--- In the Hallway of the Wooly Mammoth Apartments ----

Lydia walks out of one of the apartments.

Erik is just heading towards the elevator.

Lydia stops and stares a bit. "Good evening."

Erik blinks and turns around. "Oh, hi. How're you?"

Lydia says "Well enough. How are you?"

Erik nods. "I'm doing good. You live here?" his head tilts to the side curiously.

"At the moment, yes. Do you?"

Erik nods. "Yeah." He points to 104. "That one."

Lydia ahs softly. "Well, don't let me keep you from whatever you were doing."

Erik says "I was just going out for a walk, actually."

Lydia smiles. "I see. You like to walk in the cold and the dark?" A pause. "Oh that did sound... rude."

Erik smiles. "Sometimes. Helps me think when I can't sleep. No, it didn't."

Lydia chuckles. "I gather you are having difficulties sleeping? I'm sorry."

Erik says "Sometimes... hard to get used to a new place..."

"Ah, how long ago did you move in?"

"A week and a half... so still trying to get used to this apartment."

Lydia nods. "It always takes me a while too, but I've been here for a year or is it two now." She concentrates for a moment. "Don't let me keep you from walking if you want to."

Erik nods. "Oh, well, if you have something to do, I shouldn't keep you then..."

Lydia shakes her head. "I've nothing to do. I just didn't want to bother you."

Erik shakes his head. "You're not."

"Oh... so, would you prefer to be somewhere else other than the hallway?"

Erik chuckles. "That might be a good idea... you're welcome to my place for a chat, if you want... though I'm still not done unpacking..."

Lydia smiles. "I'd invite you into my home, but it's a little... uncomfortable."

Erik says "Ah, my place then?"

"I'm not exactly used to entertaining. Certainly."

"Neither am I, really..."

Lydia says "Yes, but do you have furniture to sit on?"

Erik chuckles. "I got a couch so far..."

"You're in better shape than I, then."

Erik opens the door for you and flicks on a light.

---- Room 104 -- Wooly Mammoth Apartments ----

You are in a bare apartment with cream colored walls and a pale silver-blue carpet. It appears to be very spacious and comfortable with a living room area, two bedrooms, and a kitchen that comes with a refrigerator and a small closet with a washer and dryer inside. There is also a clean tidy bathroom with white tile and pale colored wallpaper.

There are boxes shoved against the walls, but there is a large couch and a coffee table with a keyboard on it. A few shelves have been put up with books, a stereo and CD's.

Erik says "Please, make yourself comfortable."

Lydia chuckles and moves to sit in the corner of the couch. She kicks off her shoes and curls her feet under her. "Somehow.... I think you're a little more of a musician than you seemed to let on at the tavern the other night." She looks around a bit more. "Most people don't unpack a keyboard first unless it means something really important to them."

"Well, sometimes people hear my name and they crowd... which makes me nervous." he blinks. "Um, if I recall, I don't think we ever introduced ourselves... I'm Erik..." He chuckles and nods.

Lydia says "You did say that I think. I think you even used your last name... which, sad to say, meant nothing to me. "I'm Lydia Ransome. And I certainly don't mean to crowd."

"It's Cryingwolf. And you're not..."

"Cryingwolf? That's your last name?"

Erik nods.

Lydia says "That's interesting for a Scotsman, you did say you were a Scotsman? Or did I invent that too? Lydia smiles. "Sometimes I have very vivid dreams."

Erik chuckles. "No, I never knew my parents... so I made up the name and took it as a last name...."

Lydia ohs. "I'm sorry."

Erik says "You don't have to be sorry for something I never knew enough to miss. How's dancing going?"

Lydia smiles. "It goes as it always does, I suppose. Well enough really, it's just not... " She shrugs. "Did you figure out your words the other night?"

Erik smiles. "Actually, yeah, I did."

Lydia nods. "Good."

"Um, you want anything to drink?"

Lydia says "I... " She shrugs. "What do you have?""

"Well, there's soda, water of course, a variety of juices..."

"Water would be fine."

Erik nods and stands up. He walks over to the kitchen area, grabs a glass, and fills it with water. He returns and hands it to you. "There you go."

"Thank you. So... if you'll pardon my ignorance, just what kind of music do you do?"

Erik says "Celtic rock, mostly."

"Celtic rock? I'm ashamed to admit I've never heard of it."

"You don't have to be. It's a combination of the two genres. Rock and roll with a Celtic flair to it, like the fiddle or bagpipes or both."

"Interesting.... will you tell me if you play around here? I'd like to hear it."

Erik nods, "Sure.... " He pauses a moment, "Or you can go get my album...." he mutters quietly.

Lydia says "Erik?"

Erik blinks and hmms?

Lydia says "Why the 'muttering'? You almost sound ashamed. Making an album must be a truly Herculean labor... both of love and perhaps tedium."

Erik shakes his head. "Nono... not ashamed..." His brow furrows a little bit as if trying to get the right words. "I'm glad it's so highly thought of... just that I was surprised it was so popular..." Though he tends to carry himself with confidence, it seems actually dealing with people, he's quite hesitant.

Lydia leans forward a little and then stops. She takes a deep breath and settles back in the seat. "You make sense. I... " She shrugs. "Erik?"

Erik says "Yes?"

"You have a copy of your album?"

"Ah.. yeah..."

Lydia says "CD?"

Erik nods. "Um, yeah..." He looks around, then goes over to one of the shelves and picks up a CD. He walks back over and hands it to you. One the cover is a picture of a wolf with a tear running down its face from its left eye. Over the picture is the word, "Tribal".

"Come with me?" Lydia stands and moves toward the door.

Erik tilts his head and walks after you.

---- Room 102 -- Wooly Mammoth Apartments ----

Cream colored walls and a pale silver-blue carpet are nearly hidden by the renter's possessions. A very good stereo system fills one wall of the living room. There's no other furniture there but a portable barre crossing the room. The carpet has been nearly covered with some kind of hard surface and is covered with traces of rosin. Heavy curtains cover the windows. The doors of the other rooms are open and you can see into them a bit.

Erik walks in with that quizzical tilt to his head.

Lydia smiles. "See? A little lacking in ... furniture." She moves to the stereo. "Which track? Name one."

Erik chuckles. "'s okay... ah.... 4. Darkthunder...."

Lydia puts the CD in and enters some programming. The track begins to play at a rather decent volume. She moves to move the barre to the side of the room, then sits on the floor beginning to remove her shoes. She listens attentively to the music as she does so.

The track first starts off with the sound of rolling thunder, then the drums are heard and gradually pick up tempo. Suddenly a fiddle comes in playing, it pauses for a moment, then both the fiddle and drums sound fast and furious. The fiddle goes up in a scale and it's almost like a musical adaptation of swirling wind, then goes into short little sounds like rain.

Lydia leans over her legs, stretching them as she listens.

The entire effect is that of a hard rainstorm, cracks from the drum are like thunderclaps, but the beat is easy to find and dance to and it winds down to a trickle and to a stop...

Lydia rests with her eyes closed before pushing herself along on her butt into the middle of the floor. The song begins again.

Erik is leaning against the wall, watching her curiously.

With the rolling of the thunder she seems to somehow rise from the floor in one smooth, nearly boneless move. As the drums sound she begins to move with them, at first only small moves that seem both abrupt and yet part of a whole. That whole is the ongoing activation of Lydia's body until, with the advent of the fiddle she is spinning and stomping. At some point at the beginning of the dance she seems to have unpinned her braid and during this process her hair is unwinding and expanding, just as her body does in it's movements.

Erik blinks and watches, mouth opening slightly in amazement. The corners of his mouth quirk up in a delighted smile.

Lydia flies with the wind and falls with the rain, a swirl of silken black hair flying around her. She doesn't move with the music at all times, but the syncopation seems right somehow. As the musical storm winds down so does the dance with the movements becoming slower, more extended. At the very end, as the silence arrives like a lover's touch, she stands on the toes of one foot, the other curled up behind her to touch the top of her head as she arches back. Then after a pause of but a moment, she seems to melt back down to the floor.

The music starts again and Lydia rises to go turn it off, leaving the room in quiet again. She smiles at you.

Erik laughs, eyes sparkling. "That was wonderful!" he exclaims and applauds. "Bravo!

Lydia moves back toward you. "So... what is there to explain, Erik? Don't feel embarrassed." Lydia kneels down in front of you. "You write beautiful music."

Erik blushes a little. "And you dance like you're one with the music... I've never seen anyone do that before..." He crouches down.

"I... suppose in a way I am.... You see, it's really all I do."

Erik nods. "Aye, I see..."

Lydia looks down, then back up again. "I... I'm kind of.... " She shrugs and shakes her head.

Erik tilts his head again. "Kind of what...." He blinks. "Um, nevermind, shouldn't be so nosey..."

Lydia looks up. "Well... a kook, might be a good way to put it. I can't dance professionally. I... I'm not always quite so... lucid. So... I just get by." Lydia turns and stands up, going to the CD player and removing the disk. She places it back in the jewelcase carefully and brings it back to you. "You write beautiful music. Thank you."

Erik smiles. "Keep it."

Lydia says "And if I'd rather buy it to support the artists involved?"

Erik stands up. "Well, that is up to you, but call it an exchange of gifts. My music for being able to see you dance..."

"You'd be welcome to ask to see me dance again sometime, if I'm... well... up to it. That is... if my disability doesn't deter you."

Erik shakes his head. "No, it won't and thank you for the invitation..."

"Thank you for the drink and sharing your gift. I'd better try to get some sleep now. I'll enjoy listening to the rest of the music."

Erik nods. "All right, good night then...." He smiles and heads for the door.

Lydia walks him to the door. "Good night, Erik."