10 The reason (1/2)

Dinner was early. Quiet. And short.

Catarina couldn't be bothered to clean up before leaving. Nisha was blind to even the bowl her ramen was in. I felt bad, but followed. And so, the empty bowls licked clean began on the long night of solitude on the kitchen counter.

And we were off to the large living room which also served as the study.

”Nisha's expertise is in elementals, specifically Trunish. She comes from a long line of academicians of high repute in the Northern provinces. Her mother, prof Russeau, is the foremost expert in Trunish. Nisha grew up learning the runes. I think she's overtaken her mother now. She's studying Faery from the angle of elementals.”

Catarina introduced Nisha before turning to me.

”Vishi here is rather special,” she said, smiling at me while looking at Nisha. ”We can safely call him an expert, even though he isn't yet registered, in Vikari.”

Nisha's surprise showed in her face, with her jaw dropped and eyes open wide. Pleased, Catarina continued.

”He'll be helping us from the angle of the descriptives.”

Giving a pause for the words to sink in, she looked back at me as she began to introduce herself.

”I'm a registered expert in Vikari and Muauri, which makes me an expert purely in descriptive runes. Jerry and I were old friends slash rivals. He invited me to join the study of Faery owing to my expertise with descriptives while he studies from the angle of elementals. As for the reason you're here, you've opened up an entirely new path to traverse. Jerry sent me a copy of your work. I wanted to open it with Nisha present, which is why the wait.”

Nisha's surprise grew without peaking. A strange light glowed in her eyes. I saw it. Catarina saw it. But Catarina seemed to understand it better than me.

Whatever, I told myself.

Catarina pulled up the pictures of my notebook on the table top, which was actually an electronic display. The pages were zoomed to fill the table, the characters many times bigger than my writing. A moment later, the pages were all there was in the three pairs of eyes.

Catarina was reading out the Vikari runes in common tongue for Nisha, and I realised how better than me she was. I couldn't read in different tongues as smoothly. Her accuracy was much better too, in common tongue.

After the first page, Catarina looked at me with the same appreciation.

”I couldn't write so good in Vikari. You're very good Dean. And that makes our job so much easier.”

”What is our job?”

Catarina and Nisha seemed to know what I didn't.

”Simple,” Catarina said with a smile. ”We'll be translating all of the long arc. You into Vikari. And I into common tongue.”

”I don't understand,” I said, in complete honesty.

”What don't you understand,” Catarina asked, her confusion just as honest.

”It's a simple thing really. And you're just as good. Why am I here?”

”I don't understand,” Catarina repeated.

”Why should I translate into Vikari? Why can't you do it?”

”At times, you're not very bright. I am just as comfortable with Vikari. And after the fact, I can read the long arc too, with a lot of effort. But I am not able to write the long arc in Vikari as well as you. That's why we're dividing it into two legs. The first is you translating long arc to Vikari. The second is me translating long arc to common tongue.”

”You're going to register this, aren't you?”

”Of course.”