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"I'm gonna need a towel, please," Ray says to the first wait-rat to cross his path. It's been a long day on the job for him and he's got his usual slime issues, namely: he, his proton pack, his jumpsuit, and nearly everything he's wearing under his jumpsuit is saturated in the stuff. "And a large glass of the quantum blue and a cheeseburger."

The rat squeaks and scampers off, returning with the towel first. Ray rubs his face vigorously before dropping into the nearest chair and unbuckling his pack. "Thanks."

Another squeak.

"Oh, hush. I'll wash up later. It's just ectoplasm."

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"You're welcome to as much of it as you like. It's nothing outstanding," Ray says. "Just a couple of standard Class Fives who went bugnuts in a crystal store. How've you been?"

"I was thinking more for the workbook," says Yunno (who still come back with more than one container), "Alright mostly. Running some tests on material for use in Devices and some heavy duty number crunching. I'm going to be borrowing a bit more floor space in room 2342 for a better computer setup if that's alright?"

The workbook is slipped over along with the baggie. It's the English/Mid-Childan version and claims to teach the language in 'Just ten minutes a day!'

"Oh, okay," Ray says. "That makes more sense. Sure, you're welcome to as much of it as you need... hey, would you mind if I let my daughter in on the lessons too? She's in a linguistic acquisition phase like you wouldn't believe."

"Sure that shouldn't be a problem," agrees Yunno, "I slipped a DVD in to help with the pronunciations too."

It might be region coded for Japan though.

"The book versions are always a little off in the emphasis."

Ray lives in New York. He'll find someone to mod the player if he needs to.

"I've noticed. Not with Japanese, I mean, with other languages. Jhalak's going to be an interesting case with her pronunciations regardless- she's not human, and doesn't have an even remotely human-shaped pharynx."

Or ask Ecto, it's just math after all.

"Is Jhalak adopted then?" Yunno asks, "Should I be keeping an eye out in the bar for her if she visits?"

"Yeah, I met her here," Ray says. "She's a Jotok, a five-armed, five-brained species of alien from somewhere in the direction of the Ringworld. As a matter of fact-" He indicates the sling over his shoulder. "Four of her five brains are sleeping in there at the moment. She doesn't like leaving my side just yet."

"Oh wow."

Yunno's wearing the 'there's a cute little baby here' face.

"Must be from a dangerous environment to split the sleep up like that," he muses, "I don't think I know about this Ringworld. Is it named for the jewelry or does it have a ring system around the planet?"

"It's an artificial structure, an entire world built in an enclosed ring of more metal than most human minds can comprehend," Ray says. "Jhalak's species starts off life as individual bits that haven't quite achieved sentience yet. Around puberty five of them come together and grow into a single organism with five brains and minds, one eye and one hand and one mouth and so on per each brain. The central mass only holds a mouth and a big stomach. That's when they become fully sentient, and imprint on someone either of their own kind or another species. Jhalak happens to have imprinted on me."

"Weird."

Even the narration is unsure if the comment is for Jhalak or Ringworld.

"If Jhalak can handle English, then Mid-Childan should be doable. It's not tonal, like say Chinese, so that should help too."

"She's already picked up enough English to acquit herself honorably anywhere in New York City," says Ray, "and I got her learning Sumerian, too. Just to see how she did. The Mid-Childan should be a breeze." He makes a rueful face. "I'm not much good with the tonal languages myself. My broadsword instructor makes fun of me for it all the time."

Yunno nods.

"The worst part is when the tones change depending on the order the words come in. I know it always trips me up. That and the slang, I keep getting the Earth slang wrong. I guess I'll have to read more about it too."

Yunno does not look displeased with the idea at all.

"You're welcome to visit my Earth if you want, now that I'm back in my New York again," Ray says. "My city mostly speaks English, but we're a few blocks from Chinatown. Lots of Cantonese, for the most part."

"That might be nice," says Yunno, "Oh, have you had any luck getting the government to produce the documents on the Ark you mentioned last time we talked or have they been stalling?"

Going to have to sleep for work. Slow/fade?

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