The Heights of Londo [IC 2: Bolted]

[Comissar]

It takes Leah a moment or two to remember who the Canyr Afon are, but when she does, she glances between her friends. She felt Alyssa especially would probably enjoy the performance. "Umm, that sounds like it could be good, do you guys want to go..?"

[tgva8889]

Alyssa nods in response. "Yeah, that sounds great! I think I heard about the Canyr Afon or read about them somewhere." She poses to Souf, "Where can we find Rana?"

[Hazuki]

Souf stares at Alyssa. "You can find Rana right outside the door. That is where she was when I checked last."

[Comissar]

Leah looks over to the door following Souf's comment. She frowns, recalling the young lady they passed on the way in. She hadn't looked much like a dancer trained by a well known troupe. She gave the others a questioning look, "Do you think we should, uh, go ask her now? In case she wanders off..?"

[tgva8889]

Alyssa shrugs. "Probably? I at least wanna talk to her." She gets up herself and starts to go, then stops and waits a bit for the others to follow. "Oh, um, probably want to talk to her with other people."

[Comissar]

Leah nods, pushing up from the table, ready to follow Alyssa's lead. Offering Souf a quick bob of her head, she adds "Thankyou for, uh, for all your help."

[tgva8889]

Alyssa goes looking for Rana once everyone who wants to come indicates they do.

[Hazuki]

It doesn't take long for Alyssa to find the girl who's supposedly Rana, as she's still sitting right outside the door. Her head is resting against the wall, her eyes closed, with the wind brushing aside a blue bang.

[tgva8889]

Alyssa approaches Rana a bit slowly at first, but quickly picks up the pace once she figures out it must be her. Once she's standing in front of her, Alyssa speaks. "Um, are you Rana? My name's Alyssa and, um, Souf said you were a dancer?" She's a bit nervous talking to someone she knows is talented but she's not too nervous to string her words together in the right order. A part of her was getting better at the whole "talking to people" thing.

[Comissar]

Leah follows after Alyssa as she approaches Rana, though she hangs back once her friend begins to speak.

[Hazuki]

The girl startles at the voice suddenly in front of her, eyes wide open and her hand slamming into the wall. She whimpers through her teeth and grasps at her palm, her eyes focusing on Alyssa. "Th-! Wh-! I was tired!" Her face softens as she starts to process the words Alyssa actually said. "Yes! Dancer. That's me. Hurricane Rana! Do you have money?" She pulls herself up to a standing position.

[Comissar]

Leah jumps slightly in response to Rana's shocked awakening. She gives the woman a concerned look, having never met someone tired enough to doze standing in a doorway before. In response to her question, she nods uncertainly, "Umm, we, uh, we do, yes..."

[tgva8889]

Alyssa gives Rana a concerned look. "Are...are you okay?" As Leah responds to Rana's questions, Alyssa searches her bag for some coinage. It doesn't take too long, but she does take a bit of time to decide how much seems reasonable. AS she's looking, she asks innocently, "Why are you called 'Hurricane'?"

[Hazuki]

"Yes! I am!" Rana says, as she stretches out her legs, then coughs. "Uh, branding? Listen, I'll be right back! Stay here," She darts to the door. "With your money!" She says, then flits into the inn.

[Comissar]

"Umm..." Leah steps to the side to allow Rana to dash inside past her. She turns to give Alyssa a concerned look, "She's, uh, she's not quite what I was expecting..."

[tgva8889]

Alyssa nods to Leah and gives an awkward smile. "Not at all. But, um, she seems nice?" She looks at Leah for a moment, then looks away suddenly and seems to be just examining the area outside.

[Hazuki]

Rana soon emerges from the inn, this time holding an unusual implement in her hand. It looks like a quarterstaff, made of metal, but with a pair of lights on each end that would be more familiar to Leah than Alyssa. "So! Where do you want to see my dance?"

[Comissar]

Leah nods her agreement, before glancing down and fidgeting with her bag strap. At the sound of the door opening behind her, she turns to see Rana re-emerging from the inn. The unusual construction of the quarterstaff catches her eye before turning her attention back to the performer. "Oh, umm, I, uh, I don't really know..." She briefly glances over to Alyssa, wondering if she might have a better idea, "Umm, how much space do you need..?"

[tgva8889]

Alyssa is surprised by the appearance of this strange staff. She oos at it before realizing Leah has looked at her. Shrugging, she looks around for a good place to view the dance. "Somewhere comfy, maybe?" Looking back to Rana, Alyssa gives her a bright smile. "Maybe off to the side of the door?"

[Hazuki]

Rana listens to their ideas, then shakes her head. "I don't think anybody's going to be at the stage - that's where the performances are - and there aren't any people around to steal entertainment." She rolls her neck. "Okay. Okay! Follow me!" She says, then sets off at a jog, eventually leading the teens to a circular, slightly elevated structure that they saw before. The chill of Thundercrag is starting to seep through their clothes.

[Comissar]

Leah nods at Rana's suggestion, "That sounds good."

She blinks in surprise as the woman suddenly breaks into a jog. Though she at first tries to walk quickly after her, Leah finds that she has no choice but to follow suit. A little winded when they do reach what is presumably the stage, she takes a few moments to catch her breath. As she does, she begins to absent-mindedly rub at her exposed arms, using the motion to fight against the cold beginning to creep into her.

[tgva8889]

Alyssa starts to agree but doesn't get the words out before Rana heads off. Giving Leah a shrug, she follows behind. The cold doesn't bother her for a little while, but once they reach the stage the lack of movement makes her shiver a bit too. She notices Leah shivering and moves closer to her. "You okay?" Digging around in her bag, she finds what looks like a cardigan or something and offers it to Leah. "S'not much, but, um."

[Comissar]

Leah looks to Alyssa as she moves a bit closer, glancing down at the offered clothing. "Umm, are you sure..?" She looks up at Alyssa again, seeing the older girl also shivering now and again. On receiving a confirmation, she accepts the cardigan, feeling her ears heat a little as she does, "... Thankyou."

Setting her bag on the floor, she pulls the cardigan on before running a hand behind her head to pull her hair free. Though it doesn't quite fit properly due to their different heights, the extra layer still helps keep the cold at bay a little better.

[Merilan]

Linne departs with the rest of the girls as well, draping her robe around herself a little more. She isn't really bothered by the cold, of course, but it still paid to be careful. She's rather curious to see this performance!

[Hazuki]

Rana stands at the center of the stage, watching and waiting for the group to stop fidgeting, before she cricks her neck and twirls the quarterstaff behind her back. She does this for a moment before swinging it into one hand, then slamming on end of it on the ground. The two lights at each end immediately come to life with brilliant blue lights. She begins with a slow rotation, switching the quarterstaff from hand to hand and revealing the properties of the lights, which leave trails of blue hanging in the air for a few moments after they've passed.

Then, she starts to dance in earnest. Her motions continue slowly, with simply twists of her body and swinging steps that leave ribbons of light just where she needs them, to hop over, slip or twirl around. The simple movements start to grow faster, along to an imaginary rhythm, and she starts to make shapes with the light, through jabs between her elbow and torso, swipes of each end from along her forearm, and slides that carry her halfway across the stage. This segment ends with her using these flowing movements to create an entire circle of light in front of her, then bursting through it.

Her acrobatics truly start to come into play, as she uses the staff to aid her in flips, jumps, rolls, alternating which end of the quarterstaff lights up, to leave even more complex patterns in her wake. She flits across the stage with grace and energy, repeating smaller circles that are shattered by the steps that follow, leaving behind sparkling lights like a field of stars. Her movements reach a crescendo as she creates streaks of light all around the arena, slipping between the strings with spins and sways of her hips, until almost all of it is covered.

She lands in the center of the stage with a backflip that takes her within skin's thickness of two ribbons, then whips her staff. All of the lingering light rushes back to her quarterstaff in the blink of an eye, then the nimbus of light at its tip is smashed into the ground and the fragments of light disperse in a shower of sparks. The dance is over.

[tgva8889]

Alyssa nods to Leah, then turns back to the stage. Then her emotions catch up to her and she blushes. Feeling the heat on her cheeks, she hides her face digging around in her bag for a shawl or something to help fight off the cold.

She doesn't find anything before Rana seems ready, though, the slam pulling Alyssa's attention right to her. Focused on the dance, Alyssa feels herself drawn in by the intricate motions and trails of light. The whole routine transfixes her. Rapt with delight, Alyssa goes quiet and still, devoting her entire attention to understanding the motions, finding the deep meaning beneath the art on the surface. Her eyes dart on the stage, following Rana's every motion and every trail of light. She seems to forget about the cold, about everything around her but the Rana, her staff, and the stage. Anyone nearby can hear Alyssa gasp at a few moments: Rana bursting through the lights, when her pace picks up and acrobatics come into play.

For a moment after Rana's staff shatters the light, Alyssa stands motionless. Then all her energy seems to come back and she starts clapping and cheering loudly.

[Comissar]

Leah watches Rana start up her performance with interest. Almost immediately, she finds her attention grabbed by the way the lights leave trails behind them. Wondering what could cause them to act that way, she spends a few moments trying to figure it out before just giving up and enjoying the performance, with only intermittent shivers interrupting her appreciation.

As she watches, she becomes aware of the occasional gasp of awe coming from Alyssa. Sneaking a glance over at her friend, she grins at how enthralled her attention is on the stage. Content that they'd made a good decision coming here, she briefly checked that Linne was also enjoying it before looking back to the stage.

When the performance ended, she stood blinking for a few moments to let her eyes adapt to the suddenly darkened stage. She joins in with Alyssa's applause, though refrains from cheering, a broad grin on her face.

[Hazuki]

Rana beams brightly at the applause that it sent her way, then skips to the front of the stage where the group is standing and clears her throat. "So! Money!"

[Comissar]

Leah' grin falters at Rana's forthrightness about payment. "O-oh, um, right, of course." She glances briefly at Alyssa, then back to Rana, "Umm, how, uh, how much do we, uh, owe you?"

[tgva8889]

Alyssa jumps a bit at Rana's words. "Oh, um, yeah." She digs in her bag for a little while, giving Leah a shrug when she sees her look to her. "What's the right amount for this?" After a while, she takes out an appropriate number of coins based on her knowledge of how much she'd expect for a painting of that level and offers it to Rana. "Thank you for the performance! Are you staying at the Health Hole too?"