songofsilentechoes

[songofsilentechoes]

Noelle smiles, softly, but more genuinely.

"It's okay, Miss Sky. I'm in therapy these days, and I've got friends who are kind and supportive, like you."

"And I'm much more careful about the items I make nowadays. It was something I was avoiding for years, but decided to face my fear." There's a bit of pride there, and her mood is lifting.

"I heard through the grapevine that it's your birthday. So...Happy Birthday, Sky! I'm treating you to a meal at the inn." Noelle says with a smile.

'Miss Noelle!' The blonde turned to the mage, a soft smile on her face.

'I admit... I'm not sure how you heard it, but I can't deny it.' There was a chuckle as she rubbed the back of her neck, although freezing at the proposition.

'I- Noelle you don't have to!' Her hand dropped slightly, glancing to the side. 'I-I mean, It's appreciated don't get me wrong, but you don't have to-'

[songofsilentechoes]

"I've kept relatively in touch with one; Myles. We were all mages, of a sort, and he was a bit of a recluse. I don't think he grasps the flow of time like mortals do. He'll appear from his home months or years later, and you'd think he was taking an afternoon nap. It's always a surprise when I get letters from him, usually all at once." She says, chuckling a little.

Her mood drops a little. "One of the others; Kiren...well. We all lost track of them." Her tone has a certain finality to it, as well as some guilt.

"He left the order before I did. Was an apostate, but I kept in touch. We played Coworkers and Cubicles on Fridays. It's because of him I was dragged into a stint of adventuring."

"Sky. Please be careful out there. Avoid curses and always appraise any new equipment. Even from me."

"I heard through the grapevine that it's your birthday. So...Happy Birthday, Sky! I'm treating you to a meal at the inn." Noelle says with a smile.

'Miss Noelle!' The blonde turned to the mage, a soft smile on her face.

'I admit... I'm not sure how you heard it, but I can't deny it.' There was a chuckle as she rubbed the back of her neck, although freezing at the proposition.

'I- Noelle you don't have to!' Her hand dropped slightly, glancing to the side. 'I-I mean, It's appreciated don't get me wrong, but you don't have to-'

[songofsilentechoes]

Noelle chuckles. "It certainly gave me stronger lungs. I bet I could hold a note for a long time while singing back then."

Being out of practice, as well as some of her habits likely impacted that.

"I do miss them from time to time. M-my old adventuring friends, I mean. N-not shouting to be understood. I don't miss that at all."

"I heard through the grapevine that it's your birthday. So...Happy Birthday, Sky! I'm treating you to a meal at the inn." Noelle says with a smile.

'Miss Noelle!' The blonde turned to the mage, a soft smile on her face.

'I admit... I'm not sure how you heard it, but I can't deny it.' There was a chuckle as she rubbed the back of her neck, although freezing at the proposition.

'I- Noelle you don't have to!' Her hand dropped slightly, glancing to the side. 'I-I mean, It's appreciated don't get me wrong, but you don't have to-'

[songofsilentechoes]

Noelle blushes. "I did after I returned to teaching with the voice. And when I wasn't able to speak, it felt like I needed to shout to be understood at all, since my students wouldn't notice unless they were paying attention."

She takes a deep breath and appears to yell, but makes no sound. However, the wispy letters are a bit larger. They read: 'LIKE THIS!'

She sighs. "Can you imagine being in an adventuring party where you're both mute, and somehow the most social person?"

"I heard through the grapevine that it's your birthday. So...Happy Birthday, Sky! I'm treating you to a meal at the inn." Noelle says with a smile.

'Miss Noelle!' The blonde turned to the mage, a soft smile on her face.

'I admit... I'm not sure how you heard it, but I can't deny it.' There was a chuckle as she rubbed the back of her neck, although freezing at the proposition.

'I- Noelle you don't have to!' Her hand dropped slightly, glancing to the side. 'I-I mean, It's appreciated don't get me wrong, but you don't have to-'

[songofsilentechoes]

COMMISSIONS ARE ✨ O P E N ✨

For a long while now I'd been meaning to redo my commissions pricing and types, so, I present to you all, my new comms lay out, info, etc!!!

Any further info can be found on https://mintyborb.carrd.co/ DMs are open for Q&A or on email found in my carrd.!

[songofsilentechoes]

Noelle clears her throat, looking sheepish. It's been awhile since she used the teacher voice.

"Y-yes. Let's get you something to eat, my friend."

And maybe a drink for herself to calm her nerves.

"I heard through the grapevine that it's your birthday. So...Happy Birthday, Sky! I'm treating you to a meal at the inn." Noelle says with a smile.

'Miss Noelle!' The blonde turned to the mage, a soft smile on her face.

'I admit... I'm not sure how you heard it, but I can't deny it.' There was a chuckle as she rubbed the back of her neck, although freezing at the proposition.

'I- Noelle you don't have to!' Her hand dropped slightly, glancing to the side. 'I-I mean, It's appreciated don't get me wrong, but you don't have to-'

[songofsilentechoes]

"Nope! You're being *gifted* a meal for your birthday. From me. If you want, I can hire you again for it if that will make it easier to swallow."

She blushes realizing her error. "Uhh...pun not intended."

"I heard through the grapevine that it's your birthday. So...Happy Birthday, Sky! I'm treating you to a meal at the inn." Noelle says with a smile.

'Miss Noelle!' The blonde turned to the mage, a soft smile on her face.

'I admit... I'm not sure how you heard it, but I can't deny it.' There was a chuckle as she rubbed the back of her neck, although freezing at the proposition.

'I- Noelle you don't have to!' Her hand dropped slightly, glancing to the side. 'I-I mean, It's appreciated don't get me wrong, but you don't have to-'

[songofsilentechoes]

Noelle nods. "And that's okay. The world is filled with all kinds of people."

"I think Iyana appreciates your input, but doesn't appreciate the patronizing tone. Your way might be correct for you, but instead of being hard on her, praise her when she does well and offer polite suggestions of different methods. She might ask questions, but I think she'll respond with an open mind."

"I can see where you're coming from with that. However, I think a little distraction can be a good thing to avoid burnout. We want her to enjoy her work and pursue it, yes? Sometimes that means taking breaks. And sometimes dabbling in some other puzzle can help relax the mind and allow one to return to their original work with a clear head."

"I have faith that her curiosity isn't leading her astray from her work. It's merely resting and seeing if there are more possibilities. Finding more tools for the toolbox."

[songofsilentechoes]

"Julian is a very powerful man of magic and science. If he said his blood is mana, I would suspect he might be telling the truth."

"I might not know how, per se. Maybe it's the cybernetics or his phoenix esper. I suppose it is possible to use it to power oneself like a construct or golem...but I'm taking stabs in the dark with no evidence."

"Knowing his power, he very well could have made that crystal himself before your eyes. He's...not a conventional mage, and weilds power I can scarcely conceive of."

"I think that's the best eay to describe it." Noelle says with a nod. "It can make it easier to use in ways it's attuned to, but it can still be used however you like."

"Wait, this is Dr. Robotnik's?" She seemed surprised, but smiles and relaxes considerably. "That actually explains a lot. His grasp on magitechnology is almost peerless. If Julian gave you the mana crystal, he must have faith in you to achieve your goals."

[songofsilentechoes]

Noelle smiles up at her. "I will, thank you, Oba." She says, enjoying the company and the flavors.

"It's funny. I grew up in a port city, but we didn't have rice often. The idea of eating it like this wouldn't have crossed my mind. We would've breaded it, or fried it, spiced it with spices exotic and mundane..."

She chuckles. "One of my favorite savory treats is potted fish. When done well, it's deliciously creamy, which I know isn't usually a texture one thinks of for fish...but it's buttery and flavored with cozy spices. It can be warmed, or spread on toast or a bagel."

"When I travel, I'm not a great hunter, and I can only forage to a point before I don't recognize the plant life and can't take the risk...so fishing is usually how I get my rations to stretch. A nice reminder to take a break on my travels....something I keep reminding myself of, even when I'm not traveling."

Noelle blushes as she's effortlessly scooped into the kami's lap. She was always so light. Still, Noelle didn't seem inclined to move out of the lap, settling in against her. She would listen to the heartbeat, the breathing and feel the warmth.

"I have not." She admits. "A little fruit would also go nicely with the fish, wouldn't it?"

She reaches over for another piece of sushi and fruit to try, clearly enjoying the company and closeness.

[songofsilentechoes]

ʘ‿ʘ

// Thank you! It's nice to have the feedback that my stuff is being read.

[songofsilentechoes]

Happy baby blocks! Are often worried are not good enough, but are glad that mama thinks of baby blocks as part of the quarry! Happy blocks. Clearly, will be good porosgiving.

"As am I. I'm always glad to see another festival, and this one seems to be a nice, straightforward one. Feasting and dear friends and family."

[songofsilentechoes]

ʘ‿ʘ

// Thank you. I note that you do notice what I post on dash, which is appreciated.

[songofsilentechoes]

ʘ‿ʘ

// I know you, of all people, definitely read my work. And I very much appreciate that, my friend.

[songofsilentechoes]

"I can see where you're coming from with that. However, I think a little distraction can be a good thing to avoid burnout. We want her to enjoy her work and pursue it, yes? Sometimes that means taking breaks. And sometimes dabbling in some other puzzle can help relax the mind and allow one to return to their original work with a clear head."

"I have faith that her curiosity isn't leading her astray from her work. It's merely resting and seeing if there are more possibilities. Finding more tools for the toolbox."

"I think that's why I assume you want to seek power. Wanting the ones who took my sound to 'grovel at my feet' isn't what I want. I just want my sound back."

"Imagination can't be taught, but it can be cultivated. I've been stepping away from the Vancian traditions, and have been exploring other methods of using magic. I'm not good at it, but that's not the point. I'm expanding my horizons."

"Still, I doubt I will ever earn anything more than your disappointment, but since that's been made clear, I've seen no reason to bother earning it, especially since I'm content with the pace of my research and my goals at the moment."

"As for Iyana, answering her questions doesn't feel like poisoning her mind when she's analyzing my answers with a critical eye. I've even heard she's asked other magic-users and gotten different answers. More data can only help her pursuit of knowledge."

[songofsilentechoes]

Gasp! Is true! Is almost porosgiving! Mamas will have food too?? Food for baby blocks???

"Of course. I don't see why we wouldn't. You're family, after all, little ones."

[songofsilentechoes]

ʘ‿ʘ

// Thank you so much. I'm glad you've been reading what I write.