A woof, baa, moo, a ribbit, squeak, squawk, it's fun to talk like the animals talk

[iprotectyou]

Baze had been curious about the waitrats and their society for a while now, and the best way to learn about them was to talk to them. Unfortunately, while they could understand him and his translated Jedhan, he had no hope of understanding their squeaks.

So he decided to learn their language. Bar gave him a music player with a primer loaded on it, and he threw himself into mastering the chittering speech. He learned the words for please, and thank you, and the rats' favorite phrase, "and a tip for you." He'd listen while working on his lightbow, and have conversations with the waitstaff in between times.

Like the one he's having now, with Work Experience.

"So what's the word for water?" Baze asks, sanding and shaping two ironwood inserts that will mate with the stock of his lightbow.

Work Experience squeaks at him, and Baze repeats the noise as best as he can.

Feel free to interrupt.

Comments

[is_the_motion]

"What on Earth are you doin'?" Bonnie asks, from further down the bar.

[iprotectyou]

Baze glances up from his work on the inserts and beams at Bonnie.

"Hoi, Bonnie! May the Force of others be with you! I'm learning how to speak the waitrats' language."

He squeaks a little at her.

"That means hello! Or, it would if my accent wasn't atrocious."

Work Experience chitters reassuringly, and Baze laughs, clearly having no idea what the rat said.

[is_the_motion]

"You best make sure you don't swear or nothin' by mistake." Bonnie teases, with a little laugh that turns into a cough.

[iprotectyou]

Baze starts to laugh, too, but then Bonnie coughs, and he sits up straighter.

"Oh, no, are you sick?"

[is_the_motion]

"I'm not contagious no more." Bonnie says. "I took the flu badly this year."

[iprotectyou]

"Oh, I'm sorry," Baze says, and Work Experience squeaks sympathetically.

"He says he's sorry, too. Chirrut came down with the flu this year. He's still recovering."

[is_the_motion]

"He's been lookin' after me, ain't you treasure?" Bonnie says to the waitrat, tickling him under the chin.

"How is Chirrut?"

[iprotectyou]

The rat chitters happily at her, and Baze laughs.

"I didn't catch a word of that! Chirrut's all right. Just sore and tired, like I'll bet you're feeling, too. He's also not eaten much since he's been sick."

[is_the_motion]

"I'll have to seek him out." Bonnie says. "Since we both got the same thing at least I won't get any more sick."

[cottoncandypink]

Baze does get interrupted. By someone looming over him, arms crossed over his chest.

"You son of a bitch."

Hi, Baze.

[iprotectyou]

Baze blinks up at the looming Wilford, appearing completely innocent and helpless and hopeless.

"What did I--oh. Did she feed you your shoes?"

[cottoncandypink]

"Fuck you."

She did not feed him his own shoes. She tried to feed him hers though, if "feeding" can be loosely translated to "trying to smash it through his skull."

"Don't they have a bro code in space? What's wrong with you?"

[iprotectyou]

Work Experience chitters something at Baze. He squeaks back, and then turns to Wilford.

"She plied me with her niceness. She's a lot nicer than you are."

[cottoncandypink]

Wilford ignores the rat. The bone he has to pick is with Baze.

"What else did you tell that wailing banshee?"

[iprotectyou]

"Well, let me think," Baze says, and would rub his chin, except that he'd have to wash his hands again. He puts on a show of thinking, creasing his brow and pressing his lips together.

"I told her that I thought everyone on your world was like you, implying that I was surprised at how nice she was. Why didn't you correct that impression?"

[cottoncandypink]

Wilford g l a r e s at Baze.

"Oh my god," is all he can manage. He's actually angry right now. He doesn't want to be angry right now, but he is.

He will not punch Baze in the face. Because Baze hits harder than he does, and he's had enough of being kicked around lately. Instead he makes a growling sound and walks away.

He'll deal with this when it's less of an open wound.

[iprotectyou]

Baze doesn't flinch, or wince, but he fully expected to be hit, so he was bracing for that. When Wilford walks away, a cold stone sinks into Baze's belly.

He doesn't call out, 'May the Force of others be with you,' though he probably should. He decides instead to leave an apology with the bar. The next time Wilford orders, he'll get a jar of moonshine as well.

[nerves_of_ice]

He's sitting in a shadowed corner not too far from the fireplace, casually watching the goings-on in the bar.

This particular conversation seems to have caught his interest for some reason.

[iprotectyou]

"I see, I see!" Baze says to the rat, and squeaks something.

"So how do you say--" he starts, but is interrupted by a chitter. He offers Work Experience a blank stare, until a napkin pops up on the bar, translating.

"We're being watched?"

Baze glances around the bar.

[nerves_of_ice]

He doesn't try to glance away or look down; he's been made. In this case (and in this place), that's fine.

Bucky waits for the other man's glance to fall on him, and gives a slight nod.

[iprotectyou]

A slight nod, huh? Baze waves back cheerfully.

"Hoi, stranger! May the Force of others be with you! I'm Baze Malbus, and this is Work Experience. Been coming to the bar long?"

[nerves_of_ice]

That... was unexpected. He blinks.

After a second, he gets up and walks across the room to them, rather than call back and forth.

"Hi." A beat. "A while, I guess. I'm Bucky. Bucky Barnes."

Another beat, this one a little longers.

"The Force of others?"

[iprotectyou]

Baze would have walked across the room himself had Bucky chosen not to. As it is, Baze remains where he is, and tips his head at the stool next to him, indicating that Bucky is welcome to sit if he feels like.

"Pleasure to meet you, Bucky Barnes. The Force is an energy field that binds and surrounds all things. Force of others means that it's other people's good will that makes the universe run."

[nerves_of_ice]

"Yeah, you too."

He takes a seat on the stool and considers the other man.

"So you're saying, what, love makes the world go 'round?"

[iprotectyou]

"Not precisely. My friend Chirrut can explain it better than I ever could," Baze says, picking up a wood rasp--handle in one hand, tip in the other--and dragging the tool across the ironwood insert, to little effect.

"But the Force has a will of its own, and seems to enjoy when people treat each other well. It's not sentient, but close."