Erica
A calm town was a perfect place for Beau, while the hustle and bustle of bnig towns had its appeal there was something always warm and welcoming of a smaller mountain home. So many different people that seemed familiar with each other, family and friends known for generations. Oh the tales that would be told within these more isolated places were always divine. 

Finding a place to sit Beau took out his lute and began to play, calming music top suit the atmosphere. While he looked like he was busking for coins he was after nothing, just his way of getting acquainted with a new place. All experiences had music to accompany them, it was how Beau processed all emotions new and old. It was a part of him and right now his contented heart told him to play a tune.
Blanche
The further she traveled north the closer she hugged the warm cardigan to her chest. Bridian was much warmer, of course, than the North and something she would need to adapt to quickly if she planned to spend any prolonged amount of time in the area. Examining her map and surroundings, she surmised that Aismir wouldn't be too far off. She kept her horse at the same pace and within a few hours, she caught a glimpse of the town in the middle of the Steep Woods. She entered the town without much trouble and dismantled from her horse, leaving it at a stable so that she could freely walk around. 

It was then that she heard the gentle playing of a lute. It brought up memories of a previous traveling companion and she hurried to find the source. The pale hair of the stranger made her heart skip for a second as she thought it was *Him*, but the lack of wolf ears and tail gave it away rather quickly that this was someone different entirely. She stopped in her tracks, staring with a gentle smile as the man played his songs. 

It had been too long since she had properly enjoyed dancing to a lute. Stepping out into a cleared area in front of the stranger, she took a deep breath and started to dance awkwardly to his tune. As she got used to his style of playing and tempo, her movement became increasingly more confident and she laughed with glee at how great it felt to dance like this again. 

Whenever they would finish, she would be noticeably out of breath, but still smiling wide as she looked back to the lute player.
Erica
Beau was only slightly aware someone was near him, he was used to company when performing so he didn't open his eyes immediately. Yet once he did he was a little stunned to see a lovely woman dancing to his music. It was almost surreal to see someone moving so gracefully to his music and he found his fingers strumming tunes with changing force as she moved as if she was guiding the music. Yet at times it felt he was guiding her dancing. He watched and smiled, heart filled with joy at this beautiful moment. It was something he'd told stories about but never seen.

Slowly he drew his playing to a close, nodding to her as he let her catch her breath. 

"Thank you, that was beautiful"
Blanche
She nervously laughed, stepping closer to the musician so they did not need to be so loud. Now, he could see her properly. She had long and wavy sage hair, emerald eyes, and smelt faintly of a mixture of herbs and flowers. Earthy, but in a good way. 

Her breathing had calmed down by now and she give him a shy smile, eyes darting elsewhere out of embarassment. 

"Oh, that wasn't much. It was your playing that was beautiful, sir. You're quite gifted with the lute. How long have you been playing?"

Before he could answer her, she quickly added on to her question.

"Oh! Right, I'm Acantha."
Erica
He smiled at the compliment, the scarf hiding the blush on his pale face. 

"My father always said that from the moment I could crawl I always made my way to the lute he had in the house. Since I could hold it I've been playing"

He did some quick counting in his head,

"So it's been a while" He said before making sure to add his own introduction "Pleased to meet you Acantha, my name is Beau"
Blanche
"Amazing! My grandmother had a harp that I was always quite fond of. She would play it and I would sit nearby, entranced in its melodies. Of course, it's hard to take a whole harp with you when you're traveling. It's made me think of picking up a handheld one, though. But enough about me!"

The young woman extended a hand to him with a smile. 

"It's wonderful to meet you, Beau."

She was glad to meet, what she assumed, was a fellow gentle soul in the harsher environment of the north. It seemed that everywhere she went, she was met with with rather kind people so far. It gave her some hope for a peaceful future ahead.
Erica
"Harps are such an intricate instrument, takes so many years to learn. I've always envied those who play them well" He said with the smile still on his face, he reached out a gloved hand and gently shook it in greeting. "Same to you Acantha"

He then looked around at their scene,

"What brings you to this little town today?"
Blanche
After shaking his hand, she settled into a spot next to him, though leaving enough space for the two to not be uncomfortable. As he looked around, so did she. She hadn't quite gotten a good look at the town yet, considering she walked in and started dancing. A strange introduction for a visitor, but perhaps an amusing story to tell later on. 

"I'm on a journey to travel the world until I reach Sihirisium," She explained. "What about yourself? Do you live here, Beau?"
Erica
As she sat he turned his body towards her slightly, resting the lute on his knee. 

"Sounds like a very long but interesting journey! May I ask why to Sihirisium? Family there or some other quest?"

At the question of his home he shook his head "No I'm just a traveler as well, I wander all over and play music, learn stories and entertain people." He explained "It's not much but gets me through the day and I love it."
Blanche
Acantha fiddled with her fingers a bit, wishing she could immediately show him what she could do, but unable to as there wasn't an adequate spot for her to do so. She smiled at his response to what he did, reminding her of an acquaintance that she had gotten along with quite well in the past. The thought tinged her cheeks with a light pink hue. 

"W-We're much the same then! Traveling to pursue the things we love. I don't think many people get the opportunity to do so. Ah, right. Sihirisium! I want to go to the college to learn to harness my magic better than I can. Right now I'm only able to do a little bit, but I'm sure I'll learn so much and do so much more!"

Her expression shifted to one of determination, eyes shining to reflect that with an accompanying smile.
Erica
"Oh magic!" He asked, shifting his hands a little "I can only do little bits but they can make story telling so much more fun especially with children."

He waved his hand slightly and two small balls of light appeared, both quickly took the shapes of small rabbits that ran around in the air chasing each other. They jumped over each other, stopped and washed their ears and sniffed at the air around Acantha.

"What type of magic can you do? I would love to see if its something you can show safely"

Beau was more than aware how destructive magic could be even in competent hands. What he did was little more than parlour tricks compared to those who could level a party in a single spell.
Blanche
Acantha smiled and giggled softly at the light rabbits that danced around in the air around her. It reminded her of days on the farm where she would sometimes see a few rabbits hopping around in the field. She always found them incredibly cute, but her parents forbade her from chasing one just to pet it as a child. 

"I can't quite show it here. I need soil or plants to do so. My domain is within nature, specifically plant life. Right now, I can grow plants from seeds within a few minutes and encourage the growth of plants that have already sprouted. But I'll learn much more in the future!