Avenger Assembled Posted July 7, 2016 Posted July 7, 2016 "You could give such love far more convincingly than I, Klara," said Dimitri with frankness enough that his Russian accent faded from his voice. Normally he and Klara would have moved to Russian for an emotional conversation - but it felt odd to do so with Leilani right there. "And we cannot all live comfortable domestic life with pretty Englishwoman. Save that for Talya's husband, that Latin fellow." Decade of grudge or not, it was easier than he'd have thought to fall into pattern of sniping at their mutual friends in Klara's company. Just as it often was with Talya. A strange thought - but not as strange as how particularly warm Leilani's hand felt. "This is trouble with older friends," he commented to Leilani, "they seek to marry you off moment conversation falters. What is your government going to do if EU falters, hm?" he asked Klara, hoping the subject would distract Leilani from her own past. "Seems like bad troubles to me,"
alderwitch Posted July 7, 2016 Author Posted July 7, 2016 Leilani merely shook her head but didn't argue the point further. She had more than enough on her plate as it was but there was some comfortable familiarity in the maternal pestering. It reminded Leilani a bit of her own mother but she shook those thoughts off determinedly as Dimitri's comments registered, "What's an EU?" Leilani asked as she set her glass back down on the table, with the resignation of someone who knew that they were asking questions for far more of any conversation that was typical. Her brow creased at the unfamiliar term as she'd at least grown used to unfamiliar names. "I think that's probably more the mark of friends that have become family," she replied to Dimitri then, "Friends take you out for drinks, family pesters you about your life and why you making all the wrong choices with it. Least thats my rather limited experience."
Tiffany Korta Posted July 10, 2016 Posted July 10, 2016 “After the war there was promise that it wouldn’t happen again so people formed the European Union to foster ties and trade between European countries. The United Kingdom has always had a... strained relationship with the whole thing.” Since defecting from the Soviets Klara had deliberately avoided taking part in politics of any kind, and to their credit they’d never used her as an example of the other. Which was good as she was very tempted to punch some of them in the face. “But you know Dame Pennington she a wiley old fox. She’s already reached out to several European team, even the French team, to workout off the books mutual protection deals. Despite what the country decides at the Ministry it’ll be business as usual.” She downed another drink and turned to more happier thoughts than the weird politics of this world she now lived. “It amuses me that parents are very much the same even if separated by a thousand miles and a thousand years.” she gave a wistful smile “Even with the limited contact with my mothers I still know that they don’t approve of many of the choices that I made.”
Avenger Assembled Posted July 16, 2016 Posted July 16, 2016 "Imagine that," commented Dimitri when Klara reminisced about family, a sharp edge to his dry teasing. His parents were long since in their graves - and so were Leilani's. "Do not worry about what old people have to say, Leilani. Live your life as you will." Snapping his pocket lighter open, he lit another cigarette. "I have trained many young people in their superpowers, here and in America. You have, ah, talents beyond most. And as for family...well, contrary to what some would say, family is not of blood, though it often can be. Family is what is made, day by day and year by year, as we live our lives upon this globe. Ah, poetry, your pardon. Is just effect of the tobacco." He grinned at the two women.
alderwitch Posted July 18, 2016 Author Posted July 18, 2016 (edited) Leilani's gaze dropped to the table for a moment at the mention of parents, the loss still raw enough to sting but grief didn't stir her abilities the way other emotions did and when she glanced up again, it was with dry eyes. Really, it would have been better if she cried more. The loss was not on the young Hawaiian was dealing with as she remained firmly entrenched in denial. It hurt less, she reasoned, if she didn't rip the bandage off after all. At least the memories remained if she didn't replace them with a new version of her family - one sixty years down a road she'd not taken. At least, that was the theory. "Gotta wonder how eloquent you are in the language you grew up speaking, yeah, Dimitri?" Leilani's smile returned then, "You do better with a second language than I do - you and Klara both, really. Though, this your second language or further on down the road than that?" Leilani had deflected back with another question, clearly more interested in inviting the Russian Amazon to share than offering more insight than she'd already had. Other people's lives were safer topics, Leilani figured, less fraught with things that might set off her temper and the resultant issues. Edited July 18, 2016 by alderwitch
Tiffany Korta Posted July 18, 2016 Posted July 18, 2016 Before she’d left her home Klara had known nothing about loss but in the many years following she had suffered her share of loss, and the shadow of her ageing love was always on her mind. She gently gave Leilani a gentle reassuring touch with her hand and a sad understanding smile, she almost did the same to Dimitri but stopped herself. A few drinks and a friendly chat didn’t mean that all those decades of betrayal had suddenly gone away, she knew Russians kept long grudges. Beside if she didn’t know better she could have sworn that she saw something else in his eyes... “I taught myself Russian and English by listening to the broadcasts of the time.”she shifted in tone catching the attempt to change the subject “I also know a little Ancient Greek, it’s popular among the older population of my home. When more of my people took an interest in the outside world.” she paused at what was apparently a contentious issue that still caused her some consternation “But the language of my people is an ancient tongue that is spoken nowhere else, descended from tongues of the ancient nomadic tribes.”
Avenger Assembled Posted July 31, 2016 Posted July 31, 2016 "Soviet language training was in poor condition in my youth - fear of foreigners, you know? They did not even start it until 1932, when I was already college student. I studied English in school as young medical student. Was supplemental course, to assist in translation of English veterinary manuals. After that, was simple enough to develop language over years with much practice. Sometimes a friend, sometimes a foe, ho-ho-ho!" He smiled that 'pat' smile. "Is dictionary of it in Moscow, you know!" he told Klara. "We kept close eye on your linguistic ability." He hmmed, still thinking about Leilani's words. "I speak, ah, English, Russian, some German, schoolboy Latin and Greek, Old Norse, and of course the vampire tongue, which you hear these days mostly in some old Eastern European churches, ooh, very mysterious, I am sure. I know people older than Klara and I who have mastered many more tongues than me, but porheps my mind is simply frozen. I can speak perfectly fine English if necessary," he added, "but seems unnecessary most days."
alderwitch Posted July 31, 2016 Author Posted July 31, 2016 Leilani hummed thoughtfully at the conversation. "It's a good thing to have languages stay alive," she commented to Klara, "Was a biiiiiiig point of contention 'tween my parents growing up. My dad wanted us to speak English 'cuz it meant that we'd be more likely to have jobs and what all - English is whatchu speak in schools and all - but my momma, she wanted us to learn to speak Hawaiian." She chuckled a little, giving a small shake of her head, "So we kinda had one parent talking to us in one language and th'other talking English only. Then when my brother born, he was full on deaf, so everyone gotta learn how to sign." It was more than Leilani typically volunteered about her family, but talking about her childhood didn't have the same sharp pang of grief that she suffered when facing the likely ravages of time. She slanted Dimitri a side-long sort of smile, "Perfect English is overrated," she teased as Leilani was well aware that she often fell into the rhythms of pidgin automatically.
Tiffany Korta Posted August 8, 2016 Posted August 8, 2016 “When I was growing up it was Latin that was encourage and many of the older generation still speak Ancient Greek. Our warriors clashed a few times with the Greeks and spawned a few legends along the way.” she gave a conspiratorial grin “But I was drawn to the younger more vibrant tongues of the up and coming nations.”she paused and considered her next words carefully “Among my people these strong bounds to past blinded them to the present made them unwilling to get involved in the world at large. But then again we’ve never had to involve ourselves with the world at large and it showed sometimes.”
Avenger Assembled Posted August 10, 2016 Posted August 10, 2016 "Yes, well, your people are fortunate," said Dimitri before focusing his attention on Leilani. "As am I," he admitted. "I should be in a nameless grave on the shores of Lake Ladoga. I speak of myself as dead but there are great differences between my sort of death and that. Very great indeed." He hmmed, then went on, "The question is, what do we do with our gifts? That we are alive, when so many we have known are gone? Retirement would mean...what, that all the sacrifices made for this point were for nothing?" He shrugged. "Until they put me down, I must be a man of the world. Other dimensions and planets there may be - but in the end, we have but one."
alderwitch Posted August 14, 2016 Author Posted August 14, 2016 "Still doesn't feel like a 'gift' a lotta the time, gotta admit," Leilani said with a wry smile, "I mean, the flying's pretty much the best but I going through a lotta clothes at this rate. Not to mention sandals." Twirling one finger absently. she coaxed the last of the ice in her glass to melt with a flick of her fingertips. The ice hissed as it dropped from solid to gas almost too fast. "I s'pose I could get a career working as a sauna. People like hot rock massages, right? Probably not too hot though." She laughed, letting her hand drop back down as the steam dissipated from her glass. "I'm still trying to get a handle on THIS world. It's a lot different than the one I knew. Kinda afraid how unfamiliar my island has become if I ever go back."
Tiffany Korta Posted September 2, 2016 Posted September 2, 2016 "Now clothes I can understand. It difficult to find any clothes for someone of my height and build, and most clothes aren't designed for the rigours of combat either. Though I believe there are people that specializes in designing costumes for heroes with special requirements. I'm sure the League can put you in touch with the right people." She smiled along with Leilani's though she understood the dilemma, she'd had to rapidly adjust to a while different world herself and just as quickly as well. "It helps to concentrate on the things that are the same, whilst slowly accepting all the new. And concentrate one the good things and not the bad, trust me that not do easy during wartime!" Her disillusionment with the Soviet system was what lead to her defecting after all, something that was still have repercussion now.
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