Varoni clears his throat sheepishly, and shoots a grin at the apprentices and journeyfolk who file onto the stage to form a chorus of 'masters'. The master speaks to the audience.
"This song is the culmination of a late night's silliness on the part of myself and Master Mykal. All credit or blame for this version of the song is attributed to us, but we are grateful to the gents who ride the golden Queen for the original."
The master takes a step back, and then all the harpers sing out softly in unison.
"Is this the real Weyr?
Is this just fantasy?
Caught by a dragon
No escape to the Harper Hall.
Open my eyes, look up to his eyes and see'
The master sings by himself now, alto rising for one line before the apprentices and journeyfolk join in again.
"I'm just a 'prentice, I have no empathy,
Because I'm quick to run, slow to talk, singing high, playing
low,
Any way the Weyr flies doesn't really matter to me, to me."
The apprentices and journeyfolk start picking a melody on their gitars as the master sings alone.
"Aelyth, just searched an app,
Put his nose against my head, whuffled loud - I almost fled.
'Prentice ship had just begun,
But now you've gone and torn it all away."
An apprentice on drums begins to play in the background, another hitting a cymbal at the proper time.
"Aelyth, oo-oooh, didn't mean to make you creel,
If you're not back again this time tomorrow,
I'll go on, carry on as if nothing really matters."
The apprentices on percussion insert themselves, neatly playing a soft beat as the master continues, singing to the apprentices and journeyfolk playing masters, who now include 'Jalassa', young apprentice wearing an exaggerated haughty look.
"Too late, my ride has come,
Sends shivers down my spine, body's aching with my pine.
Goodbye, ev'rybody, I've got to go,
Gotta leave you all behind and face the eggs.
Harper, ooh-ooh, I want to Impress,
I sometimes wish I'd never 'prenticed at all."
The master plays a long and complicated solo on his gitar, fingers fumbling once or twice, as the chorus of 'masters' sings a soft 'oooh' in the background. During the solo, Master Mykal slips out of the shadows around the stage, gitar in hand, taking over the tune and turning it down a different track, making it his. The master then starts a singing duel with the other 'masters' present.
"I see a little tiny figure of a man,"
"Apprentice, apprentice, will you do the right thing tho?
Thunderbolt and Dawnslight, and Skyfire wing makes three."
"(Masterharper!) Masterharper. (Masterharper!) Masterharper,
Masterharper let him go.
Jas let him go."
"I'm just a poor app, all masters hate me."
"He's just a poor app with a poor master,"
Spare him his life from this apprenticeship."
"Easy app, easy drop, will you let me go"
"Jalassa! No, she will not let you go.
(Let me go!) Jalassa! She will not let you go.
(Let me go!) Jalassa! She will not let you go.
(Let me go.) Will not let you go.
(Let me go.) Will not let you go. (Let me go.) Ahhhh.
No, no, no, no, no, no, no.
(Oh Masterharper, Masterharper.) Masterharper, let him go."
"For Benden Weyr has a dragon put aside for me, for me, for me!"
Varoni and Mykal start into a wild solo, but each in fact neatly complementing the other as the apprentices and journeyfolk on percussion (Uma, Mikkel, Caitlyn, and Jenufa) beat on their instruments, hair flying everywhere as their heads echo their hands' movement. The master snarls the next verse at 'Jalassa'.
"So you think you can keep me confined to my dorm;
So you think you can trap me until the next morn?
Oh, Harper, can't do this to me, Harper,
Just gotta get out, just gotta get right outta here."
The solo continues for another half a minute or so, finally dwindling down to just Mykal's gitar, the master's gitar silenced as the 'masters' sing a soft line of 'ooh yeahs'. Mykal and the other 'masters' slip back into the shadows, leaving the master alone on stage, hands crading an invisible dragonet's head.
"Nothing really matters, anyone can see,
Nothing really matters,
Nothing really matters to me.
Any way the Weyr flies."
Varoni's voice slowly tapers off, as if walking away into the distance, and then he steps back into the shadows as Jenufa, huge grin on her face, strikes a gong.
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