Complete Eastern Brisshal Song and dance

[Fina Drago]

Just like that, the two girls would disappear from the village, much to the dismay of anyone who hoped the bard would return for another performance before departing. Of course, Vina could have probably quickly returned after she was done trying to teach Fina to dance; however that will go.

Finding themselves in the clearing with a stone that could act both as a place to rest and a stage, the feline would let out a sigh. If nothing else, the area did at least look nice without no one else around. A secluded place that the bard visited before, perhaps? It did seem like a place that would be perfect for some practice. Which, technically speaking, was what they were here for right now.

When asked about a favorite song, Fina could only scratch the back of her head as her mind plunged deep into her memory. Not necessarily because she couldn't remember any songs that she liked, but because she couldn't remember a song that would be easily translatable onto a flute. "I, um… none that you could just play like that, I'm afraid…" Coming up with nothing, she could only offer a slight shrug. That said, being the apparent expert in musical arts that Vina was, she'd probably be able to come up with something fitting on the spot. "I'm… still a bit unsure about this. I meant it when I said that I have absolutely no experience with dancing…"

@Vina Skysong

 

[Vina Skysong]

Whether Vina would return to the village would depend on how the day continued to develop itself. She hadn't expected to come across another Traveler in Honeyhome at this point in time, so she was already improvising what was happening next. That also meant she hadn't any idea how long she'd be spending her time with Fina.

The druid nodded as the feline explained that she couldn't really think of any song that Vina would be able to play on her flute, and also that she really didn't know how to get started with dancing. A part of her wanted to ask whether Fina really never had tried dancing before, but she realized that this might make her friend feel like she was being put on the spot.

I'll just play something upbeat then~ As for having no experience...

She gave Fina a gentle smile.

How about this? I start playing something, and we'll see if it makes you want to move. We are the only two people here, so you can move however you want without having to worry about anyone seeing you. Well, aside from me, and I can close my eyes if it'll make you feel better~

After all, while Vina would like to see Fina dance, she first wanted her friend to feel comfortable doing so. Dancing was an expression of the self, a way to turn your emotions and feelings into movement, and while it could be nice for others to behold Vina didn't want Fina to feel like she was dancing for someone else's sake.

@Fina Drago

 

[Fina Drago]

"I don't think that's going to really work." Fina replied quite bluntly. Sure, she liked listening to music like the other guy, but it wouldn't make her want to move. Especially not in the dance-y kind of way. Instead, this whole situation was making her stiffer than usual. Which was impressive, considering that this was not really even her body that she was using. "Not to mention, telling me to move however I would like just makes me know how to dance even less."

She had seen people dance in videos or during formal events. And it was all, well… strange. Possibly because it always looked good. That was what people would spread. On the other hand, the rest would just be labeled as cringe and laughed at. Bianca was pretty sure of the category that she would fall in. "Ugh, maybe this really was a bad idea. Surely there are plenty of other things we could be doing that would be just as fun?"

@Vina Skysong

 

[Vina Skysong]

Vina tapped her chin with the tip of her flute as Fina explained that she was confident that just giving it a try wasn't going to work. To Vina, just trying was the core of dancing and performing. Sure, there were such things as structures and styles and techniques, but you started out with just figuring out what matched your inner self. Of course, she could hardly keep insisting that Fina just improvise on the spot if the feline weaponmaster wasn't feeling motivated to give it a try, and feeling anxious at the same time. If you were feeling pressured you couldn't move smoothly.

Hmmm... Well, some things come to mind, but I don't think this is the right time for those~

She smirked before putting her flute away and pushing herself up from the rock. The vulpine stepped closer to Fina, her smile bright as she took her friend by the hand.

I'll guide you along until you've got the hang of it, how about that~? Just follow my lead~

Formal dancing wasn't really Vina's forte, but she knew enough about it that she was confident she could guide Fina along. Maybe the feline had a point: formal dancing had strict rules, so if you weren't confident about your dancing you could just follow the rules and you'd still be fine. Although Vina still hoped she could help Fina become enthusiastic and confident enough that she'd be willing to try improvising it.

@Fina Drago

 

[Fina Drago]

Even as it seemed that the situation wasn't going anywhere, Vina managed to still keep the whole thing going. Of course, the meaning of her first few words escaped Fina entirely; the cat had absolutely no idea what she had in mind that could possibly not be done here at this current moment. Just a moment later, though, the other beastkin was getting up and moving closer to the lynx without even giving her a chance to take a step back.

"Wh-" The question and protest could not even come through as the girl's hand was grabbed and guided, forcing the rest of her body to follow in tandem. "W-w-wait! I know you said just to follow your lead, but how am I supposed to follow your lead?!" Something like that was easier said than done, but as far as things went, she could have just… walked around to wherever Vina tugged her hand. Which certainly was no form of dancing. All of this was just… awfully awkward and complicated, wasn't it?

@Vina Skysong

 

[Vina Skysong]

Don't worry about it~ Just move your feet like this and lift your hips like this~ Pay attention to the rhythm and it'll all flow together~

Vina laughed quietly as she gave Fina the instructions on how to perform her part of the dance. It was a simple pattern of movements, meant to be performed in public without causing accidents left and right as people stumbled over their own, or their partner's, feet while figuring out what to do next. The druidess was also moving slowly, so her feline friend would have no difficulty catching up and moving along. Together the two of them could slowly move in circles, Vina softly humming a melody which matched their movements.

Of course, the difficulty of the dance increased a bit when Vina decided to try and have Fina execute a spin.

Now hold onto my hand and spin around. Don't worry, I'll catch you if you fall~

Unless Fina protested heavily against this suggestion Vina would move her hand above Fina's head. The hand served to indicate the axis along which Fina would spin as the vulpine druidess gently nudged her into spinning, her humming causing a soft breeze to swirl around the weaponmaster as well.

@Fina Drago

 

[Fina Drago]

Even with the instructions being explicitly given, Fina's movements were nothing short of choppy and wholly uncertain. The feline was doing her best to mimic the fox's movements, but she just didn't know her new body well enough to perform with such nuances. It might have resembled dance from a distance, but anyone looking up close would shake their head in disbelief at what was being shown.

"Wh- a spin?!" Why would the other girl make things even more complicated when even the bare minimum was proving to be a challenge? Well, Fina did her best to follow along, and as the hand was raised up above her, she tried to spin. It honestly ended up as her doing more of a very short walk in a circle, nearly bumping into Vina on the way. The frustration building up inside of the lynx even showed itself as a bit of a hiss when she subsequently stumbled over her own feet at the end of the circle.

The fumble was not enough to send her flying toward the grass. More akin to someone hitting a stone when taking a confident step, stopping for a brief moment before hopping forward a bit and regaining balance. It still threw the whole thing off, nonetheless.

@Vina Skysong

 

[Vina Skysong]

Vina did her best to guide Fina through the motions, keeping the movements simple and at a slow pace so the feline weaponmaster didn't have to keep track of too many things. She also guided Fina with her hands where she could, soft nudges helping her friend move in the right direction. It might not be a very impressive performance, but Vina thought that it was going very well.

As one might have been able to predict, the spin wasn't exactly a masterpiece, but Vina smoothly stepped out of the way when Fina looked like she was about to stumble into her, then used her other hand to help the other silver-haired female keep her balance.

Don't worry, you're doing very well for your first time~

With those encouraging words Vina resumed the simpler steps, giving Fina some more time to get used to the whole experience, figuring out how to best place her feet and move her body. She'd also give some more verbal advice along with encouragement.

Take it one step at a time, and don't think about it too much~ It might take some concentration at first, but once you've memorized the moves it'll come naturally~

@Fina Drago

 

[Fina Drago]

Even if the whole thing was nothing but simple movements done in a slow manner, it was all proving to be surprisingly exhausting. Especially after a while. Maybe because all of the girl's muscles were tense, every movement was exaggerated and unnatural. Simply put, she was overdoing it and not even approaching correctly. There was a reason why dancing lessons took place over the course of a longer period of time, not just one day.

Eventually, Fina would let go and stumble several steps away from Vina. Her body slouched forward as her hands rested on her knees, a series of heavy breaths escaping from her lungs. "Ugh, this is more exhausting than running around in a field. And running around was at least fun… I really can't say I see the appeal so far." Hopefully, she didn't disappoint the bard too much, but the whole thing still came across as a silly formal thing to do at gatherings. Possibly because of what kind of dance they were practicing.

@Vina Skysong

 

[Vina Skysong]

Vina was keeping an eye on how Fina was doing, and she could tell that the feline weaponmaster was beginning to get tired. As such, it was hardly a surprise when Fina called it a day, stepping away from Vina so she could take a posture typical of someone who was trying to recover from exercise without having reached the point of collapse just yet.

It becomes more fun once you become more used to it~ There's also many different types of dance, so if you don't find this one interesting there's many others you could try out~

The vixen wasn't bothered by Fina having done enough dancing for the day. It was clear that for the silver-haired cat dancing was completely new, which did raise some questions about what her life on Earth was like. She seemed to be confident that she wouldn't be able to perform, which was slightly worrying.

But that's only if you feel like it, and for now I think it'd be better if we rested.

The large rock did make for a good seat as long as you sat on the edge, and Vina would smoothly sit down and motion for Fina to join her.

Maybe you'd be interested in listening to another song of mine? I did say that I'm better with the flute~

@Fina Drago

 

[Fina Drago]

"I just can't see it." The girl reaffirmed, perhaps more for herself than for Vina. Dancing felt… strangely purposeless to her. She finally had working legs that could not only get her places but also feel. Why should she waste them on something like dancing? It just didn't seem to have enough purpose behind it.

As for the invitation to sit down, she would also gesture in decline. "If you want to sing or play more, then you should just go back to the village. You might even get paid for it there. You've already spent plenty of time on me, and I should be logging off anyway." Bianca didn't exactly expect to find anyone when exploring around. She figured that after a little bit of a walk, she would get out and get back to her usual boring life. Meeting Vina kind of threw that into chaos.

Opening up her palm to bring up the menu, her eyes stared briefly at the log-off button before they would get back to the bard, expecting that the other woman would still have something to say. Regardless, this appeared to be the end of their little outing.

@Vina Skysong

 

[Vina Skysong]

Vina was a tad disappointed when Fina explained that she hadn't been planning to stay online for very long, but she understood that the girl had things to do outside of Terrasphere. The vulpine bard nodded, although the way her ears drooped slightly made it clear she'd been hoping Fina would stick around for a while longer.

Understood, I won't keep you if you're busy. But I hope we can hang out another time~

She still hoped that she could get Fina to understand the joy of dancing, even if it would take more than a single dancing session. She twirled her flute between her fingers before putting it back in her inventory as she jumped up from her seat on the rock.

I know I led you around today, but next time I'll tag along with whatever you want to do if you'll have me~ I hope you have a great day~!

A part of her wanted to ask Fina to stay, but she imagined that the feline did have important things to attend to. People had lives outside of Terrasphere, after all. However, her curiosity won out in the end.

Are you busy with something back on Earth?

@Fina Drago

 

[Fina Drago]

Fina certainly didn't like disappointing people. Or herself, for that matter. That made things a bit difficult when it came to interacting with others. Especially so when others were as earnest as Vina. It felt like the worst kind of combination as the feline found it exceedingly difficult to interact with a social butterfly like that. Disappointment in one form or another was not a possibility but a certainty in encounters like this.

"Y-yeah… You're welcome to." And yet another would have probably arisen if the girl admitted to the songstress that she just didn't have any plans for her future concerning this game: no grand adventures, no exploration, no nothing. Just enjoying herself running around in the fields where grass and flowers were knee-high. Rather childish, she thought. And not something another person could really accompany her for. Instead, she just averted her gaze slightly.

"I ought to get my day started, so I'll be on my way. Bye." Given where she lived in the world and where most people playing this game were from, the only real option, if she wanted to meet others, was to play through the night, as her physical body was asleep and resting. Of course, that had some advantages too. It allowed her to play for extended periods of time in every single sitting, for one. But when the morning came, she had to be on her way just like right now. Pressing the log-out button, her avatar would likely blink out of existence in front of Vina, and that would be that. Probably their last meeting, as far as Bianca figured out. The encounter might have been pleasant, but people didn't exactly like hanging out with someone like her for long periods of time, after all.

@Vina Skysong