IC Inbox

[asmywitness]

[[Tyler screens his calls - anyone who tries to actually call him, he'll text back in reply.]]

Comments

[fingersandteeth]

"Can you look down at the card?" he asks her out loud. "We're trying to teach you to communicate with each other. You'll look down at the card and try to show him the picture on it with your thoughts."

[asmywitness]

The borb looks at the card then. Then looks back at Steven.

A few seconds later, there's the wobbly, wavering impression of a plus sign in his mind.

[fingersandteeth]

"That's good," Steven says encouragingly, "but don't send it to me. Send it to him." And he'll point over to Tyler.

[asmywitness]

Isis tilts her head, and bounces across a few steps on the machine so she can see Tyler over Steven's shoulder - he's looking a bit uncertain now, at the lack of current response.

Until he stiffens suddenly, at the psychic response in his head; then he snaps his fingers twice to get Steven's attention and show, with a look of confusion on his face, a cross with his fingers.

○

[fingersandteeth]

Steven gives him a thumbs up, then turns over another card.

"Try it again with this one," he says. "For him again too. Tyler, the boy over there, your trainer... he's going to need your help with things, so we need to get your mental connection stronger."

[asmywitness]

Natu are hard birds to read. She just stares at Steven for a few moments, then looks at the card again.

Steven gets the image first, but it's a bit halting, and disappears from his mind much more quickly this time. Then Tyler snaps his fingers again and draws a circle in the air.

∆

[fingersandteeth]

Another thumbs up.

"Good girl," Steven coos. He flips another card, then points to Tyler. "Show it to him. He likes you, you know. He just can't hear or talk. That's why you two need to get better at connecting your minds, so that you'll be able to communicate."

[asmywitness]

Isis looks up at Steven again, and gives a small chirp.

Behind them, Tyler actually makes a small noise of surprise as he sits sharply upright, frowning in open confusion.

[fingersandteeth]

What happened? Steven texts.

[asmywitness]

Steven uses the heel of his fist to point at Steven, then makes a loop around his face with his index finger.

She sent me your face, not the card.

[fingersandteeth]

Oh whoops. I think I should probably be more specific this time.

He taps the card. "Show this one to Tyler?"

[asmywitness]

Isis turns her eye back on the card, tilting her head in an almost critical manner.

Tyler just texts him. Triangle. Also, at least she knows that sending faces isn't a bad idea. It could be useful for pointing out potential marks.

[fingersandteeth]

That's true, Steven agrees. I should work something out like that with Acatl. She's getting the hang of sending images. Should I start her on sounds?

[asmywitness]

I mean, sure. That's going to be more on me to learn spoken English, though. Which, like he can do, and his expression as he sends the text isn't particularly resentful. The only time I've worked with sounds, I was judging by the vibrations in my throat.

[fingersandteeth]

Fuck, right, you wouldn't have the connection of the two in your head, necessarily, would you? And English is such a bastard language, I say this as a bilingual, the spelling is every-fucking-where.

[asmywitness]

That gets a- oh, look, it's a smile. Almost. A smirk, maybe.

Quadlingual. Auslan, Taiwan sign, written English and Traditional Mandarin. And some random phrases in other languages, as you do.

As he sends that, Isis peeps, and Tyler blinks sharply again. And texts again: That was the back of your head.

[fingersandteeth]

You have me beat with my paltry American English and Mexican Spanish, Steven texts back. At least she's practicing.

[asmywitness]

I'll have to get used to not flinching. It was just very unsettling having visions forced into his brain right now.

He leans around Steven and holds his 'gear up to Isis; the small bird tilts her body, getting a better look at the item, and flashes an image of it into Steven's mind.

[fingersandteeth]

"Good girl," Steven tells her. "Okay. Okay, you can show him images. What about-- sounds? Can you show that into his mind?"

[asmywitness]

Isis puffs up happily at the compliment, and immediately relays Steven's voice to Tyler.

Who goes - completely stiff, eyes wide as a sudden panic grips him, and Steven will hear him mutter under his breath in perfect, albeit trembling mimicry of Steven's own tone. "Can you show that into his mind?"

[fingersandteeth]

Oh Jesus fucking Christ.

Steven grabs his phone and immediately texts, Shit. Are you okay?

[asmywitness]

Tyler's phone vibrates loudly in his hand, and he starts in surprise; that seems to break him out of whatever took hold, but his hands are shaking a little, and his typing is markedly slower than his usual breakneck speed.

I'm fine. Let's do something else.

He stands up then, moving past Steven to grab his very confused looking Natu, who turns her eyes to Steven. Hadn't she been doing good?

[fingersandteeth]

"Sssshh, it's okay," Steven tells her. "He just had a little shock. You should go back to practicing showing him things you can see for now."

Do you want to try something else with her just yet or should we take a break?

[asmywitness]

I'm fine. The repeat message gets sent with a flat stare, before he looks away to keep patting Isis. The bird hops from his hands up to his shoulder, still staring at Steven.

She's supposed to be reading my mind too, right? Maybe we should try using the cards on me so she can practice that too.

[fingersandteeth]

Right. Give me a second. I'm going to separate out one of each symbol and give the rest to you. Then I'll set it up for her and let you know when you can start

He does that, then shuffles them expertly and hands the stack of twenty over to Tyler. He then spreads out the symbols in a fan on the bench in front of him.

"Hey, we're going to try a new game," he tells Isis. "Tyler's going to look at the cards behind my back, where neither of us can see them. You're going to practice looking into his head so you can see the ones he's looking at. Okay?"