With her help, Ezner was gently lowered down upon a log. He let out an exhale of relief, taking a few extra moments to take in some breaths. She showed him the letter B on a piece of parchment and he smiled nervously. "Is it important that these three letters look so similar?" He let her work, focusing on this task at hand, forgetting about the disgruntlement he previously had about being tended to. It was important he learn to read, and he wanted to do it right.
"Does B change as much as E? I don't really understand E. If it has all those different sounds, why don't they just make new letters for them instead?"
He tried to think back to some signs he'd seen that had this letter. He knew the names of the places because he'd been told them. They had gone to... Mrs. Wick's Furrier. That one had an F in it. Mr. Wick's Cobbler. Then Ezner cocked his head, because he remembered having studied the sign. "Is there a B in 'Mr. Wick's Cobbler'? It sounds like a B but none of these look like the letters from the sign." He continued to think on this letter. The dress shop was Sarah's Silks. Then he remembered another, a tavern Mr. Dey liked to go to.
"The Butcher's Block has two Bs in it." Then he smiled broadly, and with the mirth of a child having a discovery, "Elisabeth has a B in it!"
Once Elisabeth was done wrapping up his torso, he looked up at her, smiling, "Thank you. Shouldn't hurt to breathe in a few trials or so." Then he chuckled, "Breathe."
Then he decided to just press onward, "So you said there were twenty four letters. What are all of them? Could you show me? I enjoy looking at signs now, but I only know the three."
Not only was he taking it seriously, but he seemed to be enjoying it. His eyes had a look in them, one she'd seen a glimmer of the trial he'd been so tired and grouchy. It had shown up when he was playing their little streets game. "When did you learn to read? Who taught you?"
Then he remembered something recently, "I was in the Order several trials back, a couple trials after I showed up at your door that one time." He paused, giving them both a moment. It had been an important moment for him, comforting her that way. Plus he got to clean her dishes without her admonishing him. "My shoulder was really hurting, I was peeing blood, and having dizzy spells again. Anyways, I shared a room with a woman. She tried to let me borrow a book of hers. She was very friendly, lots of curly read hair."
Then he grew a bit somber, "I didn't like telling her that I couldn't borrow her book. But I hated telling her that I couldn't read."
"Does B change as much as E? I don't really understand E. If it has all those different sounds, why don't they just make new letters for them instead?"
He tried to think back to some signs he'd seen that had this letter. He knew the names of the places because he'd been told them. They had gone to... Mrs. Wick's Furrier. That one had an F in it. Mr. Wick's Cobbler. Then Ezner cocked his head, because he remembered having studied the sign. "Is there a B in 'Mr. Wick's Cobbler'? It sounds like a B but none of these look like the letters from the sign." He continued to think on this letter. The dress shop was Sarah's Silks. Then he remembered another, a tavern Mr. Dey liked to go to.
"The Butcher's Block has two Bs in it." Then he smiled broadly, and with the mirth of a child having a discovery, "Elisabeth has a B in it!"
Once Elisabeth was done wrapping up his torso, he looked up at her, smiling, "Thank you. Shouldn't hurt to breathe in a few trials or so." Then he chuckled, "Breathe."
Then he decided to just press onward, "So you said there were twenty four letters. What are all of them? Could you show me? I enjoy looking at signs now, but I only know the three."
Not only was he taking it seriously, but he seemed to be enjoying it. His eyes had a look in them, one she'd seen a glimmer of the trial he'd been so tired and grouchy. It had shown up when he was playing their little streets game. "When did you learn to read? Who taught you?"
Then he remembered something recently, "I was in the Order several trials back, a couple trials after I showed up at your door that one time." He paused, giving them both a moment. It had been an important moment for him, comforting her that way. Plus he got to clean her dishes without her admonishing him. "My shoulder was really hurting, I was peeing blood, and having dizzy spells again. Anyways, I shared a room with a woman. She tried to let me borrow a book of hers. She was very friendly, lots of curly read hair."
Then he grew a bit somber, "I didn't like telling her that I couldn't borrow her book. But I hated telling her that I couldn't read."