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Post by MP on Feb 15, 2024 22:19:54 GMT -6
Sohl was keenly aware of how the seconds stretched between bites. Father lightened the silence with this topic or that - what sights they could recommend to the newcomer, what creatures and supernaturals lived in the region around the cabin. He'd even prompted Sohl to explain the basics of the hospital's warp network and its entry points, for if Atol should need to quickly reach WDSA. Sohl answered readily enough, but the what-ifs put his mane flat, and he hadn't managed to forward any conversation starters for himself.
Still, he had to think of something to say. If Atol was what they claimed he was, then the reticence was unkind. And if he was some contingency of the Prophet's, then Sohl was hardly fooling anyone with this. He glanced up from the stray fig on his plate.
[ So, Atol, ] his voice was soft, almost shy. [ I know we don't have much out in the woods, but if there's anything you, um. Usually do? ]
He flushed slightly, fumbling for smoother wording. He wished he had Father's way with people.
[ I mean, for fun or study or - however you usually spend time. We could bring you things to do until they say you're -] Safe. [ -ready for the city. ]
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Post by Sharei on Feb 15, 2024 22:41:43 GMT -6
Atol's eyes shot up at the sound of Noah's voice, darting between Sarkany and Sohl with a desperate uncertainty that suggested he'd been completely caught out.
"Uh..." He cleared his throat and put down his fork, vaguely aware that Sjira had been watching Atol's hands with an uncomfortable amount of attention. When he glanced at the dragon, however, Sjira's gaze always seemed to be elsewhere. Kanagi's son rewarded the glance with a ready smile each time, disarming Atol's strange sense of unease enough to go back to eating, but it was becoming a bit of a thing.
"I'm not - I mean- I don't really have... hobbies?"
His father had been against silly recreational activities. Fun was for the children whose destiny did not rest alongside a god.
"What I mean is, my father didn't believe in recreational activity," he explained hastily. "I have coursework Koji and Cassius put together for me and I've been doing that."
"What do you mean 'didn't believe in recreational activity'?" Sjira repeated.
Atol blinked. "Er - I mean I didn't really engage with..." He made a vague gesture at the space in front of him, as if looking for the right word. "Play. There wasn't time in the daily schedule."
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Post by MP on Feb 15, 2024 22:55:20 GMT -6
What a strange thing to believe. Sohl blinked, feeling a directionless indignation verging on defensiveness. It certainly wasn't how he'd been raised. Play was important to developing the social and practical skills of an adult - even humans benefitted from it. He stared at the gesturing hand, tipping his head.
[ Do...you believe that? ] he asked cautiously.
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Post by Sharei on Feb 15, 2024 23:07:05 GMT -6
Atol shrugged helplessly. [ No? It didn't matter what I believed, ] he said. [ I didn't really have a choice. My father kept me so busy that what small bits of time I could find to myself I spent in rest. ]
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Post by MP on Feb 15, 2024 23:21:19 GMT -6
A small pang of sympathy. It was no wonder the Prophet had snapped. Even Sohl, motivated as he was, couldn't have gotten by without some rest from the plan. Certainly never without a playmate. He considered his next words. But all the mental juggling, the caution and the propriety, was too much to work around. He heaved a mental sigh and decided to just be straightforward.
[ Well if you're less busy now, what would you want to do? Or try out? ]
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Post by Sharei on Feb 15, 2024 23:45:55 GMT -6
Atol's red gaze flickered between Sjira's and Sohl's expectant faces and hesitated. Fretted over an answer he wasn't sure he had.
[ I... ]
The image of the distant town, a hazy shape distorted by the desert heat, sprang to mind. Atol blinked it away.
[ I always wanted to go down to the town, ] he admitted after a moment. [ I kept saying that it was to learn more about the markets, but... really I just wanted to see something new. Explore. Meet people who didn't know - didn't care - who I was. My entire world was confined to the walls of the temple, I don't even know what's out there. ]
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Post by MP on Feb 17, 2024 1:33:04 GMT -6
Sohl exchanged a glance with Sjira. More than just consideration of the question, there was a world of questions in that brief look. Did Atol seem genuine? Was it okay to encourage him? To get too friendly? Would it be a betrayal? A risk? Or would the greater risk to be to keep a distance and give away what they all knew? For the moment, Sohl would have to make that call himself.
Be yourself. You can be honest and still be careful. Father did that all the time - he thought.
[ There's...a lot out there, ] he said after a moment. Sohl smiled ruefully. [ I should know. It was overwhelming, at first. They expect you to know a lot more, and it can be dangerous not to. Even just to get around. They have these signal lights and special signs everywhere, telling you how to move and where to go. It's easy to get hurt if you don't pay attention. Everything moves very fast. ]
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Post by Sharei on Feb 20, 2024 18:55:17 GMT -6
[ How long did it take you to adjust? ] Atol asked, thinking of his issues with the remote just that morning. Some days it felt like he was making progress, and some days it felt like he didn't have a brain cell in his entire head.
Sensing something in the air, Sjira tipped his head curiously. [ Concerned? ]
[ Well, yeah! ] Atol said expressively. [ I almost blew up Koji's microwave yesterday! ]
Sjira stared at the magus for a hot second before bursting into a peal of helpless laughter. [ Tinfoil, right? ]
Atol blinked. [ How'd you-? ]
[ I did the same thing with Marchelute's! Don't worry, we've both done tons of stuff like that. ] Sjira flashed Sohl a grin. [ Right? ]
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Post by MP on Feb 20, 2024 20:26:00 GMT -6
Sohl smiled back, silently taken aback by Sjira's sudden show of friendliness. Over a microwave, of all things.
[ We have, ] he agreed.
[ We have. ] Sarkany said.
[ And they make new things all the time, ] Sohl added. [ Don't worry if it takes you awhile. Even the humans -] A brief, awkward pause. [ Even the people born in this time don't know it all. ]
Uncomfortable, Sohl busied himself with the escaped pieces of salad on his plate. Slower progress was probably a good thing, anyway. A technologically proficient magus wasn't the most comforting thought of the day.
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Post by Sharei on Mar 31, 2024 17:30:50 GMT -6
Misunderstanding Noah's statement, Atol's hand briefly touched his left arm. The skin was unmarked now, nothing but the faint tan birthmark in the shape of one of its swirls on the back of his hand. Still, it marked him as other.
Not really human.
But it didn't matter, did it? Sarkany wasn't human. Sjira and Noah weren't either and it didn't seem to impact them any. He dropped his hand back to the table and left it there.
Atol's wry smile was the only answer they got, but there was a gentler curve to his spine as he returned to eating, a softer line to his shoulders that suggested the uncomfortable air of before had ended.
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