Taran wasn't very smart, but it didn't take him too long to figure out that the man was spelling out something in his book. He must have some reason for silence, maybe... maybe he'd been injured and couldn't speak anymore. There were many delicate structures in the throat, many different things that could cause such an injury.

The important part was the question though, and Taran felt paralyzed by the two sides warring inside him. If he didn't speak up, then he might start fading into the background and stop aggravating everyone, but then he couldn't be helpful to the team. They were going to be his team, and he was going to be dragging them down enough considering he had barely reached adequate levels of training. He had to be helpful, he had to show them he was willing to try to make up for his failings. If he wasn't useful he was just dead weight.

"Sh-She made a sound like flowing water, sir." Taran said, facing but avoiding eye contact with the mute man in the monks robes, "It- It sounded like, there are underground streams and rivers in some of the c-c-c-caves, but the streams are tiny and drippy, or at least silent. Her sound was bigger, and there was a bit like rocks in it. So, it was probably a river. I-I, it could be, I don't want to assume of course, ma'am, but that could be her name. River?"

He was breaking out in a cold sweat, and he kept his eyes down. He was guessing, and talking out of turn, and-

Taran reached into one of his pouches and pulled out a vial of crushed mint, adding it to a mug and pouring himself some water, which he began drinking slowly. He needed to calm down, otherwise he'd vomit in the Trailblazer's office before even meeting them and that would lead to-

He needed to calm down.

(OOC: I have a 16 passive Survival, figure knowing what an underground river sounded like made at least some sense, though it skips some of the fun of calling River. "Babble" or "Brooke" until she storms over and steals Caelius's book)

Vishal continues to smile and addresses Caelius, "That's okay Caelius. I can speak to you with my mind if we need to. But if you prefer aloud I will do so unless we need to speak quickly." 

His attention then turns to Taran as the shy individual speaks up again, "That might be it. Is your name River? Yes." 

When Taran says River the bird nods excitedly before opening her beak a bit, the sound of a Dromite's voice coming through.

"River is this one's name~"

Caelius pats Taran's shoulder, nodding, watching everyone speak. He looks to Vishal, points to his head and shakes his head. He then signs in somatic thieves' cant.

Taran shrinks beneath Caelius's touch, worrying he did something wrong. Then he sees the signs, and his worry is replaced by shock.

Of course other people would know them, and a group like this, of course that makes perfect sense. How should he respond?

For a brief instant, a young girl's face flashes in Taran's mind, and the thought of what Sim would say causes him to blush in embarrassment. No, he'd keep it simple with his response.

Caelius nods and continues,

Vishal looks at Caelius with a smile and says, "No head. Okay. I can do that....maybe. And no....I don't understnad the hand signs. But I do understand Dwarvish, Quori, and the common language of the people of Khoravair."  

Taran nearly drops his mug in shock, and Vishal's words barely register. He quickly sets down the mug and signs out his response, all the while his mind whirring. This must be it, this must be why they called him to join this group, it makes so much sense.

Since Caelius and the others would be paying more attention to Taran's hands, they might notice something odd. His shoulders twitch, his feet shuffle, every part of Taran seems uncomfortable and vibrating with anxiety. Except his hands. Each movement he makes his precise, quick and controlled.

The actual thieve's cant:

Caelius shakes his head and signs,

 Caelius moves back to his corner, he looks to Taran and smiles reassuringly.

Quote from JacWalke >>

Juaan:

"I think your impression was quite funny. Keep it for next time." 

 

 
Startled, Juhaan makes a small leap and  tries to reply back both telepathically and aloud:

""Oi oi oi mate! Get off my head!" he shakes his head vigorously as if it helps clearing the mind connection "I gotta enough trouble as it is to keep all the voices quiet in there, I don't need an extra one, especially uninvited."

He then takes a notebook and starts taking some notes, quietly with the occasional glance at everyone else in the room.

Druhdaar sighs again in exasperation, then grumbles: 

" Will someone here tell me that's going on, by The Great Lights of Adar ?  "

The big man seems at a loss with all the hands signs and thieves cants being thrown back and forth between the various mutes, birds and telepaths. He wistfully looks at the wooden door he came in through, mere moments ago.

“Oh.....well I thought you’d be able to recognize a kalashtar since you’re here. I guess that assumption was wrong. I’m a kalashtar so I can communicate with just about anyone with mere thoughts alone. No need to talk aloud. And those three? They seem to share some language with their hands. Seems complicated. Telepathy is much easier.” Vishal explains as he turns towards Druhdaar. His face scrunching a little as it seems like he caught a little more smell of the wild man. 

"Oh, um, I'm so sorry Esteemed Vishal, Druhdaar, sir," Taran squeaks out, jumping slightly at the reminder of the other people watching. "I was trained in those hand signals by Father, they are meant for silent communication in the field, though as the Esteemed Vishal points out Telepathy is a far quicker and safer, as long as one is capable of performing the feat and can keep the glowing of the eyes from revealing ones position." He was rambling, he could tell, but he had to let them know so he pressed on.

"Mr. Caelius was simply asking if I could translate for him, which I am honored to do for him and yourselves. I know I'm practically useless in the field, so anything I can do to help, I'll do it, just..." Taran takes a long gulp mint-water, he had to slow down, otherwise he might say the wrong thing. "Just ask." he finishes weakly.

" Mere thoughts uh ? Well, how bloody fantastic . But I'm no Kalashtar, see ? and I'm getting bored of this ! "

 Druhdaar now rises to his full 6-and-a-half feet and puts his hands on his hips, staring down at everyone in the room.

" Listen, all of you: I have been called here along with Halrac's kid... " he points at Taran, still busy trying hand signs with the bird-headed Kenku called River and the deaf-mute walking around with a wordbook, whose name the big druid didn't quite catch, " ... and I expect the purpose wasn't to learn deaf-mute or listen to a bird do circus tricks, even if the damn thing's tone perfect. Now, does anyone know WHY we're here ? " After a dead look at each of them he adds with a meaningful frown: " And please use plain words : not signs, not bird noises, not projected thoughts and flashy blue eyes and whatnot. Just... WORDS !  "

Vishal puts his hands up in mock surronder as he says, "There's no reason to yell. This isn't a bar or a festival. We can hear you when you speak in a normal tone of voice. Storm or quake the path is clear. I'm a new member of the Road and I'm here to meet with the trailblazer. It's probably safe to say the same for all of us. We're waiting for them to arrive it seems. Get our first mission and all that. Now, if you're satisfied with that answer I suggest you sit back down and wait." As Vishal speaks his normal go with the flow tone has changed to be slightly more serious, as it is obvious he is getting annoyed at Druhdaar's outbursts. 

"We kill people!" The bird says in the voice of a young tiefling woman, perhaps a bit *too* excitedly.

Caelius purses his lips and walks over to Druhdaar. He opens his book and begins to write out a sentence, “I am Make-ing Do With What I Have, Which Is Not Much. Do You Under-S-T-A-N-D?”

The big man's face had slowly started turning purple, a small vein pulsating on the side of his neck, his meaty, scarred ham-sized fists clenching and tightening ominously as he stood facing Vishal, and he was about to open his mouth to answer the kalashtar's sermon with some choice words when the discreete, silent figure of Caelius came into his field of vision, sticking the wordbook under the hirsute druid's nose.

Druhdaar took a long moment and stood motionless after reading the words written on the page. He then passed a tired hand on his face and turned his back on Vishal to fully face the mute sorcerer. His agressive demeanor had completely transformed and he seemed almost hesitant of holding Caelius' stare as he mumbled:  

" I didn't mean you , I know you can't  speak... That would be... It's just... Aw, damn this ! " 

As he delivered the notebook back into the mute's hands, Caelius thought he could detect something very near contrition - or even shame - in the rough forester's demeanor.  When the pale green eyes scanned the room for Taran, for a moment they all could clearly see the depth of sorrow and distress on the big man's face, as if he was asking his younger, much shyer ward for help. No-one else heard or saw a thing, but the cracked, blistered lips underneath the bush of shaggy hair moved imperceptibly and Caelius could clearly distinguish the words, even though no sound passed Druhdaar's lips: 

Without warning the man's rage had subsided and he seemed deflated, as if exhausted by his own outburst. Without a word or another look at any of the others, he sat back down on his chair and started examining the length of his great gnarled oaken staff, as if hoping to find the answers to his own inner turmoil within the designs of the polished, sweat-stained wood of the weapon,  all the while hitting the stone floor with its lower end in small, nervous taps.

At the mention of killing people, Taran flinches, though he tries to hide it (Deception: 17 )

"Ev-Everyone, please, I didn't mean to cause a scene. Let-Let us calm down, the-the-the Trailblazer might walk in at any moment, I don't want to have ruined all of your chances. If they think, I mean, it might come across that, we can't remain stealthy or prepared in a room, then, they might think you all cannot do the mission. We just... we just have to wait..."

Caelius studies the druid before nodding, pointing at the word "Thank". He returns to his corner, continuing to watch everyone speak.