heavensreader | [IC Inbox -- Snowblind]

[No.

Even with the tablet's flat voice sounding it, Kesara can clearly imagine the word in his voice, and remembers what it was like to try to argue with him. No point. What, then?]

Yes, teacher. [She writes and shows that easily, words that she knows. She adds out loud, in English:] Please continue.

[Out loud. She lets herself sound very nervous. He might take pity; perhaps he won't correct her.]

[He isn't a natural teacher, but he can at least do this. He hopes. He'll just have her respond and correct all the mistakes she makes, and fill in any blanks she doesn't know. Easy.

He switches back to written Chinese, making sure to draw each character clearly and precisely to make it easier for her.]

How about you tell me how the search is going in the new tunnel?

[It isn't how she's used to learning, and she wishes she could enjoy the new challenge cleanly - without worrying about betraying herself. She recognises only a few of the characters, but the key one - tunnel - tells her the question's likely meaning, its general sense. She lets him see her write with her slow, exact strokes, tongue sticking out of the corner of her mouth as she concentrates.]

New tunnel cold. Walking slow. Many people come. [She hesitates then adds out loud:] Duster is here with Tifa and Emily, the new girl. I don't know how they'd like to write their names.

Edited 2016-08-24 10:42 (UTC)

[It's useful information gathering as well, to know who is in what place and keep them located in his head for when he moves. It means he's less likely to run into people he doesn't want to.]

The new tunnel is cold, which makes walking slow. A lot of people have come.

[He rephrases what she wrote into a more complete sentence as a correction, and then switches to English briefly.]

Don't worry so much about names for now.

[Kesara's face scrunches up with focused effort as she follows the new written sentence, mouthing the words she knows, matching new characters to what she hopes is their meaning. When she gets to the English, though, her expression blanks. She quickly moves on to copying the sentence and starting to phrase her reply.]

A lot of people have come. Not good. Big animal maybe come?

[She has no word for "anomaly", not even in her spoken vocabulary. As she writes, careful, exact, she mutters half to herself.]

Emily is new girl</>. Tifa can have the xīn that means heart? Duster can just be duster since I think he'd be annoyed otherwise...

A lot of people have come and that isn't good, it might mean an anomaly comes.

[He corrects her sentence again, he'll do it with every fragmented sentence she writes so that she can hopefully learn from it and get better.]

Alright. If you're naming. How do you say mine?

[Username. Since he's sure that's all she knows him as. But it's also a subtle way to test if she knows more than she's letting on.]

[Slowly, Kesara copies the word for anomaly and writes big animal over it along with a question mark. But her mind flits elsewhere. She's understood enough of his second sentence to know what he's asking. Now she wonders if there's more to it.]

Maybe - maybe use name? [A very clumsy phrasing. But the answer she needs to give is obvious. This is the name he gives, so that is the name he gets. Even if she is still all afire with curiosity about his true name. The one he's hiding. She's sure he's hiding it.

All right, she can test him back.]

Your name. Surname forename is?

[Bucky annotates next to the anomaly question with the word in English, followed by the explanation that it's one of the creatures here.

But he's more focused on her other question and answer. Either she doesn't know who he is, or she's hiding it from him. She's devious enough for that, something he's already noted in past interactions.]

When you learn how to ask me correctly, perhaps I'll tell you.

[The full meaning of his reply eludes her, but she understands that it isn't a no. He's leaving a door open - to tempt her in, no doubt. By all the gods of Serindia, what does he want?

She decides on trying some cheek. If only because this way she can write a sentence where she knows all the words.]

You have my name. This is not virtuous.

[She means to say fair, of course, but she doesn't know that word, and Lao Dian did make sure to teach her that very noble word, virtuous. She might as well use it.]

[He's almost amused by the wording choice, he can hardly be called virtuous at the best of times anyway. Either she understood what he said before and was trying to find a way around it, or she didn't understand.

He decides to rephrase in simpler words.]

Life isn't virtuous.

[He means fair as well, but she used that term so he will too.]

When you can ask me for my name in Chinese without a mistake, I might tell you.

[Again she's missing a crucial word - the first one in the sentence - but her quick and often frustrated mind completes it with a likely guess. Fine, then. The next sentence she can read almost in full, which means he's deliberately leaving the window open.

He's making it into a game. But she knows it's not a game. To get his name would mean something.

Idly she underlines the first word of the first sentence with a question mark - just in case she's wrong in her guess - while assessing her chances. She starts the next line with a little sketch of Kunsel's helmet, since she doesn't know what she could use for his name. Next to it she adds:] no one has name. You know?

[It's hard to express her meaning with her very limited vocabulary, but she's still firmly avoiding adding any English words.]

Life.

[Bucky writes that single word in English with an arrow to her first question, before he switches back to Chinese. He recognises the helmet, he's seen a broadcast or two in his searching through the tablet for information.]

Why do you want his name?

[He does know it - Kunsel, or Kain - but it's not hard information to come by so surely she knows it too.]

No, I mean before.

[This out loud, as she gets a little impatient with the limitations of how she's chosen to communicate. She has enough limitations already that imposing more on herself is always trying. She catches herself quickly enough, and continues in the slow, complex business of writing.]

When(?) begin, no one has name. Now he tell(?). You know?

[She's not sure of all the words, but she thinks this explains it better. Her teacher is not the first to hide his name in Norfinbury.]

[Ah, he thinks he gets what she's trying to say. But having a fake name and completely trying to hide your identity are different, perhaps, Kain seems to have come clean now at least.]

I know.

Tell me about your name. What does it mean?

[This question briefly distracts her from her focus on finding out his true intentions. It's a question she's delighted to answer. The very first word she learned. The most precious treasure she has ever been given.

She sketches a tadpole and beams at him over it as she holds the paper up to the camera.]

Teacher gave me. Good name!

[She burbles on a little, knowing she can't tell the rest in writing but eager to tell it nonetheless.] He is a real Chinaman and very wise. He says to be named this way is very auspicious.

I told you to only respond in Chinese.

[No matter how endearing it is that she's so excited about her name, he isn't going to be easy on her. He's here for a purpose, though the itch at the back of his mind says he should cut this short now. He's talked too long, the admin might be tracking him.]

My teacher gave me this name, he is from China and a very wise man. He said to be named this way is very auspicious.

That's what you just said, learn how to write it for next time.

Yes, teacher.

[The written words come with a mumbled echo as she reads them out in a shamefaced tone. Kesara is duly scolded. Even when unsure of her teacher, she has the instincts - and pride - of a model student.

She needs to mollify him further, she thinks, and also stop him going off. And maybe she can get another nugget of information if she does it right.]

Teacher is good. He teach before?

[He thought she would take the hint that the lesson is over, but she's tricksy. He's not surprised any more, she's been like this since they first spoke, but it does set him on the defensive. Questions about himself always do.]

Yes.

[Not Chinese, but he helped teach the others in the Winter Soldier project, so he can't technically say no.]

You have your homework. I'll talk to you again soon.

[IC Inbox -- Snowblind]

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