Silent swordplay (closed)

The keys on the computer clacked as Sebastian typed with impressive speed. His fingers were like pistons, clicking every letter and punctuation without fault. The young man, aged 19, stared at the screen as he typed. His focus was rather intense, seeming to block out the rest of the world around him. As he clicked away at the keyboard, his mother would be in the other room preparing herself and him some lemonade. The glasses clinked, the water flowed, and the kitchenette was filled with various sounds of preparation. Sebastian, however, could not pick up on these sounds as he was profoundly deaf, so it was easy to remain focused on the task at hand.

Around the corner his mother would poke her head, looking to see what he was doing. It seemed he had been at that computer for hours and hours, she thought to herself. Perhaps a break would do him some good. She smiled, gently coughing into her cloth before making her way around to his front as to catch his attention. She gently waves her hand in front of his face, breaking his focus as his hazel eyes move from the screen to her. He met her smile with his own, however it was a fleeting smile as he observed her coughing lightly in her cloth once more. She had not been getting any better, and he needed to do something soon... or else..... he didnt want to think about it.

She kept her smile, however, and began to use her hands to sign to him. She had been doing it for years, since he was diagnosed deaf, so she was quite proficient with it. Since she had grown up speaking and hearing just fine, she mouthed and spoke the words as she signed because it was more comfortable for her.

"Take a break from that screen, please. I made your favourite drink. Pink lemonade with a little grenadine."

His smiled returned, almost seeming to forget about her condition for the time being due to his excitement for lemonade. He had a thing for it, obviously, and it always made his day just a little bit brighter. Sebastian would simply hold up a finger and finish typing out what he needed, before closing his laptop and standing. Being the way he was, he didn't speak too often, even if it was all signs. He preferred body gestures to most things, and found he didn't need to sign all too much to get his point across. His mother's smile was warm as they entered the kitchenette together, sunlight bleeding through the curtains of the window over the sink. They often shared moments like this, just sitting, drinking lemonade, and being together.

While they sat, the question remained in the back of Sebastian's mind if his ad would be answered. It was a simple ad, but also sounding just a bit desperate. He had tried many jobs in many different fields, and his issue was always the same.... he couldn't hear anything. It made his life feel impossible sometimes. However he held onto hope that someone would need his particular set of skills. He was intelligent, a fast learner, and was able to pick up on things much quicker than others..... if only he could hear a damn thing, maybe things wouldn't be so tough. Hell he even tried the same thing his father did.... a big rig mechanic. Same thing though.... his disability was a curse sometimes.

AD: Young, highly intelligent man looking for work. I am a skilled mechanic, highly motivated and in need of money. I'm a fast learner, adept at changing environments, and have a highly acute attention to detail. I'm looking for any work at all, anything at all that needs even just an extra pair of hands. Please respond and contact me at the information below.

Sebastian was worried about his ad. He felt it sounded kind of desperate and meek, but he also refrained from saying anything about his disability. He was just afraid nobody would answer if he put that info into the ad...

”If yer gonna be posting ads like that on the computer, you need to up your security.”

These words flashed on his computer screen in a gaudy silver script like spiderwebs, his system suddenly shutting down for these words to appear. The next second, more words appeared in the same script, though flashing multi-colored this time. These words were simply “Look behind you” before his computer shut off completely, the sudden darkness bathing the room in darkness. In fact, it was a bit too dark; as Sebastian turned around, the first thing he would see was a man. Though in the darkness his face was shrouded, his hair was shining, like it was made from strings of burnished silver. If he cared to look, Sebastian would notice that vines had grown over the window and any other surface letting in light, making it effectively pitch black.

And then silver formed from a midair; at first nothing, but then vines grew along the wall as if made from metal, each ending in an oil-filled lantern, lighting on their own, filling the room with warm light and throwing the features of the man in sharp relief. He looked like some sort of conman; long silver hair down to his knees with bangs covering one, equally silver eye, flamboyant, multi-colored clothes, and multiple piercings in each ear and eyebrow. Necklaces and rings galore decorated his body. It was obvious this man liked to stand out. His hand were curled upwards as the vines continued to grow until they covered nearly every inch of his room, save for the bed and the chair Sebastian was in. And then, as light filled the room, he laid his hand down and began to sign with a fluency that suggested he’s been doing it for years.

”I saw your ad. I’m Haru, and I’m here to teach you.”

Sebastian was immediately unnerved by the message. He often got prank messages, or hateful comments, but this one seemed more.... omniscient to him. When his laptop shut down, he swirled around on his chair to see the figure standing before him. The darkness in the room took over rather quickly, and Sebastian was at a disadvantage as his sight was his most utilized sense due to his deafness. While he tried to observe the character before him, he noticed in the corner of his eyes the vines overtaking his windows and lamps. The darkness was broken apart by the lanterns that seemed to manifest from the tips of these now growing, metal vines. Once in view Sebastian immediately began focusing on the man who seemed to have supernatural abilities. Regardless of the phenomenon, Sebastian seemed rather calm and collected. It was no secret that heroes and villains existed, they practically destroyed the city every few years. Though a good portion of heroes were across the country in New York, some made their way to other cities like Chicago, Dallas, and even Los Angeles. So here he was, a crummy little neighborhood on the near outskirts of the City of Angels, and Sebastian was met with a hero.... or a villain. He couldn't tell at them moment if he had sinister intentions, or pure.

Once the man was done showcasing his abilities, he truly impressed Sebastian with a fluent knowledge of American Sign Language. Despite all the vines, the darkness, the manifestation, this simple fact was what drew Sebastian to the man. Having already memorized Haru's name, and his features, the young man focused on his hands signs now. He was efficient, fluent, making no mistakes whatsoever. This piqued his intellectual mind, making Sebastian curious as to Haru's abilities outside of the obviously demonstrated. Was he a kung-fu master, a weapons expert, or maybe he was just a multidimensional being with omnipotent power? The last one would explain why his mother hadn't come in and freaked out about the setting. Regardless, he clearly had his attention, and and Sebastian had Haru's, to the point of home invading, so to speak. The young man would stroke a hand through his hair, then began to sign just as fluently to Haru, really testing his knowledge and effectiveness with sign. Something about this encounter felt.... otherworldly, and not because of the vines and darkness. It was the presence of this man, Haru, his very being just felt...... unique and special. sebastian would shake his head softly, getting his focus back on track as his hands shifted swiftly.

"I apologize if my reaction wasn't as grand as you expected. I've seen aliens and such, so a man who can manifest and has some degree of technopathy isn't something too uncommon. So, I'm assuming this training is paid, however why are you taking me as a student? Why are you interested in some Deaf guy from L.A. who still lives with his mother and barely can pay rent? Also, what kind of training are you talking about, engineering?"