milliways_bar | (no subject)

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Lando sits at the Bar, an invitation in front of him. An invitation to Jaina Solo's wedding. This week. Or 30 years in the future.

The temptation to see his future up close is great. Coruscant, in all its glory, free of the Empire. Imagine what he could learn about trends and markets in just an hour. And he could see himself as he will be.

But even Lando, no physicist or philosopher, doubts seeing the future that closely is a good thing. If nothing else, how would the two Landos explain their presence to old (indeed, much older) friends?

So instead, Lando will attend the reception here, and wait to attend the wedding. In the meantime, he hs figure out what cape to wear, and to see if Amanda can join him.

And all the while, he wouldn't mind some conversation.

[ooc: online till 3 pm Eastern time)

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"She is."

Mun would know, as Jack inna head has been saying how much he's falling in love with her, which makes mun want to stab him with a nail file to make him shut up.

...obviously mun doesn't like unwarranted monologues inna head.

"She has been teaching me some words. I...tried to speak French to her one day and she just laughed."

Lando can tell that Jack is atleast somewhat smitten, even if he has no idea how much so. Though he really doesn't care that much about such things.

"It does seem like a somewhat subtle language to learn, especially since - at a glance, at any rate - it seems to be both the same as and very different from English.

"Perhaps you need a primer. A friend of mine made one for me to convert Basic to English. And you would have the advatage of knowing the letters already."

He nods.

"I learned French in school, but seeing as how my career would require me to use English I fell out of practice. Though I have been to Paris enough times to know enough French to ask how to get to the theater instead of the bathroom."

"Hmm. Perhpas I should do that, so that next time Amanda takes me to her club, I don't get unduly." He smirks.

"I would offer to loan you my translator, but it lacks a proper database. And it won't help you speak, only understand." Why be helpful? Because Lando is just enough of romantic to help any man have a night on the town with that sepcail lady.

He grins. "I'd rather learn French the hard way, but thanks." Pause. "How does the translator work, by the way?"

"It's a very advanced microcomputer." Lando reaches into his pocket and pulls it out. To the 21st century eye, it looks remarkably like an iPod. "The microphone picks up any number of languages it is programmed to recognize, and recreates the speaker's voice in Basic in micro-insert in the ear. The datacard in this carries 75 common galactic languages, and there is memory in it for another 25.

"Translators of this size are not common. This cost about 35,000 credits, and I prefer not to use it unless I need to, since it uses a vast amount of battery power. Never mind that it doesn't teach the languages."

Jack's eyebrows go up; he's impressed. "But that would be very useful during a conference where people speak more than one language."

"Oh, of course. When I have been involved in complex negotiations with business partners, it's been quite handy.

"But as I said, there are not many of these. I don't even know if the manufacturer is still around." Lando wonders if the Empire, in its efforts to maintain total control over every asepct of life, could have made sure such tech was not around in order to force everyone, human and not, to know at least some Basic. "So conferences need to make do with protocol droids.

"None of whom I would ever want to take with me as a chaperone," he adds, thinking of Threepio.

"I don't know what a protocol droid is, but they sound too pleasant," he replies.

"A droid is a mobile computer with various functions based on design and programming.

"Protocol droids handle a variety of assignments, not just translation duties. But msot of the ones I've met have poor programming in regards to interpersonal relations. A way, possbily, of making sure that no droid ever takes over delicate negotiations." Lando doens't have much of the anti-droid prejudice many do, but it's there. "I'm a lot happier with this device." Which he repockets.

"And I think I should head up to my room. A family friend is getting married, and I should start preapring."

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