Desire to Learn

[Tali'yae Katrna]

35th Brightening, of the month of Imperos, in the season of Autumn, Era II of the Celestine Mandate, Era XIV Post Fractum.

Tali’yae had seen this university yesterday when she was wandering the town. The university caught her eye but at the time getting set up in the town was more important. She still had many things she wanted to learn. She lack knowledge when it came to most things and if this place could tell her what she wanted to know then she’d glad pay a few crowns, though she didn’t have many with her. She was sure there would be other things she could do to learn the things she wanted to. Maybe they wouldn’t mind teaching someone who was just that fascinated with all this knowledge she didn’t know.

She had first come to the statue which seemed to point to the different buildings of the university. She spent awhile staring at the weird construction before she started to read the plaques that were near by. Power, Wisdom, and Knowledge; they all sounded fairly cool, though Power wasn’t as appealing as the other two. She had to choose out of Wisdom or Knowledge, though she didn’t know where either went. She gave a few seconds thought before choosing Knowledge. She had come here to learn about things and knowledge sounded like that would be it. She walked towards the building that the head pointed to.

She walked for a bit before she came to two building. She continued until she found a room, which appeared to be the place to enquire. Tali’yae entered timidly. She didn’t want to make a ruckus in case she had come to the wrong place. She heard the words clerk and felt reassured. She looked across the courses offered at the university and she wanted to do all of them, but she was slightly sad to see they didn’t teach any instruments she wanted to learn. The only two were flute and lute. She knew the flute and could learn the lute back in Portshire.

She didn’t give up hope on learning them just yet and asked the clerk, “Is there any other instruments then these I could learn here? I also like the looks of several of these subjects, but I don’t have the money on me. Is there any other way to pay for them.” Tali’yae couldn’t really tell what she was talking to, since they looked like a mix between female and male. She tried not to say or do anything too rude while she wasn’t sure what it was. She waited for her answers before continuing. She hoped she could still learn a few subjects even though she didn’t bring enough money with her.

[Finnie]

The clerk nodded her head, perhaps to Tali'yae's delight.

"In fact we do have other instruments to teach. We've a new per diem instructor from Natura-- he is quite skilled with musical instruments. His name is Cheit Gwener, a prodigy of music, so he claims, but I've heard him play the flute, the lute, the ocarina, the harp-- very dreamy." A twinkle flashed in the clerk's pretty eyes.

"As it is during the time of the festival of dragons, he will be teaching ten crown lessons, each lesson for ten crowns. For instance, basic instrument takes five to seven lessons to learn, that will be fifty to seventy crowns. I think Cheit is in the gardens right now, so if you just sign your name and put a deposit on the lesson, I can take you to see Cheit."

[Tali'yae Katrna]

It looked like she was in luck. Another music teacher had arrived recently. Tali’yae’s delight was clear on her face. The money would be a problem but everything else was looking good. “I’ll make the deposit and sign.” Tali’yae answered. “I’m sure there’ll be something he can teach me.” Tali’yae went through the procedure of signing her name and handing over the deposit. She had brought enough money with her to pay for a few things, but she’d be relying on her new job to help pay for anything else.

“Is that all?” She asked when she finished. If so, then Tali’yae would let the clerk guide her to this musician. She wanted to meet him and see what he had to offer. As well as see what kind of person he was. She was curious about other things, but they’d all be clear when she met them.

[Finnie]

The clerk received the crowns and took Tali to the gardens of the school, a fine garden unmarked by the storms of summer. Verdant grass felt crisp beneath the soles of their feet and soft music reached their ears. The clerk sighed and then left Tali alone with Cheit, a handsome young fellow with his eyes closed as he played a violin. Birds even flew to the gardens to perch upon a tree's welcoming limb to listen for a while as he played. Cheit's dark hair was swept back and it fell to the nape of his neck. He wore a dark blue shirt and black trousers. The song, one of melancholy, finished and only then did Cheit open his eyes, revealing two stunning dark blue orbs that seemed to stare into one's soul.

"Serale." He placed the violin on a stone bench. "Who might you be?" he asked with a drawl, a soft smile curling his lips.

[Tali'yae Katrna]

She was shown to a garden in which the young musician was playing. Tali’yae was instantly pleased with the beautiful tune he was creating from his violin. She longed to learn how to play an instrument that could produce such a beautiful sound. She had her voice and the flute which she could make music with, but neither sounded like the violin. Tali’yae took in her surroundings, which seemed infinitely more beautiful when accompanied by the music. The musician came into sight and Tali’yae’s heart jumped for a second. Not only was his music beautiful, so we he.

She regained her normal calm before he open his eyes. She gave him a smile when he started speaking. He spoke slightly weird, but Tali’yae didn’t mind. “Tali’yae,” she answered softly, “I’m here to learn an instrument from you.” She didn’t want to destroy the feeling his song left. She approached him, getting a little closer than she would to most others. “In fact, I think I’d like to learn that one.” She continued, “The music you created was beautiful, and I’m quite attracted to beautiful things.” She looked up into his eyes with her own exotic ones. Telera were known to seduce people from the land, and Tali’yae was no different, she just didn’t do it as often as most would.

[Finnie]

Cheit closed the space between the two and stared into the theylri's alluring eyes before he smiled and said, "As I am, attracted to beautiful creations. One with a beautiful heart, and such beautiful eyes can only create beautiful music." He handed her the violin.

"All my students, Tali'yae, first create music on their own, hearing the sounds they create before I teach. Let me show you how to hold a violin first."

He helped her hold it parallel with the floor, angled to the left atop the spot behind her left clavicle.

"Here is where you rest your jaw and chin." He pointed at the chin rest on his violin. "How does it feel?"

Then he showed her how to hold the bow.

"See my hand? It is relaxed and my wrist faces the left, my fingers relaxed. Bend the thumb and see how my fingers curve over the top of the bow stick? My middle finger is opposite of the thumb. Now you try." He handed her the bow stick, his fingers brushing against her soft hand.

[Tali'yae Katrna]

She didn’t complain when he got closer, even though she might of under different circumstance. She looked up into his eyes as he spoke, half letting herself get taken by them. His words were fairly sweet, but it wasn’t like he was the first to say something like that to her, or that she didn’t expect him to do so. She only gave a smile in response. She didn’t want to look like he had control of her, even if she was letting him do whatever he wanted.

She was listening to him as he explained and quickly enough she was holding the violin as he instructed. “It feels good.” She answered in a soft voice. She didn’t waste all her focus on him. More than she wanted him she wanted to learn this instrument. Luckily for her, if she was a good student it would probably serve her other purpose. She had let him position the instrument properly on her body and she tried to keep a mental note of how it should be. All the time keeping her eyes fixed on him with a smile on her lips.

As for the bow he gave a demonstration. She listened intently to what he said and took note of how he was holding it. There was a moment’s contact when he passed the bow to her. It only just registered with her. She’d prefer more if he was willing, but probably not at the moment. She took the bow and copied what he had shown her before. She showed him the imitation and waited for his okay before she would start trying to play even though it would probably be horrible.

[Finnie]

Cheit smiled before he shook his head. "Tali'yae, your form you have imitated correctly but I do not want you to imitate the sound, I wish for you to create your own sound. Feel the music, feel the strings create the fluid sounds. Once you feel it, you will create music from your heart."

He took the bow and the violin from her and then played her a soft tune, eyes closed, showing how music straight from his heart.

"Try again Tali."

Then he would teach her some notes before he allowed her to practice, taking her to a closed room inside the Universitas where there was a white piano for him to play.

"Try to match these sounds," and he played a note.