Astarion reaches for the bundle of papers, lightly leafing through the sheet music. Mostly for something to do with himself. He's not really accustomed to receiving gifts.
"As much as I loathe feeling even a scrap of gratitude to the Admiral, this is...very thoughtful of you, darling. Thank you."
"Oh, trust me. I hate that part, too. But no sense in lookin' a gift horse in tha mouth I decided."
He watched Astarion leaf through the sheet music for a moment then looked away to appear engaged in something else. There was really only his drink or a few books on shelves that he already had memorized and he had no interest in the books at the moment. He swirled his whiskey around in his glass for a bit before taking another sip.
"I'm glad ya like it. Seemed a shame when we talked about it before."
"It is. Not that I'm complaining. I'll take the immortality in exchange for
a fair few downsides, naturally, but...truly, I thought I'd forgotten how
wine even tasted."
A pause, and another thoughtful sip.
"...Did you ask the Admiral to make me able to get drunk on this?"
That caused Collins to pause for a moment. Then he realized what Astarion was telling him: that he did the whole vampirism and drank the bear's blood. And apparently got intoxicated on it. He laughed.
"That so? So ya can get drunk off a victim's blood, can ya? Wouldn't have expected that." Nor the bear part. "Have ta ask: why were ya drinkin' from a bear, lad?"
"Ah, well - I hadn't disclosed certain details about myself to those I was travelling with," he says. "I wasn't yet in a position to trust them not to start sharpening their stakes, and we were travelling through the wilderness with few other people around. So - animals were my best bet."
A pause.
"I don't usually go after anything that large, but the bear started it."
"It wasn't easy," Astarion agrees. "But we were brought together by
a....common problem. And the forces causing that problem were much larger
than I could have ever hoped to deal with alone. Safety in numbers," he
concludes, with a slight shrug.
Collins seemed to consider that for a short moment before he nodded in acceptance. He hadn't run into trouble he couldn't handle on his own but he made an effort to know how to win the game before he played it. Then there was larger matters like this place--he could see where getting mixed up in something that wasn't planned for and was much larger scale than usual might mean taking extra steps to win. Including using pawns to get close enough to the target to finish it.
"I see," he said with one last nod. "Whatever it takes ta get tha job done. Must have been somethin' major ta force ya ta do what wasn't usual, I take it."
"Oh - gods of death, a threatened mass invasion of brain-eating monsters, mad cultists. World-ending matters." He sighs. "Really needed the attention of heroic types with experience of such apocalyptic situations, but I got thrown into the mess as well."
His eyebrows rose slowly as Astarion said his list. "Aye, that would do it I suppose. Sounds like an adventure no one would want ta take alone. Or at all." He tilted his head to one side. "How did that work out?"
"Ah," he nodded in understanding. "So it was all that that got ya. Can't say I'm surprised with a list like that." He pursed his lips briefly in thought. "Do ya think yer world's doomed?"
"Maybe? I honestly don't care." He takes a long sip from the wine glass,
relishing it. "The place had very little to offer me even before people
started growing tentacles and eating their friends."
He paused to consider the implications. It wasn't necessarily that he hadn't heard the rumors of such being true, but that he hadn't put much thought into it. "You would go ta someone else's world then?"
He seemed to consider it for a little while longer as he sipped his drink for a moment. Then he waved his hand dismissively in the air as if to scatter the thoughts like flies.
"To tha future not bein' on fire," he said in toast and took one more drink before needing to refill his glass. "Fer now, let's have a bit of relaxation and fun. Leave tha serious thoughts behind fer a while at least."
"Aye," he answered as he leaned forward to rifle through the sheets for a bit. He brought a few pieces to the fore-front of the pile. "There's a few. Got an assortment, but wanted ta make sure there were a few good ones in there at least."
Upon inspection, the assortment of pieces that Collins brought to the forefront ranged from old classical Greek music to traditional Irish folk songs, transcriptions of songs from Collins's time of the late 1800s and early 1900s era that Collins would easily recognize, and even a few more modern songs that even Collins didn't really know but had checked they did, in fact, come from Earth. He pointed out the ones that he knew and favored and if Astarion already knew how to read them he might pick up on the fact that some seemed like they very much were shanties and bar drinking songs.
Oddly enough, Astarion has already learned that Earth and Toril share
similar musical notation - enough that using the former's sheet music
hasn't really presented a challenge. He picks up the sheet Collins has
brought to the top of the pile and hums through the first few bars - a
sailors' shanty or folk song, he thinks, something easy to play, with a
clear rhythm.
"Let me try this before I get any deeper into this bottle," he decides,
and picks up his lyre.
Collins smiled as Astarion picked up his lyre. He was all too happy to hear the lad play one of the familiar tunes. Not only that but he wanted to know how Astarion was doing with picking back up the art. He was grateful the man would play for him.
The Irishman was quiet as Astarion started the piece, content to listen and appreciate. But the song was familiar and the tune easy, and before too long he was humming along and then picked up the lyrics when the song entered a new stanza. He sang softly so as not to overpower the lyre but it was more fun than he'd had in a long while to sing along to beautiful music.
There's no protest on Astarion's part. The music is clearly intended to be sung to, after all - and although he's growing more confident with practice, his playing smoother overall, his mouth still twitches unhappily at every misplucked string or drop out of tempo. Having Collins distract himself from those mistakes with his own singing is a relief.
He ends with a light flourish and smiles. He's never going to make it as a bard, but then again, he never particularly wants to.
"I hope I didn't butcher that too bloodily, darling."
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2024-01-03 12:02 pm (UTC)"...I see."
Astarion reaches for the bundle of papers, lightly leafing through the sheet music. Mostly for something to do with himself. He's not really accustomed to receiving gifts.
"As much as I loathe feeling even a scrap of gratitude to the Admiral, this is...very thoughtful of you, darling. Thank you."
no subject
Date: 2024-01-03 01:34 pm (UTC)He watched Astarion leaf through the sheet music for a moment then looked away to appear engaged in something else. There was really only his drink or a few books on shelves that he already had memorized and he had no interest in the books at the moment. He swirled his whiskey around in his glass for a bit before taking another sip.
"I'm glad ya like it. Seemed a shame when we talked about it before."
no subject
Date: 2024-01-03 06:59 pm (UTC)"It is. Not that I'm complaining. I'll take the immortality in exchange for a fair few downsides, naturally, but...truly, I thought I'd forgotten how wine even tasted."
A pause, and another thoughtful sip.
"...Did you ask the Admiral to make me able to get drunk on this?"
no subject
Date: 2024-01-03 07:12 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2024-01-03 07:57 pm (UTC)"This would have to be exceptionally strong wine to get me more than tipsy on one bottle," he says thoughtfully. "But we'll see how close I get, mm?"
He has no idea what vampirism has done for his alcohol tolerance.
"The last time I got intoxicated it was from drinking a bear."
no subject
Date: 2024-01-06 05:55 pm (UTC)"That so? So ya can get drunk off a victim's blood, can ya? Wouldn't have expected that." Nor the bear part. "Have ta ask: why were ya drinkin' from a bear, lad?"
no subject
Date: 2024-01-06 06:03 pm (UTC)"Ah, well - I hadn't disclosed certain details about myself to those I was travelling with," he says. "I wasn't yet in a position to trust them not to start sharpening their stakes, and we were travelling through the wilderness with few other people around. So - animals were my best bet."
A pause.
"I don't usually go after anything that large, but the bear started it."
no subject
Date: 2024-01-06 06:42 pm (UTC)He raised his glass in toast and then drank from it.
"Why were ya travelin' with those folks? Sounds like it was more trouble fer ya ta travel with others."
no subject
Date: 2024-01-06 07:36 pm (UTC)"It wasn't easy," Astarion agrees. "But we were brought together by a....common problem. And the forces causing that problem were much larger than I could have ever hoped to deal with alone. Safety in numbers," he concludes, with a slight shrug.
no subject
Date: 2024-01-06 11:23 pm (UTC)"I see," he said with one last nod. "Whatever it takes ta get tha job done. Must have been somethin' major ta force ya ta do what wasn't usual, I take it."
no subject
Date: 2024-01-07 12:44 pm (UTC)"Oh - gods of death, a threatened mass invasion of brain-eating monsters, mad cultists. World-ending matters." He sighs. "Really needed the attention of heroic types with experience of such apocalyptic situations, but I got thrown into the mess as well."
no subject
Date: 2024-01-08 02:59 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2024-01-08 03:01 pm (UTC)Astarion barks a quick laugh.
"Well, I died," he points out. "So, suffice to say that I have some reservations as to our progress."
no subject
Date: 2024-01-08 05:57 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2024-01-08 06:36 pm (UTC)"Maybe? I honestly don't care." He takes a long sip from the wine glass, relishing it. "The place had very little to offer me even before people started growing tentacles and eating their friends."
no subject
Date: 2024-01-08 07:01 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2024-01-08 07:07 pm (UTC)"No, no. But my options aren't merely the Barge and the Sword Coast. If one graduates, they can go wherever they please."
no subject
Date: 2024-01-08 07:49 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2024-01-08 07:55 pm (UTC)"I'd happily pick one at random," Astarion says, shrugging. "As long as it's not on fire, it'll be an improvement."
no subject
Date: 2024-01-08 08:10 pm (UTC)He seemed to consider it for a little while longer as he sipped his drink for a moment. Then he waved his hand dismissively in the air as if to scatter the thoughts like flies.
"To tha future not bein' on fire," he said in toast and took one more drink before needing to refill his glass. "Fer now, let's have a bit of relaxation and fun. Leave tha serious thoughts behind fer a while at least."
no subject
Date: 2024-01-09 11:10 am (UTC)"Of course, darling," he says, then lifts his glass in kind and takes a sip. "This music you found, is there anything here from your home?"
no subject
Date: 2024-01-10 08:10 pm (UTC)Upon inspection, the assortment of pieces that Collins brought to the forefront ranged from old classical Greek music to traditional Irish folk songs, transcriptions of songs from Collins's time of the late 1800s and early 1900s era that Collins would easily recognize, and even a few more modern songs that even Collins didn't really know but had checked they did, in fact, come from Earth. He pointed out the ones that he knew and favored and if Astarion already knew how to read them he might pick up on the fact that some seemed like they very much were shanties and bar drinking songs.
no subject
Date: 2024-01-11 09:03 am (UTC)Oddly enough, Astarion has already learned that Earth and Toril share similar musical notation - enough that using the former's sheet music hasn't really presented a challenge. He picks up the sheet Collins has brought to the top of the pile and hums through the first few bars - a sailors' shanty or folk song, he thinks, something easy to play, with a clear rhythm.
"Let me try this before I get any deeper into this bottle," he decides, and picks up his lyre.
no subject
Date: 2024-01-14 05:34 pm (UTC)The Irishman was quiet as Astarion started the piece, content to listen and appreciate. But the song was familiar and the tune easy, and before too long he was humming along and then picked up the lyrics when the song entered a new stanza. He sang softly so as not to overpower the lyre but it was more fun than he'd had in a long while to sing along to beautiful music.
no subject
Date: 2024-01-14 05:55 pm (UTC)There's no protest on Astarion's part. The music is clearly intended to be sung to, after all - and although he's growing more confident with practice, his playing smoother overall, his mouth still twitches unhappily at every misplucked string or drop out of tempo. Having Collins distract himself from those mistakes with his own singing is a relief.
He ends with a light flourish and smiles. He's never going to make it as a bard, but then again, he never particularly wants to.
"I hope I didn't butcher that too bloodily, darling."
(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From: