Memories Like Snow

Memories Like Snow is a story and performance by Alosaka. It incorporates themes of addiction and memory. Memories Like Snow was first performed at the 25th Annual Bardfest during the final rounds, where it placed fourth.

Performance at the 25th Annual House Aspis Bardfest

Dremerie recites melodically:

   "And now, the time if ready for the FIFTH performer!
    ALOSAKO!
    I hope I said that right..."

You look at Dremerie and shake your head.

Dwi grunts and nods.

Regwen applauds.

Viria lets out a cheer!

Adalfuns stands up.

Xanthium says, "Alosaka."

Enestrie applauds.

Darksin applauds.

Meril applauds.

Adalfuns applauds warmly.

Xanthium applauds.

Cryheart applauds.

Leafiara applauds Alosaka.

Roelaren lets out a cheer!

Aranrhod applauds.

Nedish lets out a cheer!

Bluey lets out a cheer!

Selfane applauds Alosaka.

Neopuron lets out a cheer!

Loscar applauds.

Adalfuns praises Alosaka.

Alosaka sits down.

Seomanthe applauds Alosaka.

You applaud Alosaka.

Nazarr applauds Alosaka.

Bluey whistles tunelessly to himself.

Imrys lets out a cheer!

Mearyn turns to Alosaka and cheers!

Mekimin excitedly blurts, "Knock 'em dead, Alo!"

Adalfuns walks over to the pews and settles down.

Ithilwyn applauds.

Hycis claps her hands together in delight!

Traiva applauds.

Tolwynn applauds Alosaka.

Nazarr applauds Alosaka.

Sacru applauds.

Taulramil turns to Alosaka and cheers!

Xanthium applauds Alosaka.

Aendir says, "AlosakA, yes."

Hycis smiles.

Landrai applauds.

Guarrin applauds Alosaka.

Alosaka sits down.

Taulramil throws his head back and howls!

Elbromo applauds Alosaka.

Taulramil lets out a cheer!

Taulramil applauds Alosaka.

Hycis applauds Alosaka.

Sirona applauds.

Mearyn whistles at Alosaka!

Nimaera applauds.

Hycis turns an inquisitive ear toward Alosaka.

Warptoph lets out a cheer!

Leifa turns to Alosaka and cheers!

(Alosaka reclines against a simple stage block, a slight smile on his face as he plays with his ayr's strings, producing the occasional *ping* and *twang*. He looks up abruptly, as if just noticing his audience, and straightens.)

>l alo

You see Alosaka the Healer.

He appears to be a Human from Seareach.

He is average height. He appears to be very young. He has beautifully silvery black-outlined long-lashed chestnut eyes and nut brown skin. He has short, unruly brown hair. He has a delicate face and a small nose.

He has some lines of dark-inked scripture on his wrist, and an inked leafing acantha vine crawling across a trellis of slender bones on his arm.

He is in good shape.

He is holding a patched and worn acacia ayr with mismatched strings in his right hand.

He is wearing a tattered knee-length ivory travelling cloak, an ivory white braided cotton strap slung over his shoulder, a threadbare white poet's shirt missing more than one button, some sturdy brown muslin trousers, and some muddy brown leather boots.

Alosaka says, "Oh, didn't see you there. Please, don't mind me. Just waiting for my lover to return."

Enestrie smiles at Alosaka.

(Alosaka closes his eyes, a look of thoughtless serenity flowing over his face.)

Enestrie blinks at Alosaka.

Seomanthe sighs happily.

Aendir gazes in amusement at Alosaka.

Enestrie smiles.

You ponder the meaning of Alosaka's existence.

Dremerie grins at Leifa.

Alosaka says, "You'll like her. I think, in all the world, there must not be another so graceful and kind. Every morning when I wake up beside her, I have to remind myself that I'm not still dreaming."

Leifa leans forward and rests her chin in her hand, a thoughtful expression on her face.

Alosaka chuckles.

Enestrie looks thoughtfully at Alosaka.

Alosaka wryly asks, "Love makes fools of us all, doesn't it?"

Xanthium smiles.

Alosaka stands up.

Alosaka stretches.

Xanthium shakes her head.

Viria gives a sigh of agreement.

Loscar nods.

Alosaka brightly asks, "Well, while we wait! Perhaps a little story? About how I came to be so blessed?"

Lylia smiles at Alosaka.

You nod eagerly at Alosaka.

(Alosaka strikes up a simple, joyous melody on his ayr, his fingers climbing up the strings in a rising arpeggio accented with the occasional accidental for added color.)

Enestrie nods at Alosaka.

Alosaka says, "I had a dream, one night. A terrible dream. Like my lungs were filled with cotton, and spiders were my clothes. I bobbed on the tides of conciousness, rising and falling, aware and dreaming, never able to wake."

Enestrie's face turns slightly pale.

(Alosaka slows the arpeggio, ending on the tonic and letting the note settle into silence.)

Alosaka says, "And in the morning, when I woke drenched in sweat, I found it on the pillow beside me."

Xanthium glances uneasily at Alosaka.

Lehon turns an inquisitive ear toward Alosaka.

(Alosaka looks around the stage, then hunches forward, shielding himself with the body of the ayr. Thus concealed, he reaches into the depths of his cloak, and...)

You blink.

Alosaka removes an amber studded bronze flask from in his ivory cloak.

Alosaka raises his studded bronze flask in a toast!

Alosaka exclaims, "This!"

Enestrie blinks at Alosaka.

(Alosaka holds the flask before him, gazing at it with a beatific expression. All traces of higher thought are gone from his face -- only awe remains.)

Sacru raises an eyebrow.

Alosaka coughs.

Viria grins.

Sirona chuckles.

Alosaka sheepishly says, "Sorry. Now, I know it looks like any old flask. But this is magic! A fragment of the dreaming world that got tangled in my thoughts, and washed up on our shores."

Berkana chuckles.

Dwi grunts happily, grinning.

Alosaka wonderingly says, "It's a flask that fixes memories."

Enestrie appears to be struggling to keep a straight face.

You work your fingers under your sorrel kerchief and scratch your head.

Alosaka says, "Yes. All your broken, terrible, hated memories. All the mourning parts of yourself you don't want to remember. Whenever they surface upon the waves of your mind, you just drink a sip of booze from it, and..."

Viria chuckles.

Xanthium smiles.

Nedish grins.

Speaking raptly to his studded bronze flask, Alosaka says, "It repairs them."

Hycis takes a moment to observe Alosaka.

Alosaka closes his eyes for a moment.

Mearyn closes her eyes for a moment.

Hycis arches a skeptical eyebrow as she takes in her surroundings.

Alosaka says, "I know. I thought it was silly, too! But it helped me win my very first musical contest. Picture it: the empire's greatest bards and singers, all gathered to play in the Baron's court. And there I was, a young and foolish man who barely knew his keys."

(Alosaka strikes up another song on his ayr, an elaborate melodic progression into the instrument's upper register, followed by a quick descent.)

You gaze with interest at Alosaka.

Alosaka says, "And when I was done, they... pulled me off the stage, and said I'd tried very hard..."

Alosaka slowly says, "And gave me a little purse..."

Speaking softly to Cryheart, Dwi says, "Bound to happin."

Alosaka furrows his brow.

Alosaka puzzledly says, "And... I started to walk away? wait..."

Seomanthe gazes with interest at Alosaka.

(Alosaka trails off, his fingers hovering just above the ayr's strings. His eyes tighten as he digs through the fog of his memories.)

Alosaka quietly says, "That's not how it went..."

Alosaka takes a drink from his studded bronze flask.

Terabor grins slowly.

Alosaka slowly empties his lungs.

Alosaka says, "Ohh... now I remember."

Alosaka grins.

Xanthium laughs softly, trying to hide her amusement.

Alosaka excitedly exclaims, "I started to walk away, and then I heard them shout! I turned and saw the whole court chasing me, led by the judges! 'Wait,' they cried. 'Wait!' they yelled!"

Alosaka recites:

"Congratulations, Alosaka!

We meant to say, you've won!"

Seomanthe laughs softly, trying to hide her amusement.

Leifa gazes in amusement at Alosaka.

Alosaka gasps.

Aendir grins.

You glance around briefly before applauding.

(Alosaka spins in an ecstatic circle, whooping with joy! He overbalances, nearly topples, and catches himself with a nimble shuffle of his feet, arms extended out for balance.)

Berkana chuckles.

Neopuron lets out a cheer!

Sirona grins.

Hycis grins.

Aranrhod smiles.

Xanthium nods once at Alosaka.

Terabor hoots.

Alosaka exclaims, "Yes, That was the start. The day my life turned around!"

Neopuron chuckles.

Bluey hoots.

Akenna grins.

Enestrie giggles.

Alosaka put an amber studded bronze flask in his ivory cloak.

Sacru chuckles.

Alosaka exclaims, "And it was only up from there! With the Baron's prize in my pocket, I was off to make my fortune! And where better to do that than the streets of Tamzyrr itself!"

Without prelude, Alosaka begins a fast-paced tune on his ayr.

Alosaka precisely picks out his fast-paced melody across the frets of his ayr, each note ringing true despite the speed of the song.

Alosaka switches key signatures, playing a rapid off-kilter theme reminiscent of the gallop of a fast horse.

With a final rapid pattern across the strings of his ayr, Alosaka ceases his breathless playing.

Alosaka pants.

Alosaka asks, "Have you ever been busking, friends? Set out your hat on a street corner, filled it with your dreams, and played until your fingers bled?"

With a slow lead-in, Alosaka begins a gentle ballad on his ayr.

Alosaka absently asks, "Have you sat there in the sun, for hours at a time? Letting your instrument speak for you?"

Alosaka sits down.

Alosaka strums the ayr's lower strings, adding a heart-trembling low rumble to the melody.

Alosaka haltingly says, "And watched the noble citizens walk by, never making eye-contact. Never noticing you. Maybe one tosses a few silvers in your hat, and you wonder if she loved your song, or just felt pity..."

You shift your weight.

Alosaka furrows his brow.

Dwi grunts in obvious annoyance.

Alosaka removes an amber studded bronze flask from in his ivory cloak.

Alosaka says, "That's... no..." He stares down at his instrument, as if seeing it for the first time. His fingers brush across its cracked and glued neck. "That's not right..."

Alosaka takes a drink from his studded bronze flask.

Alosaka closes his eyes for a moment.

Lylia grins slowly at Alosaka.

Alosaka softly says, "Oh, yes. Yes."

Alosaka beams!

Alosaka stands up.

Alosaka exclaims, "Have you ever been busking, friends? And watched the rapturous crowds fill your hat with silvers? So many you can't carry them to the bank? To swim in riches like a river? So rich, you think you must be dreaming?! Yes, that's what I meant to say!"

Alosaka laughs!

Sirona smiles at Alosaka.

(Alosaka dances in a circle again, leaping with joy! He spins, arms outstretched, as if hugging the world. His flask sloshes and spills out its dark red contents, leaving a puddle on the floor and staining the air with the sharp tang of alcohol.)

Terabor grins slowly.

Sirona chuckles.

Dwi grunts happily, grinning.

Siggurd snickers.

Alosaka exclaims, "Yes!"

(Alosaka comes to a stumbling stop, still laughing. His foot splashes in the puddle of spilled booze, and he steps away with a little hop.)

Enestrie appears to be struggling to keep a straight face.

Alosaka says, "Oh, and that brings us to the best part. How I met her."

(Alosaka trails off, his eyes staring out above the crowd, fixed on some distant point. Lost in his reminiscence.)

Xanthium raises an eyebrow in Alosaka's direction.

Alosaka says, "Even now, words fail me. She was graceful as a treble clef, every footstep a chord. When she looked at me, a symphony played, sung by angels."

Terabor raises an eyebrow.

Alosaka sighs.

(Alosaka lets his fingers wander across the ayr's strings, plucking out a succession of pure, innocent tones.)

Alosaka asks, "She saw me, playing there in the streets. She, the daughter of a merchant captain, whose boat was in the grand port to offload its cargo of spices and lore. What must she have thought, hearing my humble ayr?"

Alosaka closes his eyes for a moment.

Alosaka smiles at some half-remembered dream and strums a faster melody, rising in time with his heartbeat. The simple song builds into a complex air, his fingers dancing over the ayr's strings, ringing out the highest note in each arpeggio as a layered melody.

Alosaka sublimely says, "We snuck away to the docks one night, and exchanged our first kiss. And we whispered promises to each other, sweet notes of a new song, and..."

(Alosaka strikes a minor third. The note hangs in the air, a half-step too low for joy, like a solitary cloud in an endless blue sky. He blinks in surprise and stares down at his fingers.)

Alosaka quietly says, "We promised each other, and... wait..."

Hycis inclines her ear, listening intently.

(Alosaka plays a diminished chord next. His face twists in puzzlement as the dissonant notes sweep through the amphitheater, echo back emptily, and die unopposed.)

You furrow your brow, probably adding a wrinkle or two in the process.

Alosaka softly says, "We promised, and... she got on her father's boat. And they cast off the lines, and she said..."

Alosaka says, "Goodbye? No..."

(Alosaka lets the ayr fall silent. He draws a sudden, frantic breath.)

Alosaka says, "No no no..."

(Alosaka raises the flask for a drink, but nothing remains. He stares into the empty flask, an uncomprehending look on his face. His eyes slowly widen in shock, then horror.)

Alosaka exclaims, "No!"

Alosaka drops an amber studded bronze flask.

(Alosaka spots the puddle of spilled booze on the stage. With a hollow cry he tosses himself at it, face pressed hard against the stage's floor boards, lapping at the filthy liquid.)

Dwi grunts, a quizzical look on her face.

You gasp.

Alosaka desperately shrieks, "Get back! It's mine! I need it!"

Seomanthe frets.

Lylia stares unwaveringly at Alosaka.

A pained expression crosses Kitagaen's face.

A pained expression crosses Terabor's face.

Akenna winces.

(Alosaka claws at the puddle, trying to gather it toward his face. He licks at his fingers, desperate for every last drop. On and on it goes, mixed with his frantic, hiccuping breaths. Finally he shudders and sits up, the red wine a dark stain dripping down his chest.)

Hycis takes a deep breath.

Viria winces.

Alosaka tilts his head up.

Taulramil coughs.

Alosaka closes his eyes for a moment.

Alosaka faintly says, "Ohhh..."

Alosaka smiles.

Alosaka says, "Yes. Yes, that's right."

Alosaka laughs!

Erienne wrinkles her nose in distaste.

Alosaka exclaims, "Yes!"

Dwi shakes her head, clucking her tongue.

Aranrhod leans forward.

Alosaka wraps his fingers around the neck of his ayr and strikes an ecstatic chord.

Xanthium gazes forlornly at Alosaka.

Alosaka exclaims, "Yes, friends! Her boat came back! And she stood on the prow, leaning over to shout!"

Sirona examines Alosaka closely, sizing him up and taking note of all the details.

Alosaka recites:

"I'm sorry, Alosaka,

I LOVE YOU AFTER ALL!"

Alosaka throws his head back and howls!

Striking a final vibrant chord, Alosaka allows the song to fade into silence.

You clasp a hand over your mouth.

Leifa appears to be trying hard not to grin.

Regwen smiles.

Alosaka says, "Ah... ahh..."

Terabor beams!

Viria gawks at Alosaka.

Seomanthe frets.

Alosaka pants.

Alosaka picks up an amber studded bronze flask.

Taulramil nods sagely.

Alosaka slowly empties his lungs.

Erienne applauds Alosaka.

Alosaka says, "You're looking at a very lucky man, friends. For he who has love, has the world." He straightens his stained shirt and smiles. "She'll be along any moment now, I'm sure."

(Alosaka lifts the flask to take a drink, and realizes again that it is empty. With a shrug he slips it away into his cloak for later.)

Enestrie smiles.

You glance uneasily around the room.

Dwi surveys the area.

Alosaka says, "And if not, well, that gives us more time to reminisce." Xanthium grins at Alosaka.

(Alosaka walks his fingers up the ayr's strings, sounding out a low, aimless melody that slowly fades into silence, like half-forgotten memories of snow falling in a soundless forest.)

Loscar nods.

Alosaka smiles.

Alosaka bows.