ArchivedLogs:Señor America

Señor America
Dramatis Personae Ash, B, Steve, Tag	2015-11-15 "{I am not the /news./ I am a man.}" (Followed by Speaking Spanish - Part of Flu Season TP.)
Location <NYC> Harbor Commons - Dining Room - Lower East Side
Adjacent to the kitchen, the dining room is a fairly large room with an open lay out. It is generally set up cafe-style, with eight to ten round tables set a comfortable distance from each other, with a few bar high, smaller tables with taller chairs around the exterior perimeter. The floor is a middling dark fiber color, hovering somewhere around gray, divided up into foot long squares for easy replacement. The walls are a light green, illuminated by many windows. Halfway through the room, there is a small alcove built into each wall, providing a place for a dividing wall to recess out of foot traffic. Closet doors constructed of polished wood contain additional tables and chairs to transform the space from smaller get-togethers to a full scale party room for the whole of the Harbor Commons. The dining room at the Commons has been converted into a classroom once more, all the tables have been pushed to the side and a ring of chairs sits in the middle of the room, with a freestanding white board near a gap in the ring. At the top of the board reads, '{Spanish Immersion Class}' and '{Spanish only!}' without translation. Leaning against said board is a sword that looks to be forged out of bone. The poor thing is old and chipped, but heavy enough to still leave an impression in its victims and possibly in its viewers. Beside the board is one Ash Campbell, dressed in in his best brown button down shirt. He has his cleanest jeans on his lower half, but his construction boots show every sign of wear despite the cleaning that he gave them. He has a marker in his hand as he gestures to the drawing of a house he's put the board. "{Which floor is the bathroom on?}" He glances at his students, before adding a second question, "{And finally, where is the fire escape? Always need to know where to leave any building these days, no matter the number of floors.}" The drawing he's been using to teach the attendees how to use the correct Spanish to denote floors in a building has a toilet on the second floor (it's a very crude drawing) and only one fire escape from the roof. Yes, this building is not up to code, but it is super useful for the discussion of how Spanish speakers refer to the ground floor. Seated among the students and taking up less space than one might expect of a man his size, Steve looks down at a yellow legal pad covered with notes written in tight cursive. He's wearing a red and black plaid flannel shirt and dark blue jeans with black combat boots. He raises his hand and gives his reply in halting, heavily Italian-accented Spanish, "{The bathroom is...is on the two floor.}" Glances at the notes again. A bit less awkwardly. "{The fire exit is on the...roof.} B is not taking up much space at all. Ze hasn't really spoken up throughout class and, in fact, would be pretty easy to overlook as just part of the decoration -- a small pink statue-like metal... sculpture? that is somewhat fashioned after an orchid mantis, perched quietly on the edge of the table in front of Tag. Tag has no notes, but he claps a huge mug of milky black tea between his skinny hands. He's dressed loudly, as usual: a red t-shirt with a big yellow star on the chest under a jacket made entirely of patches in many shapes and colors (some with graphics, some without), a crocheted cap of metallic multichrome yarn (electric blue hair flowing out from underneath), and rainbow-striped corduroy pants with neon pink sneakers. He watches Steve give his reply and takes a long drink from his mug. "{Second floor?} he offers. Not uncertain, but a little too timid to sound like he is correcting his classmate. "{Yes! Second floor!}" Ash responds excitedly to Tag's response, attempting a little bit of positive reinforcement. Then he turns to Steve, a large smile on his face, even if the joy doesn't quite reach his eyes. "{Your pronunciation of roof is very good. Thank you.}" He then turns to the others, not at all bothered by those who haven't spoken. "{And thank you all for coming. I think that is all of our time for today. Please practice lots, okay?}" He dismisses the class by adding, "{I'm going to stick around for questions, if you have them.}" He waits for the class to start to break up before he finds a cloth and starts erasing everything under, "Español Solamente." "Gracias." Steve stands up and flips back to a previous page in the notes. "{I have a...question. How say...}" Here he just segues into waving an imaginary someone over urgently: 'come with me', 'over here', something along those lines. "{Come with me.}" The voice comes from -- Tag's section of table! Definitely not from Tag. It has piped up, quiet and a little uncertain, like B is asking Ash if that is /correct/? From the insectoid statue perched on the desk. "{Ooh, that is good to know,}" Tag agrees brightly, stretching as he rises. /He/ doesn't seem at all surprised that the metallic mantis on his table has started speaking of its own accord. "{Oh! Does anyone know is there...together dinner? Tonight here?}" "{Oh, yes. Definitely. Come here or Come with me both work}" Ash smiles as he moves from Steve to the small bug, also not necessarily surprised. He grabs his bone sword when he finishes wiping the board clean, in preparation for rolling it away. "{Also, yeah, I think dinner is still going to happen.}" he adds, trying to tone his phrasing in simplistic terms. "{I have not heard that the usual Sunday meal is canceled. I will have to ask Jax to be certain.}" "Gracias!" Steve says again, but then does a double take at the bug statue. Opens his mouth, then closes it again. Blinks at it. Looks at the non-reactions of the others in the room. Looks back at the bug. "...Shane?" He is tilting his head quizzically, leaning in close to examine it. "{This is...a radio?}" "{Has radio. But not is radio.}" B's Spanish is a little stilted, slow and not nearly half so fluid as hir brother's would be. "{Just me. I'm in it. Not /in/ it I'm in Boston. Ash help.}" There's a small clicking of pointed metal feet on the table as the drone skitters back a couple steps, the mantid's wings unfurling slightly as its forelegs wave slightly flaily in the air. "{Tell. I am the robot not the robot in the robot help. The internet is in the bug. Robot. Bug.}" "{More like a phone.}" Tag makes the commonly accepted 'talking on a phone' gesture. "{Also can see. Not only hear. Most phones can also do, now.}" His assistance is...maybe not all that helpful to someone like Steve. Ash blinks at the group then smiles wider when the baby Mantis starts making a little bit of a butchery of the explanation. "{Ah! Um, wait. Remember our discussion on family? Shane has a sister. They have the same birthday. Same voice, sort of. Sister B says less bad words.}" He heads back to the board and puts down his sword to start drawing a family tree. "Perdoneme la heteronormatividad un momento," Ash excuses himself using larger almost, English sounding words as he writes madre and padre next to some bathroom-esque gender icons, then adds lines with more descriptors to note children and siblings for Steve's benefit. "{I think Steve is using 'radio' to mean communication device, like} walkie-talkie. {Anyway, Sister B lives in Boston and makes tiny robots, usually like bugs. She misses us, so visits by} bug-bot." No, bugbot is not Spanish, but it is also probably not a dangerous term. Steve narrows his eyes and makes a visible effort to follow B's explanation. He actually takes a small step back when the bugbot /moves/. Wasn't expecting that! Just when it looks as though he is confused beyond all hope, he starts nodding at Ash's explanation (although he mouthes 'heteronormatividad' and scribbles it down on his legal pad). "{Ah, I am understand! Thank you,}" to Ash. "{Dusk told me about you,} he's saying this to the mantis, "{say your robots...watching. Houses. Here.}" Definitely hitting the limit of his Spanish skills here. "{Your bugs is...is...}" he hems and haws, and finally blurts out 'magnifique', adding a thumbs up just in case. There's another small skittering, the bot moving to stand on the other side of Tag, but then it sits still again. Only to have its eyes faintly light up a moment later -- and a moment after /that/ the air in front of it shimmers and shifts. A small blue shark-person /appears/, perched seated on the edge of the table. She looks, aside from being faintly glowing and somewhat translucent, rather precisely like Shane. Tiny and blue and elfin and gilled, spiky black hair, webbed fingers, claws -- she lacks his prim neat tie-and-vest wardrobe, though. Instead, it's silver fishnets layered over solid purple tights, a black pleated skirt, VERY stompy buckly boots, a black top criss-crossed in purple straps, armwarmers with silver-buckled straps up their lengths. "{Sorry maybe the bug is weird. I like --}" She hesitates, one hand turning out towards the nearby pink mantis. "{What is that called.}" Hir head shakes. The smile she gives Ash is small, closed-lipped but warm; hir shoulders curl very slightly inward towards each other. "{It's okay. Does Spanish have a -- not-gender. Word. I don't know.}" Shrug. "{Dusk told me about him,}" she's speaking to Ash now rather than Steve, her smile a little crooked, "{but the news told. First.}" "{Family words,} Tag says, watching the family tree take shape on the board, "{can you use them for...friends? Other people? In Chinese, we say family words for so many people.}" Then, looking down with a faint smile at B's holographic avatar, "{I think the families we have around here, need extra words sometimes.}" "{Oh! Sorry!}" Ash is immediately taken back by the change in conversation, his fist circling his chest a couple times before moving back into teacher mode. "{/Yes, there are gender neutrals in Spanish and like in English, you're eventually going to pick the ones that you feel represent you the best. I will let you search the internet for what you prefer, but note that replacing the gender letters o and a with an x or an...}" here he stops and starts scribbling on the board. At Sign. @. "{As far as pronunciation - it equates to a subtle difference in some cases and others... OH or eeh...}" He turns back to the group. "{Which will be more evident to native speakers rather than new students, but it is good to practice the difference.}" Then it is his turn to pause as he looks over at B and then over at Steve. Then back to B. "{He was in the news?}" Ash - ignorant of the world too often. Any awkward silence is curtailed by Ash turning to smile at Tag. "{Yes, yes, I refer to certain friends as brothers all the time. It would be nice to have a strong word for that. Perhaps we can make one up.}" The appearance of Tiny Ghostly Sharkperson actually seems to startle Steve less than the bugbot moving to begin with. Which isn't to say he doesn't stare. Then look away, embarassed, perhaps, about the staring. "Hola," he says, waving. "{That is even more...} magnifique {than I thought.}" He visibly struggles to follow the explanation of non-gendered words, scribbling notes every so often but looking not a little perplexed. At last, he asks, "{You say...those, if you do not know if a person is man or woman?}" Does not sound at all confident this was the point of the discussion, though. Then, blushing, he shakes his head. "{The news...maybe good you did not see.}" He thinks about it for a minute, chuckles, and adds by way of explanation, "Yo soy el Capitan America." "{I am not,}" B explains, "{a man or a woman.}" She hops down off the desk, inching a little closer to Ash. Her smile hooks slightly up again at the mention of brothers. "{Brothers already good.}" Hir arms have crossed loosely over her chest. "{You have not hear? Big hero. Save all America. From us.}" Tag listens to Ash's explanation with keen interest. Then, to Steve, "{Some people are not man and not woman,}" he says, nodding at B. "{And some people are both, man and woman. Other people change, man-woman-man-woman.}" But now, with a slight wrinkle between his purple brows. "{Save America...from /us/?}" "{Yes, you can use them}" (neutral) "{if you do not know. You can also use them}" (neutral) "{as a generalization. You can also use them}" (neutral) "{when you are asked to, as in B's case. It is considered 'normal' to use them}" (masculine) "{as a default, but that disregards any women or nongendered people in the group. In order to be more respectful to everyone, people are changing the language.}" Ash explains as best as possible, emphasizing the change in pronunciation. "{And} elle {as one of the possible singular pronouns. There are others. People pick them for themselves. And they}" (neutral) "{may still prefer the English versions which is difficult right now due to the disease -- are you really what.}" Ash stops completely and looks at Steve Rogers like he's just confessed to desiring to kill his sweet abuelita. Steve scribbles more notes (rather neatly, considering he isn't looking at the paper at all while he writes), nodding and looking considerably less perplexed now. "{I do not think I can remember all of...}" He blinks. Looks down at his notes, which have trailed off the edge of the page. Shakes his head. Looks back up at the others. "{I /am/ Captain America. I /not/ save America from /you/. I am not...not...}" He frowns, flips to a new page in his pad and starts to write, then quickly scratches it out, grimacing. "{I am not the /news./ I am a man.}" The pencil snaps in the white-knuckled grip of his right hand, and he looks down at it as if he doesn't quite understand what just happened. And doesn't like it. "{Thank you. For the class. I go now.}" He evacuates the room quickly, still clutching the two halves of his pencil. "{Thanks,}" B adds, with another warm quick flash of smile after Ash's explanation. The smile vanishes as Steve talks. Hir nose wrinkles once the soldier has fled the room. "{Man. Human. Not real powers. How long will he live here?}" Though this just is followed by a shrug. "{I think I make him not happy.}" She, admittedly, does not sound /hugely/ apologetic. The holo-shark shimmers and vanishes, the metal mantid's eyes darkening again. Tag bobs his head as Ash speaks, frowning again at Steve's attempt to explain. His mouth twists awkwardly to one side, but he says nothing...just watches the other man flee. "{Thank you.}" he bows deeply to Ash, picking up his tea. "{See you at dinner, later.}" Then, to B, "{And see you around, too.}" "Ah.. Si, Hasta luego." Ash blinks at the two who remain before snatching up his bone sword and trailing after Steve. "Señor America - Ah, un momento, por favor?"