Exploring new interrests (bardic guild)|Skyheort

[Northen Light36]

Bas glanced nervously over her shoulder as she crept into the Bardic guild. She wasn't sure if she was allowed here or not, but her curiousity had gotten the better of her.

Pas and Aries were having their fighting lessons, which Bas wasn't even allowed to watch at the moment, and she hadn't really felt like playing with her younger siblings or cousins. This had left Bas at something of a loose end until she'd thought of the Bard guild.

She loved listening to the bards, but today she wanted to do more then just listen. It didn't look hard to make music and it seemed like fun... And surely, no one would mind if she just borrowed an old instrument to play with when Aries and Pas had their lessons. She'd put it back when she could learn to fight again.

Finally finding the few beginner instruments stored at the guild, Bas smiled and took down a recorder. This didn't look hard at all, and there was no one's name on it. Pleased, Bas glanced around then, not seeing anyone, blew into the recorder to see what it sounded like.

[Darastrix]

Cass was making her way down the hall, when a noise like an asthmatic songbird coming from a nearby storage rooms caught her attention. Now who's getting in things this time? she wondered as she backtracked to the room.

It wasn't an uncommon occurrence; younger students would occasionally slip into the room to try to play one of the other instruments, either from storage or from their fellow bards. And others who were still shy about their playing would creep into closets and the like to practice. Of course, they were heard more easily there than if they'd gone on to the practice rooms. Those rooms were made to keep sound inside. Closets weren't.

The maestra poked her head into the room and raised her brows at what she saw. "Well, you're not one of my usual students," she said, pushing the door open further to lean against the door frame. "What are you up to today, Bas?"

[Northen Light36]

At the sound of her aunt's voice Bas spun around, her eyes wide with surprise, guilt and alarm as she tried to hide the recorder behind her back. "N-nothing, Aunt Cass," she replied hastily.

Suddenly she was sure she wasn't allowed here and now she was going to be in even more trouble. Part of her wanted to try putting the recorder back without Cass seeing, but another part of her wanted to keep it more then almost anything else she'd ever had. After a second she decided to be as honest as possible and hope for the best. "I just wanted to try it, Aunt Cass," she said softly, holding out the recorder. "And no one's name was on it so I thought it'd be all right... I didn't mean to break a rule or anything... Am I in trouble?"

The little girl swallowed hard and bit her lip in an attempt not to cry as she murmured, "Please don't tell Muma and Daddy? Please? They're mad at me already..."

[Darastrix]

Cass pushed away from the door and made her way over to Bas, drawing her wings back as she knelt to be on the child’s level. “You’re not in trouble, Bas,” she told her, and reached out a hand to smooth back her hair. “You’re not even the first person I’ve caught doing the exact same thing. And I’m going to tell you the same thing I tell the students I catch in here: these instruments are here to be used. You just have to ask.”

She tilted her head for a moment. “Now, I know the trouble that you and Spice got into, and I’m not going to keep either of you from coming here to learn music, if that’s what you want. But.” Cass held up a finger and tapped her lightly on the nose. “You’ll have to ask your parents if you can. If they say no, for whatever reason, I am going to respect their wishes. Okay?”

[Northen Light36]

Bas looked up, hardly daring to believe that she might be allowed to learn. "I do want to learn," she told Cass, smiling at her aunt in joy. "I'll ask them, I promise. I'll go ask right now." She lunged forward to hug Cass tightly for a moment, then dashed out the door - forgetting that she still was holding the recorder.

It didn't take her long to return, practically glowing with excitement as she just about dragged a somewhat amused looking Acqua into Cass' office. "Muma said I could learn," Bas annouced.

"I said maybe," Acqua replied, shooting Cass an appologetic look for the intrusion. "Cass, how much would lessons for her cost? And are you sure you want to have to put up with her boundless energy?" She grinned as Bas pulled her face at the teasing.

"I'll be good, I promise," the little girl swore.

[Darastrix]

Cass gave a light laugh and removed her glasses, setting them on top of the ledger she’d put aside. “I’ve been dealing with children and their ‘boundless energy’ for far longer than you’ve had your own,” she reminded Acqua.

She leaned forward and rested her elbows on the desk top, lacing her fingers together to cradle her chin. “As for cost, well, she’s not living here, and I’m pretty sure you’re not going to make her into a full apprentice at this point or even what we rate as a part-time student, so it’s not going to be a great deal. I don’t know how often you might have in mind for her to come, but we do have a class available every afternoon for beginners—it’s one copper per lesson, but needless to say, there’s nobody who shows up every day.”

If anyone did that, they’d pay more than they would per year as a full guild bard.

[Northen Light36]

Acqua considered that as she glances at her daughter. "You really want to do this, Bas?"

"Yes Muma," Bas replies. "Please can I? Please? I want to come every day."

Acqua chuckled at that. "I think you'll find every day is a bit much, Bas," she replied then looked at Cass. "What would you consider reasonable? Two lessons a week?"

[Darastrix]

Cass nodded. "That sounds just fine. You can pick which days she comes, since, like I said, the class is every day. Now, who runs it changes from time to time; most of the people who teach are guild bards, so they have performance engagements sometimes, myself included."

[Northen Light36]

"Can I have my first lesson today? Please?" Bas asked, looking up at her mother and aunt eagerly.

"Well, it'll keep you out of trouble, I guess," Acqua remarked and drew two coppers out of her coin bag. "Here Cass, I'll just pay for this week's lessons now." She grins. "I really should get back to the merc guild before Amaro strangles one of the boys."