Side A – Yasgrid
Yasgrid could never seen her mother cry tears of joy, and technically that continued to be the case. Osdora ‘turning away to inspect the ring and coincidentally clear some dust from her eyes’ didn’t count as crying after all, despite the testimony of Gossma’s gentle expression to the contrary.
“This called for a celebration a while ago,” Gossma said. “Since we’ve all been a bit busy however, now will have to suffice.”
Yasgrid tried to imagine attending a Stoneling wedding celebration as an Elf. It probably wouldn’t be a fatal affair, but that was largely because Elven durability seemed to far exceed their body weight. The usual brawls that broke out would likely send her flying all over the place, but the impact would likely be more or less survivable in her estimation.
“Not that kind of celebration,” Osdora said, noticing Yasgrid’s expression. “For a proper dust up we’ll need to wait till we’re back in Frost Harbor. My dear wife however has found several bottles of a fine Winter Mead that I believe she intends to share?”
“Found? Yes. I found them in my house, right where I left them after I bottled them,” Gossma said and added. “What? I have other talents than Shatter Drumming you know.”
Osdora opened her mouth to say something but thought the better of it before the comment escaped her lips.
“Perhaps we can invite Nia and Margrada as well?” Naosha suggested, with a greater hint of longing than Yasgrid had heard from her in any of their previous conversations.
“If we can tear them away from the Roadies,” Gossma said.
“I don’t think she’s gone to see them yet,” Yasgrid said, though she could feel that wasn’t entirely true somehow. She wanted to project over to Nia, but politeness required waiting for an appropriate break in the conversation before she let herself be distracted that much.
“It sounded like they were going to find here,” Gossma said. “Her friends had a drum all ready for her.”
Gossma said that like it was perfectly normal for Roadies to carry drums around for Shatter Drummers, and, to an extent, that was true. In this case however several different warning bells went off in Yasgrid’s head, given who Nia was, and what she’d done in the past.
“Is this something we need to save her from?” Kyra asked.
“Um, maybe?” Yasgrid said, only for Osdora’s laughter to keep her attention rooted where it was.
“You two have had a really hard time haven’t you?” Osdora said. “There’s nothing wrong. The big bad Roadies aren’t unhappy with Nia at all, quite the opposite in fact.”
“What does that mean and why are they bringing her a drum?” Yasgrid asked, trying to gauge where Nia’s emotions were at that precise moment.
From Nia, Yasgrid got puzzlement and wariness. From Osdora she got another laugh.
“I’m so tempted to let it be a surprise. Would be only fair after how long you two kept the rest of us in the dark. ‘Fugue state’, that had to be your idea, right?”
Yasgrid had expected her mother to hold a bit of a grudge, and with the shock and worry having worn off, and in spite of all the changes they’d been through, Yasgrid was almost pleased to see the Osdora she’d known was still in there.
Side B – Nia
Nia took a moment to process the idea of an Elf as a Shatter Drummer. Then she took another moment, and one more for good measure.
“Did we break her?” Horgi asked.
“No. No,” Nia said. “I’m fine. I just…what Elves want to be Shatter Drummers? And, um…”
She’d never specifically lied to Horgi or Grash about not being a Stoneling and yet she also couldn’t recall ever breathing a word about being an Elf to them.
“I believe Osdora volunteered you,” Marianne said.
“Why? Just because she was an Elf?” Belhelen said.
The only one shocked at that revelation was Nia, and even then only because Horgi and Grash had found out from someone else.
“Yeah. We always knew there was something different about you Kaersbean,” Grash said. “We just never knew what to listen for.”
“Yeah. Since when do Shatter Drummers fight like you do?” Horgi asked.
“Oh really?” Marianne said, delight sparkling in her eyes. “Please elaborate as much as you can on that.”
“Later you demon,” Nia said. “We’re getting off the path here. Let’s start with the simple stuff. You can call me Nia. Me and Yasgrid…”
“Swapped bodies at New Years, yeah, Osdora told us all that,” Grash said. “She also said you’re Stoneling enough for us to trust you with the drums still, which was frankly kind of insulting. Like we couldn’t tell *that* from listening to you play? Freaking lead drummers.”
Both of the Roadies spat at what Nia wouldn’t have guessed was an expletive in their language.
“Point is,” Horgi said. “If you can play, there’s a bunch of elves who want to try too, and we will not allow that unless we can be sure it’s safe.”
“Nia does have the advantage of a Stoneling body to work with,” Margrada said. “Are you worried an Elf body might be too small to hold the beat?”
“What? No. That’s on them,” Grash said. “We want to make sure it’s safe for the drums.”
“How would it…” Nia got exactly that far into her question before understanding erupted in her mind.
Shatter drums were not magic. Not exactly. The beat of the drum called forth magic but it wasn’t something the drums were meant to contain. From her experience it wasn’t something the Shatter Drummers were meant to contain either. Part of playing a Shatter Drum was drawing forth the magic and letting it go out into the world, which was just about big enough to hold it.
A Shatter Drummer who couldn’t handle the drum at all might let the magic spill back inwards rather than letting it sound out and that would be catastrophic. Shatter drums could crack from the strain, or the Shatter drummer would be vaporized, but better that than a cracked drum.
“She has the exact same expression as they do,” Mariane said, gesturing to the Roadies. “Should we be worried?”