voice-testing with a voiceless muse

[feetfordancing]

[ Maris smiles at her mun, waving enthusiastically. Usually, she'd open her mouth and speak, but as she gave her voice to the Sea Witch, that's no longer possible. So she tries to pantomime saying "thank you", putting her hands over her heart and then opening them outwards towards her mun. She widens the berth of her arms, trying say how much she's grateful, but it could also be taken for trying to form balance.

Her bare feet go tap tap tap against the floor, as she continues to pantomime. She first points to herself, then she brings her arms back and then outstretches one, hand narrow with finger pointing. She turns counter-clockwise with her arm out, pointing to all around her with a sweeping motion, before turning back to her mun and raising both arms above her shoulders, cocking her head to the side with a questioning expression.

"me? here?"

When she gets a response that is in turn another question -- "This is a voice-test, Maris" -- she suddenly frowns and looks very annoyed. She folds her arms to her chest and hunches a little, glowering. She points to her throat, then makes a clapping movement with her hands -- something closing. After that, she points to her jun emphatically, and then makes a peculiar face meant to show disagreement.

"voice. closed. you. I do not like."

She even whips her head away, turning up her nose.

Obviously, Maris does not like the idea of being voice-tested when she has no voice. The mun is too amused by the girl to try and placate her. ]

Comments

[om_nom_namur]

[Namur's coming out of the waves as the girl begins gesturing, and stops to watch with his head cocked to the side.]

Shit, girly. Y' havin' a seizure or somethin'?

[feetfordancing]

[ WHAT IS THAT?!

Maris whirs around, dress skirt twirling, and she stops on her heels, leaning back, looking at Namur in astonishment. A shark? With -- is that hair?

She shakes her head. "No". She is most definitely not having a seizure. ]

[om_nom_namur]

Good. Cuz I don't know shit 'bout that kind a thing.

[It's pretty obvious as he walks further up onto shore that his physiology is merely sharklike, something between beast and human. He walks past her, heading inland, then pauses, shaking his head a little and peering at her. She smells... not right for a human.]

Where y' from, girly?

[feetfordancing]

[ Maris's eyes widen as Namura comes inland, watching as his body is revealed, and she boggles at the physiology. Shark...and yet human? It is so strange -- is he like the Sea Witch?

But -- oh, he's asking her a question.

She points to the water in response. ]

[om_nom_namur]

Yeah, smelled that all over y'. Where at in the ocean. Ain't usually humans hangin' 'round down there 'less they're dead.

[Namur's eyes narrow.]

Y' ain't dead. Are y'?

[feetfordancing]

[ Maris puts her hands together and moves them in curves, trying to pantomime swimming. She then steeps her fingers and pulls down and away diagonally from each other, showing a triangular shape, before going straight down, trying to say "tower", and then expanding the width of her arms, to say "city".

When he asks her if she's dead, Maris shakes her head. "No." ]

[om_nom_namur]

[More squinting, but nope. He doesn't get it.]

Okay, look. Know yer momma prob'ly told y' not t' talk t' pirates or fishmen, but this is whaleshit. Y' want t' talk, talk. Don't jus' do weird shit with yer arms.

[Not exactly the most understanding fellow, this one.]

[feetfordancing]

[ Maris shakes her head, putting her hands out in front of her and waving them. No no no. She doesn't want any trouble!

She points her throat, opens her mouth, and tries to say something, but nothing comes out. She opens and closes her mouth, continuing to point at her throat. ]

[om_nom_namur]

That jus' looks like a fish gaspin' for breath out a water. If yer wonderin' why I ain't doin' that it's cuz I'm a fishman. Got both gills an' lungs so it's all good either way. Weirdass thing t' wonder though.

[feetfordancing]

[ No! No! That's not what she's trying to convey.

She points to herself. "me." Then she makes a slashing motion with her arm. "no." Then she points to her throat and opens her mouth. "voice." ]

[om_nom_namur]

... Ain't plannin' on killin' y' either. Shit girl, the hell's goin' through yer head?

[feetfordancing]

[ Maris is at the end of her rope. She turns around and takes her wax pad from the ground, then turns back around, writing something in the wax, then turns the pad towards Namur.

On the pad, it says: ey cant tawk. ]

[om_nom_namur]

[He can't read that from this distance, so he moves toward her, shoulders swaying in time with his step. Namur looms at full height for a few moments, then squats on his toes to bring himself a little closer to her level, and takes the wax pad from her hands.]

SHEHEHEHEH!!! Why didn't y' jus' say so? An' here I was thinkin' y' was bein' a smartass.

[He laughs some more.]

A'ight so write t' me why y' smell a mermaid when y' got legs.

[feetfordancing]

[ Maris takes back the wax pad, pushes the wax over the rivets from the previous line, then starts a new one. Once finished, she turns her wax pad back to Namur.

ey gav mye vois to the see wich so ey can hav legs. ]

[om_nom_namur]

Y' got a shitty deal. Go get a refund.

[feetfordancing]

[ Maris shakes her head, putting a hand over her heart, then clenching her fingers.

This is what she wanted. This is what she's dreamed of for years. ]

[om_nom_namur]

[He folds his arms over his chest, frowning.]

Why not? Y' want t' live on the surface, that's fine. Kind a defeats the purpose though if y' got t' change what y' are.

[knightoftheswan]

[There's something bittersweet about a witch taking a voice away to the Knight. Especially with the autumn closing in, bringing with it chill and memory and awful potential. The winter has yet to come, though, and no sense in wasting the last vestiges of kindness before the frost destroys them.]

They will do as their wont, Lady. Paying them heed does little good to either party.

[feetfordancing]

[ Maris frowns and hunches forwards a little more, clearly fuming.

It may be so, but that doesn't mean she has to like it. ]

[knightoftheswan]

[He doesn't laugh but he's tempted.]

You have been transfigured, then?