we with the trees [OPEN]

[allsongs]

Date & Time: Tuesday, Wednesday, all during the day
Location: The ruined gardens
Characters: Simmaeri, you
Summary: We're having us an old-school Disney princess moment up in here
Warnings: moderate levels of me-Jane-you-Tarzan are to be expected; homegirl's still learning



The city's dingiest tones became much more pronounced the day Simmaeri found that unkempt house of green. It had been such a long time since she'd wandered through the stuff — grass, even — that its finding was all the more absorbing. It had to have been only a matter of time, she was sure...but she came across it so suddenly, without even seeking it out. A pleasant surprise.

The stresses and cares the voices on the network had were not shared by her; there was still too much to learn before the truth of her purpose in Exsilium would be found. Welcome to Exsilium; there is much to discuss. She still remembered those first words upon arrival. Only a matter of time. Until then, it was her and the abandoned flora, sadly lacking in the birdsong she knew from lands far away. Her voice filled the void, lifting over the silent leaves of twisted, snarled trees, singing out the words of foreign places. She sat, half-shaded from the roaming sun, and sang.

The melodies were gentle and warm, full of affection for the little, green world. Farmers' evening chants, festival hymns for the turning of seasons...there were countless songs to suit her mood. Soon, though, she found herself toying and calling out Edelweiss, the little lullaby Rosalyn had sung to her over the computer. She had quickly sketched the song to heart and found herself hungry to try it, and so it went, over and over, playing with the pitch of her voice — at times the tone of a youth, and others the quiver of a worldly woman. It was her pleasure to do so, and her gift. The song pleased her well.

Once more.

Comments

tuesday afternoonish

[blondejokes]

Ino heard the voice before she saw whoever it belonged to, and sneaked along to find whoever it was. She hadn't heard singing like that - or singing in general - in too long. She wasn't a singer herself, or even moderately good at it, but it was still nice to listen to. Fun to indulge in entertainment that she had enjoyed as an innocent child.

The ruined gardens brought sorrow to her heart. She regarded dead flowers as the equivalent as dead animals or people; they had each had a unique personality, a special meaning that could not be shared with another flower of a different type. She tried not to think too long about the deceased flowers and the beauty that the gardens once possessed, and instead walked towards the carrier of the voice.

A woman sat, clearly the source of the sound, and Ino smiled. It felt odd on her lips, and she scowled at herself before the smile returned. It was a beautiful melody, why was she trying to ruin it with her stupid thoughts?

"That was beautiful." She approached the woman carefully, a friendly glint in her eyes.

[allsongs]

If the girl's approach startled her, Simmaeri gave no inclination; her eyes flickered open, head lifting and turning toward the sound. She found a kind expression and gave one in return, mild and still warmed from the joy of her music. Company was never unwelcome, and this new encounter was no exception.

Her posture opened up, hands unfolding and settling on each leg of her lap. She straightened, tilting her head just enough to let hair slip over her shoulder.

"Hello." The greeting wasn't foreign anymore, though the rest of the language was still waiting to be learned.

[blondejokes]

"Hi." So far, so good. She was still wary of others here, unsure of who she could trust and who was a threat. She bends over, hand on her hip, still smiling.

"How are you today?" Making small talk wasn't difficult for her, and here - when she wasn't responding to posts - it was easier to make small talk before opening up to others about her status as a newcomer here.

[allsongs]

Are you. Day. There were gaps in the question still unfilled, but Simmaeri could string it all together. It wasn't so much a matter of the nature of language as it was the nature of humans; though it was a different realm of a vastly different make, she found the people therein to be not unlike those she'd encountered and known for centuries. Kindness was not an isolated thing, even in isolated places like Exsilium.

She bowed her head in a nod. "Good," she said. Good is good. "Yes. You are?"

[blondejokes]

"I'm Yamanaka Ino." Communication was cut and dry with Ino. That, and though she was good at reading people, thoughts were another thing. So, of course, she took that question the way she would normally: asking for somebody's name.

[allsongs]

"Yamanaka Ino."

The name was spoken with great care — Simmaeri was mindful to match the pace and inflection as it was given, for who knew what a single lengthening of a sound could do to change the meaning of a name in this world? It had a familiar speed, she thought, with the Takegami Teijirou she had acquaintance with, but not of others. One more question to add to her already mountainous pile, much to her delight, rather than dismay.

She gave the girl a nod of understanding, smiling warmly. Her hand stretched away from her lap, an open-palm gesture of offering to the open space beside her. Will you sit? Will you stay?

[blondejokes]

The woman reminded Ino of Hinata; incredibly shy, beautiful, and friendly. She grinned and sat next to her, crossing her legs with her arms behind her as she leaned back. It was nice to relax.

"What's your name?" She had waited a few moments after introducing herself for the woman to respond with her own name, and decided to ask herself.

Wednesday afternoon

[feel_nevermore]

On wednesday, Raven was already sitting under one of those trees when Simmaeri arrived, meditating. She liked to come to this place every once in a while. She didn't notice the other girl had arrived until she started singing and interrupted her meditation. At first, she was simply annoyed and frowned. Because this was her default response when anyohne interrupted her meditation. And then she started listening to the song. At least the girl had a rather melodious voice. When she started singing the lullaby for the second time though, she cleared her throat rather loudly. Hopefully it'd be enough to get her attention.

[allsongs]

Simmaeri carried the note she was on to the last beat — homeland forever — and softened the sound to a soft exhale and its end, opening her eyes to the sight of a stranger. Young, shrouded. She could not make out the face for clues to her disposition. Regardless, Simmaeri smiled, small and gentle.

"Hello."

[feel_nevermore]

A simple nod in greeting.

"Hello."

A pause.

"You know a lot of songs it seems."

[allsongs]

Simmaeri was long in responding, taking time to consider the voice and words as separate things. Young, but low and almost gravely in a way...a voice trained to restrain emotion. Very calm in contrast to the age it gave way. It was an interesting tone, and despite the observation at-hand, Simmaeri let herself hum a little in approval.

"You are?" she inquired, her head tilting a little.

[feel_nevermore]

As Simmaeri took her time to answer, Raven couldn't help but feel 'analyzed', somehow. Although she would have had a hard time telling what made her feel that way. This girl wasn't an empath, or Raven would have sensed it. And why was she humming now? But Simmaeri's question interrupted her thoughts.

"Raven."

[allsongs]

"Raven." A quicker response with an appraising tone. If there was something in the names of people to clue her into something more, she still had work to do in order to piece it all together. But simple responses were not the product of a simple mind: There was something vast rippling under the surface of Simmaeri's countenance. Vast, but unimposing; she was not one for throwing the weight of her years around like something to be worshiped; that usually made people less talkative.

As for the name...she nodded, still smiling a thin, thoughtful smile. A hand went to her chest.

"I, Simmaeri," she said in reply. "Hello."

[8/14, tuesday morning]

[rorosa]

Granted, the place was terribly dilapidated, broken down, considerably more open than most other buildings in the city. But Corosa still did not like the look of the gardens, so he refused to go in. He'd only wandered by because he heard the singing, recognized the voice, felt obligated to stop and at least try to greet one of the few people he'd actually knew here. Even if they couldn't even speak the same language, yet.

"Simmaeri?" Corosa called out, carefully stepping over debris as he prowled around the structure's perimeter. He could peer within, through all the broken glass, cracks in what possibly once passed as a wall. But he could not sight Simmaeri herself, yet.

[allsongs]

The song rose in volume almost immediately in reply, having caught the sound of her own name between words. Louder and changed: The melody shifted to longer notes, the sort that almost seemed to blend one into the other, making a near-endless kind of sound. It was easier to follow, even without the beckoning wishes peppered within.

I'm here. Can you find me? Will you come?

[rorosa]

Corosa didn't say anything else for a while, busy stumbling around the edges of the gardens, still staring suspiciously at broken glass and twisted steel and forming his evaluation of the place. In the end, the walls were still too much like walls, and the ceiling still too much like a ceiling, and he shook his head at it. No. He would not heed that siren call. He could hear whispers in the back of his head already, dark and evil.

He did find Simmaeri, however. There was an open window, the glass knocked out long ago. Corosa's boots crunched in the fragments as he stepped close, with a scowl. She was still some distance away, half-hidden behind trees and greenery, but he was fairly certain that it was her.

"Simmaeri." Corosa placed his hand against the remains of the window sill. He winced, and quickly withdrew his arm back to his side. "Over here."

[allsongs]

At the sound, Simmaer quieted to a hum, more to herself than anyone; she wasn't one for ending a note so abruptly. She waited, listening for the sound of brush rustling and cracking, but heard none. Just the offbeat chiming of shards of glass tinkling to the ground. She looked about, hesitating a moment more before over here sounded, and then rose, dusting herself off as she leaned, peering past low-hanging branches to catch glimpse of the human shape.

She moved, careful and slow, stepping over prickly, dead bushes and old, fallen branches. It took a bit of zigzagging, using branches still standing in the way as checks for balance with one hand while the other held a fistful of fabric to keep from getting snagged.

When she reached the empty frame, her hand settled on the metal siding, letting out a slow exhale and looking the man up and down. She smiled.

"Hello, Corosa Nyem."

[rorosa]

"Hello." Corosa nodded to her through the frame, slightly surprised by her greeting. And by the fact that she remembered his name.

He craned his neck a little, leaning to the side, looking past her into the gardens. It seemed unfortunate, to have all that plant life confined within a single building. Corosa would have liked to see the rest. But it was no great loss, he supposed. It wasn't as if he didn't see enough trees and leaves outside of the city.

He held his hand out to Simmaeri. "It's good to see you again."

[allsongs]

Her smile warmed and broadened at the exchanged greeting, quite pleased to carry a little more weight in the conversations in that language. Reflexively, her hand reached over and reached for his, giving it a gentle squeeze.

"Good, yes," she echoed, nodding in turn. "Much days." It's been a small while, hasn't it?

wednesday morning

[onemoredeath]

He heard the song, lilting over and around the ruined garden. Takegami tilted his head to the side, pausing in his light meal of fruit and cheese until it was over. Then washing the food down with some white wine, he packed it away in the small basket he had and followed the echoes.

When she started singing again, he smiled and decided to show off, picking up the song in his deeper range and working his way up the octaves. It was probably surprising just high he could reach for someone that didn't know his family's background.

[allsongs]

Simmaeri was a gracious host where the song was concerned; the second voice was welcomed with little challenge, save for the playing of pitch to find just the right harmony to match. The pursuit persisted: As he leaped to higher octaves, she followed. And, as the verse drew to a close, she prolonged her note, filling it with her will to know.

Where are you? Will you come to me?

[onemoredeath]

He listened as she expanded the note, making it vibrate the air like a living things. Softly he followed it, light on his feet despite how he should be - a pampered city boy able to move over the uncertain terrain with little caution was something strange. But he found her at last in a patch of sunlight, the tumbled remains of what had been a gazebo forming an arch behind her. Wild vines had grown up around the arch, decorating it with spots of purple and gold and green.

"Well sung, Simmaeri," he said, his voice huskier then normal from the singing.

[allsongs]

There was a pleased, faintly amused smile waiting for him upon arrival with all the rest of her seated there, hands folded in her lap. Whether it was greeting or praise he gave was not something she could be certain of, but for the moment, it didn't matter.

"Hello, Takegami Teijirou," she said, bowing her head.

[onemoredeath]

He bowed slightly in response before stepping close enough to perch on a moss covered piece of stone. This was a lovely place and he was slightly taken with the scenery for a moment or two.

"Are you enjoying the ruins?"

[allsongs]

"Ruins," she repeated, and then once more in greater thought. It was new. "Ruins is what?"