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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
Harry grins. "Indeed! Now, I think I'll start with vocabulary, yes? Point at things and give them names."
the-long-dawn
"Seems reasonable. What's that?" he asks, pointing a clawed finger at a food item.
And the food item's named, as well as several other items around. Harry also teaches Ashras a couple of standard phrases like "Hello" and "Nice to meet you" and "Thank you" and "Where's the bathroom, please?" and the like, in between some more vocabulary.
the-long-dawn
He soaks up the language like a sponge, frequently picking up useful words and phrases even from the things Harry isn't explicitly trying to teach him. And he has great fun with the whole business.
Harry is pleasantly surprised! After he deems Ashras ready for it, he decides to take him for a stroll around the city. With a specific destination in mind.
the-long-dawn
A stroll around the city sounds like a fine plan to him. He can pick up more English while he's at it.
Yes, he can! And eventually they arrive at the old building that is the Brockton Bay Central Library.
Yes! But more than that, Harry wants to show Ashras how to use a computer and set up an email address.
the-long-dawn
Now that's fascinating.
"Nothing like these in Aluvanna," he explains. "Not like phones either."
"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."
"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.
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.
"Hello again, Ashras. I hope Harry was of help."
"I am glad. Now, have you been told the purpose of the Protectorate?"