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Nicolette enjoyed praise as much as the next person. It did not make her giddy, or shy, but only elevated her mood, and it helped when it was from a comment based on her skill rather than her looks. The cheers of the patrons would have been accolade enough but the admiring expression on Varric’s face when she made her way back to the table was worth at least five taverns worth of applauding crowds. A full description of this event was definitely going back to Maman the very next day. She did not need to ask Varric if he had enjoyed it, but she did so anyway, and was rewarded.
“That’s putting it mildly.” Nicolette beamed, and Norah brought over a drink that Nicolette had not ordered, indicating her benefactor with a nod of her head. Nicolette followed her gaze to find the same Antivan sailor who had approached her for the song. She lifted her glass to him, smiling so widely that it was almost uncomfortable. Performing always left her with a surplus of energy that made her feel as though she could run across countries, and it was one of the best feelings she knew. “You’ve got a rare gift, Dancer. Where did you learn to play like that?”
Nicolette’s smile softened from exuberance to gentle delight at the nickname Varric had bestowed upon her, and she sipped her drink so her heart and mind could calm a little before she answered. “To start with, from my mother.” The drink was quite strong, but chilled and delicious, and she could feel some of the pink starting to fade from her cheeks. “She performed at a tavern in the town where I grew up, and I used to sit and watch her play even before I could walk. I got used to running between the legs of sailors as they stamped time – it made me nimble, I think. She got me to try the vielle when I was very small, and I loved it from the start.”
“When we started travelling from place to place, we were usually part of a group, for safety. There were frequently other musicians and I would learn from them; but also dancers and tumblers. I loved everything that put emotions into movement and song. And that has been almost my whole life,” she added. “My learning will never be done, and I try to gather a new song or story at every place I go. Some of it is a lucky gift, I think, but I have worked hard, and I am proud of what I can do. It may not be tending the lands or fighting to defend the less fortunate, but it makes me happier than anything else I can imagine doing."
“That’s putting it mildly.” Nicolette beamed, and Norah brought over a drink that Nicolette had not ordered, indicating her benefactor with a nod of her head. Nicolette followed her gaze to find the same Antivan sailor who had approached her for the song. She lifted her glass to him, smiling so widely that it was almost uncomfortable. Performing always left her with a surplus of energy that made her feel as though she could run across countries, and it was one of the best feelings she knew. “You’ve got a rare gift, Dancer. Where did you learn to play like that?”
Nicolette’s smile softened from exuberance to gentle delight at the nickname Varric had bestowed upon her, and she sipped her drink so her heart and mind could calm a little before she answered. “To start with, from my mother.” The drink was quite strong, but chilled and delicious, and she could feel some of the pink starting to fade from her cheeks. “She performed at a tavern in the town where I grew up, and I used to sit and watch her play even before I could walk. I got used to running between the legs of sailors as they stamped time – it made me nimble, I think. She got me to try the vielle when I was very small, and I loved it from the start.”
“When we started travelling from place to place, we were usually part of a group, for safety. There were frequently other musicians and I would learn from them; but also dancers and tumblers. I loved everything that put emotions into movement and song. And that has been almost my whole life,” she added. “My learning will never be done, and I try to gather a new song or story at every place I go. Some of it is a lucky gift, I think, but I have worked hard, and I am proud of what I can do. It may not be tending the lands or fighting to defend the less fortunate, but it makes me happier than anything else I can imagine doing."