shaker, meet stranger | Glowfic Constellation

the-long-dawn

Now that's fascinating.

"Nothing like these in Aluvanna," he explains. "Not like phones either."

"They're very handy," he says. "And that boy you met when you arrived left an email address you could use to contact him. Director Piggot asked me to inform you of that once you understood how emails worked."

the-long-dawn

Nod, tail-swish. (Alert interest and consideration. Tails are awfully expressive, it turns out.)

"And even with my power, I didn't quite expect you to be such a prodigy," he confesses.

the-long-dawn

"I have to learn English to talk to anyone," he says, with a shrug and a wry tail-flick.

"Yes, well, I'm quite pleased. Other people won't be as easily understandable as me," he warns, "nor will they be able to understand the impact of your tail on meaning. It's a whole extra limb's worth of body language."

the-long-dawn

He resorts to his own language to say, "I'm sure I'll manage."

"I'm still going to follow you around if you don't object to it, the Protectorate has paid me for at least a week."

the-long-dawn

"No, it's good," he says agreeably, in haphazardly constructed but well-pronounced English. "Lots of chance to learn."

"Yes!"

And so learning continues, aided by books and the internet.

the-long-dawn

At the end of Harry's week of tutoring, Ashras is going to speak English like - well, not a native, but a really well-educated foreigner. And he will have figured out computers and phones and cars and how this insane planet allegedly functions. And although he doesn't pick up nearly as much as he'd like to about the local culture, he makes what he feels is a good start.

Okay, now what?

Now, Piggot would like to talk to him again.

the-long-dawn

Sure.

"Hello again, Ashras. I hope Harry was of help."

the-long-dawn

"He was very helpful!" says Ashras cheerfully.

"I am glad. Now, have you been told the purpose of the Protectorate?"

the-long-dawn

He shakes his head. "Not exactly. What is it?"

"The Protectorate and the PRT are organizations dedicated to providing funding and structure to parahumans, and to oppose people who would perform illicit activities, particularly other parahumans who would use their powers to do so. They also organize and coordinate the battles against the Endbringers, and serve as the body that deals with everything parahuman-related that's not under the scope of any other branches of government, as well as some things that are but would best be handled by people focused on that."

the-long-dawn

"Can you explain the Endbringers, please? I didn't quite catch what exactly they are."

"There is much speculation on their nature, but for our purposes they are giant monsters who coordinate to periodically attack various population centers around the world. There are three of them, and you can look them up on the internet if you like, but the main idea is that their appearance means death, destruction, and mayhem."

the-long-dawn

"Thank you for explaining. They don't sound like good news."

"They're not," she agrees. "A problem we're not quite used to dealing with, however, is you. Are you familiar with the term Case 53?"

the-long-dawn

"I've heard it used... something about unusual-looking people with no memories?"

"Correct. Which is ostensibly not your case. For one, you did not speak the local language. Furthermore, you have quite a few memories of the place you're from. So the priority, here, would be taking you back there."

the-long-dawn