[PRP] Nice to sea you again (Shiloh & Noeh)

[Melancholies]

Shiloh wasn't sure where to look, but he knew he had to look. After everything that Jeremiah had told him and everything he knew now about the state of the Court, he had to find Noeh. Besides, it had been a really long time and—okay or not—Shiloh wanted to make sure his friend was okay with his own eyes.

Mercer had mentioned finding her on the beach, so that's where he set out for first. His backpack had a number of things inside of it—notebooks and sketchbooks and pens and pencils—and he had his mostly-charged phone on him too. He set out for this prepared.

...but he was also a little nervous too. It had been a while, and seeing how much Melany had changed in this world...

He scanned the horizon diligently, fighting the excited-but-anxious feeling in his stomach.

shibrogane

aaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

 

[shibrogane]

Noeh's mask was gone. Her head to toe black garb was gone. She was wearing fairly modern, possibly even futurist clothing--heavy, sparkly boots, jeans bunched up over the tops, a t-shirt with the overwatch symbol on it, and a hoodie in Army drab--but the way she stood, the bones of her face, were familiar despite it.

She signed hi at Shiloh once she noticed him.

Melancholies

 

[Melancholies]

Shiloh saw someone, and then when he got closer he knew he recognized the someone, and then suddenly it clicked as to who the someone was.

"Noeh?!" Boy, different was an absolute understatement. Was this the sort of stuff she likes to wear without Melany's control? He couldn't ******** believe his eyes.

Still didn't stop him from rushing forward to tackle her into a hug, though. He savored the fact that she felt real and normal and alive, thank ******** god.

"Are you okay? Is everything okay? Oh uh—" He stopped himself sheepishly, a lot different from the quiet angry cage of a boy back in Court, "—Hi..." He laughed, letting her go to give her her arms and her hands back.

shibrogane

 

[shibrogane]

Noeh smiled at him, a big real and free expression with crinkly eyes and all her teeth, which there were a normal number of, actually. She hugged back, too, and signed okay. Then she gestured to him: you? How are you?

Melancholies

 

[Melancholies]

Shiloh looked so relieved. Their time together in Court meant he had picked up a lot of her articulations and signing—even though he was terrible at signing back—he understood her pretty well. The grin never left, "I'm okay. A lot of stuff happened, but I'm okay." There was a pretty real exhaustion in his eyes, but he would be alright. He had himself together.

"I'm uh..." he scratched the back of his head, "I haven't told a lot of people this, but you prolly noticed the world's different. I mean, you're different—b-but that's not bad! It's actually kinda cool." His eyes sparkled, "I haven't told a lot of people this, but uh... I'm one of the principals now." He shifted back and forth in the sand, feeling like he was announcing an engagement or pregnancy or promotion; some weird s**t like that where you're supposed to have an audience and all.

shibrogane

 

[shibrogane]

Noeh shrugged as if to say it's kind of bad. She made a complex gesture with one hand that seemed to indicate that she couldn't talk, which, duh, but--hadn't she had a little telepathy? At some point maybe?

She brightened up and smiled slightly at Shiloh's announcement. Congratulations, her expansive gesture said, and she seemed sincere about it, too.

Melancholies

 

[Melancholies]

Shiloh pursed his lips, "I meant, like, it's cool cause you're okay." At least, she looked okay? Mostly? He did a once around her in a full circle just to make sure before coming around the front again, chest puffed out with purpose.

"But I guess I get you. I feel like I should be more enthusiastic about this principal thing, but..." he sighed, "It's kinda stressful, but I'm gonna try and do right by it, yknow? I guess the new sigil must be affecting you too..." He tapped on the side of his head, obviously getting and missing her telepathy.

"We didn't really mean for the magic to change everyone like this." He shuffled his foot against the ground, "I dunno about Ezra, but I met Melany on the other side. She's like my age and does ballet and doesn't seem to remember anything from the last cycle." He winced, "It's really weird..." At this time he was reaching into his backpack for the aforementioned spirals and sketchbook, giving Noeh her pick of the litter when it came to written communication.

"Oh, or you can use my phone if typing words is easier." He smiled apologetically, "I'm kinda rusty with your signing, but I'm getting most of it. I just wanna know if there's anything I can do to help."

shibrogane

 

[shibrogane]

I'm doing a lot better than others, that's for sure, Noeh wrote, having picked a notebook and sat down on the ground. But I can't speak mind to mind anymore. I don't have any powers at all. I can't even access the magic of the world.

She raised both eyebrows at his statement about the other nobles, and scribbled furiously for a few minutes before raising the notebook to show Shiloh:

That's interesting! Lady Melany and Ezra both disappeared after the shift. I haven't been able to find hide nor hair of them. But they were both bound to the court, their original bodies and presences in the cycle destroyed like yours, it shouldn't be possible for them to resume their places in the otherworld. She paused to hold up the page for Shiloh's inspection before turning the page over and continuing to write. Can you look for Ezra for me? If he's over there too, your sigil changed a lot more than I'd thought it did.

Melancholies

 

[Melancholies]

Shiloh eagerly joined her on the soft ground, his own hands having claimed one of his already well used sketchbooks. He was scribbling something out as Noeh wrote, looking up when the pencil sounds ceased and looking back down whenever she continued her work.

"It was really weird with Melany." He added, "We go to the same school. She acts like I'm her best friend. Whenever we all—I mean, the ones of us that remade the sigil—came to this world, we picked up where... I dunno, I guess our current selves in "this" world left off. She didn't seem to know why I could do the flower thing." He shifted his legs around to keep them from falling asleep.

"I'll definitely look for Ezra though. Here, maybe this'll help." It was at this point that Shiloh turned the sketchbook over, revealing a sketchy drawing of the sigil. "This is what everyone came up with in the end." He pointed to the branches with all their tiny tines, "I'm the key. I dunno why this would take away your powers or alter the other Nobles like that, though..." He pursed his lips together in thought as he stared down at his own drawing. "Is there anyway to get them back? Your powers I mean. Assumin' you want them back and stuff." He wouldn't know why she wouldn't, "The mind-to-mind thing seemed pretty convenient anyway."

shibrogane

 

[shibrogane]

She doesn't remember? That's not possible. Noeh thought about that. Then she added, It shouldn't be possible.

She was trying really hard to not chew on the pencil she was borrowing as she looked at Shiloh's sketch of the sigil. She did tap it on her knee as she thought. Then she leaned forward and wrote, Those keys are Ogham runes. I recognize them, but I can't read them.

Melancholies

 

[Melancholies]

"I'll try and look into it more..." He said very slowly, "Being around her still makes me a little..."

He trailed off, shook his head and tried not to shudder. "The ******** is an Ogham rune?" He looked back down at the sigil he had drawn. "I don't think the person who drew it out for us originally knew anything about that." Actually, watching Veronica draw in the void, he could distinctly remember the magic nudge all the lines and parts and places into shape.

"You think it might have some sort of additional effect on it?" And then he thought about it, "I mean, I guess it would, everything down to placement has an effect on the outcome..." He went back to studying the doodle. "I dunno anything about reading them either. I'd have to google it or some s**t." He scratched the back of his head, his beanie sliding lopsided off of his head. He didn't make much of a move to correct it though. "Unless you happen to know a specialist on 'weird niche stuff' like that."

shibrogane

 

[shibrogane]

Noeh reached across and took the sketchbook Shiloh had drawn in. After a long moment of study, she copied the runes from the sigil into the notebook. They looked like this:



Going back to her own notebook, she wrote, I think Eve Fitzpatrick might know. She's into crunchy granola stuff like that, isn't she? She spun the pencil around her fingers, a neat little trick of legerdemain. My instructor followed more Eastern philosophies. We spent enough time on Ogham that I can recognize it when it's shown to me but it wasn't really that important?

She shook out her hand, making a face.

Melancholies

 

[Melancholies]

Shiloh stared down at the runes carefully. Unfortunately no answers came to him; nothing that suddenly jogged his memory or told him what they were about. "Eve? I mean, Jamie talks about her sometimes. I can ask." He would ask, actually.

"So, this. Looking into Ezra." He tapped his pencil to his chin before jotting down a little to-do list. "Is there anything else you want me to look into?"

Shibrogane

 

[shibrogane]

Noeh shook her head. My hand hurts, she wrote, sighing voicelessly. Her shoulders slumped. I'm not used to writing this much.

Melancholies

 

[Melancholies]

Shiloh's eyes got wide, "Don't strain them!" This was his artist-side kicking in, "Sorry, I didn't mean to make you write so much. You should probably stop if they're hurting, otherwise you can mess them up real good." It was a one time thing, but this was Shiloh, and he didn't really think too far in the future.

"Here, we can take a break. Thanks for telling me everything you did though. I'm gonna find out as much as I can." He puffed up with a great deal of determination, "But um, is it okay if I stay for a little bit? I was really worried about you. You don't have to write anymore though, we can just hang out." He dug around in his pocket and produced his iPod, "We can listen to my music if you want! You might not like the stuff on here though... it's kinda punky." He offered an earbud out anyway, "Unless you got stuff to do, I mean."

Otherwise he was content to chill for a while.

shibrogane

ftb on them being qt idiots? unless you got more to add LOL