Lessons

Posted on 26 May 2019 @ 11:49am by Commander Allyndra illm Warraquim & Ensign Mimi

4,543 words; about a 23 minute read

Mission: Episode 17 - Crystal of Life
Location: USS Galileo-A, Deck 2 Allyndra's quaters
Timeline: MD -48, Time 1300

ON:

It seemed odd for what was considered early afternoon on the ship. Allyndra even after all these days was not used to the four shift time and coordinating with others who were on other teams to have time to spend with them. It had taken some planning but she had finally gotten a spot where she had time and Mimi had time.

She liked the Nekomi and some of the patterns from astrometrics seemed to be close to where they had taken the Fold Ship many months back. She had that and the astrometrics data as well that she could project. The former was on her own personal device and not in the ship's computer system. She did not want to have to explain very deeply how she had come by that data.

She had called Mimi and asked about another lesson over tea and cookies and now awaited the operations officer.

Arriving just a little early Mimi tapped the chime to Allyndra's quarters, she was looking forward to todays lesson as it had been a while since the last one.

"Come on in," Allyndra called. "Ummm....Lumela Mimi, Tulla sa." Allyndra was trying to get her mind back to thinking in some Nekomi.

Mimi stepped inside. Lumela Allyndra, miten son anda?" she asked.

Allyndra looked up and made a little curtsy. "Li an isuna sa miten buruz anda...., sorry not sure about the word for friend."

"Amic." Mimi said smiling. "That was very good Allyndra, we might have to work on something harder this time."

"Amic," she repeated the word several times. "Well teacher then let's see what we can do. I made some cookies and there is milk or anything else you might like. So where do we go next?"

"I am not sure, we have done a lot of the basic things." Mimi replied as she sat down on one of the chairs. "What would you like to learn about?"

"I know that there is a lot you do not know about your culture but there are a lot a nuances that many cultures end up with in their language. Irsemia Houses, Sky Ships, the Blood Kiss for example are things in mine with words and concepts and phrases that would not make any sense even if one more or less translated the words. How about that sort of thing?"

Mimi pondered for a few moments. "You want to learn about things like our saying of Mosti katia, katia?"

Allyndra sort of translated in her head and she was sure that she had it right but was also pretty sure that there was something more than the what happens happens of the simple word translation. "Exactly, I am sure there is some sort of meaning more to the phrase."

"Well..." Mimi bit a chunk out of a cookie. "Nekomi believe in what humans would call fate. Everything that happens, happens for a reason and almost nothing we can do can ever change it."

"That is interesting, almost the opposite that we as a culture tend to believe in. Well, let's work on something then more complicated. I am not sure about Nekomi but we have various blessings we say. Is there something similar that your kind says?" Allyndra wanted to learn more than words, she wanted to know the nuances of the culture.

"I think there was a saying of Pata misa rekin anda" Mimi said after a little more pondering, "You could call it a blessing."

"Oh! That is a new one!" Allyndra exclaimed excitedly. "Something to close...no that is not quite right, befriend one?"

"Think a little more on it Allyndra." Mimi paused for a moment. "You have heard all the words before."

"Pata not sure about..." she mused a bit more and thought. "Not befriend more like to be with someone," she thought. "Fortune be with you?" she finally said.

"Close." Mimi replied then she realised something. "Sorry I did not tell you what Pata means, it is our word for fate. So Pata misa rekin anda means fate be with you."

"Pata means fate," Allyndra repeated it more to herself. She then nodded and asked, "I am guessing it might be from your world being mostly water as is mine and having to sail upon the ocean which is unpredictable in olden times?"

Mimi shrugged slightly and took a sip of her drink. "It makes sense for that to be where it came from but I am not sure."

Allyndra nodded. She felt bad about Mimi not having much about her culture and people. It was one thing to be a long way from home but another to have that disconnect.

"Well, Li an anston, den rhald izan gogor, lasa, pata misa rekin anda, sayan amic" She switched over to Akkadian and said, "Mahoi'e ho'opoma'ki, Twins Bless, now how do I say that in Nekomi?"

"Bikiakai Bedeinkat." Mimi said the complex words coming out cleanly from her mouth, she doubted it'd come as cleanly from Allyndra. "A lot of Nekomi give birth to Bikiakai" She added.

"Bikiakai" Allyndra repeated and again nodded. She then made a little curtsy and said, "Bikiakai Bedeinkat, and that I mean. Now then what else can we work on to improve my vocabulary?"

"A big thing would be to make sure you are saying the words just right, some Nekomi words sound almost the same but mean very different things." Mimi told her.

"Ah somewhat like some Federation standard. There are three two, too, to..well one cannot properly write that sentence as each does not fit!" She laughed.

Mimi sipped her drink as she thought of a suitable example "We have the word Jebati which means fun but if you make the 'ati' sound too long it becomes something a lot....... ruder."

"Oh? And may I inquire exactly what it is if I mispronounce the word? Instead of asking if someone wants to have fun, what am I asking?" Allyndra asked.

"Well..." Mimi squirmed a little, "It is a agressive word for sex."

"Oh? OH!" Allyndra blinked and then laughed. It was long and with that Akkadian musical like sound, almost like a bird twittering. "Well perhaps maybe I should. It has been way to long." She shook her head. "I cannot seem to hang onto lovers, boyfriends nor a husband. Commander on a starship, head of a major House and yet the simple things seem to elude me." She paused and then looked at Mimi, "Alright how does one ask to come dance? I presume Nekomi have dances of some sort? I have never met a race yet that did not have something like that."

"We can dance very well," Mimi replied. "The word for dance is Dejot so you would say something like Ville anda bezala dia dejot?

Vill'a an'da bee'zela dia d'ejot, Allyndra replied trying out the new words. She tended to pronounce them though Akkadian style with glottal stops, a bit of sing song and emphasis on the vowels. "I am sure that was not quite right and not sure if a potential dance partner would even understand or did I just ask something else?"

Mimi smiled. "It is close enough, I think you would be alright, it needs to.... flow a bit smoother than that though."

"Could you repeat it again and let me listen even more closely." Allyndra asked. Nekomi was different than her native or even Federation language. Akkadian tended to have more vowel sounds and emphasis. Federation less on that. The only other language that came to mind with the amount of glottal stops was Klingon but that put a lot of emphasis on consonants.

"Ville anda bezala dia dejot?" Mimi repeated a little slower.

Allyndra listened and tried to get her tongue around the consonants while listening and silently trying to get the words down. "Vahllee ahhdah beezahla dia deejoot" she said finally out loud. Proud that she manage to leave the glottal stops out. There was still some of the stress on the vowels though.

She muttered quietly to herself before trying the phrase again.

"That is better." Mimi said smiling. "I can still notice the Akkadian..... twist but it is a lot better."

"Thank you," Allyndra smiled with a bit of nod of the head. "I am not sure I will ever get your language without a bit of accent of the foreign to it. Hopefully any other Nekomi we ever run into will find it exotic or pleasant rather than irritating." She shrugged laughing slightly with her musical like laugh, "Moh'ai'a maik'ia." She sort of laughed the phrase. "Appreciate the effort, more or less." She paused then and asked, "So how would I say that then in your language?"

Pondering for a few seconds Mimi eventually replied. "Effort is kahago but I do not think we have a word that matches appreciate, we would maybe say something like. Thank you for making the effort."

"kahago," Allyndra repeated. "Well I think I could almost carry on a small conversation at least enough until the universal catches up. Think otherwise going to look pretty limited. Vocabulary of a five year old." She laughed again.

"It is fun, hope I remember enough. Never seemed to catch a lot of the other languages at the Academy, a set of words, phrases and such but linguistics does not seem to be a talent of mine."

"You have done very well Allyndra." Mimi smiled, "It took Maria a couple of years to be at your level but then I could not speak english as well as I do now."

Allyndra nodded. "Well perhaps I may even become an ambassador one day if we find your world. I know I would certainly like to try water dancing on your world ocean."

"I think you would like it, there is so much water for you to enjoy and you as an ambassador would be interesting" Mimi smiled even bigger. "I think you would need a few more lessons in the language before though."

Allyndra drew herself up in her chair and with mock indignity replied, "And how many others than Nekomi and your rescuer even know any Nekomi?" She held that pose for a moment then broke down laughing. "Still I think you are correct, I best learn quite a bit more. I think not only language but anything cultural as well and I know they get intertwined a lot."

"Cultural will be harder, I only know so much myself." Mimi finished off the rest of her drink before speaking again. "We did not have access to everything the homeworld had on Kemi so things changed quite a bit for us."

"I know, but still, it will be something we can learn and perhaps together. Now then, how would I say I bring a gift?"

"I would look forwards to that Allyndra." Mimi replied "Gift or present would be Opari the other words you know, you just need to order them right."

Allyndra made a face while concentrating. She had been schooled in a place where making mistakes while allowed if one tried, brought swift punishment for being lazy or not trying hard enough. Finally with a slowness she said, "Lee Eeekkaahhri tah ooopaari" with the vocal modulation that many races had indicating a question.

"Very good." Mimi said glad that Allyndra was starting to form sentences mostly on her own, remembering what she had already learned.

"But I am sure it still sounds like an accent in there," Allyndra laughed. "Well let them be amused. I know getting any language quite right without bringing something else in is not easy." She shook her head and then going off subject asked, "What are the kinds of gifts you remember that Nekomi give each other? Clothing, food, jewellry or something else?"

"Hand made things were given a lot, on Kemi at least there were a lot of rock and wood to make things out." Mimi explained. "The builders sent with us on the ship were used to making shelters and things like that but were able to make very nice small objects after a while."

"I see..." Allyndra throught on the subject. There was a part of the Artisans Guild that made things sort of like that. "Well that gives me a few ideas. Maybe a bit of Treillium but we also have a few things we sculpt or build out of wood and metal." That gave her an idea.

"Here is what I want to be able to say. I have some of the words but make sure I have them correctly and a couple that I do not know. May this shine of Trellium silk shine as brightly as our friendship together."

"That is very nice but very hard to say in Nekomi, I am not sure we have a material that is like silk." Mimi said after a moments thinking. "The first part would go Izan dampris disitira ya trellium 'silk'"

"Hmmm....instead of silk, clothing perhaps?" Allyndra asked while trying to think the phrase and the word order.

"That can work so,Izan dampris disitira ya arropa."

Allyndra listened carefully. "Izan dampris disitira ya Trellium aropa. she said trying to put the first phrase with the second and yet getting the trellium in there. There was of course the somewhat lengthening of the vowels which would always peg her as a non-native speaker. "Something like that?"

"Now the second part is more complicated so I will go very slowly." Mimi said. "disitira, gisa, ein, amictika, disaadahea."

"Hmmm.......there are a few words there that I am not familiar with or have already missed. However, deeessseeet'iriaaahhh geeesahh, eein, ammm'ictkahhh deesaaaadaa'heeeaaa" She tried to pronounce the words with the native of her own language showing through even more.

Mimi smiled. "Good, now try the whole sentence together."

Allyndra did as asked. "Izan dampris disitira ya Trellium aropa, disitira gisa ein amictika disaadahea with a few stumbles over the words but without the long slow pronunciation she had done a bit ago. "So did I get it right. It seems something is off a bit though with the phrase. I come up with something like May the shine of Trellium clothing shine with our friendship together or something like that. Did I miss the brightly?"

Slowly Mimi ran through what she'd told Allyndra and quickly spotted the mistake. "You missed it," She told Allyndra. "Because I did too, sorry about that."

"Ah, well at least I am getting the feel of what seems right and wrong," She smiled and nodded. "So what word would I insert? And before you give me the phrase let me see if I put it in the correct way."

"Bright is Yesen and brightly is Yesena" Mimi replied just giving her the word she needed glad that she was trying to work out the sentence herself.

Yesena Allyndra repeated as that would the correct part. The placement she thought she was getting how Nekomi flowed and took a stab at the phrase again. Izan dampris disitira ya Trellium aropa, disitira gisa ein yesena amictika disaadahea, she offered finally looking with a questioning look at Mimi.

Mimi smiled "Taa lie den, kusla faren. You have done very well Allyndra."

Allyndra made a little bow. "Diolch anda, li eduki ta kaayo mcallin. Sa kanun, dupris onen"

"And you are a good student." Mimi said mirroring the bow a little.

"Thank you, well my head I think is stuffed full and think ready to take a break for today. How about I fix you some poached salmon for a thank you?"

Mimi licked her lips. "mmhhh that sounds good."

"Very well," Allyndra got up. "Relax, talk, watch a vid, or whatever. It will be a little bit of time. At least I have two rooms compared to the closets they call quarters elsewhere." She puttered about for a moment or two getting things prepared from the replicator. She did not like replicated stuff but that was all that was going to be available in the near future. "How are things in general?"

"Things are ok," Mimi replied. "trying to not be bored is hard though cannot wait to get to this latari system and find out what is going on."

"And how about things between you and John? Everything alright there?" Allyndra asked while getting the basic ingrediants synthesized.

Mimi nodded. "Yup, everything is alright there too. I have not told him yet about what we discussed in sickbay."

"Oh?" Allyndra made the comment in a sort of off hand way as she worked on preparing the fish. Her attention mostly on the later than the former. It took her a second to parse the idea out. "I see, has he been pushy about....well things?"

She was concerned since the M'rythr thing on how Mimi would handle things with John.

"No." Mimi replied shaking her head. "He knows this is my first go at romance and that it is a big thing for me. He will give me as long a I need."

"That is good to hear," Allyndra made the comment as though off the cuff but she was really gauging how Mini's mind was handling things since, well since the incident. "You know what to do if he gets more pushy than you are comfortable with?" The later was a bit more direct but it was needed. Hopefully the salmon how simmering on her little kitchen she had put in her quarters would take the edge off that delicate question.

"I know what I need to do Allyndra." Mimi said, she knew what Allyndra was referring to. "I know he will not be like M'rthyr."

"Excellent, hmmm....not sure I know that word in Nekomi." she replied. The air handlers were good but the soon the smell of the salmon was permeating the room, not over powering, but just enough.

"I do not think we have a word like that," Mimi paused as the lovely scent of the salmon hit her nostrils. "but Kaayo baik should work just fine."

"Ah! Kayo baik, well here we go..." she said with a bit of delight in her voice bring the plate over. "I have an idea to propose then. Once we get a few more in how about we try a conversation in a setting. I will do my best ambassador thing and you can be a Nekomi that I have not met?"

"That does sound like an interesting idea Allyndra." Mimi stabbed a peice of salmon with a fork as she spoke. "It will let you speak in big sentences instead of...... snippets."

"Then that is a plan but I think I need a few more lessons first," Allyndra took a seat. "Enjoy," she nodded her chin toward the dish. "Feedback appreciated so I can hone that skill as well."

"A little overcooked for my taste." Mimi replied after taking a few seconds to savour it. "But still very good."

"Oh! I am sorry, I should have remembered or certainly have asked. That is a part that I sometimes forget." Allyndra shook her head. Cooking was interesting but there were other nuances to it as well as each person had a preference to how the food was cooked. She had concentrated more on getting the recipe correct rather than the finer individual points. "Chalk that up to gaining experience. Hmmm......" She paused. "Not sure I know gaining experience in Nekomi."

"Do not worry Allyndra, it was a good first go." Mimi pondered for a few moments as she picked up another piece. "I do not think we have a word like experience."

"There must be something, maybe like amak'ike, it means something like wisdom or knowledge. Something one gains over time learning."

Mimi mulled it over a little longer as she eat the next peice. "I think a close translation to wisdom would be Karunun"

Allyndra nodded and then replied, I opus ta hina mas karunun dupura..

"You will get there eventually Allyndra." Mimi said smiling. "You just need to keep practising."

Allyndra made a face as she racked her memory for the words and said very slowly, Navika eginai sempurna. She really needed to try to focus on working in Nekomi if it was going to stick.

"Yes it does, it is how I learned english, lots and lots of practice. And a lot of Maria putting me at the deep end." Mimi remarked.

"Deep end?" Allyndra questioned. That was a new term to her, well almost new. She had heard once or twice way back at the Academy but never inquired exactly what it referred to.

Mimi paused for a moment, she never thought she'd have to explain an english term to Allyndra. "Being put in something that is a lot more than you think you can manage, I was ok with talking to one person at a time but a group conversation or speaking infront of a lot of people were hard for me. So Maria kept making me do it."

"Ah sort of like my old flying teacher. She always told us the ground is a harsh mistress but if you never try your wings you will never learn to touch the sky. Something like that. A chance to fail but one had to take the chance if one wanted to progress."

"I would not like to be taken to a high place and told to jump off, even if I had wings to fly with." Mimi remarked.

"Oh we did not do things like that. More just a run and jump to begin with. The cliff came later." Allyndra deadpaned the phrase. Well it was true but only if one felt like they were ready for something like that. She was interested in Mimi's reaction though.

"You would have to do a... big flight at some point though right? what was that like?" Mimi asked certainly intrigued by it.

"It was never required to make a long one. Encouraged yes. So many of the others just wanted to spend time in the Irsemia Houses. I did and tried to storm ride as we call it. That is to fly on the edge of a storm. The updrafts can take one quite far up but it is a very delicate balance not to get caught in the storm or go too high. What was it like? Thrilling, exhilarating, scary and panicky all at the same time." Allyndra thought back all those years and then nodded. "I have a simulation programme in the holodeck that I made so others can get a sort of feel for it. It is not quite the same but should give one a chance to get a feel. You are welcome to try it sometime."

"It would be interesting to watch see you flying around, but would I not need to be able to fly to try it?" Mimi asked.

"No, it makes a reduced local gravitational field. So let me ask you something. This time you never asked me what an Irsemia house is? Have you been to one?"

Mimi wondered when Allyndra would mention how she had avoiding talking about an Irsemia house and the interesting experience she had there. "Alohiai took me to one." She replied a little sheepishly.

"Oh? And did she mention what they were about as well?" Allyndra was interested now on that aspect of the stay. She had tasked the young woman with keeping her guests entertained but she had never figured she would go there.

"A little." Mimi replied. "She said it was a place Akkadians go to relax, so I thought it would be something like a spa, I found out it was a little more than that when we got there."

Allyndra just laughed with that musical laugh that she had. She shook her head. "Well relax for young ladies I suppose. I am going to have to have a talk with her." She waited a moment like making a mental note but then leaned forward and asked, "well details. Come on."

"I had nothing planned for one afternoon so I asked Alohiai to help me with some ideas, I already planned to go to the trellium silk place the next day so she offered to take me to an Irsemia house." Mimi started. "We went through a market to get to the house, I could smell the place long before we got to it."

"Ah must have been the perfumes and such. They are designed to elicit relaxation at least in us. I imagine with your nose though they might have been a bit too much." Allyndra had a big grin. "Well go on, did you have a single or multiple partners?"

"There were two to start with, one of them explained what the house was for after I started to undress and I.... panicked a little, I did not expect the house was for sex, they said sorry for it not being clear and offered a massage instead, then the other one left to make me feel more comfortable."

"Oh, well then, I shall not have to administer Alohiai too much. Hopefully the massage was relaxing?" Allyndra asked not prodding further. Perhaps the next time the Nekomi visited she would be more comfortable with that aspect of life.

Mimi nodded intently. "It was and very interesting too, I found I have a certain spot near my shoulders that made me feel all tingely when he rubbed his fingers over it."

"Oh someone has an erogenous zone! How delightful. Well there is more I learn about you all the time. I will have to write a medical book on Nekomi at some point. Have you shown John that spot?"

"Not yet," Mimi said shaking her head a little. "Do you think I should or let him find it himself?"

Allyndra held up her hands and laughed, "Are you asking as a friend or as your doctor? If the former, probably more fun to let him find out, if the later well I think I would still say the same."

"I think it would make sense to let him find it, unless he can not find it." Mimi said shrugging slightly. "I do not know, all this is new to me."

"Part of the fun," Allyndra winked at Mimi, "is the learning of fun spots. I am sure it will all come in due time."

"Hopefully." Mimi smiled.

"Well then," Allyndra got up and fetched something to drink and came back. She poured two glasses of Blood Flower juice and picked one up. "Here's to the fun spots."

tag

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Cmdr Allyndra illm Warraquim
Second and Chief Medical Officer
USS Galileo-A

Ensign Mimi
Deputy Operations Manager
USS Galileo-A

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