milliways_bar | (no subject)

It is a god thing.

"Yep, that means 'a'," he agrees. "It's a funny language, using suffixes as well as changes to the stems. Like - Hebrew crossed with Latin, sort of thing."

"Some medical terms are like that. It's like things ending with -itis mean inflammation of."

Guppy is not a great expert on languages.

Asar-Suti smiles. "And now imagine the terms ending on '-itis' changing inside, and you have German," Asar-Suti says.

"So like haemophilia and haemothorax?"

"No, the 'haemo' part stays the same all the time; it means 'blood', as far as I can tell," Asar-Suti says.

"Yes, it does, but it's on the front. That's not what you meant is it? Was I right the first time then, like arthritis and laryngitis?"

Asar-Suti shakes his head.

"Nah, sorry; German is more complicated than that."

Guppy gives it up.

"I've never been much good at languages. What's it about?"

"I don't know yet," Asar-Suti says. "It's metaphorical in some way, I think."

"I'm not disturbing you am I?"

Scampi jumps on Asar-Suti's shoulder and starts playing with his hair, purring in his ear.

"Oh, no, you're not; the book will be here aferwards, afer all," Asar-Suti says, reaching up and cuddling the kitten.

He grins at it out of the corner of his eye.

Scampi does not grin back, because he is a cat. Instead he tickles Asar-Suti's ear with his whiskers and continues to purr like a miniature lawnmower.

"That's okay then. You can of course tell me to go away if ever I am disturbing you. I won't take offence."

"There is infinte time for me, and not for you; and you are one of my people," Asar-Suti simply states.

He tickles the kitten's paws.

Guppy wonders whether being one of Asar-Suti's 'people' goes against his religion, and decides not to think about it. It's too complicated.

"Yes, but even for someone with infinite time, there has to be moments when you just want that bit of time to yourself. And I'm perfectly aware that I can be a bit annoying."

He grins, watching the kitten, who if he was human would be giggling, but instead continues to purr happily.

"He seems to be a happy little thing. I hope I'm doing everything right."

Back on Asar-Suti's world, being one of his people would have gone against Guppy religion in several points, probably.

But not here - here, they are just friends that the former Dark God feels protective about.

"Don't worry so much - whether you annoy me, whether you treat the kitten properly, whether you - whatever. It's all right, Guppy, really," he says.

Guppy fiddles with his hair.

"I do worry. I can't really stop worrying. There just seems to be so much to worry about."

"Oh yes, the world is very worrying," Asar-Suti declares. "A dragon might step on you, the shark in lake might eat you, or the other Dark God I met today might consider you for his daily human sacrifice."

He smirks. "But until that happens, I hope you enjoy yourself occasionally, as well."

"Oh I do, when I have time. I tried getting very drunk two nights ago so that I could stop thinking, but I don't think it worked. Not by the amount I managed to tell Aeyrn."

He hadn't even considered the above suggestions of things to worry about.

Of course he hadn't, which is why Asar-Suti jokingly suggested them. The only dragon in the bar is Falkor the luckdragon, anyway, and he'd never be so unlucky to step on anybody.

"Can you imagine other kinds of fun?" Asar-Suti grins.

"Oh yes. I do the Su Doku in the Times."

Guppy's colleagues often tell him, fairly gently, that he needs to get out more.

"Getting drunk isn't fun, it's just a way of not thinking."

"Quite correct," Asar-Suti grinned.

"And sometimes I read, if I have time. And sleep, sleep is good too."

He smiles. "But you know by now that what I do most of the time is work. I don't mind my job, I enjoy it. It's an important part of my life, and it's not something that I can leave at the door, especially if I'm on call, like I am now."

Speaking of being on call, Guppy's pager bleeps. The kitten pounces on it and tries to kill it, then clings to it as he tries to read what it says.

"Sorry Sooty I have to go. See you later. Take care."

He smiles, picks up the kitten and gets up, taking his half drunk coffee with him.

[ooc: Sorry, mun has to go to bed. Night :)]

Asar-Suti smiles after him, watching him go.

[[OOC: Sorry, I had just realised I'd forgotten my laundry in the laundry room in the basement and so went reather suddenly...]]