her tears have dried on her pale cheeks, and she sniffles, as she looks into the fire for a few minutes. “Hey… You should just sneak into the custodian’s corners… He keeps keys for every room and every item lying around. I bet you could find piano key in there. Goodbye lock!” A playful nudge is given to Raven, as she sneaks a glare at Corvo. “That was so wrong of him to lock it, if you truly enjoying playing the piano. Well, I’m a dancer here, and if you’re ever bored, feel free to take one of my classes. Or you can be my assistant! It may just give you something to do… Until you learn more about this place and those that are here.”
Raven was subtly smirking for the last time, “as exciting as that sounds I must focus on Schezerade for now. Maybe I’ll sneak off one day, that will really give Corvo an ulcer.” At this moment, as if speaking his name summoned him somehow, Corvo comes storming back into the main hall, “Miss Cadenza, I’ve been talking this whole time since we left supper thinking you were behind me.” Raven doesn’t even look at him as heeled steps bring her toward the archways that lead to the courtyards, but not before sarcastically quipping, “oh? And who’s fault is that…” half lidded gaze rest blankly on him and Corvos hands go on his hips, “you know, that tone is really insulting.” Raven glances up at the man bun, “and someone finally agreed with me, your hair is insulting and tired.” Corvo is put in his place a loss of words while Raven didn’t give him a chance, “tiny dancer, I’ll catch you on my skip day.” A lazy wave of goodbye before leaving with a stuttering and grumbling Corvo following her asking, “what’s this talk of a skip day?!” She really enjoyed getting under his skin like that.
Lanara frowns as Raven is pulled away by the bothersome Corvo, as she was rather enjoying spending time with the woman. She was so different from Brennia, but there was something her that was equally as alluring. You wanted to remain in the avian’s presence. So as her heels head in the opposite direction, Lana does a little curtsey in her slippered feet, the epitome of a tiny dancer. “It was fun chatting with you, Raven. And I look forward to your skip day!” She winks, her chocolate hues dancing with amusement as Corvo nearly has a coronary on his way towards the courtyard. Lana wraps her arms around herself, her smile fading as the woman and campaign manager fade from view. “Oh, Brennia… I’m going to miss you.”