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[combats]

Date & Time: Backdated to the week before the Uruguay mission, during timeswap.
Location: It's a whenever and wherever you want deal again!
Characters: Jacquese Foran & YOU
Summary: Jacquese is turned into his little acolyte self and is wandering around lost, come say hi.
Warnings: angry uncooperative mute child alert

[ In the compound and even outside of it, a young boy can be found walking around. A boy that might seem familiar to some. Jacquese, even without his horns and his monk robes, can still be quite recognizable. His hair is much shorter, but still long enough to be in a ponytail and the scar across his nose is still there too. The most notable differences were of course that he was much smaller and younger, looking to be about 15 years old, and the permanent scowl he was wearing on his face.

Waking up in a strange place and then being surrounded by people he'd never seen before with no familiar face in sight had been very disconcerting and it hadn't taken Jacquese long at all to decide he wanted out. He'd much rather be in the dreary Prontera Church than here, wherever 'here' was. With that in mind he'd set out to find a way out and regardless of what people told him, he kept looking. People, especially adults, couldn't be trusted after all. Father Remiel had said he'd always be there for him and where was he now? Not where Jacquese needed him, obviously.

So he sulkily keeps wandering around, getting lost and frankly not giving a shit about it. He has a mace if he gets anywhere where he needs to defend himself so he's sure he'll be just fine. ]

Comments

[allsongs]

[hoh–?

Simmaeri's mouth quirks. it's a pretty easily-read sign, even for her.

she turns her head, smiling elsewhere.]

I shall keep my eyes away, then, yes?

[combats]

[ The fact that she kept smiling was both infuriating and at the same time, in the face of all his misdirected anger, somewhat comforting in that it reminded him of Father Remiel. A tiny bit of familiarity in all the strangeness he'd suddenly found himself in.

He nods resolutely in response only to realize a few seconds later that, of course, she wasn't going to see it with her head turned like that. As color rushes to his cheeks, he quickly turns on his heel, ready to storm off again but he doesn't do so right away in favor of glancing at her again from the corner of his eyes. ]

[allsongs]

[how like the child he truly is... Simmaeri finds it more endearing than offensive, herself, knowing his manner a hundred times over. she knew ways to reach his like.

she sang once more. airier, more carefree than before. a sweet song filled with the honey of summer, of warm sun and crisp grass underfoot. a song for a shedding of troubles, of breathing out hostility.

a short reprise from discontent.]

[combats]

[ The song instantly roots him to the spot, making him unable to move away the same way he's unable to stop himself from relaxing at the sound and the thoughts the song conjures in his mind.

He's well-aware what music can do for people, Father Remiel's songs always managed to calm him down eventually, but this lady's song was different. Stronger. It was like nothing he had ever heard before that could affect him this quickly. The only thing he knew that could cause such instant effects were the holy spells they were taught at the church. Could her songs be magic? He wanted to know.

There's still a moment of hesitation born out of childish stubbornness, but he finally turns and walks up to her. Coming to a halt in front of her, his scowl was now replaced by a cautiously curious expression as he mouths:

How do you do that? ]

[allsongs]

[there is no break in her song as he approaches, the smile isolated to her eyes for moments, glinting with a bit of amusement. he is not an unfamiliar sort in his demeanor, but she has not seen a boy sporting horns such as those before. an intriguing thing.

with him stopped before her, she folds her hands in her lap anew, bringing her song to its end, giving him his time to speak.

it's curious to her that no sound follows his pantomime of words, and her eyebrows lift slowly.]

There is no sound in your words. [it's lost between a question and a statement. her head tilts just faintly.] Is this correct?

[combats]

[ Her inquisitive remark earns a deadpan look, because really, stating the obvious much? But it lacks the sharp irritation his previous expressions held and he nods in reply all the same.

He pauses to contemplate how to best pose his question until an idea strikes him. He points to his throat, closing his eyes and opening his mouth before moving his hand from his throat past his chin in an airy gesture to indicate singing. Following that, he looks back and points at her and then spreads his hands as he casts a Blessing over her. The spell, meant to increase strength and accuracy of both the physical and magical kind, comes with a feeling of invigoration.

With that the next question he mouths hopefully has more context.

Are your songs magic? ]

[allsongs]

[her eyebrows lift quickly at the sensation of magic. it straightens her as she sits, nearly to standing, her shoulders lifting with a strong inhale.

her eyes settle on his face, his mouth, watching with greater care.

and then her expression begins to shift, mouth quirking a slow-forming smile that crinkles her eyes.]

Very few peoples choose to magic me like so. [there is just the faintest glint of challenge in her eyes – but an amused one. feeling no danger from his spell makes his bold move more interesting than offensive.]

My words have magic, as well, yes.

[combats]

[ What she says just makes him raise his eyebrow and give her a weird look in return. It was merely a simple buff and back in Prontera people were always begging for them, she made it almost sound like she was saying how dare he bless her. So the hint of a challenge doesn't go unnoticed there.

Which, of course, just tempts him to cast an Agility Up too and that's exactly what he does. A spell to enhance speed that heightens the senses and makes one more alert.

Since her words had magic and she used those on him, it was only fair anyway. Even thought here was nothing negative about the spells he used, that wasn't the point. Although his actions might make her more disinclined to answer, he mouths another question regardless.

Are you a bard? ]

[allsongs]

[it makes her limbs feel rather abuzz with undirected energy, bringing a trickle of laughter to her lips. he's so engrossed in magic himself – so very rare! especially here, where it is not just colors that are muted. rare, delightful, this sour-faced boy.

as for the question on his lips, she squints, mouth puckered for the moment she needs to parse the motions out.]

I know of no bard, silent man. I am Simmaeri, and I am to sing thousands of songs and speak thousands more words.

[combats]

[ The answer wasn't very surprising. Only men were bards after all, but she definitely didn't look like one of the scantily-clad dancers, so bard had been the only thing he could think of. The answer he does get tells him who she is, but not what she is and that's what Jacquese was trying to find out.

He mouths I before pointing at himself and then mouthing acolyte as he gestured to the clothing he was wearing, an indicative of what he was and one that the people seemed to lack around here. He then pointed to Simmaeri as he asks what are you? ]

[allsongs]

[acolyte. her eyes narrow again, mouthing the word after he does, placing sounds there in memory.]

You have words I do not know.

[combats]

[ Jacquese frowns deeply at that. Never having heard of acolytes before? That was ... very strange. Surely she would know of priests, priests were— priests. Everyone knew about them. Granted, everyone knew about acolytes too where he'd come from, but ...

He makes a cross out of his hands in front of him, close to his chest, before mouthing priest. ]

[allsongs]

[again, she takes her time piecing the word together. priest.]

I do not know this word in the English. Priest [she says it with a bit of a roll in the r] is in Olve, a place for water. Priestt [instead, heavy emphasis on a tutt sound at the end.] is in travel tongues for water on metal.

I know the sound for many things.

[combats]

[ Jacquese could only continue to frown in confusion and slight astonishment. Neither the things she says really make sense to him, they're not (what he can assume she means) languages he's ever heard of at least.

In a last ditch effort to try and convey what he means, he points up, indicating the sky, before putting his hands together in prayer. ]

[allsongs]

[that did the trick: Simmaeri's eyebrows lifted, her mouth pursed with some unsung sound.]

Are you a man for gods, then?

[combats]

[ Finally! Jacquese nods in confirmation before carefully spelling out with his fingers:

O - D - I - N and then pointing up again. ]

[allsongs]

Oh, dee, eye, enh. [she says each as he spells, her gaze flickering from his hands to his face to ensure she was getting them right. truth be told, writing was so very low on her list of priorities...

she lets out a soft sigh, sitting back for a moment.] Man-of-god, what sort of god leaves your face so unhappy? Is it the god at all?

[combats]

[ Jacquese shakes his head at that, but then pauses as he actually considers it. Had Odin done this? That hardly seems likely, as far as he was taught the gods hadn't directly interfered with the world for a while now.

But it wasn't like Odin was making him unhappy, it was this place. He wanted to go home. He makes a gesture to indicate that, waving his hand at their surroundings before his frown intensified. ]