orlaiscation all i ever wanted (semi-open)

[sulahnan]

WHO: Athessa and Vanadi and Orlesians et al
WHAT: Catch-all for Athessa's Orlesian Bardcation
WHEN: 3 month span (Cloudreach, Bloomingtide, and Justinian)
WHERE: Val Royeaux
NOTES: People are welcome to bump into her in Val Royeaux if they happen to be there so long as they don't blow her cover.

i. on the boat (closed to Nikos)

[ Nikos being on the boat is, needless to say, something of an odd coincidence that Athessa manages not to notice until she sees him on deck, blessedly early enough on the voyage to avoid the worst of her seasickness.

She approaches him, standing next to him at the gunwale and giving him a friendly (if tight-lipped) smile. ]

Where are you off to, then?

ii. in the city (Cloudreach)

The apartment that Athessa finds isn't much; by Orlesian standards it's downright paltry without being neck-deep in the slums. By Athessa's standards, it's fine. Nothing worth complaining about at all. It's small, located above a textile shop, and it has a blue door. It came with a bed, a fireplace, a kitchen, a washroom, and an old sofa with a filigree back that's seen better days. The paint on the walls is flaking, the door creaks, the floor is dusty and hasn't seen wax in years. The chimney definitely needs sweeping before it's usable...but all of this is doable and Athessa isn't going to argue that they aren't reasons to lower the price of the rent.

The first week or so is spent getting the apartment in working order and getting a sense of the neighborhood, exploring in the way one must when moving to a new city. Athessa wanders from place to place, fetching necessary items and asking directions for various things, familiarizing herself with the butcher and the baker and other sundry incumbent merchants. Not everyone is willing to give her the time of day, but a few people yet surprise her with their general helpful natures.

Around the third week of Cloudreach is when Athessa believes she's found a few choice areas to start performing. She keeps a list of them in mind, ranked from most to least likely to get her the kind of exposure she needs, along with a general knowledge of when she has the best chance of being discovered. It isn't her only tactic, of course; if she can't get herself an invitation to the party as a performer, like Lexie said, she could get invited as a guest, and for that she keeps an ear out for any mention of it. The easiest way to get invited is by proxy, after all.

iii. on the stage (Bloomingtide)

[tbd]

iv. on the list (Justinian)

[tbd]

Comments

[sulahnan]

Though she knows he's coming, she doesn't keep that knowledge in the forefront of her mind. She lets herself focus on her mission, such as it is, so that when Bastien shows up she won't have to feign surprise at his appearance. What could be more of a giveaway than a forced reaction?

So when she sees that hair, those eyebrows, Athessa doesn't stop to change course. She sits on the opposite side of the statue, unpacks her instrument, and begins to tune it. This is how she starts.

Her fingers have gotten used to tuning the mandolin by now, have formed calluses where her fingertips press on the strings to form the notes. This is all muscle memory.

She turns her face out to the crowd, not gathered to listen but going about their daily activities. Her scar is covered by makeup, eyes rimmed with kohl, and she's adorned her cheekbones with blue and gold ink in delicate floral whorls. They match the general design of the tattoo at her wrist, which has also been drawn over with the same ink. Paired with the intricate braids in her hair and the jewelery on her ears, she definitely looks the part of a foreigner to these streets, trying to assimilate while retaining her otherness.

The first song she plays doesn't have words, just music that she coaxes out of the strings.