(G) JP: Evan Delano and Alora DeVeau - BACKSIM: Language Lessons (Part I)
Cameron O.
(( Crew Quarters, Deck 9, USS Garuda - On route to DSX ))
DEVEAU: We must have more certainty in life! But yes, vocabulary's good to have, but let's do some general conversation. I know you mentioned that you know a little. I want to see where you are and then maybe I can have a better idea of what road to set you down - if that makes sense.
DELANO: That works for me.
DEVEAU: Oh good.
DELANO: Let's get started.
:: The woman appeared to be in a happy mood, which Evan mimicked as best as he could. Though he didn’t know why, a part of him had been troubled since they had left the Kubarey behind. Though most of that uneasiness had passed, he still found it coming back to him when he let his mind idle for too long. It was good to have the distraction, and Alora was pleasant company. ::
DEVEAU: Wait...I forgot to ask, what dialect? I'm assuming Modern Golic, but you know what they say about people who assume.
DELANO: Oh, yes, that’s what I’m familiar with. ::He paused, only then picking up on the strange idiom.:: I’m sorry, what?
DEVEAU: It makes an ass out of u and me.
:: She smiled, and it took Evan a moment to realize she was joking, and yet another for him to piece together the wordplay. By the time he did understand, the moment had mostly passed. He still managed a chuckle. .::
DELANO: I haven’t heard that before. It’s cute. Twentieth Century?
::Alora nodded her answer, then shifted back to the language lesson. ::
DEVEAU: I figured as much since that's the most widely spoken dialect, but you know, always good to make sure. All right, you know the introductions right? Can you start a conversation?
:: He thought for a moment, trying to remember the exact way he had to place his tongue to get the sound right. He tapped his badge three times in order to temporarily disable his universal translator. ::
DELANO: Evan wimish. Nash-veh dungau nam-tor. (Evan to-be-called. This one shall be friend of you).
:: The accent was harsh, and the syntax a little off, but he thought the words were mostly correct. ::
::Alora's smile was ever present, but it quirked a little at the words - not in amusement, perhaps in encouragement? When she spoke, her own voice was softer, the words whispy and the accent more in line with a native. She'd had a good ear - and good teachers.
DEVEAU: (It is always amenable to have more friends. And what is your role here on the Garuda?)
DELANO: (I am to-us the trust of our flight ) :: After a pause, he realized he was speaking nonsense :: I can’t think of a word or phrase for ‘helmsman.’
DEVEAU: Hash-mishek. Flight engineer, officer. Either term is the correct interpretation.
DELANO: I see.
:: He tried again. It was still rough, but the words were right again. ::
DELANO: (I am the 'flight officer' of this vessel)
DEVEAU: (That is a very important job. I am a science officer.) ::It wasn't the most stimulating of conversations, but one had to start from the beginning, practise, and work their way up.:: (Do you enjoy your job?)
DEVEAU: (Why did you decide to become a flight officer?)
:: He tried to internalize the phrase. Though the language was familiar enough for him to keep up with slow conversation, and he knew the basic rules of grammar and syntax, Evan struggled with some basic pragmatics and semantics issues. Abstract concepts associated with idioms and the like were difficult for him to grasp outside of the context of the culture. Had he immersed himself in the Vulcan philosophy, it may have been easier for him to keep up. ::
DELANO: I see.
:: He tried again. It was still rough, but the words were right again. ::
DELANO: (I am the 'flight officer' of this vessel)
:: He had to string together words that he wasn't sure fit together in order to make the "flight officer" phrase. ::
DEVEAU: (That is a very important job. I am a science officer.) ::It wasn't the most stimulating of conversations, but one had to start from the beginning, practise, and work their way up.:: (Do you enjoy your job?)
:: Evan thought about the phrasing for a moment. It was close enough to what he had said that he could pick out the unfamiliar words and understand the meaning. The second phrase was easier. ::
DELANO: (My job is often dull, but... satisfying.)
:: 'Satisfying' had been a difficult word, but he thought he'd selected the correct one. Words for emotional evaluation could be difficult in the modern dialect. He remembered that much, at least. ::
DEVEAU: (Why did you decide to become a flight officer?)
:: Evan rubbed the back of his neck as he thought about how to answer ::
DELANO: (It was an assignment more than a choice. I was in security and tactical first, and Starfleet requested I transfer to operations when I was reassigned to the Garuda. We needed a flight officer, and I was assigned.)
:: There were stops and starts, and a few points where the phrasing was awkward, but he felt satisfied that he'd been able to construct several complex sentences. ::
DELANO: (And you? Did you always want to be a science officer?)
DEVEAU: (For most of my life, yes.)
DELANO: (Why?)
DEVEAU: (It's so fascinating what has been discovered and what is left to be discovered. It is like a giant, never ending puzzle and it allowed me to help work on finding the pieces.)
DEVEAU: (It's so fascinating what has been discovered and what is left to be discovered. It is like a giant, never ending puzzle and it allowed me to help work on finding the
DELANO: (I understand. I went to the Academy to become an explorer.)
DEVEAU: (Would you prefer to be back in Security and Tactical?)**
:: Evan paused for a moment, both to consider his response and the words he would use to convey them. It was a complex answer, but he tried to simplify it as much as he could. In a way, thinking of it this way clarified things for him. ::
DELANO: (I'm getting used to operations, but security seems to be a stronger area for me. If there's an opening soon, I may ask the captain for a transfer. )
DEVEAU: (What do you like to do to relax?)
:: He tried a joke, though he found it hard to find the tone. The language wasn't really suited for humor. ::
DELANO: ( Besides trip over my tongue? )
DELANO: ( I like to read, and I spend a lot of time in the...) :: he broke, unable to find the right word. He tried thinking of a work around :: (The place where people go to run)
:: Evan paused to consider his words, and to give Alora time to respond, if she wanted to. When she didn’t, he continued. ::
DELANO: ( It's for the emotions. They are hard to control, sometimes. Meditation does not work for me.The hard work clears my mind. Usually. )
[TBC]
===
Lt. JG. Alora DeVeau
Science Officer
USS Garuda
and
Lt. JG Evan Delano
HCO Officer
USS Garuda