Stories of Home and Folly

JP with Bandorchu, Omni, and LucianNepreen

Greyriver Steading

Tarmen chuckled, somehow still surprised to hear that Alexis had always been the sort to work out a proper solution. Amazing how one could change so much, yet be so rigid. He poured himself another shot before moving things along.

"And here I was thinkin' you'd knock some heads together. Rather glad we hadn't met back home in that case."

He then held the shot aloft and turned to Ekero with a beaming grin.

"As our newest member, you are next in line."

Throughout Alexis' tale, Voah mimed certain parts of the plot, whilst trying not to laugh, and they all did their best to help translate in their limited Ozainae.

Ekero understood enough to get in a few hearty laughs with an amused grin on his mug.

"She... good translate. " he said in Helian, pointing at Voah and poking fun at her exaggerated gestures.

It was his turn. He straightened himself up for prime storytelling position. "Two tales. First...," he said, and set his story in a low tone as if recounting a very important piece of history in the Ozainae tongue. This is what the group understood. "Years ago -- Hel's Maw. Young -- group of Gen warriors. Traveling at night. Heard shouting -- or howling? Beast. -- (demonstration of noise) -- echoing -- Warriors afraid -- armed themselves with swords/weapons. Ready -- fight. Battle -- lives. (shocked expression) Not beast -- goat! Head -- log/wood? Echo. Running -- cries. (he mimed the story as for the group as well) Relief. Embarrassment. Funny." Then he changed to Helian. "Easy foe." and he laughed. Voah was in a silent fit for most of the tale, just trying to hold it in.

Sufficiently dulled by now, Tarmen guffawed at his understanding of Ekero's tale before trying to hush himself for the next. This only served to create a snorting mess of the man, all while trying to take another drink.

"Two," once again Ekero began weaving a tale in Ozainae. He grinned, a mischievous glint in his eye as he began. "Once I go -- pond -- I much like. Hear voices -- laugh, shout, splash -- much happy. Eh? See, ah! Many women swimming -- no clothes -- in pond!"

He paused, his grin widening as he mimicked the women's alarm at his sudden appearance. "They see me. Say, 'Go away! Not come out -- you leave.' -- I say them, 'I no come to watch ladies swim... I raise fishing rod -- and say, 'I come catch tenedag..." He burst into laughter, while trying to mime a fish swimming and then large jagged teeth. "Tenedag! Big fish. Sharp teeth."

Voah nearly spit the wine back into her cup as the punchline hit. She had to cover her mouth until the initial bout allowed her to swallow the sip of Salarian red.

This undid all of the jungle mans hard work to contain himself, having to sit down in order to fully enjoy a story that seemed universal to all cultures. It seemed to Tarmen that he enjoyed it for that reason, it required such minimal translation. He had to take a few minutes to fully regain his breath.