Lost in Translation (Faith)

[Baya]

43rd Trial of Ymiden in the arc 717

Baya stared around as the soft whispers of conversations floated as background noise not unlike the incessant chatter of the Ymiden bugs. And of course, though she entered behind two other big ones none of the serving big ones thought to look down. Or to mind their feet. She stuck her tongue out at a retreating foot and waited for all of five trills until she stamped her foot and whistled up at the waiter. The sound carried clear and loud from such a tiny body but it did the trick and bright eyes skittered around before meeting the impatient yellow of the Tunawa.

The waitress blinked.

Baya blinked.

For a drawn out heartbeat the server looked surprised before words poured out of her mouth at a rate too quick for Baya to understand. Instead of an answer, she smiled and flailed her hands like a toddler demanding to be picked up. Which was precisely what she intended.

The big one looked uncertain again before she picked up the Tunawa, “How…help…you?”

Baya cocked her head. Help her? What did the big one think she needed help for? Aside from being carried to a table. Which was probably what the big one meant. She nodded in understanding and pointed to herself.

“Am Baya. Seat there.”

“…seating…there…special…the…”

The onslaught of words as the smiling server took Baya to her table scattered her mind for a trill. She spoke so fast! Too fast to do anything other than catch the few words she understood until she was deposited at a table and the server abandoned her there. Baya took a moment to look around again confused and by the time her attention went back to the direction of the server there was a smaller table on the table. As she seated herself Baya called her thanks and tapped the tiny table.

“Want poison and water.”

Again there was that prolonged silence from before until the server smiled and shook her head, “We…serve…sorry…speak…the menu?”

“Yes. Serve poison.”

“No…confused…am going…something else—“

“No!" Baya waved her arms, “Want poi-son and wa-ter.”

She enunciated each word care, trying to understand the woman through her accent, even trying to copy it a little but that was no help it seemed. Her voice begun to pitch higher with nerves as the woman continued to shake her head before finally she held out a menu with big one squiggles. Big squiggles and pictures! That would be much easier now. Relieved Baya sank into her chair and tried to ignore the few people at tables nearby eyeing them with interest and perhaps something else. But the server seemed more comfortable now that she had her pictures and it would be easier to pick something out instead of arguing over lines on papers.

“This one?” The server asked, pointing to a picture of a bowl of fruit.

“Yes, poison!”

“..is…poison—”

Baya cut the big one off, “Yes, poison!”

“…is food…poison…”

As she said the word food the big one pointed at the picture. Oh! That explained it, Baya laughed. She’d been saying it wrong, with an apologetic smile she nodded.

“Sorrys, yes poison food.”

She could not understand for the life of her why the big one was beginning to turn a little red.

[Faith Augustin]

Faith was working in the kitchen and she was trying to perfect the taste of an orange glaze she was preparing. It wasn't quite right and the earnest young woman couldn't entirely work out how that was so. It was tangy and would compliment the duck she was preparing well, but somehow it needed something more. "No, it's not good enough." Faith said and Jo'get, her sous chef frowned and looked at Faith with something between admiration and exasperation.

"It's the best I've ever tasted," Jo'get said and Faith smiled slightly.

"That's as may be. But it's not the best I've ever made. It needs something. I just need to taste it in my imagination."

"It was nice with the whiskey?" Jo'get queried and Faith nodded.

"Nice. It was nice," Faith agreed and Jo'get laughed, threw her hands in to the air. There was no way on Idalos that Faith was going to be happy with nice, Jo'get knew it.

It had to be said, Jo'get was more than a little relieved when Trudi, the waitress came in and leaned against the counter. "Where's Padraig?" Trudi asked, "I thought I might ask him out on a date..." Faith raised an eyebrow at her. Trudi beamed and then laughed. "I don't know who's more fun out of you and him. Tina's here."

Faith shook her head and made her way out into the main restaurant.

"You know," Jo'get said to Trudi with a very serious expression. "If that was my man, I'd have thumped you by now. Or fired you." Trudi beamed in her usual uncaring response.

"Then," Trudi replied, "you wouldn't be marrying the right man. I flirt with Padraig, Faith notices. Have you seen that? He doesn't see anyone but her. He's safe."

Jo'quet watched as the waitress left the kitchen and shook her head. Trudi was, without doubt, the strangest woman she'd ever met.

Nonetheless, Faith made her way out into the restaurant and there, she saw the discussion between the small Tunawa and one of her trainees. Faith walked over to where they were, nodding to her friend, Tina, who had come in.

"Hello," Faith was a human woman, young and with pale white skin and jet black hair. Her eyes were such a pale blue that they were more or less silver and her face was smiling. "I'm Faith. This is my restaurant." She motioned to the place. Then, she turned her attention again to the Tunawa and smiled. "You eat poison, poison for me, and lovely plants grow out of your head, yes?" Her smile was genuine, welcoming and she looked at the small individual with an expression of interest.

"I can show you what we have, or make you a plate to try?" Faith smiled, "what is your favourite thing to eat?"

[Baya]

The first one seemed to melt away as the new one came, Baya glanced around for her then focused more on what the new big one was saying. Her eyes followed the gesture to encompass the room as she listened more carefully to the words, even if she really just wanted the food at this point. But she was curious, what was this new one saying?

“Am Baya. Meet nice.” She replied to the introduction and cocked her head in thought, she knew the word ‘my’, “This yours? You make?”

As the big one, Faith, continued Bayas eyes grew wide. She’d never known a big one could eat poison! They usually died. At least the ones on the boat had and…oh. Baya blinked, for a several trills she didn’t speak and when she did she jumped up in surprise. That was what was wrong, she had the words flipped from how they should have been said to what she was actually saying. Poison wasn’t food it was poison. Common was such a strange language or the pirates had given her much more poison than she’d initially thought because everything had been food but everything had been poison. But they weren’t the same thing.

“Oh! Oh! Wrong, am wrong. Eat food no poison, food no poison. No know word, words switch wrong way.” Baya chattered fairly quickly for someone saying things incorrectly, “Can eat, grow many, am showing.”

Baya sipped some water off the table then pointed to her before concentrating on the flowers she usually adorned her head with. Small white daises bloom near both ears as usual but Baya didn’t immediately notice the slight wilt to them until she plucked them. As she offered them to Faith with a self-satisfied smile she wondered at it but tucked it into the back of her mind.

“I make! Can make many. Eat poison you make, eat cherries you make. Like cherries, sweet, you make? I buy. Make poison too!”

[Faith Augustin]

"No, I did not make. I bought. Now, I make food here," and lots of other things, too, but that was as it was. Faith looked at the little tunawa and tried to make sense of what she was hearing.

But then, it seemed, the latest visitor to Cally's made sense of what she was asking and Faith smiled. "Cherries? Oh, yes, we have cherries. Do you like other fruit? I'll bring you a selection, a choice." Taking the daisy, the young woman looked at it and smiled. "It's beautiful. Thank you."

Looking up as Trudi went past, Faith motioned to her and spoke quietly. "Tina could we have a small bowl with a large variety of fruit please?" Tina raised an eyebrow and was about to ask something when Faith answered. "Things like cherries, peach and a variety of berries, but pieces of them. Then, sunburst fruit, cocolimes, the Scalvoris specific fruits, too, please?"

Trudi gave a grin and nodded. "You want anything else to drink?" Faith nodded and asked for some water, then glanced to Baya to see if the tunawa wanted anything.

Whilst they waited, Faith asked, "Do you live on Scalvoris? Or are you a visitor?" The place was amazing to her and she was very quickly growing to love it. "I have a friend who lives here who is a tunawa. Her name is Niv." Niv was, indeed, a friend and she was a good one. When Faith and Padraig got married, come Vhalar, Niv would be Padraig's best maid.

Apparently, that was a thing.

Tina brought back the selection and indeed, what a selection it was. With a number of the Scalvoris specific foodstuffs, there was plenty there and Trudi put it down between them so that the two of them could share. Faith smiled up at the waitress, pleased that she'd thought to do that. Alongside the fruit were three smaller bowls with sugar, a sweet glaze and a tangy bitter one. There were small bowls in front of them so that they could put the fruit down and add accompaniments if they wanted.

"So, tell me about yourself?" Faith asked with a smile.

[Baya]

“You make food?! Like me! Am make poison, you make food. We same!” Baya clapped excitedly, pleased with that development, “Am show you poisons, you show how make sweet food? Am liking many fruit, sweet fruits! Am like sweets and bugs, crunchy bugs best. You liking bugs, too? Big ones eat coco bugs, is sweet.”

Forcibly the Tunawa halted her flow of words, she knew from experience how hard it was to understand a language when someone spoke too fast. To keep herself occupied during her pause she grabbed a cherry and rolled it across the table to the syrupy looking sauce, her nose picked up something sweet. Happily she dipped it in the sauce then dropped it in surprise, another Tunawa! Here!

“Niv? I no know Niv, want meet. Speak Tree Talk, more family…” Baya trailed off, a sharp stab of guilt for having not found a way to write Amalis yet. She’d kept forgetting her grandma but forgetting was better than the stabbing feeling of remembering. Scalvoris was fun but Almund was scary and the Tunawa suddenly wanted to go home very much. She hated that feeling, the tightness, and the warmth in her eyes so she stuffed the whole cherry in her mouth with a smile. The sticky juice of it dripped as it slipped too quickly down her throat to stave off the feelings. Without pausing she grabbed another, and another and finally offered one to Faith with an awkward smile as she grabbed a new fruit without looking—

Oh! That was good! Different, distracting, was it the leftover taste of cherries? Some hidden ingredient that would sprout a new plant? She quickly ate another then gulped some water before flashing Faith an apologetic smile.

“Am sorry, was hungry!” Even more awkwardly Baya tried to find the easiest way to answer Faiths question and understand it, “Am live in Desnind. Stay in Scalvoris in room, big room. Here on…mistake, was stolen, go sailing in cage and eat poison, am here now, hide from pirate. Want go home, no know how sailing home. Am visitor am think so. You is living in Scalvoris? Here?”

[Faith Augustin]

The speech which came from Baya was quick and difficult to follow, so she concentrated. "Cocoa bugs? They're beans, aren't they?" Was Faith missing something? Were there cocoa bugs? How interesting, she thought and then smiled and shook her head. "Not so far no. No bugs in my diet so far. But maybe."

Never, Faith considered, say never. She smiled when Baya said she'd (she?) like to meet Niv and Faith nodded. "Niv is our friend. I'm getting married soon, and she will be helping us celebrate. She's lovely." Feisty, argumentative, but those were all parts of what made her lovely, too. Faith had a lot of respect for Niv and it showed when she spoke.

As Baya ate the cherries Faith watched and smiled, taking a cherry with a nod of thanks. Baya liked the cherries, but seemed very intrigued by the cocolime. Faith smiled and nodded to it, "It's a cocolime. Looks like a coconut on the outside, but like a lime in the middle, where the coconut is empty. Tastes like neither, but it's lovely, isn't it?" She waved away Baya's apology, "It's nice to see someone enjoying their food. Food should be enjoyed, shouldn't it?"

Then, Baya explained that they were here by mistake, or so it sounded at first. However, as the strange story unfolded, Faith frowned slightly. "You were stolen? Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. There are boats to Desnind, but it takes a very long time to get there from here." She smiled slightly and held out her hands. They were strange, really, in that both wrists has intricate black tattoos, her nails were long and sharp. However, she opened her hands and revealed her palms which had delicate leaves marked on to them. "Moseke gave me her blessing, and I wanted to go to Desnind and thank her, so I looked into it. If you wanted, I could pay for you to get on a boat back to Desnind, you know. It would be my pleasure to help one of Moseke's children." Faith was genuine when she said that.

"Yes, we live here, I love it here. It's become home, although we haven't lived here very long. I work here and as a doctor, so I'm busy. But it's home." She smiled and watched Baya, "I have to admit, I'm intrigued at what the cocolime grows," she said, motioning to Baya's head. "Is that how it works?"

[Baya]

Baya laughed a little and crossed her arms in an X gesture, “No, no, is no bug is…” she paused, she needed to learn more words. Common may have had many but there never seemed to be the right now to use, at least not in her vocabulary. “Is…um…cocoa bean smashed, put on bug. Make bug sweet! You try, is good, Faith should try.”

“Married?! Is good! Will do Yaba Daiv and have saplings? Niv is sounding nice, helps celebrate, am wanting help too. Can give flowers? Am growing all colors!” She pointed to her head excitedly, big one partnering was different than what Baya was used too but she had seen some from afar, with their parties and dresses and lots and lots of flowers! She’d never been invited but it wasn’t hard to find a spot to watch, big ones never noticed much. “Is very good, how grow? Yes! Enjoy much food but no salt. Is no yum.”

The Tunawa had never moved so quick in her life, her tiny hands grabbed at Faiths, her eyes bigger than natural. She had hardly even registered the offer of passage, too absorbed in the big ones hands. How? What were the marks? Why were they on her hands? She had so many questions but couldn’t find the words to voice them or at least she thought she didn’t right up until the Immortals name left her lips in an excited whisper.

“Moseke? How? What is? Why give?” She was so entranced by the markings Baya didn’t notice when she started to switch from Common babble back to Tree Talk. Common just wasn’t enough for all her questions. “Why did she give it to you? What is it? And you’re a doctor? Is that why? I haven’t met Moseke yet, what was she like? I—“

The echo of high pitched chattering reached her own ears and the Tunawa abruptly halted her speech, realizing she probably made no sense to Faith and that a few tables looked at them curiously. A few looked up, probably looking for birds. Her face felt a little warm and she struggled she switch back to the proper language.

“Sorrys, am excited. Is forgetting Common.” In her sparse moment of silence and embarrassed laughter Faiths initial offer floated forward. It was not physically possible for Bayas eyes to get bigger but they did. “You…you take home? On boat?”

Adventure the Tunawa loved but she hadn’t initially chosen this adventure, and oh, she wanted to go home. The thought alone made her stomach swirl so hard she though the delicious fruits would right back up. She wanted to go home and she could but…but the pirate. And the boat. She shivered a bit and blinked back some tears then made to squeeze Faiths finger in thanks.

“Is very kind, Faith is. Much. But can’t. Am scared of…boats, was bad. Bad things on boats, am hiding here.” She admitted, with a little shake of her head and hurried to answer the big ones next inquiry to avoid thinking about unpleasant things.

“Is little bit right.” She said slowly, “Is eating, is thinking, is growing inside, is pushing out. Am…am no knowing how grow big plants, am growing flowers, little things. No grow everything no thinks but grow smalls poisons and small…herbs? Doctor herbs?” She said, talking almost more to herself, it was hard to explain to big ones how it worked. It just did. It was what she was, there was a process but it wasn’t so complicated even if it took skill, it was natural but had to be honed. “Um, you is doctor. Doctor makes doctor herbs with herbs in…um, bowls, yes? Tunawa make doctor herbs with herbs inside Tunawa. No same as garden is little bit different but same. Am bad at telling things, sorrys.”

OOC

Let me know if you need me to make more sense of what Baya says lol

[Faith Augustin]

"Oh I see!" Faith smiled and nodded, "you crush the cocoa bean and sweeten the bug? I understand now. Thank you."

Faith had to admit that she had previously considered that Niv was lovely and that might, or might not be about the tunawa race, but now that she had met a second tunawa, she was beginning to think that the race themselves were simply delightful. When Baya asked if she and Padraig were going to be "Do Yaba Diav? Oh." Faith's lips twitched slightly at the 'having saplings', not quite sure how to put that answer. "I'm not sure. We haven't really discussed it." How, she wondered, did tunawa manage that? No. No, she decided, she wasn't going to think about it.

Some things were best left a mystery.

"That is so kind. Thank you. It isn't for a long time, yet. The end of Vhalar, so lots of trials to go." Faith smiled, and nodded. "No salt? Does it harm you or just taste bad to you?" That was important to know, she considered.

The sudden movement and then a few words Faith understood and a lot she didn't caused a raised eyebrow in the young woman's face, but she said nothing. When Baya apologised, she shook her head and then answered the question she had understood, as best she could. "I met Moseke and she was very kind to me. I was hurt and she healed me. I have served her since." When Baya spoke about the bad things which had happened to her, Faith nodded. "I understand. The offer stays, if you need it. Also, I would like to go to Desnind, one trial. If I do and I know where you are, I will tell you so you can come with me, if you'd like. I won't let anything bad happen."

Baya's description of how she grew plants, though, intrigued Faith and the young woman nodded. "I grow medical plants in my garden and I am a member of the Order of the Adunih. Do you know them? People who are doctors, or who want to be. We work together. You would be welcome if you wanted to." Faith thought she almost understood what Baya was saying and then tilted her head to the side. "Niv, my friend, is studying at the University here. She's studying chemistry, I think. But I study medicine. You could, if you would like to?"

► Show Spoiler

No worries! I think she got it. LOL I'm loving this thread thanks for writing with me!

[Baya]

“Tunawa wait too, not always have saplings soon, Gram no have saplings for lots and lots of arcs.” The Tunawa said waving her arms out wide to show the many arcs, her parents had her quickly but Baya had no desire to do so even if she could right now. She understood that not knowing feeling, there were times when she didn’t know if she would for many arcs. Or ever. It seemed like an odd idea for her to have saplings, even if she knew one trial she probably would. “Then give flowers in Vhalar for Faith. Will do, am remembering, is good?”

“Salt is…no bad but no good. Am plant, see? Is having drink much, much water. Salt is no good in water, make plant dry, make Tunawa dry. So no is liking, make thirsty. Make sick if eat lots and no water.” Baya wrinkled her brow in thought, she’d never met a Tunawa that liked salt either. Most of them just ate bugs, sweet fruits and water. “Is thinking Tunawa no need, big ones eat on meat, we no eat the meats, eat the bugs. Salt is good for big ones?”

“Want go to Desnind too. Is home, miss home,” Baya cocked her head in thought then shook it, she couldn’t accept so much charity. The kindness the big one had was almost suffocating but not in a bad way but in a way that made Baya knew it couldn’t go unanswered. Not to mention she had some pride too. So while she wanted to take Faith up on it instantly on either offer, she just couldn’t, it wouldn’t be fair. “Is nice but no do for stuffs for nothings. Am giving you somethings if you is getting me home. Can be owing a thing, a help am giving if Faith take home one trial. Yes?”

Another thought occurred to the Tunawa, “Why go Desnind? You is meeting Moseke again?”

“Order of Adunny?” Baya frowned, she’d said that wrong, “Adunih? No knowing but am wanting be doctor too! Gram does medicine, is good, make lots of things! Fix up big ones all time, am following her for learning. Can am being A—adunih? How do?”

Baya took a large gulp of water then took another bite of food, eyes straying for a moment to the table getting ready to leave and blinked in surprise as she was reminded of shinys, when they left them on the table. She stuffed a few more bits of bright colored food, unable to to form her curiosity as to what the fruits were when they tasted so good. In fact, she was half tempted to drink the glaze, even the more bitter one. With a loud swallow and a chirp of satisfaction Baya pointed at the other big ones leaving the restaurant.

“Oh, is forgetting! Need give shinys for food, how much?” Without missing a breathe she continued, “University? Is for learning? Am liking but…um, is for word pages, yes? Am no knowing how to see word pages. Is looking like sapling drawing.”

[Faith Augustin]

Faith looked at Baya and nodded. "I understand. I tell you what, I'll do you a deal," she said and she smiled. "One trial, when you have the chance to, be kind to a stranger. Then there will be no debt." That was completely true to her and Faith believed it utterly. "If we just all could be a little bit nicer, the world would be a better place." As for why she wanted to go to Desnind, that was straightforward to her.

"I would like to visit there, to see Moseke's home and go as a.. pilgrimage, a holy visit, I suppose. To say thank you to her." Faith had a lot to be thankful for, to all three of the Immortals she worshipped. "I've never seen it, never been there and I would love to see it, if possible." So long as she and Padraig went, of course.

But the Order of the Adunih? Faith looked at Baya and smiled in delight, "Yes, it is a group of people who are, or who are learning to be, doctors. I can give you directions, if you wish. If you join, they want you to help them but they help you, too." Which seemed to be a very good thing to the tunawa, Faith thought, she seemed to be keen on balance. "I am a member, they give you a medical kit and teaching if you wish it." Baya's admittance about not, as far as Faith could tell, being able to read caused her to raise an eyebrow.

"The Order will teach you the words on pages," she said, with an earnest expression, "we use them for making notes between each other. So, if I was looking after a patient, but I had to go home, I would have written everything down. They will teach you. Then, you could study at the University." If Baya wished it, Faith would give her directions to the Order of the Adunih outpost, telling her the name Galena, the woman who ran the Order here and to tell her that Faith sent her.

In terms of the shinys, Faith smiled. "We shared it, so half each. It is one gold, so five silver each?" Faith, personally, would refuse payment but this was a business and it provided to the most needy and vulnerable so she made it a rule never to do so. "If you decide to join the Order, I will see you again. I would like that. And I will introduce you to Niv." She smiled and said, quite genuinely, "I am glad to meet you, Baya. Very glad you came in here this trial."