Resonance [Open]

Light, playful notes floated leisurely down the passageway, traveling luxuriously around the chamber as they took advantage of the fantastic accustics. Some might have thought it was odd to hear their own music rebound right back to their ears a few seconds after playing it, but not Mercer. It was the most relaxing and soothing place in the settlement, where he could spend hours without being bothered by anyone.

Mercer had discovered the chamber in the settlement's cave system as a young boy. It was incredibly interesting down there. There were hot springs, much hotter than the bathing pools, and oddly shaped rock formations all over the place. If one sat still enough, one might be lucky enough to catch a glimpse of the massive tunnel-snake who inhabits the smaller tunnels. But old Toothy was quite blind and only ate pests, so wasn't a danger.

Turns ago, when young Mercer walked through that large natural room, carved eons ago by underground waterflow, he instantly realized the musical potential of it when his humming began resonating off the rocks. The chamber picked up one's voice and launched it through the tunnels, swirling it around for a good thrity seconds after one stopped singing. Mercer liked to fill the room with sound, like filling a bottle with water, then would sit back and listen as his own music drained away.

Today Mercer was here, hiding from Isibella, the young woman his mother had decided should marry him. The girl was great on the piano, but sinfully dull otherwise, and absolutely they had nothing in common. Mercer laid back on the massive boulder in the center of the chamber, gripped the flute mercilessly and played a furious trill. He did not need anyone to make his decisions for him, but Mother just didn't seem to understand that.

Kaimry walked down the twisting tunnels of the caves. She came down this way when she wanted to think or practice. She was so deep in thought that she almost didn'tnotice the beautiful sounds echoing off the walls. She listened and started to track them back to their source, A young man not much older than herself, singing.
She came up behind him and called out

"Hey there~ You've got a good voice and a nice flute there. Mind if I join in?" She waved her flute around a bit, while smiling cheerfully.

She sat down on a rock and begain to play a hauntingly melacholic melody on her flute, eyes closed, playing from memory.

The intruder in the room instantly reminded Mercer of himself. She was bold, seeming quite uncaring of his privacy, just meandering in and sitting where she liked. She was a cute little thing, Mercer mused to himself as he slowly sat up and peered at her from under his bangs... And she was even decent at flute; he'd give her that, though her compliments went un-noticed.

He almost felt violated, hearing someone else's music rape his one place of sanctuary in the settlement, that single place which belonged to him alone. How had she even found this place? Out of all the twist and turns and forks in the tunnel passageways, why had she come this way? Yes, she might have heard him playing at some point, but that wouldn't have been until she was close enough, where the music had yet to dissapate.

Mercer impatiently listened to her play for only a moment while clenching and unclenching his fingers on the barrel of his own flute. Her little tune was slow in tempo and heart-aching in the melody, but what had she to be melancholy about? No one was trying to force her to marry anyone else. She even had a dragon! Lucky female. Mercer recalled her face from those candidates he'd seen on the Hatching Grounds before.

Even so, that was no excuse for waltzing right in and perching on the damn rock as if she owned his cavern. It was completely unacceptable! However... She was a female and he would be civil. Had she been a male, Mercer might have introduced her to his fist. "A pretty young woman like yourself shouldn't be wandering the dark tunnels alone..." Mercer spoke softly, expertly masking the irritation threatening to become audible in his voice.

Kaimry realized that she had been a little too freindly just walking and sitting down like that. She got up right away and had a sorry look on her face.

"Sorry....I guess I should have waited for you to answer before I did anything...Bad first impression, eh? Your very good, much better than I am. By the way, if you don't mind me asking, Whats your name? Im Kaimry. That is if you care t know..."

She had bumbled this one, She felt it. The guy did not look pleased, and why should he? Kaimry had just barged right in and sat down and started to play. She felt pretty bad and got up to leave, though she just stood by the entrance to this cave leaning back against a wall.

" Sorry about that.. I'll leave you alone if you want..I just heard music coming from here and it made me want to play..."

Mercer sighed summarily at Kaimry's babbling and restrained himself from rolling his eyes. He was being a little irrational, now, wasn't he? Though... he did like how uncomfortable he could make her without even meaning to; it gave him a sense of control over the situation again. "Im quite sorry, love," the young man purred suavely, attempting to seem less threatening than before. He slid like with feline grace from the rock and took a few deliberate steps towards her, twirling the little wooden flute between nimble fingers.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Lady Kaimry." Allowing his eyes a breif glance over her form, he decided that she wasn't completely unacceptable after all, then seized her free hand and kissed it softly, deceptively. At least she wasn't Isibella. That girl was sinfully boring. Making this one jump out of nervousness would be entertaining. For interrupting his meditation, she would definitely have to be punished, too.

"I'm called Mercer," he drawled slowly, forcing any annoyance from his tone and instead replacing it with stern force as he moved right into her personal space so that he was looking down at her from a little less than a foot away. Gently, he touched the tip of his flute to her cheek and leaned forward to whisper in her ear, "You wanted to play, so play." Refusal was not an option.