[NRPG: I forgot to up date my mailing list, so I'm sending this out again so
everybody gets it.  Sorry :(   Susan it doesn't matter which one you
archive, they're both exactly the same. ]

Inagua sneaked into the dining hall, hoping to avoid notice.  It was crowded
in there, which in her opinion was a good thing so long as the crowd's
attention wasn't focused on her.  Expertly, she blended into the crowd,
hoping to hide in them.

Before she had sent her siblings to get cleaned up for the party, they had
some how managed to weedle a promise out of her.  She had promised them
she'd sing a duet with Yechur while Yelia played the flute.  She must have
lost her wits when that thug had hit her over the head.

Her stomach noisily reminded her that she hadn't eaten all day.
Unobtrusively, Inagua started making her way to the food, only to have her
stomach tie itself up in knots as a hand touched her shoulder.

Gasping with surprise, she turned around and snatched a quick look at
H'nin's face before looking at his knees again.

"Oh, its only you, H'nin," she muttered to the ground.

"Did I startle you, Inagua?  Sorry, about that," he apologised.  "Do you
want to dance?"

She almost said no when she realized that this was a way to get out of her
promise to the twins.  All she had to say was that she was dancing and that
she'd do it later.  If she kept it up long enough, she'd have to go take
care of Myacura before she'd have to sing.  One problem, she didn't know how
to dance.

"I don't know how," Inagua admitted.  "No one's ever asked me to dance before."

H'nin tilted her chin up till her eyes met his very amused hazel ones.
"Consider yourself asked."  She started to protest but her interupted her.
"It isn't hard, I'll teach you.   Its about time you learned any way."

H'nin swept her off onto the dance floor and slowly ran her through a couple
dances.  Surprisingly, once she got the hang of it she started to enjoy
herself.  It was really similar to picking pockets, except with dancing you
had the other person's cooperation.

The arrival of the twins, abruptly ended her good mood.  For some reason,
she had the horrible feeling that her plan wouldn't get her out of a
performance tonight.

"May I help you?" H'nin asked the twins, not recognizing them.

"We're Inagua's siblings.  We'll only be a moment," Yechur said with an
absent smile.

"Are you going to sing now, Inagua?" Yelia asked with false innocence.

"You did promise us you would.  Yelia is all warmed up, so we can do it
now." Yechur added in the same guiless tone.

"You sing, Inagua?" H'nin asked with a bit of amazement.

Grinding her teeth in frustration, Inagua only nodded in reply.

"Well, don't let me keep you.  I look forward to hearing you."  He smiled,
but Inagua was so busy contemplating the floor that she didn't notice.  Only
when he was gone did she look up.

"That was rude you two," Inagua said sternly.

"How else were we supposed to get you to keep your promise?" Yechur said
impishly.

"We know you too well, Iggy," Yelia added.

"Fine!" Inagua agreed frustratedly.  "I'll do it.  What are we singing by
the way?"

"'Lia's most recent creation," Yechur said, causing his sister to blush
slightly.

"Oh no, I'm not going to be featured, not in this life time anyway," Inagua
started backing up.  The twins, who weren't about to let that happen,
grabbed her arms and started dragging her towards the musicians.

About half way there, Inagua decided that protesting wouldn't do her any
good and resigned herself to the fact that she was going to sing, whether
she wanted to or not.  She started humming under her breath, warming up.  If
she was going to go through with this charade, she might as well do a good
job of it.

"Did you ask the players if this was all right, 'Lia?" Inagua whispered,
hoping that she might still get out of this yet.

"Yes, they said they wouldn't mind at all and would appreciate a break."

Yelia picked up her flute, and started warming up softly.  Yechur picked up
his lute, rechecked the tuning on it with Yelia, and started warming up his
voice with Inagua, the two of them softly going over the more tricky parts
in the song.  The musicians finished their song, and one of them nodded at
the trio.

The three of them turned around, facing the crowd.  Yelia played a long low
note; Yechur added his lute in a rippling run.  The flute started moving
into the melody and Yechur's lovely soprano voice sang with it in a eiry
counter part, while the lute settled into the background.

Shutting out the crowd entirely, Inagua calmed the butterflies in her
stomach, and waited for her entrance.  The pair of them came out of the high
reaches slowly, until Yelia was playing the lowest note on the flute with
Yehcur matching her pitch for pitch.  Inagua added her own voice and, for a
moment, there was total unity before it split and Inagua took the melody.


                                  Rumbles echo off the Bull
                                  Crystal trees shift and sigh,
                                  Along the river, mercath glance
                                  Towards the clear blue sky.

                                  Warren dragons swoop and soar
                                  Against the dreaded wraith.
                                  Risking their lives with every dive
                                  So we may live to laugh.

                                  In the shadow of Carnos
                                  Wraiths fly free in the air.
                                  They are nothing but specs, says I, 
                                  Compared to the Bulls ire...

With her eyes closed, the music made her forget there was a crowd or even a
building hunkering under the cold fist of winter around her.  She remembered
summer, a hot, sunny day with a gentle breeze carrying the sounds of singing
to the field hands.  They would always stop and listen, some even waved at
the cart slowly going down the road with three children singing to pay for
their ride.

The song slowly ended, until there was only the flute.  Inagua's pleasant
memory faded.  When the flute was silent, Inagua opened her eyes.

NRPG: Sorry for the horrible lyrics : )  Tag everyone, I guess.  Happy
Valentine's Day!  Hugs and kisses to everybody ; )

Submitted by Bridget Olson
Inagua/Myacura *Geode*
Dyanisa/Sienra *Daere*
Nalin/Trefoil *Whiteriver*
N'dovra Leriamtiq *Ralengarde*

"But I'm a freak!"
"Aren't we all?"