What made it even worse was that I’d ripped my own heart out the previous day. I’ve had to write the next ‘Tabula Avatar’ chapter in very short bursts because I keep being blinded by tears as I write. I haven’t been this affected by one of my own stories since the final two chapters of ‘The Cloak of Mist’. You’ll see why in a couple of days or so (tears permitting).
In sheer self-preservation I’ve taken a break from the angst to revisit the funny. A ‘Tabula Avatar’ drabble set during the current chapter. Buffy is aggrieved at the way the Drow language spell is cramping her conversational style... 100 words, R for language.
The Drow Have A Word For It
“It’s not fair,” Buffy complained. “When I try to use a euphonium for sex…”
Giles coughed. “I think you mean ‘euphemism’.”
“Whatever. Anyway, when I use our usual words, they come out as ‘fucking’ in Drow, but Spike’s weird English words like ‘sodding’, ‘buggering’, and ‘shagging’ don’t. How come?”
“They’re real words,” Spike said. “You made yours up.”
Buffy pouted. “So?”
“Some Drow words are old Elvish,” Viconia explained, “from when we lived on the surface. ‘Buggering’ is anal sex. ‘Sodding’ was pelting a wrongdoer with soil and turf.”
“And ‘shagging’?”
Viconia smirked at Spike. “That’s ‘sex with a cormorant’.”
