› ❝ @skyfault : "Heyyyyyy Volo -- what does [expletive] mean?" (he might've seen it scratched into a cave wall) ┇ plane i s2g ( affectionate )
the barely-attentive, idle ‘hm?’ that leaves his lips isn’t fast enough. the progression from harmless question to surprising exclamation is quicker than he can prepare for. for all his composure and posturing, volo gathers a moment to pause; not because someone teru’s age swearing is scandalizing, no, but because this was hardly the question he’d anticipated. his hand stalls amidst his current charcoal rubbings, then begins again. does he care for teru swearing? no. is he curious on where the boy picked it up from? maybe a little, but not enough to go digging for an answer; he can name enough names across jubilife who pepper their language with foul articles as if it were a holiday, and then with some of the carving he’s bore witness to... well, it leaves plenty of guesses to the imagination.
“well! i never pictured you as the ornery type, my sky-fallen friend. who could have guessed you held such a colorful vocabulary?” it’s not a moment that lasts, with his tone full of teasing bite; volo’s quick to wave the pretense of jest off. “i’m only pulling your leg, of course; if you must know... well, hmm,”
his gaze flickers left, then right, in an utterly impish display, smile twisting into something awful and coy. with a wave of his fingers, he beckons the other close, keeping his voice low. as if this were some grand secret that held the glue to the universe, the finger raised near his lips signaling that it be kept hush-hush. with one hand shielding the bridge between his mouth and teru’s ear, his words run free, soft-spoken and slid beneath the table.
“now,” he begins when he pulls away, knowledge fully imparted; a finger risen to accentuate his point, the edges speckled with charcoal. “i wouldn’t use that lightly, if i were you. i can’t say most people would appreciate it! and... to tell you the truth,” his body leans forward again, conspirational, as if the runes in the walls will tattle once more. “word has it captain cyllene has a wicked hand; i can’t imagine you’d take well to the taste of soap in your mouth.”
