[ Nikolai can see Onni's movements telegraphed before he makes them. He can tell Onni is putting away the instrument because he's going to touch Nikolai's hands. Doubtless, it is a part of his magic; the magic that Nikolai wants very badly to work. If it had been anything less, Nikolai would have recoiled - layering on enough charm and wit to hopefully mask his weakness. But this matters, so he forces himself to be still and let Onni touch the scars.
The sensation itself is faint. Nikolai's hands have full function, but there is a numbness along the scars that has never gone away. It's not the actual feeling of Onni touching his hands as much as it is the idea of it. In Ravka, Nikolai wore gloves any time he was outside his own chambers. He didn't want anyone even looking at the scars, much less feeling them like this. ]
Päivätär
[ He repeats the name, testing it in his mouth. The pronunciation is challenging, but he gets close. Strange, but Onni's description of her makes something in Nikolai's chest feel tight. He thinks, naturally, of Alina. His voice is just a little tight when he speaks next. ]
Yes, she sounds like the right choice.
[ Then he watches, in increasingly rapt silence, as Onni begins to play music. At first Nikolai doesn't understand, but then Onni is chanting. It is so different to anything he has seen before. Grisha used their hands to summon, yes, but it was a silent process. This is something else entirely. Nikolai truly feels it, then, just how alien Onni is to him.
His voice is lovely. Somehow, even though he has had no preparation, Onni seems to know all the correct words and how to sing them to his goddess. Even after he is finished, Nikolai is left speechless and wide-eyed. Onni has looked at him, is expecting a reply. He forces himself to swallow and come up with some kind of a coherent response. ]
no subject
The sensation itself is faint. Nikolai's hands have full function, but there is a numbness along the scars that has never gone away. It's not the actual feeling of Onni touching his hands as much as it is the idea of it. In Ravka, Nikolai wore gloves any time he was outside his own chambers. He didn't want anyone even looking at the scars, much less feeling them like this. ]
Päivätär
[ He repeats the name, testing it in his mouth. The pronunciation is challenging, but he gets close. Strange, but Onni's description of her makes something in Nikolai's chest feel tight. He thinks, naturally, of Alina. His voice is just a little tight when he speaks next. ]
Yes, she sounds like the right choice.
[ Then he watches, in increasingly rapt silence, as Onni begins to play music. At first Nikolai doesn't understand, but then Onni is chanting. It is so different to anything he has seen before. Grisha used their hands to summon, yes, but it was a silent process. This is something else entirely. Nikolai truly feels it, then, just how alien Onni is to him.
His voice is lovely. Somehow, even though he has had no preparation, Onni seems to know all the correct words and how to sing them to his goddess. Even after he is finished, Nikolai is left speechless and wide-eyed. Onni has looked at him, is expecting a reply. He forces himself to swallow and come up with some kind of a coherent response. ]
That was your magic? It's- so lovely.