"Do you really need to apologize?" asked Manon looking genuinely curious, she went over to her pile that had built up under the light switch. ”You sat through one of my dramas, that is enough punishment. My dramas have always been terrible, they make people hurt. Comedy is so much more fun! A laugh hurts, too, but we are so happy to hurt in such a way."
Manon settled back on the bed with her bee, and tugged over her bag, "You and I have sides of us and things we don't want to share with anyone else. In this room it is just ze two of us, so let us be our ugly, beautiful, honest selves. No one has to know what happens in these four walls. But, I want you to feel at ease with me."
Again, she was up on her feet, this time toddling over to Willow with her face in her bag. Then, she whipped her blonde-headed, green-eyed face up to reveal a new addition to her look.
A single googly-eye pressed to her forehead.
"Better, non? Does it ignite ze passion in your heart?"
[The Dorms] A Perilous Acquaintance
Re: [The Dorms] A Perilous Acquaintance
“Not quite,” snorting and rolling her eyes, Willow stood up and quickly plucked the eye off of Manon’s forehead. With a flick of her wrist she tossed the googly onto Manon’s… Drysi’s bed. Stepping around the French girl, the Brit crossed the short distance to the minifridge. Pulling out her water bottle she took a long drink as she considered the situation. Manon’s declaration felt like the lead into a I’ve seen that movie joke, but decided against that kind of humor. Was this just a ploy to dig for rumors? No, that didn’t seem like something Manon would do. Despite what the clown had said, Willow didn’t particularly feel on edge around the other girl; so long as she was dressed normally. If Willow offered up information, then would Manon offer anything in return? It could be a good way to learn about the other girl, and perhaps talking about some stuff would be helpful.
“I discovered a new metal I could burn yesterday,” Willow said between sips, starting off with a bang.
“I discovered a new metal I could burn yesterday,” Willow said between sips, starting off with a bang.
Re: [The Dorms] A Perilous Acquaintance
Willow's reveal prompted a thoughtful stare from Manon as though she seemed to realize that she was being tested. While she was happy Willow seemed to have recovered, and even happier that she seemed to be over her intrusion, she considered her next words.
"Interesting," Manon said, settling back on her– Drysi's bed. "I do not read as much as Johann, but I understand there is not much known about your art. Though, if that's all you wish to say, I won't pry. Malgré ce lien fraternel de silence, je sais à quel point les mages aiment leurs secrets. Tit for tat, you showed me yours, now I show you mine."
Manon straightened herself, and with her usual panache revealed…
"I am not a clown."
"Interesting," Manon said, settling back on her– Drysi's bed. "I do not read as much as Johann, but I understand there is not much known about your art. Though, if that's all you wish to say, I won't pry. Malgré ce lien fraternel de silence, je sais à quel point les mages aiment leurs secrets. Tit for tat, you showed me yours, now I show you mine."
Manon straightened herself, and with her usual panache revealed…
"I am not a clown."
Re: [The Dorms] A Perilous Acquaintance
“Just trading. Seeing if we’re on the level. Can’t just go blurting out too much. Also, pretty sure I mentioned, but I, in fact, do not know French,” Willow said as she hopped onto Drysi’s bed and put her back to the wall. The bed had become the unofficial couch of the room, at least as far as Willow was concerned. That said, that had only been since after the trouble in the Wilderwood, as before then Drysi had always snapped at her for trying to sit there.
“So, how are you not a clown? Not gonna claim to be a mime, are ya?” the Brit asked.
“So, how are you not a clown? Not gonna claim to be a mime, are ya?” the Brit asked.
Re: [The Dorms] A Perilous Acquaintance
"Encore mieux, je peux faire semblant d'être uneb vieille grand-mère qui pense que son gendre étranger ne peut pas la comprendre."
Manon smiled warmly, in a way someone did when they knew something that others didn't. Unaware of the significance of the Drysi's shared space, she sprawled out, lounging comfortably so she could look up at Willow.
"Non, non, non, mon cheri. I have had a change of heart; if we are haggling, then I want to know more," demanded Manon coyly, gently kicking her legs back and forth, "tell me about your metal, and then I will tell you more of me."
Manon smiled warmly, in a way someone did when they knew something that others didn't. Unaware of the significance of the Drysi's shared space, she sprawled out, lounging comfortably so she could look up at Willow.
"Non, non, non, mon cheri. I have had a change of heart; if we are haggling, then I want to know more," demanded Manon coyly, gently kicking her legs back and forth, "tell me about your metal, and then I will tell you more of me."
Re: [The Dorms] A Perilous Acquaintance
Willow scowled down at the apparently not clown. Although she had expected the game to become turn based, so the look was more for show. Pursing her lips, she considered how exactly to go about talking about the metal. It was… peculiar, to say the least; or rather the metal was pretty normal, but its effect was what was odd. Bright side, perhaps this would be a good opportunity to test aspects of it that she was still unsure of. Burning Iron, she pulled a cloth from where it sat on her desk across the room. Pulling out the vial she had pocketed earlier, the allomancer leaned over the edge of the bed before carefully undoing the cloth. Wrapped inside was a small amount of metal flakes that glittered in the light. With a steady hand she coerced some of the metal into the flask. Shaking it up with her thumb over the small opening, Willow then drank the vial. Then she burned the new metal. Then nothing happened.
Willow sat staring at a fixed point in space with a stoney look on her face.
“Do you see that?” Willow asked as she pointed to empty air, the sound of her voice seeming to return to its sullen sound from earlier.
Willow sat staring at a fixed point in space with a stoney look on her face.
“Do you see that?” Willow asked as she pointed to empty air, the sound of her voice seeming to return to its sullen sound from earlier.
Re: [The Dorms] A Perilous Acquaintance
Manon waited patiently for this show of power, secretly eager to see what Willow could show off. Unlike most of the other mages at Safeholme, Willow had arrived powerless, a state of being the not-clown was painfully familiar with. It wasn't until the incident with Drysi that Manon knew Willow could do anything.
So it was reasonable for Manon to be a bit disappointed when nothing happened. She looked at Willow, and then turned back around to look at the space with a pair of opera glasses.
"I must have shown up late to ze show, because I think I missed it."
So it was reasonable for Manon to be a bit disappointed when nothing happened. She looked at Willow, and then turned back around to look at the space with a pair of opera glasses.
"I must have shown up late to ze show, because I think I missed it."
Re: [The Dorms] A Perilous Acquaintance
A sigh of relief left Willow’s lips as she stopped burning the metal. Burning more Iron, Willow pulled a metal spiral notebook from her desk. Catching it as it was yanked on invisible string, she plucked a mechanical pencil from the spine. Proof positive that the brawler was capable of critical thinking, she’d opened to a spot in the middle of the notebook that was filled with notes. It had columns set up where she appeared to have been studying what each metal does. Now she jotted some notes in the newest column: Gold.
“Actually kinda glad you can’t see it,” Willow said with a slight hum, her demeanor returning to its status quo. “That was gold. Thought I was being clever, like, if Iron and Tin are so useful; surely Gold can be burned and will give me some amazing power. Turns out I was only half right. Still not one hundred percent on what it’s about, but… hmm. So, the thing you weren’t seeing was, well, me; but not me. Like, alternate reality me, where instead of being sporty and adventurous I became… like Mom. Other Me looked like a school prefect, long braided hair, and the same dismissive look that apparently runs in my family. Like, if I had done things different, I could have been her, and she could have been me.”
Flipping the notebook shut, Willow frisbeed it up onto her bed.
“Best I can tell, the only thing that metal gives me is melancholy. I could see myself through her eyes, and I got the feeling that she could see herself through mine. We were both disappointed in how the other turned out…”
“Actually kinda glad you can’t see it,” Willow said with a slight hum, her demeanor returning to its status quo. “That was gold. Thought I was being clever, like, if Iron and Tin are so useful; surely Gold can be burned and will give me some amazing power. Turns out I was only half right. Still not one hundred percent on what it’s about, but… hmm. So, the thing you weren’t seeing was, well, me; but not me. Like, alternate reality me, where instead of being sporty and adventurous I became… like Mom. Other Me looked like a school prefect, long braided hair, and the same dismissive look that apparently runs in my family. Like, if I had done things different, I could have been her, and she could have been me.”
Flipping the notebook shut, Willow frisbeed it up onto her bed.
“Best I can tell, the only thing that metal gives me is melancholy. I could see myself through her eyes, and I got the feeling that she could see herself through mine. We were both disappointed in how the other turned out…”
Re: [The Dorms] A Perilous Acquaintance
"But you are both still Allomancers?" Manon stared on in the empty space, intrigued by its emptiness to anyone but Willow. “I must only take your word for it, but I see no need for you to lie to me. To see through another person’s eyes is… interesting.”
The not-clown rolled off the bed and tightly flipped forward once stood on her feet, popping up into the air into a spin that erupted confetti into the air. To Willow’s chagrin, the clown had returned, her arms high in the air.
“This is ze mask I wear every day, of Manon ze Clown, ze girl who laughs and tumbles and tickles ze funny in us all,” she presented herself with that same showy flair, before wiping a hand over her face. The clown make-up wiped away and Manon’s red hair was tied up in that same tight braid Willow had seen herself wearing. “But this is ze mask I could wear if I wished to perform as a student.”
She tugged the bow on her chest and the colorful clown ruffles popped into a plain Safeholme uniform. “Convincing is it not?”
From the neck of her shirt, she took out a pair of glasses and put them on. “Even better. I look ze part of a studious learner. I can do this easily, change myself and my outside, but it does not mean that I suddenly know everything the studious role knows. It is but a role.”
Manon rubbed her chin, looking the part of a scholar, “But you, mon ami, you cannot act to save your life, you are painfully honest, but yet you have the ability to be in the mind of someone who’s lived a completely different life. It sounds like this gold puts you so much in a role, that a script would be pointless. Just think, if you had been a clown, you’d be able to look at me with a little more appreciation, non? You’d recognize my tumbles, my moves and my bits. It takes a lot of work to be this funny.”
The not-clown rolled off the bed and tightly flipped forward once stood on her feet, popping up into the air into a spin that erupted confetti into the air. To Willow’s chagrin, the clown had returned, her arms high in the air.
“This is ze mask I wear every day, of Manon ze Clown, ze girl who laughs and tumbles and tickles ze funny in us all,” she presented herself with that same showy flair, before wiping a hand over her face. The clown make-up wiped away and Manon’s red hair was tied up in that same tight braid Willow had seen herself wearing. “But this is ze mask I could wear if I wished to perform as a student.”
She tugged the bow on her chest and the colorful clown ruffles popped into a plain Safeholme uniform. “Convincing is it not?”
From the neck of her shirt, she took out a pair of glasses and put them on. “Even better. I look ze part of a studious learner. I can do this easily, change myself and my outside, but it does not mean that I suddenly know everything the studious role knows. It is but a role.”
Manon rubbed her chin, looking the part of a scholar, “But you, mon ami, you cannot act to save your life, you are painfully honest, but yet you have the ability to be in the mind of someone who’s lived a completely different life. It sounds like this gold puts you so much in a role, that a script would be pointless. Just think, if you had been a clown, you’d be able to look at me with a little more appreciation, non? You’d recognize my tumbles, my moves and my bits. It takes a lot of work to be this funny.”
Re: [The Dorms] A Perilous Acquaintance
“Gold is… complicated. I don’t think Other Me is an allomancer, or at least can’t imagine the scenario that would lead her to do something so inadvisable as to drink metal. The only thoughts she had looking at me was: Thank God I didn’t end up wasting my life,” Willow moped again. “Like, ouch, right? Pretty sure as far as she’s concerned I am the clown. That’s why I had a turn my brain off day of watching the rain and some horror movies.”
Leaning against the bed frame so she could prop her head up on a braced arm, Willow shifted to consider Manon’s revelations.
“So who are you without any mask?”
Leaning against the bed frame so she could prop her head up on a braced arm, Willow shifted to consider Manon’s revelations.
“So who are you without any mask?”