When stone meets information [MT+PT | Invite-only | IC]

by **Kiu Ghesik** » Wed Sep 16, 2020 6:38 am

"I don't think I'm going to be busy, will I? I am for it. Maybe you can make me change my mind on the matter of diplomacy."

Ari nodded at that, as if approving her own statement. This would do. She wouldn't have to worry about finding a house if the finest of Nacrad were looking after her. The setting might be a little... grandiose, but certainly she would not want for things to do if seeing the land. Time for a road trip, then.

by **Nacrad** » Wed Sep 16, 2020 7:03 am

"Right... We will draw up an itinerary. But for today, we'll get you a guest room, and give you a tour of the Presidential Office. So, please follow, uh, Jack who's behind you to your guest room."

Jack stepped forwards, and politely greeted Ari, "Good morning, I am Jack. It's my honour to serve you. Please follow me."

As they walked towards the guest room, however, they walked by a studio room of sorts, complete with electric guitars, basses and drum sets, along with other recording equipment.

by **Kiu Ghesik** » Wed Sep 16, 2020 6:14 pm

Walking with Jack, Ari caught sight of a glint of metal out of the corner of her left eye and turned towards it, curious to see what it was. Maybe it was this steel she'd heard so much about, the super-metal sharper and stronger than bronze. What she saw instead was far more surprising- instruments of a kind she'd never seen before. She called out to Jack, walking on ahead.

"Whose are these? And, well, what are they? I've seen nothing but the drums before, and even then they're no drums I've ever seen."

by **Nacrad** » Wed Sep 16, 2020 6:20 pm

"Hm? Oh, that's just a set of guitars and electric basses. The President likes to play in a band, and he asked for the room to be converted to a band room. Do you want to check it out?"

Jack diligently replied, turning towards Ari while doing so.

by **Kiu Ghesik** » Wed Sep 16, 2020 6:42 pm

"I don't think I'd know how. Or that he would like me doing so." Ari looked at the drums. They were... quite big. And polished. "Would he?"

by **Nacrad** » Wed Sep 16, 2020 6:44 pm

"Yeah, he would allow it. Provided that you don't break anything, that is."

by **Kiu Ghesik** » Wed Sep 16, 2020 7:04 pm

Ari nodded at Jack and slowly made her way into the room, eyeing the drum set. A little one on the edge of its metal frame caught her eye, and she knelt next to it before gently smacking it with the palm of her hand. It let out a little thud, nothing like the sound she was expecting. This sound was flat and dead, not the hearty, deep bass vibration of the drums she was used to. Those you would strike and they would let out a tone, a musical tone. This most certainly did not. But it looked just like the drums at home- well, far more polished and refined, but still!

She turned to Jack, watching her in the doorway, and arched an eyebrow at him.

"Is there something wrong with it? Or am I playing it wrong?"

by **Nacrad** » Wed Sep 16, 2020 7:39 pm

"You are playing it wrong. You're supposed to play all of these with drum sticks. Here, let me show you..."

Jack walked in, grabbed a pair of sticks, and played the drums like he did when he was younger. Of course, his skills had become a bit rusty.

by **Kiu Ghesik** » Wed Sep 16, 2020 7:58 pm

"So you sit there, and you strike it with the sticks. Huh. That is... strange, I wouldn't have expected that at all." Of course she wouldn't have expected it- it was wrong! Drums played like that weren't in any way drums, the cymbals were disharmonious, the sounds they made harsh. The deepest thuds of the largest drums, they were worth something, but everything else... it was different, and not in a way she wholly approved of. Maybe Smith had something more familiar?

"Do you have a fiddle and bow, by any chance? I know how to play that. I've used those all the time, they are calls to peace and tools of chroniclers. Or, well, anything like that, really, anything with strings?"

by **Nacrad** » Wed Sep 16, 2020 8:16 pm

"Look to your left, Ari, there are the guitars and basses. Why's there an electric violin there, I'll never know. He and his band is probably playing Yellowcard lately, or something."

At this moment, the President walked into the room, and nearly bumped into Ari, "Oops, hey Ari, didn't expect you and Jack here."

by **Kiu Ghesik** » Wed Sep 16, 2020 8:21 pm

"Oh, um, President. Smith. Uh, I didn't expect to see you, either. Jack told me it was fine, I was just... I've never seen instruments like these before." Ari sighed. "I was looking for a fiddle. Jack showed me a violin, I was about to take a look at it, but I suppose there're more important things to do. If you'd like me to go I can."

by **Nacrad** » Wed Sep 16, 2020 8:24 pm

"Nah, it's cool, you can stay here. Fiddles? I don't have a fiddle here, I'm afraid," he laughed, "Welcome to my studio, by the way, I come here often."
"Good pick, by the way. I just bought this, since my band wanna play Yellowcard. Speaking of which, they're late again, ugh."

by **Kiu Ghesik** » Wed Sep 16, 2020 8:43 pm

"I do not have anything to play. Nothing that would be fitting here, anyways. But I suppose I could try." Ari paused. "You said you have a band? So, a group that play music with you? That word does not have the same meaning between us. Huh."

She walked over to the violin and picked it up. It was smooth, very smooth, and polished. The craftsmanship was exceptional, but then again, everything here was. She sat it between her legs and put the bow to the strings.

"You're sure about this? I really don't have anything to play."

by **Nacrad** » Wed Sep 16, 2020 8:51 pm

"Umm, that's not how you'd play the violin. Don't let Vincent see you doing that to the violin, by the way, he'll kill you."
At this moment, 4 other people walked into the studio. "Speak of the devil!" he joked.

"Hey, uh, I don't remember them being part of the band?"
"Don't worry about them, she's the new guest, the one I told you about. She's called Ari. Ari, here's Vincent, Roxy, Ryan and Chris."

by **Kiu Ghesik** » Thu Sep 17, 2020 6:14 pm

"So these people make music with you?" Ari tilted her head at them, before quickly realizing the one on the left that Smith had gestured at was this Vincent and putting the violin to the side. She flashed him her most sincere smile. "I must admit," she said, the smile replaced with a curious stare, "It's strange for a leader such as yourself to be a musician, much less have the free time to practice at all."

by **Nacrad** » Thu Sep 17, 2020 6:18 pm

"It is kind of hard, but I managed to squeeze some time out. I've devolved some powers to my cabinet members, so I can find some free time to play music. We met in high school. Fun times."

by **Kiu Ghesik** » Thu Sep 17, 2020 6:27 pm

So he... gave up responsibilities as a leader... in exchange for time to make music. No comment was to be made on that. If Ari was to comment on that there would be a diplomatic incident, or at least, impolite words exchanged. In that case it was time to find something nice to say, deflect the conversation, and perhaps move on entirely.

"Well, um, I suppose that's, amusing? Or good to hear?"

Yes, that was one way to deflect the conversation. Good job, Ari, you idiot, she scolded herself. More drastic measures would need to be taken to get out of this one. Well, what did Smith like? Music, apparently. Maybe mention that?

"I, um, what kind of music do you play, then? If I can ask."And that just brought her back to square one. Well, make the best of what one can, after all. That's what she always said. Time to take this to its conclusion.

"Could I hear it?"

by **Nacrad** » Thu Sep 17, 2020 6:36 pm

The President could see her questions, and swiftly clarified himself, "Devolution, you see, allows my people to make more pragmatic decisions for themselves. What do I, a 30-something man from one of the largest cities, know about the vast fields in northern Athery? Or the mountains in Formosa? So I let their people make their own decisions, because I would probably make mistakes making decisions for them."

All the while, the band was busy setting everything up, the distortion, the tuning, the whole nine yards.

"What kind of music do you play then? Could I hear it?"

"We play rock music, which would be very foreign to you. But if you insist, sure."

Turning towards his band members, he asked, "What are we playing today? How about Justify by the Red Jumpsuit?" Receiving no objections, he counted in, "One, two, three, one, two, three."

Then they started playing

by **Kiu Ghesik** » Thu Sep 17, 2020 7:05 pm

Ari watched intently as they played, listening to the different notes and tones, the, well, screech of the guitars, the thud of the drums, all to a deep and constant beat... it sounded like war. She could almost hear men's death-screams in the sounds they played. It was, all things considered, hard as bronze. Or this steel. It was metal.

"You're right. I don't understand it at all. But it's got a certain beat to it. It might be a good song to sing before battle, if it meant anything I knew."

She looked at each of their faces. They were all smiling. They'd enjoyed it. She, well, she had, but it was indeed strange, and she was beginning to think they knew that. Perhaps it was time to... yes, it was.

"Where's Jack?" she asked. "I don't see him, is he outside still?"

by **Nacrad** » Thu Sep 17, 2020 7:14 pm

"Yes, he is outside. He is waiting for you,"

by **Kiu Ghesik** » Thu Sep 17, 2020 7:37 pm

"Alright. Well, I've waited here long enough, then. Thank you for the performance."

Ari stood up, walked to the door, and stopped, one hand on the frame, before she turned to face the President and his... band.

"Where did you get that violin, by the way? I'd like to speak with the craftsman."

by **Nacrad** » Sun Sep 20, 2020 8:20 pm

"It's just a random electric violin that I bought online, it's nothing special. I don't know the craftsman, I'm afraid. Probably some factory in Oswain or somewhere, by some overworked worker."

by **Kiu Ghesik** » Sun Sep 20, 2020 8:27 pm

Oh. Of course it was some nobody. Of course he didn't know. He was the ruler of a sedentary nation, that was their way. They held sway over so many they could not keep in mind very many people at once, unless they were a part of their court, or in this case a minister, she supposed. And of course the worker was overworked, as he said. That was their way too, to work and work and work until they died. She was not among those faithful to her own way, she had to remember that, even if they were so divorced from it they could not be blamed for knowing what they did wrong.

Though it was still a mystery what this "online" was- she'd heard of it before, but she'd never learned what it meant. Ah, well, a question for later. Right now what was important was getting a place to sleep. That was one thing she could be grateful to the President and his people for; they'd solved the matter of what to do after she'd gotten out of the hospital quite nicely. Jack could take her there.

"Thank you anyways, President. I'll be going now, if you don't mind." She took her hand off the doorframe and walked out to where the aide was waiting for her, and nodded at him to lead the way.

by **Nacrad** » Sun Sep 20, 2020 8:42 pm

"After me, please. I take it that you had a pleasant time in there with the President," Jack nodded, leading her down a hallway to the North Wing, where there are a set of guest rooms, "Your room is the furthest room down the hall, turning left. Here's your key card, just swipe it on the reader like so."

The door opened. Inside, there is a bed, a closet, and a television that turned on by itself. Walking further in, she could see that all of them are polished.

"Do you require a tour of your room, madam?"

by **Kiu Ghesik** » Sun Sep 20, 2020 8:50 pm

"Um, no... I do not, um, thank you..." Ari's voice trailed away into nothingness as she looked in at the offered room. It was... unimaginably rich in appearance, the bed covered with thick, silky sheets and embroidered pillows, the door to the, well, a closet, she supposed, polished to a mirrorlike sheen, and then there was the massive screen- the television, that was its name- in a corner opposite to that massive bed... it would be worth a village back at home. And she was being asked to sleep here? Well, that wouldn't do. Nor would that television constantly playing. Maybe it would be a good idea to have Jack show her the lay of the land after all.

"Actually, would you mind? I'd greatly appreciate it."

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