Tongue Twisters

Posted on Thu Oct 17th, 2024 @ 1:41pm by Lieutenant JG Shaille Levine & Warrant Officer Koh Ottasu

Mission: Lower Decks
Location: Private Quarters

Shaille sat cross legged on the floor, staring at the PaDD in her hand, a look of intense concentration on her face as her mouth moved, silently sounding out the words in front of her, or at least, she hoped that was what she was doing. Without the sound there was no way for Koh to correct her, which was at least partially her intention.

"I may as well give up," her voice was filled with annoyance as she lowered the PaDD and looked toward Koh. "At this rate, the first thing I say to your parents is going to be something stupid like 'happy to eat your ears'. I can't wrap my head around some of these words, let alone my tongue!"

The Children of Ts'usu didn't really do 'Cross Legged' but rather rested on their knees, using their large feet as something of a cushion to sit on. As uncomfortable as it looked, they never complained. Koh sat with Shaille, watching her try to learn his own language, a soft smile on his features which only faded when she mentioned giving up. "I wager that if you said anything to them in Ts'usugibito, they'd appreciate the effort. Though, maybe you could use a break. Learning a language by staring at it hasn't helped any archeologists lately." he offered in support. "Especially not that one you showed me. Who was it again? He had the hat, and the whip..." Koh mused, offering a hand across the gulf between them.

"Maybe it might help you to hear the words, rather than trying to intimidate the PaDD into sharing its secrets?" he smiled softly, "Tell me, how DO you learn? By hearing, by writing, by thinking, or by doing?"

"Doing mostly, that was what got me through the academy, but hearing is my second I guess. Lots of time spent listening to audio files to absorb rules and regulations and all that," she replied.

He gave a nod, his lengthy ears wobbled slightly as he moved. Relaxed, calm, safe. Easy to read the Son of Ts'usu once you knew what to look for. A year ago, two years ago, reading him was hard. Ts'usugi didn't exactly wear their emotions like other races did. At least, not on their face. Once you knew where to look, and what to look for, either Koh was being expressive for Shaille's sake, or he was terrible at containing his tells.

"Well then I suppose the only thing to do is to get started with simple phrases and build from there. Name, birthplace, simple yes no please thank you. Build a strong foundation, and when you're ready we go to the next step." he offered with a soft smile. "When you're ready, I'll start using less and less Federation standard, and start using more and more Ts'usugibito. We'll adapt as we go. You set the pace." reassuring, every step of the way.

"Well..." Shaille looked pensive for a moment. "I mean, I guess it can't be any worse than this... can it?" She smiled as she looked across at him, one hand resting in his, the other reaching up to stroke the length of his ear gently. "Just don't prank me, ok? The last thing I want to do is tell your mother she looks like an elephant's behind or something like that."

"I would never. Also, what's an elephant?" he smiled, leaning in gently to give her easier access. "I want them to accept you, welcome you. Besides, if I did that, and you said that, and she found out I coached you... you'd be visiting me in the local hospital." a smile. He teased, mostly.

"Your name is easy, since it won't translate. You're lucky in that the sounds that make up your name don't accidentally mean something in Ts'usugibito. We'll start with the easiest: Who I am." a pause, and Koh took his free hand and put it on his chest. "Watashi." a pause, "I."

"Watashi Wa.... I am." and then he brought it all together, "Watashi Wa Ottasu Koh. On Ts'usu, family always comes first. Give it a try." the pilot encouraged.

"Watashi wa...." she thought for a long moment then looked across at him and smiled. "Watashi wa koi anata," She scooted a little closer to him, resting her forehead against his, her fingers once again seeking out the length of his ear. "I am in love with you."

His smile grew at the expression, a phrase that transcended language barriers. Four little words, but if she had spoken them in any language across the stars their meaning would be known. His free hand came up to gently caress the side of her head, his own lengthy ears twitching at her gentle touch. Touch. Such a simple thing, but its power and importance were more massive then the heart of the cosmos. Love. The most powerful force in the universe. Stronger than any bomb, greater than any adversary.

"I love you." he replied back softly, in her words. Another moment of silence, of togetherness. "The lesson is going very well." he joked, but was content to just remain here with her.