The little waterfall was singing and asking questions only a flute could answer. The heat, the freshness of the grass and the water... everything went through the flute in a magistral succession of rythmed trills. Dancing, eyes closed by concentration ... it happened. Mealir stumbled over a rock. Fly the flute, fly the fancy hat, break the instant !
"By Valkur's might, what in the blazing Hells was that rock doing there ?!"
It is a pained and angry half-elf that gets up, dusts himself up, picks back his flute and hat while muttering about traitorous rocks. Wait, rocks ? The culprit was not just any rock, from the looks of it it was actually some jade ! A quick inspection of the surroundings reveals more than just one jade, more semi-precious stones are lying around on the floor in a messy manner, and one or two jewels. A real treasure ! Quick, the hat becomes a bag, nose turned up, eyes riveted on the ground the hat is being filled rapidly with precious belongings.
Whatever happens there is always music in the end. A flash of pain on his left ear, three words spoken from behind in a powerful fashion. Everything stops. A moment later the precious stones leave the unattended hat and go back to the shores of the stream, as if flung. The empty hat returns to its rightful owner, sideways, and a mysterious music fills the air of what is not quite a little wood between Ulgoth's Beard and Baldur's Gate.
"Those bards today ... not very different than the bards of old in fact ! Blissfully careless, they make the river more beautiful."
Time for this red hair flutist to go back to Faerun though. A hidden hand hangs up a green little earring in the middle of the waterfall, letting it dance within the flow. With this the toll to go back to Faerun is paid, even unknowingly... The guardian picks up a shred of jade, laces it with wood and places it back on the left ear of the flutist before pushing him through, the music was good.
Whatever happens there is always music in the end. Mealir wakes up near the lone waterfall, right hand on the flute, the other one on his left ear. A nice dream and a truely excellent rest, for 10 days went past in Faerun...
// this is an (arguably easy) explanation for Mealir's absence during the last 2 weeks, take with a grain of salt
