[Hymn #43] [Movement] ~Smorzando~

[nightcrossed]

[It's around closing time at Cafe Demois and if any of the remaining customers were taking note, one of the waitresses was not being her usual polite and proper self. Actually, she was being especially quiet. Had she looked anyone in the eye recently or asked if they needed another cup of tea or a coffee? Well, probably not.

In fact, Tear had been scrubbing on the same table for precisely twelve minutes and eighteen seconds. There was the lingering issue of the recent disappearances of several friends to be sure, but there was also that... Well, at least with a little time, she could only assume the latter would simply go away.

She is obviously preoccupied with her thoughts. The table, on the other hand, is a gleaming piece of work. It probably hasn't been this clean in months, if ever. Interrupt? Yes / No]

Comments

[a-severed-fate.livejournal.com]

Raven is a headache. He makes no sense. [Tear seemed to have no trouble finishing the sentence for Terra with what she deemed fitting. As for his secret, she had no knowledge of it.] Raven has a bad habit of appearing out of nowhere, undetected. Normally he's carefree and has a peculiar way of talking, but occasionally...

[Tear made a fleeting gesture with one hand.] Occasionally it's like he's someone else, someone pessimistic and... it's difficult to explain... someone who sees living as a burden, perhaps. It's a bit sad, but not nearly as much as it is vexing. Split personalities, or maybe something even more complicated...

[Tear nodded her head quietly.]
And yes, Luke seems to have incredible timing, for better or worse. He was also one of the first people I met here. The first, actually.

[Tear had enough tact not to mention how only a handful of the people who had first greeted her remained. That was probably the case for most people, and hardly needed to be said.]

[allnaturalmagic.livejournal.com]

[So Tear had noticed that. Terra nodded quietly, but didn't comment further; she didn't know how much or how little the other girl knew, and she certainly wasn't about to give away Raven's secret.] He's very complicated, indeed... I can never tell what he's thinking.

Oh, Luke greeted you when you arrived? He was very kind and helpful to me. I'm happy he was there for you as well.

[a-severed-fate.livejournal.com]

I suppose that's one way of putting it. Well, I guess it's fine as long as he knows what he's thinking. I ran into him the other evening and he was being his usual self, then suddenly it was as if a switch had been flipped... after a few minutes of that, he was behaving normally again.

Then again, it's not unusual for people to wear masks to conceal their true selves.

[Tear herself knew about those masks well enough.]

He did... if you want to call it a greeting.
In any case, he's helpful as long as he's not asking a million questions.

[allnaturalmagic.livejournal.com]

[Terra went silent as she listened to Tear. Part of her was relieved that Raven had shown this side to someone else - she wasn't imagining it. Another, darker part of herself, however...]

I've... he's done that to me, as well.

Luke asks you lots of questions?

[a-severed-fate.livejournal.com]

I suppose it's not a coincidence, then. Perhaps the change is triggered by some sort of stimulus... Although, it's happened twice, and nothing unusual was occurring at the time.

[Tear sighed and shook her head briskly.] Well it doesn't matter. That man's no concern of mine.

...eh? Yes, Luke asks questions frequently. I suppose he's too lazy to seek out the answers for himself.

[Tear sure wasn't giving the poor guy much credit. It wasn't that she didn't have faith in him or anything, but she wasn't about to feel sorry for him either. The past was the past. He needed to learn to think and act for himself.]

[allnaturalmagic.livejournal.com]

It makes me wonder... but he doesn't seem to want to talk about it. I guess we should just let him be...

[She frowns, clearly bothered, but decides to let it go.]

You think Luke is lazy? He's always seemed active to me.

[a-severed-fate.livejournal.com]

Perhaps. If he really wanted to talk about it, he probably would.

[Tear doesn't really know what else to say, so she drops the topic of Raven. Clearly Terra has also been thinking about it - and likely for some time.]

I suppose that came out wrong. I didn't mean that Luke was physically lethargic. He just has a problem with relying on other people to answer his questions rather than evaluating situations and thinking for himself. People like that are easily taken advantage of. He needs to learn that.

[Tear was being harsh, yes, but, it wasn't that she didn't care at all. Otherwise she wouldn't worry about Luke getting manipulated or lied to. There wasn't much threat of that happening here, but still there was the issue of Luke's beloved sword instructor - her own brother.]

[allnaturalmagic.livejournal.com]

...Yes.

[A pause while she considers Tera's words.]

I think I understand. You just want to make sure he's not taken advantage of, don't you?

[a-severed-fate.livejournal.com]

[The melodist's face had suddenly become pink, but despite whatever that meant, her words were denying the possibility very strongly.]

It-- It's not like that at all!

I have better things to do than worry about what sorts of trouble that idiot is getting himself into. Even if it is my job to watch out for him, it's not like that means anything in particular.

[That probably wasn't exactly what Terra was inquiring about, but Tear was too flustered to take notice. She didn't care. Of course she didn't care! Why should she care? Aside from that, these muddled thoughts were starting to become a problem.]

...no. Well, possibly.
It's complicated.

[allnaturalmagic.livejournal.com]

[Terra watched her closely, but didn't comment on the blushing.]

It's... your job? Why is that?

[a-severed-fate.livejournal.com]

[Tear launched into a brief version of what had happened.]

Yes... As it happens, I took him out of his manor by accident. I'm not sure if I ever returned him to Baticul or not, but I promised that I would see to it that he made it home safely. Nothing can be done about that at the moment, but I still consider it my responsibility to make sure no serious harm comes to him. If something did, I'd have an entire kingdom after my head.

[A pause, then, quietly.]

Has Luke ever shown you what he's capable of doing?

[allnaturalmagic.livejournal.com]

I see. So he's from your world, then?

[She nods slowly, unsure of why Tear seemed disturbed.]

He did, a bit. Is there something wrong...?

[a-severed-fate.livejournal.com]

[Tear doesn't exactly want the whole cafe to know about hyperresonance. That'd be tacky.]

Yes, he is...

[It was hard to tell whether Tear thought this a good thing or a bad thing.]

No, there's nothing wrong. That's simply the reason we got... blown somewhere else. He and I both use the same type of fonons. I suppose the abilities canceled one another out, caused some sort of reaction - fonons vibrate naturally - and then...

Although it still seems odd.

[allnaturalmagic.livejournal.com]

You have the same kind of power?

What... is a fonon?

[Tears'planations are becoming a running gag I see.]

[a-severed-fate.livejournal.com]

[Tear resisted the urge to sigh again. It was too bad she didn't have her fonology book with her from home. If she did, she figured it'd save a lot of explaining - she wouldn't have to review the concept of fonons with individual people, she could just hand over the book. For that matter, maybe she should have taken a job as a teacher - not that she thought she had anything worth teaching anyone.]

Um, no... Both of us use seventh fonons, but our "powers" are completely different. I would call his abilities a "special case", but I don't know very much about them to begin with.

Fonons are vibrating sound particles that make up essentially everything in my world. They are used in various technologies, as well as in battle. I believe in such cases fonons are somewhat comparable to ideas referred to in other worlds as "energy" and "magic". There are six types of fonons - darkness, earth, wind, water, fire, and light. Additionally darkness contains the properties of earth and water whereas light has those of fire and wind. The seventh fonon differs from the first six, and it is believed to be a mutated form of other fonons. Some people think of them as "sound fonons", but they aren't officially paired with an element.

Suffice it to say only those born with the ability are capable of utilizing the seventh fonon. Most of these people are healers, but there are also melodists, and some who are neither.

Poor Tear. No one else knows what fonons are!

[allnaturalmagic.livejournal.com]

[Terra listened intently, drinking in the information with obvious interest.]

Magical music... that's amazing! I don't think there's anything like that where I come from!

If you're neither a healer or a melodist, what are you then?

Tear-sensei, what's a fonon?

[a-severed-fate.livejournal.com]

"Magical music"...? Well I guess in some cases... If you want to look at it that way...

[At least where her abilities were concerned. Tear wasn't sure the term was completely accurate, but she wasn't going to say so.]

Actually, I'm both...
It's Luke who doesn't seem to possess the abilities of either. I suppose it's not much of an issue seeing as he can create a hyperresonance by himself, but that shouldn't be possible.

[And obviously she thought that extremely odd.]

Tear-sensei, I bought you a pet rabbit! I hope you like him!

[allnaturalmagic.livejournal.com]

...His powers shouldn't be possible...?

[That hits a little too close to home for Terra.]

........how cute!

[a-severed-fate.livejournal.com]

[Oh just wait until Abyss-tachi spoil you for the rest of the game. All sorts of impossible things happen. It is wicked crazy. But back to Tear, she's being serious, her eyes are focused on a window.]

Well, let me put it this way... Hyperresonance can be created, but one person shouldn't be able to do it all by himself. I'm not sure what to make of it.

Although, there is that other person... I wonder if he can create a hyperresonance, too.