[it's so flowing and easy, the motion of his fingers, nails deftly plucking each string throughout the melodious song.
a few stragglers stumble by, laughing warmly, clearly plied with too much wine and wooed away by the remaining fun they can have at nighttime, but they do acknowledge him with some items here or there and sizhui returns the recognition with the faintest tip of his head. he says well wishes underneath his breath, barely above a whisper, well-aware he can't actually put wards and protection spells on people in case they make him more obvious. who's to say they wouldn't sense the energy shift, after all? certainly not a risk he's willing to take at the moment.
while it's a decent cover, the open edges of his veiled hat allow him brief glances at other individuals, most of who are inconspicuous, uninteresting, or not acting deviant in any sort of noticeable way. (hard to keep up appearances when they've become intoxicated on substances and drift happily along without a single care for a while.)
sizhui raises his head further in acknowledgment toward some different groups, but those continue shuffling away, leaving nothing except empty threats and information that offers no leads. he's unaffected by the former and disheartened by the latter, yet continues playing on despite tiredness having come upon him however long ago, bolstered by the lack of details and single-minded about learning something besides what he already knows. determination flows through him, an unending tap, his movements further pushed by later possibilities down the line from where he's currently left hanging.
whenever the song is over, he gently presses his hands down and spreads them across the strings, silencing any leftover resonating notes, which makes the clapping all the more discernible.
this time, his head lifts completely, wide, dark eyes instantly focused toward the man a couple feet away, brows arching with interest as he moves even closer. regardless of him speaking in a tongue he cannot understand, sizhui's attention is unwavering, too intent on watching every step, gesture and body-language shift of the handsome stranger before him. as always, there are particulars that can be understood, even through a language barrier, and the money produced is one of these things, though sizhui isn't as nearly as enthralled with that as he is fascinated by this newcomer.
encore, he understands, something that makes him smile, head-bob in understanding and resituate his hands on the guqin. his fingertips tap the instrument, testing sounds, pitch, and assessing reverberation.
what follows is music that's a bit quicker than before, faster strums and fingerwork, but it's no less beautiful and lyrical, effortlessly flowing out of him, like a private concert for their ears only.]
no subject
a few stragglers stumble by, laughing warmly, clearly plied with too much wine and wooed away by the remaining fun they can have at nighttime, but they do acknowledge him with some items here or there and sizhui returns the recognition with the faintest tip of his head. he says well wishes underneath his breath, barely above a whisper, well-aware he can't actually put wards and protection spells on people in case they make him more obvious. who's to say they wouldn't sense the energy shift, after all? certainly not a risk he's willing to take at the moment.
while it's a decent cover, the open edges of his veiled hat allow him brief glances at other individuals, most of who are inconspicuous, uninteresting, or not acting deviant in any sort of noticeable way. (hard to keep up appearances when they've become intoxicated on substances and drift happily along without a single care for a while.)
sizhui raises his head further in acknowledgment toward some different groups, but those continue shuffling away, leaving nothing except empty threats and information that offers no leads. he's unaffected by the former and disheartened by the latter, yet continues playing on despite tiredness having come upon him however long ago, bolstered by the lack of details and single-minded about learning something besides what he already knows. determination flows through him, an unending tap, his movements further pushed by later possibilities down the line from where he's currently left hanging.
whenever the song is over, he gently presses his hands down and spreads them across the strings, silencing any leftover resonating notes, which makes the clapping all the more discernible.
this time, his head lifts completely, wide, dark eyes instantly focused toward the man a couple feet away, brows arching with interest as he moves even closer. regardless of him speaking in a tongue he cannot understand, sizhui's attention is unwavering, too intent on watching every step, gesture and body-language shift of the handsome stranger before him. as always, there are particulars that can be understood, even through a language barrier, and the money produced is one of these things, though sizhui isn't as nearly as enthralled with that as he is fascinated by this newcomer.
encore, he understands, something that makes him smile, head-bob in understanding and resituate his hands on the guqin. his fingertips tap the instrument, testing sounds, pitch, and assessing reverberation.
what follows is music that's a bit quicker than before, faster strums and fingerwork, but it's no less beautiful and lyrical, effortlessly flowing out of him, like a private concert for their ears only.]