Forgotten tongues [Runic Terran][open?]

[Kuroko]

“Like sands in an hourglass, so are the days of our lives” or in this case, Oda Kuroko’s. Today, as usual within the village of sands, the hot sun bared down upon the citizens. But all was calm and life was still flushing throughout the village. Actually there wasn’t anything special about the day and in fact, It was boringly normal. Kuroko found himself lofting around the villages roof tops and wondering about his future. For over six years now, Kuroko had been nothing more than a genin. Most of his comrades had long since surpassed him and yet, he happily sat back idly for so long without a care in the world. But things were about to change, and a decision had been made.

“It’s time to learn something new. Maybe the library can help point me in the right direction.” He thought, before standing up brushing off his pants. “Yeah, that’s what I’ll do.” Grabbing his gear, he set off towards the oracle’s library. He didn’t hardly know anything about the oracles, but that was most likely due to his own idleness.
Sighing, he quickly psyched himself up and went about his way. Before he knew it, he find himself coming across a strange building, that was onyx and orb shaped, underneath a steel square structure. “What the hell is this?” He thought to himself before entering.

At first glance, he shocked. There were more scrolls, tomes, and books than he could probably even count. The Library seemed old but organized and well maintained. For some reason, a shiver ran down his spine. He had no idea to expect, but still he proceeded. “Is anyone here?” He spoke.

Word count: 280
Marked for training

 

[Kazu]

Kazu’s eyes hurt. His back ached. His thoughts buzzed around inside his head like an angry hornet’s nest. ’How much longer do I need to be here? How long have I been here? Why isn’t there anything more interesting to do? Who made history, politics, and whatever the hell else is in this book so BORING?!?’ Kazu needed a break — desperately. Like usual, his attitude towards hard work was to simply try harder; eventually, if he bashed his head into the brick wall in front of him hard enough, it would come crashing down…right? Laying his chin down onto the table he was sitting at, the young boy looked with crimson red eyes to his left, and his right, taking in the literal stacks of books he’d collected for himself to tear through at this table. He let out a dissatisfied ‘thhch.’ He bent his face all the way down against the wooden surface, hiding his eyes, and scratched at the back of head — covered in charcoal black hair — with both hands furiously.

’AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!’ He thought (loudly) to himself. Kicking his feet wildly in frustration, the young boy was beginning to realize that, perhaps, it was his head which would shatter before the brick wall before him. But that didn’t mean he had to like it, either.

”Is anyone here?” Came a voice, from down a couple aisles of bookshelves, floating mercifully through the near-empty library to reach Kazu’s exhausted ears. They perked up, even before he could lift his face off the table, like a call to adventure. A respite from the wasteland of words he’d subjected himself to. Once the young boy had lifted himself up off the table he’d been using as a pillow/hiding place, it could be seen that a big smile beamed across his face. ’I mean, I just have to say hello, right?!’ Clearly, the young boy wasn’t looking for an excuse to not work. Not at all.

”I am!” Said Kazu, poking his head out from around the corner of a bookshelf aisle with a big grin on his face. He was dressed in a simple black t-shirt, mauve green shorts that went past his knees and had a lot of pockets, and a pair of simple black sandals that could be slipped off easily. Today was his day off from physical training and shinobi missions — he looked like any other kid (who might have decided to stay indoors and read instead of being outside playing with friends), and certainly seemed to have the appropriate amount of energy for his age. ”Although…I guess I kind of need a break. Thank goodness you came along when you did!”

He took in the sight of the boy before him: almost a full foot taller than himself, with mossy green hair and golden eyes, the newcomer seemed a few years older than Kazu was. Although, age had never stopped him from making friends before. ”Did you come to find a specific book? I’ve been in here for…well, longer than I’d like to have been, actually…so maybe I could help you out? I could do with stretching my legs.” Extending a hand in greeting, as seemed to be customary among newly-met peoples, Kazu offered the golden eyed boy a smile, as well. ”My name’s Kazu! Nice to meet you.”

 

[Kuroko]

And just like that, it didn’t take long for someone to reply. “I am!” Exclaimed a voice from not to far away. Glancing around, he noticed a boy slightly younger than him grinning. ”He must be excited to have company. There’s not really anyone else around unless they’re hiding” thought Kuroko. Listening to the kid speak, it was clear he had been here for a while. ”Well, I’m glad there's someone else here.” He spoke, before continuing to listen to the boy. It wasn’t much longer until the asked him if he was looking for a specific book and them somehow managed to offer to help him with a question. ”That’d be nice, but I don’t mean to trouble you. Though, to be honest I don’t exactly know what i'm looking for yet. I just kind feel like it’s time to learn something useful for my line of work.” He told Kazu, before watching him extend his hand.


”The kid’s pretty mature. I wonder how much younger he is than me.” He thought before extending his hand out, to shake the young man's hand. ”I’m Oda Kuroko. It’s nice to meet you as well.” He said, before briefly pausing for a moment. ”Is there anything you’d suggest? I’m a Genin within the village’s Shinobi corps and I've been slacking on my training and focusing on my career as a blacksmith for a few years now. I’m hoping to refocus myself.” He told Kazu not really expecting a good suggestion. But who knew, there were preteens who were his equals in rank. So, it would probably be wrong of Kuroko to just assume.

Word Count - 272
[I'm just getting back into the swing of rping. Sorry for the short response.]

 

[Kazu]

”That’d be nice, but I don’t mean to trouble you. Though, to be honest I don’t exactly know what I'm looking for yet. I just kind feel like it’s time to learn something useful for my line of work.” Kazu nods, listening intently to the older boy’s explanation. In the village, there are all kinds of professions — shinobi were actually a relatively small minority — so it wouldn’t be surprising for the older boy to be looking for any number of subjects. That hardly dissuaded Kazu; in fact, that may even have made the young boy more curious and inquisitive. ’Maybe I can learn something new while helping this guy out!’ Kazu loved to learn. He also loved trying new things. If he was able to take a break, meet someone new, and learn something all at the same time, he was, totally, onboard. That smile never faltered as he waved off the older boy’s humble remarks about not wishing to trouble Kazu.

”No trouble at all! Seriously, this is a pleasant break for me.” The older boy returned the handshake, and Kazu gripped with a physical strength that was rather unexpected for a kid so young. These were a warrior’s hands. ”Kuroko! That’s a great name!” Kuroko continued on after a moment, and Kazu once again listened quite intently. ”Is there anything you’d suggest? I’m a Genin within the village’s Shinobi corps and I've been slacking on my training and focusing on my career as a blacksmith for a few years now. I’m hoping to refocus myself.” Kazu placed his right elbow in his left hand as he brought his right hand up to his mouth. His index finger rested perpendicularly to his two lips, his middle finger rested on the opposite side of his chin, and his thumb hooked underneath his jawline — this was a pose the young boy assumed often when he was deep in thought. His eyes wandered off to one side, and they seemed to no longer look at anything in particular, but rather through everything in front of him. ’Hmm…Genin…blacksmith…refocusing on training…’

Kazu was nowhere near as skilled as an actual librarian might have been, but the young boy had been to this library a lot in the last few months while he continued in his self-taught studies. He had encountered many books in that time, and furthermore had a good understanding of shinobi abilities, and fighting styles, due to his Clan’s rigorous training methods. Without warning, he balled his right hand into a fist and slammed it down into his left palm. ”HMM! I think I know just what you need!”

Motioning for the older boy to follow, Kazu led him down a few aisles towards a section labeled ”Shinobi Arts — Taijutsu” where the boy began to run his finger against the spines of the books resting there, searching for one or two in particular. ”A blacksmith should know how to wield his weapons, yes? Are you a swordsman? Perhaps an archer? Maybe a brawler? Whatever your style, you probably ought to focus on honing your fighting style first — I figure that’s probably easier, and comes with a faster payoff, than practicing your chakra techniques if you’re a tad rusty.” Kazu also figured that having Kuroko work with something he was already interested in (namely weaponry that the older boy, himself, might be able to forge) might help push him to practice harder and more regularly than he had been previously. At least for Kazu, practice came easier when it was something that interested him.

”I always find that the best place to start is wherever seems the most fun and catches your attention.” As he says this, Kazu’s eye spots something rather odd. About halfway down this aisle, crammed in amongst the other books, is an old tome that seems rather out of place. ’Now who could’ve done that, hmm? It’s only polite to put away books properly!’ Yet, that was not the only thing. The script on the spine of the book was not written in Common, and was unlike anything else he’d ever seen. Flowy, and elegant, the lettering seemed very foreign — and very fascinating — to the young boy. His eyes stayed locked on the out-of-place book as he continued on speaking to Kuroko. ”I mean, really…if it doesn’t catch your eye, then how do you expect to pay attention to the subject in front of you…yeah?”

Somehow, the irony of the situation was lost on Kazu in that moment.

 

[Kuroko]

The boy seemed more excited to have company than originally anticipated. Smiling slightly as the boy brushed off helping him as a problem, Kuroko nodded and just let the kid take lead. Chances were that the boy spent way more time here than he did anyway. Though, Kuroko immediately noticed something odd about the child. His grip strength was exceptional, especially compared to other children that looked about his age. “Between his manors and grip strength, I can probably assume he’s not just your ordinary kid.” Thought Kuroko, before realizing that the child was seemingly lost in thought.

But that didn’t last long before Kazu replied, and then quickly motioned for him to come along. Without giving it to much thought, Kuroko followed the kid to an aisle titled “Shinobi-Arts Taijutsu”. Glancing at the shelves, he saw various titles and books. Some seemed as if they hadn’t been touched in years, while others appeared to be new. Reaching out with his left hand, he placed his hand on the top edge of one book in particular, he stopped just before listening to Kazu speak. He suggested weapons training, since he was already a black smith. It normally would be a good start, but Kuroko’s obsession with weapons didn’t extend to his life as a Shinobi.

Yes, weapons based Taijutsu and skills would be a huge part of his repertoire, but his obsession with them is what caused him to slack off in his training to begin with. While learning to wield weapons, it pushed him to try and create a perfectly balanced weapon with a unique design. Something he still hadn’t accomplished, and actually needed to take a break from. "I agree with you on that, but I get obsessed with the weapon itself and my attention gets ….” He said before stopping.

Odd as it may have been, Kuroko’s words came to a halt. There was a strange book, or tome that obviously didn’t belong here and it had seemingly caught both of their attentions. It was weird, and Kuroko couldn’t make out the spelling at all. For a brief moment, it would seem like Kuroko would actually space out and not hear Kazu’s final words. Sighing, he spoke. ”Any idea what that says?” He asked Kazu, while pointing at the odd script on the spine of the book.

Word count = 390
Marked Training

 

[Kazu]

Kazu’s eyes traced the lettering, drawn in by the foreign script that seemed almost to dance this way, and that, as if it were a pillar of sand billowing in the wind. It was so pleasant to look at. So alluring to gaze at. ’It’s like…I know it…somehow.’ But that was ridiculous. He’d never seen anything like this before in his life. Right?

”Any idea what that says?” Kuroko’s words snapped Kazu out of his daydream, causing the young boy to shake his head slightly trying to get rid of any lingering illusions. He noticed the older boy’s arm was stretching out past his body, pointing directly at the book which had caught his own eye, and wondered if perhaps he wasn’t the only one of the two to have been transfixed in such a way by the oddly scripted book. ’Was I not just imagining things?’ Kazu wasn’t sure, but there was a sense of foreboding about him. A tingle in the tips of his fingers, and his toes. ’Why do I feel like I have to pick it up?’ Kazu’s expression was blank, his thoughts swirling around in his head just below the surface, but his voice had developed a more rigid edge to it, compared to before, when he answered Kuroko. ”I..I have no idea. But it does look…pretty…doesn’t it?”

There are all sorts of tales cautioning children to be careful when they encounter something…odd. Strange items, and unknown circumstances, could sometimes lead to trouble, or worse. Kazu had always thought to himself, ’I’d never fall for something like that,’ when hearing these stories, believing himself except from the foibles others succumbed to. He should have known better.

”I’ve…never seen a book like that in here before.” He had taken a step closer to it, without realizing. His eyes never left the intricate lettering on the spine of the old leather tome. ”I’m curious…what kind of book is it?” His hand extended out, his index finger trailing along the other books on the shelf until he was only a couple books removed from the one in question. He paused, for a moment, before looking back to Kuroko. ”There’s no reason for us not to read it, right? If it was off-limits, the librarians would have it under lock and key, right?” He was rationalizing, out loud, and hoping the other boy would agree with him. ’That way, if both of us do it together, I’m sure everything will be fine…’

He waited a moment for Kuroko’s response. But something inside Kazu pushed him over the edge — he brushed his hand against the book’s spine, and felt a sort of…tingle…flow up from the tip of his finger up through his arm. Nothing…painful…but still very odd. His eyes widened, slightly, in response. ”I think we should read it,” said Kazu, barely believing the words coming out of his mouth. He was still looking at Kuroko, but his eyes seemed to be struggling not to pull away towards the book.

If Kuroko agreed, Kazu would pull the book off the shelf — admiring the ornate front cover that was decorated just as beautifully as the spine — and hold it so that the two of them could peer over its pages together. Should the two of them begin reading, there would be a single first page that seemed to have been added in after the book was originally written. This page was written in Common, legible to all who might read it. It read thusly:

This book and its secrets are protected by the Sunagakure government. The secrets of Runic Terran are obtained through diffusion, meaning that this book actually passes its legacy into the holder. Everyone's experience with this influx of information varies — that is, their experience can vary from a slight glow in their hands to searing pain in their head that could incapacitate them for weeks. It is said that these experiences vary because of how the soul accepts new things; while this is only an Oracle hypothesis, it is the prevalent theory. According to this theory, those who are willing to accept new things have an easier time acclimating to this new language. Many Oracles, due to perhaps their love of learning, find the diffusion of Runic Terran to be an easy process. Upon obtaining Runic Terran through The Annals of the Conqueror (diffusion), the shinobi is immediately fluent.

 

[Kuroko]

it was an awkward silence, yet Kuroko knew both of them were mesmerized. Today was supposed to just be a day focused on education and perhaps, a direction. Though, things were playing out rather oddly. Kazu was a new acquaintance, and yet who knew what this day would mean for the both of them. Suddenly, Kazu replied and made it clear he had no idea as well, but he did call it pretty. “I guess you could say that... it’s definitely not something you see every day.” He thought to himself.

Raising his right hand up behind his head, he began to rub and scratch the back of his head as Kazu continued. As Kuroko remained silent, as Kazu explained that he had never like that in here before and as to how he was curious as to what kind of book it was. As he prepared to speak, Kazu continued and explained that there was no reason for them not to read it though and that if it was forbidden, it probably wouldn’t be there to begin with. ” It’s probably completely out of place, so there’s no telling. Even if we’re not allowed to, there’s always the excuse of us saying we didn’t know and blaming someone else for not doing their job. So, we might as well.” He said, probably coming off as a bad influence.

“I think we should read it” Said Kazu, as Kuroko nodded towards his comment. Watching as Kazu pulled the book off the shelf, and opened the book, Kuroko got closer to where he could read what was displayed upon the pages. Apparently, the book and it’s secrets were protected by the village, which implied this book was important. It mentioned runic terran, and how learning this new language caused different people to react a differently.

Reaching out to the book, Kuroko placed his finger under a certain sentence, and drug his finger from the beginning to the end of it if kazu allowed him to do so. ” Upon obtaining Runic Terran through The Annals of the Conqueror (diffusion), the shinobi is immediately fluent.” Taking a break, he shook his head. ”It’s talking about a new language and how a shinobi becomes immediately fluent upon obtaining this book or something.” He stated, as his head began to ring. Suddenly, he looked down and an expression of confusion crossed his face.

Word count = 350+
Training post - marked

 

[Kazu]

”It’s probably completely out of place, so there’s no telling. Even if we’re not allowed to, there’s always the excuse of us saying we didn’t know and blaming someone else for not doing their job. So, we might as well.” That, and a short nod, were all it took to convince Kazu to proceed. In all fairness, the boy didn’t seem like he wanted to be persuaded not to read it — a little push from Kuroko was more an excuse, than a catalyst, as it were. Returning the nod, although perhaps a tad unsteadily (or maybe warily), Kazu opened the book and began to read. It was too late to turn back now.

His fingers took in the feeling of smooth, soft leather; his eyes drank in the intricate beauty with which each page was wrought. ’Penmanship as fine as this must surely be a skill more closely guarded than the most forbidden of shinobi techniques,’ thought Kazu, haughtily, to himself. Yet joke or not, the book was something to behold. The ink seemed to draw his eyes from one word to the next, popping off the page, and gently coaxing him further along. The boy felt a dull humming reverberate through his body, yet he ignored it. He felt a warm current of energy snake its way into his fingertips, up his arms, and throughout his body — but he ignored that, also. His eyes kept going. He kept reading. The voice in his head, which read aloud the words on the page before him began to grow distant, echos bouncing off the interiors of his mind, distorting the voice into one which he didn’t recognize anymore. Still, he kept going. Still, he kept reading.

Breaking his concentration, Kuroko reached out towards the book and placed his finger along the page, tracing out a single sentence: ”Upon obtaining Runic Terran through The Annals of the Conqueror (diffusion), the shinobi is immediately fluent.” Something about that sentence seemed important, somehow, but Kazu couldn’t quite put his finger on it. The older boy spoke, casually, ”إنه يتحدث عن لغة جديدة وكيف يتحول شينوبي بطلاقة فور الحصول على هذا الكتاب أو أي شيء,” and, without thinking, Kazu says back, ”في الواقع.لكن هذا يبدو سخيفًا ، أليس كذلك؟ كيف يمكن للكتاب أن يشبع المعرفة بهذا الشكل ، على أي حال؟”

Suddenly, all at once, the realizations began to pour inwards onto Kazu. His eyes shot wide in horror, and he nearly dropped the book like it was a hot skillet — it had taken every ounce of his willpower to simply slam the book shut and toss it roughly onto the nearest bookshelf. His heart was racing quickly, and he realized with a start that the odd feelings of spreading warmth and energy were no longer there. ’لقد فقدت عقلي. يجب أن يكون لعن هذا الكتاب.’ His hand shot up to cover his mouth before he could let out a wail of terror, but still managed a small, frightened, yelp. His gaze sought out Kuroko’s, and he nearly choked on the words which had to leave his mouth.

”انها في رأسي! من قبل الآلهة ، ماذا فعلنا؟!” Kazu thought he was going to be sick. Clutching his stomach, as if sure of the fact that he really was going to lose his lunch, the miserable young boy continued on in a worried, almost manic, voice. ”ماذا لو كان هذا دائمًا؟ كيف سنحصل على المساعدة؟ لا أفهم على الإطلاق ما يحدث ، لكنني بدأت أخاف بالفعل!” He looked to Kuroko with a worried, and expectant look. The older boy would know what to do in this situation...right?

Spoiler: Translations

Kuroko: It’s talking about a new language and how a shinobi becomes immediately fluent upon obtaining this book or something.

Kazu (speaking): Indeed. But that seems ludicrous, right? How could a book imbue knowledge like that, anyways?

Kazu (thinking): I've lost my mind. That book must be cursed.

Kazu (speaking): It's in my head! By the gods, what have we done?! What if this is permanent? How are we going to get help? I don't understand at all what's happening, but I'm really starting to freak out over here!

 

[Kuroko]

And just like that, the sentence written within the book came true. Neither one of them expected anything of it, but todays fateful encounter now had them set them down a path they hadn’t fathomed. Listening to Kazu speak, Kuroko understood the strange sounds and words coming from him. It was all a lot to take in, and with the ringing in his head getting worse with every passing second, he finally replied. ”هذا غير ممكن” He spoke, not realizing it was affecting him as well. Not only did he understand, but he could speak the same language. His eyes widened.

Watching as Kazu slammed the book closed and then tossed it, he continued to listen to the kid freak out and assume this was permanent. Reacting without thought, he made a suggestion before quickly grabbing the book from the shelf Kazu tossed it to. ” أولا ، تهدأ. نحن بحاجة إلى إيجاد أمين مكتبة أو شيء ما” Said Kuroko, in this weird language. Looking at the book, his mind began to race. Right now, the world was a strange place. Kuroko knew that many different things could happen, but he had never expected something like this. Logically speaking, he chalked it up to some sort of sealing technique. One to store knowledge and pass it, once certain conditions had been met. Then again, the were no real truth to that, only an assumption.

” لقد كنت هنا لفترة أطول مني. هل تتذكر أي شخص آخر هنا؟” He spoke, looking down. Kuroko was trying to hold himself together, as to not worry Kazu. Trust was, he was just as scared. But as a Samurai, he could not show fear. Courage, especially in confusing moments like these were mandatory for him. Walking out from between the shelves, and into the main hallway, he glanced back at Kazu and waved him to him. While out there, he began looking around and shouting. ” أمين المكتبة يخرج من هنا ويساعدنا!” He shouted, hoping to make enough noise to catch someone's attention. Maybe they could explain, if they could even make heads of tails of what they were saying.

Word count - 355
OOC - Feel free to rp a librarian if we're allowed to. I'm enjoying this audio jumanji thing you set us up with lol.

Spoiler

[هذا غير ممكن - That’s not possible.]
[أولا ، تهدأ. نحن بحاجة إلى إيجاد أمين مكتبة أو شيء ما - First, Calm down. We need to find a librarian or something. ]
[لقد كنت هنا لفترة أطول مني. هل تتذكر أي شخص آخر هنا؟ - You’ve been here longer than me. Do you remember anyone else here?]
[أمين المكتبة يخرج من هنا ويساعدنا! - Hey Librarian get out here and help us!]

 

[Kazu]

Kazu’s mind raced in every direction at once. Was the library spinning, or just his vision? His breaths were short and shallow, audible if not loud, and his chest heaved slightly as the boy attempted to grapple with the reality of the strange situation. Things would have gotten much worse for the boy, if not for Kuroko’s re-assuring words: ”أولا ، تهدأ. نحن بحاجة إلى إيجاد أمين مكتبة أو شيء ما"

It was still very weird for Kazu. Logically, he shouldn’t have understood a word of what was just said. The sounds were strange, the lips movements were weird, and the grammar was completely off from what he was used to. But this wasn’t logical. He did understand, and quite fluidly, too. But that’s not what he needed to focus on right now. Kuroko was right — freaking out wasn’t going to help right now, but finding a librarian would. Kazu forced himself to breathe deeply. The fear and confusion was still there, but now it had been buried deeper down within him — smothered, quartered off, and ignored.

“أنت على حق. أنا ... لقد ذهبت بعيدا. يجب تحضير شينوبي لما هو غير متوقع ، ويواجهه المحارب وجها لوجه." Kazu was back in control of himself, if barely. With a mission in mind, he could focus his efforts, singularly, on completeting that task: find a way to get out of this. Kuroko continued on, thinking quickly, remembering important details when it mattered the most. ”لقد كنت هنا لفترة أطول مني. هل تتذكر أي شخص آخر هنا؟” Kazu’s eyes widened in realization, and a slight bit of embarressment that he hadn’t thought of that himself. Of course! They could find an Oracle!

"أوراكلز! هم حفظة المعرفة في هذه القاعات ؛ إذا كان أي شخص يعرف ، فمن المؤكد أنهم سيفعلون!" Even when there were next to no other patrons wandering the aisles, Kazu had often found a robed, masked, figure hurrying off to find a specific scroll, repair a damaged tome, or simply patrolling for anyone who might be disrespecting the fruits of their labor. They must know. They had to. Wasting no time, Kuroko raises his voice to make sure he’s heard by anyone nearby, "مرحبا أمين المكتبة الخروج ومساعدتنا!" Normally, Kazu might have winced at the loudness — he’d been scolded a number of times before for being too loud in these halls — but in this circumstance, Kazu realized this might be the best way to attracted the attention of the Oracles. Raising his voice as well, Kazu added to Kuroko’s pleas in an attempt to attract the attentions of someone who could help them: "هل يفهمنا أحد ؟! قرأنا كتابًا غريبًا والآن لا يمكننا التوقف عن التحدث بهذه اللغة الغريبة!"

"What in the world?!" A voice carried down the aisles of bookshelves towards the younger and older boy, followed closely behind by a figure in a flowing robe and a plain mask that obscured the person’s identity. Though it was apparent, by the individual’s voice, they were dealing with a middle-aged woman. An Oracle, a keeper of knowledge, had answered their call; however, they didn’t appear all too happy about it. "What have you two children done?!" Though Kazu and Kuroko could not see the eyes of the person behind the mask, that did not mean the Oracle could not see plenty of their own. Striding past the two "children" — despite Kuroko’s obviously more adult age, to this Oracle they were both practically toddlers — the Oracle snatched up the book The Annals of the Conqueror and held it up accusingly at the two of them. "Did you do what I think you did? And what, now you’re stuck speaking Runic Terran and expect me to help you stop, huh?" Shaking their head, the Oracle didn’t even have to remove the mask for Kazu and Kuroko to know they wore a look of exasperation.

"أيها الحمقى. فقط لأنك تمتلك الآن المعرفة للتحدث بلسان منسي ، فهذا لا يعني أن لسانك قد نسي كيف يتكلم بشكل طبيعي!" The Oracle tucked the book the two had found underneath her arm, clearly intending to take it with her for safekeeping — from her tone and mannerisms, it seemed she didn’t trust the children with it any more than she could throw them. "Simply speak. You do not need me as much as you think!" Turning to walk down the other end of the aisle from where she had appeared, the Oracle began to stalk off back towards what she had been doing.

Kazu, confused, merely called after her: "انتظر ، ماذا تقصد ؟! انتظر!"

Spoiler: Translations

Kuroko: "First, Calm down. We need to find a librarian or something."

Kazu: "You're right. I... I got carried away. A shinobi must be prepared for the unexpected, and a warrior faces it head on."

Kuroko: "You’ve been here longer than me. Do you remember anyone else here?"

Kazu: "The Oracles! They are the keepers of knowledge in these halls; if anyone would know, surely they would!"

Kuroko: "Hey librarian get out here and help us!"

Kazu: "Does anyone understand us?! We read some weird book and now we can't stop speaking in this weird language!"

Oracle: "You fools. Just because you now have the knowledge to speak a forgotten tongue, doesn't mean your tongue has forgotten how to speak normally!"

Kazu: "Wait, what do you mean?! Hold on!"

 

[Kuroko]

Everything considered, at least the two of them could come to an agreement. Kuroko found the situation somewhat funny, but only because it made no sense at all. Had he not come here today; he wouldn’t have ever learned this language or met kazu. Nodding his head at kazu, he listened as Kazu explained that there were people called oracles, who were keepers of knowledge here within the library. Shortly thereafter, the two found themselves shouting the halls. “Does anyone understand us?! We read some weird book and now we can't stop speaking in this weird language!” Said Kazu, as Kuroko just demanded. The two of them had very different ways about going about things.

Fortunately, enough, it wouldn’t take long for someone to locate them. "What in the world?!" A voice shouted at them. Glancing over in the direction of that voice, he watched as a masked and robed figure approached them. The only thing Kuroko could tell about the person was that it was most likely a woman, and perhaps much older than he. Right now, he was quiet as the person began to scald them, by calling them children. Kazu was, but Kuroko wasn’t. Though at this very minute, it didn’t matter.

Watching as to woman snatched the book and placed it under her arm, Kuroko seemed to relax a little bit. The masked woman didn’t seem to concerned, and he was rationally explaining that they didn’t need any help what so ever. Just because they learned a new language didn’t mean that they couldn’t speak their original tongue. With that, the woman began to leave and Kuroko could only watch as kazu called out to here, still asking for help.

Taking a deep breath, he thought before he spoke. Being careful, he thought of the pronunciations of his words, and the sounds each syllable made together. ”Relax!” He shouted, towards Kazu. At the moment, it was the only word he got out. Even still, it wasn’t in ‘runic terran’.

Wc = 300+

Marked for Training

 

[Kazu]

The Oracle did not stop, turn back, or give either of the two boys a second glance. This was a non-problem, in her eyes, and it would solve itself given sufficient time. The sound of her retreating footsteps all but faded, causing Kazu’s last words — a desperate plea for help — to turn bitter on his tongue. An annoyed scowl formed as the boy stared after where the Oracle had retreated, deciding quite intently that her attitude was quite annoying. ‘لم يكن عليها أن تكون وقحة حيال ذلك!’

Kazu’s mind was a tangled mess of frustration, annoyance, and mild terror at the idea of being stuck as he was forever more. But just then, a glimmer of hope surfaced! Kuroko seemed to have figured something out, as suddenly the older boy managed to squeak out a single word in Common. “Relax!” The word, while still only a single one, had great impact. The implications raced through Kazu’s mind, as he turned over the woman’s words again in his mind: “Just because you now have the knowledge to speak a forgotten tongue, doesn't mean your tongue has forgotten how to speak normally!"

“انتظر لحظة...” Speaking aloud without really thinking, Kazu allowed his mind to simply process what it needed to in it’s own way. Vocalizing helped organize his thoughts. “هل هذا يعني أننا نستطيع فقط ... speak?” Kazu’s eyes widened when he realized what had just happened. It was an odd feeling, like being pulled in two different directions at the same time, and it would take some getting used to. With so much information about another language crammed so quickly into the two Genin’s brains it was a wonder they were able to sort things out well enough as it was.

Kazu and Kuroko would continue like this, trying slowly but steadily, to separate the two languages in their minds. Eventually, switching between the two languages would become second nature to them. The Oracle had been right: while the experience had certainly been jarring (when not expected), there was no danger to either of them. Time was all it took to become accustomed to the new information gifted to them.

Afterwards, Kazu and Kuroko would joke about their shared experience a bit before deciding they each had had enough of the library for one day. After an experience like that, some fresh air and sunshine would do them a lot of good. And, after an experience like that, Kazu would be a lot more careful around inanimate objects that seemed to draw someone into them. You never know what might happen!

[ooc: Topic Left Unless Stopped.]

Spoiler: Translations

Kazu: She didn't have to be so rude about it!

Kazu: Wait a second…

Kazu: Does that mean we can just...