[Strangely he is finding it really hard to decipher her texts. He'd never realized how reliant he's been on her tone, her body language, until now. And the rest... there's a lot to chew over, there, and without a conclusion he doesn't say anything just yet.]
[won't take her word for it, fine. Have a performance. The video kicks in and it's a shot of her empty desk, then Heather turning it around and sitting back on her bed, displaying open, empty hands and looking straight into the communicator's camera.]
Regna terrae, cantate Deo, psallite Domino qui fertis super caelum caeli ad Orientem. Ecce dabit voci Suae, vocem virtutis, tribute - uh, I mean tribuite virtutem Deo.
[So she pronounces it in the exact same lazy tumble she uses for everything else, at least she's trying.]
[Yes, that is a pause and a raised eyebrow as he thanks her. When he switches to video and tells her she needs practice she recovers. It's much more him.]
I've only had it a couple hours. [There's so real defensiveness in it - it's reflex more than anything, and... well, he's not wrong.]
Like, four words total my whole life. Kinda important ones, though.
[While he knows how she can get about the subject, he's still not one to prance around it. But he sucks in a breath and seems to move on almost before it's out of his mouth.]
I can help. Next time- [Awkward, and he already has his thumb jerked halfway back to the beds before he lowers it, concentrates on ashing instead. For all he knows he's done showing her around down here.] If I taught ya, you'd speak it like a Dutchman. The Latin, I mean. If y'only know four words.
[Nope, nothin' in Church, and the face she pulls should demonstrate that. Their plans for her hadn't exactly involved studying Classics. Or studying much of anything, really. Still, he zips past the subject quickly enough, and she tries not to appreciate that too much. He's probably just keen to get to the point.]
Gotta be better than speaking it like me, right? Least there's be some fucking culture to it.
[Yes, that is Heather for "thank you, that's very kind".]
[Well, she never really talked about her childhood, so for all he knows she was raised Catholic. You know what they say about assuming.
But he looks legitimately confused when she equates a Dutch accent with culture, and what she really means flies way over his head. Dutch accent. Culture. What? It's like he's pretty sure she's serious and isn't quite sure what to think about that.]
Uh... [And he still sounds sort of lost.] It'd be better if y'spoke it like Rome did.
[It's the first time she's seen him looking confused without a healthy side of anger over the fact, but that doesn't stop her from huffing a little laugh and shaking her head. Not if she could speak it properly, not if she could speak it like a scholar - no, it'd be better if she spoke Latin like Rome. The man does nothing by halves, and that really shouldn't surprise her at all anymore.]
Well, Rome shows up, you let me know. In the meantime I guess I'll make do.
[Surprise, surprise, he doesn't see the humor at all, and finally a little irritation creeps into the confusion. What does she think is so damn funny? It's true, and for a moment he wonders if she's taking it as seriously as she should be - but. She probably is. Slowly, he's figuring out that she's just flippant like that, sometimes.
Still makes him want to chain-smoke, but he can do that.]
You'd know, if he showed up. [Everyone would know. But anyway.] I ain't doing it in the morning.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
text;
[Strangely he is finding it really hard to decipher her texts. He'd never realized how reliant he's been on her tone, her body language, until now. And the rest... there's a lot to chew over, there, and without a conclusion he doesn't say anything just yet.]
video;
Regna terrae, cantate Deo, psallite Domino qui fertis super caelum caeli ad Orientem. Ecce dabit voci Suae, vocem virtutis, tribute - uh, I mean tribuite virtutem Deo.
[So she pronounces it in the exact same lazy tumble she uses for everything else, at least she's trying.]
I'm getting there, okay?
no subject
[And then he switches to video, face betraying nothing except the fact that he's smoking in between bright green rows of vegetables.]
Need practice. Ever hafta speak Latin?
no subject
I've only had it a couple hours. [There's so real defensiveness in it - it's reflex more than anything, and... well, he's not wrong.]
Like, four words total my whole life. Kinda important ones, though.
no subject
[While he knows how she can get about the subject, he's still not one to prance around it. But he sucks in a breath and seems to move on almost before it's out of his mouth.]
I can help. Next time- [Awkward, and he already has his thumb jerked halfway back to the beds before he lowers it, concentrates on ashing instead. For all he knows he's done showing her around down here.] If I taught ya, you'd speak it like a Dutchman. The Latin, I mean. If y'only know four words.
no subject
Gotta be better than speaking it like me, right? Least there's be some fucking culture to it.
[Yes, that is Heather for "thank you, that's very kind".]
no subject
But he looks legitimately confused when she equates a Dutch accent with culture, and what she really means flies way over his head. Dutch accent. Culture. What? It's like he's pretty sure she's serious and isn't quite sure what to think about that.]
Uh... [And he still sounds sort of lost.] It'd be better if y'spoke it like Rome did.
no subject
Well, Rome shows up, you let me know. In the meantime I guess I'll make do.
no subject
Still makes him want to chain-smoke, but he can do that.]
You'd know, if he showed up. [Everyone would know. But anyway.] I ain't doing it in the morning.