This is a log of an online roleplay on PernMUSH. This is not fanfiction, and the characters are copyright their respective players - 20th November, 2001

Harper Hall - Great Hall
The Great Hall more than lives up to its name, stretching away from you into the distance. The enormous stage lies to the south, taking up an entire quarter of the room's space. A densely woven, harper blue curtain embellished with a random design of white harper badges conceals the bare boards when not in use. An apron curves out around the stage, with shallow flights of steps leading upwards at either end. Thick plank benches, some of them padded with harper blue cushions, are stacked neatly out of the way against the walls when not needed for a performance. The floor is bare, polished to a faint gloss. Stored against the east wall are several casks of wines and ales, used when the Hall opens its doors to all on gala occasions. Carved into the west walls are several breathtakingly wide windows. When the thick, hinged metal shutters are pulled back one can watch the happenings in the courtyard. The north wall supports a huge tapestry, a Gather scene with several Harpers entertaining a dancing throng.
The broad doors lead back into the Main Hall.
Contents:
Tirom

Tirom is sitting by the fire. He's taken to using a chair lately, actually, and today is no exception. He sits with his gitar in his lap, playing a soft but cheerful tune. On the floor in front of the chair are a few hides, laid out where he can read them as he plays.

Flying through the door with her usual gusto, comes Edris, hair flying out behind her initially but flopping over her face as she skids to a halt. "I'm all done for the evening." Shrugging at the chair, she sighs contentedly as she flops down to the floor to make herself comfortable amongst the hides, kicking one or two out of the way in her quest for room. "Ooops.' and she straightens them back to their proper place, trying to sneak a look at the score as she does so.

Tirom pauses in his play as soon as he sees Edris coming in. He smiles, waving a little with one hand, as the other stills the gitar strings. "Hello." The song, as written, appears to be about Tillek, though the words still look to be very rough work. Tirom smiles to Edris cheerfully despite the moved hides, and says, "It's alright." He then asks, "Anything interesting happen today?" As usual, he's a bit shy about his music and doesn't bring up what he's working on.

Edris thinks as she leans over to try and read the hides more closely, though all so inconspicuously. Realising that she can't really see them without moving over closer, she looks up and screws her nose up a little. "Ooh oooh oooooooh! I know what -did- happen. I was practicing and actually managed to play through my gitar exercises with hardly a mistake. True, I was on my own under a tree and nobody else heard me, but it's getting there at least."

Tirom biters his lip a little, watching as Edris leans forward to look at the hides. He looks somewhat nervous, but he doesn't do anything to stop her from reading it. He then smiles at what Edris says next, saying happily, "That's great! A few more sevendays and I bet you'll be playing at a Gather." He grins, swinging his feet just a little. (He's not quite tall enough yet for his feet to touch the floor.) Finally he gathers the courage, and asks, "You want to hear the new song I was working on? I really need to fix the lyrics but dunno how to."

Edris nods away, then follows with the customary pushing back of the hair. "Sure. I don't know how much use that I'll be to help you with the lyrics though. Have you asked any of the seniors to help? But play it for me and I'll see what I think. If I don't like it.." she grins almost wickedly "Then I'll be sure to tell you, nicely of course."

Tirom shakes his head a little, starting to finger some notes on his gitar as he explains, "Not yet. Thought I'd try on my own first, but it just isn't working." He shrugs a bit, then starts to play fully. It's that same soft but cheerful tune from before, but this time he sings. His voice has settled by now, and creating the tunes has always been his specialty, so the song goes relatively smoothly.

"The smell of the fish,
and sound of the sea.
The sweat of hard work,
and laughter of play.

When these are the things,
one knows about life,
than Tillek is where
he has spent his days."

Here he pauses to go instrumental for a few bars...

Tirom continues on in the song, his fingers playing over the strings as he once again begins to sing. His feet start to swing in time, as well.

The rustle of sails,
the howl of wind.
The creak of a plank,
the crash of the waves.

When these are the things,
one knows about life,
than Tillek is where
he has spent his days."

And once again he goes instrumental before the last verse.

Edris rests up against the chair to listen, pulling her knees up and wrapping her arms about them as she waits for him to finish. She listen very attentively, giving a little frown here and there at certain words, but otherwise staying silent, and surprisingly for her, being patient.

Tirom continues to play, his feet still swinging in time to the beat.

"The cheer of the crew,
and sound of happy song.
The mother's soft song,
as fathers return to the Bay.

When these are the things,
one knows about life,
than Tillek is where
he has spent his days."

He plays a few more bars of instrumental to end the song. He bites his lip, and then says, "See? It just doesn't sound right. Especially the chorus." He leans back in his chair, and rests the gitar fully on his lap again.

Edris moves round again so that she can see up in the chair more and nods slowly. "It's alright..." she starts, then smiles "It's good I mean, but you're right about the chorus. It needs something." Brow furrowing again in thought, she grows silent briefly. " What about.... nah, that doesn't work either. Give me some time here."

Edris grins suddenly "I had a though. Would you like to hear it." No chance given for a reply she continues. "It sounds like one that we'd hear the fisherfolk singing as they mend their nets, doesn't it. So..." she grins again "That's what you have to think of as you write it. And have you noticed how they move as if they're on a boat, rocking on the waves when they sing sometimes." Attentive at home if nothing else. "That's the feel that you've nearly got."

Tirom smiles back to Edris at her grin, and nodnods quickly even as she goes on with the thought. He pulls his one leg up under him, nodding a bit again as he listens to what she says. He says nothing, so not to interrupt until he's sure she's said her whole idea..

Edris takes a deep breath "So I was just thinking..." She tilts her head to one side as if to show that it was serious thinking indeed. "For the chorus, what if you tried something like...

"Oooh, these are the things......."

Here she pauses. "Cause a good sea song always has an Oooh at the beginning of the chorus." Then she starts again.

"Oooh, these are the things,
That we learn about life,
When Tillek is where one has spent all their days."

She sits back then, and waits a little apprehensively. It is his song after all.

Tirom blinks a bit, then smiles brightly, giving a quick nodnod as he says, "Thank you! That sounds lots better." Ok, so sometimes he slips back into the bad grammar that he's been struggling to avoid. In any case, he quickly slides off the chair, kneeling on the floor to write in the changes on the hides. His gitar is set gently to one side.

Edris gives a happy grin. "You're welcome. Would you like me to look at the verses too, or did you want to work on them by yourself." She leans back on her hands, appearing to be comfortable whichever decision he makes about the other lyrics. "I like helping much better than having to actually write something from the beginning, anyway."

Tirom nodnods quickly as he looks back up from his writing, now done with his editing of the chorus. He sets the utensil down as he smiles to Edris, "Will you, please? I want to make this..right." In other words, one his family and Lady Selchin will be proud of, though he doesn't come right out and say it.

Edris smiles again as she moves and leans over so that she can read the words again, happy to help. " I'd basically leave it the way that it is. Maybe I'd change it to...

"The smell of the fish,
The sound of the sea.
The sweat of hard work,
and the laughter of play..."

But that would be the only thing that I'd suggest there." She goes on to look at the second verse.

Edris shrugs "Again, I'd basically leave the second verse as well, maybe I'd change howl to howling and 'a plank' to 'the planks'. But otherwise It's just fine how it is, so don't try and make it more or you'll spoil it." She looks over curiously "You really don't mind me saying this?"

Tirom nods, and picks up his writing utensil again then to scribble in the changes to the first two verses, smiling again as he does. He sits back once more, still kneeling there on the floor, to look back up to Edris. "I don't mind at all. Thank you."

Edris frowns "Now the third verse is the one that I'm not sure about." She pauses deep in thought. "I'm really not sure what you should do there. You've got some really nice ideas, but it doesn't quite flow right, does it?" Looking curiously at him briefly she turns her attention back to the hides and the third verse. "What about...

"The cheer of the crew,
The sound of their song
and a mother's soft croon
marks return to the Bay."

Edris sighs as she take her attention away from the now changed hides. "I'm not sure that that's right yet. But it's the best that I can do without giving it some more thought. I hope that it helps you though."

Tirom nods a little, scribbling in the new changes as well as he says, "It sounds a lot better now than before, though. Thanks!" He leans forward to give Edris a quick hug, and grins again as he sits back. "I'll make sure the Masters know you helped me with it, too."

Edris grins at the hug, then looks more than a little shocked at the mention of the Masters "Are you sure? Cause I was only helping you a little bit. You wrote it, I just changed some words around. I wouldn't want them to think that I did anything more than that. It's your song. but you know. I don't think that anyone would think that it wasn't one that you'd just brought from home. it is good you know."

Tirom blinks a bit at that shocked look, biting his lip a little again as he listens to Edris. Then he nods a bit, "Alright, it'll be secret then, but I'll know you were a big help." He smiles again, and then brightens at the last thing she says. "Thanks."

Edris almost seems to reconsider. "Well.. if it came up in conversation, you could mention it, but don't make a big deal out of it or anything. I'd not want it to be a secret either, in case they think that I'm not doing my share of helping people." Looking a little confused cause she doesn't really know what she wants , she shakes her head to try and clear it. "You're welcome. Now..." She turns her head to look at the hides, ready to ruffle through them in search of anything else that might be of interest "Have you written anything else
lately?"

Tirom smiles again to what Edris says, and nods to the first part. He leans back against the chair, then. At the last question, he grins and says, "Yeah, a few others, but just tunes. Mostly just little tunes for the gitar or pipes, or both, but nothing else with lyrics lately."

Edris seems to decide against having to actually -read- the music and pushes herself up to standing. "In that case, I think that I shall go and try and get some sleep, cause I've got to be awake early tomorrow." As she walks out the door, she turns to look over her shoulder. "I really did like it you know." She calls without missing a stride, turning back and disappearing out of the doorway.