014 ~ [Action]

[soreplaceable]

[It was late last night when Ion was taken from the village, and it had been done so quietly it might have been impossible to know he was gone if his bedding hadn't been thrown around the room.]

[But he wasn't gone for very long, as it's less than a day later that Ion returns to the village sometime in the early evening. At a glance, he might just

Comments

[Action]

[its_rose_damnit]

[Dist was just on his way back home from the library, having to occupy his time somehow now that he moved out of house one. He has a few books tucked under his arm, not paying attention to much else than returning to his apartment room. He just barely spots the young Fon Master out of the corner of his eye, taking a few more steps before he stops and turns his head quickly.]

Io--Fon Master?!

[Dist bites his lip, furious that his first reaction was that of deep concern for the boy, and approaches with a hastened pace. When had he been taken? Did the others know? Was he all right? He looked disoriented. Dist stops in front of Ion and looks him over. He looked unharmed...]

[Action]

[soreplaceable]

[Oh hey, it's another... er, okay, Ion doesn't know what anything moving around him is, but they all look a little alike! But his words don't seem to register and Ion just stares up at Dist as though he's never seen anything like him in his life.]

[And technically, he hasn't.]

[Action]

[its_rose_damnit]

[Something about the way Ion was looking at him, like he'd never seen him before, was unsettling. Dist glanced around then knelt before the boy. He had a feeling of foreboding, and watched Ion's face closely, mostly his eyes. He'd seen this face more often than anyone else, and was feeling that foreboding sense develop into one of dread, then frustration.

So, this is how those worms entertained themselves, was it? Despicable...]

Fon Master. ...Ion. Ion, can you understand me?

[Action]

[soreplaceable]

[Understand, understand... somewhere in the back of his mind, for a brief moment, the programming enabling him to understand speech kicks on. But for someone who's never used his vocal chords, getting that point across is going to be slow coming.]

...uh. [He flinches a little, as if not expecting a sound to have come from his own lips.]

[frost_jewel]

[This evening Mia was at the library, looking for things to occupy her time, when she has it.

She didn't expect to meet a younger boy in the center of the plaza but slowly she's becoming used to the idea that life here can be just as strange as life at home. So here, Ion, have a smile.]

Hello. Are you also new?

[soreplaceable]

[He'd return the smile if he had any idea what a smile was. As it stands now, her greeting will earn her a blank stare.]

[frost_jewel]

[Perhaps he can't speak, like that girl she met the other day.]

[soreplaceable]

[He can speak just fine, of course, but he doesn't know any words to say.]

[thederpyhalf]

[Yui was leaving from the bakery with some fresh bread, pastry and other goodies in her arms when she stumbled across Ion sitting there all by his lonesome. Was he lost? A-Ah, he's looking back at her. Maybe she should see if he's ok.]

Hello...?

[soreplaceable]

[Compared to all the people walking around, this one looked different, mostly because of the things she was carrying. What she said seemed familiar somehow, and he felt compelled to say it back. Although the way he says it, it sounds like he isn't quite sure what it means.]

He... hello...?

[thederpyhalf]

[A-Aww. She smiles and kneels down near his level. She'll put down the bag she was carrying too.]

Are you all right?

[soreplaceable]

[He can't help but look over at the bag curiously as it's set down, but her question grabs his attention back. He registers her words as being a question, but he isn't sure how to answer. He didn't know if he felt "all right" but he didn't feel not "all right" either.]

[But an answer comes out before he even has time to think about the words as he says them, as if they were instinctive.]

I don't know.

[action]

[cluelessflower]

[ Sophie is ... wandering around when she spots him.

And she's confused as to why he's just sitting there, doing nothing.

So she stares at him. ]

[action]

[soreplaceable]

[Well, Ion was doing nothing until Sophie came along.]

[Now he's not doing nothing: he's staring back. And that is clearly something.]

[action]

[cluelessflower]

[ Oh, oh, he's staring back.

Which only confuses her more because clearly he is able to move so why is he just sitting there.

And she stares, cocking her head to the side a bit. ]

[action]

[soreplaceable]

[He doesn't know why he's sitting here either, but it's all he's ever known how to do at this point.]

[Ohh, but head tilting. That's new. Let's copy that, yes.]

[subethical]

[Jade had caught sight of the young replica earlier, being lead away by a very, very irritable Dist. It had been perfectly obvious then that something was once again... off. The Fon Master doesn't normally need to be encouraged to simply walk. He would've intervened personally, if Ion had not been lead back to Nephry. Jade was more than confident that she and Dist could handle anything that required immediate attention.

That said, he still had to satisfy he own curiosity. So sometime a bit later, Jade drops by the house to check up on the Fon Master himself.]

[soreplaceable]

[Hi, Jade. Ion is currently sitting in the front yard having a staring contest with a butterfly.]

[He originally sat down to look at the small patch of wildflowers that were growing there, but then a butterfly landed on one! And then another. And he has another one sitting in his hair.]

[Well, it is green, after all.]

PRETTY PRINCESS ION

[subethical]

[How sickeningly adorable, Ion. Not that Jade notices that or anything.

Jade stops just before the yard, knowing full well that any further approach would likely scare off Ion's new friends, and perhaps Ion himself, depending on Ion's situation. It was best to start off slowly anyway.] Good day, Fon Master. Enjoying the weather?

IS JADE A KNIGHT IN SHINING ARMOR?

[soreplaceable]

[Ion isn't familiar with that name, Jade. He doesn't respond at first, thinking perhaps Jade was speaking to someone else. But after a moment, he realizes they're the only ones here.]

[Slowly, he turns to look over at Jade, the butterfly on his head fluttering about and moving to join the other two on the flowers. He doesn't say anything for a moment or two before remembering what someone else had said to him today when they saw him for the first time:]

Hello?