How Green Becomes Wood

Shortly after Khalil came in, a bit shy and awkward, but spoke to Daizi for a little while before walking over to Dark and having a long conversation with him in Iraqi Arabic while the servers began to bring out the pre-selected meal.
 
Alec waited until there was a lull in the conversation. Then he approached Khalil and tried to remember the etiquette for introducing himself. He greeted Khalil respectfully in Arabic. "It is good to meet friendship of Father," he stammered out. It was different trying to speak to someone other than his parents. His words were slightly wrong, but his accent was quite good.
 
"It is good to see you outside work," Alec said slowly, carefully stringing his words together in rudimentary Arabic. "Coming I thank you from him."

Xander stepped forward and said in a terrible accent but flawless grammar, "He means we are glad to see you here for our father's sake. Please, enjoy yourself."
 
Listening carefully to the pair of them, Khalil finally said, "We can speak English, if it's easier. I know how to. And I have been looking forward to this, I enjoy this restaurant. My wife is very jealous."
 
Alec flushed bright red. "I didn't mean to cause offense! Really! I don't want you to think that we think that you cannot speak English or were trying to insult you or anything like that. I was-" He stopped short. Primarily because Xander put a hand on his mouth.

"Thanks for taking pity on us," Xander said, still holding his hand over Alec's mouth. "Or you could be taking pity on your own ears. Either way, English is good."
 
"Don't worry, no, no," Khalil said, holding up one hand to soothe him, "I am not offended, I just do not want you to make you strain yourselves. It is much simpler if we all speak a language we're familiar with, although I appreciate your effort!"
 
"We have three boys, we are very proud," Khalil said with a smile, "Our eldest is 23, he just graduated from college. He is wanting to be a dentist. My next boy is about to start his second semester and our youngest graduates from high school in the spring."
 
"They are all adults now," Khalil said with a nod, "We are very proud. Emil, my oldest, I only had him two years after arriving here, if you can believe. My youngest boy Jude wants to take over the market one day."

Hetty was shy, and she sometimes struggled to make eye contact, but she held the conversation well enough and related most things she was told back to books she had read.
 
"Oh, that's very cool!" Alec grinned.

Xander glanced at Dark. "Should I take over your job someday?" he asked. He wasn't even certain what job that would be, but the idea amused him.

Lex admitted she was not a big reader, but she did ask Hetty for some recommendations and about the books she mentioned.
 
"My former job as a history teacher or my job as a stay-at-home father?" Dark asked, arms folded across his chest, "You are welcome to either but I have no control over them."

When Lex asked about book recommendations, Hetty's eyes lit up behind her round glasses, "When you do read, what do you go for? Fiction, non-fiction, self-help...?"
 
"How about your future job as a world-renowned tattoo artist?" Xander suggested.

"I don't know," Lex admitted. "Since high-school, I've pretty much only read what I needed to, not stuff I wanted to. Instruction manuals, textbooks, stuff like that. How about... ah... fiction with something to do with dragons? Are there books about little dragons?"
 
"The fictional, non-existent studio?" Dark asked, dry but amused, "Yes, you may have that."

Khalil shook his head, "I still do not understand your tattoos. I keep telling you my boys can't learn you have them, I struggle enough trying to remind them tattoos are haram."

Hetty thought this through for a few moments, "There are definitely books which have them! I'd have to think a little bit about specifics... Have you heard of a book called Seraphina?"
 
"Haram?" Alec asked quizzically. "A group of women kept for your own... enjoyment?"

Xander stared at him. "Right... I think we should go talk to Mr. Major for a while. Or someone else. Anyone else."

Lex shook her head. "Nope. Is it a good read? Quick to get into? I've got no staying power if it doesn't interest me quickly."
 
Khalil laughed good naturedly, "Ghalib, what do you teach your sons!"

Although Dark didn't laugh, he shook his head in quiet amusement, "Haram, not Harem. It means forbidden by the laws of Islam."

"By the laws of Allah," Khalil corrected, and Dark nodded but said nothing.

"I enjoyed it," Hetty said, "It's award winning, actually, it's about a court musician named Seraphina who finds herself involved in a murder-mystery plot which is being blamed on Dragons, who can take on a human form. It has all you really need in a book: political intrigue, murder, dragons..."
 
"Ooohhh, that makes so much more sense," Alec said, eyes wide. "I guess that is a tricky one, but as Ba isn't Muslim, I guess it's alright, and he isn't Muslim because he's a vampire. Vampires are not very good at following the laws of Islam. Or Allah."

Xander shrugged. "He's got a point, although I do remember reading about how a whole conference of Rabbis - no, I'm not making fun - had a whole discussion about how a vampire could be properly Jewish, so maybe Islamic... ah... priests? Priests could see if there's a way in for a tattooed vampire."

There was a lot of award-winning music and movies Lex couldn't stand, so saying a book was award-winning didn't really give her much hope for it. All she said, though, was, "That actually does sound pretty cool. I'll see if I can get my hands on it and give it a read during some downtime. Maybe I'll learn why books are supposed to be so awesome." She gave Hetty a wink.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top