"...can you break that down into sounds, like we were doing with the letters on the sign? Like how 'night' broke up into nn-igh-t."

"No?"

"Can you break down a word I say into sounds, like," which of those words is phonetically simplest, "the word 'can'?"

She can do that.

"Huh. I think your language magic must be very very different from what I got."

Nod.

"Hopefully that doesn't make it hard for you to learn to read."

"Why do you want me to learn to read?"

"I think it's a good thing to be able to do, and it looks like it's at least reasonably common in this society or they wouldn't bother with the signs."

"Why's it good to read?"

"So that if there's something written, you can find out what it is. Like a sign or a story or a note."

"Oh, I guess sometimes those are important."

"Yeah."

Eefa can learn letters as long as Pelape wants, or at least for the next hour or so.

Sure, they can go over the sign again. "If you see any blank paper that'd be helpful for this."

"The napkins?" 

"The napkins are cloth, I think paper might be too expensive to use for napkins here."

"You can write on them?" Eefa has never heard of paper napkins.

"...I guess I could check if my power can get a mark off a cloth napkin."

Nod.

"I'd still need a pen, though, I don't have one of those... the power might work well with a wax tablet, which I also don't have..."

Nod.

"We can keep an eye out."

Nod. Eefa always does.

"I think I'm out of progress to make with this sign but we can review it tomorrow perhaps."