[PQ] [SE] Sing Down the Stars

YOU SAID THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT THE MOON IT ROSE TOO SOON AND WE'RE DOING WHAT WE SHOULD She wonders if Jigano is exhausted with them, their childish flirting and secret jokes. Part of her feels sheepish about it, embarrassed and self-conscious in the light of affection which cannot be contained. Another is somewhat vindicated, remembering countless instances of the bard and hunter doing the same: hands held, glances passed, touches which clearly amounted to more than the innocent hugs they offered to her. Why shouldn't she enjoy herself similarly, tease him and taunt him with her newfound happiness, her pleasant enjoyment of a romanced life? But Jigano seems to be in spirits good as ever, inviting them for a final verse and picking up the pace. Dutifully Amalia taps her triangle faster, the soft ting! of the metal bar a cheerful, timely beat. She is surprised that Deimos is asked to start, turning to look at the tall man with an arched and daring brow. His blue gaze is gone from her, turned to the crackling fire; unabashed, she watches shadows play across his face. He makes a longer verse, like hers, his words more poetic than her own. Swallowing, unsure how to follow, Amalia does her best, Jyoti singing happily in time from where she sits with Isuma. "Into a world, vast and strange, They travel, singing out your name. Safrin! Lady of the stars! Please smile on our bold refrain." a m a l i a You said it's life that moves too much We're losing touch But I'm not losing you

Jigano was enjoying the byplay of the courting pair across the fire, watching their laughter and flirting, little touches and stolen smiles even if he couldn’t always hear what they whispered to each other. He was glad to see Deimos relaxing, returning to the mischievous beast the bard had first truly met in Devas Bakery, but even happier to see how bright and joyous Amalia was, the leopard girl blossoming in the light of the mountain’s smile.

He was patient while Deimos pondered his lines, playing the simple, lilting melody as many times as the other man needed to find his spark of inspiration for the last verse. Again the big man resisted falling into the meter of the previous verses, breaking, as Amalia had, the simple couplet rhyme scheme as well. Theirs would be a patchwork song of mixed-length stanzas and mismatched rhythms, couplets and alternate rhymes battling for dominance, but it was also completely, unequivocally theirs, a gift given with exuberant enthusiasm and heartfelt abandon to the goddess of the stars.

Deimos’s alternate rhyme ignored the iambic octameter Jigano had striven to try and maintain throughout their creation, rebellious and wild, though not, the bard thought, due to any maliciousness on his part; more to a lack of practice in crafting songs with a group, an experience he could hardly blame either of his friends for not having before. Besides, there was a lightness in breaking free of convention, even if only for a little while. He grinned as the mountain finished and turned his attention to Amalia, who benefitted from Jyoti’s accompaniment and slipped free of her partner’s – lover’s? boyfriend’s? – pattern to forge her own, much to the bard’s rueful amusement.

He hummed as he recalled all the verses they had made, his grin sharpening as he considered the challenge that he had been given as musician and bard. Looking to his friends he raised his voice in song – not at the end, but from the beginning, tweaking a few lines here and there to try and make them fit better, but leaving others to grow wild and sprawl across the verses of the song.

"Beneath the stars and moon so bright,
We thank you, Safrin, for this night,
Please keep us from the cold and dark,
Make bold our voices and our hearts.
We shall never shy away
The world cannot keep us at bay.

"Bright friendships made under your sky,
To keep them close we'll always try.
Heartfelt affection made to last,
More ardent now than in the past.
Into the great and wondrous world,
We offer a stirring cacophony:
A series of notes, clamor of beats,
'Twixt baker, bard, and soldier three!

“They have faith and conviction,
Into shades of light, shadow, and gray,
Never swayed by restriction,
Curiosity their main array.
Into a world, vast and strange,
They travel, singing out your name.
Safrin! Lady of the stars!
Please smile on our bold refrain.”

He grinned slyly and then finished their song with a flourish of harp strings:
”So stay and listen for awhile,
Your praise we’ll sing with flair and style,
Three hearts now joined in song as one,
To ward off snows and keep the sun!”

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This ends the Singing PQ! Thank you so much for participating!