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 Posted: Mon Jan 21, 2008 10:28 am
Weekday afternoons were always good for business at the Jejune June Café. The university kids -- possibly realizing that going to bars and clubs on school nights was a Bad Idea -- would take up residence near the bookshelves and engage in varying degrees of studying. Near midterms and finals, they would be wholly engrossed in their textbooks and notes and spoke in hushed whispers. But now? At the beginning of the semester? They were content to stretch out on the couches with their coffees and teas and chat.
They were the ones who had Sofi's interest as she sat some ways away from them, near the front counter. She wished she could bring her school friends back with her to do their homework at the Jejune June, but, unfortunately, bringing Earthlings to Gaia was a strict no-no. Besides, with the number of strange characters on Gaia, they'd likely go insane the second they stepped through the portal.
So she simply sighed and dropped her chin into one hand, her elbow making a quiet "thud" as it hit the tabletop under the weight of her entire head-- and perhaps her shoulders, as well, seeing as how that one movement caused her entire torso to slump forward.
"How's it going, Sofi?" June asked quietly, patting Sofi's shoulder with one hand. "Homework coming along all right?"
"Yeah," Sofi sighed. "I've just got algebra and chemistry." Another sigh. "I learned this stuff during my junior years!"
June laughed. "Easy As, right?"
That got a small smile out of Sofi. "Y...yeah! And I get to look smarter! and stuff."
"See?" June gave Sofi and affectionate hair ruffle. "It's not so bad, is it?"
"I guess not."
"Tell you what." June made her way to the other side of the table, leaning forward and placing both hands on the tabletop. "If you promise to come back before your father comes to pick you up, you can go out and window shop if you want."
Sofi visibly brightened. "Or real shop if I have money?"
"Or real shop if you have money."
"Eeeeeeeeeeeee!" Sofi squealed. She'd be allowed to go out on her own! She wouldn't have to sit in the café and do nothing! And she could go SHOPPING! Just wait until she told Vilden about this! "It's a deal!" And with that, she scribbled furiously in her workbooks, her passion for homework renewed.
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Posted: Mon Jan 21, 2008 11:04 am
Even though it was not a very cold day, the young man walking down the street was bundled up as if he were in the midst of a raging blizzard, deserted somewhere in the Antarctic. A heavy goosedown thermal jacket, several scarves wrapped around his head and neck, heavy gloves, and thick pants encased his lean frame. It was comical, especially with the addition of the bright red flames peeking out here and there under the scarf. To any passerby, he looked as if he had bright red hair. Only he knew that it was real fire.
Guelherme was muttering steadily under his breath in his mother tongue, a habit he had been trying unsuccessfully to break since he had been dragged to this strange place. The living was better than that of his home planet, but only because he was not a stigma here.
Finally, he found the Cafe he was looking for. He had heard the name on the lips of a cheerful young girl, about his age, as she had bounced out of Headquarters. He was curious. Instead of the almost overwhelming fear most women brought up in him, he didn't mind this one.
Shrugging a bit, he pulled the door open, and stepped inside, removing the gloves and his headscarf, pushing them down into the deep pockets of his coat. His shoulders hunched as a few students surveyed him before returning to their chatter. He was just looking for the one girl...but she probably wasn't there.
Still hunched, he approached the front counter, and tried to remember as much English as possible. It was a slow learning for him, and he was still struggling. "Uh...excuse me, I am trying to achado..er, find a livro about the local area? Could you help me?"
He didn't know the word for scroll, so he used the closest word in his language. In consternation, he frowned, and hoped she had understood.
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Posted: Mon Jan 21, 2008 11:10 am
June furrowed her brow, an apologetic smile on her face as she attempted to comprehend just what the strange boy wanted with her. She opened her mouth to ask him to repeat his question -- just a little more slowly -- but never got the chance to speak her request.
"Gesundheit!" Sofi interrupted, glancing up from her homework.
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Posted: Mon Jan 21, 2008 11:38 am
Looking over, his eyes widened as he saw the girl he was looking for. The gods were indeed smiling on him today. When she looked up at him and spoke, however, he became totally perplexed. He gave her an odd look, and tried to understand what she said.
"Pardon me, femea, what did you say please?"
So many new and strange words to learn! He nearly groaned aloud, passing the word through his head. It didn't sound like his name, or even a version of it. Unless that was her language?
But how did she know his name in her language? It was not possible.
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Posted: Mon Jan 21, 2008 11:40 am
"Gesundheit," Sofi repeated, pointing her pencil at the newcomer. "It's what you say when someone sneezes!"
"Sofi," June immediately scolded. "Don't be rude to the customers!" She turned back to the bundled stranger, laughing awkwardly. "I... I'm sorry about that. What did you need again?"
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Posted: Mon Jan 21, 2008 11:46 am
Now he was even more confused than ever. He hadn't sneezed, what in the world was she talking about. His expression went from perplexed to mournful as he tried to think of the right words, and all that came to his mind were ones that neither female would have been able to understand.
But! He had a name for the girl now. Sofi, how interesting. Definitely from another one of those strange languages that he was not familiar with. Pulling his concentration together, his brows knit and he spoke carefully.
"Thank you Sofi femea, but I did not sneeze." There! He had done it! Brightening a bit, the young man turned back to June. "I need a uh..." pointing at what Sofi was bent over, he indicated he wanted one. "I am not very, uhm...very good at this language." He ended with a long sigh, however, he was smiling a bit ruefully.
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Posted: Mon Jan 21, 2008 11:49 am
"...He wants my homework?" Sofi tilted her head to the side, chewing on the eraser of her pencil thoughtfully.
"A piece of paper?" June offered, reaching under the counter and presenting him with just that. She furrowed her brow again, struggling to concentrate. Maybe if she could pick up on whatever it is he was feeling, she'd be able to puzzle out just what he needed...
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Posted: Mon Jan 21, 2008 11:50 am
"No, no." Shaking his head, he inclined his head politely to Sofi, before picking up her workbook and holding it high, almost triumphantly. "This. About this place." His other arm swept around, indicating everything. Hopefully they understood that he wished to know more about the world he was now living in.
If not, it was going to be difficult.
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Posted: Mon Jan 21, 2008 11:58 am
"Oh!" June was the one to get it. "You're new to Gaia!"
"You're lost?" Sofi interrupted again, now balancing her pencil on top of her upper lip.
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Posted: Fri Jan 25, 2008 9:51 pm
The little one was certainly very direct. Where he came from, no person near his age would be so direct in front of an elder. It was one of the many things, he supposed, that were different about this place. "No, I have been told of this.." his hand circled around to indicate the building. It wasn't a lie precisely, but it was better than saying he was looking for her to find out more.
"I am here from my home, very strange here. I know very little." His awkward smile of encouragement towards June was all he could manage. Even with Sofi nulling most of his terror, he was still apprehensive with all of the many older females around. "Help maybe?"
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Posted: Fri Jan 25, 2008 10:12 pm
Sofi and June exchanged a glance. With June's weak empathy and Sofi's complete lack of it, they had no chance of confirming once and for all that they were on the same page, but for once, they had the same idea.
After all, someone hearing of this café as a place for assistance? He couldn't possibly be a native Gaian. And the language barrier immediately ruled him out as Neilani.
"What planet are you from?" June finally asked.
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