2482/Linguistic Considerations

Linguistic Considerations
Date of Scene:	17 February 2017
Location:	Seishou Public School - Classrooms
Synopsis:	Makoto and Ami discuss the value of learning other languages when it comes to impressing your boyfriend's family.
Cast of Characters:	Ami Mizuno, Makoto Kino

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Ami Mizuno has posed:
It's cold and unpleasant, today. Outside, it's been raining on-and-off, and the cold air is inhospitible for outside activities.

Suitably, many students have opted to eat lunch inside, in the classrooms and hallways, where at least the shared warmth of so many bodies can stave off the winter chill.

Ami has found a quiet corner to herself, for the moment. There's room for more to join her, but thus far no one has. She's settled in with a book and her bento, spending more time on the words than she does on her food.

Makoto Kino has posed:
Ami does not have her quiet corner to herself for very long. Soon enough, another desk is being pushed up against the one that Ami's using, and Makoto settles into a seat and plops her own lunch bento in front of her wrapped up in its cute rose-patterned green carry-bag.

"Ami-chan~" Someone's in a good mood in spite of the grey February weather outside.

Ami Mizuno has posed:
Ami looks up from her book at the bump of desks, then smiles when she spots Makoto. "Hi, Mako-chan," she says pleasantly. She even puts the book down (with her thumb in the markers), to lean over and offer Makoto a hug.

"You're in a good mood, today," she observes with amusement. "How did your date with Nephrite go? Did you make the plaid cake for him? Did he like it?"

Makoto Kino has posed:
Mako returns the hug with a little laugh, then settle back in her seat to start unwrapping her bento. "It went well! Really well. I didn't make the plaid cake, I thought about it and it seemed like it'd be a little too silly. I'm kind of glad I didn't, he seemed a little stressed about the whole family thing."

She takes a moment to consider as she lifts the lid off her bento. "I might make it for his birthday, though. Once we know when it is, anyway. Did you give Agera his brownies?"

Ami Mizuno has posed:
"Hmmm, I wonder if I can figure that out," Ami says with a squint, dwelling on the matter for only a few moments.

She lets it go just as quickly (for now), to focus on the return question. "I did," she agrees with a smile. "He said they were the best brownies he's ever had, which I'm sure was a lie, but it made me feel good anyways. Then we realised neither of us had actually planned anything, so our special Valentines date turned out to be pizza and sodas. There are worse ways to spend an evening, I suppose."

Ami shrugs and pulls out her bookmark, slides it into place, then turns to focus fully on Makoto. "Why do you think he's stressed about family? Is it because he was taken from them by Beryl, or do you think there's something more to it?"

Makoto Kino has posed:
"So he didn't do anything jerky?" Makoto asks, and her voice is light like it's a joke but there's a keen curiosity in her eyes for a moment. "That's good."

Taking up her chopsticks, she hovers idly over her lunch. "I think he's just scared of things changing," she says. "Like if he remembers who he was before Beryl stole him, it'll mean losing what he has here with Mamoru-niisan and me and everyone else. Which he won't, but I can kind of understand why he'd feel nervous about it, you know?"

Ami Mizuno has posed:
"I know this may come as something of a surprise," Ami notes to Makoto gently, "but Takashi isn't a jerk most of the time. If he were, I wouldn't be dating him," she promises. "He just ..." she trails off, then wrinkles her nose. "Sometimes he gets stupid ideas, and doesn't stop to think about how others will be impacted, and ..." she trails off, then blushes and looks away, "Sorry. I didn't mean to lecture you about him."

So instead she returns to the topic of Nephrite, and tilts her head a little. "Yeah, I guess I can understand that. I wonder how he'd feel if they found out about him and approved of what he has now. I mean, maybe that's a romantic idea, and it's certainly skipping about sixty steps, but it's a nice notion."

Makoto Kino has posed:
Makoto doesn't look convinced, exactly, but she smiles crookedly and lifts her hands in a gesture of surrender. "Okay, okay," she says in a conciliatory tone. "I'll try and give him the benefit of the doubt."

She can't promise to succeed, but at the very least she doesn't want to start an argument with Ami about her boyfriend. Especially when he hasn't actually done anything.

Before long she's returning her attention to her lunch, and the subject of her own boyfriend. "I guess we'll find out one way or another once he talks to them," she muses. "Hopefully they'll be nice people. But--"

Her hand freezes with her chopsticks halfway through the motion of bringing a piece of broccoli to her mouth, dismay breaking over her expression with a sudden, belated realization. "Since they're Canadian, they probably won't speak Japanese, will they?"

Ami Mizuno has posed:
Ami shakes her head just a tiny bit. "French or English," she observes to Makoto. "I can tutor you," she promises, anticipating her friend's reservation. "My French isn't as good as my English, but I've had a lot of practice speaking other languages lately."

Makoto Kino has posed:
"Ami-chaaan!" In a split second Mako is out of her seat and has dropped her chopsticks onto her bento in order to throw her arms around her friend in overwhelming teary-eyed gratitude. "You're the best. My English is so bad and I don't know any French at all."

Ami Mizuno has posed:
Ami squeaks as Makoto throws herself into the hug. She hugs right back, squeezing tightly as she pets her friend's hair. "It's okay," she promises. "Let's just figure out what they speak. Very few Canadians speak French so it's probably not that ... but I can tutor you in both if that's what you need. Besides, I could use the refreshers, myself."

Makoto Kino has posed:
It is a much relieved Makoto who releases Ami and settles back down into her seat to her lunch. "Neph might know," she says. "Or at least - if he doesn't speak French, we probably don't have to worry about it, right? I know he knows some German, but I don't know if he knows any French. Either way, English is probably a safe bet, huh?"

Ami Mizuno has posed:
"Mmm, I wouldn't rely on what he knows being accurate to who he was," Ami says with a faint frown. "Beryl did all kinds of cruel things to their minds and memories. I would be sadenned, but not surprised, to find out that he remembers none of the languages he spoke as a child.

"--I do wonder why they all know Japanese, so well," she notes thoughtfully. "There's something about this place that seems to attract magic even when it doesn't make sense."

With a shake of her head, the bluenette banishes the thought, then smiles at Makoto again. "So English," she says. "And if they're in Quebec, we'll add French as well."

Makoto Kino has posed:
Dismay crosses Makoto's expression again, a brief pained look at the reminder of all the damage Beryl did to Nephrite and the others that still has yet to fully heal. She's quiet for a moment, bowing her head to eat her lunch in a brief interval of silence.

When Ami smiles at her, though, Mako smiles back. "Sounds good," she agrees, once her mouth is no longer full. "Thanks, Ami-chan. You're a lifesaver. It'd suck if when I got to meet his family I wasn't able to talk to them at least a little bit."

Ami Mizuno has posed:
Ami smiles again at Makoto, then goes back to her own lunch. "Of course," she says. "It'd be awful for such a beautiful relationship to be hampered by something as simple as language problems. It's too bad we don't have universal translators to take care of this problem. Until Takashi or I invent one, though, we'll just have to learn a lot of languages the hard way."

A pause, then Ami looks up at Makoto with a bit of a grin, "So does that mean you two are ready for the 'meet the parents' stage of your relationship?" Another pause, and then, "I bet my mom would be willing to surrogate for that in your case. She adores you, you know."

Makoto Kino has posed:
Cue a sudden panic of blushing and flailing of hands. "No no that's not it!" Makoto protests, cheeks bright pink. "It's just - you know, they're a part of his life. Or they might be, once he gets the chance to talk to them, and..." she trails off, ducking her head again and hastily stuffing a bite of fish into her mouth. Food: the best distraction from embarrassment.

Ami Mizuno has posed:
Ami giggles at Makoto's embarassment. She shouldn't be cruel about such things; in the reverse, she'd be morbidly upset. Except, maybe not if it were Makoto teasing her. Still, Ami leans over to give Makoto another hug, then promises, "It's okay if you are. I hope you two will be together for a very long time."

Makoto Kino has posed:
The reassurance brings a small, shy smile to Makoto's face, as she leans into the hug. In a small, quiet voice just for Ami, she admits, "I hope so too."

Then she straightens, laughing a little and shaking her head. "Anyway, for now I just want to work on my English so that I don't completely embarrass myself! We'll figure out all thatother stuff as we get to it, or something."

Ami Mizuno has posed:
"Well, then," Ami says thoughtfully, "from now on, when it's just the two of us, we'll speak only English. It will help a ton to immerse you like that. And if you don't know a word, or aren't confident in it, we can return to Japanese long enough to figure it out, and then back to English for the rest."

Makoto Kino has posed:
The look of instant dismay and trepidation that comes over Makoto's face is a comical one. "Wh--"

She stops herself and swallows, reminding herself why it was she wanted Ami's help with English to begin with. "...okay," she says, albeit with the great reluctance of one who feels she's in for a difficult time. "If you think that's the way to do it."

Ami Mizuno has posed:
"It really is the best way if you're going to get good at it," Ami says, sympathetically. "Well, second best. The best way would be to go live in Canada or America for a few months, but given the current state of the world over there, I don't advise that."

Makoto Kino has posed:
That gets a quick snort of a laugh. "Not to mention," Mako says, "moving to another country would be going a little far just to get better at English. No, we'll go with your way. Just be patient with me." The request is accompanied by Makoto's most plaintive look. "You know I'm not good with this stuff."

Ami Mizuno has posed:
Ami offers a reassuring smile to her friend, and reaches over to gently lay a hand on her arm. "Of course," she says. "I'm here to help, not to criticize. I'll be patient," she promises.

Makoto Kino has posed:
"Thanks, Ami-chan." Once again, Makoto favors Ami with a grateful smile. "I really do appreciate this. Even though I'll probably whine a lot," she admits, laughing.

Seeming rallied by the simple fact of making the decision, she perks up and resumes eating her lunch. "This should help my grades in English get better too, huh? That'd be good. A nice side benefit."

Ami Mizuno has posed:
"Mmmhm," Ami agrees with a smile. "Although at some point we'll have to work on reading and writing as well, which is what would really boost your grades. But that will be easier if you can speak the language."

Makoto Kino has posed:
"Ugh," is Makoto's immediate response, but she shakes it off quickly. "Well, let's just work on speaking it for now. When I get better at that, then we can see about the rest."