Tiberius settled in to watch Enzo work, a twinge of warmth overwriting the melancholy he felt. This was — maybe not exactly what he wanted — but it was good, too. Hearing others talk about their talents and special interests was always lovely, and this all the more so because it was Enzo.
And, besides, this was a side of Pavus that few people got to see, the endlessly amusing socialite left out in the gardens. Tiberius felt privileged and more than a little smug about it.
“From losing your boots in the mud to this. Who would have thought there’d be any transferable skills?” He picked up a stylus and began copying the formula onto the top of his wax tablet, anticipating that he’d need to write and rewrite this many times before he fully understood what Enzo was trying to teach him.
“Hmm. Grandfather was certainly fond of Old Tevene.” It had fallen out of favor long ago, with most people using the Dwarven trade language day to day all across the continent. Still, academics and nobles liked to sprinkle it into their speech – a point of distinction, like a painted on beauty mark. “I believe he could speak Qunlat as well.”
Tiberius had about as much of a grasp on old Tevene as any of their well educated peers might. Qunlat was another matter, entirely foreign to him. He grinned up at Enzo as he brought the chair closer – and if Tiberius leaned into the armrest a little bit, of course it was only to better see what Enzo had written.
“Okay. So the idea is to do that for every letter, and then we have a key at the end? … Do you think he stuck to the same system for half a century? I sure hope so.”
And, besides, this was a side of Pavus that few people got to see, the endlessly amusing socialite left out in the gardens. Tiberius felt privileged and more than a little smug about it.
“From losing your boots in the mud to this. Who would have thought there’d be any transferable skills?” He picked up a stylus and began copying the formula onto the top of his wax tablet, anticipating that he’d need to write and rewrite this many times before he fully understood what Enzo was trying to teach him.
“Hmm. Grandfather was certainly fond of Old Tevene.” It had fallen out of favor long ago, with most people using the Dwarven trade language day to day all across the continent. Still, academics and nobles liked to sprinkle it into their speech – a point of distinction, like a painted on beauty mark. “I believe he could speak Qunlat as well.”
Tiberius had about as much of a grasp on old Tevene as any of their well educated peers might. Qunlat was another matter, entirely foreign to him. He grinned up at Enzo as he brought the chair closer – and if Tiberius leaned into the armrest a little bit, of course it was only to better see what Enzo had written.
“Okay. So the idea is to do that for every letter, and then we have a key at the end? … Do you think he stuck to the same system for half a century? I sure hope so.”
05-28-2024, 02:07 PM
