Victor was sitting at the bar having a Hylian Ale when suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, he saw a tall man in the distance through the tavern doorway. The man seemed to grow even taller as he walked towards the tavern entrance, and he was indeed tall. So tall, in fact, that he had to hunch over to get through the doorway. The man easily reached 6' 6". Thin and dark, this man would have seemed to be a tough guy, if it wasn't for the warm, friendly grin that was continuously on his face.

Strapped to the man's back was a beautiful harp, elegantly crafted years ago by the finest Hylian artisans. The harp was pure gold and, though small, looked to be worth more than 10,000 rupees. The harp was a simple "U" shape, but what made it elegant was its decorated sides. From each end of the harp jutted two lion's heads, one on each side. From each lion's neck, golden curves of the most elegant kind fell to the bottom of the harp, where each curl transformed into two clawed ravens' feet. The harps design alone was worth all the rupees of Hyrule, but the strings were the beauty of this piece. Though there were only three strings - too few for a standard harp - they were very special indeed. For the strings were not made of nylon or cat gut: each string was a single strand of hair from each of the three goddesses. Naryu, Farore, and Din had each contributed to the creation of this harp, and thus the magic of the strings allowed the harp to play thousands of notes at the player's bidding. Magic also protected the harp from theft, allowing only the bloodline of its original owner - the man himself- to touch its golden splendor.

Who was the owner of this beautiful harp? And who could please the goddesses so much as to earn strands of their hair. Victor knew:

"Father? Is that you?"

Victor ran up and embraced the man he hadn't seen in at least three months.

"Son! I knew I would find you in here," said Victor's father, William, as he surveyed the tavern's interior, "You always were a little urchin." William mussed his son's already unkempt hair.

"Father, what are you doing back in Hyrule?"

"I got a strange offer in the mail. An unknown person offered me 100,000 rupees if I would come to Hyrule and play my harp for him. Of course, I couldn't resist."

Victor sensed a peculiarity in this mysterious letter, but decided not to ruin his father's obvious joy by stating his doubts.

"Sit down, father. I'll buy the drinks."

OOC: At this point, anyone can go ahead and come over. This is a fairly open story line, so I welcome other players to come and talk. With your characters, of course.

Tall... older man, must be married--somehow familiar? Dark hair, a sort of friendliness that's so nostalgically like...

Arco leans forward, slightly widened eyes staring over his drink.

Three stringed harp?

The Sheikah watches intently, completely still, as if staring at the lip of his glass and not the person just over it. Then, when...

So nostalgically like... Victor!

...stands up, Arco brings his beverage down on the table and leans forward a bit further, to hear the conversation, unknowingly moving his chair around the edge of the table to facilitate this.

Unknown person offering 100,000 rupees?

Almost on autopilot, he stands to meet to what is--must be--a great--an outstanding--musician. But a few steps from his table, he stops and turns back to retrieve his nearly-empty glass. Because one social law he'd learned in his months of adventuring was this: it's always easier to talk to people if you have something in your hands (if it's not a tool, it's something for you to fiddle with in between words).

In this case, it was both. Walking the last few feet, Arco lifted his glass a careful inch and croaked out an unimpressive, "Hi."

Now seated at a table with two drinks, one unfinished Hylian Ale and a fresh Zora Wine, were Victor and William.

William was the first to respond to the greeting, raising a curious eyebrow at the stranger who had approached them. Noticing his father's head turn, Victor swallowed his most recent chug of ale and acknowledged the bard.

"Oh, father, this is..." Realizing that the familiar face was not yet connected to a name, Victor ended his sentence awkwardly, "well, he's a bard like us."

Then Victor turned to the Sheikah.

"What was your name again?" He asked with a tinge of embarrassment.

Arco clears his throat, buying himself a second to think. One hand reaches into a pocket, as if looking for a name...

"Oh, em, Arco," he says. "I think... I once had the, the pleasure of playing with..."

Oh dear... what was his name again? I was sure we'd...

The Sheikah motions towards Victor shakily, and then, just as unsteadily, speaks again. "Him. Music, that is. And your name..?"

William stands, towering a good 10" (OOC: I checked Arco's profile to make sure) over Arco. Then, offering his hand to the bard, he says:

"My name is William. So, you are a man of music yourself?"

Tilting his head back a little, Arco nods unsteadily. Shifting the glass to his left hand, he focuses on William's hand for a second before remembering. Hand out, Arco speaks:

"Yes... or, I hope to be... not much repetoire, experi..."

His words crumbling to the ground along with his social abilities, Arco looks down, and coughs. "What instrument do you play?" asks Arco, forcing himself to make some eye contact.

Shaking Arco's hand heartily, a smile crosses William's face.

"Come now, my boy. There's no need for shyness."

William then released his hand and spread his arms wide, indicating Arco and Victor.
"We are all bards here. We have something in common already!"

Then, reaching behind his back, William says:

"As for my tool of trade... well, though I have been known to dabble in quite a few musical instruments, I've always had a soft spot for one in particular."

Then he pulled out the harp, still in all its majesty, and cradled it in his hands. It seemed to shine even brighter, as a baby lights up in its mother's arms. Then, seeming to remember that he was still in the company of Arco, he held the harp out for his fellow bard to have a closer look.

"The harp, that is. Finest instrument, in my opinion."

"All bards," repeats Arco, treasuring the words somewhat. While listening to William speak he wonders what sorts of other instruments the man could have learned before, and what pieces or types of music...

But then, the harp. That harp! Staring in amazement, Arco doesn't know whether to lean forward for a better look, or backwards, so as not to impede on the radiance. It's so... simple, though.

"Only three strings, though--and so small, um, Sir?" Arco finally asks, his voice unclear and flat. He points at the musical instrument with his glass.

William seems to light up himself, for his harp was his favorite subject. Then, sitting down once again, he brought his harp up onto the table and let it sit on the two raven feet. Finally, in a proud voice, he answered:

"Yes, it is quite small, isn't it? But smaller is better, as I always say. Let's face it: would you like to lug around a huge harp all day? Over all the miles I've trekked in my life? I think not!"

Then, indicating the three strings, he continued.

"The strings, the strings. Perhaps the finest features of the instrument. These strings, my boy, are quite special. In fact, and you may not believe me, each of these strings is a single strand of hair from each of the three godesses! Given to me by the goddesses themselves. I've played quite a few concerts for them, you see. This harp was how they repayed me. Yes, yes; strong magic resides within these strings. Listen:"

Then, with great care, William strummed the first string. Quite strangely, it sounded like a flute! At the next string, a cow could be heard mooing. Finally, the third string emitted a single, loud yell. Many people looked over from other tables, wondering what had caused the sounds. Many a mind was bewildered at the sight of the small harp. William beamed a proud smile at Arco."Magnificent, isn't it?"

All this time, Victor looked quite depressed. The smile quite obviously made him feel even worse. "He was never this proud of me." he thought...

Alpha looks up from his glass at the sound of...a cow? He quickly takes another look at his milk in disbelief, and examines it magically to make sure that the bartender isn't trying to get him drunk again. Satisfied that this is not the case, his eyes scan the various figures scattered about, until finally they land on Victor and Arco talking with an older man. He holds a peculiar harp, the kind of which Alpha has never seen before, even with all his travels. 'Only three strings? How can you make a melody like that?'
Curious, he stands up and walks to the small group, and is surprised to see that he has to look up to speak to this man. "Hello, Victor, Arco; good to see you both again, as always." Switching his glass to his left hand, he holds up the right so that he can shake the stranger's hand. "I am called Alpha. Who are you, and what kind of harp is that?"

OOC: Sorry about not replying, but it just seemed like such a good...bard topic. I didn't feel like coming in until I saw your little post in the Town Center

OOC: Not a problem, Alpha. Not a problem.

IC: Victor acknowledged Alpha with a raised glass and a nod of the head. William reached over the table --carefully, so as not to tip the harp over-- and shook Alpha's hand. The wide grin was still plastered on his face.

"I, Alpha, am William. Victor's father, you see. I'm a traveling minstrel, and I recently recieved a request to return to Hyrule and play."

Then, indicating the harp once more, William continued.

"This harp, you see, was a gift from the goddesses themselves. I've played a concert in their company, and I can assuredly say that they enjoyed it!"

At this he chuckled in a booming voice, the laughted reverberating throughout the tavern.

"As I was just explaining to Arco here, this harp is very special. You may have noticed the three strings? Yes, that's right. Only three. But each string just happens to be a strand of hair from each of the goddesses: one from Din, one from Farore, and one from Nayru." He said this while pointing to the respective strings.

"These strings, as you have no doubt heard, are not limited to the realms of the harp. Oh, dear no. You see, powerful magic is witheld within each of these strings. I've met many a mage who would sell his very soul for one of these beauties! Yes, they are very valuable, indeed."

William then went on to demonstrate, playing an arpeggio on each of the three strings. When he was finished, he returned to his explanation as if giving a lecture.

"As I have just demonstrated, these strings are more than capable of carrying a tune. One string alone can play a melody. Add a second, and a harmony joins. With a third string, an accompaniment can be played. All you need are the notes of the songs and a talent for music, and you can play this harp! Not too well, mind you. It takes quite a lot of practice. Playing a song on one string is quite hard; it requires hand-eye coordination, swift fingers, and quite a lot of concentration. But, it is possible!"

Finally, William began to play on his harp. Nothing too fancy, just a simple rendition of "Row, row, row your boat." He began on the first string with a harp sound, and at about two measures into the song, he began it again with a second finger on the second string, while still keeping beat on the first string.(OOC: Think the classic campfire rendition) with a violin's sonance. Another two measures into the second string's melody, and the third was added in with a choir sound. William finished of the song, and received much applause from the patrons at other tables. Rasing his hand for silence, he spoke again.

"As you can see, much can be done with this instrument. Now then, does anyone wish to hear the tale of how I came to own this beauty?"

Victor, having been silent for the duration of the explanation, finally spoke:

"Oh, father. Not that old story again!"

William turned to his son's direction, not at all annoyed, as it was true. He had recited the story quite a few times before.

"Well, son, only if your friends wish to hear it."

At this, he turned to Alpha and Arco, with a look on his face much like that of a smart toddler, waiting for someone to ask if he knew his ABC's. Indeed, this look would be quite hard to resist...

Arco glances at Alpha, and then leans in, with an apologetic look to Victor.

"Yes," he says. Then, as he stands back down, he speaks, feeling a need to fill the silence.

"But that was... astounding. On a hurdy-gurdy one might, to a degree, give a melody, harmony, and accompaniment. But the rhythm is in no way so individual. A skilled violinist can play some of the Ancient Sheikah Fugues, but that is entirely different, and on a brass instrument multiple tones can--have been achieved, by..."

Arco flushes a mild bronze under his pale grey skin, and finishes by murmuring, "Unconventional means."

Unexplainably, the phrase "well-coordinated flatulence" pops into your head.

William, still waiting for someone to request the story, turns to Arco.

"Yes, well, this is an astounding harp. One-of-a-kind, you know. But I'm sure you guessed that already."

Then, pushing the harp slightly towards Arco, he says:

"You may try it, if you'd like. Just be careful with it."

Darkening his expression somewhat, William muttered:

"Or else."

Then, back to his cheery disposition in an instant, William spoke to the small group.

"Meanwhile, how about that story, hmm?"

"Absolutely incredible...hair from the goddesses! Is that even possible?" Alpha asks in excitement. This is truly a great instrument. Even Alpha, who has had bad memories of musical items, like flutes, can't help but have his mouth hang open at the impressive harp. "Please, please, tell your story! I must know how you managed to actually play for the goddesses!" he says with a child-like curiosity. This instrument...incredible. That's the only word Alpha can think of to describe it.

Entirely bewildered, Arco stares at the harp for a moment, before lifting it gingerly from William's hands. For a moment he sits there in shock before finally holding the harp on its side and gives a blue hair a timid pluck. And almost before the note's song fades, the Sheikah carefully but hurriedly returns it to its owner, his face dripping with paranoia.

He then turns his attention to Alpha and his words, and seconds the request for the story with a wide nod.