Two laconic characters: Bad idea?

Well, I'm currently working on a story where two of my main characters don't talk much, but it's for different reasons. One is a mute girl who has a special locket she uses to communicate by forming words on it (there's a window like in a magic 8-ball for the words to appear). Due to the effort required to form words with it, she uses it sparingly. The other is a Properly Paranoid guy, who believes that every moment spent in conversation could have been better spent looking out for threats.

So, as the title asks, is it a bad idea to have two laconic characters that work together most of the time or would they be functionally the same, despite any differences in their personality and such?

Sounds like an exercise in non-verbal expression, both in-universe and out.

Go for it. If you succeed it'll be very interesting to read.

I'll second and add my two bits... Combining these two characters should by my logic result in them having some kind of an efficient non-verbal code for basic things. Sort of like a combination of refined body language, crude sign language, and a selection of non-verbal sounds such as snapping fingers, clapping... The mute would probably start it for easier communication, the laconic could pick it up like a habit.

edited 6th Jan '13 8:25:55 AM by peccantis

I think this sounds pretty interesting. I'd probably give them contrasting personalities just for the sake of showing how different characters can be without dialogue as a characterisation tool.

But yeah, it's only a bad idea if you're not up to the challenge, and you won't know that until you try.