The Garden of Bacchus

Diana leisurely strolled into the Garden of Bacchus, which lay on a hill in New Rome. Earlier that day, she had met up with her parents for lunch in the city. She enjoyed being able to see them often, but it saddened her to know that not everyone in camp had that luxury. After a long communion in which she caught them up on the latest happenings in camp, she decided to come to the garden her mom used to take her to when she was a kid. She sat down on a bench under the grapevine canopy facing the center, where a fountain with a statue of Bacchus stood. After several moments of enjoying the view of the plants and the relaxing atmosphere, she pulled her wooden flute out of her purse, and began to play. It started out as a couple of generic flute licks, and gradually morphed into Greensleeves.

Kyain walked briskly across the Garden of Bacchus, her guitar slung across her back. It was a long time since she'd done a street performance, and she'd enjoyed it. Still, it drained most of her energy. It was kind of scary, presenting her songs to others. Eager to rest, she quickened her pace.

The sound of sudden music stopped her in her tracks. She wasn't familiar with the sound of this instrument--flute? Curious, she swooped around, following the melody. She knew she was getting closer by the small voices piping up inside her head.

Diana, unaware of the approacher, continued playing. She modulated from Greensleeves to Danny Boy. As she played the Irish lullaby, memories of being here as a child with her mother played through her mind. She saw herself running around, hopping on and off the fountain of the wine god, sniffing the flowers, and learning the uncomfortable lesson about why you don't want to mess with the bees that buzzed around the garden. She concluded the piece and lowered the flute with a smile. Still reflecting and relaxing, she laid down on the bench and looked at the patches of sky that showed through the canopy.

"Wow," Kyain breathed as she found the source of the music. So it was a flute, after all. A wooden flute. Her innocent features broke into a grin, the blue/grey difference of her eyes becoming even more prominent. "You are good." she said with a touch of awe. She had never been able to play an instrument that required blowing into--it just made her dizzy. She sat at the edge of the bench, still looking at the flute in wonder.

Diana jumped on the bench, startled by the new arrival, sitting up quickly. She caught her breath with a chuckle, "Oh, hey," she said. Registering the compliment, she continued with a smile, "Oh, well, thank you. I'm no child of Apollo, but, you know, I try." She looked at the girl, recognizing her face - she remembered her coming into camp shortly after officially becoming a probatio herself. She knew she was in the Fifth Cohort, but couldn't remember her name, and was just noticing the dual-colored eyes for the first time. She smiled again, and offered her hand, "Hi, I'm Diana." Noticing the guitar that hung across her back, she added, "Hey, you play guitar? That's cool. We might have to play a duet or something sometime." She chuckled, "It certainly wouldn't be the weirdest instrument duo I've heard."

"Kyain." Kyain shook the hand politely, keeping her smile. "We should totally do a duet sometime. We could actually perform together!" She immediately began to think of songs. "Hmm.. I wonder..." It was evident that Kyain had no knowledge of flutes. She turned to Diana with a sheepish look. "Do you have any suggestions for a song? I think my brain decided to take a sleep."