Log:Traps of the Tongue

2021/03/01 	 Artemis Wade Lennox Nara Talia

1

Midafternoon at Sentries is a slow business time, but in the tavern business, there's rarely a slow time for those involved. Lennox is performing barback/assistant duties as he often does, helping move cases of beer and other alcohols from the basement to the bar.

Artemis has a bruised ego to nurse, as well as a mug of ale probably. She's recovered from her battle for the most part and enters Sentries, not quite at her usual levels of boisterous cheer.

A lifted hand from the on-duty bartender, a Godflora stein taken down and started, a few words into the 'pit', and the black-skinned owner climbs out and lets the people he pays to do stuff get about doing stuff. He takes over the pour, eyeing the subdued Artemis. During the minute or so it takes to fill the stein, he doesn't talk, but eventually slides the porter over to her, Macedonian sun coaster underneath it. "Rough day?"

Talia has given in and taken up the mantle of boisterous cheer for Artemis. She enters Sentries a moment or three after Artemis, taking a look around the room with her green eyes before she tkaes some uncommonly long strides toward the bar to order the first round for Artemis and her entourage.

With a first round already waiting, Artemis smiles at the comfort it will provide. "Aye, a humbling day indeed, and one that requires the strongest brew ye have."

Lennox eyes Talia, but grunts and lets the bartender do her thing, i.e. tend bar. "Do you remember what happened well enough to analyze it?" he asks the Godflora. "Don't get me wrong, drowning your sorrows is a time-honored coping technique, but eventually you have to figure out what happened, and how to avoid it in the future."

Wade walks into the bar and looks around, expecting to see Artemis here someplace. He nods to himself as he notices her, and he walks over in that direction.

Exploring, venturing, sating curiosity, Nara's arrival within the great bar comes at the behest of one or more of these reasons. With ethereal ease they abruptly move from spot to spot, making no disturbance in their wake, nothing more than the colourful light burst to show they had moved at all. The alien creature ends up beside Lennox, as before, so again. "My hello, for you. A pleasing see again."

Talia grunts back at Lennox whilst paying for the beers. She waves over at Wade, collecting the beers when they've been poured and presented, and cheerily makes her way over to Artemis to set down a second stein of beer. "Here. Drown your sorrows, Artemis."

A snap of his fingers, and Lennox points to the opposite side of a long wooden structure next to which he stands. "That side, Nara." He waits until she (hopefully) complies, then smiles at her, teeth white in his ebon face. "Nice to see you too."

Wade waves to Talia, and then says to her and Artemis as he gets close enough, "How's it going? Feeling a bit better?"

"Drowning mine sorrows? Nay, I wish to toast a worthy opponent," Artemis explains. "One whom is under the yoke of an unjust ruler, just as I was." She looks to Wade and smiles somberly. "Aye, Friend Wade. I am feeling better by some measure. Seeing thee, Talia, and Friends is increasing that measure all the more," she says warmly. She looks to Nara's appearance and smiles. "Ah, the illuminated one returns!"

With another splash of coloured lights, Nara arrives on the barside opposite Lennox, a sense of some confusion accompanying their transition and subsequent movements. "A rule, yes? Tradition? As the shops. This is shop?" Their midair flourish-bow toward Artemis follows her declaration. "Return. To where?"

Off-duty, in the daytime, without some crisis occuring to cancel said off-duty (or so he hopes), Baker steps into the place. A little R&R is a good thing. More is better. Too much just makes the next day worse.

"Yes," Lennox confirms to Nara, "This is shop, of sorts." His gaze shifts to Artemis, and his eyebrows lift, but -- he's toasted worthy opponents many a time before. He helps the bartender draw a few more glasses for Talia and Wade, glancing over at the new entry and giving a nod while the bartender calls out, "Welcome to Sentries."

"If you say so," replies Talia when Artemis rebuffs the mention of drowning sorrows. Talia takes a long swig of her own beer while looking around the room as well. With a smile, Talia inquires, "Well, if we're going to toast a worthy opponent, shouldn't we get some more festive music up in the air?"

Lennox exchanges glances with his bartender, then says mildly, "This isn't a rowdy sort of place, ma'am -- not somewhere to blow off steam. It's more a place to let the tension of the day fall off your shoulders."

"Not," the bartender adds judiciously, "that that theory always holds true; she," and the 'tender nods towards Artemis, "has a habit of making a little cluster of noise."

Artemis thinks on Nara's question. "A return to mine presence," she smiles, thinking that's an easier way to explain the meaning. She looks to Talia as she states her disbelief in Artemis' motives. She can't lie, though she can be in denial. She reaches for her stein and takes a long swig, still side-eyeing Talia.

"Another return," Nara utters in wonder. "A pleasing learn." A veritable poem worth of lights shimmer from their body that few would recognize as more than a random display. Abruptly the alien creature is at Talia's side, watching both she and Artemis.

Artemis sips her drink, wondering what sort of alien Nara is. "From where do ye hail, Nara?"

Wade says to the bartender, "I'd just like a lager." He then glances to Nara, realizing there are now two levels of miscommunication to deal with. Hanging out here is going to be somewhat like a living game of 'Telephone'.

The bartender nods and gets to a pour, while Lennox watches the quartet on the other side of the counter. He takes the finished drink and steps down to deliver it to Wade (as always on the Macedonian coaster), then says quietly to the Starguard agent, "With Nara, make it basic but definitive."

This particular question has before been presented to the alien Nara, and their response reflects this. Materializing before them, a glowing and partially transparent sphere, detailed enough to be recognizable but not familiar to most anyone, save Nara themselves. "Vatanavra," they utter. "This is. Home." The image changes, the sphere becoming tiny amidst others and a much brigther sphere in the center, much like a solar system.

Artemis studies the display. "Vatanavra? I have not been to this place. I would love to learn more of thy people. Nara," she smiles, then swigs her drink.

Wade nods to the bartender, "Thank you." For both the drink and the advice. He sips his drink, and looks at the light show that Nara is producing. "Interesting."

Nara dismisses the holographic display. "Vatanavra talk is see. Hear. Both." All the while lights form and dim over their body. "Earth talk is see. Hear. One. I learn."

Artemis nods softly, thinking on that. "Ah, it seems ye would have a more difficult learning hooman language than even I," she chuckles.

Wade smiles. "Artemis, you have managed to learn English pretty well, I think."

"It's like Chinese," says Lennox (who had been the one to give the advice to Wade). "To a Western ear, the tonal variations can seem minimal -- or, you know, due to the sentence structure, like if it's a question -- but they can indicate completely different words. To her, we can't emit the tones, and can barely perceive them."

Artemis smiles at Wade. "Think ye so? I still have trouble understanding Urth cultural sayings."

Wade shakes his head, "Artemis, you can communicate pretty effectively. You have difficulty with idioms. They are...difficult for everyone when learning a new language."

In the instant Wade converses with Artemis, Nara is nearer to them, between but not in the way. Their traversal was nearly instantaneous, barely perceivable. Their attentive curiosity is much easier to notice.

"Mmmm. That is understandable. How be thee with idioms of other Urth languages?" Artemis asks, looking to Lennox to include him. "Like in this Chinese?"

Wade smiles. "I still have issues with idioms in Chinese. I'm fluent, but...some nuances slip past me sometimes." He nods to Nara, "It's nice to see you again. My name is Wade."

Lennox looks amused, then shrugs. "I'm okay. I couldn't give you an example, really, but ... it kicks in when I'm conversing with someone in the language." He steps away to retrieve his current bottle of scotch from next to the rack, retrieving a glass and returning to pour two fingers' worth for himself.

"I see I be not the only one with this difficulty." Artemis grins at Wade. "If thee have trouble with such even with such a skilled tongue, why then do thee give me the grief when I struggle with such?" she laughs.

Wade grins. "If I don't give you grief, you'll make the same mistake, and keep making comments will will be misconstrued as talking about sex. It's kinder for me to tell you, rather than let you keep doing it."

"Naravkazalamata is long of mine. Nara is short." the alien creature responds to Wade taking a bow while hovering and completely ignoring gravity or even any hint of drift. "You talk. I learn."

Wade nods in return. "Nara. It's nice to meet you."

Artemis smiles at Nara's full name. "A beautiful and flowing name indeed!" she compliments.

"Beauty. Full." Nara echoes imperfectly. "In all. Beauty."

"Aye, full of beauty indeed," Artemis chuckles and drinks her stout. She looks to Wade. "So how goes thy days in training? Hast thou learned any new combat techniques?" she asks with interest.

Wade shakes his head, "No...nothing new, exactly. And I'm afraid the fight against Constellation was too brief to learn anything new from that, too. Mostly I've just been working on the efficiency of movement as of late."

Artemis nods thoughtfully. "Mmm. That is something I would like to see and practice," she says after thinking of her recent battle.

Wade smiles. "You sound...down, I'm guessing it's about your last fight? You know...they might have a recording of it. We can probably go over it and analyze it, if you like."

Artemis does look a little wounded at the reminder. "Hrmm. Aye," she grumbles in having to admit it. "Though moreso over the words exchanged than the result of the battle. And yet, somehow I feel like some force moved against me in battle. I was --distracted." The word distracted comes out like she was about to say something else, but that word presented itself instead. She looks surprised as the truth comes out. "I...would appreciate thy keen eye on the battle."

Wade nods. "If there's a recording, I'll happily help go over it with you."

Artemis smiles in gratitude. "I will see if JULIUS stored anything of the battle. I chose the place of battle with purpose, to ensure the city would not be damaged by our battle, and so that there would be at least one witness should I be taken away from Urth."

Wade smiles. "That was wise of you. You could have also sent me a message too. Using your PDA."

"Ah...yes, there was little time," Artemis smiles as she pulls out her PDA. And then frowns as she looks at it. The spiderweb cracks on the screen have spread much further and made more complex patterns. Also there is a dent in the metal casing. She tries to drag her thumb across the screen, and that's when the PDA gives up the ghost after being thoroughly abused by the intergalactic goddess. It falls to pieces dramatically and crumbles to the floor, leaving only part of it in her grasp. "Hrm."

Wade smiles. "You...might need to be one of the military ones. They're a bit tougher."

Nara seems interested in the pieces, moving to observe them fall to the floor and when they have arrived, momentarily remains to view the pattern they form. Then Nara returns to more conversational level.

Artemis is dismayed at the result. "Another loss in the battle," she sighs, then looks up Wade. His smile makes her smile. "If thee know of how I may procure one, I would be most grateful."

Wade nods, "I can ask around. Someone at Starguard will likely know where to pick one up."

The pieces are fractured, with shiny chips and glass with cracks like a mosaic. Artemis nods to Wade. "If thou art successful, then I shall be in thy debt once again, Friend Wade," she smiles.

Wade quirks another smile, "You have to be careful with that debt, Artemis."

Artemis chuckles. "Oh? Should I be concerned with how ye would have me repay it?" she grins.

Wade shakes his head, "Not me. You know me better than that. But I'm thinking of other debts of yours."

"Aye, I do, which be why I am not concerned with my debt to thee," Artemis smiles. "I shall be careful with my debt with those less honorable and true. That be a lesson I hath learned." Has she really, though?

Wade smiles, "I'm glad to hear it." He has his doubts, but there's no reason to think she's lying. That would be...well, impossible.

Learning a lesson and applying it correctly are two separate things. One would be right to doubt Artemis' abilities of avoiding trouble. Any sane man would. Artemis opines, "Still, I shall take thee up on thy analysis of the battle. Mayhaps I can learn something."

"What debt is?" Nara inquires, drawing closer to Artemis just slightly but with the abrupt movement and accompanying light display.

Wade smiles. "Umm...a debt is when you owe something to someone else." He coudl add more of an explanation, but that would just...complicate matters.

Artemis says, "Aye, 'tis like a fa...ah.....hm. Wade has explained it better."

"Oh?" Nara echoes imperfectly, becoming more puzzled. "Oh is like own. Yes?"

Wade shakes his head, "Own? No. If you owe something, you...need to give something to them. It could be money. Or do a deed of some kind." He then adds, "To own something is to possess it."

Artemis nods and grins in response to Nara, then at Wade's correction, she frowns and shakes her head in quick correction. "Is...is deed also a term that is also used for...?" she asks cautiously of Wade. She has to be careful in the use of the word favors.

Nara seems no less confused, but does not ask for clarification. The lights flicker in a pretty manner but less orderly.

Wade chuckles. "A deed is an action of some kind. So, it can mean...all kinds of things."

Artemis eyes Wade suspiciously. "So knowing ye hoomans, then it may include...?"

Wade nods in agreement with Artemis. "It might, yes."

Artemis laughs and shakes her head. "Of course. Thy language is full of traps of the tongue," she admonishes in good humor and finishes her stout.