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As she did most nights, Siobhan took a spot by the fire to play. Some nights it was for her companions, taking requests, usually something that reminded them of home. Other nights, it was for her own gratification, intoning a favorite jig on the flute or delighting in the muscle memory of her fingers skipping through a familiar shanty. Sometimes, she forced herself to play, to keep in practice for the day if…when she returned to her musician’s life.
Tonight, the song was for Scratch.
He had left his game with the owlbear cub and come to join the bard by the fire.
“Hey, buddy,” she greeted the handsome dog, ruffling the white fur between his pointed ears. “I hope the sound didn’t bother you.”
“No, it’s lovely, actually,” he replied in his soft tenor — by now, Siobhan had become accustomed to the ethereal echo that accompanied Scratch’s Speak with Animals voice. “It’s like the song my friend used to sing. You sound better, though.”
Siobhan smiled. “Still, it’s always nice to make music with a friend…even if they’re not very good.”
Scratch wagged his tail and offered a panting smile. “True…” His ears drooped. “I wish I could sing.”
Siobhan puzzled for a moment, quirking her mouth to one side as she thought. "Well...you could always howl along with me. I'd love a duet partner."
"Oh, I don't know..." Scratch's tail fell and he bowed his head. "I don't think the frog woman would like that very much..."
Siobhan screwed up her nose. "Hmph, well, let that be my problem, not yours, Scratch. You're a good dog, and I say good dogs are allowed to sing."
At the words "good dog," Scratch immediately lifted his head and tapped his paws. "Alright! Alright! I'd love to sing!"
Siobhan struck a chord on her lute, and she and Faerun's best boy tilted their heads to the sky in song.