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It s simple. A Katawn can t hold a discussion with someone unless he s facing
them, across a table or across a customs counter, for example. Or turned to
face them she demonstrated by turning to address Om im face-to-face like
this.
She grinned at the deviousness of that other Hellspark. As long as that
Hellspark kept moving the
Katawn couldn t address her properly, and he had no sense of what was wrong.
What sheer frustration that must have been for him!
You re right, said Kejesli, with a small sound akin to a gasp. He kept
trying to stop her, to get in front of her.
Finally, Om im said, he burst into tears and as I said screamed at us all
to get out and never darken his customs office again. The small man gave her
an almost proprietary look of admiration. I
had no idea, Ish shan, how easily you can manipulate people with language!
You do well enough in your own, Tocohl observed, and he arched a
gilded brow in pleased acceptance of the compliment. Then he grunted and
whipped his arm up sharply. (Watch out,) Maggy snapped simultaneously.
There was little need for the warning: Om im caught Kejesli s wrist against
his own with a subdued crack that bespoke considerable force. Glaring at
Kejesli, Om im reached for his dagger with his right hand.
Kejesli, totally stunned by the smaller man s reflex action, eased back into
his chair. He splayed his hand at his throat. Om im returned the partially
drawn dagger to its sheath.
The two continued to eye each other warily.
(Need the arachne?) Maggy asked. It was not as unlikely a query as it seemed;
Maggy had already learned to use the arachne to trip Tocohl s opponents in a
brawl.
(Thanks, no), Tocohl said, although she continued to eye the Sheveschkemen
warily. Aloud she said, Yes, Captain?
Kejesli lowered his splayed hand to rub his bruised wrist, glaring at the two
of them while he did so.
Then he leaned forward once more, this time very slowly. What are you really
like, Hellspark?
The intensity in his manner shocked her; she met it with curiosity
of equal intensity. I don t understand the question.
Still glaring, Kejesli said, You charge into my quarters like Veschke
herself; you kiss that hull-ripping
Vyrnwyn s hand and that hull-ripping Vyrnwyn puts on hull-ripping boots! Now
you ve got Om im acting like a maniac!
Om im, now content to settle back and watch Kejesli with equal interest, said
to Tocohl, I told you, Ish shan.
They re all crazy! This time his thumb jabbed at his own chest.
You change, said Kejesli. As he delivered it, the observation was an
accusation.
No, said Tocohl, I don t. Not in the way I think you mean. You accuse
me of changing my personality to suit the culture I m dealing with? Yes,
from his reaction, that was what he was asking.
Captain, she said, what you saw in your quarters was& the real Tocohl
Susumo. I don t change personalities when I switch languages. Think of it,
well, like transposing a melody from key to key. It s still the same melody,
right?
He had stopped scowling, but the intensity of his interest remained. Go on,
he said.
That s what I do when I switch from language language: I transpose. That s
all I do. I assure you
Edge-of-Dark thinks me as flamboyant when I speak Vyrnwyn as you
think me when I speak
Sheveschkem. Or as Om im thinks me when I speak Bluesippan.
Kejesli looked unconvinced.
Perhaps, Tocohl said thoughtfully, it might be some help to you if I spoke
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Hellspark?
Yes, he said, as if surprised by the suggestion. It might at that. I ve
never heard Hellspark spoken;
every Hellspark I ever met spoke Sheveschkem to me. The scowl returned
briefly. Or spoke some other language to someone else.
It is considered the polite thing to do use the language of the person you re
speaking to, if at all possible, Tocohl pointed out.
I know, Kejesli said curtly. His sweeping gesture disposed of politeness
for the moment. I ve heard Hellspark had a manufactured language, like
GalLing . I ve never heard it spoken and yes I d like to very much.
Then you will. First, though, I want to correct popular misunderstanding.
Yes, both GalLing and
Hellspark are artificial languages, but other than that, they bear
no resemblance. In fact, they are diametrically opposed in intent.
GalLing was originally composed of all the sounds all the known human
languages held in common, so that a speaker of any of the languages at that
time could speak GalLing
without an accent. Oh, inflection gives you a clue, so does intonation, word
choice, and so forth. She paused to drain her cup of winter-flame and set it
aside.
Hellspark, Tocohl went on, took the opposite route. It was originally
composed to incorporate every known possibility of human language, all the
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