#ajfgkaldjgsk i cannot believe

[devorakdork]

imagine if you will that you and Julian share a language that isn’t Vesuvian, and isn’t his mother language. you both just. kind of picked it up, separately, and it isn’t really until one afternoon when you find yourself cursing in this language that Julian’s ears perk up and he asks what you just said.

“oh, no, I’m sorry-- I didn’t mean to say that.”

“my dear heart, I know you can have a mouth as dirty as any pirate I’ve ever met before. that’s not what I’m talking about. you never told me you spoke another language!” and it’s a moment before you respond, eyes squinted at his outburst. “well... you never asked.”

it goes on for the next few minutes, harmless exchanges about how could you have kept this from me? how long as this been a thing? I thought we told each other everything!! that eventually ends in you going, “Illya,” except this time there’s a hint of an accent when you speak. the words that follow are foreign and familiar at the same time for him, causing his mouth to abruptly shut. “stop being so silly. you speak seven languages!” 

“but you know about those seven!” another pause. the edges of his eyes crinkle in a soft smile. the slight whine in his voice is exchanged for the confidence of an accent picked up from years of traveling. “as clever as you are beautiful, I know.” 

again, words borrowed from another language. and just like that the mood shifts back to your everyday experience, except you both have slipped into using your shared knowledge of this language. it goes on, easy conversation: mostly small questions he asks to test your range, to better learn your history. you comply the best you can, most of your responses have an almost knee-jerk easiness to them. some questions make you pause, considering.

it takes about fifteen minutes for you to wear down and say, “that’s all I can do for now, Julian.” the stupid grin on his face is inescapable, his praise almost immediate.  “it’s been so long since I’ve had a good conversation! that was brilliant, darling.” you can’t help the pout on your lips.  “I’m really not that great when it comes to speaking--” “all the more excuse to practice!”

and that’s how you both create the habit of speaking to each other in a second language. sometimes it’s a full day thing, from “good morning,” to “goodnight.”  sometimes it’s just a greeting, just a term of endearment, or maybe it’s a word that you can’t find that translates in the Vesuvian language. sometimes you use it with each other in the marketplace when you’re getting your haggling strategy coordinated, or when there were things that you weren’t wholly interested in announcing to the crowds. 

#julian devorak #the arcana #fan apprentice #illya devorak #the arcana game #angelica wrote this #ajfgkaldjgsk i cannot believe #i've thought about this all day #when your oneliner headcanon turns into this #i'm not proofreading you get what you get until the day i decide to flesh this out