THE PERFECT CRIME: A GHOST HUNT DRABBLE COLLECTION PRESENTS:

The Accent Incident…

Prompt: Why does Naru not talk with a British accent?
Fandom: Ghost Hunt; Mai x Naru x Gene

"What the heck is that sound?" Monk asks putting his cup of tea down.

"Nani?" Mai asks taking a seat down herself, all the tea distributed.

"Can't you hear it? That faint mumbling?"

"Oh, Naru's in his office on the phone with his mother."

"Still –what language is that?" Monk continues as the two of them sit.

"It's English –why?"

"I don't know," Monks starts, "It just sounds different especially from how John talks."

"Well," John offers, "I do speak with an Australian accent, so the pronunciation and vocabulary can be fairly different."

"Okay, but then what kind of English is Naru talking in? It doesn't sound similar to what he usually sounds like when reading aloud sections of English books to the rest of us."

"Well," Mai begins, "Naru's mother is British. I've noticed that whenever she or their father calls both Naru and Gene change their pronunciation of words and what they call them. One time the two started talking about how lovely some 'flat' looked in brown and I was just completely confused the whole time but played along. It was only after they hung up that Gene explained to me a 'flat' is British for apartment."

"Really?" Ayako asks.

Both John and Mai nod.

"Yeah, the situations much the same for me over in Australia. Some of the words we use are the same as in America and the UK and others are fairly different. In Australia we use the word flat as well. Though I wonder," John trails off.

"Wonder what?" Ayako asks.

"Oh, nothing." John smiles softly. "I was just curious as to why we never here Naru talk with that accent regularly. Both his and Gene's Japanese is so good you can barely tell they aren't native speakers."

"Well that not entirely true. Actually," Mai stands and walks quietly over to Naru's office, "I might be able to let you hear it at full force," and opens the door. "Naru," she calls sweetly, "do you want a fresh cup of tea?"

"Yes one would like a cuppa. And don't bloody bodge it like you do for your mates!" Naru responds in an accent that makes him sound as though he's pronunciation French words and not English

"Got it," Mai returns in English before closing the door and walking over to the kitchenette.

"What in the world did he just say?" Monk asks dumbfounded.

"Whatever it was," Ayako starts while fanning herself in exaggeration, "I'm glad Masako wasn't here to hear how sexy he sounded."

The Accent Incident… AKA, Why We Never Hear Naru Talk with a British Accent

AN: Haven't you ever wondered why in the English version of the series Naru still doesn't have a British accent –despite being raised in Britain most of his life and having adopted British parents?

PS. I don't speak British and I was going for the "posh" accent which has origins in France taking over England and the upper class imitating the pronunciation of terms, dropping terms like 'I' for 'one', and a whole bunch of vocabulary we aren't used to in the States.

PSS. Cuppa = cup of tea. Bloody = very. Bodge = fix in a clumsy manner [so not fixed at all].

PSS. My answer to the reason why we don't here Naru with a British accent is he realized that people aren't as offended when you verbally abuse them in a "sexy" accent.

PSSS. I thought I uploaded this yesterday, I really did. But apparently I did not. I am so, so, so sorry!