abraxaslogs | If I think too hard about what we're doing I'll feel really bad about it (Open/Closed)

She nods a bit at the explanation, it makes sense. She wonders if there is some sort of similar equivalent in Ravka, but... she's never seen it, and she supposes while she's here, there's no way to be sure.

Still. She watches Bay's movements closely as she goes through it again, explaining each piece of it as she does. Then, she tries to repeat it. Her movements are slow, a little staggered, "Do you have signs for the other factions?" it's a genuine sort of curiosity, which translates as much into her eyes as the tone of her voice, which Inej realizes now that Bay can't actually hear.

"My best friend was there. And there was an opportunity for it when the factions had a sort of... peace meeting." The roll of her eyes with those last words is probably plenty to say just how she felt about it. "It isn't always so easy to move," she admits, "I just got lucky."

Bay's smiling warmly through the entire recreation of what she did. It isn't good, but she is trying, which just makes her more attractive.

...Bay has questions as to why that is her takeaway here.

Still, at the question Bay shakes her head. Naming the Free Cities would be easy, but it would also be impersonal, she's never seen it so she has no way to name it accurately other than to just use the name. Solvunn is even harder, it doesn't have words in its name. Or a good pun to use. "I don't really know enough about them to name them. There's a reason I used thorn as a pun in the name. I'd just fingerspell the names."

Which Bay does, at a speed meant for Deaf people. Which is to say her hand moved very quickly, with very distinct shapes, held only as long as it took to make them. She's not expecting Inej to get any of it. The most noticeable movement is on the double letters in each name, which held the letter and dragged it to the right as she signed. The double n in Solvunn, a held fist with her thumb under her first two fingers. And the double e in Free being a more open fist with her thumb resting on the fingernails of her fingers.

"Castle Thorne is tense, all the time." Which is a little worse for Bay since she's already feeling a little exposed there, being stuck working with a new language. Hence hotsprings, which are good for that. "So I guess you did get lucky. I take it the 'peace talks' weren't very good?"

She nods a little as she explains it, it makes sense enough, she supposes, even if she doesn't fully know or understand the naming conventions with signed names. Though when she spells the city names, Inej can barely keep up with the movements of her finger even as hard as she tries and she laughs a little. "Wow, that- how do you do it so fast?" Practice and necessity are the answers there, she figures, but it's still impressive, and the smile on her face probably says as much. Bay's fingers shift shape so easily and there's no disruption in the flow of it.

"From what I've heard, that does not surprise me," and she has heard a lot, and not much good, about Thorne during her time in this world. "A sham, if you ask me. These factions have been on the brink of war for far too long for peace talks to make it all better."

"How fast do you read or write?" It's a language, the flow of fingers from shape to shape, and the flow of a pen from shape to shape aren't that different. It's merely a matter of what one's been doing a lot of in their life. Bay's body has done this for a decade, longer probably. But she can't be sure if having two parents changed her learning to sign from when Daphne learned as a child. And of the two of them Bay's got a better head for language.

Still, Bay repeats the fingerspelling at a more reasonable speed. Just in case Inej is trying to follow. Also, maybe, to keep her attention and keep looking at her because Bay definitely is trying to figure out why her body is focusing on that.

"I don't really know a lot about the Cities or Solvunn," she's uneasy saying Solvunn, and her pronunciation is clearly that of 'girl who has read the name and has no idea how it's pronounced.' She knows the rough politics of Thorne internally, as she would really love it if the College were open to them but no, internal hissy fits with the crown prevent that! "Still, I think I'm where I belong. Having ready access to art supplies and books, and the mages in the castle have answers to help me without some of the devices I use from home."

"Fair," she says with a soft huff of a laugh. She appreciates the repetition of the letters, which she tries to imitate as Bay goes through them slower this time. "Is it rude and presumptuous if I think I might like you to teach me more of this?" Because there is something to be said about having conversations in utter silence, especially in her line of work. Not the job at Portam Hall, of course. Her real job, with Kaz and her other boys.

"I don't know near enough about Solvunn as I'd like, but they're very religious," which she can appreciate to an extent, but there is such a wide berth of difference between their Gods and her Saints. "a farming community, mostly. And the Cities rely pretty heavily on their military."

She grins a little at that bit, "If you're an artist, you would love Libertas, it's kind of the art hub of the Cities." Shame it would be such a hassle for her to go see it, especially since it's recovered quite well from Thorne's attack almost a year ago. She can't believe it's been that long.

Bay has been thinking about teaching more people to sign, the problem in her head is one of language barriers. It would be easy to teach it how she learned it, how she really learned it not this alternate version of her did. Slowly, sign by sign in little conversations. But a cornerstone of the language is cultural, which is the problem. "I can try, it'll be harder if you don't know English. The other language from my home. Since the fingerspelling is based on that. And my brain hasn't connected Abraxan quite that way."

Bay being perpetually aware the spoken language isn't anyone's native tongue. But what they learned in their arrival here, a huge advantage to getting everyone to work together, and a massive attack on everyone's individual identities. Solvunn is an Abraxan word, but Free Cities was spelled in English. Those little distinctions.

"I wish there wasn't so much animosity that I can't just day trip across the border." Even with all the tricks of magic to make travel easier. How to get to Nochwich they just bypass days of sea travel or crossing the Feywilds, using a portal. But can't do the same to get to a local university, or travel to a hostile power's art town. "I'd love it if you showed me around, if you could."

Bay don't bat your eyelashes after that it wasn't a good date idea.

She shakes her head, “I don’t know it. But I know three languages, which I’ve come to understand no one from other worlds recognizes. Suli is my native tongue, but I also know Ravkan and Kerch.” Not that it will help, probably, but it’s all she’s got in her pocket with regards to language. “But I’m willing to try anyway.”

“That would be nice,” she agrees with a nod. She would love to see more of this world and everything it has to offer, but things are so tense with the factions, it’s near impossible to manage.

She smiles a little at the idea. “If an opportunity for it ever arises, I will.” Because if she’s learned much of anything in her time here? It’s to never say never in Abraxas.

Bay smiles, it's a little tight. She appreciates the attempt to share. However words she doesn't innately know are more like a very clever guess. She knows how many syllables they are, some of the vowel sounds, and she can narrow down the consonants.

Can you try that again like this? I'm not good with foreign words.

"I'll try to think of something. It won't be perfect but I will take anything." It really was going to be a challenge to teach American Sign Language without the American part of it. So much of Earth revolved around at least expecting the European characterset of letters.

"You can't show me Cadens, maybe you can show me your world?" It wasn't like they could meet up outside of Nocwich and the Horizon, and the Horizon was able to do a lot of unreasonable things, why not use it to share things that feel worth sharing. "If you'd like, I mean. No pressure if you don't want to."

Bay is so bad at this.

"Oh- sorry," she doesn't make much habit of using the mental notes if she's actually in someone's presence, but it's almost second nature to use it otherwise at this point.

People don't seem to be familiar with the three languages I know from home- Suli, Ravkan, and Kerch. But even if that doesn't help, we can still figure something out.

She smiles at the thought, one that hadn't actually occurred to her in all this time. Even though she knows how easy it is to shape and mold to their wills and wishes, she never has actually changed any of the aspects of her domain since she'd first chosen it. "Yeah, I guess I could, couldn't I?"

"Suli. Ravkan. Kerch." Bay repeats, using the written version and the movements of Inej's lips to try and estimate the pronunciation. Bay doesn't rely on the network if she can avoid it, but it is a useful tool when she lacks a notebook to write in. Like- say, when she's naked in a hotspring.

With a pretty girl. Which is definitely causing her more issues than she thought it should. "But only if you want to."

There's no recognition, same as she ever sees from anyone from other homes here, but it's no surprise at this point.

"It would be fun, I could show you all the best parts of my motherland." A use of the Horizon she, somehow, has never considered until this very moment.

If I think too hard about what we're doing I'll feel really bad about it (Open/Closed)

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