Learning German, a Beginner's Guide. The title – which Joan almost didn't finish reading – barely took up half the thick book spine. Joan hefted it with difficulty and let the volume thump back to the table.

Joan started to ask if the troll was serious, but the stern look on Nomura's face stopped her.

"Well." Nomura crossed her arms and nodded toward the book. "Get to it."

"But… it's German…" said Joan.

"Yes." Nomura rolled her eyes and huffed.

"German." Joan repeated as she tapped a large glow-stone near her hand. "How on earth will German make me a better singer?"

"You must be able to understand what you're singing," Nomura said. "I assumed German would be an easier place to begin than French."

"French?! You want me to learn French? Why?"

"German and French are two primary languages used in opera, precious." Nomura rolled her eyes again. "And the way you pronounce French is awful – it sounds like gibberish."

"Can't I just learn how it's supposed to sound and memorize it?" Joan protested.

Nomura tapped Joan's forehead and then jabbed it with one stiff finger.

"Ow!" Joan rubbed the sore spot.

"How will you act? Interpret? At the very least, you must learn basic German and French! After that, we'll work on your posture, breathing, and vocal range."

Joan groaned and mumbled, "That sounds like a lot of work."

"Of course!" Nomura retorted. "If you want to be good, you must work for it, precious."

Joan pouted, but as she thought it over, understanding set in, and she gave Nomura a subtle glance.

"What?" Nomura said.

"If I'm going to learn German and French, and you're going to teach me… that'll take a long time, won't it?"

"Obviously," Nomura snorted.

"So… I can stay here for a while… right?"

Nomura eyed her, and Joan fidgeted under the troll's gaze.

"Whatever," Nomura shrugged.

Is that a yes or a no? Joan waited.

"I'm not going to dump you outside if that's what you're asking," Nomura said. "Behave and do as I say! Am I clear?"

Joan gasped, and her eyes misted as she swallowed the knot in her throat.

"What?" Nomura said.

"Sorry. I…" Joan wiped her eyes. "Thank you."

"Huh? Well…" Nomura looked away. "Urgh. Just do what I say!"

"Okay." Joan nodded.

Jim sat in the shadows that bathed the entrance to Nomura's keep. Is this really happening? It's… incredible.

"Hey, Jim!"

He stifled a surprised yelp. "Claire!" he said in a loud whisper. "Ssssh."

His girlfriend smirked. "What are you doing?"

Jim shushed her again. "In there." He inclined his head toward the voices.

The pair peaked around the curve in the entry way. Nomura and Joan sat at the table, studying a thick book.

"Guttentag. Wie gets?" Joan pronounced carefully.

"Remember, pronounce those syllables," Nomura instructed. "Gut-Ten-Tag!" she emphasized. "Germans love those hard consonants."

"Gendered words…" Joan shook her head. "Why on earth would you call a chair her and a skirt he?"

"Just wait until we start French. Talk about illogical," Nomura said.

"Oh, my goodness," Claire whispered. "This is wonderful!"

"Ssssh!" Jim warned.

"Sorry." Claire whispered. "But that reminds me, Mr. Strickler is going to quiz us tomorrow; we should probably go over our own stuff again."

"Yeah, we should."

"Joan should join us sometime," Claire suggested.

"Doesn't she have her own school?" said Jim.

"Probably, but we should still ask her. Come on." She pulled him away from the keep entrance. "Let's not disturb them."

The pair headed for Claire's little house, nestled near the east end of New Trollmarket.

AN: Fun story.. German is the bane of my existence! I already am bilingual able to speak both Danish and English fluent. I have spend over five years of my life trying to master German, and that stupid language keeps being a... no no, no swear words here. But yeah... German the language, sucks. The country is lovely though. I've been there multiple times. People are so nice and polite, the country is lovely.

Editted by dtill359