|
Post by Linx Exotic on Nov 14, 2008 10:24:28 GMT -5
Siohen relaxed visibly upon entering the barracks. The warm, crisp air inside contrasted heavily with the ice crystals still intertwined with her fur, and the heat bit in almost painfully as she slowly walked through. Wearing just a short, casual pair of shorts and a rather high-cut shirt that showed a lot of belly, her attire might have been taken incorrectly were it not for the green insignia of her village on her back.
She took a seat out in the main chamber of the complex, shamelessly basking in front of the fireplace. The mouse had endured nearly a week without a full meal or water that she could have the luxury of ingesting in a liquid state. Outside, the frosty weather had bitten through her intentionally airy garments, and the young beast had gotten dangerously close to frostbite. Now it was time to just relax and hope nobody commented on how much of a wreck she'd made herself look.
|
|
|
Post by Dantin 'n' Kade on Nov 14, 2008 10:34:47 GMT -5
*Kade hadn't been back to the fort for more than a few days and they were already sticking him back on nightshifts. He was not quite happy with that fact but at least Dantin had said that he'd try to help Kade out as much as possible due to him being a seargent now. Even so, Kade was just getting back from nightime sentry duty and strode into the barracks. He looked around and immidiatly noticed the newcomer sitting by the fireplace and wearing clothes that would be best for the summer, farther south. She looked cold, for good reason. He walked over and sat at another chair by the fireplace.* "I haven't seen you around here before. You new?" *He asked casually.*
|
|
|
Post by Linx Exotic on Nov 14, 2008 10:39:48 GMT -5
Upon seeing the other mouse enter the room, Siohen had to restrain herself from flinching. It didn't help matters when Kade actually actively asked her a question. Now she was obligated to speak. Trying to keep herself from letting her disorder surface, it didn't work at all when she realized that she hadn't actually spoken in months, if not years. This wasn't going to work. "I-i-i-i-i-i... I-i-i-... Y-y..." It didn't, just as she expected. Embarrassed and dejected, she buried her face in one paw, feeling the heat of shame rise within her despite the cold still lingering.
|
|
|
Post by Dantin 'n' Kade on Nov 14, 2008 10:43:11 GMT -5
*Kade looked surprised as this mouse tried to speak, failed, then buried her face in a paw. Looking for all the world as if she had done something incredibly horrible and was so ashamed of it that she just wanted to disappear.* "Hey, are you ok?" *He asked in a concerned tone. Just because he didn't knew who this beast was didn't mean that he couldn't be kind to her. Everyone needed somebody to be kind to them every now and then, the more the better.*
|
|
|
Post by Linx Exotic on Nov 14, 2008 10:47:01 GMT -5
Slowly lifting her face to look at Kade, she felt more and more like the mute she'd acted like she was over the years. All of her thoughts were restrained by her nervousness from being expressed, and the more she tried to surpass it by actually speaking, the worse it made her end up feeling. "Th-th-th-th-th-th-th-th-th... Th-th-th-thi..." What she wanted to say was that this was how she always spoke, but it wasn't working. The mouse blushed beneath her fur so profusely that she thought her face might burst into flame.
|
|
|
Post by Dantin 'n' Kade on Nov 14, 2008 10:53:30 GMT -5
*Kade held up his paws, an indication for her to stop trying to talk.* "Just stop, take a few breaths and calm down, no need to be so nervous!" *He said with a smile. After that, he waited a few seconds and then said,* "Ok, now what were you trying to say?" *He was hoping that if she was calmed down then she'd be able to get out what she was trying to say. He guessed that this was a normal problem for her, the stuttering, because of the way she was reacting to it. Blushing as she was. Kade could actually see her blushing from where he was, he face was so red. It made him feel sorry for her to a degree.*
|
|
|
Post by Linx Exotic on Nov 14, 2008 14:56:24 GMT -5
Siohen remained still, relatively unresponsive for about five seconds. Speaking further was likely to be yet more of an embarrassment to her. She held her gaze down at the floor for a time, looked up at Kade and then sighed in dejection. Being able to speak normally was a blessing, she mused, unless it was just that she in particular was cursed. "Mu-mu-mu-mu-mu-my... N... Nu-n... Nu-na... Nnnname," she struggled, trying not to just start crying from how stressful it was to piece together such a simple sentence. "i-i-i-i-i-... I-i-ihh... I-i-is..." The difficulty of each word was mounting now. Speaking to a complete stranger for the first time in her life couldn't stress her a lot more than it was doing now. "S-s-s-s-s-s-..." Her chin trembled with effort as she tried to tell him the last, most important word.
It didn't work. After a few further seconds, she just gave up and let out a low groan of dismay. A single tear of frustration had managed to get out of her eye and glittered brightly from the fireplace's illumination as it rolled down her cheek. The utter humiliation of failing to tell this mouse something as simple as her name was enough for her to put a paw over her eyes in a mix of exasperation and not wanting to have to look at his reaction. Her ears drooped low in further emphasis as she tried to compose her thoughts and failed at that too.
|
|
|
Post by Dantin 'n' Kade on Nov 14, 2008 15:10:06 GMT -5
*At the site of that lone tear, Kade got up, went over to the chair she was in and knelt beside it. He couldn't help but feel like he had to act gentle with this mouse because she seemed so upset.* "Hey, no tears, ok? We got the first part of your name, starts with an 'S' I'm guessing. Now, say the next syllable likes it's a totally new word and then the next one after that as if that is a totally new and different word as well. See if thinking of it like that helps any." *He didn't really expect it to work for he wasn't an expert in stuff like this but he figured it was worth a shot.*
|
|
|
Post by Linx Exotic on Nov 14, 2008 15:17:41 GMT -5
Being told 'no tears' didn't help much, since it wasn't really her idea to summon them in the first place, and was counterproductive enough for her to spend about ten seconds doing nothing but brushing her eyes dry. It took some doing, because they weren't staying that way. She took a few deep, calculated breaths as dictated for anti-stress respiration that she learned back at home before anything else. It helped clear her mind a bit, but when it came time to speak, conditions rapidly sank once more. "S-s-s-... Si-... S... Siohen," she finally managed to spit out the word that had been lingering on her tongue for so long. It came out a bit quickly, but at least it was there. Now she definitely didn't want to say anything further.
|
|
|
Post by Dantin 'n' Kade on Nov 14, 2008 15:27:02 GMT -5
*Kade nodded as she finally said what her name was. Kade didn't know what could cause Siohen to stutter as she did and probably would never know at this rate. Perhaps she'd grow out of it in time... he didn't know.* "So your name is Siohen, is it? Mine's Kade." *Kade now stood back up.* "I'd guess your from much further south based on your clothes, right? Have you gotten room yet?" *These questions were easier than the last one seeing as how she didn't have to say anything to actually answer them. She could just nod or shake her head.*
|
|
|
Post by Linx Exotic on Nov 14, 2008 15:30:17 GMT -5
Glad to take the opportunity to respond nonverbally, the mouse shook her head in a definite negative. She hadn't even finished warming up yet and her fur was damp from the ice melting at parts. So were her clothes, for that matter, and they were clinging very uncomfortably to her. She'd have to change out of them before they started to chafe. Standing up very gingerly, Siohen looked up at Kade with apprehension, not knowing what was to happen next. I wish I could simply talk to him. My mouth is a ridiculous means of communication. I can write faster than that!
|
|
|
Post by Dantin 'n' Kade on Nov 14, 2008 15:43:06 GMT -5
OOC: Hey, Linx, I gotta go. Could you post me a refresh on how to get Siohen a room? I forgot the process...
|
|
|
Post by Linx Exotic on Nov 14, 2008 15:44:39 GMT -5
OOC: It's more or less a matter of going into the archive room off the main barracks and checking to see which rooms are vacant, then writing in the newcomer. There are some other things involved, but they're not as important as just that.
|
|
|
Post by Dantin 'n' Kade on Nov 14, 2008 18:22:02 GMT -5
*Kade had figured as much seeing as how Siohen was sitting downstairs by the fire instead of being up in her room, looking extremely cold. He took off his long coat and put it around her shoulders so as to help get her warm. It was a fairly thick coat and already warmed up by Kade's body heat.* "I didn't think so. Well then, we need to get you a room." *He said and then headed over to the archive room and checked the list of rooms that were vacant. There was one on the second floor, it was a single room, meaning it was fairly small but he figured that she would want a single room due to her speech impediment. He filled her name in and then, as he was about to leave the room, he remembered that he needed to grab the key for the room. He did so and left the archives.* "Ok, your room is upstairs and down the hall, it's a single so you'll have the room all to yourself. It's a bit small but it's free so that's good. I'll show you where it's at." *He said and then headed for the stairs beckoning for Siohen to follow.*
|
|
|
Post by Linx Exotic on Nov 14, 2008 18:45:23 GMT -5
Wrapping the coat around her fur gratefully, Siohen felt her body heat rise to a comfortable level for the first time all day, but the dampness only got worse as the last of the frost melted on her. She followed Kade as quickly as she could without agitating her fur beyond her comfort limits. Ascending the stairs slowly, her barely insulating shoes' wooden soles clicked softly on the steps as she moved. They were the only sound audible besides the distant crackling of the fireplace and the even more faint rustle of the wind outside. Such sounds were far more preferable to her than the sound of her own voice.
The hallway on the second floor seemed to extend into abyss. Siohen had never been in such a large building before and was daunted by the size of this corridor; in her village, corridors didn't even exist. It was such a shock to see an indoor environment so large that she almost forgot about how her short, damp fur was catching on her clothing and prickling at her very uncomfortably. Any clothing would do that while her fur was like this, but there was no convenient way to tell that to Kade.
|
|