Center of Attention [o.p.e.n]

[``Oracle]

It was early. Most of the strolling players wouldn't have bothered coming out to perform at this time of morning. Half the city was still asleep, but they were waking, and they would soon start out on their day. This was the time of day that Veruca loved. No fire dancers, rope walkers, jugglers, or knife throwers around to steal the attention of the city away from her quiet playing. There was the occasional minstrel, and every once in a while you would see a dancer, but these performers Veruca could compete with easily. Sometimes they even joined together, at times without noticing, working off of each others tunes.

It was too early even for that right now though. Veruca was still setting her instrument on the stand when the first people started flitting around the square. There were no other performers here yet, but some might arrive soon. She worked fast to adjust the thirteen strings of the long wooden instrument, moving the bridge of each string this way and that, plucking them tentatively. Her picks were still in their pouch on her side, she rarely used them to adjust the tune of her Koto.

Some people were starting to look over at her on their way by, probably curious about her instrument. Few people who were not normally around at this time of morning had ever even seen a Koto, let alone heard one played. This would be a treat for them.

Finally she fished the picks out of the pouch at her side, and stood in place at one end of the strings. She picked her strings carefully at first, still testing the tuning. For once it didn't need further adjustment. She started to play more naturally now, a slow tune, building to a faster pace.

[Isabella "Issie" Alice Weberg]

Issie walked into the square. she saw a girl playing some insterment. besides that the no one ealse seem to be in the square. she smiled a little. She took up her position. quickly she debated on a song finaly she picked one. it was a song she loved dearly. it was the one her mother had written for her.

"Once upon a time lived a Fair Princess most beautiful and charming;
Her Father, the King, was a wicked old thing, with manners most alarming.
And always on the front door mat, a most ferocious Dragon sat,
Who made such a fearful shrieking noise that all you little girls and boys
Beware, take care, of the green eyed dragon with the 13 tails hell feed with greed on little boys puppy dogs and big fat snails
then off to his lair each child he'll drag and each of his 13 tails he'll wag
Beware, take care, and creep upon tiptoe,
And hurry up the stairs, and say your prayers,
And tuck your head, your pretty curly head,
beneath the clothes, the clothes, the clothes."

by this time people were slowly comeing out. a few little kids were even comeing. they gathered around Issie.

"The Dragon went down to the kitchen one day
Where the Fair Princess was baking;
He ate, by mistake, some rich plum cake
which the Fair Princess was making.
This homemade cake, he could not digest;
He moaned and he groaned, and at last went west -
And now his ghost, with bloodshot eyes
At midnight clanks his chains and cries:
Beware, take care, of the green eyed dragon with the 13 tails hell feed with greed on little boys puppy dogs and big fat snails
then off to his lair each child he'll drag and each of his 13 tails he'll wag
Beware! Take care! And creep upon tiptoe,
And hurry up the stairs, and say your prayers,
And tuck your head, your pretty curly head,
Beneath the clothes, the clothes, the clothes. . . ."

as she finished the song the kids were giggling.

[``Oracle]

As Veruca played, pulling the strings of the exotic instrument, she watched from the corner of her eyes as someone set up to start a performance of their own. She couldn't make out the person from this distance, only seeing a blurred figure standing not too far away. No one stood in one place in the center of a square like that unless they were about to perform, or were watching a performance. Veruca's instrumental performances weren't the type that attracted a crowd though, usually just gaining a coin thrown to her on the way by.

The someone started singing not long after arriving, not wasting much time at all on preparation. Veruca paused her play, and listened to a line or two of the song the other young woman was singing. She decided that the Koto would work perfectly as a background to the song, and started to play, making minor changes through half of the first verse in order to fit the tune. She plucked the strings carefully, using only a few for this song, as it was a simple one to start with. Children had gathered around the square giggling by the time the song was finished. Veruca stopped and applauded the girl herself, before she went back to her play. She did not make a full song of it now, just hitting the same repeated tune over and over.