fandomhigh | Speaking in Tongues [22/02] The Library, Friday afternoon

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!club: language

Speaking in Tongues [22/02] The Library, Friday afternoon

Karal might have seemed a little distracted, today. Not for any reason at all, really.

"Well, I thought that we could do things simply today. I have an idea or two for the next weeks, but we all need to have a bit of language in common for them to work. The best way to learn a language is to use it. So, for today, let's just talk. We can have conversations, about silly things, or serious things, or anything you want.

Pair up with someone and help them with a language they don't know, teach them some words and phrases, and then try them out." He rubbed his temple, looking a touch amused. "Any accidental offence should be ignored, please. Try not to, but sometimes it simply happens. I once called a Rethwellan dignitary a small, blue turnip, for example."

[ooc: the teaching part can be handwavey, feel free to jump into potentially amusing conversations as people don't quite get the language they've learned right the first time.]

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"Yeah, I've never seen an exorcism. All the demons around Sunnydale are more of the rip you apart kind and not the take control of your body kind." He shrugged.

"Okay, so this is the first phrase I learned in Etruscan." He took a breath and said, //Bow down demon scum. I am your master now.//

"And in Verona, all the fiends are human," Romeo shrugged. He repeated after Andrew, clumsily and quite possibly mangling the last word entirely. "What did I just say?"

"It's a very traditional greeting you might really want to know if you encounter anyone or, um, anything that can actually speak the language back to you," he explained.

Then he told Romeo exactly what it meant, pointing out his pronunciation variances where necessary.

Romeo repeated it again, more slowly. "Is there a way to say, 'Hello, I come in peace, let us pass?' " he wanted to know.

//Hello, I come in peace, let us pass,// Andrew said slowly.

"Which could come in handy if you want to get the demons laughing," he pointed out. "Some demons respond really well to funny."

Romeo looked a little crushed at that. "So if you are speaking this tongue, you must be prepared to fight," he said. "All right, how would one say, 'I have more men then you and my cause is just, stand aside'"

Andrew had to think about the proper translation for the word 'just.' He slowly spoke the phrase back to Romeo.

"It's not that you need to be prepared to fight," Andrew said. "It's just that, well... I guess I just concentrate on certain aspects of a language when I learn them." He frowned.

"I could teach you some happier phrases."

"The more useful ones, it would seem," Romeo said.

And brightened at the mention of happier phrases. "Do you know Japanese?"

"Not that much," Andrew said. "I would like to learn though." He had skimmed some of the oriental demonology texts, and the pictures were really cool.

"Do you?"

Romeo shook his head. "The girl I took to the dance is Japanese, but all I know from her is hello -- Ohaiyo -- and cool, sugoi," he reported. "Useful, but not very extensive."

"You should ask Hoshi. She can apparently speak every language spoken on Earth. That's somewhere around 6,800. So I imagine she can tell you some pretty good phrases in Japanese."

He looked over at Hoshi.

Romeo glanced at the girl. "Perhaps I should do that," he said. "Though I will be grateful for your instruction if I ever need to confront a demon."

"And you never know when that might happen," he pointed out. "I mean, there was a demon and a vampire at the Thanksgiving dinner I was invited to this year."

Romeo blinked a lot at that. "As invited guests, or as invaders?"

"The vampire was actually one of the hosts. Well, it was at his boyfriend's mansion." He shrugged.

"They both used to be students here. Just goes to show that not all evil creatures are, you know, evil."

Romeo rubbed his eyes. "A month ago, I would have asked if you were lying," he told Andrew. "Now, demons and vampires who go to high school feel utterly appropriate."

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Speaking in Tongues [22/02] The Library, Friday afternoon

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