Fray-Adjacent

Okay, that was a new voice. Xander set the laptop aside and went to answer the door. "Hi?" he said as he opened it, not noticing the ferret at first.

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"Uh, hi. I'm Ronan, I'm a new student at the school... Are you Xander?"

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Bridge might be bouncing a little on Ronan's shoulder. //Hey! Over here!//

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"That'd be me, yeah." Xander nodded, and only then noticed the ferret.

He peers at it, blinking. ~~You'd think he'd clue in what with the involuntary switch to present-tense, wouldn't you.~~ "....No way."

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//Yes way,// Bridge sighs. //Again.//

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Ronan blinked and looked at Bridge. "You didn't mention this had happened before," he said. He turned back to Xander. "Uh, your boyfriend seems to have turned into a ferret while I was talking to him -- not my fault, I swear -- and asked me to bring him to you."

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Xander frowned. "You speak ferret?"

He also held out his hand and the frown quickly turned into another expression entirely, because d'awww.

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And Bridge takes that opportunity to scramble off Ronan's shoulder and into Xander's hand.

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Ronan can't help it. He smiles at the cuteness.

"I speak the Speech," he said. "It's, uh... I guess it's from my home universe? Anyone who knows it can understand any language." He shrugged. "So I guess it's lucky that he was with me when it happened?"

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"You didnt happen to see any suspcious-looking trees around, did you?" Xander tries to frown at Ronan but, well, ferret. With WEE BLACK PAWS.

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"I asked it," Ronan said, again smiling because Xander was just so cute with the ferret, and even he can't stand against that. "It said it hadn't done anything, and trees aren't normally known for lying." He paused. "And I've only ever met one being that could lie in the Speech, and it's not exactly our average being."

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"It's just the last time he turned into a ferret, a tree was involved. ...named Xander. No relation."

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Ronan blinked. "... I keep feeling like things here are supposed to surprise me, but nothing so far really has all that much. I'm not sure what that says about where I come from."

He turned to go. "So, uh. I hope he turns back into a human soon?" A thought occured to Ronan. "Oh! I could... try to make it so that you can understand each other?"

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Xander snickers at the first thing Ronan says, but it's the last bit that makes him raise an eyebrow and look hopeful. "Really? 'Cause I don't speak ferret. Some Rat? But really not all that similar."

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Ronan nodded, and checked with the Knowledge for what he needed. "Yeah, I think I can do this. Short-term/targeted end point -- I'd set that for Bridge returning to human form -- telepathic bond with a vocal/subvocal cue? So basically you'd hear the thoughts associated with whatever either of you is saying. Or subvocalising, if you wanted, so that you're not talking out loud to a ferret in public."

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//Works for me,// Bridge gives the ferret version of a shrug.

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Ronan looked at Xander. "He says it works for him."

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"You haven't been in Fandom long enough if you think anybody's gonna be surprised by me talking out loud to a ferret in public," Xander tells him with a nod.

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"You make a very fair point," Ronan said. "So, shall I, then?"

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"Go for it. ...This doesn't require nudity or blood-sacrifice, right?"

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"No," Ronan said. "Just words." And he started structuring the spell right there at the open doorway, weaving the words around the three of them as best as he could. He let their names flow through him from the Knowledge without reading them, without knowing them, just letting the syllables fall one-by-one from his lips. He didn't want to know the things he'd learn if he paid attention.

The familiar sensation of the universe leaning in to listen fell around the three as Ronan got closer and closer to the end of the spell.

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Bridge's powers might not work in quite the same way that they do when he's human-shaped, but he can still *feel* the spell as it begins to work.

//Xander?// he tries. //Can you hear me now?//

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Ronan finally reached the end of the spell, and with a quick word sealed the spell. The world returned to normal. "Try it now?" he said. "It should work now."

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Okay, so apparently he'd ~~pinged~~ spoken too soonas Ronan's spell hadn't finished yet. So he tries again.

//Xander? Can you hear me?//

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