Sun rises, night falls, sometimes the sky calls...

[demonicbeauty]

Who: Ariadne and various (hit me up if you want a starter!)
What: Ariadne keeping busy and being bad at processing her feelings
When: Throughout January
Where: Various, but mostly Serenity Garden

Content Warnings: Backstory trauma likely to come up, discussion of Jedi/Sith violence, will update as needed.

Comments

[demonicbeauty]

"Five?" That was admirable. "You and I might have been in the same trade, back in Valeria. I was apprenticed to the court translator."

And she knew thirty five spoken languages. Plus Elfish Hand Talk, which brought her total up to thirty five.

She decided not to say anything though. She didn't want to sound like she was bragging. Or like she was trying to wound his pride. Even if Raleigh didn't seem like a snarly male...better to be safe.

[righthemisphere]

Almost a pity she doesn't. He would be in awe.

"That sounds fun. We could have been colleagues. You spoke.. Valerian there?"

He's obviously never heard of it, but that makes it even more interesting.

[demonicbeauty]

The corners of her eyes crinkled in amusement, although she didn't laugh at him. That would have been even ruder than bragging. "Mostly Common," she said. "Ancient Elvish was mostly only used on formal occasions. But my aunt and I had to translate for foreign ambassadors who spoke Daruc, Nysgod, Hand Talk, and all sorts of other things that Princess Amanda didn't speak."

In truth, Ariadne was reasonably sure that Amanda was more fluent in some of the other tongues than she let on. Mostly because she took advantage of being underestimated. A skill she'd passed on to Ariadne as well.

She hesitated just a moment. But she really liked Raleigh and so many people in Trench had proven themselves worthy of trust.

"I actually grew up speaking Alastrian. Which is the language of my people. Not much use for it in court, but it made for a great coded language."

[righthemisphere]

A risky gamble for Ariadne, but one that might ultimately prove fruitful.

Or, more likely, immediately fruitful from the way Raleigh perks. A secret language, huh.

"Would you teach me some? How does the grammar work?"

[demonicbeauty]

Another startling question from Raleigh Becket. That makes at least three in a single afternoon.

Ariadne tilted her head, her eyebrows jumping a little. "No one's ever asked me that before." She shrugged a little. "Back home, Alastrians aren't exactly well-liked, though. So I guess no one would ever want to learn such a language."

Such a dirty language.

[righthemisphere]

"What?"

Genuinely confused.

"If you're anything to go by then Alastrians are great. Why wouldn't they be liked?"

[demonicbeauty]

"Sometimes," she said, slowly. "People are afraid of that which they can't understand. What doesn't look or sound like them. And then...sometimes, they make up stories to villainize people who are different. I don't know why. Maybe so they're not as afraid."

It wasn't that she was trying to be delicate. Ariadne was always delicate.

It was more that...she really didn't understand why people had such prejudice against Alastrians. She'd never understood. She just knew...that it was.

Except here. Here, things were different. Better.

[righthemisphere]

Raleigh sits with it for a moment. It's no new story, but it's sad all the same.

He also has no problem being delicate in the matter. Raleigh Becket has gotten into his fair share of fights for the opportunity to punch a racist fuck in the face.

"I'm sorry you've experienced that. Prejudice is a horrible thing. My world has it too.. we say we're getting better but the only people saying that are the people with all the money and power. So. It's bullshit if you ask me."

[demonicbeauty]

"It is on the same level as cow excrement," she said, nodding her head, her eyes wide and sincere.

In the back of her mind, she was pretty sure that was an idiom she'd heard Dean use before, but she couldn't place it at the moment.

The meaning seemed...reasonably clear.

She shrugged. "I'm luckier than most of my kind. No one knows I'm Alastrian, unless I choose to let them see."

[righthemisphere]

"I'm sure a lot of people wish that had the ability."

And he should leave it there because Raleigh knows he is in a place of extreme privilege. But he's also a curious beast with a fat mouth.

"Is it like.. a secret handshake or something?"

[demonicbeauty]

Instinctively, she curled her hands into fists at her sides. Raleigh was correct, in one sense. Certain Alastrians did share a very, very secret handshake. The kind that was best left to privacy and romance.

But the truth was looming in front of her.

No one in Deerington cared. No one in Trench seemed to either.

What was the point in lying?

"No," she said, shaking her head. "It's just that..." She made a vague gesture up and down the front of her body, "...this isn't what I really look like."

[righthemisphere]

An observer by nature, Raleigh watches he closely but without scrutiny. It seems like he's hit something of a sore point, but not so sore that she pivots.

He would understand if she did, though.

"Oh, I see."

That's interesting, and of course he burns with a million questions. What does that mean, what do you look like, how do you do it, can you teach me? But... it can be rude to ask about this kind of thing, especially when she's already said she's experienced racism. It's Ariadne's choice to share, and not Raleigh's place to ask. So here's the question - how do you answer that without looking like an entitled dick?

"Well..." carefully. Considered.

"I'm sure it's as nice as you look now."

[demonicbeauty]

Somehow, she sensed his struggle. Mostly because of the way he trailed off. When he spoke again, he said just about the last thing she would have expected. So Ariadne couldn't help it. She let out a little giggle.

Not at him. Ariadne didn't laugh at people.

It was just a soft, bell-like sound.

"I don't know about that," she said. "I suppose it depends on how much you like the color green." A lame attempt at a joke. But it was fine. It was going to be fine. "I'll show you," she continued, feeling bold, "but only if you promise not to freak out, okay?"

[righthemisphere]

Ah- good. She's laughing. He relaxes and raises his right hand.

"Scout's honor I will not freak out and I like the color green."

He'd been a scout for like six months but it counts, right? Right. Oh my god is she the She-Hulk that would be so cool-- be cool Raleigh, be cool be cool.

[demonicbeauty]

Ariadne didn't know the scout code of honor, but she accepted it. If it was important enough for Raleigh to swear by, then it was enough for her.

She sat back on her heels a little. It still took some getting used to; transforming in front of people. But she was getting better at it. Or at least not fighting herself.

Like heat rising off of the pavement, the air around her seemed to ripple and blur. And she swirled like a watercolor. It washed over her like a wave, for only a second or two, and then she'd changed. Still lithe. Still graceful. Still petite.

Just...green.

Green like the underside of a maple leaf. With hair a brilliant, blue color. Lips deep lavender.

She spread her hands out, as if to say 'tah-dah.'

[righthemisphere]

"Ha!" Not a laugh, he isn't laughing, it's just a noise of delighted surprise. Raleigh, for a moment, looks like a kid with wide eyes and enormous smile.

"That is the coolest thing- like a chameleon! You look amazing. You look amazing, Ariadne."

[demonicbeauty]

Ariadne never could predict Human responses to her here.

And she loved that fact.

Demurely, she lowered her eyes, shrugging up one shoulder. "Thank you," she said, trying not to feel too awkward about the whole thing. "They do...some people think that Alastrians might have once been lizards."

Which explained the change in color.

And the wings...

[righthemisphere]

Okay, right, don't embarrass her. THIS IS JUST SO COOL! Whooooosah--

"Wow, yeah I can see how that might be a thing. We don't have anything like that. I mean, we come in different colors but just kinda shades of tan and brown. Green would be a good one, though."

[demonicbeauty]

"I'm glad you see it that way, because not everyone does."

Which was kind of the key to her entire psychology. Both as an individual and as a representative of her species.

With a slight grimace, she reversed the process. Her body shimmered and glistened and she was her former self. Brown hair. Pink skin. Lips stained as if she'd been drinking raspberry juice.

The Padmé look, as it were.

"Thank you. For...being a good person, I guess. It doesn't always happen so easily."

[righthemisphere]

Oh man.. Seeing it happen in real time is such an amazing thing. What an extraordinary ability!! What a pity it is she feels she needs to use it.

"Ah,, nah. I'm just being myself? I'm sorry you haven't have good experiences in the past. I was serious before, though. I love language, if you'd teach me I would love to learn. I could pay you?"

[demonicbeauty]

She shook her head. While Ariadne understood the need for a barter system, she saw little value in exchanging goods for knowledge.

Knowledge was meant to be shared. That's how an oral society survived.

...when all else failed.

"I can try to teach you," she said. "I've never tried to teach anyone before, but...honestly, it would be an honor."

[righthemisphere]

"Yeah?"

This has been such a good day. SUCH a good day!

"The honor would be mine. When can we start?"

Honestly, he would be happy to spend the rest of the day here working through vocabulary like a toddler. He can't imagine how hard it must be to try to translate from a language with no similar origin to his world. But he's a quick study and if she just keeps talking to him over and over again he'll pick it up with surprising speed. He's obsessive like that.

[demonicbeauty]

"It's the winter," she said, shrugging one shoulder up to her ear. "I won't have much to do until the spring, when the garden starts to bloom." When she opened it to the public. In theory.

Yeah, that was an adventure she still wasn't sure she was prepared for.

But she gave Raleigh a smile. "Any time you like," she told him.

[righthemisphere]

"Well," he muses for a moment. Is it too big of an ask? Now? Is now too soon? He's excited.

"I shouldn't take up your whole day," in the tone of 'but I absolutely will if you allow me to.'

"Maybe something for the road and I'll get out of your hair? Er- not literally. I'll let you get on with your work."

[demonicbeauty]

Her hands nearly jerked to her braid again, but she stopped herself this time. Raleigh truly meant her no harm. She was so sure of it.

"Maybe," she said, with a faint gleam of mischief in her eyes, "I should give you just a small taste of what you're in for. In case you scare easily."

It wasn't that the Alastrian language was overly complicated. It was simply that it was so different from any other language that Ariadne knew. But then again, she was a native speaker. Perhaps there was a slight bias there.

"Try this," she said. And then Ariadne broke into a string of sounds. Sort of like water washing against stones on a riverbed. Very soothing and flowing. Perhaps flowing a little bit too much into each other.