Vaneer watches the rest of the room for a moment, taking her cards and tucking them back into the small leather case that she had pulled them from.  There were rather a lot of people that had come in, but...none of them seemed to be talking to one another.  It was almost eerie to the bard how a group could come together under such mysterious circumstances and<em>not</em>talk.  She took a sip of her wine as she watched the guard near her with some curiosity.  "Perhaps", she thought, "they're simply too taken aback by a Varisian elf..."<br/><br/>She smirked a bit to herself and finished her small glass of wine, setting it down with an obvious thump on the table, smiling inwardly as she sees a couple of people twitch and jump at the sudden noise.  The elf stands and stretches, shaking a little as if to loosen up, letting the fabric flicker and catch the light in the room.<br/><br/>She steps to the middle of the room and drops her head until her chin rests upon her chest, letting her hair cover her face from others for a moment as she gathers herself for a few moments.  After a few seconds of standing perfectly still her heel thumps against the carpet, sending up a softened note from the wooden floor beneath as her soft voice begins to sing, her body starting to sway as she begins to sing.<br/><br/><em>My Lady's eyes are like the skies<br/>A soft and sunlit blue<br/>No other fair could half compare<br/>In sweet midsummer hue<br/>My Lady's eyes cannot disguise<br/>Her tender, gentle heart<br/>She cannot feign, she feels my pain<br/>Whenever we must part </em><br/><br/>As she sings she lets herself drift about the room, singing to no one in particular.  She had started with the intent of gathering the others attention...to get them to talk, but she found herself lost to the music, as she usually did.  But this time was different from usual.  This had been the song she had dedicated to her love, the one to whom she had intended herself to be wed, the one who she had lost forever...  And as she sang she seemed to channel some inner ache, some need to convey her loss through the words and the rhythm of the song, her feet keeping a delicate beat upon the floor as she continued.<br/><br/><em>Now while I live I needs must give<br/>Her all my love and more<br/>That she may know I worship so<br/>This one that I adore.<br/>And while away, I long and pray<br/>The days may speed, and then,<br/>I heart-ward lie, I flee, I fly,<br/>To see her eyes again. </em><br/><br/>By this point she was nearly in tears, her movements still graceful though touched with just the edge of loss and sorrow.  Her hands lightly traced over others, urging them, pleading with them in some way...asking them in a way not conveyed by her words, to help her revenge herself upon those who had wronged her.  Only the joy she always found in music kept her floating above the dark waters of depression and loss, trying to draw her into those depths forever.  She drew a shaky breath and continued.<br/><br/><em>My Lady's eyes, each glance I prize,<br/>As gentle as a dove,<br/>And would that I could tell her why<br/>I dare not speak my love.<br/>Too high, as far as any star<br/>Her station is to mine,<br/>Too wide that space to e'er embrace,<br/>Beneath her I repine. </em><br/><br/>With the final verse she bowed low, holding the pose for a long moment as she gathered herself once more, burying the pain in her chest again, silently vowing behind her closed eyes that her love would be avenged.<br/><br/>Eventually she stood and sat back at the table, quietly pouring another glass of wine and taking a sip as she looked sidelong at the guard a moment and shaking her head.<br/><br/>((Perform check roll (18) + 10 = 28))<br/>((Lyrics are from Mercedes Lackey's song "My Lady's Eyes" from the album<em>Shadow Stalker</em>))