Arianne and Matthias

[matthias]

Matthias looked at Arianne as she was blushing. He laughed a little.
"Well!"
He thought for a second. She was nice looking, he thought. He figured that she would be out of his league, though.
"Multi-talented and beautiful." He said thinking aloud.
Wait. He just said that out loud. He kicked himself mentally. He tried to quickly change the subject and erase his previous comment.
"Um.....ah......the stage.....we could go up there and perform....you could make a few silvers...... if you want to, that is....."
Matthias continued to kick himself.

[arianne]

Arianne choked. On what? She wasn't sure, but whatever it was it left her coughing for a few minutes.

Did he just say what she thought he said? Because no one had ever said anything like that to her before. She was Just Arianne. Arianne the farmgirl, who wanted to grow up and sing and join the army - oh yes, Just Arianne had her silly little dreams. Just Arianne was everyone's sister and nobody's girlfriend.

Talented? Beautiful? Not Just Arianne. Just Arianne was "skilled" and "simple". Never beautiful. Never talented.

Her heart did something that felt like a somorsault, but not quite. It felt nice in an odd way.

"Um." she said. "Um. Yes." The stage. Right.

"Yes. The stage. I -" -she coughed, not quite done choking. " - we should. Sing. Um. Yes." She looked up at him and made an attempt at a smile, and it worked, but she ended up blushing more.

[matthias]

"ah.....heh......" He felt like he made a public spectacle out of himself. But since they were about to perform, he readied himself.
He drank his water real quick.
"..........sorry about that. Ready?"
He stood up.

[arianne]

Arianne coughed one last time, then stood up as well. "Yes," she said. She moved to the stage at the front of the room, carrying her instrument.

[matthias]

He stood, ready for the harmonious music to play. Everyone quieted down.

He couldn't help but think, (I hope there aren't any familiar authorities here from different towns.....)

[arianne]

Arianne turned to him and whispered, "How about the song I sang earlier? 'Tonight is the night of the morning of now'? That one?"

[matthias]

"Sure." he replied confidently.

[arianne]

Arianne smiled a small smile as she began the song. This is nice, she thought, subconsciously, not even being able to figure out what she meant by it. "Nice" is the only way she could think to describe it.

She began to sing.

[matthias]

Matthias once again sang, collaborating with Arianne's voice. He remembered the lyrics as clear as day.

"Tonight is the morning
of a sunset after midnight
Where the sky is black
And the sun is bright
And the silent whispers
of yesterday
come for you
for you
Tonight is the night
Of the morning
Of now."

They work pretty well together, he thought.

[arianne]

After she finished the song, holding out the "now" in a way that sounded so spirited compared to her usual wispy voice, her face broke into a huge grin. She leaned over and whispered to Matthias, "Nice job." And she meant it.

[matthias]

Matthias just turned to her and gave her a reassuring smile. He was glad to have helped.

That smile sure suited her looks, he thought.

[Lisha Corr]

THe crowd applauded loudly, cheering. All in all, twenty silvers were dropped into the basket kept there for that reason. They were definitely well-liked.

[arianne]

Arianne looked out over the crowd of people and suddenly felt happy. It was a feeling that overtook her in a warm burst, and everything felt better and the moon shone brighter, and life was wonderful.

Tomorrow life would be its old, cranky self again. But right now things were alright.

[matthias]

Matthias looked at Arinanne. She looked really happy.
Like a ray of sunshine in the winter, he thought.

Then he remembered she still had food coming. He turned to her.
"Still hungry?" he asked.

[arianne]

"Oh." Arianne remembered the food and looked toward the kitchen. Apparently they were all but forgotten as far as the meal went. "No," she decided. "No, I'm fine."

Suddenly a wave of exhausten came over her, and she realized that it was nearly ten o'clock at night, and she had been up since four in the morning. "Just a little tired," she murmured, then smiled. "Would you mind if we left? It's just... been a long day."

Still. The happiness didn't go away.

And Matthias... he was such a nice man. It had been a long time - or at least felt like it - since anyone was that kind to her, especially someone who she had known for such little time. And right now... she needed it. Needed someone to lean on, even if it was just for a few hours.