"Not yet. My computer will pick it up well enough in a few hours, I suspect."

"...Computers can do that?"

"Yes. It's not perfect, though. And I'm missing three-quarters of the gear I would have for learning a new language under ideal circumstances. And it won't give me the language, not yet, it'll just be a sort of translator."

"Huh. Still, more efficient than having even a retired paladin follow you around."

"If you'll come talk to the Bright Sister I will be able to offer you the use of the campus cafeteria for the time being, at a minimum."

"It seems polite to explain myself to her, to the extent that I can, since you've just ferried me into her compound."

"I'll get my armor off first and see to Ragnar if you don't mind waiting."

"Not at all."

Nick has been standing in a corner, doing computer things. He follows. "Any rules I should know?"

"Be polite, call her Sister - that should cover it, more or less."

He nods. "Let's go, then."

"I am from another world, Sister. I was attacked by some sort of monster, a giant snake with a mirror for a head. When it 'ate' me, I suddenly fell directly between Kaja and a lich she was fighting. After that was resolved, I introduced myself, touched her sigil to show that I am human, and she offered to carry me here. I thank the Order of Winter's Light for its kindness, and I hope to find my way home, but it will be difficult to reconstruct the technology that allows me to cross between worlds here."

After being led out, he says, "I'll want to tell her about the communicating devices, once I'm sure I can make them."

"It'll be helpful. People send us messages when they think a mage may be turning to dark practices or if they think someone they know is plagued by a woke shadow or if they notice an imp active somewhere or see zombies coming. But it's not as fast as we would like."

"So about that food. If it's a cafeteria, I assume there will be other people chatting in Cirth, my computer can get a head start."

"It's between main mealtimes now, but yes, there will probably be some people getting porridge for an afternoon snack. I can speak Cirth to you as well, for that matter, if I ignore the words the Winter Light supplies me in your language."

"You should start speaking in Cirth, yes. Within half an hour I will understand a sufficient amount of it."

She gestures for him to follow and chatters in Cirth. "I don't understand how a machine could possibly do what the Winter Light's gifts do, or even a facsimile, but I can't think of a reason for you to make it up..." The cafeteria is serving porridge and bread; there are cooking smells for forthcoming dinnertime coming from the kitchen, but none of that food is out yet. "Help yourself to as much of this as you'd like." She herself takes a roll. There are some younger paladins (who call Kaja "Sister") and some older ones who are also eating the supplied food rather than wait for a real meal.

Kaja helpfully identifies objects in the room - bowls, tables, benches, novices, initiates, bread.

Nick repeats the names and composes simple sentences with them. But a demonstration of proper Cirth grammar from him will be a while yet.