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 Posted: Fri Nov 26, 2021 10:00 am
Emily had a pile of books, all checked out and all ready for her meeting with the cadet. She had reserved one of the study rooms for an hour as well, and scheduled herself an hour off so that she could begin Andreiya’s lessons herself and get him on the right track for learning English and learning more about gardening and building a greenhouse.
As the meeting time drew nearer, Emily really did get sidetracked into some paperwork she had been neglecting. There had been a large book donation, and she had been putting off the process of getting everything inventoried, for she knew that once she started she wouldn’t want to stop.
Such was the truth, and as Emily wrote in the name of each new book, inputting it into the system and getting it ready to be checked out, she had absolutely no concept of time passing, other than the fact her stomach was rumbling, and she hoped that Evan would have the food truck outside at some point today. It had been far too long since she had enjoyed a cheesy treat.
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Posted: Fri Nov 26, 2021 10:28 am
When Andreiya arrived, he looked drastically different than the first time he’d met Bellite; he had the same hair and eye color, but he was much less pink. He wasn’t dressed in the functional, form-fitting Cadet uniform; instead, he was in an oversized, chestnut sweater that seemed incredibly comfortable. He wore black pants that fit him very well, and brown, ankle length boots that were just a bit muddy, like maybe he’d been out to his garden earlier. He’d come with a backpack and was obviously fully prepared to learn.
The library seemed so strange to him, and he looked around curiously, taking in how quiet it was, how independent everyone seemed to be. He approached the desk with obvious uncertainty, and it seemed like he couldn’t even bring himself to speak over a certain volume in this hall of learning.
“Excuse me,” he said politely, “I am looking for Emily? I am supposed to meet with her, can you please tell her that Andrei is here? If you work here. If you do not, I will go ask someone else. But this is my first time here.”
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Posted: Fri Nov 26, 2021 10:58 am
The voice made her pause and Emily looked up, blinking to try and adjust her eyes to the softer light of the library, rather than the harsher brightness of the computer, and she tried to get her brain to think about something other than the book that was still in her hand, but then she smiled.
“Yes! Yes I’ve been waiting for you! I’m Emily. I have everything all set up, Andrei.” She was much less imposing like this, seeming smaller without her Negaverse clothes on, though that might just have been from the lack of boots. Her flats were black, and her outfit was a rusty orange color, in keeping with the end of the Autumn.
“Come on, come on.” She stepped out from behind the desk and ushered the boy into the study room, closing the door behind them and gesturing for him to take a seat. “You found the place all right then! That’s wonderful! How did the rest of your testing go the other day?”
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Posted: Fri Nov 26, 2021 11:43 am
Andreiya seemed caught off guard by the room and it took him a second to process the question before he remembered to answer. “It went well, thank you. I gathered the information I need and made a few tweaks to my systems. I hope to do a few more tests to make sure no one gets hurt if they set them off. Just scared and chased away. So if you are in the park again, maybe tonight at ten, please stay away from the statue with the broken arm. I will be recording my experiments. I mean, you can join me if you want, but you must not be surprised if you find me there. But my traps are far less explosive. So I think you would be okay even if you set one off.”
He smiled, although it was quick and uncertain; the invitation was friendly enough, and she was welcome to join him. He just didn’t want to spook her or affect the outcome of his experimentations.
He took a seat across from her and seemed eager and expectant. “What books did you find? Anything useful?”
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Posted: Fri Nov 26, 2021 12:54 pm
“I’d love to join you on your tests, and I promise I’ll stay away from that statue, I think that what you’re doing is rather amazing.” Emily drew the pile of books over, first showing him the ones on gardening, and then the one detailing greenhouses and suggestions to help with building one.
Finally, she passed over the elementary learning books, with colorful pictures and the alphabet there, easy to read.
“A lot of useful things. Now, in regards to teaching you the language, have you learned anything yet? Even with just basic understanding? I know that your technology allows you to communicate, but have you begun to understand what we humans say without it being translated?”
She hoped that made sense. It felt a little convoluted to her but...well.
“Perhaps, when we’re having our lessons, you should turn the device off?”
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Posted: Fri Nov 26, 2021 5:56 pm
Andrei accepted the books quickly and, though he flipped through them, he wasn’t processing the words quickly. He knew he was going to need a little time to get his ComTech functioning enough to process the information and make use of it. He couldn’t help that he was attracted to the colorful elementary books; they were just fun looking. He nodded as he flipped through those, obviously listening intently still--until she suggested turning off the ComTech.
“Oh, no,” he said, hand hovering protectively over the watch. “I don’t want to turn it off. I can adjust the settings so it only translates audio. So I can work with your Earth words without the ComTech trying to auto-translate. And you can teach me a little. If you want,” he insisted suddenly, because it was no pressure.
“How long does it take to learn to read your language?” he asked, eyes flicking from the pages to her face and back again.
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Posted: Fri Nov 26, 2021 6:58 pm
“One day, if I”m going to teach you, you’ll have to turn it off, Andrei.” Her voice was gentle, but firm. “If you truly want to learn, immersion is the best way to do it. I’m not saying leave the tech at home, but once you’ve gotten the basic grasp of things, I would very much recommend that you at least turn off the language translation, if you can. It’ll be a big jump, and it might be a little scary, but it’s better to take yourself off of the crutch of your own will than to have it kicked out from under you.”
Emily was pleased that he seemed to like the looks of the books, and nodded. “I want to teach you. Learning is my passion. Teaching and sharing knowledge. I’d be very happy to become your full time tutor. As to how long it takes to learn to read...it can be very quick, though the fact that you’ll be learning to speak and read at the same time, it might be a little more difficult...tell me. Your writing...do you use an alphabet? How do…”
She gestured. “Or do you have symbols or what?”
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Posted: Fri Nov 26, 2021 7:15 pm
Andreiya gave her a pathetic look, and he was obviously pleading with his eyes. “One day, but not today,” he agreed, because he really wanted a little time to actually study before he got tested on it. He understood what she was saying but the idea of being completely on his own also seemed to stress him out.
“We have an alphabet, like your language. I have studied some other languages that have symbols, but it was not my area of expertise. I like doing things with my hands. I like practical learning, for things you can do, more than things like dead languages. But I think it is all very interesting. And I don’t know how long we will be on Earth, so I do want to learn this. And I am grateful that you will try to teach me. But.”
He looked at the books. “...I need time to study before I shut it off. Please. I get stage fright, too.”
He kept his eyes on the book, like he really didn’t want to admit it. “...I require patience. I am a good student but I do not like to make mistakes. Or be wrong. It is very difficult for me.”
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Posted: Sun Nov 28, 2021 6:20 am
“I’m not asking for you to turn it off today, don’t worry.” Emily reassured, giving a small, reassuring smile. “But that will be my expectation later on, so i’m just letting you know it now so that you’re prepared.”
She stretched slightly, making a face as her back popped with the movement. Ah. Getting old sucked.
“Today, we’ll go over the books a little, and we’ll start on having you do some writing practice. If you’d like, I can come to your place sometime and we can tackle building the greenhouse? If your translator isn’t up to getting the instructions completely from the book. I’m more than happy to sit and read out the instructions. I’ve never made one, obviously but…well. I like to learn new things too. Obviously.”
And if he wasn’t on Earth for very long...well. That was fine. “If you leave soon, that’s all right. We’ll just do what we can in the time we’ve been given.”
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Posted: Sun Nov 28, 2021 8:46 am
Andreiya breathed a little sigh of relief and nodded, glad that he got to keep his ComTech functioning for now. The expectation to be prepared for later made sense, and he found the turmoil twisting in his stomach fading as he relaxed. She didn’t have any crazy expectations--or axes--right now, so he reminded himself that this was all okay.
Though, he grimaced when her back popped and made an alarmed face until he realized she was fine.
“I think we will be here for as long as it takes to find Caedus,” he said, “But we have not had any updates yet. I don’t think, at least. So I am doing my best to make use of the time I have here. Um. Let me clean up my plot a little, and then I can invite you over. I don’t want you to judge me yet. I share a house with some others and I don’t know if they are good with company. Um. My room is not for company. But we can meet again,” he promised, because she was the first person to offer help.
...Though, to be fair, he wasn’t really reaching out to anyone else.
He seemed eager and ready to go over the books and practice writing; he wanted to learn. He wanted to be independent.
“Do you like gardening? Or growing things? I am sitting in on some of the classes at the university, too. I like that someone talks to you about everything, it is so much easier than trying to read the books.”
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Posted: Sun Nov 28, 2021 9:14 am
Emily hummed and nodded, thinking that didn’t really give any kind of a timeline, but that was fine. “I’ve never actually gardened, but honestly, with the bit I’ve already learned, I think I might take it up come Spring. It seems like fun, and the idea of having some fresh produce is rather appealing. If you’re still here by then, I would love if you could help me, if you’d be so inclined.”
She grinned watching him with an amused and pleased look. “I think that’s a great idea. You learn much more by trying different things, by doing, by reading and by listening. I think, you’ll become very knowledgeable while you’re here. And…” Emily couldn’t help but laugh.
“Andrei, you’ll end up smarter than most of the humans that live on this planet, I bet.” It wouldn't be too difficult. Already he was here trying to learn.
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Posted: Sun Nov 28, 2021 9:41 am
Again, Andreiya found himself easily nodding. “We do not get to grow things as freely as you can on Earth. But my home is very different. I think all of this is fascinating, I have never grown something by myself before. I will study many things while I am here. Even if it is not an ideal season, I will find a way to overcome any obstacle.”
Even if they’d gotten off to a rough start, he was still a little excited to have someone to share this passion with--and a native to Earth could help him understand what his ComTech could not.
“I am inclined to help you, as you have been to me. If we are still here, absolutely. I will make good use of this time. I am a very good student, you will see. And,” he drew in a breath and looked at the text, leaning close to her with the children’s book.
“Now, I am ready to learn.”
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