Getting to Know the Family

by **Irea Rasar** on October 22nd, 2013, 7:59 pm

"What do you mean?" Zynya asked as she seated herself. That annoyed Irea; Common was such a hard language! Hopefully Zynya would catch on to Pavi quickly. Then she might be able to have the woman translate for her, on the usually-rare occasions she would need to speak in Common.

"Pavi is your speak," The healer repeated with a smile, "You learn, you speak. Is Drykas." Irea shifted herself into a more comfortable position in front of the fire as she fed larger and larger bits of wood to the fire, making it grow steadily warmer in the tent.

"Had husband?" Irea asked after a minute or two. She really did need to know this; if Zynya had left a lover behind, it would mean she would need to keep a closer eye on her sister. Those who leave too many old ties behind had a hard time accepting their new family, from what Irea had heard. "Babies? Brother? Sister?" Besides, the healer was a little curious of how people lived outside of the Sea of Grass. Just a little.

by **Zynya** on October 22nd, 2013, 8:14 pm

"Oh." Zynya said, drawing her legs up and hugging her knees. "Pavi." Her mind was sufficiently boggled by the idea that she was going to have to learn an entire language quickly. She was fortunate that Irea spoke at least a little Common or she would have been very lost indeed.

She blinked at Irea's question. "Umm, no. No husband. There was a boy I liked, but I'm beginning to think he was bad news....I mean, he was always trying to get me to leave the city." She frowned and waved her hand as if dispersing smoke. "Nevermind."

Zynya perked up at the mention of other family and smiled sadly. "I have an older brother, he's going to be a Knight. I have a Mother and Father. I don't have any children." She rested her chin on her knees as she watched Irea. She was beginning to observe some patterns in the womans hand movements, it wasn't enough to comprehend the words, but the hands seemed to convey what might have been emotion or use in Common. Zynya wished she could write this down, she always did learn better when she could study her own thoughts on paper.

"Do you have paper?" She asked.

by **Irea Rasar** on October 22nd, 2013, 9:49 pm

"I have an older brother, he's going to be a Knight. I have a Mother and Father. I don't have any children." The sadness in the woman's expression was easily evident despite the smile on her face. She rested her chin on her knees, watching Irea. The healer studied her new sister in turn, trying to think of what she could do to ease Zynya's transition. She hadn't thought she would grow so fond of Zynya so quickly, but she already felt a growing affection for the woman. She seemed in many ways like Irea's younger sisters, and the healer felt a need to comfort her.

"Sister." She says with a smile, reaching over to pat Zynya's knee. "Sisters, now. You Drykas." The matter of meeting the rest of her new family would have to wait; most of them were in the Rasar Pavilion, some distance away. Not that Irea particularly wanted to explain to her father why she'd bought a new member of the family without his consent. That was a conversation she wanted to postpone for as long as possible.

"Paper?" The word sounded vaguely familiar. Something outlandish, like 'hall' or 'library'. Ah, she had it! "Paper...No, no paper. Is no good. Burn good, no use but." The healer chuckled as she recalled the rumors she'd heard of 'writing' and such things. Why put words on paper, when they could go through the air much faster? It was foolishness, to her. "Want talk, talk. No 'write'."

by **Zynya** on October 22nd, 2013, 10:30 pm

Zynya's eyes misted slightly before she blinked them clear again. "I've never had a sister before." The closest she had come to had been the other girl in her group, they had been the only girls in a sort of sport that most women found too dangerous or foolish, at least in the area. The physical contact, even though it was only a single pat, said more than Irea could have conveyed with words. Zynya nodded in thanks.

Ah, so apparently the Drykas didn't write down much, if anything. Zynya had never been a big talker, her childhood had been defined by the phrase 'seen and not heard'. It had not been forced of course, her brother had always spoken, and she'd gotten used to keeping quiet. "Do you have family? How do you say these things....sister and brother and such?"

by **Irea Rasar** on October 22nd, 2013, 11:19 pm

"Do you have family? How do you say these things....sister and brother and such?" The question once again brought a smile to Irea's lips. Zynya was taking to the Drykas language rather well, all things considered. The healer hoped that was a sign of how she would fit in among the other Drykas. She placed her knife and a half-sliced vegetable aside for the moment and turned to fully face the other woman.

"Sister." She pointed to Zynya, "Sister." The gesture Irea used was one that indicated a close bond; not quite the one used for marriage, but definitely a tight familial bond. There was no difference between the gestures for an adopted sister and a blood sister, for the Drykas had no concept of such things. Family was family. She ran through the words for father, mother, and brother, making certain to show the slight difference in the gestures used for male and female relatives. It was a tiny distinction, but one that had annoyed the healer to no end when dealing with Drykas who hadn't quite mastered the language yet. It would cause some of the more mean-spirited Drykas to laugh at Zynya, and Irea wouldn't allow that if she could help it.

"Is easy, yes?" Of course, she would think that. The language was natural to her; speaking without one's hands was the difficult thing for her. Even as she spoke, she used many of the same gestures she would have when speaking Pavi. "You learn, you learn." The healer smiled, "Soon, you speak only Pavi." Gods, but Irea hoped that day would come soon. Common placed a barrier between herself and Zynya; it was such an impersonal language, and flat. She wanted that barrier gone as soon as possible.

by **Zynya** on October 23rd, 2013, 4:52 am

Zynya repeated everything Irea told her, frowning as she realized the distinction between male and female, she started to get the hang of it though. She was glad that Irea seemed to be a patient and enthusiastic teacher. Zynya was not a fool, she knew things could have gone a whole lot worse after being forcibly taken from her home. That was something she didn't really understand, why had she and others been brought here? Irea called her sister and did not treat her as a slave, but as family.

She smiled, "It's really complicated. Like writing with the wrong hand." She paused and rethought that statement. "Like you speaking Common." There, that was a better comparison. She almost giggled at Irea's expression. "I will try to learn fast"

Zynya had been a good student when she had taken instruction, her habit of observing details made it slightly less difficult, she rarely had to be told the same thing more than a few times.

OOC :

by **Irea Rasar** on October 23rd, 2013, 9:54 am

Zynya smiled, "It's really complicated. Like writing with the wrong hand." The woman paused when she realized that Irea had absolutely no idea what she was talking about, "Like you speaking Common. I will try to learn fast." Zynya seemed almost to be laughing at her! That was understandable, Irea realized. Common was probably as simple for Zynya as Pavi was for the healer.

"Learn fast today," Irea complimented with a smile, using the Pavi word for learn. She would generally use words she had taught Zynya, doing her best to accustom her to Pavi. "Much fast." She paused in thought for a moment or two, trying to decide what she would have Zynya do during her days. Irea spent most of her time helping the sick, and she was worried that her sister would grow depressed if she had to deal with that every day. Helping those suffering illnesses had that effect on some people. It was better not to risk it.

Well, no matter. She was sure something would come to mind, eventually. The healer resumed her work on the vegetables with renewed vigor; she wanted to have the meal ready quickly. It had been a long day for her, and she was hungry.

OOC :

by **Zynya** on October 26th, 2013, 7:02 am

"Thank you." Zynya said, hesitating a fraction of a moment as she took in the new word in. It was odd, learning a language, synonyms of an idea or object that you never knew before. Zynya observed Irea cutting vegetables, she had never been particularly helpful in the kitchen. Usually just washing or stirring things while her Mother did the actual cooking bit.

Oddly enough, Zynya was wondering the same thing, what would she be doing? Her normal days included chores, running errands, and general tasks that were too trivial or time consuming to others. A thought crossed her mind. "Can you show me the...city?" She was hesitant to call this place city, though she knew that's what it was classified as. She had learned that much at least back home. "If I know where people and places are I remember, then if you need to send a message or item I can run it for you." She had wanted to ask if they had a library, but then remembered that they didn't use paper.

OOC :

by **Irea Rasar** on October 27th, 2013, 5:21 am

"Can you show me the...city? If I know where people and places are I remember, then if you need to send a message or item I can run it for you." Zynya offered. The healer smiled a bit in indulgent amusement; of course, the girl probably did not know the pattern of the city. It shifted with each move, but the basic structure remained the same.

Irea nodded her assent, "I show Endrykas," She said, repeating the phrase in Pavi for her sister's benefit. "You know way, not get lost." The healer grinned, "Not want Drykas think you run." Clearly it was a jest to the woman; no fool would venture out alone in the Sea of Grass without being properly prepared. "Show now?" Irea asked, gesturing to the tent flap that lead to the outside world. "We find place for you, yes?"

by **Zynya** on October 29th, 2013, 5:00 am

Zynyz raised her eyebrows in surprise, "Oh, now? I thought you were cooking? We can go later..." She trailed off as her face turned pink again. She didn't want to be an inconvenience, even in this strange new world, her old habits died hard. She felt so out of place when people did things for her, she was so used to the opposite situation.

Zynya wandered over to the tent opening and poked her head outside, retreating back to Irea's side she mumbled the city's name. "Endrykas." It had an interesting sound to it in Pavi. It reminded her of when her family had gathered around the hearth most nights to listen to her Father talk about the latest happenings in Syliras.

She began to fiddle with her braid again, her eyebrows drew nearer together, the joke was not lost on her. "No, I wouldn't want to run away anyway. I can't outrun those flying creatures that live out there." She had seen a few on her way here, but they apparently hadn't been hunting, or the group of Drykas plus captives looked too big to trifle with. She shivered, "Besides, I have no idea where Syliras is from here." She shook her head, mostly at the fact she sounded rather helpless and she didn't like it. She forced a small smile, "Do you want me to help you with dinner? I'll try not to ruin it."