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Romi

Romi

Secretly a Bird
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Enelen was about to get fairly technically, which was fantastic for him, but not so much for everyone else.

"Technically, I'm speaking to you through two different translation spells. I have my own, which affects me when I touch my staff, and then the school also has one, so everyone hears the same language. I've been informed that the language most people choose to speak is English, but I can't comment on how close to my own language it is, since it translates everything over." The way he said English sounded funny - a result of the very same translation spell. "When I asked, I was told that there are actually a lot of languages here, but we don't really have a bunch on my own world. Because everyone has translation spells, and everyone could move around, we've all basically shifted to a single universal language, that everyone speaks."

He paused for a moment. "Except chants, I guess. And words sometimes. They tend to speak in older languages, because it makes it easier to mentally draw the line between talking about fire, and making a fire."

It was at that point that he realized he hadn't actually answered her question. He went a bit pink and scratched at his cheek in embarrassment. "Sorry. I don't really know the answer to your question - we don't really have a name for the language. It was just language."
 
Poison-Star

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Avian listened intently to the lesson, fascinated by the two translation spells in effect. She didn't even know the academy had a constant translation spell! For all she knew, some of her classmates could be speaking German, and she would never know! He also said the word "English" in a strange way, but it was a foreign concept to him.

She found the concept of chants sort of familiar. She had seen some students on campus mutter some "mumbo jumbo" to cast spells which she found interesting but also creepy. After his informative explanation, he blushed and apologized. Avian smiled sweetly at his cute face and shook her head.

"No, it's fine," she told him, "But maybe one day I'll get to hear it if those two spells ever get turned off,"
 
Romi

Romi

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He considered that for a moment. The idea of talking in his own language again. Only it didn't feel like a big deal. He was alwaystalking in his own language, only other people could understand it as well. He supposed he should feel something about the fact that the language would basically die with him (and Iliril, and his other self he supposed), but... well, he didn't really.

"Maybe. I mean, I could turn mine off and leave the school grounds and you'd hear it naturally, but it would just be... syllables, basically. It wouldn't mean anything to you, because linguistically we come from unrelated language branches." He shrugged. "I don't know. Personally languages have never been that interesting to me. That was always more a chants thing." What with the chanting in dead languages thing.

"Do you have a special talent then?" As far as he could tell, most people who were at the school had some sort of extra skill that most humans didn't, and it stood to reason she probably did too.
 
Poison-Star

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"Talent? Urm..." she couldn't help but find herself blushing.

It wasn't often that somebody immediately wanted to know what made her special. Most people just wanted to know what her powers were and that was it. No interest in character or hobbies at all...oh wait. Avian realized he actually was asking about her powers, not her talents.

"I command birds..." she mumbled, looking a little ashamed of her abilities, "...With my emotions..."

If the power over simple birds wasn't lame enough, it was the fact that she controlled them with petty feelings. Whatever she felt they'd feel, so controlling her abilities was as hard as controlling her feelings. Just then, a tapping came at the library window. Her cerulean eyes darted up to the noise to see a hoopoe bird pecking away at the glass.

"They just like to be around me, I guess," she shrugged.
 
Romi

Romi

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Enelen hadn't quite caught on that asking people about their 'talent' was generally considered pretty personal. Lots of people wouldn't ever want to just talk about their power, because it might be something grim or depressing. Things like coming back from the dead, or causing others pain. Everyone he'd met had been pretty open about their talent, and since no one on his world had a talent, he was always keen to learn more about them.

He wasn't sure what to make of how she'd said it. It was like she was embarrassed to be able to command birds. That seemed... well, silly to him. Very silly. It was a neat thing, the sort of thing people would have to do magic with. "I think that's neat. It means you'll always have bird friends, if they're always coming to see you." He paused, mouth opening but words not quite coming out.

"I just realized I never introduced myself. My name is Enelen of the Stave." Which was his whole name, because he didn't have a last name. He was tied to the school, not to a family.
 
Poison-Star

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"Yeah...I guess that's nice," she shrugged at his comment on her powers.

It was good to have bird friends surround her when she was happy, but not so good to have them swarm people when she was angry. When he introduced himself, Avian blinked in surprise. He was right, they had launched into a deep conversation about powers and other dimensions without even knowing each other's names! However, his name was a little strange. Then again, he was from another world so of course it would be.

"And I'm Avian Donner," she smiled, "Nice to meet you Enelen of the...what is a stave exactly?"

She felt embarrassed to not know the word. It seemed fairly simple, like someone of her age should know it well.
 
Romi

Romi

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Avian. Her name was Avian? Even though the literal magic of auto translation, Enelen couldn't help but be amused by that. Well, amused and curious. Was her name a coincidence? Was it a nickname she'd picked? Or was she simply the latest in a long line of people who were directly associated with birds?

"Avian as in birds?" Maybe it wasn't Avian at all, but something that just sounded similar, and it was all a coincidence.

In answer to her question, he held up his staff. "Different work for staff. There's apparently about a half dozen different words for 'staff' in English, and they all vary a bit, but apparently the closest term for what we called our wooden sticks is 'stave', so that's what it comes out as. It's what we do our magic with." He'd spent the better part of two days trying to figure out that little detail. Languages on this world were so confusing, and he'd been forced to tweak his translation spell in an attempt to get a bit better at conveying his meaning.
 
Poison-Star

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The girl just nodded, "Yes, as in birds. It is my power after all."

She glanced up at the library window, hoopoe bird still pecking away, and she couldn't help but smile at its cuteness.

"My mother said that when I was born, two egrets perched outside the hospital and waited out there until I came out," she explained, "They even followed my parents as they carried me to the car, and somehow found their way to the farm. So I guess that's why my mother named me Avian, because birds just loved me so much. At the time, we didn't know it was because of my powers."

Avian let loose a small sigh, remembering those two egrets fondly. They lived by the river of her family's farm, so she often went down to play with them. Her favorite game with them was "follow the leader", where she'd walk up and down the riverbank, doing different actions and watching as the egrets tried to imitate her as best they could. When she turned seven, though, they just went missing. She had noticed they were getting sluggish in their playing, so she could only assume they flew into the wilderness to find a quiet place to die.
 
Romi

Romi

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So she had been named after her power. That was - well, it was very neat. Enelen had no idea if it was usual or not, because he was pretty unused to the customs of the world, but he still thought it was neat in the terms of his world.

"I should probably..." He paused, glancing down at the book he'd copied. That was one. There were still hundreds of books, if not thousands he would have to copy, but he was making good progress and he saw no reason he wouldn't be able to have them all done before the month was out.

Well, he would if he didn't just stand around talking.

He let out a small sigh, straightening up. "It was very nice to talk to you - I should get back to work though." The library was probably not the best place to talk, after all. Maybe he would see her again later though? He grinned at her, giving a small wave, and then he was off - back to the library stacks to find the next book.
 
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