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Sadde is home; it's a Friday evening, his shift is over, and there's no school. He's reading a book, lying on his bed in his small-but-tidy apartment.
He is also quite naked, because it's his place and why not?
Glam and Ashras in Wormverse
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mxglam
the-long-dawn
...and the sound... huh. Ashras respects this incomprehensible object. Although he holds it a little ways away from his ear.
Dauntless smiles, then ends the call on his side. "If you need to talk to anyone, call," he says, pointing at the numbers written on a piece of paper attached to the base of Ashras' phone. "Director Piggot," he says one of the names out loud as he taps on it.
the-long-dawn
Nod, nod. Ashras figures out the pen and scribbles down little reminder notes in his alphabet, probably with phonetic transcriptions of these names.
Good! Yes, good. "Alright, now I should go." He doesn't bother saying things where Sadde would have, but also extends his hand for a shake.
the-long-dawn
Ashras commences investigating his new room. And has a nap. And investigates his new room again, more thoroughly. And has another nap. And that is around the point where he starts to consider exploring.
His door opens with a use of his key card, if he so desires.
the-long-dawn
Nice of it. He goes out into the hall and looks around, tail swishing.
There is a PRT uniform waiting outside his door. "I've been asked to escort you to conference room four," she says.
the-long-dawn
He answers this with a friendly smile, because he didn't understand most of it.
Taking that for assent, she starts leading the way.
the-long-dawn
He follows her to wherever she's going. This seems like the thing to do.
She leads him to a medium-sized room with a table and several chairs in the middle. Director Piggot is waiting there, as well as a short, plump, balding man in a suit.
"Hello, hello, good morning!" the man says, and even if his tone and the context make his meaning pretty easy to understand, there's a certain something else to it. He's easier to understand than everyone else, there's an intuitiveness to his sentences. "I'm Harry Gordon. It's a pleasure to meet you."
Director Piggot, lacking the special ability to be understood, says, "Ashras, Mr. Gordon here will help you with the language."
"Hello, hello, good morning!" the man says, and even if his tone and the context make his meaning pretty easy to understand, there's a certain something else to it. He's easier to understand than everyone else, there's an intuitiveness to his sentences. "I'm Harry Gordon. It's a pleasure to meet you."
Director Piggot, lacking the special ability to be understood, says, "Ashras, Mr. Gordon here will help you with the language."
the-long-dawn
"Ashras," says Ashras, with a smile and a sweep of his tail, and he echoes Harry's last statement: "It's a pleasure to meet you." The intonation and pronunciation are a little off, but he's perfectly understandable.
Piggot decides that's good enough, nods, and leaves.
"So, Ashras. We're going to start with a few books used to teach children how to speak English, and go up from there." With a longer sentence, it becomes a bit clearer that it's not that the individual words Harry says are understandable, but rather the meaning behind his sentences is transmitted by something other than only what he says. Not perfectly, but roughly, yes. "But before anything, I expect you'll be hungry?"
"So, Ashras. We're going to start with a few books used to teach children how to speak English, and go up from there." With a longer sentence, it becomes a bit clearer that it's not that the individual words Harry says are understandable, but rather the meaning behind his sentences is transmitted by something other than only what he says. Not perfectly, but roughly, yes. "But before anything, I expect you'll be hungry?"
"Perfect! There's a cafeteria here, and people have been warned to wear masks around you."
"Oh, I suppose they wouldn't have explained, would they. Here, I'll explain on the way." He gets up, grabs a thin, large book with lots of colorful pictures, then continues. "So, on this planet, most people with powers, like yourself, have secret identities that they use to... well, basically fight other people with powers."
the-long-dawn
"Sounds like a huge waste," he comments, again in his own language. Harry seems to be able to understand him just fine.
He can understand in a fashion. That sentence was translated as an opinion of contempt for the system. He shrugs. "It is, but to be fair, if some people like those in this building weren't fighting the other masked people, the other masked people would make the world much worse."
"So, to protect their secret identities, they wear masks." And they arrive at the cafeteria, where they can get food! It's early enough that there aren't any heroes up and about, there.
the-long-dawn
Food! Ashras is pleased about the food. Also: "Masks," he echoes experimentally in English.