“Yes, that is true to some extent,” Nura bit at the philosophical observation. “We travel to far off places in our dreams and stories. Our voices carry song, which travels to the ears of others who carry our song to new places. We touch the lives of those around us, make an impact on them, leave a piece of ourselves with them and they travel with it. Simpler yet, we travel with each step we take, even if we never leave the place we were born in. You and I traveled from the door to these seats. But, you knew which fashion of travel I had implied.”
Nura sat up and took up the small pair of tongs that were sitting beside the glass hookah. With gentle grace she turned and shifted each of the three pieces of coal that sat atop the bowl. The water bubbled as she took a deep breath of smoke into her lungs to test the placement and the heat. Nura exhale a great plume of smoke, like a dragon, ensuring not to rudely blow it in Ezra's direction. After shifting the coals just a little bit more, she set the tongs down and lounged back once again, hose in hand.
“I suppose it would not be particularly odd if this was the first time you've shared the song,” Nura remarked. “But if you've shared it before, and at other locales, then it is odd that I have not heard at least a verse from someone at some point. As I said, I get around,” she added with a smile. “Like art, I cannot be contained.”
The half-elf took another puff from the hookah, released the smoke, and then took a sip of rose water, basking in the smoothness and the coolness of the liquid as it ran down her throat. The musicians continued to play, but they were hardly as alluring in their craft as Ezra had been. Still when a song ended, Nura offered her support by clapping.
“Well, who is ever, truly known?” Nura questioned. “I think of all the people who have met me, I am the one who knows me best, and even still there are parts of me that I discover. Change is the only true constant in the world. What you think you know about someone today could be the opposite a season from now. And certainly, one cannot be known when they shroud themselves in mystery and vagueness.”
The last part was a poke at Ezra, though in a playful manner. As far as Nura had seen, he seemed to like to weave confusion with vague responses that answered both yes and no at the same time, answers that could go one way or the other, answers that gave little away and yet urged the other party to dig deeper only to uncover more half-answers.
“ALL arts of physical expression?” Nura asked, emphasizing the first word and lifting a brow. She chuckled lightly, her dark eyes shimmering, and took another, smaller puff from the hookah. “I may have to challenge that claim.”
Nura slung the hose over the hose port and ate a couple more pieces of colorful fruit. By the way she ate - a piece here, another piece several minutes later – it was clear that she was a grazer. Suresh stopped by to check on their drinks then looked at Nura and shook his head with laughter on his lips.
“This girl! I swear, it is a game of mine when she comes in, to see how many different people I can sit, one after another, at one table, before she has finished her meal,” Suresh teased. Nura knew it was all in good fun. Suresh and Nura were good friends.
“What is the record at, now? Four?” Nura asked.
“Five,” Suresh answered.
“Wait… no! That one who had to leave not even half way through his meal didn't count!” Nura protested. “Besides, it's much healthier for you to eat numerous smaller meals throughout the day than it is to weigh yourself down with an abundance of food in three meals… or in some cultures, two.”
“If you say so,” Suresh replied, taking Nura's empty cup.
Nura turned back to Ezra. “Suresh is a good man. I used to pay him for room and board when I would stay here. When he realized that he was making extra money on nights that I would dance, he refused to let me pay him. When word of mouth began to travel, his taverns began to swell with people when I was in town. Whenever people would see me here they would beg me to dance. Some outright harassed me, and Suresh had to kick them out. But we figured a way to quell people's desires and give me some peace. We began to advertise when I would dance. After the first night, Suresh insisted that he needed to pay me with the amount he was making.”
“She tried to refuse, but I would not take no for an answer,” Suresh had come back with another glass of rose water for Nura, and then wrapped an arm around her shoulders and looked at Ezra. “This girl, here, is the light of my life. If anyone hurts her, they have to answer to me. Yes?” Leaning in, he whispered to Nura,”Two guardsmen have entered. They may be seeking a reply for the Sultan to the letter that was left for you.”
Nura smiled, but it was such a smile that was difficult to tell if it was meant or purposely placed.
“I think I will do an impromptu dance,” Nura said. “Ezra's song was beautiful, and he has offered to play another. I simply cannot pass up the opportunity to dance to one of his songs.”
Suresh nodded and then said,”Alright, I will send the boy to bark on the streets.”
With an influx of people, the guard would not have the opportunity to ask her for a response to the Sultan. With some luck, she might also be able to slip away from having to make a reply… at least, for the night. A boy, perhaps ten years of age, rushed out the front door of the tavern. Nura's sensitive elvish ears could hear him running down the street shouting out,”Nura, The Sword Dancer, will be performing with music by Ezra at Sigree!”
“By your lead,” Nura said to Ezra, with a slight bow to her head.