Nyx - age 5; Alltalk Lessons
Nyx pressed his face against the glass, staring at the garden. It was so beautiful. They didn’t have flowers that big or that colorful back home. He wondered how they had managed to get a room with a view towards a garden. Wouldn’t everyone want this room? He pressed his face harder as if he could somehow get through the window. He really wanted to run around it and feel the grass beneath his toes.
/Nyxuil-eii, what are you doing?/ His mother emerged from the bathroom, straightening her hair and smiling to him. He managed to pull his face away long enough to beam at her before turning back to look at the flowers.
/Look at them Oooi! They’re so pretty!/ He jabbed at the glass briefly before he felt arms around his waist, lifting him up. He laughed in delight as his mother pulled him up into a hug, rubbing her forehead against his gently.
/You’re the prettiest flower./
/Nu uh! You are!/
She smiled at him and smoothed back the short hair before kissing him on his forehead, right on the left over inky image of the triangle. She had made him apply the ink last night so it would still look good today. He hated putting on the ink and marks. They always took too much time and he couldn’t touch his face at all. She set him back down so he could pull on his boots. He hated wearing the stiff galactic uniform, but he loved coming here to Utopis. It was always so interesting and there were so many interesting species to look at. Mother always told him not to stare, but he couldn’t help it. Mother was quick to pick him up and he rode comfortably on her hip as they left their assigned room. She was so tall and he was still so small. He couldn’t hold her hand easily.
/Where’s Io?/ Nyx hadn’t seen father this morning. He hadn’t gotten to see him off to work.
/Busy, busy my little Ny./ She smiled to him as they walked down the hall way. Again, Nyx found himself staring. He clung to mother tightly as he silently looked at the people coming and going. They were in the residential hall and while mostly everyone wore their uniforms, getting ready for the day, some didn’t. He found his eyes lingering on one of the stranger species he had ever seen. He could see right through them! His eyes were wide as he watched them until they disappeared behind a corner. They were soon out of the residential hall and heading for the learning annex. Nyx wasn’t the only child here. Mother had told him that while the Utopis Council frowned on children being brought here, they understood the importance of children, like Nyx, seeing and talking with other species. Mother had used bigger words, but honestly he just liked seeing the other children.
/I’ll pick you up after your lessons. We’ll get lunch and then your tutor will resume. Io and I will be busy tonight. Be good for Kali-ya, okay?/
/Kali-ya makes me study for too long!/
Mother chuckled at his whining. He tightened his grip around her neck as they went along. He pouted gently. He didn’t like his lessons with Kali-ya. She always made him sit so straight and proper. And she yelled at him when his pronunciation wasn’t perfect. Or his characters weren’t good either. He huffed and stared at someone that looked about as tall as him. He wondered if they were a child or if they were an adult like mother. Mother took a quick turn and soon they were at the learning annex.
/Be good my little Ny./ She bent down to kiss the mark on his forehead before turning him around and pushing him gently into the room.
Nyx didn’t mind the learning annex. He didn’t even mind the lessons. He just got nervous being in a room full of people that he couldn’t speak with. Mother made sure he had the translator stuffed into his pocket in case he needed it. But he always felt so along being the only one from Tio-ui in here most days. The other people didn’t bring their children so often. He remained by the doors for awhile until one of the teachers, Fua Teacher, guided him so they could start their lessons for the day. He sat in the back quietly, letting the other children filter in and take their seats. He was one of the smallest in the room. He thought he might’ve been the youngest.
Fua Teacher started the lessons shortly after everyone came in. The lessons were done in Alltalk. It was difficult to understand because he didn’t understand Alltalk at all. But the lessons were always easy and the more he came, the more he found he could understand. Today they reviewed the different names for fruits in Alltalk. Fua Teacher always seemed happy to be here teaching them. Despite earlier shyness, Nyx warmed up quickly to the lessons. Soon he was trying to go around and collect as many ‘apples’ as he could. A girl from Eruis was also collecting apples. She was so tall. He thought she said something bad to him given the frown on her face, but he simply gave her one of the cards he had collected. Another boy saw and came over to give him a replacement one. It was one of the ‘merana’ fruit cards, but it was the thought that mattered. Nyx smiled and thanked him in Alltalk.
From there, it broke off into different groups. The older kids, or the kids who could understand more Alltalk, went off to do more specialized work. Nyx watched them, not feeling jealous they had to do special work. Instead, their lessons ended and they were allowed to go and play. He decided to play with the boy who had been nice to him. They couldn’t understand each other that well, but together they built an impressive space ship and zoomed through space having adventures.
/Nyxuil-eii. Time’s up./
The boy turned away from pretending to be a giant monster destroying the other’s space ship. He had been in mid-fall after taking serious fire damage. There stood mother, smiling at him. He beamed at her, returning the ship to the other boy.
“Thank you! Goodbye!” Nyx shouted his farewells as he saluted the other boy.
“Thank you, goodbye!” The boy called back, offering the same salute before looking off to play with someone else.
Nyx was quick to go up to mother and grabbed onto the bottom of her skirt as they left the learning annex. He began to babble to her about all the new words he learned. Who knew there were so many names for fruits and stuff? He liked ‘papaya’ the best. It sounded funny. He wasn’t sure it was a real fruit, but Fua Teacher was very smart and nice, so he didn’t think she was lying. Mother made noises when she was supposed to. He hopped along happily.
They continued down the hallway towards the food place. Nyx got lost, looking at the people again. He kept walking for a bit and felt his hand slip from mother’s skirt. He glanced back at her, seeing her stop suddenly and look not happy. He blinked before suddenly finding himself up in her arms. She walked in a straight line and he clutched at her cords, looking where she was looking. Coming towards them were two people.
One was a man wrapped tightly in different fabrics as if he were cold. His skin was dark, almost like it was getting black. He had some red on his face. They looked like tattoos like mother and his people had. The other was a woman. She looked odd standing next to him. She looked odd even walking the halls. All the man’s scarves and stuff sort of looked like a type of uniform. But the woman’s outfit didn’t look at all like an outfit that belonged on Utopis. She had a sort of cloth wrapped to make a strange loose, short skirt. And her top seemed like a sheer shawl. Nyx could see everything. He glanced up towards her face. Her hair was cut so that it covered her eyes and hung straight. But she smiled. Both of them smiled.
“Illiala!” The man called out, smiling something strange. Nyx didn’t like it. He didn’t like how mother stiffened around him, holding him tighter. The man continued to speak to her in Alltalk, forcing them at a standstill for the moment. Mother was answering, but he knew that face and tone. That was the tone she used when she wasn’t happy with him. He glanced away from her and looked towards the woman. She seemed to be looking at him, but he couldn’t tell. He couldn’t see her eyes.
“Hello. What’s your name?” The woman’s voice was soft and gentle. Like flowing water. Nyx blinked and looked shyly towards mother who appeared deep in conversation. He turned back to the woman.
“…my name is Nyxuil-eii. I am from Tio-ui. I hope we can work together.” He had practiced the greeting for so long. Mother and father made sure he could do a proper greeting in Alltalk at the very least. The woman seemed surprised, but she smiled happily to him.
/Your Alltalk, this is very good, yes? You must to have practiced many many times. It is perfection./ The woman didn’t seem to mind that his eyes got so wide when he heard her speaking their language. No one spoke Tio-ai on Utopis. Well, outside of the people from Tio-ui.
/You don’t look like you’re from Tio-ui. Why do you speak my language?/
/I am in love with the learning many many languages. I am enjoying that which is yours. It is musical, yes?/
The woman laughed and she sounded so nice. Nyx smiled shyly and shifted in mother’s grip as he tried to keep his voice low. He didn’t want to disturb mother and her conversation with the strange man.
/Where are you from?/
/I am from the planet known as Cryria 1. Are you of knowing this planet?/ Nyx shook his head. /This planet is many-/
The woman didn’t get to finish her sentence. Mother’s attention was suddenly on them and she shifted her body so she was in front of Nyx and the two people. He didn’t understand what she said, but it sounded harsh and mean. The woman didn’t appear bothered, but the man made a sour face. The woman said something in Alltalk and mother responded. There appeared to be some sort of closing greeting, but no one said goodbye or saluted. Suddenly mother was pushing past the two people. Nyx looked behind her as the two remained standing. They spoke and he couldn’t hear or understand them. The woman turned her head towards him and he was positive she was looking at him. She smiled and he smiled back to her.
/Nyxuil-eii. I’m being serious. Don’t talk to those people./
/But Oi, she was nice. She spoke our language! I didn’t ask her name, but she said-/
/They’re Cryrian. They’re bad people. Don’t talk to them./
Nyx glanced behind mother’s shoulder, looking at the two before they turned a corner. Then he reached over to play with the beads in her hair. He wasn’t sure why being Cryrian made them bad people. That seemed mean. The man was a little odd, but the woman seemed nice. He liked her. Her voice and accent made their language sound funny, but good funny. He sighed as he rested against mother. He was sure mother meant well but he didn’t think they were bad. The woman had been too nice to be bad.