From: ashensnow	Date: 02/03/2007 20:03:31

And something interesting the song did find, for as if by magic, a woman appeared, weaving in an out of the water's egde as if she were dancing to his tune, idly. Kali hadn't just appeared, however - maybe once upon a time she could do that, but not now - no, instead, she just hadn't come into his line of view until a few seconds ago. Nor was she exactly charmed by his playing. But, regardless, from the looks of things it may have been the music that had caused her to move from her resting place further down the bank.

And when she finally stopped before him, she said nothing, instead content to incline her head at him curiously.

	From: halfswan	Date: 02/03/2007 20:13:29

Cillian found himself wandering south from the Sleeping Woods, following a charming stream that trickled into a brook and then a tumbling river for no more reason he did anything else. South always seemed a good direction to go in the winter, a direction that probably tugged on his Other nature when the weather turned cold.

Eventually he reached the end of the forest and continued on until he found himself on the soft sloping shores of a lake. Cillian looked out over the glass for a long time before the silence was gently pushed back by the silver threads of pipe song. The youngest swan turned slowly, brows drawn in, and listened.

He found himself drawing nearer to the piper before he realized he was doing more than listening, going unheard though he was practically at the woman's heels. There didn't seem to be anything especially Otherworldly about him just at that moment; a dark-haired youth that could easily have come from any village in Pentamerone. He wore a heavy black coat and the left sleeve hung empty. She might not have been charmed, but he was; he barely registered her presence, as his eyes were on the musician.

	From: piedandpiped	Date: 02/03/2007 20:17:33

He looked up to find himself in strange company. Very interesting, he thought again. He set down his pipe to see if either should react. A certain sign of enchantment was a subtle shake of the head. Is it possible that I called both of these creatures to me with this sad little song?

He began to formulate theories. If it were true he might be charming emotions rather than people, moods and subtler things than gender, species, or race.

Mr. Piper smiled oddly as his brain worked, observing his new company as if he were running a grand experiment.

	From: ashensnow	Date: 02/03/2007 22:07:46

Cillian may not have registered her presence, but Kali had been acutely aware of him. Every step he took, every move, was registered as he followed and she assessed whether or not he was a threat. A flaw, perhaps, to assume that he could ever be a danger to her, but to be suspicious of strangers in a strange land had and would probably save her life. And speaking of suspicion, her curosity over the piper only grew as he stopped playing and turned that odd smile on her.

"You smile," she started, voice short as if she were barely containing annoyance. "Why?"

	From: halfswan	Date: 02/04/2007 04:34:28

The music stopped, and in the resulting silence the youth broke his stare and blinked rapidly: once, twice, as if waking from a pleasant dream. He immediately became aware of how close he was to the unfamiliar woman who had also come to listen, and as if on cue shied back away from both, taking a startled two or three steps back in a rustle of cloth and the strange, softer hiss of feathers. He focused first on the woman that was speaking and turned his head to hear the Piper's response.

For the moment, he decided not to flee, but he was close. Understandably, the youngest swan didn't much care for enchantments.

	From: piedandpiped	Date: 02/04/2007 15:53:02

"I'm trying out a new tune," he replied vaguely. "I see you found it interesting." He looked between the two of them. What could connect them, if I did indeed call them both?