stories of wonder (stephen/milo)

[Deleted]

May 30, 2027

Milo had many jobs. One was working part time for the ministry. He did previously tutor in languages as well. As a linguist, he felt it was part of his job to help others. This service wasn't for free, he had a life to pay for after all. As a self reliant young man, Milo had to care for every need and want. His zero waste lifestyle wasn't one that many chose, but it was something he was passionate about.

Today the newly turned twenty year old was meeting up with a fellow ministry worker to help with some translations. Wearing casual cloths, seeing as he wasn't going into the ministry, Milo's closed looked nice, but if one payed attention, they would be able to tell that they were second hand. Throwing a few language books into a bag he headed out to a home that he had been to a few times before. Once there, Milo knocked on the door and waited with a big smile for the older man to answer.

@stephen

[Deleted]

While Stephen wasn't exactly a novice when it came to languages, he was hardly an expert in many and his books had been selling well enough that he'd gotten most of them translated. The most recent title was currently being translated and Stephen had to admit he felt rather... protective of certain passages in the books. Certain rather specific passages that he worried could be misunderstood rather easily if their true meaning was somehow lost in translation. Since Stephen was hardly a trusting man, prefering to err more towards distrust and generalised caution than the benefit of the doubt, he did trust a certain young translater quite much. After having been unsatisfied with the translations of one of his books a few years prior, he'd found himself a translator that he felt was a very promising young man. While the young man hardly knew all the languages that his books were translated to, Stephen trusted him with the languages he had already managed to master in his young life, which was a remarkably long list in his opinion.

Stephen himself was fluent in both Russian, Norwegian, and Italian but beyond that he fell short beyond a couple of phrases in multiple languages. He'd been reading the translated manuscript of one of his books in Norwegian when the doorbell rung. He knew who was supposed to be behind that door. The young translator, come to go over some of the passages in the book in multiple languages. He'd specifically asked for that single passage in all the books so that he could compare how well their translations had gone. He walked to the door and (as always) checked the little peephole to ensure that it was at least in appearance the young man he expected. After he opened the door and smiled, nodding politely to the young man. "Thank you so much for coming." He motioned for Milo to enter his home, knowing the young man knew the way to his study on his own. His wife was softly singing to herself in the kitchen, often choosing to prepare rather elaborate meals ever after she'd retired from most of her more public functions. "I've prepared the passages in the study. My wife is cooking a rather elaborate dinner, in case you should wish to join us. My daughter might be coming, should her schedule allow, so I fully understand if the company is not to your choosing." He always made sure to give people any excuse to cancel in case they didn't wish to be impolite but also really didn't want to join the table. His wife could come on rather strong at times in her enthusiasm and rather motherly nature towards... well just about everybody. They were rather polar opposites, but perhaps that was why they worked so well?

@milo