They appear in midair, visible out of a few thirtieth-floor apartments.
One starts to fall. The other catches her by the arm, flings out - wing-shapes of light - and slows her, spiraling down until they're at street level.
"All the other countries have some people who can speak Anitami so at least you would not have to learn other things too. I think it is reasonable to take your time."
"If at some point I no longer require translation maybe Penumbra will teach you more languages."
Penumbra nods.
"When elementals coalesce they know all the languages spoken anywhere in the world at that time," Maurabel says.
...giggle. "We started talking to them more because we invented writing, and new ones knew about that and told the others, and they came to see what was going on!"
"You just talk, and correct him when he tries to say things but gets them wrong, or supply words he's trying to find."
"...I can try," Penumbra says, and she switches languages.
"I think that's Siruscan," says Maurabel.
"I guess that makes two of us. I guess I don't really know what to talk about? I guess two of us don't really know what to talk about? I guess that makes what?"
She wraps herself in her wings but they are invisible and not very good for hiding behind. She corrects his grammar.
"Am I upsetting her?" he asks his father in Anitami.
"I think she's just shy. - and expecting us to get pushy on the planets thing."
"Uh huh." And to Penumbra - "I know what to talk about, elementals. Talk about elementals?"
She uses the word from Maurabel's language for them even though it turns out to have a forbidden vowel and a consonant cluster for Siruscan. "There are twelve simple kinds and there could be sixty-six hybrid kinds but we're not sure that all of us actually exist."