Song and Dance by carlsojos

Sheryl sat down at a table in the Hunters' Guild bar, and opened an envelope bearing the guild seal. She quietly reads the enclosed letter to herself as the bartender fills her glass with the cheapest brew he had.

Thank you for your interest in the Hunters' Guild, where we enrich the lives of hunters! This letter is in response to your application to join our ranks. Unfortunately, there appears to be one or more issues with your application, and we are unable to accept you at this time. The enclosed forms detail your application, and if you choose to join at a later time, may be presented to expedite your next attempt. It is recommended that you read through the forms and prepare yourself to meet the requirements you do not currently comply with before you apply again, as all application and licensing fees are not refundable. You may alternately seek an apprenticeship under a currently licensed hunter, but you will likely have to impress the hunter before he or she will elect to vouch for you, due to responsibility clauses.

Sheryl looks through and finds that she failed the physical test miserably. Accustomed to failure, she simply wads up the form and throws it out the window. It just seems I'm doomed to lose in this life.... She tried going to Piata, but failed the entrance exam by three questions. She has been fired from every store in Aiedo, Nalya, and Zema, and she has walked over half the continent trying to be a farmhand. Only one farmer ever offered her a position, and it was under a stipulation she simply couldn't accept. I should've taken that cursed offer....

It was the hottest month of the year back then, and Sheryl had spent it building a makeshift raft and floating towards the island of Uzo. The wind had died down while en route, so she ran out of food 3 days before she washed up on shore. When she finally managed to sneak out of the inn she awoke in, she spent the entire day looking for anybody who could possibly be hiring. In the end, the only offer was as a hooker for one of the farmers, but she simply wouldn't violate her own honor for something as petty as money. Instead, she took the farmer's first payment, then told his wife when and where they were to meet, and used the money to pay a fisherman to get her off the island before the man could seek revenge. That was before she truly knew the meaning of poverty.

Angry at her life, Sheryl chucks her glass at the wall, and the bartender quickly throws her out of the bar in response. Yeah, just throw me out like the trash I am, asshole.... Sheryl picks herself up and begins to aimlessly wander the streets, vacantly looking at the various sights and clutching her last meseta coin as tightly as she could. As she makes her way through a back alley, she becomes aware of a sound she hasn't heard before. A bit of a cross between a whistle and a song voice, the tone is slightly shrill, but very dynamic. She follows her ears, and eventually comes across a group of people watching on as a young woman stands in the center, playing a strange metal instrument.

Amazed at the music coming from the unique instrument, Sheryl watches as the woman completes her performance. The girl sits down as the spectators begin to give her money for the performance. After a few minutes go by, the girl gets up and begins to walk away, apparently oblivious to the blonde staring just feet away.

Sheryl follows the musician to a run-down portion of Aiedo, and when the girl seems to struggle with the door on a homeless shelter, she quickly steps up and opens it for her. Thank you kindly, sir.

Do I look like a man to you?

Huh? Oh, excuse me, miss... The woman steps inside, and Sheryl follows.

Hey, what was that thing you were playing earlier?

This? It's a flute. Not exactly the simplest contraption, but it pays for my meals. The strange girl signs her name on the form and grabs a key to one of the rooms.

You're pretty good with that flute. How did you get it?

Some music guy saw me, and decided to give it to me. It's not like there are very many other professions out there for me. The girl hands the key to Sheryl, and asks her to read the number on it, then continues down the hall towards the corresponding door.

You can't get a job? Why not?

It's pretty hard to build or sell anything when you can't see what you're doing. The girl stops at a door, and pushes the key into the doorknob. Out of curiosity, Sheryl waves her hands in front of the girl, with no apparent reaction.

You're blind? The truth smacks the blonde in the face.

I prefer sight-deficient. I do alright, given the Great Light's oversight in my creation. She giggles at her own joke. So, how can I help you?

I, uh... Sheryl isn't sure why she followed the woman. That music... could you show me how to play?

The blind woman folds her arms. So, you want to learn how to weave the air into patterns of beauty even the blind may behold. Why do you desire this art?

Sheryl thought for a minute before she replied. I've never succeeded at anything I've ever tried before. I've never attempted to play a song before, and I would like to give it a shot.

I'll see what I can do. I'll talk to that music man again; see if he's willing to give another instrument for you to learn. Meet me tomorrow night, behind the marketplace.

Thank you, er...

I'm called Genna.

Thank you, Genna! Sheryl walks out and tries her luck at sneaking into the inn.

Genna walks through the crowd of the afternoon marketplace, and comes to a stop at one of the doors leading to a storeroom. After listening to be sure none of the employees were watching her, she pulls out a lock pick and lets herself in, gently pulling the door closed behind her. She reaches to her right until her hand touches an old broom, and uses it as a cane to navigate among the crates of goods until she reaches another door, much older than anything else in the room. With a tug, the rusted hinges let out a moan, and Genna leads herself into a room filled with various artifacts of old, tools of the trade for musicians dating back as far as the destruction of Palma, some even earlier.

Genna walks to the center of the room. Even without sight, she knows that in front of her lies a piano, with the owner sitting just beyond, playing an old tune from the time of Alis's rule. She stays silent as the man finishes his performance to the instruments, and his face softens when he notices the girl. Gen, the wind mason, I see you've returned. How do you fare, my sightless songstress?

The birds still sing and my music flows freely.

Good, good... What brings you to my chamber today?

I've come with a request for the gift. Another has approached me, and expressed a desire to learn the art.

The art isn't something you learn, it is something that grows within you. Who do you want to mentor? Genna closes her eyes, and with a force undetectable by all but the most attuned of Espers, the old musician sees what Genna felt within the woman that had approached her yesterday.

What do you think?

She's seen life in her own way; I think something down to earth would work with her style. The man rummages through a pile in the corner, and pulls out a black case several feet long. He opens it, and takes out the stringed instrument, holding it out so Genna can feel the shape. This guitar has lived through some of the highest of highs, and the lowest of lows. Lead her to the top, and you won't be far behind. He puts the guitar back in the case and gives it to her.

Thank you for your guidance.

No prob, Gen. Come back before you leave, I want you to do a favor in return. Rock on, girl.... Genna lets herself back out to the dusty storeroom, holding onto every word the wise man said.