Beasts Reading a Bestiary

[Kenneth Gilroy]

A tape player. IF that didn’t date someone, nothing did. Though what did it say about the worm that he was familiar with the media form as well?

“I never really had a bent towards the artistic,” he admitted “Though it’s my understanding that many of our kind find difficulty with such endeavors. Though eternity allows ample time to find inspiration.”

He examined one of the portraits curiously “So when you painted this were you attempting realism or to capture how they felt?” It was difficult to tell. The style seemed realistic enough but the subject did not. Gilroy could only be thankful he was lucky enough to not risk the Masquerade by his presence alone.

Turning his attention back to the book and deliberately not breathing. Not taking in the flowery scent that barely concealed poison. He nodded at her assessment.

“English is the same and actually both coming from the same language tree, I had assumed translation would be easier. However, I haven’t been able to internalize the convergences and divergences between the two modern forms.”

“I looked over Grimm’s Law briefly but it hasn’t helped as much as I hoped.”

[Cynthia Weiss]

"So I've heard." Cynthia said with a slight frown. "Though I've seen similar problems with living artists as well as they got older. I am hoping Sacramento can kickstart the creative process again."

The portrait was of a woman of indeterminate age. While her carefully coiffed, brown hair had been painted to have a healthy shine her flesh made her age before her embrace difficult to place. The curse manifested in twisted, jaundiced skin, wrinkling into bunched up folds under her eyes and around her jowls while paradoxically stretched taunt over her forehead and cheeks to a degree blackened veins stood out. The effect of her skin made her milky eyes stand out more. Cynthia stood up and stood next to it. "Realisim for this one. It was a commissioned portrait. She never came to me to pick it up or pay for it so I just kept it." She said with a shrug. "Not really bothered by her looks that one."

"I...See." The blank look the artist gave the Worm said the exact opposite. While she could talk about German, an in depth academic discussion on the subject was making her feel lost. The fact this feeling came from something so small and pathetic was starting to irritate her.

[Kenneth Gilroy]

"It's a set of rules created by Jacob Grimm. Of the Grimm brothers. It describes how sound shifts generally occur over time, given the observations he made." He meant it to be truly informative but it was easy to hear it as manspailing.

"Though from what you've said, modern German is still enough to make this readily legible." Which would technically make the German in the book modern German. Shakespeare after all was still modern English even if many couldn't understand it as such. Or it could be Cynthia had incredibly good linguistic instincts. Some people could read the Canterbury Tales despite it being Middle English.

"Where would you suggest starting when first learning German?"

[Cynthia Weiss]

"Ah. Right." Cynthia said with a nod. She did her best to take what he said at face value. There was the temptation of dismissing it as condensation but she was able to restrain that kneejerk reaction.

The goth gave him a small, awkward shrug. "Somewhat? Some of the spelling and grammar are off. Even for a native speaker it's gonna be a bit of a slog." She admitted with some reluctance. "I learned from a young age when I was alive. There are a few other ways of course. Books, Phones these days have language apps. Hell I could teach you a few things if you really wanted." Part of her cursed herself. Any restraint towards offering help went out the window. Again. Cynthia paused and looked down at the open book with a slight frown. "I'm guessing it shouldn't take you too long to learn the basics at least. You did manage to translate a bit of it on your own after all."