She yawned and stretched her arms and wings. "Rykki, come on now. We'll be late," called Raptre from the greeting room. She could hear him fumbling with his armor straps and buckles. On her way to class, Raptre usually escorted her but today was different. Not only would he escort her, he'd also stay for her first class, her music class.
Rykki tugged at the pleats in her skirt then gave them a test twirl. When they flared about her thighs like an umbrella she was satisfied. The angelus demon then shifted the shadow plane to the physical and melted through the wall seperating the bathing room and Tessei's room.
"Runt, get out of my room!" Tessei stood glaring at her, a towel over his bare shoulders.
Rykki glared back with disgust. "Aren't you going to be late? Maybe you shouldn't be worried about me. I'm not half naked."
"That's right, you puss worm. You're all dressed up. Good for you." He tossed the towel at her and picked up a shirt. He still had his black wings tucked behind him. "However, Mr. L'Sarithe has so graciously allowed me to run errands before I report to the castle. You, my pest, have class in-" He cast his eyes to a simple wooden clock. "Less then thirty minutes.You have such a meager time to make it across town."
Rykki, holding his nasty, damp towel was not inclined to believe the griffon but with a glance at the clock, his words were told true. "OH NO!" She left the room in a hurry and grabbed up her booksack from beside the kitchen table.
"Raptre! Hurry up! We'll be late!!" She whined. Raptre looked up from his paper and smiled. "Don't smile. RUN!" Rykki grabbed his wrist and started tugging.
"Whoa! We won't be that late." Raptre stood up, nonetheless, and grabbed his lute from the seat beside him.
"Yes, we will! Tessei's clock says we only have about thirty minutes."
Raptre walked to the door calmly and opened it. "Yes but Tessei's clock is always fast. He does that so he wakes up early."
Rykki blinked a few times to take in this new information. So he had lied. He was a big liar and Rykki intended to tell him....later....and in the form of a cruel punishment worthy of the mighty angelus. She smiled demurely up at Raptre. "Right, I understand. Can we go?"
He nodded and stroked her hair. "Sure. Oh, and don't go doing anything to Tefah that will make him angry, hm?" Rykki nodded. Angry wasn't a good enough punishment. She'd make him suffer-oh yes-and lose all the ugly black feathers in his wings, the big chicken.
There were cabs and carriages that ran all across Doma Capital but Raptre preferred walking. He took pleasure in experiencing the busy city life and melody of the people. It was much like his Yutopia of days gone and dead. The only feature missing were the large bodies of dragons and griffons and the weaving of the flyers in the sky.
Sighing, Raptre closed his eyes and hummed the song that he would play for Rykki's class today. She looked up at him, first marvelling how he didn't manage to run into anyone or thing, then at how sweet a voice he had. No one sang so lovely in UnderRealm. Not for pleasure did the demons sing, but for deception and pain. Yet the lure of Raptre's soft hum was more powerful than the banshea's fatal lullaby.
Catherine Claire's Primary School was once an old apartment building. Four floors, forty classrooms, and a schoolyard, it was the closest school to her home though it was an hour walk and twenty minute carriage ride. Already she recognized a few of the students in her grade and homeroom. Consequently, her first class was taught by her homeroom teacher, Mr. Black, so she didn't have to trek to another room after roll.
The class room filled quickly after they arrived. Raptre took a spot on the wall, getting a few awed looks from the students. He smiled amicably but said nothing. Mr. Black, a thin but solid man with a thick Baron accent, took roll and went over a few things then dismissed the class for first period after the bell tolled.
Rykki looked over at Raptre and grinned. He waved back as the first students were filing in and taking their places. The assignment was bring in examples of different kinds of music and perform them or give a presentation. One boy had a zither from Therney, another boy, a nekojin had a shamisen, and a few others had brought music boxes or something but no one, NO ONE bought a bard. Rykki swelled with over achiever's pride.
"Well, look at all the interesting things that we have today...Who want's to go first?" A few hands shot up quickly. Rykki wanted to but something stopped her, told her to wait.
The boy with the zither approached the front and gave a brief presentation before plucking a few lines of the Doman Royal Anthem. Everyone clapped graciously and he stepped down. Again Rykki was not among the crowd of anxious students. She waited.
The class was slowly drawing to a close and still Rykki had made no motion to volunteer. "Well, is that everyone?" The class looked at each other. Rykki gulped and raised her hand cautiously, she was the criminal, the guilty party. "Ah, Ms. L'Sarithe. Are you and your guest ready?"
Rykki looked at Raptre and then to Mr. Black. Her voiced was on a potty break for it had left the classroom and not yet returned to her. Ah well, a simple nod seemed to please Mr. Black. She stood up and went to the front of the class. Raptre made his way to her pulling up a stool and layins his lute across his lap.
".......Aaaaaah...." Rykki gulped again. What was taking so long? Surely a voice didn't have to do much. She turned around. Raptre began to tune his white pine lute with kirin mane strings. The sound was heavenly.
"Rykki?" Mr. Black was looking at her. Everyone was. What a time to get stage fright.
"Look, the little boil mouse, is scared," she heard Tessei voice sayin in her mind. She clutched her fist and bonked the voice on the head. I am not scared, you festering nasty river rat!
"Yeah, okey dokey! This is my big brother, Raptre. He's a knight for Dom but he wasn't born in Doma. My big brother is a dracogriff. His mom was a griffon and his dad was a dragon." A few eyes widened. "He was born 121 years ago in Yutopia, Solasia. That's somewhere up north. He promised to sing a song from Solasia for me." She grinned and skittered back to her seat. "Hit it, Raptre!"
Raptre chuckled and began strumming a soft melody on the strings. First, it was high, like a chittering bird. Quick but not frenzied, a chickadee flitting from branch to branch. Then he got lower, a soft wind hunting through the trees. It was a forest scene. How could it be anything else?
Then...he sang:
Soe saa ka er
Soe lum ka baan
Tutu la ka damaer
Ha ra to la ka saman
Soe saa ka er
Soe saa ka er
Wi yoala ka tres
Wi tuna ka tres
Ganban Saa Ruk
Saa ruk ka saman
Doye mon te ka uk
Toyo toyo uu jan
"Ah, there's more to it but it's really long and that's the best part, I think," Raptre smiled sheepishly. A curly-haired girl raised her hand. "Um...yes?"
"What language was that?"
"Griffonic. It's what the griffon's use in elven form." Another student raised a hand. "And you, sir?"
"What does it mean?"
"Well, I can sing it common, if you'd like..." He was bet with a chorus of "yes' and "yay".
She was marvelous
She sung so fair
But her song was ending
Over and away she flew
She was marvelous
She was marvelous
Life's step is faulty
Life's rhyme is faulty
She was called Saa Ruk
Saa ruk did fly
And I call out all night
My heart, my heart sad wander
A little girl sighed and looked dreamily at Raptre. "That's so....roooomaaaantiiiic." The other children giggled but all the girls had their eyes fixated on young bard in front of them.
"Very nice, Rykki, Mr. Raptre." The bell tolled. "Ah, tomorrow bring your recorders! You're presentations were all very nice." The students began to leave, girls giggling as they passed by Raptre.
Rykki, all grins and glory, stopped at the door, with Raptre. "Raptre....will you sing me the entire song...tonight?"
"Of course I will but a love, the tragedy, of Saa Ruk you may not understand until you're heart's been broken."
"Broken?"
Raptre looked down and put a hand on her head. "Yes, you will not know love until you're heart has lost it."
"Oh.......So you'll sing it?"
"I'll sing it. No run on." He kissed on the top of the head and walked away his lute on his shoulder. He hummed the ballad as he left.
"....But...does that mean your heart's been broken, Raptre?" <p>
Words to live by:
OMG PRIAM: ninja sex would be neither felt nor seen by either partner
OMG PRIAM: each would just suddenly need a smoke</p>Edited by: [url=http://pub30.ezboard.com/brpgww60462.showUserPublicProfile?gid=nekogami>Nekogami</A]
at: 11/14/02 11:36:21 pm
Rum, White Magic, an' Cabbits. That's th' life fer me. 
</p>
<p><div style="text-align:center">
at: 6/10/05 17:42
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