Maglor July catchall

[bythewaves]

⌛ Who: Maglor & whoever!
⌛ What: Maglor got a music box that broadcasts his thoughts. He doesn't know this. Yet. Also just general July things.
⌛ When: all though July
⌛ Where: all over
⌛ Warnings: depending on who tags him and what they ask, topics may delve dark



Music Box: Thoughts Edition

See, here's the thing about Maglor. His thoughts are noisy. His family could have mentioned how 99% of the time he was composing in his youth - this has not, in fact, gotten any better as he's gotten older - it's just that the 1% not dedicated to music got LOUD.

So it's a toss up if the music box tunes in to his thoughts if one is going to get a sudden jangle of whatever composition he's working on at the moment (it might sound like a cacophony of noise, or something very close to the most perfect symphony you've ever heard, depending) or just random rambling streams of thoughts.

He's surprisingly paternal, if you listen to his thoughts. There's a lot of worrying over... pretty much everyone.

Music Box: Memories Edition

The memories that the box picks vary - you might run into him staring fondly at the image of a large, noisy family doing all sorts of things from playing to crafting to fighting to just existing, to brilliant great light sources that happen to look a bit like trees, to beautiful cities that look like paintings, to much darker memories - lonely shores, fire and war, long tiring nights guarding those behind him, all the way to softly sad memories - dark haired twins in a cold castle.

He'll talk about any of them, if asked, but probably won't notice any watchers to discuss them without being prompted.

Soul Artifact

".............we don't have to do this, if you don't want to."

He's very not sure if he WANTS to know what his soul artifact is. But this is what they've been asked to do so...

(It's a harp. Just a harp. His shoulders will drop in relief when it is revealed - clearly, he was expecting something else. But when the strings are touched... Something like grief will cross his face. )

Trial of Promise

"You cannot leave until you..." He reads out slowly, in the dim cave his glow is striking, especially since there's no other source of light barring the words on the wall.

"...Ah." He sighs, unhappily.

Trial of Devotion

He eyes the mountain and wonders aloud, "Do you think they mind if we cheat? I wonder if I can put them to sleep?"

Alternatively, he could just fight his way up. The odds are better than many times in his past.

"What do you think?"

Trial of Love

He waits only until the rules are announced before stating, very calmly; "That's fine. I'll just break mine."

What is such pain after all, compared to all the pain he has already had in his life?

He'll immediately move to smash the harp on any available surface unless stopped.

Comments

[cultivatingdisaster]

That is true. They did and it was explained that the bonds could be both familial as well as platonic, not always in the romantic sense. And that was the reason why Xie Lian chose to take part in this. Mostly curiosity. He wondered just what it was everyone else was doing.

But he was also ready to blame his bad luck on having no idea what to do now that they were there.

A hand lifts and lightly touches the silk ribbon around his neck as he watches Maglor and waits for the same thing he does. Then he listens to that promise, a warm smile formed upon Xie Lian's face. There was just a hint of melancholy to it. It was a promise poor Maglor would eventually break, he was certain. But for now... nothing happened. Nothing changed. Xie Lian had held his breath but, in the end, the promise hadn't been good enough.

He sighed.

"It is a good promise." Xie Lian assured and, as an afterthought, he stepped closer and lightly patted Maglor's arm in a friendly sort of way, his smile kind. "And one I happily accept. And return. But it seems that our trial here isn't nearly as simple."

[bythewaves]

Maglor huffs in mild irritation at the situation. The Oath has not stirred, however, so Xie Lian is not enmeshed in his Fate, which is good (although he DOES wonder if that's even possible, Outside of Arda).

"Hm. So if not promises... what else do weddings have in common? That might be done by all." He muses aloud. "Flowers? Food? That seems to be a common thread across worlds... "

[cultivatingdisaster]

Maglor's Oath may not have stirred but something did. Out the corner of his eye, Xie Lian caught movement upon the wall beside them. A glance that way brought and almost amused smile to his lips.

"Not food or flowers." He replied lightly and raised a hand to gesture to that wall. What was once blank now had words. 'You cannot leave until... you dance.'. Of all the strange things this magical wall could tell them to do... "Can you dance?"

[bythewaves]

Maglor blinks at the gesture and turns, lips quirking in a wry smile.

"I see someone has been moved to take pity on us." He observes and nods.

"I can, yes - my concern would be that I doubt you and I hold many, if any, dances in common! And that's putting aside - can you dance?"

[cultivatingdisaster]

"I can dance." Xie Lian agreed with a smile. "Though the last time I danced was..." No, the last time hadn't been back when he was a Prince. He had danced on the streets before, but those kinds of dancing had never appealed to the masses as much as other things so he had stopped doing it.

He could also agree that they most definitely didn't have a single dance that would be common between both worlds. If they did, that would be a mind-boggling coincidence.

"Do you have any that you could teach me?" That would fit the criteria. And Xie Lian would learn something new, which was always exciting.

http://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Springle-ring

[bythewaves]

Maglor looks thoughtful.

"Something quick and easy... possibly the Hobbit's Springle-Ring would work." He says, fingers tapping out a rhythm on his arm as he considers.

"Tis often danced at weddings although as I understand it they dance it at any festivities with lively enough music! Tis normally danced in a circle, getting faster as it goes. The steps are basic, so tis the speed that usually trips people up! There's also a lot of jumping. If you wanted to try?"

[cultivatingdisaster]

Xie Lian tilted his head and listened with growing amusement. A festive dance where things got faster and there was lots of jumping? How exciting. He nodded his agreement.

"If you can show me what to do I can do my best to follow your lead." It shouldn't be too hard, and he was very eager to try.

did I just look up a folk circle dance and randomly pick steps? Yes, yes I did

[bythewaves]

"Alright well, we start facing each other, so."

He explains. "We circle each other to the right for four, then jump, face the other way, and repeat to the left for four, then jump back. Clap, in for three, jump step right, jump step left, clap, jump back, and bow. Then we normally switch partners, but in this case I suppose we'd just repeat."

He walks them through the steps.

[cultivatingdisaster]

Xie Lian was utterly enchanted and deeply excited. This kind of dancing was very different from what he was used to, but had just enough similarities to certain dances of his own world that the steps came easy for him. He was easy to direct, too. Following Maglor's words to the letter. The steps were counted and exact, the jump and claps timed to near perfection.

It seemed that Xie Lian had almost forgotten where they were and was just enjoying himself! So much so that after a certain jump and step he couldn't contain the quick laugh that followed.

"And you said your Hobbit friends came up with this particular dance?"

[bythewaves]

"As far as they can tell, yes."

Maglor smiles. "The Men of Bree have similar dances, but I don't know who taught who, or even if the dances developed separately."

"Every time the dance is repeated, it speeds up. It is considered to be a great skill to be one of the last ones still going!"

[cultivatingdisaster]

"Then shall we test this out?" Similar dances or not, this was a lot more fun than he was expecting to have today. "We shall try to honour your Hobbit friends with their dance. Even if they aren't here to see it." Nor anyone else for that matter. It was just them two and whoever would be watching to ensure they complete their task.

[bythewaves]

"Yes let's! Shall I sing something to get us a rhythm?"

He's still keen on getting out, but on the other hand, this is probably quite a bit more fun than he was expecting.

[cultivatingdisaster]

"Please do!" After all, Xie Lian did enjoy Maglor's singing a great deal. Being his favourite and all.

They would get out. Eventually. But there was nothing that said that they couldn't have a little bit of fun before that happened. After sealing them both away in a cave it was the very least they deserved!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RX--cEl3BWw

[bythewaves]

"Hm, alright, well, a Hobbit dance deserves a Hobbit song, eh?"

He says cheerfully and then starts up the well-loved Cat and the Moon

"There's an inn of old renown
Where they brew a beer so brown
Moon came rolling down the hill
One Hevnsday night to drink his fill.
On a three-stringed fiddle there
Played the Ostler's cat so fair
The hornèd Cow that night was seen
To dance a jig upon the green."

[cultivatingdisaster]

And the level of fun had just gone up a notch. With Maglor singing a jaunty tune they danced and Xie Lian laughed and, at times, tried his best to sing along when a line was repeated. But for the most part he concentrated on dancing. And as the dance sped up, his steps somehow became even more nimble and sure, seeming to barely touch the ground as he kept up with Maglor and his energy with ease.

While his Cultivation and training had never been quite like this, somehow he felt that he could incorporate into his routine. It was quite the workout!

[bythewaves]

The cave door opening goes almost unnoticed, as Maglor brings the song to an end with a flourish, gasping with breathless laughter.

"Ai! You're far too good at this, my friend! Are you sure you haven't done this before?"

[cultivatingdisaster]

By the time their dance was over it wasn't just Maglor that was out of breath, even Xie Lian was a little on the flushed side and breathing just a little harder. But he looked happy as well and found himself laughing right along with his friend.

"I am only as good as my teacher." He replied warmly with that same laughter in his voice. "And we appear to have done enough to leave! Shall we?"

[bythewaves]

"So we have!" Maglor laughs again, breathlessly.

"And you are being modest, my friend! I have not seen such skill in a very long time. Yes, yes, let's get out before they decide to shut the door on us!"

[cultivatingdisaster]

Xie Lian breathed in and let it out slowly, helping him steady the beating of his racing heart. He really had been having too much fun!

"As I've said, in my younger days I had been taught the Arts. I just have not had much of an opportunity to utilise them as of late." As he was speaking Xie Lian was already on the move and heading for the now open door. Like Maglor he was afraid of it closing and them having to do it all over again. Or, worse, being stuck a second time with a whole new kind of task.

[bythewaves]

"I will look forwards to you using them more then, I hope!" Maglor is just as eager to leave, following him out with eager steps.

"But hopefully under much less stressful situations!"

[cultivatingdisaster]

"We'll see. With how strange this world appears, I'm finding a need to utilise many of my old lessons." And Xie Lian was just glad that he had lived long enough to have many of them to fall back on and use to help him through these strange times.

He was also glad to have a friend to share them with.

"Thank you for doing this with me, my friend."

[bythewaves]

"I've few folk here I'd do this with." Maglor says honestly.

"So it was my honor to participate with you!"

[cultivatingdisaster]

"I find that hard to believe." Xie Lian replied warmly. "You are friendly and personable, generous and kind, you are easy to befriend. I'm certain you have more than you realise." And he was very sure of that. Unlike himself who could name his friends on one hand. But that was fine. Xie Lian wasn't used to having many friends at all. One or two close friends were all he needed.

[bythewaves]

Maglor waves a hand.

"That, anyone can do. But trust? That is another thing entirely." He says seriously.

"There are many here who I have spoken to. But those I trust? A scarce handful, only."

[cultivatingdisaster]

Oh, well didn't that just make Xie Lian feel warm and happy. Maglor was correct. Friends could come and go but trust was a harder thing to come by.

Maglor looked serious. But Xie Lian's smile was anything but. "I have earned your trust? I am glad. I entirely share that sentiment."