The Home of Zou, Mentor and Musician

[Zou]

The child was petulant. Arrogant, even. She had no will to learn theory. No, this one was an adventurer, one who would make grave mistakes in life, suffer pain, and perhaps learn better than any of them in the end. Zou rubbed his brow and attempted once more to get the girlchild to focus. As he spoke, his violet eyes bore a twinkle, and a crooked smile creased his face.

"Yes, Wrynn, I understand that you would rather improvise than learn the math, but think of it this way: the rules of melody are far easier to break once you actually know them."

The girl liked this logic, and for a time, there was peace as he explained to her the
perfection of octaves, and all that could fall between them. "You see, Wrynn, any note is allowed, as long as the right notes come before and after it. Picking notes is an art, and if you are determined to defy the rules, you must know exactly what you are doing, what you are expressing with your fingers."

Zou eyed the girl's instrument. He himself had crafted the many-stringed Si for Wrynn four years ago, and he had watched her admirable progress with it, party fueled by, and partly hindered by, her strong and independent spirit. The instrument was more beautiful than his own Si, which he had made a long time ago, and for a moment, he coveted the newer, smoother one in his thoughts.

Soon enough, Wrynn's mother was at the door, and he smiled in greeting, bowing slightly and inviting her to cross the threshold into his little one-room abode. Zou kept a tidy place in the northwest corner of Marn's residential district. His clay dinnerware was sparse and crude, yet not unclean or primitive. He had crafted four simple, wooden, L-shaped shelves to fit in the high corners of his house, one section for academic volumes, one for music books, one for storybooks, and one above his cot, which only a select few students were allowed to browse. This one held his books on magical theory and craft.

In the center of the ceiling was a rollback tarp, so that, during fair weather, he could allow the sun through, or stargaze at night. And it was nearly always fair weather above his little house, when he wished it to be...

So it was today that, while the wind blew outside, and the rain sputtered across the doorsteps of the neighbourhood, Zou was able to pull up a chair in the sunlight for the mother of his charge, and offer her a bracing cup of ginger tea. The rather attractive, dark-haired woman accepted gracefully, and, being well aware of Zou's missing parts, thought nothing of the way their arms touched when he gently maneuvered the chair under her.

"How has she been today, Zou?" The question was asked brightly enough, if not with a mild note of apprehension. Although she trusted in Zou's skill and patience as an instructor, she knew all too well how difficult her daughter could be.

Zou glanced over at Wrynn to make sure she was not listening. He sipped his tea and answered calmly, with a sly wink. "A man once said, 'diplomacy is the delicate art of letting someone else have your way.' You shall have an easy job making sure she keeps up with her scales, now that she feels she has invented most of them herself."

Wrynn's mother laughed at this, and glanced around the place, wondering for the fortieth time how Zou managed to drink hot tea. 'Surely the steam must boil his eyes?' she thought. She and Wrynn had long since gotten used to his countenance, which all found frightening until they heard his gentle voice emerge from behind it. 'How does one live with only bare and hollow skull in the center of one's face?' She looked away in embarrassment for the fortieth time when Zou caught her staring. He smiled and pretended not to notice.

Having finished their tea, they exchanged final pleasantries, and the mother and daughter made their exit, leaving Zou to rest for the evening. He shut the door, and moved the table away from the center of the room. Underneath it was a drain, which he had constructed himself. Its pipe ran beneath his stilted house and ended in the narrow, high patch of grass that grew tightly between his wall and that of his neighbour. Removing his flowing black robe, he stood under the skylight, and looked upwards. From his temples came forth two great, long horns, lunging straight up into the sky, and curving sharply all the way, like a spiral staircase or a corkscrew. Flashes of energy passed between them, and Zou went into a deep state of mental focus.

Soon, the small hole in the clouds that he had afforded himself for his own comfort and the comfort of his guests was swallowed up by the surrounding rainstorm. The sun disappeared, and Zou felt the patter of rain on his face. He stood under his skylight, washing himself thoroughly, until he felt clean, and then he pulled on a cord of rope hanging from the ceiling, and the gray sky was soon blocked off by a rounded tarp. He took a moment to dry, and then began carrying out the menial evening tasks of cleaning his dinnerware and washing his robe.

A few moments later, and he was relaxing in his chair. The storm had settled to a gentle drizzle of its own accord, and he pondered going to the tavern for an evening of good cheer.

[Zou]

It did not take him long to make up his mind, and he was out the door after only a few pages of light reading, careful to lock it behind him before setting out eastward down the block. Soon, to his left, he could see the upper floors of the school rising above the houses of his street. Perhaps it was time to consider applying for a job there...

The way was empty, only the odd pair of lovers, lone walker, or bum keeping to the streets at this gentle twilight hour. Navigating the streets was therefore easy. Another five minutes, and he would be on Main Street, approaching the tavern.

http://www.tharshaddin.com/rp/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=1707

[Zou]

Zou, Jaspen, and Aura continue from here:

http://www.tharshaddin.com/rp/viewtopic ... a&start=60

"If we're going, we need to go now."

Zou heeded Aura's words with a surreptitious glance at the approaching strangers, and nodded swiftly. Gathering his robes around him, he motioned for them to follow him down a side street heading south. It was well-populated, for a side street; the hour was late, and merrymakers were drifting haphazardly to their beds. Two blocks down, and they would take a westward turn. From there, it was a straight line to Zou's home.

[Jaspenellar]

Lo'en strolled aimably behind the gentlemanly scholar and the young girl. Aura had a nervous, skittish motion to her carriage, while Zou seemed to have fully regained his calm, composed demeanor, perhaps brought on by the prospect of the security in the familiarity of home. Menacing words drifted their direction, though not directed at the trio, and Lo'en kept her easy, unhurried stride, her pointed ears perking as only indication that she heard anything at all. Her general presumption was that running or constantly looking over one's shoulder would only attract the attention- people generally operating the same as predators, tending to investigate sudden or nervous movement.

She took the opportunity to look about her, unsure if she would remember the streets. Everything seemed to blend together, so many buildings, close together in a density she'd seen briefly only two other occassions in her past five years of travelling. The air felt stifled to her, and the half-elf looked up at the sky briefly to ensure it was still there. There was no hitch in her step, but her grey eyes clouded over briefly at the thought of spending overly long time in this city. Something had pulled her here, something as undeniable as the tug of wanderlust on her heart, but Lo'en felt it wasn't the same pull. Shrugging to herself, feeling a touch embaressed at her own musings, she tried to focus again on their navigation to Zou's house.

[Aura Thesin]

With a last glance at the rowdy bunch behind them, Aura turned and quickly followed after. She didn't move any differently than she normally did, the only difference was a slightly faster pace with shortened steps. She didn't want to overtake her companions, but she also didn't wish to be left behind.

Slipping between Lo'en and Zou, she allowed Zou to lead them to his place. Minutes passed, and Aura's nervousness decreased enough that she was able to speak again, without an embarrassing quiver to her words. She couldn't remember the route they had taken so far, as fear had caused her to block out bits and pieces of the travel to Zou's house. With the decreasing of the nervousness, Aura began to feel just how tired she was.

As she was about to ask how long they were going to be, Zou stopped. Aura looked around and asked, "This is it? We're here?"

[Zou]

The walk was short indeed. A combination of alcohol and mild fear made Zou's legs run quicker than his mind, and before he knew it, they were at his door.

"This is it? We're here?"

"Indeed we are, madam, and this is, sadly, it." He stumbled a little as he spoke, and gave a rueful smile as he fumbled about his robes. His coins jingled spastically, and he nearly fell over twice before managing to withdraw the skeleton key that corresponded with his front door.

It was a slightly longer process getting the key in the door, and he hunched over the threshold, deep in concentration. The shadows of night danced around the lock, and stretched and swayed in step with the key's addled movements. He was far more inebriated than he thought he was. His blood had been jogged by the walk over, and the alcohol was strengthening in effect.

Finally, the door was unlocked, and Zou groped his way inside, muttering something about just going to arrange some light. A few seconds later, candlelight licked the walls of a well-kept, cozy and spacious one-room house. He rolled back a tarp in the center of the ceiling, revealing a square of night sky clear and deep, about three by three feet. He had the gleam in his gentle, violet eye that he always got when about to conduct an academic experiment.

"Make yourselves comfortable, my friends. I will put some tea on, and then, while the water boils, we can get to the bottom of this." Zou regained some focus in his step as his mind began to ponder and extrapolate, preparing for possible outcomes of his little test. It was as he prepared a small kitchen fire that he remembered the growl that must have plagued the bellies of his guests. He hummed a pretty little tune in a strange, eastern scale as he began milling about the small kitchen space and plucking out ingredients for a soup.

[Jaspenellar]

Lo'en watched wryly as Zou fumbled at his door. She had never had the surplus of money or inclination to drink her senses away, but she had witnessed enough of it to recognize the effects. Still not quite sure what to feel in this situation, she trickled in after Zou and Aura, her grey eyes looking all around the small but cozy room. The half-elf made her inquiry as non-intrusively as possible, looking for any glaringly obvious evidence of goats such as eaten through tie-ropes, or hair-covered rugs, if perhaps he kept one as a pet. Giving a sidelong glance to the young lady, Lo'en remained standing, moving slowly to one side of the room half-way between the kitchen and the doorway.

[Aura Thesin]

Aura waited patiently for Zou to get the door open, head tilted to one side as she listened for any sounds of pursuit. For long moments she heard nothing, and began to fully relax for the first time in weeks. At least she was among ... well, if not friends, at least companions.

Aura followed Zou in, inspecting the place by the candlelight Zou eventually attained. Her gaze fell on a cushioned, comfortable-looking chair, and she crossed to it, taking Zou's advice to get comfortable. She seated herself to wait for Zou to finish in the kitchen, pausing to adjust cushions, then slipping her shoes from her feet so she was bare foot. With a small smile to Lo'en. she pulled her knees up to her chest and rested her bare feet on the seat, wrapping her arms around her legs and hugging them to herself.

She inspected the place more, noting the close, cozy feel, and had to fight off another wave of homesickness. It reminded her of her parents' place.

In an attempt to ignore her homesickness, Aura turned to Lo'en and tried to start conversation. Sleep making her mind a little slow, she blurted out the first thing that came to her, instantly regretting it.

"So, you're an elf?" Immediately after the words were out, she wanted so smack herself.

[Zou]

Within minutes, the water was boiling, and the room was filled with the delicious scent of ginger, eggplant, and saffron. Zou was making a favourite of his, and he hoped, as he continued to hum and stir, that his guests would like it too. He rocked in a tipsy-happy fashion from the balls of his feet to his toes, and back again, as he prepared the meal. Looking over his shoulder, he noticed Lo'en was standing. He motioned her, with a wave of his hand, to a chair opposite Aura's. It was not as plush, but it was perhaps better for one's back...

The ginger and pepper, especially, were wafting up to his brain through his gaping nasal passage, and soothing his drunken stupour into a state of invigoured thought. He took the kettle off the little fire, and proceeded pouring tea into three simple, unassuming clay cups. Two of these he brought to Lo'en and Aura, and then he pulled his small table between the two. He came back with his own tea, his own chair, and a steaming, fragrant pan of tossed vegetables and spices, stewing in a creamy aubergine sauce, and bedecked with homegrown herbs.

Bowls and spoons took a third trip, and cost him a glass. It shattered on the floor by his feet, and he failed to notice. The alcohol was not, it seemed, completely out of his mind, and he nearly stepped in the pile of shards on his return to the table, giggling a little at who knows what. "Please, begin, ladies. You will find it refreshing and cleansing in your pores and breathing. A little specialty I make specifically for warming up my singing students, but I am sure it will suffice for the practical act of eating. I am afraid I had little else in the way of ingredients."

[Jaspenellar]

The half-elf nodded absently to Aura. "Half," she muttered, starting a little at the sound of the glass breaking, keeping her eye on Zou as he bustled back and forth between the sitting room and the kitchen. She had been on her own for about five months now, and small talk was out of practice. Sarcasm and tongue-in-cheek insults were more readily at hand than polite chit-chat but Lo'en did not feel pushed to lash Aura with her tongue quite yet. She sat, not entirely gracefully, in the chair Zou had motioned for her. At this point, her stomach was rumbling and the small vegetative fare that the gentlemen had placed in front of them quickly evaporated any further thought of conversation. Never having been lady-like, the half-elf immediately set upon the food.

[Aura Thesin]

Aura nodded to Lo'en, taking it in. She glanced up briefly at the sound of shattering glass and, seeing that Zou had it under control, offered him a smile as he made his way into the room.

Being somewhat perceptive about people, Aura sensed that Lo'en didn't feel like making small talk, so she contented herself with looking around at the items in Zou's house. She wasn't surprised to see many books, what with Zou being a mentor. She wondered if she would be able to read the script, since she was able to understand much of what was said. It was odd that she had come to another world, and had discovered a place, if less technologically advanced, was much the same as hers. But she began thinking of the things that were different, and the pangs of homesickness hit her again.

It was then that she realized there was food in front of her, and, though having eaten a bowl of unsatisfying stew at the tavern, Aura found herself hungry again at the smell of a home cooked meal.

"Thank you for your hospitality, Zou," she said as she took a spoon and dug in. She smiled over at Lo'en as the half-elf began eating her own food. The first bite was blown on to help it cool, and after swallowing it, she smiled at the taste. "This is good, Zou."

She dug in heartily, as unladylike as Lo'en.

[Zou]

Zou's mind cleared almost instantly as he took the first spoonful, and the ginger wafted up through the hole in his face to light up his mind and invigorate his senses. His eyes instantly lost their bemused sloth, and regained their gentle ardour. He fell upon his food in like manner as his guests, not out of crudeness, but in an effort to make them feel at home. The last thing he wanted to do was embarrass anyone.

"This is good, Zou."

Zou nodded gracefully at the compliment. "I am glad you find it to your satisfaction, Miss Aura. And Lo'en, I trust the food and the tea are to your liking? If there is anything I can get for either of you, please let me know."

He eyed the little square hole in the roof and thought about his little experiment as they ate, but did not speak a word of it. It would be impolite to rush things, he thought to himself. He enjoyed his meal, though not used to eating as fast as the other two, and must have seemed a touch self-satisfied with the fruits of his labours when he wiped his mouth gently on his kerchief.

"Please, help yourselves to more food" he said, indicating the bowl in the center. It was then that he noticed Aura eying his books. "Please feel free to browse them when you are done your meal. As you can see, I have built bookshelves in each corner of the house; one section for academic volumes, one for music books, one for storybooks, and one which, I am afraid, only a select few students are allowed to peruse at leisure. The other three corners are at your disposal."

[Jaspenellar]

Lo'en was not inclined to pass on the offer of more food- when meals were typically trapped measly, bony rodents horribly burned to a crisp along the roadside, a well-cooked dinner was a nice change and not one to ignore. The half-elf unceremoniously launched herself into the kitchen, taking care to sidestep the broken glass and filled her bowl. Only after she had re-seated herself and shovelled another spoonful of stew into her mouth did it occur that she might have asked if the others had wanted refills. As she eyed the others a little guiltily, she noticed she had wolfed down her bowl before the others had even half emptied theirs. Not sure how to apologize, and halfway not caring or feeling that she should, Lo'en hastily swallowed her mouthful to mutter, "Not eaten all day, travelled most of it t'get 'ere."

[Aura Thesin]

Aura nodded to Zou, offering a smile of appreciation for his allowing her to peruse his books. She was almost finished her meal and watched Lo'en move into the kitchen to retrieve more. Since she had already eaten, though a less satisfying meal than the one she was currently finishing, she was not hungry for seconds. Instead, she stood, dabbing at her mouth with the kerchief Zou had brought for her to use, and headed towards the corner in which he had indicated there were story books.

As she neared, she tilted her head to one side to better read the spines of the books. She found she could read some of what they said, although a few of the letter or symbols were not what she knew from her home. She settled in to read several of the spines while she waited for the others to call her back.

A finger gently traced another spine as she moved deeper into the corner, reading what she could. There were obviously other languages of books here, since there were some titles she couldn't read at all.

Aura turned when she heard Lo'en mutter something about her journey, and began to head back to her seat.

"I appreciate your kind gesture, Zou," Aura said as she settled back into her seat, again drawing her knees up to her chest and wrapping her arms around them, "but I'm willing to bet that you don't make a habit of inviting strange women back to your living quarters."

She smiled at him so he would know it was not a reprimand, merely an observation, before continuing. "As Lo'en mentions, it has been a long journey to reach Marn, for both of us, though we seem to have arrived coincidentally on the same day. I, for one, could use a sleep, but I feel that you have something you wish to ... divulge, I suppose is the correct word."

Aura looked at Zou expectantly, seemingly relaxed, but ready to move should her initial gut feeling to trust this misshapen man prove incorrect.

[Zou]

"Not eaten all day, travelled most of it t'get 'ere."

Zou had just finished his meal, and was wiping his mouth calmly on a kerchief. "Madam, I too know the pangs of starvation all to well to neglect affording you the right to ease your pain. Politeness itself should never overrule its purpose, namely to provide comfort and facilitate friendship."

"As Lo'en mentions, it has been a long journey to reach Marn, for both of us, though we seem to have arrived coincidentally on the same day. I, for one, could use a sleep, but I feel that you have something you wish to ... divulge, I suppose is the correct word."

"Actually, miss, I had hoped that you could tell me something, by way of a little test."

He began cleaning up the bowls and spoons, taking care of the shattered glass with his head bowed low in embarrassment, and then came back to the table. "We shall have to move this table, I do not want it to get rain on it." He pulled open the little sunroof that overlooked the center of the room, revealing a cloudless, starry night. "You see, I have, for as long as I can remember, been able to exert a certain influence over the rain cycles. You, miss, seem to dampen that influence. I wish, for purposes both academic and inquisitive, to know the details and peculiars of this dampening. I would therefore like you to stand across the room from me, over in the kitchen, while I summon some rain. Then, we can test this dampening at different stages of proximity, emotional intensity, and any other parameter we can think of. If you were not aware of this dampening effect yourself, this little endeavour could prove to be a most beneficial use of time and energy for both of us."