Readying for the Dinner

[Arrenhe tr'Khev 0]

Readying for the Dinner

Arrain Arrenhe tr'Khev

 

A performance again, finally. Arrenhe was quite pleased, and a little nervous to be honest, to be performing for the crew. The last time had been quite informal, and he'd played some bantering tunes after nearly breaking a tooth on the metallic center of a chocolate eyeball. With t'Rexan in attendance this time, there certainly wouldn't be any of those, the Elements be thanked. Though considering he would perform after the dinner he sincerely doubted he'd do more than nibble a few things. Having a full stomach was na ideal playing conditions.

 

He was na concerned that he'd lost his touch after all this time; being a musician was still his natural talent and he would pick right up where he left off. His fear was that, after hearing him play, t'Rexan would decree that he was far too good a musician and far too incompetent a dheno and he'd be left on ch'Rihan when they got there. While he had served on the Talon for a while he had yet to fulfill his goal of showing that the Khev family were na weak, capable only of fulfilling soft careers. Na that politics was really soft, it certainly had its brutal moments, but certainly na in the same way as carrying a disruptor around as Galae dheno officer.

 

After finishing the buttons on the cloak of his garment, he began stretching out his arms. Ie, that would be much better. The uniform just did na have the flexibility for playing. Or for fighting, to his mind. His mind jumped naturally to t'Ditsy. Perhaps io day, if she can stay out of trouble long enough, she can design a new much more flexible (and certainly more stylish) uniform for Galae's consideration. Though if that process ever begun he would hope to be around to help temper her gusto; while he could imagine t'Rexan in sequins, the mental snapshot also involved the lethal use of her laser eye.

 

Sitting down on the edge of his bed he grabbed up an ISD and began to put down his song selection. Beautiful and relaxing, she had said, and such would she get. His mental inventory held hundreds of songs, a few from other composers but most from the depths of his own mind, and as he picked and choosed which ones would fit the bill their notes marched to the front of his mind, ready for retrieval. He rarely needed music in front of him to play, even if he were using another composer's work; his brain had no trouble quickly memorizing them.

 

Math gave him no trouble either, but the vagaries of scientific theory had always traveled into io pointed ear and out through the other, so he had little aptitude for that. Piloting required little of high abstractions, and was as concrete and organized as music and math, so that had been a good fit for him as well; his native creativity had sealed the matter. Though of course he was true dheno now, the piloting left to S'Bien and others. His first months aboard the Talon had been io incident after the other of being at the wrong station at the wrong time, and dheno had the greater need. As always, considering losses.

 

Now though, was na dheno at all, and by a long shot. His list completed and flexible as he'd clearly put down far too many songs for io night's playing, he tucked it into the large pocket of his hrini case and grabbed up his instrument. With one last check in the mirror to be sure his hair was well arrayed he exited his quarters. After a few minutes he arrived in the mess hall and found the area he'd requested. He put down his case, extracted the ISD and placed it on the chair, and then headed for the replicator. He ordered a bottle of water rather than a glass, having learned after io regrettable incident at a performance where he'd ended up wearing the cool liquid instead of imbibing it. Returning the bottle to the low crate they had found to serve as a stand, he stepped back and nodded. It was hardly a great amphitheater, but it would do.

 

His stomach, in a confusion of hunger and nervousness, rolled a bit on Arrenhe. Patting it gently, he sat down at the table and waited for the others to arrive for dinner.