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Post by Luna Broadblade on Jun 29, 2017 20:12:24 GMT -5
Lorne strummed the strings with not a little bit of frustration as he stumbled on the chord again. He was close to getting it, but without someone to actually teach him how to play the lute, or any sheet music, it was slow going. Nothing like playing his father’s pipe, or imitating the various bird calls from around the Abbey. The strings were easy enough to pluck, and while it was different overall in comparison to a reed pipe, the notes were essentially the same. A sounded like A. Only, playing the lute was a completely different experience than what he was used to even after a year’s practice at it. Not to mention he still couldn’t vibrato notes effectively like that one mole, Harris he believed, had shown him last month. Maybe he should ask him for lessons… only Harris was having a rough time with his newborn daughter, and his wife was away visiting family, or so he said; though Mrs Sorrel said…. Well, he’d just have to work perfecting his notes and then mastering vibrato on his own for a while yet.
Lorne sighed, leaning his head back against the tree he’d decided to practice by. Absently his fingers plucked the strings, first in simple scales, then in made up combinations that soothed his ear and temper. It was one of the few hours he had completely to himself, and he’d chosen to work on his playing of stringed instruments. Specifically this lute. If he could just get decent at playing this, maybe he’d finally work up the nerve and ask someone to help him make a fiddle. Or perhaps someone had one they were no longer using…
The strumming stopped for a moment. Who did he know that fiddled? He’d have to ask around, but he was pretty sure no one in the Abbey proper played. Maybe some of the surrounding areas? Maybe it would be better to ask some of the visitors. But then, he didn’t want to make a nuisance of himself…
The strumming restarted again. Then stopped. Each individual string was plucked in turn as the young vole checked the tuning. Something was of, he knew it. Lorne’s ear twitched with each sound, mentally checking it against his memory for the note. G, A, C, and all the others; each one checked and altered slightly in a few cases. Clearing his throat, and slowly tapping his foot to keep rhythm, Lorne started his fifth attempt.
“Oh A beetle maid sat in the glade and she lamented softly…”
Lorne’s voice was softer and less accented than the Hare that had taught him this song. Hopefully that didn’t detract from the piece as a whole, but if it did, who was here to hear him?
“…till he brought me some Honey-“
A twig snapped, and Lorne fingers faltered, hitting a sour note.
Well, speak of the devil…
“I hope my playing hasn’t disturbed you,” he called out lightly, without looking up. Maybe they didn’t want to be acknowledged. They had kept their approach fairly quiet after all. “I hadn’t been aware of an audience.”
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Liam
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Traveler
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Post by Liam on Aug 9, 2017 15:48:06 GMT -5
Rumble quietly listened to music wash over his ears, and his snout twitched whenever he heard a note he liked. The young mole was buried in a hole up to his neck, which might strike other creatures as odd, though perhaps not so much for a mole. Lorne was playing his lute again, and had apparently chosen this spot to perform. Not that he was complaining; he rather liked the vole's music.
For a while, Rumble let himself be taken in by the various tunes that Lorne was strumming. His mind kept tickling him though, as if something was wrong...
Like a bolt of lightning, it struck him without warning. He wasn't supposed to be digging these holes anymore; not that he would stop, but Rumble wasn't keen on getting another scolding from Sister . It was just his luck that Lorne had to pick the exact spot that he had chosen to dig. Well, if his luck didn't give out on him, he'd make it out without being caught.
Carefully and quietly, he began to shift the dirt covering him. Bit by bit, he dug himself out, until he was nearly free of its grasp. Promising to fix the hole later, he dumped the last bit of earth out of the hole, and relaxed, resting his digging claws on the left side.
*snap!*
No! Rumble stood as quietly as he could hoping that Lorne hadn't heard anything. Maybe his luck would decide to be on his side for once.
"I hope my playing hasn’t disturbed you. I hadn’t been aware of an audience."
Guess not.
A bit shamefaced that he had been caught, Rumble dusted himself off and climbed out of the hole. "Hullo Lorne," he said, shuffling towards the vole. Maybe he wouldn't get scolded this time. "Oi 'eard you'm playen 'ee loot, 'twurr vurry noice lizening to et."
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Post by Luna Broadblade on Aug 10, 2017 15:37:51 GMT -5
“Hullo Lorne,”
He knew that voice. Looking up, Lorne smiled politely at young Rumble. The young mole was one of the youngsters who lived in the Abbey. Lorne believed he attended one or two of his music classes. Though he’d taken up the role of Assistant to the Foremole fairly recently, and Lorne couldn’t rightly recall if he’d seen him in his recent classes. His memory seemed to be failing him when it came to some of his students. There were so many children coming and going, not to mention those who snuck out or who had responsibilities to their heritage to look after.
Still, that was no excuse. Rumble was a valued member of the Abbey, and Lorne should be making more of an effort to help keep track of him. Though, to be honest at this moment he looked a bit shame faced… and covered in dirt. Lorne raised an eyebrow at the sight. He’d heard from the Sisters that Rumble had a habit of digging in places he shouldn’t. He’d also heard that that habit had been broken with help from the Foremole.
Perhaps that had been an exaggeration.
"Oi 'eard you'm playen 'ee loot, 'twurr vurry noice lizening to et."
The smile on Lorne’s face softened a bit from politeness to genuine warmth. The quickest way to get on his good side was to compliment his playing, and Lorne knew his weakness well enough not to be bothered by it.
“Thank you Master Rumble,” Lorne replied politely. “Though I see you’ve been busy yourself. Digging holes for new trees?”
His fingers ghosted over notes on the lute, not really playing them but getting a feel for each all the same. A bit of a nervous habit: Lorne’s paws couldn’t help but try to play music whenever the opportunity presented itself.
“Tell you what: How about you finish filling in that hole, brush yourself off, an’ if the Sisters ya’ can say I gave you a right good scolding.”
There was also another type of opportunity that Lorne couldn’t resist.
“An’ perhaps you can tell me what’s been goin’ on in the Abbey an’ why you’re out digging holes again.”
Perhaps it was shameless to get a bit of gossip from a young lad like Rumble. Yet youngsters had a habit of picking up on what adults missed, and Lorne was curious if there was any news he was missing out on. Besides, maybe Rumble was bothered by something that Lorne could help with.
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Liam
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Traveler
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Post by Liam on Oct 20, 2017 8:59:24 GMT -5
Rumble breathed an audible sigh of relief, his luck finally holding up for once. He was glad that it had been Lorne that had caught him, as explaining why he had been digging holes again would have been the least of his problems. Lorne seemed curious rather than upset about his digging,
"Sister Pyria is wroitin' a new stohry, an' 'ee wanted t'reed it to uzn's. Thurr wuz a part whurr summ moice an' squirrels wurr under a 'ot sun, so they'm went an' buried themselves under summ shade, to keep themselves cool. Oi wanted to troi it for moi self, t'see iffen et wurr really true. 'onest."
The young mole hesitated a bit, for he wasn't sure what Lorne would want to know about the goings-on at the Abbey. Foremole tried to keep him too busy to get into any trouble, but he still spent a fair amount of time around the abbey, running around with his friends, or doing chores. He didn't know everything that was happening, but he still had ears that could listen, and listen fairly well.
"Yesterday, when oi wuz doan in 'ee cellar, oi hearden Foremole an' 'ee Cellar'og talken about summ cordial, that et wuz goin' to be 'ee best that Redwall ever seed. Oi didn't hear wot et was tho'. An' oi guess 'ee stohry that Sister Pyria's been wroitin'. Sorry," he added, a little distraught, "Oi can't thinken o' anything else."
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Post by Luna Broadblade on Oct 26, 2017 21:39:48 GMT -5
"Sister Pyria is wroitin' a new stohry, an' 'ee wanted t'reed it to uzn's. Thurr wuz a part whurr summ moice an' squirrels wurr under a 'ot sun, so they'm went an' buried themselves under summ shade, to keep themselves cool. Oi wanted to troi it for moi self, t'see iffen et wurr really true. 'onest."
Sister Pyria was writing a story, was she? Interesting: Lorne had heard a few of her tales. She had talent, though sometimes Lorne thought her work lacked… experience.
Too critical by half for someone who’s never had cause to write a love song, war song, drinking song or any song.
Who had said that to him all those seasons ago? A Bard who was too clever to be anything but discontent. But who was able to compose music on the fly, and knew how to play more instruments than Lorne had even heard of. Jealousy was truly an ugly feeling, and it took effort to push it down.
“An' what did you find out Rumble?” Lorne asked as Rumble finished his explanation, hoping his darker thoughts hadn’t played across his face. In truth he was genuinely curious, as he’d never had cause to bury himself under the ground to keep cool. Though he had once burrowed into leaves on a cold autumn night to keep warm. “Was it cooler?”
"Yesterday, when oi wuz doan in 'ee cellar, oi hearden Foremole an' 'ee Cellar'og talken about summ cordial, that et wuz goin' to be 'ee best that Redwall ever seed. Oi didn't hear wot et was tho'. An' oi guess 'ee stohry that Sister Pyria's been wroitin'… Sorry….Oi can't thinken o' anything else."
Guilt twisted Lorne’s stomach. He hadn’t intended to upset the lad with his busybody ways.
“That’s quite alright Rumble, I didna mean ta upset you,” Lorne replied immediately. “I was jus’ being an’ old gossip. A weakness of mine, an’ one many have reminded me is hardly proper in an abbeybeast.”
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