Vivirra saw how his smile quickly dissipated when she mentioned it, but it eventually returned. Her own smile brightened just a little more. The older marten seemed like a different person altogether when he smiled, losing his rough exterior. She liked that. The kit basked in the warmth surrounding him, still fascinated by this magic he had produced. She felt fortunate to have come across this fellow by pure chance, a stroke of serendipity.

But the curious child still had many questions. Her companion had shook his head at her previous inquiry. Did this mean that only a select few had the ability to do magic? Or maybe only he possessed the power to use that certain ability? If so, was she able to use magic too? And was she the only one who could speak? Did all other gembounds look like them?

She flicked her large, white ears, frustrated. She had so many questions she wanted to ask, but no way to ask them all. There was so much more she wanted to learn from this marten, and yet she could not phrase them all in ways he could answer. She just needed to know...

...his name. Name? Something within spoke to her, and she realized that a name was essentially the sum of one's essence. What they identified as. It never occurred to her as something of importance up until now. But now she needed to know. Turning her white-masked face up towards the gembound, she asked softly, "What's your name?"

Xin watched the little marten for a moment before looking around. It was still dark, and he could barely see. He hoped the lights would come back on soon. He used to use it to his advantage, and hide from everyone. But now there was someone he didn't want to hide from, and he wished he could see her better. He then shrugged the thought off and looked back at her, just as she spoke.

He froze. His...name? He had never told anyone his name before, since he had no way to.

---

"Speech (telepathically) looks like this."
"Thoughts looks like this."

tags: here
notes: double posting bc gdi you need to succeed

Xin paused for a moment. He wasn't even sure how he had come across his name. It had just...came to him, all those cycles ago. He didn't know how, he didn't know exactly when. It had just popped into his head. He was..."Xin"

---

"Speech (telepathically) looks like this."
"Thoughts looks like this."

tags: @Vivirra
notes: ok this is short but i mean it's a double post so combined with the other it's...still short. heck.

The male marten seemed to consider her question, pausing. He froze, if only for a moment, in hesitation. And then, a noise. It was faint and soft, barely audible. Like the soft shifting of paws on stone. Like a drop of water scattering upon the ground. Like a whisper, a secret carried by the wind.

Xin.

She swear she heard it. There was no way she could have mistook it. It came from him, the marten without a voice. His lips had not parted, he had not made a sound. But he had said that word, so faintly and softly. It seemed to echo in her mind without ever crossing the mortal plane. And boy, was Vivirra starstruck.

She didn't quite know how to respond at first, her muzzle opening and closing without uttering a word, shocked. She was completely and totally fascinated. Was this magic? Or was it something else beyond either of their understanding? Either way, she could not keep staring at him forever. The young marten gathered her mind and found her words, still dumbfounded.

"So... your name is... Xin?" She paused. "I like that name. It sounds nice. But... how did you do that...?"

@Xin

Xin frowned. Why was she looking at him like that? Had he done something? His head tilted as he waited for her to speak, to give him a hint as to what he did. Or didn't do. He hadn't given her his name, as he couldn't speak. There was absolutely no way he had said his name. So why did she know it?

His frown increased. How did she know his name? Had he actually done something? But...how? Was there a spell? Could he speak using...a spell? But he hadn't heard anything himself. Maybe he could speak in her mind? He paused. Would it work if he tried again? He focused, and tried to say something. "Do what? This?" He looked at the other to see if it worked.

---

"Speech (telepathically) looks like this."
"Thoughts looks like this."

tags: @Vivirra
notes: here

She noticed that Xin seemed confused, unsure of what he had done. His smile had disappeared, which Vivirra wasn't too happy about, but that did not hold priority at the moment. She could try to make it return later. Yet again, she heard that whisper pass through her brain. It was still faint, but she definitely recognized it this time. He appeared to be seeking an answer.

"Yes, that," she replied, a soft uneasiness in her voice. "It's really cool!" A grin quickly appeared on the little one's face as she practically bounced with excitement. All wariness dissolved in an instant, replaced by her boundless curiosity. "How did you do it? Was that magic too? Do I have magic?"

((Kinda short, my bad))

@Xin

Xin was stunned. He had a way that he could speak? How long had he had that ability? Since he hatched? Since he became angry? Since he met the slime monster, those cycles ago? Or just now? He wasn't entirely sure how to feel about this discovery. On one paw, he could speak! It may not be completely reliable, as it seemed to be a spell, but he could still speak. On the other paw, who knows how long he's had this ability? Has he been brooding all this time for no reason at all?

He glanced at the little marten. He gave a soft sigh and tried the spell again.

---

"Speech (telepathically) looks like this."
"Thoughts looks like this."

tags: here
notes: here

The few times the spell succeeded, Xin had been able to feel...something, in his throat. Now that he knew what it was, he realized it was telling him his spell had succeeded. He didn't feel that this time. So he tried again, attempting to look deep within himself, to his gem, and speak.

But once again, it didn't work. He gave the other an apologetic look, his head and ears low.

---

"Speech looks like this."
"Thoughts looks like this."

tags: @Vivirra
notes: hope you don't mind me reposting ;u; not gonna triple post tho, aha

The little kit was spellbound by this marten's endless supply of surprises. She noted that he seemed equally surprised by his own abilities, which made it all the more exciting. Her abundance of questions bubbled at the surface of her mind, threatening to burst. This was magic. This had to be magic. But what kind of magic was it? There had to be different types, because heating up an area must be in a different category than speaking in others' minds. Did she also possess one of these types of magic?

Vivirra looked up towards her companion, eyes alight and bushy tail waving. But his ears and tail lowered, only sending a silent apology her way. She had to admit, she was slightly crestfallen that her queries would go unanswered, but that was fine. It only brought about the birth of more inquiries that danced about in her head. If this was magic, why didn't it work now of all times? It seemed to be an unreliable answer, a mere game of chance.

As another breeze drifted by, she inched closer to Xin, huddling her tiny body against his furry legs. He was so toasty warm. It felt nice. The newborn gembound's wide green gaze looked into his. Putting aside the ubiquitous influence of her curiosity, she spoke in a quiet voice. "It's okay. I understand." She paused. "Well, maybe I don't really understand, but that's okay too. You don't have to say anything if you don't want to."

Vivirra buried her muzzle into the brown fur of his chest. She smiled softly. "Thank you for helping me, Xin," she whispered.

@Xin

Xin felt guilty that he hadn't said something, but the spell hadn't worked. The other looked upset that his spell hadn't worked, and he himself was disappointed. He blinked as she went closer to him, huddling against his legs. He flicked one of his tiny ears and didn't move, realizing it felt nice to have her there. She was still very tiny, and he was bigger than her, but it didn't matter. He looked down and saw her green eyes.

He blinked slowly at their words. He wished he could speak, without having to rely on a spell that could fail at any moment. As she buried her muzzle in his chest, he opened his mouth, even though doing so was pointless. He stayed like that for a moment before swallowing, closing his mouth and smiling. He tried to say something, hoping it would work. The spell was new, and he had to admit he was fascinated by it.


"You're welcome. What...is your name?"This time, he could feel that it worked. He realized he didn't know what her name was, and figured it was time he asked.

---

"Speech looks like this."
"Thoughts looks like this."

tags: @Vivirra
notes: here