video;

[synanthrope]

[The camera shows a little girl with black hair and brown eyes - she looks eight or nine.]

Nanny....nanny! Onda fya ondjala!

[There's a pause here]

Tate?

[Another pause, as she considers. She looks like she's thought of something, though!]

Haai? Ek is verlore...ek het honger, ek soek na nanny...

[She pauses again, and speaks once more. Her accent is clipped and clearly a mix of South African and Namibian, pointed and almost Dutch and English mixed with a little bit of German thrown in: much stronger than Saya's adult accent]

Hello? I'm looking for my vade-my father, and I'm very hungry. I think my nanny lost me. Please, someone, understand English, my German is not very good. My name is Satya Daphne. My father works at the American Embassy. I'm not sure how I got here.

[And yet another pause, but she has to do this, she's looking slightly more unsure now]

Entschuldigung, Ich heisse Satya Daphne....

[But before she can finish, the video stops]

[ooc: She's speaking Oshiwambo, Afrikaans, and German, in that order. I don't speak any of these languages, so I apologize for any butchery! replies from prewoven]

Comments

[threadthefire.livejournal.com]

[Oh, joy, another one.]

Miss Saya?

[prewoven.livejournal.com]

No, Satya.

[threadthefire.livejournal.com]

Apologies, I didn't mean to mispronounce. [This is going to go splendidly, he can already tell.]

I hate to have to tell you this, but you're not in your home.

[prewoven.livejournal.com]

[Sigh]

It's all right. My nanny says it wrong, too.

Do you know where the American Embassy is?

[threadthefire.livejournal.com]

There... isn't one. This isn't the world you're used to.

[primrosella.livejournal.com]

Miss Sa--er, Satya?

[prewoven.livejournal.com]

Do you know my father? Did he send you from the Embassy?

[primrosella.livejournal.com]

...No, I'm afraid I don't, but perhaps I can be of some help to you, even so.

[prewoven.livejournal.com]

Oh.

Do you know where I am? M-Cinna gave me breakfast, earlier.

[primrosella.livejournal.com]

Did he come to find you when he did? I...would imagine you're likely still in the Warehouse, or perhaps in the Garage. Are there all sorts of tools around you, perhaps?

[cold_dry_pieces]

How many languages do you speak?

[prewoven.livejournal.com]

[PAUSE, and this is the sound of someone counting on her fingers]

Oshiwambo, Afrikaans, German, English, some Dutch, and very little French.

Six? But ta- my father, he says that Afrikaans and Dutch are almost the same language so it doesn't count.

[cold_dry_pieces]

I don't know either of them, so I'll have to take your word for it. Either way, five or six, that's a lot.

I don't think anyone here can show you to the Embassy, I'm afraid.

[prewoven.livejournal.com]

It's because my nanny, she taught me Oshiwambo, and sometimes we speak Afrikaans because my father has to practice, and we learn German at school, but we speak English too, and I started French this year.

My auntie says bi-lin-gui-lism is important. That means more than one language.

[Said with a heavy air of authority, okay?]

It's okay. Cinna gave me food, and Rosella, oh, she's staying with me!

[cold_dry_pieces]

I'm sure French won't be difficult, with a background like that.

That's nice of them. Are you staying at Rosella's, now?

audio ][

[worksmart.livejournal.com]

Satya Daphne Wallace?

audio ][

[prewoven.livejournal.com]

[Yes!]

Yes, that's right, did my father send you from the Embassy?

audio ][

[worksmart.livejournal.com]

Do I sound like I'm from an American embassy?

audio ][

[prewoven.livejournal.com]

[A pause here as she tries to puzzle his accent together]

Americans have all kinds of funny accents.

[Because hers isn't funny, it's normal]

video ][

[worksmart.livejournal.com]

[Her screen switches on and someone wearing the international sign for doctor - a white lab coat - is sitting at a desk]

My accent more often gets confused with yours. Or British. Do you get British?

[whitetwoguns]

You're on your own for a little bit, sweetheart.

[prewoven.livejournal.com]

I've been alone before.

Once I got lost in the airport in Johannesburg for three whole hours.

[whitetwoguns]

Brave girl. Well, this'll be longer. But then everything'll be okay.

[prewoven.livejournal.com]

I'm glad everyone speaks English. My German is terrible.

[whitetwoguns]

Bet mine is worse.