From: albert@chain.ssctr.bcm.tmc.edu (Rick Jones)
Newsgroups: alt.pub.dragons-inn
Subject: [MC] Marcel [D-Inn] Langauge Lessons
Date: 30 Jul 1992 19:46:25 GMT
Organization: Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Tx


Characters: Marcel & 'Raelf [plus Shiralee the barmaid]
ADMIN:  This takes place while one 'Raelf is healing Thk.  'Raelf is
	used with permission.  The +'s mean it's in French.

>+"You come from the quarantined places?  The TORG? ..."+  the discussion
>became very quiet but intense (and the subject of a separate post).

        "+Quarantine?  I am not sure I understand.+"
        "<<Activate notebook>>Remember to randomize Marcel's arrival.
<<End notebook>>  +Well, you've got shit-all chance of someone sending
you back.  As soon as a High Lord as much as sniffs at a cosm, the
Gatekeepers immediately close all crosstime traffic in and out.  Nobody
wants the Gaunt Man to come visit.  So there's no way back legitimately.+"
        [Great, we're stuck here.] /Shh, I am talking./ "+You do not think
I have endangered this cosm, do you?+"
        "+Naah, not if I spike the hole you fell through.+"
        "+How do you know so much about this?+"
        Shrug. "+I picked it up here and there.+"
        "+I must know this.  I do not mean to offend, but is what you do
witchcraft?  I have been shown there is a difference between white and
dark magic, but I cannot tolerate the black arts done in my presense.+"
[Boychik, you can be a real schmuck at times.]
        Snort. "+No, not the black stuff.  I'd be careful on calling it
'witchcraft', though.   Use 'black magic' if you must.+"
        "+I did not meaan to offend.+"
	"+No offense taken.  Others might give you a punch in the snoot.+"
        "+Well, I do not have much in the way of local currency, but I
would like to pay for a language lession, if possible.+"
        "+I'm not really the guy you want to talk to.  I'm barely
understandable.+"
        "+Well, you can at least start me off, can you not?+" Marcel holds
out a small pouch from his backpack.  "+I do not know much of the money of
this land, but take what you think is fair from there.+"

        ADMIN:There's some Bank of Nippon travellers cheques.  An American
Express Card.  Some US dollars.  Some German Marks.  Some Ayslish,
Victorian, and Nile Empire coins, which have some precious metal in them.
I presume that 'Raelf will take what's fair, or Marcel will promise to pay
him back as soon as he gets real money.  Or Marcel can 'owe him one'.

        "+I learn languages quickly.  I do not forget, so there is no need to
go slowly or repeat, unless I am not sure of the pronounciation.+" /Are you
recording, Howard?/ [Yes, yes. Get on with it.]

        The lesson progresses rapidly, and 'Raelf is amazed (or not ;-)
at Marcel's grasp of linguistics.  His pronouncation is pretty bad,
but he definately is picking up the vocabulary and grammer at (dare we
say it) computer like speed.
        "All my know.  Wowzers.  You fast to learn.  You chipped or something?"
        "Not exactly."
        "Well, must going.  Have quest for giant's dragon."
        "Giant?"
        "Yah, short guy over there.  Be seeing you." 'Raelf wandered
off to talk with his 'brother.'
        [I think we need to review some vocabulary.]
        /A good idea./  "Miss," he said, waiving down a barmaid.
"I please to not speak well.  I know basics, but not words.  And not
culture or history locally.  I have money." [Remember what 'Raelf said about
currency conversions.  Let me handle the money.]
        "Urm, well, let me check with Littlefair."  She went back to the
bar, and returned a minute later.  "He says it's okay, unless business
picks up again."
         "Thank you."  [Hey, she's quite a cute little shiksa isn't she?]
/Shush.  You're a dead old man./  [I got eyes, don't I?]  /They're _my_ eyes./
[Feh.]

ADMIN: Marcel stays up until last call picking up the basics of Generican 
language and history.  He's now one meal away from broke in local currency.
[He tipped the shiksa too much, the putz.]  He'll wake up before dawn 
and do some exercises out back before breakfast, and be ready to go
out when the rest of the Kron Questors are ready.
-- 
Rick Jones				Systems Support Center
albert@bcm.tmc.edu			Baylor College of Medicine
Voice: 713-798-7352			standard disclaimers apply
"I've _got_ to start listening to those quiet, nagging doubts." - Calvin