Tellussoil

How high can we count before a mod gets involved?

45

Word association Game!

form

How high can we count before a mod gets involved?

31

Word association Game!

Laughing

[The Duchy: Aslan] .·:★・¨༺ 𝔓𝔯𝔦𝔡𝔢 𝔞𝔫𝔡 𝔓𝔯𝔢𝔰𝔱𝔦𝔤𝔢 ༻¨・★:·.

Noelle Nichi

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@moonberry@DoubleChecker
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It was eerily quiet in the back corridor of the pavilion. When Noelle peeked just around the corner, the hall was completely empty save for the masked man. That was not right. She knew he had entered with another contestant. Where was he? Noelle didn’t have much chance to wonder as the masked man's voice was heard from the corridor. The sound of the man’s voice froze Noelle in place. She could only look, trembling in fear as the man walked by. His words hit deep. Crumbling the already fragile pride that the girl had. Was he right? Was she holding herself back? But what could she do? She really felt like she gave it her all every single time. How could she do even better?

"S̴t̸o̴p̷ ̴i̶g̷n̵o̷r̶i̴n̴g̸ ̷m̴e̷" The voice in her head brought Noelle back to her senses. "Y̴o̸u̸ ̴t̷h̷i̶n̸k̷ ̶t̷h̵a̵t̴ ̷l̸i̸t̴t̵l̵e̷ ̶s̶t̶u̷n̸t̸ ̵o̷f̴ ̵y̶o̸u̶r̸s̶ ̵w̴i̶t̶h̴ ̷t̷h̷a̴t̸ ̴w̶i̴t̴c̶h̸ ̶w̷o̴u̷l̷d̷ ̸g̸e̵t̸ ̴r̸i̷d̵ ̵o̶f̴ ̶m̴e̸,̴ ̶e̸h̴?̸ ̸D̶o̴e̸s̶n̵'̷t̷ ̴w̷o̴r̷k̷ ̶t̶h̶a̸t̷ ̸w̵a̶y̶,̴ ̶d̵a̴r̸l̷i̴n̶g̶.̸"
"*sigh* B̶u̶t̸ ̶I̷ ̸w̸i̴l̷l̴ ̵a̴d̶m̵i̴t̴ ̵i̶t̶ ̸h̵a̵s̵ ̵m̷a̸d̶e̶ ̴i̶t̶ ̷q̷u̵i̴t̸e̶ ̵a̵ ̶b̷i̷t̷ ̶m̷o̸r̶e̶ ̷d̵i̶f̶f̸i̵c̵u̷l̸t̴ ̶t̷o̵ ̴t̵r̵y̶ ̴a̸n̴d̸ ̸c̵l̸a̴i̷m̸ ̷w̸h̴a̸t̴ ̵i̷s̶ ̶m̵i̵n̴e̸.̷.̸.̵ ̶u̷n̷t̵i̶l̸ ̴y̶o̸u̵ ̵a̶c̸c̶e̵p̶t̵ ̷m̷e̸n̸d̵i̸n̶g̶ ̴o̸f̷ ̴t̵h̶a̵t̶ ̸s̵c̷a̶r̸ ̴y̶o̶u̶ ̷p̶l̷a̸c̴e̵d̶ ̴o̵n̴ ̷y̴o̶u̸r̴ ̷m̶i̶n̸d̴ ̸t̵h̴a̷t̷ ̸i̵s̶.̷.̶.̷ ̷N̸o̴n̴e̵t̴h̷e̷l̷e̵s̸s̷,̴ ̵i̶t̷'̷s̴ ̴n̵o̸t̵h̷i̸n̴g̷ ̷m̶o̵r̴e̵ ̷t̴h̷a̸n̶ ̸a̶ ̸t̷e̸m̸p̴o̷r̷a̶r̸y̶ ̸s̴e̴t̸b̸a̴c̸k̷ ̸i̷n̷ ̶t̶h̶e̵ ̸e̷n̷d̸.̸" Noelle’s fear vanished and was now replaced with another dread "Can you please shut up. This is bad already to have you making it worse""T̶h̴a̶t̶ ̵i̸s̴ ̶n̵o̷t̸h̵i̴n̵g̵ ̴l̶i̷k̴e̶ ̸y̷o̸u̷.̴ ̸W̸e̷r̶e̸n̵'̵t̵ ̷y̵o̷u̵ ̵t̴h̶e̵ ̴o̸n̶e̷ ̵w̷h̶o̶ ̷t̸o̸l̴d̷ ̶B̶l̸o̵n̴d̷i̴e̴ ̴s̷h̷e̴ ̸s̵h̶o̸u̴l̵d̴ ̵n̷o̶t̴ ̷h̷e̴e̸d̸ ̵a̷n̴y̴t̴h̷i̶n̶g̴ ̸t̸h̴o̴s̵e̴ ̶j̵u̵d̷g̶e̶s̵ ̴s̷a̸i̸d̵?̸ ̵Y̷e̴t̴,̴ ̶y̷o̶u̷ ̵l̷e̶t̵ ̵t̷h̴e̷ ̵w̸o̶r̸d̷s̸ ̵o̷f̶ ̸t̷h̵a̵t̵ ̶g̷o̴l̷d̷f̸a̶c̸e̶d̸ ̴c̷r̵e̵e̷p̴ ̷g̷e̴t̷ ̸t̵o̸ ̸y̸o̴u̶?̸"
Noelle fell silent. The voice was right. She couldn’t let words get to her head. "I̶'̴m̶ ̵n̴o̸t̸ ̵d̸o̵i̷n̸g̴ ̴t̷h̵i̴s̴ ̵b̶e̴c̴a̸u̴s̴e̵ ̴I̴ ̷l̷i̴k̶e̸ ̶y̸o̸u̸ ̵o̵r̷ ̵s̸o̸m̵e̷t̵h̴i̶n̸g̷.̷ ̴I̶ ̶j̸u̶s̵t̶ ̴d̵o̵n̶'̴t̶ ̸w̷a̶n̵t̸ ̴y̷o̸u̷ ̶t̸o̴ ̸d̸a̴m̸a̷g̶e̷ ̵o̷u̸r̶ ̷p̶r̴e̶t̵t̴y̷ ̸l̴i̸t̵t̷l̷e̷ ̴f̴a̸c̵e̷ ̵b̸e̸f̵o̴r̸e̴ ̸I̷ ̸c̷a̴n̶ ̴t̵a̵k̸e̵ ̵i̶t̶.̷.̸.̶ ̵B̵u̶t̶ ̶I̴ ̷w̷i̶l̸l̶ ̵w̸a̷r̸n̷ ̶y̷o̶u̵.̸ ̸I̶f̵ ̷y̷o̷u̷ ̴d̸a̵r̸e̶ ̴t̷o̶ ̸l̴o̵s̴e̸ ̶h̵o̸p̴e̵ ̶o̸n̵e̴ ̴m̵o̶r̶e̵ ̴t̴i̶m̶e̸,̵ ̸I̴ ̶W̴I̴L̷L̷ ̶t̴a̸k̴e̷ ̴o̶v̶e̸r̷ ̴t̷h̶e̶ ̷r̶e̶i̶n̸s̶.̷ ̵T̴h̷a̷t̶ ̶s̶c̷a̶r̴ ̵m̵i̷g̸h̵t̵ ̷m̸a̵k̵e̴ ̵i̶t̵ ̴h̷a̶r̴d̸e̴r̵.̸ ̷B̷u̷t̸ ̴i̴f̷ ̴y̸o̶u̷ ̷a̷r̵e̶ ̴t̶o̵o̶ ̶w̷e̴a̵k̵ ̵t̷o̸ ̷r̴e̷s̵i̵s̷t̸.̵ ̵I̴t̴ ̶m̴i̵g̸h̶t̸ ̵b̷e̴ ̷l̵i̷k̸e̶ ̸i̸t̸ ̴i̷s̶n̵'̴t̴ ̴t̶h̶e̷r̵e̶ ̸a̸t̴ ̶a̷l̵l̵.̶.̷.̶ ̵K̴e̷e̴p̵.̸ ̸T̸h̷a̵t̸.̴ ̴I̵n̷.̸ ̷M̵i̷n̶d̵.̶.̵.̵" As the voice issued its warning Noelle gulped. A cold shiver ran down her spine as she felt in her mind the voice softly caressing her cheek.

A chime rang through the pavilion, announcing that the names of those who passed the first round were about to be announced. Looked at the screen, still holding the magic beast in her arms as the names appeared one by one. Deep inside, Noelle prayed her name not to appear on the screen. If she were eliminated from the competition, she would have no reason to stay here. She could then just leave. Run away and not look back. But that fortune was not bestowed on her. She already feared that to begin with. Her performance was just too good not to have passed. As more names appeared, Noelle noticed a reaction from the mana beast, seeing the names. Noelle realised that meant that the girl was also through to the second round. She looked at the names, seeing if she could figure out the name of the girl. But there was none that she could directly link. Although the name Belmonte sounded familiar. But she can’t put it exactly where.

The attendant spoke to announce some information about the second round. Although the attendant sounded a bit confused with the word “Versatility”. Noelle prepared herself to go to the eastern wing for the performance competition when the message of the “Cross-disciplinary interactions will be required” appeared on the screen. Noelle was initially confused about what was meant by that. With the elaboration of the attendant and her encounter with the masked judge earlier, Noelle felt a sense of dread with the words. And by the reaction of the mana beast, she was not the only one. "This is not going to require me to sing a song and make an act out of baking a cake, isn’t it?" She said, troubled. She let out a deep breath and petted the mana beast's head. "We need to find her. Before anything bad can happen to her" She said to the mana beast in her arms as she started to walk towards the eastern hall, looking to see if she could find Aedrianna before the competition started again. If the mana beast wanted to jump out of her arms, she would let it.

[The Duchy: Aslan] .·:★・¨༺ 𝔓𝔯𝔦𝔡𝔢 𝔞𝔫𝔡 𝔓𝔯𝔢𝔰𝔱𝔦𝔤𝔢 ༻¨・★:·.

Noelle Nichi

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@moonberry@DoubleChecker
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Even with Noelle’s kind words, Aedrianna didn’t want to cheer up. The girl spoke appreciative words about the mermaid; those were genuine. But Noele knew that inside the girl was still suffering from despair. [Empathy E] Why does she crave the recognition of the jury so much that she is blinded to the voices around her? What did she have to prove? Noelle wished she could help the girl. But if she just doesn’t want to listen, what could she do?

That was when she noticed movement from the jury table. The masked member got up and moved into the crowd. Noelle tried to keep an eye on him without making it obvious she was doing so. She noticed the masked man approached a man who had gotten lukewarm reactions from the judges. She tried her best to eavesdrop on the conversation [Enhanced hearing F] but couldn’t hear everything the creep said. She did pick up on him saying that wasted potential could still be shaped and that he could offer "correction" when the man leaned in.

That creep was up to no good. Could he be linked with this suspicious atmosphere in the pavilion? Noelle was expecting these snobs to be a prideful bunch. But this was a bit more than she expected. The ones who had good reviews from the jury were even more prideful than usual, while those with less than stellar reviews were just depressed. Not even in denial, as she would have thought some would be, just depressed. Although she doesn’t have any means to detect magical fluctuations or sense the effects of any kind of spell or effect, Noelle felt it in her gills that something was up. Now, only she knew what she might be able to do about it. Or in the worst case, if she discovers something is really wrong, and she can’t do anything about it, she could always escape without regret. Although she has the desire to save as many as she can. Her own safety was always president. Knowingly sacrificing herself for a lost cause would mean nothing. Although given she had the opportunity, if she was to flee, she at least wanted to bring that girl with her. Noelle had no idea why she desired the safety of Aedrianna over anyone else. Yet, unlike the pride, this desire felt natural to her. She dismissed the thoughts as more pressing matters were at hand at the moment.

Noelle watched as Aedrianna decided to seclude herself to practise. "Miss?…" The mermaid didn’t know what to do. She wanted to go after her and try comforting the blond. But no words seem to get through to her. Yet leaving her alone in this state. Who knows what might happen?
But the masked man was most likely up to no good. And investigating what he was doing there behind these walls will hopefully grant her a path to make things better for more people, including Aedrianna.
"You noticed it too, didn't you, little one?" Noelle said when she noticed Aedri’s mana beast had come to her, mewling, distressed. She knelt down and scratched the beast behind the ear "Something is absolutely not right here" Noelle picked up the beast softly petting its head while she held it in her arms [Animal handling E] "I also worry for her. But I suspect something or someone makes her unable to see reason… And I have my suspicion who" The calm facade Noelle was holding up till then broke. The beast could notice her breathing was heavy, her heart beating faster than normal, and her body trembling. "My performance earlier was just a fluke, completely a spur of the moment. I could never pull that off a second time, not this quickly. What if they realise I'm just a fraud? It’s still not too late to run away.Y̵e̴s̴,̸ ̷a̷b̵a̴n̵d̴o̷n̴ ̵e̶v̶e̵r̷y̸o̶n̶e̴.̷ ̷T̵h̸a̸t̴ ̷i̵s̴ ̴a̸ ̸s̶m̴a̶r̸t̷ ̴i̴d̵e̵a̵,̴ ̶d̴a̸r̶l̸i̸n̶g̸.̷ But they rely on me here. Oh spirits help me!! H̵o̵w̶ ̶p̴a̵t̸h̵e̸t̴i̶c̷a̵l̷l̸y̷ ̷c̸u̵t̴e̶ ̸y̸o̸u̷ ̶a̵r̴e̴.̴w̵o̴r̵r̸y̶i̴n̵g̴ ̵f̸o̷r̵ ̷n̵o̴t̵h̴i̷n̸g̵." The pride has clashed with Noelle’s kind and humble nature, turning her mind to distress. She was just holding on to a calm demeanour to not alert Aedrianna those around her.

The faint bell chime announcing the Jury’s retreat reminded her that she had to make a decision now. Follow Aedrianna to make sure she is safe, or investigate for nefarious deeds done by the members of the jury backstage. With a heavy heart, Noelle made the decision.
Still holding the magic beast in her arms, Noelle casually moved towards the wall where she noticed the masked man guide the performer to earlier. Looking around from time to time to make sure she wasn’t attracting the attention of potential trouble. Reaching the wall, Noelle leaned against it right next to the entrance to the corridor that leads behind the wall. She listened to see if she could hear the masked man backstage and, at the same time, make sure the coast was clear so she could slip inside the corridor to follow the masked man. "Just remain calm, okay. The faster we figure out what is going on, the faster we can help her." Noelle whispered to the magic beast while she covertly tried to peek into the corridor to make sure no one was there.

[The Duchy: Aslan] .·:★・¨༺ 𝔓𝔯𝔦𝔡𝔢 𝔞𝔫𝔡 𝔓𝔯𝔢𝔰𝔱𝔦𝔤𝔢 ༻¨・★:·.

Noelle Nichi

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@moonberry@DoubleChecker
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Her act went better than she expected and it seems the crowd also liked it. This was all Noelle could ask for. Even better. It felt like she did better than she ever did before. Was this due to playing on such a big stage? No, that’s not it. She has played for a comparable just as many people before at another festival. And she knew she wasn’t playing much better than usual. Then why does this stage make it feel like she was? Something was not right here.

Noelle got off the stage and went to the waiting area to watch the other acts. But not just the other acts, but also if she could notice if something was off. The stage doesn’t seem to have anything out of the ordinary. And there wasn’t anyone in the crowd who was acting more suspicious than expected during the acts. That is, until Noelle’s eyes fell on the jury. Most notably, the one with the golden mask, who was late. The guy gave her the creeps. If anyone was scheming something, it was that guy. Well, if he was thinking he could bind her with some exclusivity contract so that he could completely control her creative endeavours, then he will be disappointed. The travelling songstress lifestyle, Noelle finds way too fun to give up for some promises of fame and glory. Especially from a creep like him

Finally, it was time for the act of the mysterious girl Aedrianna. Noelle watched the performance with interest, and she wasn’t disappointed.
Her voice was beautiful, and how she played with the light was nothing more than stunning. Aedri’s act was the best one Noelle had seen in this round, hands down. And not just that, this was the only one she actually paid full attention to.
When Aedri shifted into the black haired form, something stirred in Noelle. A memory resurfacing. Not from happenings past but from a time before she was in this world. A seaside town. A girl with dark brown hair tied up in a ponytail, cycling home from her job, ear buds in her ears, listening to music. A message on a forum. An idol who died of throat cancer. A song by the idol is playing in the girl’s ears. A smile appeared on the girl’s lips.
So familiar, yet so strange. As if she had seen these scenes before.

Aedri’s performance was over. As the last note silences and the last starlight fades, the crowd erupts in cheers. A deserved compliment for the blond girl. Unfortunately, the judges were not of the same mind as the audience. They dismissed her act as a mere play of fireworks. Show, no substance. Noelle saw how it broke the girl's pride.[Empathy E] She was more than willing to raise her voice in protest with the judge's words, but that would bring no difference. Instead, her efforts were better placed and comforted the now depressed Aedrianna.

When Aedrianna got offstage, Noelle instantly pulled her into a hug. "Don’t listen to what those stuck-up, short-sighted buffoons said. You did great," Noelle said, trying to comfort Aedri "all that matters in the end is not what a single person thinks of your performance but yourself. You gave it your all. If you’re happy with it, that is all that matters" Noelle smiled genuinely "And if it means something. I thought you did great. And if you would listen to the crowd, you will realise I'm not the only one. And what sounds louder? The words of four bitter snobs and the cheers of the crowd?... they are just afraid of the real talent you showed that they couldn’t do do anything but envy it" Noelle let go of Aedri and took a step back "A star shines bright when nothing is around indeed. For it is the light in the darkness. Shining with hope, guidance and determination for those who see it. But it is not when the star is at its brightest. A star can truly shine its brightest when it shines with others, for a sky full of stars will always shine brighter together than a star alone… so… are you ready to show them how bright a star really can shine?"
Noelle hoped that she was able to cheer the girl up a bit. Those judges were really too cruel for no good reason. Too cruel for anyone to deserve that.

[The Duchy: Aslan] .·:★・¨༺ 𝔓𝔯𝔦𝔡𝔢 𝔞𝔫𝔡 𝔓𝔯𝔢𝔰𝔱𝔦𝔤𝔢 ༻¨・★:·.

Noelle Nichi

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@moonberry@DoubleChecker
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Noelle listened to what Aedrianna said to her. The girl really spoke as if she knew Noelle. Yet Noelle absolutely can’t remember the things she said. Well, to be more precise, she can’t remember the whole Skythorn mission and travelling with Aedrianna. But at the same time. Noelle didn’t think she was lying. She knew Aedrianna wasn’t lying. The way she spoke [Insight E] and the emotion in her tone [Empathy E]. They were genuine. This girl was speaking the truth, or at least she whole heartily believed she was telling the truth.
Combined with the fact that the timeline of things Aedri said coincides with the foggy parts in Noelle’s memory. Makes her believe Aedri might be telling the truth. Although there was no way to prove it to be true. This was so frustrating!

Noelle bit her lip. What was she to do? She didn’t want to upset Aedri. Yet to lie and comply to know her was wrong, too. Noelle let out a deep breath. How painful this might be. It had to be done.
"I… I’m sorry miss. Know, I believe what you say isn’t a lie, it’s just…" Noelle’s eyes were mournfull."I…I can’t exactly remember any of the things you just said" Noelle’s eyes were cast down "Eversince I came back from that swamp I… I have problems remembering things… so sorry if I can’t remember looking for the skyARG!!!" Noelle suddenly grabbed her head when she tried to think back to the quest for the skythorn. While most other memories are clouded in fog, thinking about the Skythorn was just an empty void, which trying to access just hurt her brain as she was pulled into that void, grasping at something that wasn’t there anymore.

The soft chirp of the mana beast broke Noelle from her thoughts. Recovering from her brain attack, she composed herself again. "I'm okay" Noelle said, giving Aedrianna an apologetic smile. But there was something on the mermaid’s mind. The skythorn blossom. Although she can't remember looking for it, she knows she had heard of it. But from where? "Oh right! Nan Pass" Noelle remembered the book she picked up in Nan Pass was opened on the page about the blossom when she found it. She was about to reach for her satchel to get the book when the pavilion crystals chimed, announcing that the competition was about to start. "I’m sorry miss. Seems it’s our time to shine now. Let's talk some more later. I have a couple of questions I'd like to ask" Noelle said, giving Aedrianna a polite smile before she turned her eyes to the glyph above the stage.

They were going to announce the order in which the acts were going on stage. Noelle hoped not to have to go too soon. That way, she could gauge a bit at the quality of the competition and plan her first act accordingly. But also because, due to the distraction with Aedrianna, she forgot to decide which song she was going to play.
"Wha!?" This was the worst possible position she could have. Noelle was the first to perform. "shit, shit. What am I to do now? What should I play!?!?" she panicked on the inside. She still had no idea what to do. But she had to decide quickly now.
She looked around, hoping for some inspiration. That was when her eye fell on Aedrianna. Something stirred within the mermaid. A memory speaking to her "That can work" Noelle felt confident now she remembered the perfect song to play.

Noelle got on the stage. With lyre in hand she walked to the centre. "Okay Noelle. This is it" She took a deep breath before she faced the crowd with a friendly smile on her face. "greeting good people. My name is Noelle Nishi from Kuridan. Pray I hope my performance this day may be enjoyable" Noelle bowed politely before she got in position to play her song.

[Performance D] [Magic C] [element water] [Magic AOE D] [Control environment F]

The song started calmly and slowly as she started playing the sorrowful tune. As the first verse started, a light mist started to roll over the stage. Noelle was completely focused on her music as she went into the first chorus. After the chorus came the second verse. With the same fragility and emotion, she sang the verse. She knew she had sung this song before. To a dear friend who was at her deepest point. When the second Chorus started, bubbles started to appear around her, spreading out over the stage. As she repeats the chorus, some of the bubbles start to float up causing the light of the crystals above to be refracted through the bubbles causing a light washing through the hall, reminiscent of the light one could see on the surface of the sea. During the bridge, Noelle made the bubbles shift around a bit causing the light to imitate a wave pattern as if the room was underwater. It was time for the final. As she went into the single to last chorus, Noelle calmed down the volume. Gathering power for what was about to come. Then as the final chorus was initiated, the ground beneath Noelle’s feet lit up as her magic circle activated. Energy started to swirl around her as more bubbles appeared from the circle spreading around. Going into the outro, the bubbles start to fly around. Dancing through the air in circles with a pace matching the upbeat music until… as she struck the final note, all the bubbles simultaneously popped into a pretty, sparkly finally.

When the sparkles and the mist cleared Noelle bowed before leaving the stage. <"That went well i think"> She said letting out a deep breath. That was way scarier than she had anticipated for her first time playing on such a big stage. But she felt she did well. Now it is time to see how the others were going to do.

[The Duchy: Aslan] .·:★・¨༺ 𝔓𝔯𝔦𝔡𝔢 𝔞𝔫𝔡 𝔓𝔯𝔢𝔰𝔱𝔦𝔤𝔢 ༻¨・★:·.

Noelle Nichi

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@moonberry@DoubleChecker
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Upon noticing the curiosity in the room upon Noelle calling herself a songstress, the mermaid smirked internally. The self-imposed title was being received better than she expected. Although if these people thought it meant what she meant with it was the question.
As she waited till she was guided towards the stage for the competition, Noelle overheard some of the aides panicking about the last of the judges who had yet to show up and about this “Thalas” person going to hopefully solve this issue in time. It sounded troublesome, but ultimately of no concern for the mermaid. She was there [strike]to feast on freebies[/strike] to make her music heard. With or without that final judge, it will happen.

There was a faint chiming sound from the magic crystals to announce to the contestants to go to their designated areas. A kind aide helped Noelle to the eastern hall to prepare for the music competition. The plan was for each of the acts to perform their acts at the central stage when they were called. That should give Noelle ample time to prepare. She had an idea of what kind of show she was going to put on to knock these stuck-up buffoons off their pantaloons!

Noelle looked around a bit to see what other contestants there were. Her gaze fell for a second on an elegant elf with the scales that resonated with her voice. Those scales looked so cool, changing colours with the pitch of the elven woman. Then Noelle’s attention was drawn by a voice calling her fresh meat. Noelle looked at the sharp-eyed man. She noticed the arrogant undertone in his voice [Insight E]. He was underestimating the little mermaid. "Why, thank you. It is a major boost to hear the confidence of someone of your renown." she answered the man with a brimming smile "But you should focus yourself on your own act. Don't want to see you get so easily outdone by a common travelling musician like. That would be embarrassing," she retorted with the same bright smile. A silent challenge and jab at the man’s ego. Noelle was confident she had the skills to do at least well in this competition.

Noelle was wondering which song she should sing in the first round. She shouldn't go too hard in this round. She should leave the best for the final to really hit it home. Then again, giving her the best now might also be fun. Really showing these bozos what they were dealing with! Decisions, decisions.
Suddenly, someone called out her name. Noelle turned around to see that it was a girl of around her age. Long blond hair with the tips coloured in various colours. Noelle felt like she had seen this girl before, but she couldn’t remember from where. The girl asked many questions. But it didn’t reach the mermaid's ears. It happened so fast. Without thinking, without words, Noelle stepped forward and hugged Aedrianna. Her body moved on its own. Not by mind but by command of the heart. A tear rolled down her cheek as she was embracing the girl. Noelle held on for a few seconds before she snapped back to reality. "Oh! I’m sorry, I'm sorry. I don’t know what just came over me" She profoundly apologised as she stepped back "I..I hope I didn’t insult you or anything… My name is Noelle, Noelle Nishi. And who may you be?" Now she was closer to Noelle. Aedrianna could notice that, although this was definitely the same person she had known before. There was something different. Noelle’s eyes were dull. The light that was in there before has quenched. The only glow left in it is a tiny yellow coloured circle around her pupils.

[The Duchy: Aslan] .·:★・¨༺ 𝔓𝔯𝔦𝔡𝔢 𝔞𝔫𝔡 𝔓𝔯𝔢𝔰𝔱𝔦𝔤𝔢 ༻¨・★:·.

Noelle Nichi

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@moonberry@DoubleChecker
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It has been a few weeks since Noelle got the nauseating curse removed from her by the witch. Ever since she regained some colour to her skin as she was able to keep her belly full, or at least keep anything she ate in her belly. Yet she felt empty. The last few years were a haze to her. She knows good things have happened, but can't recall precisely what.

Noelle was standing in the hall of the pavilion. She got word of this event about a week ago when she saw a flyer for the event at one of the local adventure guilds. She thought this was a prime opportunity to advance her music career. To make her name known to influential audiences. But most of all, these kinds of events have many freebies. With food being the main target of the mermaid. Delicious top-grade delicacies you normally can only get in expensive restaurants. Way above the mermaid’s pay grade. And with her tendency not to have a lot of money to her name at any time. The fact that it was “free” was also a major draw to her.

On second thought, this might not have been the most well-thought-through plan. The level of high society was a bit overwhelming. She herself rather liked to be in the more common folk establishments. With the common people. But adjusting to this audience should not be a problem for her. She has become decently adept at playing her part and shows the etiquette that was expected. And she could always let her foreign beauty speak for her. Although the people of the duchy might be known with merfolk due to their bordering the grand lake. Noelle was not from there. A rare sight of a mermaid from the republic, which was reflected in her attire. A nice-looking kimono in the style from her home region in the north of the republic. A style they shouldn’t see here often.
The game plan for this prideful bunch was modesty and flattery. There is nothing these pompous people like more than having their egos stroked, but without selling herself short so she doesn't look weak and desperate herself.

Noelle took a deep breath before she headed to the central registration. Standing in line, her eyes floated around to see if something would catch her eye. The place looked amazing, although all the mechanical and alchemical stuff was a bit foreign to her, it still looked cool though. The people looked as she expected. Clad in the finest of wear with their prideful attitude. It made the mermaid feel a little bit small with how ordinary she herself was. Once she got the the front of the waiting line, Noelle politely bowed to the registry clerk.
"Good morning, miss/sir. My name is Noelle Nishi. I'm a travelling songstress from Kuridan. I would like to register for the music competition" she said to the clerk, declaring her intentions. While the clerk was busy registering her for the competition, Noelle’s attention was drawn by a person she could see at one of the registration booths a bit further. A tall blond man with piercing blue eyes wearing black armour. Noelle picked up that he was entering the swordmanship competition. Well, he did look the part. Just another noble meathead. All brawn, no finesse. Noelle didn’t think much of it. She was now wondering what she should do until the competition was going to start.