(no subject)

[sythyry]

Speciation [6 Hivvem 4261]

It's now the seventh, and I'm still trying to write up some of yesterday. This happened on deck of the Gavotte for Cloudthief... the trip home took about three hours, which sounds ridiculous since Vae did most of it with teleports. But we were being careful and moving a couple of miles in real space between each teleport (to keep the noise and world-wall-melting of the teleports down to a minimum), and the skyboat sailors weren't feeling very good, so it was slow. So Vae and I were talking.

Me:"Does it count as same-species love, if it's you and a N. violens?"

Vae:"Not it's no love I'm in, nor even a mating-frenzy, for I'm too young for that. And what's a N. violens?"

Me:"That's what we call Llethillasessat's variety of nendrai. It means 'violent nendrai' in an old language... every kind of nonprime gets a name like that, and with several broader names besides."

Vae:"Oh? And how is that?"

Me:(explains taxonomy [which isn't Linnean but has a generally similar spirit])

Vae:"Oh, my. And what is my species name?"

Me:"... I ... don't think you've got one yet."

Vae:"The sadness! And how do I get one?"

Me:"I suppose that the first prime to write a proper report about you gets to pick the name. Wynge and Phrass were going to do that, but that Will Never Happen."

Vae:"And why not?"

Me:(explains why Wynge and Phrass are such bitter enemies.)

Vae:"The there's a gladness on me for being too young for love still, if that's what it brings."

Me:"It can be nicer."

Vae:"And is yours?"

Me:(unhappily explains why Ilottat and I are such bitter enemies)

Vae:"Not yet do I see any nicer."

Me:(explains about Dustweed and Tethezai, and Thery and Yarwain, and Anoof and Havune and all that pack.)

Vae:"Not wholly convinced am I, yet."

Me:"Not wholly convinced am I either, but... Oh!" (explains about Yylhauntra and Verehinga and Myrihaaveinen)

Vae:"The that's sweet. Or at least a bit sweet."

Me:"Oh, good."

Vae:"The now, about my species name."

Me:"The uh-oh."

Vae:"It's my ambassador you are. It's you should give me a good species name... and write the report with Wynge, like." She referred to a conversation of a couple weeks before, wherein it was revealed that my final paper for the Nendrai Ethology course would be about 3/4 of the official first report on Vae.

Me:(notes that such a favor goes on our informal accounting.)

Vae:(agrees happily)

Me:"Hm.. You could be a Nendrai ... um ... periculosus? For 'dangerous'"

Vae:"Not I is it who feels the most periculosus or dangerous, after Llethillasessat handed me my tail in slices. Not, I am not the most dangerous of nendrai."

Me:"... locens, I suppose it would be? For teleporting?"

Vae:"The misliking for that is on me, somehow. These names are too kind for me by half."

Me:"I've no dictionary of the old tongue with me, to find you all sort of words to choose from. And I feel terrible, from your friend killing me."

Then we had The Conversation. Rather acrimoniously, as Mutoc-based feel-better spells are not kind to someone who's recently been killed. It ended with Vae in tears, of course.

Vae:"And what's 'tearsome'?"

Me:"Um ... you?"

Vae:"That I am. And what is 'tearsome' in the old tongue? For that would be a good name for me."

Me:"Oh, for your species name."

So I promised her that I'd try to get the report done soon, and call her N. lacrymosa.

Comments

[sythyry.livejournal.com]

What are those?

[bluedeer.livejournal.com]

N. comis, or Nendrai Friendly...or perhaps the other, N. Diversus or Nendrai Different?

[sythyry.livejournal.com]

Not bad choices, especially 'friendly.

[bluedeer.livejournal.com]

She certainly does seem to be friendly! And well-meaning. I couldn't find 'unpredictable' in there, not even sure if it would have been pretty enough for her, too. I don't find Vae to be mean, just young, impressionable, and silly.

Besides, properly raised and trained, she could become quite a formidable friend, and you can never have too many of those, especially when tax-season rolls around.

[kistaro]

But what would be the correct Latin- as rendered by the translator, so for you, some language which is not Latin- for "inadvertently hazardous"?

[terrycloth.livejournal.com]

'Tearful' hints at that.

Future adventurer: "The tearful sort of nendrai? Why in the world is the overly powerful and reckless variety called 'tearful'?"

Wise elder Zi Ri: "Because they're sad when they accidentally kill you."

[kensan-oni.livejournal.com]

Reminds me of this telvision series I've been watching... There is this man with a metal claw that has a delusion that colliding the world with the moon will cause people to be happy because the dust of a flower that he bred that has a bit of his soul inside him is going become part of everyone. Nevermind that most everyone will die if the moon colids anyway. I wonder if anyone remembered that the tides were being controlled by the moon. Oh well.

... but he is the kind of person who will hug you, and tell you it will be okay, while his claw get gently peirces your lung and heart, and cry right after he realizes he killed you.

... Bit of a nut case, but he thinks he means well.