Lavender & Ice

16. Conversation

"Shima?" She tensed but remained still. "Shima, are you still sleeping?"

She rolled over and sat up, looking at him as he stood beside the woodstove in the middle of the tent. "That was a full sentence." She muttered to herself in disbelief.

"Niet." She shook her head. He cocked his head to the side, looking curious.

"Niet, I'm not sleeping." She said. When the words came out of her mouth, he took a step backward and his entire body tensed. Confusion covered his face.

She removed the blankets and took steps toward him. "Did you understand me, Kietnan?" She asked, slightly afraid to get her hopes up. 

His mouth opened but no words came out. He closed it abruptly and just stared at her. After a moment he added. "I didn't teach you those words."

"Kietnan, it worked!" She ran and hugged him in excitement, before quickly pulling herself away from him when he tensed underneath her. "My translator!" She tapped the skin behind her ear. "You wouldn't talk much, so it took so long for it to gather enough information to properly translate between our languages."

"Shima." He whispered.

"Yes!" She practically bounced.

"Not all of those words translated but I believe I understood what you were trying to say."

"I'm sure we still have a ways to go, but you need to talk to me more!"

He simply nodded, rubbing his hand on his chin.

"Nodding isn't talking, Kietnan."

"Now?" He complained. 

"Are you serious?! I've been stranded here on a planet I know nothing about, surrounded by people I know nothing about, who speak a language I can't understand. Stuck here in this tent for hours on end, mostly alone. And when I'm not alone I have no clue what's going on! Of course I don't want to waste another moment before we can truly converse with each other and I can figure out what the plan is for me. How long am I welcome to stay here or how long before you decide to get rid of me and kick me out into the cold?!" When she was done with her rant, she put her hands on her hips and took a deep breath, trying to calm herself.

"I'm sorry." He said gently. "I have been thoughtless."

She looked back over at him but didn't say anything. She didn't know what to say. She wondered if he didn't fully understand her last statements or simply chose to ignore them.

She sighed and shook her head, wanting to get back on topic. "The translator is a sophisticated device. Somehow it doesn't even have to know all of the translations to every word or phrase... it's like it just needs a portion to somehow just figure out the language. I don't think that really makes sense or seems possible but that's what I was told." She shrugged and he simply nodded.

She took a step toward the woodstove to look into the pan. "What are you making? It smells good." She offered him a small smile.

"This is the onched of the torunk."

"Okay. Is onched a certain part of the meat?"

"Yiet. Tender meat." He held up his hands to show it was long and thin.

"a tenderloin." She stated. "Onched means the tenderloin meat of an animal." She said to herself. She had been repeating words and definitions to herself over the past few days. She didn't know if that had actually helped her translator or not but she guessed it couldn't hurt.

"And torunk is the animal?"

"Yiet."

"Are they common here?"

He shrugged. "If you know where to look and how to soulth them."

"Soh-ulth." She repeated. "Track? Meaning you look for clues to follow them? Look for tracks and signs of where they've been?"

"Yiet."

"Ok. Soulth means to track as in hunting for an animal."

"Do you even eat meat? I've never seen you eat any of the dried meat."

He glanced at her and then back down at the pan as he removed it from the stove and placed it on top of a cloth on the table.

"I did not have enough for both of us." He said, not meeting her eyes.

"Kietnan..." She spoke timidly. "Are you saying you would normally have been eating that meat this whole time but didn't only because you wanted me to have it?"

He looked at her and nodded.

"I..." she looked down at her feet and felt a sudden rush of tears form at the back of her eyes. She bit her bottom lip in an effort to keep her emotions at bay.

"What does this mean."

"Hmm?" She whispered.

"This... " she looked up to see him pointing at her lips. "This action you are doing. You have done it before."

"Oh...umm. It can mean a few different things but it's nothing." She brushed it off. "Kietnan." She spoke before drawing in a breath and looking at him in the eyes. "Now that we can speak more clearly with each other I have to say this to you."

She paused as his face changed into one of nervousness and concern so she offered him a smile. "Thank you." She paused, trying to figure out the right words. "Thank you for saving me, that day at the lake."

He shook his head as if trying to wave it off like it was no big deal.

"And thank you for bringing me into your home. And feeding me, providing me shelter from the cold and..." she geared up as the thought of everything went through her again. "And going without food for yourself... how can I ever show you how thankful I am? How can I ever repay you?"

"Please do not cry, Shima. You show so many emotions so strongly. It is too much."

She sucked in a breath and wiped her tears away. "I'm sorry." She said as she let out an awkward chuckle..

"It is just not our way, I am not accustomed to this."

"I understand." She slowly turned and went to the crates to fetch the pitcher of water and two mugs, placing them on the table.

"You are upset." Kietnan stated from behind her.

"No, I'm fine, really. I don't want to be a bother to you, not after everything you've done for me."

"I'm sorry. Please do not be upset."

"Kietnan, it's fine. I can handle it."

"I do not wish to upset you."

"I know." She paused, having filled both mugs and not sure what to do with her hands now but keeping her eyes toward the table anyway. "I know you didn't want to bring me here with you. I know you wanted to leave me at the medical tent. I take it they made you take me since you're the one who brought me?" She questioned, forcing her voice to remain solid, even though she felt weak.

"Shima. I..."

When he didn't continue, she took a deep breath in and continued. "What is to become of me, Kietnan? How long do you have to keep me?" She let out a shaky breath. "What will you do with me once my time is up?"

"Are you asking if I will force you to leave?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Author's Note:

If you were in Ashima's situation, what would be the first question you asked Kietnan?