A Lesson In Westron

Night is cool but not chill. The nearby forest seems almost noisy with the rush of small animals and the occasional call of insects, but this is only in comparison to the silence of the camp. Even Bree-hill is dark in this hour.

This leaves the light to the stars, which crowd together, light upon light upon twinkling white light until it scarcely seems as if there is room for the black in between. Caelwen is watching them, her eyes wide. She stands to the edge of the camp, face tipped back, and the green of her gaze reflects these many many stars.

Keldean approaches the elven woman, trying to be as quiet as they move. He\'s practiced moving stealthily plenty of times before, but there\'s no malicious intent here other than to mimic their behavior. \" Good evening, Caelwen.\" The teen attempts to speak the elven language, but doesn\'t expect his crude understanding to be comprehended.

Caelwen\'s lips quietly part and she sways as she watches the heavens. A voice speaks nearby and she jumps-- quite literally. She springs lithely from her toes and leaps away from Keldean, turning mid-air to face him. \" ** ********!\" she gasps, a hand on her throat. \" ***... **!\" She takes a quick breath and glances searchingly toward the elf-camp.

\'Sorry! I\'m sorry!\' Keldean says quickly, stopping and throwing his hands up in a disarming fashion. He backs up a step, then tries to repeat the words in the elven language, \" I\'m sorry.\" If nothing else his apologetic tone might convey the message.

Caelwen tears her eyes away from the camp to look at Keldean again, puffing a bit of air out again. \" **** *******,\" she says, sounding a touch irritable. Her hands lift a bit. \" * ***** **** *** * ****** **** *** **** *****. *** **** *** *********** **** a ***** ******* *** ***** ** *** ****.\" Suddenly sorrow gathers into her eyes, the corners tilting. \" ******* ** ** *** **** ** ******** **** ** ** ******. ******* **** ** ** *** ** ******* **** * *******.\"

Keldean shakes his head, not understanding anything. \" No.. no.\" He frowns, thinking very hard. \" Too fast.\" He sighs, looking around, and then up at the sky. He points at it. \'Stars.\' Then looks at the elven woman expectantly, waving his hand in a sort of \'come on\' gesture.

Caelwen\'s brows draw together, a gesture visible to him no doubt by the fact that her skin is so pale in contrast. She glances upward. \'Elenath?\' she says, perplexed. \" ********, ** **** to ** ****. *** are ***** ******* *** **** ** **** ** the *****?\"

\" Yes!\" Keldean nods quickly, grinning. \'Stars... Elenath.\' He gestures again, trying to implore her to say it. She could be telling him to go jump off a cliff, but luckily there aren\'t any nearby.

\" *** **** to ***** ********?\" Caelwen asks warily. She takes a furtive glance around and then, looking sidelong at Keldean, says quietly, \'Elenath.\' A pause, and clumsily, \'Tarredh.\'

Her words are still a mystery, but she hasn\'t chased him off or climbed a tree and that\'s progress in itself. Keldean grins wider when Caelwen attempts to say the word, happy that she\'s trying. \"Ssssstars. Sss.\" He makes the sound for her, quite eager now.

Caelwen\'s skin darkens. \'Ssssstarredh, ssssstarredh,\' she repeats, still softly. She is looking around furtively still, as if worrying about being caught doing something wrong. \" ***, ***, * **** **. * ***** **** *** *** **** **** a ******** **** *** the ***** ******. ****, ******* ***** **** ** ***, ***** *** ***** **** an ***** *****.\"

Keldean nods encouragingly, still grinning happily. He lowers his voice, perhaps picking up on the fact that she might not want company. Yet, the teen doesn\'t leave. Instead he points at a young sapling. \"Tree.\" Then looks at the elf expectantly.

Caelwen\'s eyes sharpen on the tree briefly and she answers, a small word, slightly sad and wistful. \'Galadh,\' she says. \" A ****** ****** ****. ***** my **** ** ***** *** ***** ** **** ****** **** ******** **** ** ***** *****!\" her hand lifts to trace a line up the tree, then higher, higher, pointed much too high now for even the tallest oak. \" The ******** ***** **** ******, the ****** **** in the ******, *** ** the ******, **!\" she sighs. \" The ****** **** *** ***** ** a ****** ** **** *** the *******, sweet *** ******, a **** *****. ** **** ** ****** **** ****!\"

Keldean watches her, his smile fading as she goes on and on, not comprehending. \"Gal.. adh?\" He asks, pointing at the sapling again. \"Tree..\" Maybe she\'s talking about how it might grow? \"Trees grow.\" He points to a taller, older pine.

Caelwen heaves another wistful sigh and gradually focusses again on Keldean. She studies the taller tree. \'Thon?\' she says hesitantly, pointing at it. She, too, moves to pointing at the sapling after a moment. \'Doron?\' A brief pause. \" *** **** ** know the ***** ** ***** ***?\"

Keldean points at the first. \"Pine tree.\" He emphasizes \'tree\' then gestures to the small sapling. \"Oak tree.\" The teen says, then looks around for a moment and points to several others, \"Oak tree. Oak. Oak.. Pine.\" Then he waves his hand to encompass them all. \"Trees.\" He chews on his lip, then asks, \"Thon.. Pine?\"

Caelwen looks a touch alarmed, swaying backwards a little and glancing toward the camp. \'Giliath,\' she murmurs to herself. Her hand creeps up to her throat. \" *...\" She looks back at the boy. \'Thon galadh?\'

Keldean thinks for a moment, then points to a different pine and asks in a hopeful tone, \"Thon .. galad.\" His words are harsh, though he tries to imitate the musical way that the elves speak.

\'Thon,\' Caelwen answers firmly. \'U galadh.\' She continues. \" *** ** *** *** ****-**** *** ****. ****-**** ** ******.\" Her eyes lift toward the stars and she mutters a bit. \" *** ** * ******** *** ****? Aiya ** ** ****** could *** ** ***. * ******* **** ****** **** ****** ** **** **** ****** ****** ***** **, *******.\" Her eyes return to Keldean and are contemplative now.

You say, \"Thon..\" He repeats, then points at an oak. \"Doron..\" This is far more complicated than he anticipated. It\'s easy when someone can just tell you what the words mean. He shoves his hands into his pockets now, trying to recall all the lessons he got from Aaron, though his interest is beginning to dwindle as weariness starts to set in. He looks up at Caelwen and offers her a small smile, and his eyes lift up to the heavens, \"Stars.\" At least he taught her that much. A small accomplishment.\"

Caelwen allows Keldean a small and shy smile, even this slight gesture lighting her face with inhuman beauty. \"Elenath.\" The tall woman looks at him for a lingering moment, then turns and walks swiftly toward the camp, her eyes searching hungrily for something as she goes.

\"Good night..\" Keldean says as she walks away, then turns his gaze back up to the skies, repeating the new words he learned softly, trying to get them right where no one can overhear.. at least so he thinks.