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 Posted: Sat Feb 07, 2009 8:42 pm
Locke had just come to a wonderful, clear realization. Now he was struggling to empty his head of the thoughts and pin them forever onto paper before they disappeared altogether. The long, elegant quill was gripped by equally long and elegant fingers as he spattered ink on a few sheets of paper in his hurry. The endless droplets of rain pattered down and ran in long streaks along the windows of his spacious study. The sun had set and evening was beginning to set in, but the rain had not stopped the entire day and refused to give up now.
The Tabula were no less the enigma they had been when he had encountered his first; that woman on his bed. He had made very slow progress, learning, bit by bit, only the most mundane scraps of information, such as lack of modesty, aversion to clothing, and an apparent worship of Aquinas (he feared he would never understand that one) on the part of a certain Tabula.
It was in this noble effort to learn more that Locke had sent for one of them, Theron. He hoped to teach the Tabula something about reading and writing, since he had seen the boy show an interest. Hopefully, he'd learn a little something new himself.
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Posted: Sat Feb 07, 2009 10:46 pm
More or less, Theron had become quite opposed to any sort of attention that he didn't call for. In the beginning he was dressed as if a doll, only to lose every article of clothes throughout the day or altogether when backs were turned (and sometimes when they weren't). Now he was dressing himself, if at all. He was gaining the will to turn aside any sort of help and fight it off if need be. There were a lot of things that Theron did not know, but he was beginning to make the valiant effort to become independent whether he made it a conscious decision or not.
One of the powers he had discovered that he had, and perhaps the most simple, was choice. And the majority of the time, he was choosing not to cooperate. He watched the others of his kind- flouncing, adoring, compliant little drones that allowed themselves to be steered and settled into neat little routines. Theron felt he had to set himself apart. Besides, something was just so satisfying about being coaxed, almost begged to come along, being asked to do something rather than being led. The last thing he had been absolutely forced to do was to attend the day that he found his attachment to the 'gods', and ever since then matters seemed so much less pressing.
When he was called upon, Theron was listening to the tempo of the rain against his window, studying and pondering over his feelings for the strange phenomenon. He wasn't sure he liked or disliked it, for making the courtyard outside a much more dreary place to look at. But it did look interesting, streaking its way down the glass in slow rivulets. He was annoyed at being interrupted, but did listen to the message. For a moment he simply sat there, then with a method he had practiced in the reflecting glass, dismissively waved the help away. After they were gone, he unfolded his legs and rose to go to the community closet. He wouldn't keep Locke waiting, at least not for long.
Theron didn't care for Aquinas, and if there was anyone who he disliked as of yet it was Tanee. Aquinas carried himself too loosely, spoke far too lengthily, made motions far more staccato than Winter found himself fond of. He didn't have any more reason than that to hold against the man, but if Theron was anything he was quite particular about what he actually did like. Locke, now that man had interested him. A caretaker by Tabula recognition, but such an enigma. It wasn't that Theron had decided that he liked the man, but he was curious and that was what made all the difference whether he came or not. And it was an offer to teach him something he had wanted to learn, how could he refuse?
Luckily for Locke, Theron was among the most temperate of Tabula. Yes, he demanded a certain level of attention, but when he entered the man's study he did not announce his presence right away. His sock-clad feet were soft upon the carpet as he crept toward the man, light blue eyes watching the quill dash along the parchment in rapidfire strokes. The philosopher seemed very absorbed in his work, so Theron made not more than a whisper of cloth as he slid to the side of the man's desk and waited quite patiently. Today he had chosen an ensemble that he thought fit his body well as much as it did the weather- soft gray trousers that came halfway up his navel and a light blue shirt made of silk or some variation. Probably the latter due to the nature of who was wearing them. His shirt was tucked into his pants, and the front of it unbuttoned just above his collarbones to show the elegant key tied close to his neck by means of a ribbon. He liked the way the pants gripped his waist, pulled things tight but didn't feel constricting, and he just liked the fabric of the shirt very much. The socks were mostly so he didn't get hassled on the way over, because he really didn't mind the cold, as little of a surprise that was. Winter took a pause to patiently await the elegant runes to cease, absolutely sure he would be noticed.
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Posted: Mon Feb 09, 2009 4:36 pm
Locke, engrossed in his manic writing, failed to notice the Tabula that had stepped into his study and stood in front of him. He stopped momentarily to raise a finger and tap at his temple, muttering darkly, before sweeping the page he had just filled with tiny writing to the side and revealing a fresh one. Locke was halfway through his first paragraph on the new page before his quill began to simply scratch at the page, having run out of ink. As he reached over to the inkwell at the corner of his desk, Locke was, for the first time that evening, aware that he was no longer alone in the room.
His pale eyes widened with surprise as he finally took notice of the Tabula-- Theron, this one was Theron-- and Locke reached up to adjust the thin frames of his glasses.
"You are Theron, correct?" He couldn't think who else it would be, but Locke, turning slightly pink with embarrassment, found that he had not quite gotten the hang of telling the Tabula apart yet. "And here for some reading and writing?" Locke found himself peering intently at the key that hung around the boy's neck. He had noticed that all Tabula, after their summons to the Divine Order, returned with a key in one form or another. He wanted to study one more closely, but he had the feeling that no Tabula would allow him to. They seemed to be strongly connected, the Tabula and those keys.
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Posted: Mon Feb 09, 2009 5:29 pm
The young man vessel straightened a little more at being recognized, tilting his chin slightly as he silently preened with the vocalization of his name. "I am," He confirmed cooly, "And you are Locke."
If there was one smidgeon of use he had gotten out of that bouncing little flower of a girl, it was that. He allowed his eyes to drop to the papers on the man's desk, lips pulling slowly into a thin line before his gaze returned to Locke's only to find it was directed elsewhere. "Are you sure you are not too busy?"
Oh, he was quite possessive of that key, indeed. He wore it proudly and allowed no one but himself to take it off or put it on him. He couldn't stand the thought of someone else so much as touching it. It seemed to give him strength somehow.
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Posted: Mon Feb 09, 2009 7:10 pm
"Oh!" Locke had not been expecting the young man to know his name; he hadn't thought the Tabula cared very much about the more mundane things that surrounded them; they attracted the mystical without effort.
Locke shook his head absentmindedly at Theron's question. "No, no. I think some reflection on the subject would do me good. The Tabula are rather too confusing to take on in one fell swoop. Perhaps I'll think of something new in your company." That was what he hoped for, at least. He had been poring over the connection between the Tabula and the Gods; there was something there, he knew, but as to the nature of what it really was, Locke was at a loss. He could not fathom why the Gods were so keenly interested in the Tabula and what they chose to do in their everyday lives. Maybe they were as intrigued by them as he was? He smiled at the silliness of equating a God's curiosity to his own. Hubris was apparently alive and well.
"I saw you, once. Writing, I mean. Would you care to show me how far along you are?" The man slid a sheet of smooth, white paper out from between its brethren and slid it over the dark wood of his desk to the Tabula, accompanied by a thin silver rod of a pen.
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Posted: Mon Feb 09, 2009 7:53 pm
He simply could not help the smile that stole over his generally reserved features, delighted by the surprise in the other man. It was a little wry, almost a smirk if his eyes weren't shining so bright. But feeling the strangeness caused him to turn his head to the side in the next moment to hide it away until he could focus on what was being said to him. The Tabula, that meant he and the others that looked similar to him (he would never admit identical).
"I don't think I would be a standard," He dared to say, tilting his head as Locke seemed to find something humorous. Ah, he was doing that thing where you thought to yourself and forgot what else was going on. Theron was trying to decide if he was offended or not when the man offered him a pen and paper.
The Tabula hesitated, drumming his fingers upon the desk before he plucked the pen up between thumb and first two fingers of his right hand. Writing, he had not ever been taught, but he had looked at texts and tried to stare at the runes until they made sense. It hadn't worked, obviously. And he would find himself so angry, seeing others write and hold books below their noses and know something he didn't. He wanted to be in the know too. And though he felt a rush of heat in his cheeks as he delicately traced out what he remembered, he went through the motions anyway.
He wrote the alphabet, though not necessarily in the correct order nor near one another. He printed capitals and lowers alongside one another, shapes that matched one another. So while things like 'Z' and 'z' were paired with one another as similar, so were 'q' and 'g' and 'p'. And finally, under what he had he spelled 'Theron' without a flaw. He had demanded to know how to spell his name- he couldn't even remember the poor lady that had indulged him. This he slid back to Locke, setting his jaw.
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Posted: Mon Feb 16, 2009 11:57 pm
"A standard?" Confusing they were, these Tabula, without a doubt. Locke's confusion flitted over his face for a moment as he paused to ponder what the Tabula had just said. It seemed... it seemed that this one was already developing a sort of longing to distinguish himself from the rest in some way. He hadn't paid much attention before this point to the individual quirks of the Tabula, not knowing that such things actually existed. But here it was. So they were distinct, subtle as it may seem. He looked at Theron with renewed curiosity, tilting his head without noticing.
"Oh. I am sure it will be interesting and pleasant to be in your company anyways." He was nothing if not sincere; Locke was honestly looking forward to a quiet evening full of learning.
And then Theron began to write, subverting Locke's gaze downwards towards the sheet of paper, quickly being filled up with letters. Locke did not know anything about the inner workings of the Tabula mind, he realized, and he had always pegged their mental capacities as roughly equivalent to young children. With Theron's scribbles of evidence, however, Locke found that he had greatly underestimated them. To be so far along without any instruction! He felt the excitement rush to his cheeks as his normally pale face began to take on a tinge of pink. "You spelled Theron perfectly! It's wonderful! You are much further along than I had thought you would be, Theron."
He grabbed another pen, much more drab than the one he had handed Theron, and carefully drew out a large capital "A" onto a new sheet of paper. "We should begin, I think, in order. This is an A, the first letter of the alphabet."
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Posted: Wed Feb 18, 2009 10:55 am
Would Locke have said as much if he was aware of how he was feeding the Tabula's already voracious ego? Well, it was too late now. Theron let the praise seep through him, more valuable to him than anything else at the moment aside from his one prized possession. However, he only allowed himself one very small, serene smile in return. He kept all the rest of the pleasure inside instinctually.
"Ay," He repeated, studying the familiar shape of the letter. Now it had a name. He repeated it within his head. A A A... He placed hands upon the end of the desk, leaning weight on it casually. He didn't seem to mind standing, his eyes returning to Locke in hopes of more.
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Posted: Thu Feb 19, 2009 4:02 pm
"Very good!" Locke thought that Theron likely was good enough for him to go through the alphabet a little faster... he seemed to know bits and pieces, and just needed someone to help organize all those little bits into something meaningful.
Locke carefully drew out the next few letters, large and perfectly formed for Theron to look over. "Then there is B, C, D, E, F and G. It's important to know what everything is called, because that helps you with the sounds."
He had been struck by a thought. "Maybe we could make you some charts for reference? To help you if you need it?"
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Posted: Tue Mar 03, 2009 2:01 pm
"Bee, si, dee, ee, ehf, gee." He repeated, his head nodding faintly with every one that he put away. The Tabula considered- there was an E in his name. Ee. He took it in greedily, coveted the information.
There was a faint blink at the offer. "If you'd like."
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Posted: Fri Mar 06, 2009 12:39 pm
"I think it would be a good idea. Then if you get lost, you can simply look things up on your reference chart, rather than try to find someone to help you. I'm afraid," Locke winced, the memory of being thwapped rather hard on the side of the head by a palace maid only this morning fresh, "that some of the people around the palace are most unhelpful in this regard."
He smiled at Theron absentmindedly before a pile of fresh sheets of paper were before him, and he set to work drawing out the alphabet for Theron.
When he had finished, he held them up so the Tabula could see them right-side up. "Now, the next ones are H, I J, K, L, M, N, O and P." Locke pointed to each dragged out the syllables for Theron's benefit. "The letters are always in this order until you put them into words; when they are in this order, it is called the alphabet." Locke continued to recite the letters until he reached Z, upon which he stopped and placed his papers full of letters in front of the Tabula. "These will have to do until I can get around to making you a proper chart. Do you have any questions thus far, Theron?"
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