Two Reluctant Students(Rista, Taln)

[Flicker]

57 Summer, 511 AV Tag: Rista, Taln Purpose: Language Skills and Forming a Working Relationship Permission for Backdated Thread Recieved via Gossamer in the Help Desk The small chamber adjoining the heating nook looked nothing like what the two kids had seen upon their last visit. Opening the room up to an astonishing degree, the furniture had all been removed or transformed. Not that there had been very much furniture or space to begin with. A coarse, rough spun sheet of some greenish colored cloth bisected the room, from the center of the entranceway extending to the far wall. Neither participant would not know what was on the far side from the section they were directed into. Val made sure of this by standing in front of the closed door, his hands folded in front of him as he waited for their arrival. He'd sent each of them a note upon learning of the delay that had interrupted their scheduled lesson time two days prior. An Avora had claimed the Yasi and there was nothing to be dome about it, especially when the reasons were taken ito consideration. Val reminded himself again to send Kovac a little something for looking in on the struggling girl, and to make sure that Rista nevver found out about it. She'd probably do something stupid after assuming that the only reason Kovac helped her was because he'd gotten something out of it. Taln...Taln...Val just hoped that this lesson went better for him. The elderly man wanted to teach everyone a little bit more of the outside world, but the young Dek's previous behavior appalled the ex-Endal to an unforgivable degree. The note had informed them of the new date and time, supper time on the fifty-seventh. And so he waited patiently until they both showed up, greeting the first to arrive with an explanation that they needed the other kid before beginning and directing them to sit. Even for Taln there was a kind smile, as though his slate had been wiped clean. This wasn't Val's first flight, he knew that the less persecuted a pupil felt the easier they learned. Once they were both together, sitting on his bench in front of his Winter tea warmer, the gatekeeper got started. "Taln, you will go through the left passage, Rista, the right," he directed, ignoring their confused expressions. "Taln," Valterrrik beckoned, opening the door and using his body to block entrance to and peepings through the small gap left by the bisecting barrier into the right side of the room. His hand motioned the drudge to move into his side of the room created by the cloth. Rista recieved the same treatment. Taln found colorful pillows scattered on the floor, candles circumspaced around the room, and small glass dishes of the same meal they'd previousy had here set up on individiual ankle high stands interspersed throughout the pillows. Each food item had its own dish, and the mushrooms also included an eating utensul. On the far wall, the decorations had all been removed and indications of fresh stone reimancer work were visible should the kid know what to look for. This wall had been transformed into a smooth black surface of slate. Rista's side mirrored this exactly. The effect of the splashes of color and lighting was mesmerizing and ethereal. Not to mention comfortable for the two abused youths. Val hoped it would be memorable. He followed Rista in but stationed himself on the far wall, back to the black surface, and cloth in font of him so he could look at either pupil. "Taln, pay attention. Rista, without looking at your guide, run through the phrases I gave you to learn. Follow each one with the Nari translation." Val listened, correcting pronunciation only if necessary. "You may sit, Rista. Taln, in Nari, what phrases did you just hear? Can you repeat any of the words your heard in Tawna?"

[Rista]

She was getting better. Slowly but surely, though right now it felt like recovery had almost halted for the day. The girl had felt fine this morning, alert and energetic after spending several days in bed doing nothing much at all, but a quick run followed by a lesson in archery had done a good job in depleting most of her newfound strength. She looked more tired than what should be normal as she stepped out from the gate and walked over to the old gatekeeper, waiting as she was told to do so without saying much at all. Her demeanor was quieter than usual and her movements careful; not very surprising, considering how she looked. While her left eye had opened and could see again it was still surrounded by a painful ring of bluish-black skin, not so much swollen as blood-filled and rather sore. The cuts on the lower lip looked to be healing fine, and a hot bath after the chilly bells at the outdoors archery range in the damp weather had made the welts on her back and shoulders look much better. It was just fresh still, the injuries and the pain, and the girl didn't have access to much of her normally so intense emotions. It was all swallowed up by hunger and a desire to lie down and close her eyes... None the less she had come, faithfully arriving on the time dictated on the note with the Tawna guide in her hand. It wasn't just Kovac's lesson she had missed out on that day, and if possible Rista wanted to make up for it. She had used the enforced stillness to study the papers she had been given, repeating the words and struggled with pronunciation until she had fallen asleep; only to have the words haunt her dreams, twisting and taking on silly or ridiculous meanings that left her slightly confused when she woke up again. How could green beans and chair be spoken in the same way but have different meanings, after all? Made no sense. Rista made sure to keep her eyes to herself when Taln arrived, greeting him with only a faint smile and little more. Their relationship had improved since the last lesson, but the dark-haired yasi still felt that something was lacking between them. Something important had been lost due to their fight, and she couldn't really put a finger on what it was. Trust perhaps, or just the energy to try and really do more than reconcile? She sure hadn't been very energetic the last couple of days, suffering from a fever and wincing in agony every time she made a careless move. She hoped that he wouldn't think that she was mad at him still, it was just that... She didn't know how to make things any better. The fact that Val had placed the drudge at her disposal made things even more complicated. The mongrel had quickly found out that she disliked the cowering and scraping as soon as she said something; she had gotten to know the large man as someone who would argue against something he didn't want to do or didn't understand. To see him all submissive and relenting gave her a sour feeling in the stomach, but if she told him to treat her like before... How could she be certain that it wasn't just because she told him to do so? It was all very complicated, and the short-framed yasi tried not to think about it as she waited for her turn to step inside. The change of the room had surprised her, but she was too tired to do more than glance at the new furnishing in slight curiosity - a look that was given the Elder as well when he finally let her step inside on her side of the curtain. This time her reaction was more vivid. Eyes widened as she looked around, the mouth almost immediately wanting to twist into a smile at the sight of all the vibrant colors of the pillows. So mongrel she was, she was still a girl and loved bright colors and fine cloth as much as anyone else at her age. The room had been transformed wonderfully, and the black eyes tried to take in all the little details at the same time. It was such an exotic thing to do, removing the tables and chairs, and those pillows looked way too comfortable. She'd run a real risk of falling asleep if she ever sat down on those... The distraction of the task was welcome as it pried her attention away from the soreness of her muscles and the gnarling sound of the stomach. Rista did as she was told, and was rather surprised about how much she had managed to get into her head during that frustrating day of study. She only felt the desire to look at the paper in her hand twice or so, her tongue forming the words of the phrases clumsily but still somewhat better than before. As she finished and Val hadn't corrected her more than a few times, the girl looked content with herself and sunk down onto the floor, sighing from quiet relief as she leaned back into a pile of cushions. This was nice. It felt really good, even, and as she watched the old man and listened curiously to his instructions for Taln, her fingers played absently with the frills and embroidery of the fabrics covering the pillows. Such a kind man he was... Did she really have any reason for her suspicious thoughts that previous lesson, that he might have some ulterior motive by teaching her? It didn't feel like it, and Rista felt the suspicion slip back from her thoughts more and more. Surely he just wanted to help.

[Taln]

The reluctant Dek stood just outside the door, trying to gather his composure for what would mostly likely be the Elder's rightful punishment for his behavior. Taking a deep breath, he entered with downcast eyes and moved to where he was supposed to. He exhaled loudly in surprise at the lavish surroundings and the walls seemed... bigger somehow. Was he in the right place? Did the Elder give him the side that should be Rista's by rights? The dyes on the pillows were so vivid and new, he could smell them. Before he could fully take in that luxury, the differently hued candles gave a gentle and relaxing ambiance. The tall man knelt and sat among the largest of the cushions and rubbed a large hand over the velvety texture. How could anything be so soft?! Just when Taln thought his senses were already full, the gleaming silver dishes, plates and utensils caught his eyes. More importantly, they barely contained the mouth watering aromas within. Deep hunger ached and rose inside him, urging him to uncover each delicacy more delicious and highly scented than the one before it. After only the briefest of chimes to take in all the sheer luxury of his surroundings, the Elder gave voice. When Val spoke again, Taln listened attentively to him, but thought more of the Yasi. Surely she must still be hurting and exhausted from the recent attack on her. Was she fevered? He hoped she was at least mending better than when he'd recently seen her. His heart went out to the teen that was beaten so badly by her peers. Her vocabulary had tripled and there wasn't even a hint of anger in her tone. Rista sounded exhausted and it irked him that there was nothing he could do for her. Hells, he couldn't even look at her. Maybe she and the elder had decided to spare themselves the sight of a nasty Dek so she could have someone to practice on? The man nodded to himself, as this must be the reason why there was no punishment, but an obstructive barrier instead. Maybe he should ask the Elder if he'd given him Rista's room by mistake? No. It wasn't his place to question the man. Better to concentrate on the lesson before him. Something niggled at the back of his mind about these words and he finally figured out what it was--they were speaking homophones. Words that sounded alike but mean different things. He answered Rista with confidence, only erring on a few of the more difficult pronunciations. When they moved on to the food section, he didn't make a single mistake. He happily ate as he answered, soaking in the nourishment as he did the knowledge, and relishing both with equal fervor. "Aye-yes, eye-feature, and I-myself. Rose-flower, rows-move a boat with oars, rows-stacks of identical beams and roes-fish eggs. Chicken, chicken breast, chicken leg, chicken wing, skin, dark meat, and white meat, cold and hot. Pork, ham, bacon, strips, ribs. Mushrooms, large, caps, small, white, stems, raw and cooked." Taln beamed at the lists of foods. He took almost as much enjoyment in learning the translations as he did eating them. He would've smiled if his mouth wasn't so full!

[Flicker]

Val eyed the youths as they went through their paces, the short review progressing smoothly, cheerfully offering corrections and tips, even cracking a joke or two both in Nari and Tawna. As they spoke, he stiffly rummaged around at the base of the black wall, clearly looking for something. And then, prompted by a weird lisp Taln developed, he looked over at the man. The gatekeeper’s face dropped, and for a long moment the air in the room vibrated ominously with his indecision. “Taln…stop eating. Now.” Jaw clenching, sweeping the curtain aside to briefly reveal the students to one another, he advanced on the Dek. The determination strengthening his strides looked like it would lead him right over Taln. But, luckily, he drew up short and instead merely investigated the remnants of the meal. Most of it was gone. “I’m glad you got your fill, Drudge. Thank you for eating today’s lesson,” he bit off, turning away to return to his post at the center of the sheet where he definitely monitored both students. Those blue eyes clouded over as he attempted to recalibrate the plan for the lesson, having lost a key element for the definitive success of the evening. Silence drew out uncomfortably as the man thought, and finally he waved a thick hand to Rista. “Eat, it doesn’t matter anymore.” And, having lost his white sticks the stone reimancers had guaranteed would act as a marking stick on the black wall, the gatekeeper ripped down the barrier and tossed it in a wad in the corner. He left the chamber, slamming the door behind him, and returned in about ten chimes. Both students found parchment, quill, and ink thrust into their hands. “Clear away the dishes, stack them out on the bench in the nook.” After the youths had returned to their seats, he leaned against the black wall in front of them. “Tell me and write down as many adjectives as you can for each item of the meal.”

[Rista]

A sticky feeling of jealous annoyance passed through the girl as she listened to the phrases being repeated by Taln. How could he pick up on that so quickly? It had taken her long and frustrating hours of pounding the words into her head, and even now she had problems pronouncing some of the words right. It seemed impossible to get the tongue around some of the sounds, especially those that required deeper throaty sounds that didn't exist in Nari. It didn't seem fair, that something she had so much trouble with could come so easily for someone else. Darkly mulling over her own inadequacy where she sat with the back against a large pile of pillows, the girl didn't pick up on the change of Taln's voice at all. She was busy resisting the temptation to fall asleep, as well as ignoring the alluring scent of food in the air. The stomach was gnarling, she was hungry and the delicious looking dishes were tempting, but Rista made a point of resisting. If this was going to be anything like the last lesson... She startled when Valtrrrik suddenly spoke, the change of his voice from kind and cheerful to hard and angry so incredibly sudden that it was as if a different person had stepped inside the room. Unintentionally the girl tensed, holding her breath as the gatekeeper swooped in onto the section where the Dek was sitting - she caught a brief glance of the other side of the room, noticing to her surprise that they were exactly the same - and with a sudden uneasy feeling to her gut she listened to the words from the other side. It was unreasonable for her to feel shame over something the drudge had done, but even so Rista felt like squirming and sinking deeper into the soft pile behind her. How disgraceful.To eat the food without permission, and even more so to be caught doing it. Sure if he had nicked a small piece here and there, without it being noticed. But to gulp down like that... With a slight feeling that her reasoning was a bit off, the mongrel only reluctantly started to eat upon being given an okay. The food was incredibly good just like last time, but there was this sudden knot in her throat that made it hard to swallow. The mood of the Elder had deteriorated it seemed, and Rista found herself rubbing the fingertips against her palms as he passed through the room, flinching upon the loud bang of the door. It felt like something hummed against them, like the purring of a cat but much fainter; it was an uneasy feeling, as if his bad mood made the air itself electrified. Thoughtfully, the dark-haired young girl picked up a crisp meat-filled roll between her fingers and bit into it. Eyes straying to the man opposite her, she chewed slowly and regarded the silence. There were so many things she would be able to say, things that burned on the tongue. Half-teasing phrases, sharp words meant to sting and cause laughter at the same time, disdainful sentences that was likely to cause the other to cower... Rista chose to remain silent. Their relationship had improved since the last lesson, but she couldn't get away from a slight biting annoyance of having the man around all the time. Her resolve to keep a reserved distance wasn't strong enough to stand too many tests, and it would undoubtedly be painful and difficult to try and brink their relationship back to where it had been before. If it was even possible. Hard words had been exchanged, some of them were hard to forget and even harder to forgive... A faint sigh slipped from her, and without saying anything the girl returned her attention to the plate, eating more for the sake of not wasting the food than because of hunger. Once Val was back and the dishes cleared away, Rista tried to make herself comfortable with the ink and quill in hand, the paper resting the low table before her. It was a simple task they were given, but it still took up a lot of her attention. Adjectives.. words used to describe something. It was quite a wide subject, but even so she tried her best to find fitting words. "Green beans, crisp rolls, delicious mushroom. Rich taste, tender meat, spicy stew..." She took turns with Taln in offering adjectives, and wrote them down in a neat row on the parchment. The ones she knew in Tawna were added in the other language in a separate column next to the words in Nari; they were few and far in between as more and more words were added to the first list; the girl suppressed a tired sigh when she realized how much she still had to learn, and how much she would have to study in between the lessons if she were to keep an even pace with Taln. What was up with him anyway, how in the name of the gods did he pick up the words so quickly? Rista hoped there was a trick behind it, because if it was then she would coax it out of the man and make use of it herself. The thought of being inferior to him in something like this was annoying...

[Taln]

Taln choked and all the color drained from his face. The confused Dek honestly didn't understand why Val was so angry all of a sudden when the man had been watching him since he came in. He stumbled to his knees and shuffled awkwardly to the farthest corner. Val had sat with Rista and had her eat while they learned the last lesson, hadn't he? Was it only okay for Rista to eat, even if she was half sick with getting beaten? His mind flashed back to the small group of Dek around him that morning in the Warrens. They considered him an 'elder' Dek because he was second oldest of them and could actually put two sentences together in front of the 'others.' The ominous voice of the oldest one at twenty three, seemed to make no sense until now. "You'll only live until they expect you to read minds. The chime they play that game, you'll start dying. Dying inside and then your body will soon follow. You're old now too." "You're foolish and hit in the head too many times Crazy Lomi." Taln had answered scornfully. "That's just stupid! If I work hard and do as I'm told, I'll live. I'll outlive you!" The 'crazy' Dek shook his head with secret wisdom and sighed sadly. Lomi was a mute pile of flesh around everyone but others of his caste. He was missing an arm and lost half the hair on his head from a bad wound not long ago. "They'll change the rules every time they speak another sentence. What was alright the first time is beating worthy the second time. The higher caste will smile at you one chime and strike you the next. It's the look of disgust that gives it away. Once they give that look even once, that's your only clue that nothing you do will make them happy. They'll expect you to be psychic and scold for things only they know why. " "Lomi, they're not all like that! I met a Yasi who's a good Inarta." Lomi smirked and replied in a raspy voice, broken from disuse. "You are a fool. Has the teen or others shown constant disgust at your submission instead of satisfaction?" When his green eyes widened, the other knew it was a yes. "Then the castes have no further use of you. Anything after that first look of disgust is just a game. They pretend to be disgusted by grovelling, but if we didn't, they would be furious and kill us if we did anything less! I'm only three years older than you. You're now considered the same as I am. Mark my words. Be a silent lump of flesh, speak or move only when ordered and you might live to see the next day...." The slamming door made Taln flinch hard and he scurried to pick up the dishes. What was once a good meal sat thick and viscous in his nervous stomach. He swallowed hard to keep it down and risked a swift glance at the Yasi. She looked marginally better physically, but otherwise she looked thoroughly pissed at him. His large hands moved swiftly over the chore and he was more than a little glad to get the food dishes away. Crazy Lomi was right after all. This was the beginning of the end for a Dek. All hope of learning and trying to do something with himself seemed to vanish. The last of the dishes stacked, he scurried back to the far corner. His large frame hunched nearly in half, shoulders slumped under a heavy weight, with his head bowed down and hair obscuring his face. Taln sighed very quietly when the elder said 'write' and knew he must be speaking to Rista. 'Why did I think for even a chime I could get to read or write? This is all just a taunting game where the Yasi with all the potential is supposed to learn and I'm supposed clean up the trays.' He didn't -want- to be a mute lump of flesh but what else was expected of him? If he moved he was scolded. If he talked he was scolded. If he dared to look at anyone, they either hated him or were disgusted by him. Taln mumbled the appropriate words in a monotone, very very careful to make sure that Rista answered each one first. He swallowed hard again, this time against the building lump in his throat. The Dek saw Rista writing in two languages and watched wistfully from beneath his shield of thick hair. He couldn't even fully write in one language, much less, two. He supposed it was for the best anyway. Who would seriously waste time and effort on a mindless brute when they could train up a Yasi with a quick mind and good eyes? Taln was at least glad that Rista would get to prove herself the Inarta he knew her to be. A fleeting thought went out to Crazy Lomi's last words to him this morning. He was wrong in a way. This wasn't living another day; this was just existing.

[Flicker]

Val mumbled curses under his breath, kicking aside a pillow in search of his writing implement. Petching reimancers probably took the little marking sticks with them. Better he channeled his frustrated anger to the absent magicians than the helpless youths. If only they'd left the sticks where he could find them, he'd have been paying proper attention to Taln. Giving up, his age-furrowed face turned back to the uncomfortable pupils, blue eyes softening only slightly as they tried their hardest. Well, Rista tried. "Taln," the gatekeeper interupted, barely swallowing the bark and subsequent scathing comment regarding the Dek's miraculous ability to do the opposite of what was wanted. "Why aren't you writing down your words? Besides the difficulty of trying to describe something no longer present." Because you gobbled it up like a pig without being invited to, throwing a wrench in my plans and rendering this whole set up a waste of my time and energy; Val also swallowed that. All Yasi recieved an equal education in most situatios, it never occured to him that by some fluke the man had not been taught to read and write. "Rista, continue your work. Think of each food. Green beans are green, they're rounded, cylendrical when cut, soft, firm. Sweet potatoes are orange, sweet, mushy. Mushrooms are small, fat and skinny, taste rotten." After trying to give this little nudge of inspiration to the girl, he closed the distance to Taln and directed the man to pull up his own writing source, this a chair, sit on pillows, place his paper and ink before him. He even dipped the quill and folded the Dek's hand around it.

[Rista]

Chewing on her lip and nodding slightly at the example given, she continued to scribble down all the words she could think of, extending the list until she had to start on a new column next to the on with the Tawna translation. She tried not to pay any attention to what Taln was doing, but it was hard. Unwanted annoyance grew within her as the girl threw a quick glance towards the drudge, her dark eyes giving more weight to the frown than intended as she saw how the Elder placed the pen in the hand of the other. Did he intentionally do all of this to irk the old man? If so then he had more courage than Rista had realized. The angry Valtrrrik Imsun wasn't someone she wanted to face, not again. Once had been enough, and that had only been a brief scrape on the surface... Gritting her teeth over the interruptions and the tired ache in her muscles, the mongrel girl returned her gaze to the paper, trying to focus on what she had been assigned to do. Mumbling quietly to herself as she wrote, she tried to figure out what the words for the adjectives would be in Tawna.. without much success in several of the cases. "Mutton meat is tender, expensive, delicious, roasted, juicy, uhm.. seasoned, glazed... Fish is salty, dried, smoked, cooked, fried, spicy, stewed, the meat is pale, pealing, juicy.. no that's been used, uhm, bone-free? Tasty, fresh, filling.." Really, was it that hard to just do as told? Don't do anything until you have permission, follow instructions when given. It shouldn't be that hard, and it only took common sense to follow through with it. Common sense, and some backbone to admit when there had been an error, the honesty with oneself and others to admit that one didn't know everything... Humility was fine, but Taln seemed to bring it to such extremes that it backfired, somehow ending up obnoxious instead. Rista just wished that he could stop cower as soon as something went wrong, instead just straighten the back and face the consequences... That would be far more impressive.

[Taln]

Taln listened to the elder in amazement. The man thought he was disobeying--he assumed that he knew how to read and write! The Dek wasn't sure if that was good or bad, but at least he figured out what he was supposed to know. Before he could say anything, Val grabbed the hand with the broken fingers and painfully squeezed to move it. Are these people crazy? He'd thought Rista was a friend, but now she made it clear there wasn't enough space in the world to keep herself away. And the Elder pretending to be nice when they were alone and then hostile in the presence of Rista. Taln didn't know what the hells was going on but silence wasn't helping the problem. 'What the hell is this guy doing?! And why isn't she saying anything? She knows I can't read or write!' "Because I don't know all the words or letters. I ate because last time there was eating while saying the lesson, I thought it was the same thing. I can't guess what you want, so you have to tell me. If you must grab my hand, can it be the right one without the broken fingers-Elder, Sir?" Rista and he had been a heartbeat away from close friends and she was now remote as an island. It had only been about two seven days when she'd been the one that needed someone to literally watch over her in her sleep. A seven day later, he'd tried to help her after her beating. She even apologized to him. The Yasi knew he couldn't read and write like her and that a ten day ago, but didn't say anything to the Elder. And she herself had broken a few of his fingers. Was she as afraid of the Elder as he was? Maybe she'd changed her mind and didn't want a lowly Dek as a friend anymore? What was supposed to be a chance to learn how to read and write, turned into a strange and painful experience. He assumed that Rista would let the man know Taln couldn't read or write well. The elder assumed that Taln could read and write. Lomi was wrong. Silence didn't help with anything; it made things worse in fact. The yasi's silence however, left him baffled. He turned to the Elder and explained further, hoping to the Gods that Val would stop petchin' touching his broken hand. "Drusilla Avora started teaching me letters seven days ago Sir, and I'm learning as fast as I can. I can't write or read what Rista Yasi can. I can talk the words good, but I need to see the words and letters to try and copy them. If they're too small, I can't see them. Sir."

[Flicker]

Val released the hand and gave it a second look, it didn’t look broken, but he knew that didn’t mean anything. Looking back up to the Dek’s face, he stared. Taln couldn’t read or write. What the hell had he been doing when all the other children had been taught in the Yasiry? Straightening and rubbing his forehead roughly, the elder glanced at Rista’s continued progress. “Scoot together you two. Rista, copy your Nari list in large letters on a sheet for Taln. Next to each food, draw a picture of it. Any other words you can depict visually for his understanding do so, but don’t worry about it if nothing pops immediately to mind. As you write each word, say them out loud,” the gatekeeper directed, pulling up several pillows to gingerly lower himself on the other side of Rista. “After you say them, Rista, I’m going to say the Tawna word and write it next to your original list, first with the correct spelling and then with the phonetic spelling.” He let Rista get situated, using the shifting to acquire Taln’s ink and quill, and carefully maneuvered so that his writing wouldn’t interrupt the girl’s work. Glancing at the drudge, he continued. “You focus on learning what I’m saying.” “You’ll take this to your next lesson with Drusilla and focus on using this vocabulary. You’ll just have to focus on written Nari and try to remember as much of the Tawna as you can between lessons.” Looking to the yasi, clearly resigned to the situation at hand and mollified for the most part, he nodded. “Let’s get started.” Green beans, crisp rolls, delicious mushroom. Rich taste, tender meat, spicy stew. Rounded, cylindrical, cut, soft, firm. Orange, sweet, mushy. Small, fat, skinny, taste rotten. Tender, expensive, delicious, roasted, juicy, seasoned, glazed... salty, dried, smoked, cooked, fried, spicy, stewed, pale, pealing, bone-free? Tasty, fresh, filling. As they moved through, Val helped with any attempted pronunciations and added adjectives to Rista’s master list as the trio came up with them. Val himself added: tall, short, muscular, weak, big, bulky, stout, wiry, hot, cold, tepid, gross, disgusting, pleasing, bitter, sour, orgasm, stupid, smart, clever. Before they were even halfway through, he’d already formulated their next exercise, hopefully a fun one that would actually help them learn. Taln’s exceptional knack for repeating words correctly didn’t escape notice this time, either.