Alice and the other girls were left in a state of quiet contemplation, each lost in their thoughts at the revelation of the Volxie race. Carmen, ever the curious one, was the first to break the silence. "460 quattuordecillion...that's mind-blowing, our mere billions of humanity doesn't even scratch that number. And Jali seems nice.”
"Yeah, she's quite friendly," Teigen chimed in. "But can we talk about how she looks so similar to us? It's a little weird, but in a good way, I guess.”
Rachel nodded, her eyes still wide. "I know, right? Blue skin and horns aside, look at the shape and figure of her body, the number of limbs, the facial features...almost human. It's so strange but so fascinating.”
"I wonder if there's a reason behind their resemblance to us humans," Carmen pondered, her mind whirling. Alice, who had been quiet, suddenly spoke up, an idea forming in her head.
"Actually, now that we're thinking about it..." Alice began, her tone laced with curiosity. "I'm guessing since the Volxie Empire has spread across so much space, they've either conquered or encountered other races. If they're so advanced, maybe they adapted to various environments, including ones like ours.”
"That's a plausible theory," Carmen agreed, intrigued. "Perhaps over time, they might have evolved to adapt to many environments. And in doing so, they accidentally ended up looking quite similar to us.”
Teigen chuckled again, her usual smirk etched on her face. "Or maybe, just maybe...they could be our long-lost ancestors! DUN-DUN-DUUUN!!!!”
Rachel and Alice chuckled at Teigens' dramatic theory, and even Carmen cracked a tiny smile. "That's a wild twist, Teigen," Naphi said, shaking her head, "and highly unlikely, considering they come from an advanced intergalactic empire. But it's an interesting thought, I'll give you that.”
"Yeah, but you gotta admit," Teigen persisted with a hint of playfulness, "It would be quite a revelation if our ancient ancestors suddenly turned up looking like Jali.”
Rachel chuckled again, adding to the banter. "Imagine the shock if suddenly an entire race of blue-skinned, horned beings with reflective eyes showed up on Fairylyl and claimed they're our ancestors. It'd cause a global freakout!”
Carmen laughed, unable to keep a straight face anymore. "That's quite the sight, I must say. I doubt the world would handle such an unexpected revelation too well.”
"Oh yeah, the conspiracy theorists would have a blast trying to explain that one," Alice chimed in, "And speaking of, I wonder what their language sounds like!”
“Ah yes,” Rachel began with a sarcastic, amused voice. “Alice the language-nut strikes again! But yeah, that's a good question. Their language must be as complex and advanced as they are. Imagine if it sounds like a mix between music and machine language!”
"Would you like to find out for yourselves?" A familiar voice called out from behind. It was Jali, who approached the girls with their order, all decked out on a large tray.
The girls turned, startled to see Jali standing behind them, their order in hand. Teigen was the first to speak. "Oh, you startled us! But yes, we're dying to know. What does your language sound like?”
Jali smiled at Teigen's eagerness. She placed the tray carefully in the center of the table, the aroma of freshly brewed coffee and baked goods filling the air. Before elaborating on their language, she served the girls their orders, taking care to make sure each of them received their correct selection.
Once Jali finished serving, she took a moment to observe the girls as they savored their treats. Carmen took a sip of her latte, her expression a mix of pleasure and anticipation. The rest followed suit, enjoying the first bites of their respective pastries.
Jali seemed content seeing the girls enjoying their orders. Once the initial savoring phase subsided, she addressed their previous question. "Our primary language is a complex, fluid combination of frequencies, vocal harmonics, and telepathy. It's both melodious and technologically advanced, just like our race.”
The girls listened with fascination, their eyes wide at the description. Teigen, her mouth half full with a large muffin bite, managed to speak through the food. "That's incredible! So, it's a mix of sound, frequency, and energy? How does that even work together?”
Jali chuckled at Teigen's question, clearly amused by her eagerness. "It's quite a sophisticated language, but I'll do my best to explain. Our language isn't purely spoken but has a digital component, if you will. We use our vocal cords, but it's infused with unique energy signals. It's like each word is a symphony of sound, data, and power.”
"It would be quite a challenge," Jali admitted with a nod, "our language involves both auditory skills and an understanding of energy dynamics. Humans, not having evolved with these traits, would find it extraordinarily difficult to learn.”
Teigen finished off her muffin, already licking her fingers clean. "So basically, it's like trying to teach a fish to fly, huh? No chance for humans to be bilingual anytime soon.”
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
Jali chuckled again at Teigen's analogy. "In a way, yes. Our language is deeply rooted in our biology and technological history. It's not something humans could easily pick up, even with the most advanced translation devices."
Teigen raised a brow at this. "That's wild, so what is it like, do you all have voice chips in your throats that can make frequencies we can't hear or something?”
"Something like that," Jali replied, her tone somewhat elusive. "Our vocal cords have a unique composition, allowing us to create sounds and tones beyond human perception. It's a result of our genetic and technological evolution.”
The girls were clearly intrigued by this revelation, their gazes filled with both fascination and a hint of envy. Teigen raised another question, always eager to learn more. "Dang, so is communication with you guys completely hopeless for us?"
"Not precisely," Jali began in a reassuring tone. "We do have a second language that is spoken much like human languages and doesn't involve frequencies or telepathy.”
This revelation caught the girls by surprise. They exchanged glances, a mix of curiosity and hope now in their expressions. Rachel voiced her question. "A second language? Like, one that we could understand and communicate in?”
Jali nodded with a smile, appreciating their interest. "Yes, exactly. It's a language we use primarily to communicate with 'lesser developed' species. It's constructed to be somewhat similar to human languages in structure and pronunciation, which should allow you to understand it with relative ease. It will sound 'alien' to you because it is a vowel-heavy language.”
The girls listened intently. This was a twist they weren't expecting. Teigen spoke up. "So, basically, it's like a 'dumbed-down' version of your primary language for us lowly humans?”
Jali chuckled at Teigen's term, but didn't seem offended. "Well, 'dumbed-down' might not be the best description. It's a specialized language that utilizes more common sounds. It's a compromise that allows different species to communicate in a rudimentary yet effective manner.”
"So, this second language," Carmen spoke up, a glimmer in her eye, "It is vowel-heavy, you say? Have any example words or phrases for us to try?”
The girls tried to mimic the sounds, repeating the phrase a few times, struggling a bit at first but gradually getting the hang of the pronunciation, albeit with an accent. Teigen repeated the phrase a few times, the words rolling off her tongue with a slight difficulty.
"Hāla va thoska," she said, her voice trying to match Jali's pronunciation.
The girls tried to mimic the sounds, repeating the phrase a few times, struggling a bit at first but gradually getting the hang of the pronunciation, albeit with an accent. Teigen repeated the phrase a few times, the words rolling off her tongue with a slight difficulty.
"Hala va thoska," she said, her voice trying to match Jali's pronunciation.
Jali let out a giggle at Teigen's attempt, leaning forward as she corrected her. "Good try, but you must pronounce the long vowels properly. Hāla va thoskā.”
Teigen blushed a bit, embarrassed by her failed attempt, but was determined to get it right. She tried again, and this time, it sounded a little better. "Hāla va thoskā," she repeated, still with an accent, but clearly improving.
Rachel tried next, her voice more steady and closer to the correct pronunciation. "Hala va thoskā," she said, her pronunciation pretty damn close.
Aa"Not 'Hala'," Jali corrected with a smile. "It's 'Hāla'. Pronounce the first 'a' longer than the second.”
Rachel repeated the phrase again, this time emphasizing the first 'a' longer, as Jali instructed. "Hāla va thoskā," she said, her pronunciation now much more accurate, closer to Jali's original phrase.
"Much better," Jali praised with a nod. "The long vowel sounds are very important in this language. Even if you have to exaggerate the long vowels at first, it's better than pronouncing them too short, better safe than sorry."
Alice decided it was her turn to give it a shot. She took a deep breath and repeated the phrase. Her voice was softer, and her pronunciation was surprisingly accurate.
"Hāla va thoskā," she said, pronouncing each syllable with remarkable clarity. Teigen looked at her, impressed and a little envious. "Damn, that was good.”
Jali smiled, clearly pleased with how well Alice had pronounced the phrase. "Excellent job," she beamed, clapping her hands softly. "Alice, your pronunciation was almost perfect. You must have a natural talent for languages."
Alice blushed at the praise, her cheeks reddening a bit. "Thanks," she mumbled, taking another sip of her drink. Teigen nudged her lightly with a smirk. "Look at you, language prodigy over here."
“Oh, if only you knew,” Rachel said with a smirk. “This girl's a total language head for real. It's her thing, she speaks Albionish very well, for one.”
Jali's eyes glimmered with intrigue as she looked at Alice and said with a grin: “Chu spráki Albiõnísh?”
You speak Albionish? Alice translated in her head.
“Y-ya,” Alice said with a lopsided smile.
“És iz ghuárhí?”
Is it hard?
“Iz nóthe feldhí ghuárhí.”
It's not really hard.
“Banne chu sør?”
Are you sure?
“Ya, banne sør.”
Yes, I'm sure.
Rachel's smirk grew as she watched Alice and Jali converse in Albionish, nudging her and saying, “There you go. You just can't help yourself, can you, Al?”
Alice chuckled sheepishly, a bit embarrassed by the attention. Jali was impressed by Alice's fluency in Albionish. She continued their conversation with a smile. "You're quite the linguist, Alice. Your command of languages is truly impressive."
Teigen raised an eyebrow, clearly surprised by Alice's hidden language skill. She leaned forward, a hint of fascination in her eyes. "Since when did you speak Albionish, girl? And so well, I might add.”
"Um...self-study, that's all...!” Alice replied, scratching the back of her head.
"Self-study?" Carmen exclaimed with a hint of disbelief. "As in, you taught yourself Albionish? On your own, like, just...for fun?"
Alice blushed a bit, a mix of bashfulness and a hint of pride. "Yeah, I, um, just kinda...picked it up. I like languages, I guess."
Teigen's eyes widened. "And you never thought to mention this little talent before? Damn, girl, you're just full of surprises.”
"Seriously," Carmen agreed, slightly impressed. "And here I thought you were just the quiet, bookworm type. Who knew you were secretly fluent in languages too?"
Alice shrugged, her cheeks still rosy from the attention. "I just...find languages interesting. It's kinda fun to learn how to communicate in different ways, you know?"
Carmen chuckled. "Yeah, and you do it without breaking a sweat. Impressive, I must admit."
Alice, desperate to turn the attention off of her, looked down at the tray of food, picking up a pastry and turning her attention back to the others and saying, "Welp, uh, these sweets aren't gonna eat themselves, eh?”
The girls laughed in agreement, grateful for the change in focus. Teigen nodded, grabbing a muffin from the tray. "You're right about that. Time to get to the important business here: enjoying these sweets."
Jali, happy to share her language again, smiled and responded, "The phrase for 'enjoy your meal' in our language would be 'Tānu yēl shik.' It's a common saying we use before starting a meal, expressing our wish for everyone to enjoy the food and the company.”
The girls repeated the phrase, trying to mimic the pronunciation. "Tānu yēl shik," they repeated, with varying degrees of accuracy. They then looked at each other and burst out laughing at their attempted pronunciation. "Yup, not sure we nailed that one," Teigen snorted.
Jali chuckled at their attempts, finding their effort endearing. "Don't worry, practice makes perfect. Remember to nail the long vowels. Other than that, you're doing well for beginners. Nonetheless, I hope you all enjoy it.”
Rachel picked up another pastry, her cheeks full of muffin. "We definitely will," she said the best she could through her stuffed mouth.
Carmen, amused, nodded in agreement. "With these pastries, how could we not?"
Teigen, a grin on her face, nodded happily, already reaching for a third pastry. "Yeah, definitely enjoying this feast. And your company, of course!" she added with a wink at Jali.
Jali laughed, her cheeks lighting up with a faint blush at Teigen's comment and wink, the blush showing up as a berry-toned hue against her blue complexion. "Oh, the company is the best part, of course."
The girls all helped themselves to the treats, savoring the taste and chatting together. The conversation turned lighter, filled with laughter and the joy of good company and just-as-good food.