Grass and Tiny Ripples (Katrina DeMenzes + anyone)

[Lirael]

Kaidreni
A girl sat on the bank of the river, dipping her toes into the lukewarm surstance, while pressing her nose into a book that looked like it could be a diary, thin leaves covered the front, and inside the print was in dark red ink. The girl barely breathed as she read on, the ink loked asthough it could've been drawn from human blood, and the girls eyes where wider, she kept reading, unaware that in front of her a monster was rising....

And the small wave broke at her feet, as she rolled her eyes at herself again. Reading young ladies novels was a silly thing to do on such a beautiful day, you should always save them till stormy days in empty castles, where you could properly enjoy the fear. she stowed the book away, knowing she would not pick it up again, life was precious, she shouldn't waste it on silly school-girl's adventures. She was not a girl that hung on every word of a man, or a girl who belived all the rubbish that might be told to you at finishing school, if you where unlucky enough to go.
Picking up her small flute from beside her, she played a few notes, and then a short haunting melody out of her head, this was what she loved doing, and it would always cheer her up when she was down. She let the music wash over her. She knew knowone would hear.

[Jazz]

Katrina DeMenzes was lost.

It was an unfortunate occurence, to be lost in the Palace Grounds. The Palace as a whole was an evil place, huge and filled with staircases, and paths, and passageways... Many called it a 'miserable rabbit-warren'. Kat wholeheartedly agreed.

She was in the Palace because she, and the rest of the troupe, were performing. The monarchs loved entertainment, and they always giving the commoners as many opportunaties to make it as possible. So, here she was, wandering futilely, looking for the Amphitheatre to make it in time for dress rehearsal.

She sighed, kicking a rock in frustration. Her gaze followed it as it rolled into the river, and there she saw something else - or rather, someone.

A noble, she was sure, but she needed directions. She had to risk offending said noble. Making her way to the lady, she stopped not far off, not wanting to disturb her. She was playing a flute, playing wonderfully indeed. When she stopped, Katrina stepped forward and curtsyed gracefully.

"You play wondefully, M'lady. I am sorry to bother you," she said politely, "But I was wondering if you could direct me to the Amphitheatre?"

[Lirael]

The music abruptly as Kai woke up from her momentry trance. She realised somewon was speaking to her, and turned around, facing her, and smiling. She replaced the flute behind her, and tried to recall what the woman had said. She looked at the woman's face, so she could add it to the gallery of people in her mind.

"You play wondefully, M'lady. I am sorry to bother you," she said politely, "But I was wondering if you could direct me to the Amphitheatre?"

''I'm sorry, I don't know where the amphitheatre is, I don't know the palace at all.''
She replied, feeling unhelpfull.

[Jazz]

"Oh dear. Well thank you. You don't mind if I sit, do you?"

Without waiting for an answer, she sat next to the lady, scowling. Not at the stranger, but at the world in general. She was never going to find the amphitheatre, she wouldn't know her part properly, and she'd embarrass herself in front of everyone, she was positive. Of course, she always thought this. She knew that she knew her part perfectly well, but it was in her nature to dramatize. Anyway, she couldn't embrarass herself if she couldn't find the Amphitheatre, or the way back in the first place.

She sighed. What a dilliema. "Do you p'rhaps know how to get back to the Palace? I'm afraid I'm frightfully lost," she said pleadingly. She was speaking out of turn, and she knew it, but nobility's standards could go and peel potatoes on the roof. Besides, the lady didn't seem so bad.

[Lirael]

She smiled again as the woman sat next to her. She wondered if she could help the woman find, the amphitheatre. She examined the flute lying in the grass. Realising the woman had spoken again, she looked back at her.
''I think so... maybe.''
She said, knowing she sounded every bit as stupid as she had pictured she would. She tried to remember how she had come in, completely oblivious that the woman had spoken before she had chance to speak, even if she had noticed, she wouldn't have cared. Things like that Kai didn't care about, etiquette was mostly pointless.

[Jazz]

''I think so... maybe.''

She smiled. "Well, that's better than nothing." And it was too. With an answer like that, ten to one they'd get hopelessly lost, only to stumble upon the amphitheatre five minutes later. Katrina should know - she had experience would that sort of thing. And, who knows?, she might even find a friends in this noble lady.

"Would you mind terribly to try to show me? You seem to know aeons more than I do, in any case. This..." she paued, eyeing the noble, and decided to watch her tongue, "Huge place is as famliar to me as the Divine Realms. I don't have a singe idea as to how I got here in the first place."

She decided that she liked this woman. She hadn't taken offence at Kat's free tongue, and seemed willing enough to help. Goddess knows that she needs it.

[Lirael]

''I'm only here to see my brother, I don't mind Corus, but the palace is like a maze.''
She said, wondering whether the woman trusted her or not. Standing up, she dusted dirt from her breaches, and waited for the woman to get up too. Picking up her flute from the floor, she stowed it back in her belt. She was glad the woman seemed to have a sense of humour, and wondered whether the woman like music.

[Jazz]

She stood up, dusting off her breeches with a sigh. "It is," she agreed cheerily, "The building is the worst, but the grounds have their own special something that make them impossible to navigate. I wonder how the pages manage. Shall we?" She raised an eyebrow, smiling widely. She was being impertinent, and she knew it. This noble was definately of the alright sort, and she wouldn't mind too much if Katrina talked, she decided. If she was wrong, consequences could be nasty, but she'd always been a bit of a daredevil.

Noticing the flute, Katrina's ever curios curiosity was roused. A noble that actually cared about music? Not about the music fashion, but music? That was something she still had to see. Choosing her words carefully, she asked, "Do you play? The flute, I mean."

[Lirael]

She smiled, politely at the woman, as she stood up.
''Yes, I've played all my life, I play flute and lute and Mandolin. And if people give me an instrument I can usually figure it out.'' She did not really notice she might sound like she was boasting. A faraway look was in her eye for a moment, as she tried to think of her route into the grounds. Starting to walk, she saw a fence by a line of trees, that she suspected might lead to the fountain and the various courtyards that led to the palace.

She wondered what the time was, not that she was doing anything, she could run round the city thirty times and nowone would know or care.

[Jazz]

Katrina whistled under her breath. As a fellow musician she could truly appreciate that skill - she'd had to work very hard to master it. Of course, she much preferred acting or storytelling - even plain ol' singing - but life was hard as a Player, and Kat was (luckily) a woman of many talents. This lady... Katrina found her odd. Most ladies could play an instrument, but few actually cared. This lady... Kat thought there was more than that...

"So you're not from around here, then?" she asked, wondering if the woman's reluctance to speak was because of Kat's status, or pure absent-mindedness. She didn't mind really, but it would be nice to have a coversation.

[Lirael]

Feeling more awake now, Kai came back to reality. She listened, and remembered what the rest of the conversation had been about.
"So you're not from around here, then?"
She looked into the woman's eyes for a second, then deciding there was no point in concealing anything she replied.
''No, I'm from Hollyrose. My brother is studying to be a knight at the palace, I have not seen him for at least two years now. So I thought I'd come and see him, it's better for my parents when I'm not at home.''

[Jazz]

Katrina was altogether much more cheerful then she had been a few minutes ago. Their was a spring in her step, and the lost, miserable tone in her voice had been replaced with it happier counterpart. "Hollyrose?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. "Isn't that there by King's Reach, if you don't mind me askin'. We passed through there a couple o' months ago. Hospitable people." She smiled good naturedly, stooding to pluck a flower off the path.

As they neared the fence, she scowled at it, but it did not damped her happy output. "Now, does this path lead to the courtyards, or the training courts M'lady?" she asked. " 'Cause I can find my way from the courtyards, but I started off at the training courts and I ended up lost." She sighed. "And not a person in sight!"

[Lirael]

She lifted the gate open and waited for The woman to follow. SHe was slightly surprised that she had not seen the woman and her people coming into the fief, but she suspected she must've been in another part of the fief. "Yes, it's quite near kings reach." She replied, knowing this repl,y was not in the least helpful to a conversation.
"Now, does this path lead to the courtyards, or the training courts M'lady?" she asked. " 'Cause I can find my way from the courtyards, but I started off at the training courts and I ended up lost." She sighed. "And not a person in sight!"
Kaidreni was also wondering about where her route, she hoped it was not obvious she was making it up as she went along. "I think it'll lead to the outer most courtyards, but I could be wrong." The trees became slightly thinner, and Kai was quite sure they would be at the palace before long.