Korvus and Meggan (Backdated)
Oct. 3rd, 2011 12:36 pm![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
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xp_logsOn a visit to the library, Meggan and Korvus bump into each other in the stacks, and she helps him find a few books. Set Monday afternoon, shortly before Korvus meets Matt.
Korvus hadn't entered the world of American television or movies just yet; he was focusing on music and staying with familiar books for comfort. It was only natural that he found himself in the library after his first day of classes. He needed to pick up his text books, also he wanted something to read when he was done with his homework and, while an e-reader he had was convenient, he wanted something made of standard, bound paper. Being one for exploring, he wormed his way deep into the stacks only a few moments after his arrival.
Meggan had an idea for a Halloween costume, but she wanted to get the details right. She wanted to know if there was something in the book that wasn’t in the movie, something that needed to be added for a unicorn costume. To that end, she had disappeared into the aisles. She had quickly found The Last Unicorn, and then a small book about jazz history—but a little extra Jane Eyre or Phantom of the Opera or something else she was supposed to read this year on top of that couldn’t hurt, either. She began to round a corner when she looked up from her browsing, pulling up short to prevent a collision. “Oh, hi! Sorry for almost actually running into you,” she apologized after a moment. He was the new person, wasn’t he? “I’m Meggan.”
"I am Korvus." The pretty large man offered his hand and a smile. "I do not believe, had you ran into me, it would have been an event to apologize about. I take up more room than is usually anticipated."
Meggan couldn’t help but smile at that statement, before shifting her books to another arm, so she could shake the offered hand. “That’s okay. That’s completely okay. It wouldn’t have been your fault, it would have been mine if I hadn’t looked up.”
"Perhaps it is not necessary to place theoretical blame." Korvus offered. "It is my pleasure to meet you. We had communicated on the journals and I saw you in class but I believe this would be the official meeting."
It was just wrong to kick yourself for a collision that hadn’t managed to take place, she knew. She’d just been surprised. Meggan nodded. “You’re right, it is. Welcome to the school—again, officially, in person this time. Do you need any help finding anything?” Other than some books, she assumed.
"I have acquired my school books and an e-reader. I was looking for something recreational. Something that Americans read which contains dialogue that exhibits casual conversation among peers in our age range." Korvus gave a small, awkward smile that contrasted the exceptionally formal and detailed language. He felt uncomfortable just saying what he was looking for because he knew his 'dialect' sounded out of place to the native speaker.
Meggan really wanted to help him find something like that now. “So regular, teenage, non-Victorian stories? Fantasy is where I just came from, maybe we could find something that’s a little bit closer to the present, and how people talk?” Lord of the Rings was right out, since Gollum wasn’t really a character you should model your speech on. “What kind of story do you usually like?” She had been assuming he wanted fantasy with teenagers, maybe he didn’t.
"I most often read historical or political examinations. I am well read in philosophy..." Korvus thought for a moment. "I have read Sherlock Holmes. I may enjoy other mystery books. I would also like to read a book about the history of Punk Rock music."
“Two turns to your right around the corner, and there’s a music area. I’ll show you. It’s where I found this one,” Meggan said with a nod to the jazz focused one on the top of her small pile. “There’s got to be something on punk rock.” She didn’t know much about philosophical books, but she might be able to help with finding the mysteries. “Maybe we could find some Agatha Christie? Ellery Queen or Nero Wolfe’s stories? We’ll find something.” There had to be something that was heavy on the philosophy for him. And something that was more recent, to help him with language.
Every reference to an author seemed lost of Korvus but he followed compliantly regardless. "I will trust your judgment in this matter. I am not familiar with any of those individuals."
“They’re older mystery authors. I think Agatha Christie’s stories were around the 1920’s,” Meggan explained. “We could find you a couple older stories, and something newer? Something more teenage, like you said.” The Hardy Boys might not even be in the same hemisphere for what he was looking for, language-wise. Or deep enough. The music section was closer—so first, she could show Korvus the way to the history of the music that had snarling lip people with spiky hair, then mysteries.
When he saw the beginning of the books on the history of music, Korvus stopped abruptly. It only took him a moment of looking before he pulled on off the shelf. "Are you familiar with this kind of music?" He held the book up in presentation. "I am having difficulty deciding what kind of music I will teach myself to enjoy and I know that people find musical taste to be defining. What does Punk Rock communicate about an individual?"
“Not really,” Meggan said with a small shake of her head. “I don’t know too much about that. I know about the guy who does the little lip thing—Billy Idol, and I know about mosh pits.” Those were crowded, and sounded painful and dangerous. It just sounded too loud for her. What did Punk Rock communicate? “That that’s just the kind of music a person loves? It doesn’t really tell everything, and make you just that thing…it’s just like it’s a tiny piece of a person’s interests. Feelings and actions tell a lot more than just the music you like.”
"Of course." Korvus agreed with a nod. Some people didn't want to be confronted with their culture's stereotypes and he didn't press further. Instead, quietly following Meggan to the fiction stacks, he looked over the daunting collection of books available. After a very long moment he hooked a copy of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and pulled it from a shelf. "I have heard of this book from friends in England. It is very famous."
After opening to a random page, Korvus offered the book to Meggan. "Would you please tell me if this has been translated into English in a way that accurately portrays casual conversation?"
She had heard of it, too, even if she didn’t know the plot. Meggan flipped to a random page—page 59—with more conversation than descriptions. It looked to be between two reporters, and she read quietly for a moment. She looked back up at Korvus, with a smile. “It looks like it does, yes. At least where I’m reading, it looks like it was translated well. People could talk like this when they’re sitting around.” It didn’t come across like the people involved were robots or too stilted. No hysterical mistranslations like saying someone was shot with a cow instead of a gun, or smoking a tie instead of a pipe.
"Excellent." He said with a smile. "I appreciate your assistance in procuring two books which I may read beyond those required for our course work." Korvus paused for a moment before asking tentatively. "Do you have any further plans for the evening?" He wanted to spend time with other students casually but he wasn't sure how to initiate.
“Glad I could help,” Meggan answered with a smile. She didn’t have any extra homework to do today, so she was free. She could do extra non-class reading another afternoon. “No, not really anything other than watching a movie on tv later. Why?” She could always change that plan if he needed her to help him find something else.
"I have been researching what American students do after classes but I have been unable to find someone with plans who will show me." Korvus said with disappointment in his voice. "I will spend time on my studies of American idioms. I look forward to seeing you in class tomorrow." He offered with a smile.
She nodded in understanding. “Oh, right. Well, television is just one of a bunch of things American students do when classes are out,” Meggan offered. Now she was clearer on why he had asked. She returned his smile. “The same. About seeing you tomorrow, I mean. I hope the books turn out to be what you were looking for.”
Korvus hadn't entered the world of American television or movies just yet; he was focusing on music and staying with familiar books for comfort. It was only natural that he found himself in the library after his first day of classes. He needed to pick up his text books, also he wanted something to read when he was done with his homework and, while an e-reader he had was convenient, he wanted something made of standard, bound paper. Being one for exploring, he wormed his way deep into the stacks only a few moments after his arrival.
Meggan had an idea for a Halloween costume, but she wanted to get the details right. She wanted to know if there was something in the book that wasn’t in the movie, something that needed to be added for a unicorn costume. To that end, she had disappeared into the aisles. She had quickly found The Last Unicorn, and then a small book about jazz history—but a little extra Jane Eyre or Phantom of the Opera or something else she was supposed to read this year on top of that couldn’t hurt, either. She began to round a corner when she looked up from her browsing, pulling up short to prevent a collision. “Oh, hi! Sorry for almost actually running into you,” she apologized after a moment. He was the new person, wasn’t he? “I’m Meggan.”
"I am Korvus." The pretty large man offered his hand and a smile. "I do not believe, had you ran into me, it would have been an event to apologize about. I take up more room than is usually anticipated."
Meggan couldn’t help but smile at that statement, before shifting her books to another arm, so she could shake the offered hand. “That’s okay. That’s completely okay. It wouldn’t have been your fault, it would have been mine if I hadn’t looked up.”
"Perhaps it is not necessary to place theoretical blame." Korvus offered. "It is my pleasure to meet you. We had communicated on the journals and I saw you in class but I believe this would be the official meeting."
It was just wrong to kick yourself for a collision that hadn’t managed to take place, she knew. She’d just been surprised. Meggan nodded. “You’re right, it is. Welcome to the school—again, officially, in person this time. Do you need any help finding anything?” Other than some books, she assumed.
"I have acquired my school books and an e-reader. I was looking for something recreational. Something that Americans read which contains dialogue that exhibits casual conversation among peers in our age range." Korvus gave a small, awkward smile that contrasted the exceptionally formal and detailed language. He felt uncomfortable just saying what he was looking for because he knew his 'dialect' sounded out of place to the native speaker.
Meggan really wanted to help him find something like that now. “So regular, teenage, non-Victorian stories? Fantasy is where I just came from, maybe we could find something that’s a little bit closer to the present, and how people talk?” Lord of the Rings was right out, since Gollum wasn’t really a character you should model your speech on. “What kind of story do you usually like?” She had been assuming he wanted fantasy with teenagers, maybe he didn’t.
"I most often read historical or political examinations. I am well read in philosophy..." Korvus thought for a moment. "I have read Sherlock Holmes. I may enjoy other mystery books. I would also like to read a book about the history of Punk Rock music."
“Two turns to your right around the corner, and there’s a music area. I’ll show you. It’s where I found this one,” Meggan said with a nod to the jazz focused one on the top of her small pile. “There’s got to be something on punk rock.” She didn’t know much about philosophical books, but she might be able to help with finding the mysteries. “Maybe we could find some Agatha Christie? Ellery Queen or Nero Wolfe’s stories? We’ll find something.” There had to be something that was heavy on the philosophy for him. And something that was more recent, to help him with language.
Every reference to an author seemed lost of Korvus but he followed compliantly regardless. "I will trust your judgment in this matter. I am not familiar with any of those individuals."
“They’re older mystery authors. I think Agatha Christie’s stories were around the 1920’s,” Meggan explained. “We could find you a couple older stories, and something newer? Something more teenage, like you said.” The Hardy Boys might not even be in the same hemisphere for what he was looking for, language-wise. Or deep enough. The music section was closer—so first, she could show Korvus the way to the history of the music that had snarling lip people with spiky hair, then mysteries.
When he saw the beginning of the books on the history of music, Korvus stopped abruptly. It only took him a moment of looking before he pulled on off the shelf. "Are you familiar with this kind of music?" He held the book up in presentation. "I am having difficulty deciding what kind of music I will teach myself to enjoy and I know that people find musical taste to be defining. What does Punk Rock communicate about an individual?"
“Not really,” Meggan said with a small shake of her head. “I don’t know too much about that. I know about the guy who does the little lip thing—Billy Idol, and I know about mosh pits.” Those were crowded, and sounded painful and dangerous. It just sounded too loud for her. What did Punk Rock communicate? “That that’s just the kind of music a person loves? It doesn’t really tell everything, and make you just that thing…it’s just like it’s a tiny piece of a person’s interests. Feelings and actions tell a lot more than just the music you like.”
"Of course." Korvus agreed with a nod. Some people didn't want to be confronted with their culture's stereotypes and he didn't press further. Instead, quietly following Meggan to the fiction stacks, he looked over the daunting collection of books available. After a very long moment he hooked a copy of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and pulled it from a shelf. "I have heard of this book from friends in England. It is very famous."
After opening to a random page, Korvus offered the book to Meggan. "Would you please tell me if this has been translated into English in a way that accurately portrays casual conversation?"
She had heard of it, too, even if she didn’t know the plot. Meggan flipped to a random page—page 59—with more conversation than descriptions. It looked to be between two reporters, and she read quietly for a moment. She looked back up at Korvus, with a smile. “It looks like it does, yes. At least where I’m reading, it looks like it was translated well. People could talk like this when they’re sitting around.” It didn’t come across like the people involved were robots or too stilted. No hysterical mistranslations like saying someone was shot with a cow instead of a gun, or smoking a tie instead of a pipe.
"Excellent." He said with a smile. "I appreciate your assistance in procuring two books which I may read beyond those required for our course work." Korvus paused for a moment before asking tentatively. "Do you have any further plans for the evening?" He wanted to spend time with other students casually but he wasn't sure how to initiate.
“Glad I could help,” Meggan answered with a smile. She didn’t have any extra homework to do today, so she was free. She could do extra non-class reading another afternoon. “No, not really anything other than watching a movie on tv later. Why?” She could always change that plan if he needed her to help him find something else.
"I have been researching what American students do after classes but I have been unable to find someone with plans who will show me." Korvus said with disappointment in his voice. "I will spend time on my studies of American idioms. I look forward to seeing you in class tomorrow." He offered with a smile.
She nodded in understanding. “Oh, right. Well, television is just one of a bunch of things American students do when classes are out,” Meggan offered. Now she was clearer on why he had asked. She returned his smile. “The same. About seeing you tomorrow, I mean. I hope the books turn out to be what you were looking for.”
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Date: 2011-10-04 05:44 pm (UTC)Apparently Meggan was lucky not to have Amanda's taste in music inflicted on her. *grins*