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.

[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]

Simmaeri had not lost any love of youth over the centuries. Rather, she found it more and more charming and valuable. It was so fleeting; she was lucky, sharing some of that precious time with people of small years. It was no idle saying that the young often had great insights the old overlooked; she, herself, had found herself lost to certain things before a fresher perspective drew her back to sense.

It was very comfortable, having such a relaxed, friendly, seemingly carefree person next to her. One with no fear of talking to strangers, which was best of all. Any chance to learn was one she wanted to take.

"Simmaeri," she replied, bowing her head as she placed a hand on her chest. "Hello."

[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."

[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?

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.

[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."

[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?

[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?

[rorosa]

"Yes. It has been busy." Corosa frowned. He gave a very light tug on Simmaeri's hand.

Then froze a little, realizing that his hand had crossed that not-so-clear boundary between outside and in, fingertips stretching past scorched marks on the ground where perhaps there'd once been more wall, more supports. He stared.

"What is this?" Corosa said, as if musing aloud.

He raised his head. This time to take in the twisted metal beams, again, fallen statues blocked in stone. It looked enormous, even from where he stood. Big enough to hide an enormous hall, perhaps, dark and cold and lost....

[allsongs]

He was still a very strange man. Simmaeri felt a twinge of worry — had she misspoke? Failed to respond properly? Or was there something else at play; his oddness wasn't something new to her, after all. Just not understood.

She followed his gaze upward at the question, squinting a little. What is? Well...she didn't know those words, either.

Her other hand closed around his wrist to get his attention, giving him a look and nodding her head in a direction. Letting go, she began to walk along the perimeter of the garden, giving one other gesture to follow along. She'd find the way in that had allowed her through.

[rorosa]

Corosa withdrew his hand the moment it was free, quickly, cradling it against a shoulder. He watched Simmaeri go for a few steps before trotting to catch up with her.

"Are you doing well?" Corosa asked. Inane, useless talk, doubly useless given that Simmaeri still did not have a full grasp upon the language. But it could not hurt to talk. And listen, and absorb. That was almost how you taught children, was it not? Certainly there was nothing to be learned from silence.

[allsongs]

"Still learn," she replied. It was a question of her, wasn't it? Though she had heard well in so many contexts it was hard to say what it was he was asking. "Still much." She stepped over broken branches, a little laugh in her exhale. She glanced over at Corosa with a smile.

"You help."

[blondejokes]

"Simmaeri," Ino repeated, a soft smile on her face. "That's a beautiful name."

Ino could see it as a name for a flower, possibly a white one with blue accents.

[allsongs]

She gave a small, humming sound of approval at the sound of her own name. And name; the conversation more or less solidified that word for her. Good.

"You speak?" she offered, tilting her head a little. "I learn. Learn much. Still much."

[blondejokes]

Ino's eyes widened. She looked old enough to have gotten through some schooling but ... if worlds were different in scenery and weaponry, education must have been different as well for some, right? Ino nodded and sat up straighter, intrigued.

"You still have much to learn?" Ino offered, smiling. "I'll help you."

Lessons in communication was something Ino could do with no problem. Maybe, if she could find some flowers, once Simmaeri had graduated from normal language could go onto the language of flowers. She was getting excited at the thought already. It'd be a nice reminder of home.