[Video]

[songbird_slayer]

...Excellent! My Lady, it's ready!

[The interior of a sparsely-decorated room flickers to life over the feed, and it's immediately apparent that the room belonged to one of the newcomers pulled fresh from the Dream Width, and someone is playing some sort of music. But as someone hoists up the slate and swings it to the right, the figure seated in the chair is currently occupied.

Ring-covered fingers are strumming the strings of something guitar-like, and the figure is rather lost in it, singing nothing in particular. This goes on for about ten seconds.]

Ahem... Lady Madhuri?

[The figure sits up a little taller with a start, eyes fluttering open. The music resumed as she continued to strum, but the smile was sheepish as her eyes turned to the screen.]

Oh. Oh! Yes, thank you. I'm sorry, my instruments seem to have been left behind in the last jump. Makes a bard's fingers itchy. This loaner suits me nicely until I pay this world's bard college a visit.

[With a flourish, she raised a hand and wiggled her fingers in greeting.]

Good afternoon. I am Madhuri, a bard and a dancer by trade. I found myself curious, so I had to cut the ribbon on this little network as it were and pose a question:

Where are you from? What's your tale? ...Of what you're comfortable sharing, of course. Perhaps this can grant the opportunity to build a little bit of a... a... ohh, what's the word- rapport! Yes. A rapport.

Tell me tales of adventure, of victories and defeats, of loves won and loves lost! Perhaps I'll create a song out of a few, and it will be a little gift. Free, of course. Unless of course you're willing to tip.

[She pulled her feathered cap from atop her head and gave it a tip.]

That's all from me. Enjoy your day. For those of you still panicking about your situation? Breathe, dear. In and out. It'll be alright. Find friends and hold them dear.

Bye-bye~

Comments

[mech_and_mutt]

Tarokka cards? Aren't those the ones with the goofy pictures that you see fortune tellers throwing around?

[That you can't get a decent game going with, either?]

Those are actually magical?

[songbird_slayer]

Those exact ones!

Well, yes. Of course! There is a power in divination, you know.

[mech_and_mutt]

...But they don't really curse people who don't leave tips, right?

[songbird_slayer]

...I wonder, Red.

[mech_and_mutt]

[...There's a moment's pause before he happily changes the subject.]

So you use those things to teleport? How's that work? Are you askin' them for directions?

[songbird_slayer]

Something like that. It's a ritual that takes a few ingredients and a little time. It's something I can't perform lightly.

I'll see if I can't procure them here and see what I can do. But this place is far too marvelous for me to be so hasty just yet!

[mech_and_mutt]

How would you? Aren't they magic? You can't just get that kinda thing at a corner store--

[...He blinks, self-consciously biting down on the bone in his mouth.] ...swear I had this talk already.

Lotta people are gonna ask you for a ride if that happens, y'know.

[songbird_slayer]

I'm sure there will be. I can only take so many with me at a time, my max being four bodies total. After which, I will require some rest from the jump.

Should it work, it will be... a task... to get home the hordes of folk whom I bet will want an exit door.

[mech_and_mutt]

You kiddin'? You'd be in and out of here for years if you tried to get 'em all. Hopefully people would be happy enough just knowin' there is a way to do it. Maybe you could teach it to some'a the wizards here.

Speakin' of, you check out those job brochures?

[songbird_slayer]

Oh, I have! I have some ideas... White Mage, for one. I've never really dabbled in healing, but in my experience, few people like to stick to the back and help others. Everyone wants to go in and smash, right?

I think my MO is simply to be as handy as possible. So we'll see what there is to offer here.

[mech_and_mutt]

Darn right. I know I'll be at the front breakin' faces, so it's good to know I'll have people like you watchin' my back.

S'it what you wanna do, though?... Bein' useful is nice and all, but you gotta have a say in it yourself, right?

[songbird_slayer]

Oh, I'd never do something I didn't wish to, dear. Perhaps I'll Black Mage and throw some fire hither and thither, but until then I'd like to maximize my utility.

Besides, it's the excuse to whip together a saucy outfit.

[mech_and_mutt]

[...Hither and thither?]

A saucy outfit? None'a the uniforms I saw looked too... y'know, showy.

[songbird_slayer]

That's why I'd make one, silly! So long as it fits the armor class specifications to keep from causing any sort of wardrobe-based spellcasting issues, I think doing it in your own style's just fine, wouldn't you think?