sunflowers&challenges [[gale]]

[Elle the Siren]

sunflower smilin' at the sun
your time is gonna come

Flowers. Rows and rows of flowers turning their happy faces towards the sun. That was the sight that first greeted Elle's squinting eyes as she scanned the lovely Pastoral Fields. The sun shone down rather heavily on the field, especially for a day so close to winter. It was supposed to be cold and breezy at the end of autumn but the sun didn't really seem to care, it did what it wanted like always. Figures dotted the field, all out to enjoy the rare weather and beautiful scenery. Elle, however, wasn't there to enjoy the nice day. The young siren was there to meet the Tier 7 Muse to discuss her Etude challenge.

It had only been a couple months since she had been resurrected, but Elle had two distinct advantages over her fellow beats; One being that she was a siren, and a damned good one at that. Two was her background with musical magic. On her home world, almost all magic was done musically. It wasn't quite the same in Symphony but it was still similar and Elle just understood how music and magic went together. Besides, the ocean-eyed student had made a promise and she was here to fulfill it. She would make it to the last level, Tier 1, and then Llyr wouldn't be all alone...

Glancing about nervously, Elle held up her small hand to shield her eyes against the bright sun. When nobody seemed to be looking for her, the siren sighed and took a seat on a bench near a row of sunflowers. The bright buds were so cheery and warm that they drew Elle irresistibly in, pulling her to the edge of her seat and beyond until she was crouched among them, run her hands along the leaves and broad yellow petals, "Well aren't you all lovely," she purred to them, burying her heart-shaped face in one of them. She took a deep breath in, humming with content at the smell of them. Most people thought that sunflowers weren't fragrant but Elle liked their subtle scent.

In delight, she took another deep breath in. This time, however, her breath was just a little too vigorous. Pollen flew into her nose and she yanked her head out of the sunflower with a small sneeze followed by two more. The siren frowned sternly at the flower for several seconds, unaware of the bright yellow pollen that dusted her petite nose.

keep your eyes on sunny skies

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sunset.com :image
sunflower by alice peacock :song

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[Gale Devlin]

The young woman continued her walk towards the fields where she was called upon to meet and let her mind roam free. Her thoughts were in the logical location, carefully observing her duties and responsibilities since her mother died. It was still somewhat surreal to the child that she found herself doing the motions, teaching people older than her while holding an official rank many would be jealous of. Gale remembered the first time she was old enough to understand when her mother was putting on an Etude challenge. The night after her mother had come home so weary and exhausted so Gale couldn't help but be curious how she would handle her very first Etude. The memories of her mother stuck in her head for a moment before the child could return to more frequent and pressing worries.

Her skill level was still of concern though. Gale knew she wasn't as deft as her mother and while she learned she did have the ability to put on an Etude she didn't think she'd do it well. There was always the chance that, due to her low levels of mastery, her students ended up having hardships with the Etudes they took on after her level. It didn't cause Gale any troubling emotions perhaps like it would have others, but she still felt her mind sticking in the subject for extended periods of time. She knew that meant it was worth consideration and she should probably try to feel something in particular over it. Gale was still working on the feeling business, but she could at least make a silent note of it.

Finally the young woman arrived at her destination, fields that the Soprano district was so proud of. Idly Gale wondered why it was that her student would wish to meet in such a location, but she shrugged it off when she remembered it would be of no real use to her in the long run. There was no time for such things that would not yield her worthwhile results. Meanwhile her student seemed to be getting lost in sun-flowers. Gale didn't see the attraction in such frivolous things, but she decided to stop and watch for a few moments to see what it was that captivated the feathered girl so. Her student hovered over the flowers, smiling at them pleasantly before burying her face in one. That struck Gale as peculiar. Who would want to bring themselves so close to something that was in nature as that. There could have been bugs or bacteria. The child-muse frowned and watched as the flower smelling backfired, causing her student to come away from the flower with pollen on her nose.

Others may laugh, yet Gale did not. Sneezing was what she knew would come with such close contact to a flower. Perhaps Elle did not know as much. The muse waited a few more moments before she drew near her charge. By all accounts it would look and seem as if Elle was younger than Gale, though it was the opposite. Yet another student older than the teacher. Gale walked up to her charge and said simply, "I apologize if I am late." She offered no explanation, which may have been the more polite thing to do, but was still as content as she could be with her short introduction. They both knew what they were there for, it just came down to getting into the matter.

[Elle the Siren]

sunflower smilin' at the sun
your time is gonna come

Elle looked up from the large sunflower and was instantly blinded by the sun, which shined from just above Gal's head. Squinting, the siren fumbled around in her pockets for sunglasses, sure that she had grabbed some. After seconds of searching, her fingertips finally met smooth plastic and she shoved them onto her face happily. Bouncing up on her taloned feet, she got her first good look at the person who would be issuing her challenge.

She was pale and cute, Elle noted silently. An open place might not have been the best choice as the Muse would probably get a sunburn. The siren had chosen this spot for it's quietness though. The library was full of sunny fun-time people and she had wanted quiet. And focus. The Soprano district always offered focus.

"Don't worry, you're right on time," Elle smiled innocently, though her sunglasses hid an uncertain look the lurked in the back of her ocean colored gaze, tainting it a stormy blue. She brushed the feathers of her legs off, knocking petals to the ground and gestured to the bench nearby, "Shall we just get to the point? I want to take the Etude for Tier 7."

keep your eyes on sunny skies

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sunset.com :image
sunflower by alice peacock :song

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[Gale Devlin]

Gale watched as her student fumbled about for something in her pockets. Sun glasses. The young muse tilted her head slightly at the item, wondering if there was anything of the like where Elle had come from. If there wasn't it meant she was growing used to their world and their odds and ends rather nicely. Such information would be good to know, especially if Elle had any ideas of what helped her to be more comfortable in the world. That was the sort of information that Gale could find herself interested in, though she knew now wasn't really the time to start extracting it.

There was a slight look of determination in Elle's face that caught Gale off-guard. The purpose of the meeting wasn't entirely hard to guess, as most students only asked for a personal meeting with Gale when they intended to take the Etude. She had to turn down every one who had asked thus far though simply because they weren't ready. Or maybe it was her that wasn't really ready. At any rate, this would be the first she conducted and she hoped it would go over smoothly. The reason Gale knew she would be conducting this one though was because she had seen how Elle did in her classes.

Though newer, Elle had an experience with musical magic that the others brought to the world did not. The girl could enchant with her voice and had on different occasions. Perhaps that was why she was always know as Elle the Siren and not just simply Elle. Gale pushed some of the hair from her face as Elle began to speak. The girl first commented on how she wasn't late, though Gale still knew she must have been a little late, before suggesting they cut straight to the point. Considering the girl was stating as much it told Gale that she must have been very serious about the matter. It wasn't often that Gale had ever seen Elle so dead set on something.

The Muse began to think in terms of what it would require to put on her very first Etude. It would mean she would have to go over the books of notes her mother had made of them so she knew what to do. And they would have to move to a different location for it. The crystal room. Gale had never been in the room, as it was only reserved for special occasions and Etudes. "Yeah I kind of guessed as much. I have turned down all of my students who have asked as much, but I think for you I'll accept. I trust you can handle it where others could not," Gale stated dryly.

"To actually accomplish as much though I will have to make preparations. And you'll have to study up on your Harmony magic. The actual test will be held within the Crystal room in the Sanctuary. No other location will do unless in dire need, which we are not."

[Elle the Siren]

sunflower smilin' at the sun
your time is gonna come

Sunglasses, Elle thought as she viewed the world through the tinted lenses, So convenient. If I ever return home, and I doubt I will, then I will have to tell everybody about these. Genius. The siren smiled forlornly at the thought. She figured that she would never go home again. This was her new home. It was hard to deal with but better than the alternative, which was death. She had supposedly been dead in her own world and being alive here was much better than being dead there. But she sure missed her friends...

"Okay. We'll do it wherever it needs to be done. Do all Etudes happen in the Crystal Room?" Elle asked, her melodic voice serious. She felt that she was ready for this Etude but there were many more to come afterward and she wanted any advantage she could get. The normally lighthearted girl was rarely so grave about things but she had a goal to accomplish. The thing was, Elle was stubborn in a unique way. Once she set her mind to something, she would complete it undoubtedly.

Elle rubbed her nervous palms flat on her feathered legs, her mind racing. She felt comfortable with Harmony magic. It was similar to the magic she had used most often on her own world. But the Etude itself was nerve-wracking. The young siren was shy by nature and being judged was a scary thing. She felt her nervousness bubbling in her stomach, leaving it feel hollow and tense.

Entirely by habit, Elle began to hum. It was a nervous reaction that always calmed her down. The tune she hummed was quiet and unearthly, a song she had always know without ever learning it. The melody was haunting, lingering in the air above the sunflowers, causing them to tilt towards her ever-so-slightly. In her own world, the tune would have struck a chord in every being their as it was the song of the Tree of Mana. Everyone of her people knew it in their very soul and some could even hum along. But in this world, it was just another haunting melody.

keep your eyes on sunny skies

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sunset.com :image
sunflower by alice peacock :song

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[Gale Devlin]

Gale found Elle's question a bit peculiar. Almost all Etudes did take place in the crystal room simply because they weren't very effective anywhere else. The child once heard the rumors of a Etude that had failed only after the student tried to cast the magic they had just learned. Needless to say the outcome wasn't desirable, so the muses were informed to conduct the tests in the Crystal chamber. If Gale could help it she'd avoid setting any of her students up to fail like that, but with how the world was and the increasing rate of the monsters she knew there would be more times that preparation would need to be abandoned in favor of what could be accomplished right away.

"For the sake of the student, yes. There are few exceptions..." Gale trailed off softly, wondering if she should explain further why there were exceptions. It seemed a waste of time, so Gale explained something more important instead, "The Crystal Chamber is more ideal because the room itself lends a specific element to the Etude that makes it more effective. It improves the students and their magic stronger. We try to find ways for the students to be as powerful as possible so they know how to best handle their magic. It usually isn't much of a task considering how many students that are summoned are battle-trained and hardened by their experiences in their own world."

After she finished speaking, Gale noticed that Elle was acting oddly. Rubbing her palms on her legs awkwardly, then ending up humming. The tune was captivating and sent a slight shiver down the young muse's spine. As long as she could remember, Gale couldn't recall hearing anything sounding so... alive. It was only natural that students would bring their own songs with them, but Gale still felt as if the tune she was humming was somehow special. There were other matters to attend to though, Gale knew, so she tried her best to cast off the enchanting shackles of the song to attend to more serious things. "Where were you thinking you'd like to do this Etude? It won't be a matter acquiring the Crystal room for it."

Beside being beautiful, it seemed that the song Elle hummed helped her feel more at ease. To some people music did have that effect, but Gale tended only to view it for results since becoming a muse. Creating music was no longer something that the child did for fun or practice, only to command her magic. In Symphony that was how it was with some people, yet so many still actually enjoyed their music. Gale wondered if she should try to feel one way or another about such a thing.

[Elle the Siren]

sunflower smilin' at the sun
your time is gonna come

Elle continued to hum softly, listen to Gale intently. She was determined to learn as much as she could and Gale seemed like a no-nonsense teacher. Elle got the impression that Gale might just leave if she asked a dumb question or if she didn't pay attention. Normally, Gale wasn't the type of person Elle would choose to hang out with but Elle found something... uniquely nice about her. Maybe it was because the young-looking siren wasn't used to people dealing with her so frankly. People always seemed to coddle her. She was too young, too innocent, too cute. Gale didn't treat her like she was any of these thing.

"The Crystal Room is fine. I was just asking for future reference. So, what are the special cases where the Etude is conducted elsewhere?" Elle's thin brows pulled together as she tried to imagine a situation where the Etude would need to be conducted immediately. The poor student would hardly be prepared and, without the Crystal Room, the student would be at a disadvantage too. Elle had yet to encounter a monster from this world but she remembered the ones she had fought with her hero. They weren't so scary when she was just assisting somebody stronger than her but to be caught unaware by one...

Elle shook her head briefly, clearing the negative thoughts from her brain. Bristling down feathers ruffled her hair, fluffing it up a little before settling down again. Being part bird is sometimes annoying, especially when your feathers responded to your emotions... The siren patted her hair down as best she could, still paying close attention to Gale.

keep your eyes on sunny skies

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sunset.com :image
sunflower by alice peacock :song

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[Gale Devlin]

Elle asked and Gale wasn't really about to avoid the question. Sure, talking about it wasn't ideal, but when someone wanted to know it was a waste of time trying to avoid the subject. Gale would have been frustrated if someone had tried that with her. Actually she was very close to being frustrated with the frequency that Llyr did something of the like to her because she needed to be protected in his eyes. It was nice of him, but sometimes he just needed to let go and tell her what she wanted to know. The young woman imagined that would be like what was happening with Elle. Considering her size, her looks, and her age, it was quite probably that Elle was 'protected' from a lot of things.

Pushing a strand of hair from her face, Gale looked to Elle with a blank expression. For a moment all of her feathers ruffled before settling down again and Gale assumed it was because the girl was thinking something she didn't want to. "Special cases. They're just what you'd assume. Emergencies. Such as the day that a group of dragons found their way into the city and eliminated an entire district. There were many unprepared for it. I'd think that a day like that would be when we could bend the rules. Many Muses rushed to help in the effort, so many were away from the Sanctuary." Gale let herself trail off as she thought. Many Muses didn't want to talk about that day. Even her mother, who was the Muse of Harmony at the time, was more than reluctant to converse about what happened.

Gale still wondered if she'd ever be in such a position. If she ever was she might not be able to conduct the Etude properly. It was still unsure if she could conduct a normal Etude right in the Crystal Room, let alone anywhere else. But there was no time for doubt, such a useless emotion. "I don't think there are any solid examples of such an event though. Perhaps it has happened, but perhaps not. No need to fret over anything when it doesn't apply," Gale said the words, but probably didn't mean them. The child would most likely let her mind wander quite a bit on the subject. Bothersome and annoying, but there wasn't really anything Gale could do about it.

[[ooc: So short. Baaaahhhhh!]]

[Elle the Siren]

sunflower smilin' at the sun
your time is gonna come

A very serious expression settled on Elle's cute face, "Okay, so when would you like to perform the Etude?" The young siren ruffled her feathers nervously, her thoughts scattered around her goal. She just wanted the Etude to be over with. She felt confidant in her abilities but uneasy about being judged. Her one solace lay in the fact that it was all music based. She could, and would, sing beautifully in front of anybody who would like to hear. Song was to be shared, not hoarded and there was no reason to be shy about your song.

Weeks ago, in the Pastoral Fields, Elle had found the spot where the two women were currently standing. However, at the time, a young boy had been sitting among the sunflowers, crying. In one of his small hands he had held a silver harmonica. With soothing words, the siren set him on the bench and the young boy had gushed to her about how he was to shy to play in front of people. He always felt that he would embarrass himself and it scared him to know that people were watching. Elle told him that music was beautiful and, if you played from your heart, it would always be beautiful. The little boy thanked her and left, leaving Elle to consider performing. It was then that she decided that she should try for the first Etude, she felt ready after talking with the boy.

That 'ready' feeling was starting to wear off as Elle was faced head-on with her judge. The young woman in front of her would decided if Elle could fulfill her promise of if she was a failure. It was a huge moment, the first of many, and Elle felt her whole being hum with nerves but also excitement.

keep your eyes on sunny skies

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sunset.com :image
sunflower by alice peacock :song

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