TO SPEAK CENTAURI

A BABYLON 5 FANFITION

AUTHOR: Djap

PAIRING: G'Kar x Londo

RATING: PG 13

GENRE: Established Relationship, Humor, Converse!Fic

DISCLAIMER: I don't own the boys and I won't make any money by using them. Pity.

LANGUAGE: English

To speak Centauri

a Djap story

"Shove over, Mollari!"

"Is dat you, G'Kar? You voke me! I have already been asleep!"

"Go back to sleep."

"Does somet'ing bad happen?"

"Everything is in perfect order, Mollari. But you will need your beauty sleep tomorrow on Centauri Prime. After all you will have to defend your choice of me as your bodyguard."

"Great Maker, your feet are terribly cold! Did you come here barefoot and wearing only your sleeping attire?"

"Yes."

"Really?"

"No need to sound so scandalized, Mollari."

"But vat if somebody saw you coming into my quarters like dis?"

"They would have stopped wondering about my intentions when they realized I also knew your door code. Now be quiet."

"As you vish… ow. Vat did you do dat for?"

"I need some light to read."

"You could have varned me, G'Kar. I think you blinded me wit' de light."

"If you would have closed your eyes like I said, there would have been no harm done. There is no way you can accuse me of hurting you on purpose."

"Great Maker, you are in a bad mood. Vy is that?"

"Perhaps it might have something to do with me returning to Centauri Prime tomorrow. The memories of my last visit there are not particular kind."

"I told you before dat you must not do dis for me, G'Kar."

"…"

"It is no sacrilege to show any weakness to me, G'Kar."

"That is not the problem, Mollari. How am I supposed to defeat the demons of my past when I do not fight them? I will go back to your home-world as much for you as I do it for me."

"Fine, be dat vay. But if you seek distraction, vy do you bring a book to pass de time? Do you t'ink I am dat boring?"

"You are not boring, Mollari. If anything you have been quite entertaining since you decided to actually do your own home-world something good regardless of the price."

"Dat is not vat I meant."

"I know. But you do need your sleep for tomorrow and I do want to finish this book before going to sleep myself."

"You could have read the book in your quarters. It is not me, who is boring, but you."

"Dear G'Quan, right now I do question the state of my mind in which I made this decision."

"Just admit it: you could not sleep wit'out me in your bed."

"…"

"I could always tickle de truth out of you. I know the right spots…"

"Stop threatening me, Mollari. Fine. Have it your way: I wished to sleep beside you. 'Only you can keep the evil lurking under my bed at bay, my precious.'"

"Dere is no need for sarcasm, G'Kar. Vat is the real reason you are here wit' me in dis bed?"

"…"

"Don't you trust me? I tell you everyt'ing about me…"

"If that is not a truth to be utterly terrified of…"

"G'Kar…"

"…it will be different on Centauri Prime. We will not have time for each other like we used to have it here. I will miss it."

"But you are my bodyguard. Vere I go, you vill go."

"It will not be the same. Being caught with me like this, it could cost you everything, especially when you are supposed to become the next emperor."

"Surely we vill find some time alone for us…"

"I just do not want to be your dirty little secret, Mollari. I have bonded with you and I am not allowed to tell anyone about it, which is Narn way."

"By Centauri law the penalty for a bond between a Narn and a Centauri is death."

"As it is by the law of Narn. The fact that I know this makes it worse rather than better, Mollari."

"Nonet'eless ve have done it, G'Kar. The Centauri are changing, and ve just made de first step. Dey vill have to accept, dat from now on you vill be at my side regardless of ot'er matters."

"For once, I hope you are right Mollari."

"Now stop brooding and make love to me."

"Is that the only thing you can think about right now? I want to finish this book first."

"Vat stupid book could be more important dan giving yourself and your partner some satisfaction?"

"A book that is supposed to help me relax. All religious Narn read when they are upset. It helps us to calm down."

"But dis is not your book of G'Quan."

"Correct."

"So vhat kind of book is it den?"

"Could you stop pestering me with all these question and go back to sleep?"

"…"

"Thought so. Fine, it's a book about Centauri grammar."

"…?"

"I just wanted to refresh my Centauri a little."

"You. Speak. Centauri?"

"Of course I do. Before I became 'Citizen G'Kar' and 'G'Kar the Bodyguard of Londo Mollari' and 'G'Kar the Spiritual Leader' I was known to have been 'Ambassador G'Kar', you remember?"

"I have never heard you speak Centauri before. Say somet'ing."

"No."

"Come on, for me?"

(A sigh, then noises that can't be distinguished as English)

"…Dat's amazing. You don't even have an accent. I always t'ought dat all Narn have an atrocious accent when speaking Centauri."

"Did you ever consider that Narn don't actually want to speak Centauri? That we could be better if we put any real effort into it?"

"I t'ink I never gave it too much t'hought before. Still, vy did you study Centauri? You had grown up under the first occupation. As a member of the Ka'Ri…"

"That is exactly the reason, Mollari. Not despite being a member of the Ka'Ri but because I was a member of the Ka'Ri. The best way to defeat an enemy is to do it from the inside. The first step to that is learning the language, just like we studied your weapons and your armor to use them for our own goals."

"So your Centauri is really good den?"

"It may be a little rusty by now. Hence the grammar book."

"And basically you are practicing your Centauri, so you can spy on us as my bodyguard?"

"… Yes."

"I do not believe dat's de trut', G'Kar."

"Suit yourself."

"Come on, tell me de trut'!"

"It is Centauri custom to speak Centauri on Centauri Prime."

"Surely no one expects you to follow dat rule, G'Kar."

"No, but the look on their faces will be priceless and definitely worth the effort."

"True."

"Can I get back to studying then?"

"Yes."

"Good. Finally."

"G'Kar?"

"What is it now?"

(Again noises that can't be expressed with human letters, but this time sounding completely different than the ones heard before.)

"You speak Narn."

"Obviously."

"That's really odd."

"My colleagues in de ambassador training tended to ridicule me because of it, but I t'ought it could be useful one day."

"Your accent in Narn is even worse than your accent in English."

"I can't say dat I have had any good teachers. Especially none for the Narn language."

"Good point. Your grammar was mostly right though."

"How did a friend of mine put it? I am a little bit out of practice, but I do like grammar. It is easier and much less boring dan learning vocabulary. At least when done in the Centauri fashion."

"Yeah, I've heard about that. Centauri are a strange race."

"So… vill you teach me den?"

"Teach you what?"

"Narn of course. On Centauri Prime it could be very useful. All of dem speak Centauri, only a few English, but practically none Narn. It vould make it incredibly difficult for anybody to spy on our conversations."

"Will the Centauri not feel offended?"

"Oh, they certainly vill, but if ve use it only in privacy, nobody can complain about it. They vould have to admit first, dat dey vere spying on us. No proper spy vould do dat."

"Not even a Centauri spy? Your race tends to do ridiculous things when properly motivated…"

"Stop teasing G'Kar. To bond vit' you vas as much my decision as it was yours to bond vit' me. There was no furt'her motivation needed."

"I did not hear you complain though."

"Dat is right, you did not. But I hear you changing the subject of dis conversation clear enough. I take it, you do not vant to teach me Narn den?"

"Actually, I want to, but not right now."

"Vhy are you closing your book and putting it avay? I t'ought you were not finished yet… oh… uhm… yess… do dat again… mhhhhh… yessss…."

"Like that?"

"Definitely… not."

"Funny. I always thought, you were a better liar, Mollari…"

"Ungh… yessss … right dere… uh…"

"I knew you would react this way when I do this to your brachiarti."

"Great Maker… you even know deir names… dere… DERE! Yessss…."

"Talk to me in Centauri, Mollari and let us find out what other words I should learn about your anatomy. This way, my practicing might be a lot more fun."

(Until deep into the night more words followed in a language that wasn't made for human letters)

Endless End

Finished 20th January 2010