They were an ordinary human, and loved to learn languages. They even learned the elven tongues, some fae language, the native tongue of kobolds, even voulspeak. Which allowed them to make quite a few friends, and helped otherwise distrustful to accept their kindness. -- Lessons
They should have been a Bard, and everyone said so. They insisted that Peony should sing... until she did. Unfortunately for Peony Black, they had the singing and musical instrument talent of a duck.
Peony's talent was languages. Not just translating the words, but also the cultural meaning. It was truly a gift.
They could learn a language new to them at record speed. At first speaking a broken version of it and, by the end of the week, speaking it like they were born to it. Of course, people wondered how Peony managed to get that gift in the first place.
Bards wanted it of course. Merchants were desperate to get it. Adventurers, notably incautious about a great many things, wanted someone in their party to have that skill. Even some Nobles, usually concerned only with themselves, desired to have the ultimate negotiation card up their slashed sleeves.
Peony had no idea how they got the gift. They had grown up in a patchwork family of rootless ones. Hundreds of Aunties, Uncles, and Untys[1] who spoke numerous languages. They learned to speak from Harukh, Hellkin, Hallobloods, and Halfbred folk of multiple kinds.
All Peony had in their favour was acclimatisation to how languages worked. They knew enough of each tongue to spot familiar words, borrowed words, and enough reason to divine meaning of anything they didn't know. The real trick was mimicry, adopting an accent and way of making words. By the time Peony approached their mid-twenties, that work was unconscious.
Sometimes, to the point of causing trouble.
The warrior from the frozen north spoke the Trader Tongue, but took objection to Peony, because they were adopting hir accent.
"Are hyu mocking me?" said the warrior. "We tok for three turns, and hyu have my way of speaking."
"Hy do not intend to mock," said Peony. "Hy speak many tongues, and learn all ways to tok. Hyu try, and hyu see."
Hand on hir weapon, ze switched to hir tribal tongue. "I doubt your claim. If you show ignorance, I shall have your head on my mantel."
Peony said, "My head would be poor decoration, since it must remain on my shoulders."
"Hyu do know my words," ze marvelled. "Hy hav not heard them in most of a year. Will you tok, and play the cards with me?"
Peony said, "Not for coin, but for stories."
Of such little things, fast friends are made.
[1] Unty - the gender neutral answer to the sibling of a parent. Pluralising it necessitates veering away from the normal precedent in order to avoid confusion.
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