11 June, Getting Acquainted

(continues from Partnerships Formed )

Burke studied his new skirmishing partner openly as they moved away from their meeting with the Captain. The lad was young, and his uniform was a complete mess, but he seemed good-natured enough. Also, the fact that he spoke English was a certain relief - Burke spoke little to no German.

"Ye been soldierin' long?" he asked. It seemed a simple enough place to start in getting to know each other.

Pye felt Burke's eyes on him. He did not mind, though it felt unusual to be studied as thoroughly and openly as the new partner was. It was understandable however and though he only stole glances back, it was something he would brave up to do very soon himself.

Let the man be first. With more experience and seniority in the service, he was entitled to it.

"M'..been some." He answered. "..Well...I've been With t' 33rd 'fore." Honesty, trust, what Cotton taught him and he knew himself, were the first two things he had to offer the new partner. No lies even if the truth did not present him as an ideal partner.

"Somewhat recently transferred ter t' riflemen. But I've been learnin' n' practicin' much I could since." He added hastly, so that the other might not think him an unpleasant joke of his new captain. "Been a summer..maybe two, I'm not sure, with t' 33rd." He spoke after he thought back. Was he really so new? He frowned. He might have learned the drill well in the time, snapped into it like a puppet, but.. "N' you? Seen many battles?"

The lad's earnest rambling had Burke stifling a grin. Quite earnest to make a good impression, wasn't he? Burke wondered if he had been quite as eager to please when he first took the King's shilling.

"Seen fair share," Burke replied with a nod. "Some in Italy, afore comin' 'ere. Was 27th for three years, been wit' th' 95th about two by now."

He paused, before acknowledging with a wry smile: "Well, 60th now. Been 'ere just over a week, so I have."

And settling in rather nicely, he thought. The 60th certainly seemed to be a good sort. Besides, soldiering was soldiering regardless of the regiment, and Burke was good at it. Which, like as not, was why he had been paired with Pye.

"Ye've been practicin', ye said?" he asked, curiously. "On sommat other'n Frogs?"

Impressive. If his simple mathematics had not failed him, then this man had been in the army for atleast five years. He tried to guess what age Burke could have according to the length of his service and his looks.

"Seems I'm senior ter you....fer t' length I've been in t' 60th. " Pye grinned. A light joke as his experience seemed to pale greatly in comparison to the other. It appeared to fuel his eagerness to please ever more. He had little to give his new partner in terms of expertise, but much to receive if the man decided to keep him. This was also his first!

Partner anyway. "I have. Well I've been practicin' when not after t' Frogs." He drew his injured hand to his side, willing to hide it at first then pausing, he let it stay in view. He did notice Burke was not as able bodied as could be. "I've been practicin' t' positions just recently, so I should know 'em with me eyes closed, in t' middle o' the night, half asleep, too." He shied away from his boasting with a small. "Well...I'd try at least." His inquiring gaze studied Burke's face, searching his eyes for any ill feeling. "Yer know it all backwards n' forwards a'ready..don't ya? 'cept for the men. Do you know any German?"

Burke laughed at Pye's assertion of being the senior rifleman. He was relieved at the brief glimpse of humour - it boded well for their future interaction.

"I s'pose ye are, then," he said with a chuckle. And, the lad had not been joking when he said he had been practicing. His enthusiasm was endearing, if a bit unlikely in its boastfulness.

"Knowin' 'em half asleep is useful. I suggest openin' yer eyes, though," he teased.

Then, with a shrug: "I think I do alright. Don' know any German, though. Leastways, nothin' polite. D'ye?"

"I do know a couple of things. Though not much." He was delighted to see Burke laugh. Anything was better than a frown or a look of dissatisfaction. He was still timid as to how far he might go or what was fair to say and what not, but he was probing and that was better than if the two men had both stood their quiet. He liked the new rifleman already. He was a friendly sort who had an understanding of humour.

"I know to say things like: "...uhm..Gewehr, Du hast ein Gewehr. " He had tried to pronounce it as well as he'd heard it. " Or.. I can say... Er ist der Hauptmann!" He nodded eagerly glad his memory was not completely failing him. "I know a word in..in French, sounds like you was beggin' ter be spared but wot' it really means is thank you. See.. Merci. An'.. do you know any other..language like that?" He spoke the last words timidly again, but teaming with curiosity. He did not look where they were going and had by miracle not yet struck into something, nor toppled over a stray tent rope.

"Ye can say what?" Burke asked, staring at Pye uncomprehendingly. To be completely honest, he was rather impressed at the German.

He grinned at Pye's question. "Aye, I do. An bhfuil Gaeilge agat?"

It was Pye's turn to stare. He was just about to explain what he said in German, but the next sentence caught his attention and the explanation remained unspoken.

"Wot' does it say? what is it?" He asked and then with a shy grin, adjusting his shirt as his coat could hardly be called that he asked. ".Say more, please, Burke."

"I asked if ye spoke Irish," Burke laughed. "Guess I got me answer, sure enough!"

It certainly would be nice to have someone else about who knew a bit of Irish. Maybe he could teach the lad some - he seemed keen enough on it. Then, Burke grinned wickedly. He could also have a bit of fun with just what he taught Pye.

"Póg ma thoin," he said cheerily.

"I do...well don't. Not yet." Pye said cheerfully. He was certainly eager to learn. "..Did you think I did?" He asked, wondering if it was that or whether Burke just said it even if he knew that the lad knew only English.

Not to be outdone though, not this time, he repeated what Burke said, trying to say each word just as he'd heard it. "Póg ma thoin!" And then, after a moment of hesitation he added. "...N' wot' did that mean?"

Already he was trying to recall the first sentence he had heard and tried repeating that out loud too. Only after he had said both, did he watch Burke expectantly, his smile somewhat more relaxed than before. He liked what he saw. Easy, friendly and fun!

"Not bad," Burke said approvingly. Pye's pronunciation had been pretty close. He grinned, contemplating saying that it meant "hello", then decided against it. Not exactly the nicest way of starting out their partnership.

"Means 'kiss my arse'," he said with a laugh.

It was something anybody would remember and never forget. And Pye made sure it would be so by repeating the words again, his face near split by the grin this brought on. He chuckled. "Thank you for not sayin' it means somethin' innocent an' havin' me busted by those who'd know!" He spoke in earnest. He could not have been more proud, than when he was told that his first attempt at the words was not bad! A compliment could go far with anyone, and Pye was no exception.

"Will you.. will you please teach me more Irish?" He asked gazing up. He knew it was not exactly the language that people wanted to hear and knew some who had heartily loathed and at the very least disliked the natives of that land, but that was their problem. And Burke was not a problem to him at all. Learning something nobody else could understand was just.. fun.

"

"I can do that," Burke said with a nod, pleased at the way the conversation was going. He had responded in Irish on impulse. And, to be perfectly honest with himself, it could well have been the wrong thing to do. Instead, his new partner suddenly seemed to have lost his earlier shyness. All in all, better than he might have hoped.

Still, he was not quite sure where to go from there.

"What would ye want t' learn?" he asked.

"Um. Mebbe some cursin wot' the officers ... " Pye bit his tounge uncertainly. Maybe he shouldn't have said that. Last he needed was to be considered something of a... Something anyway. "anything yer think
's going ter be good fer me. I trus' you on that." He smiled sheepishly. He knew what the Irish was considered by many. Both the people and their language. But it was perhaps that something that made him want to know it so much more. That and he was just about learning how useful the knowledge of languages was. In part because of german, even French and now.. It could not hurt to know more. It might even flatter his partner as there were probably few eager of that.

Burke's eyebrows went up at Pye's assertion of trust, and he smiled. It might have simply been said in reference to teaching small phrases, but it was nice to hear - particularly after so little time in each other's company. And there was still a great deal that Burke wanted to learn about his new partner.

He was, however, still at a bit of a loss as to what phrases to teach the lad. Not like he would have much chance to use any of it anyway.

"Um..." Burke said, thinking. "'Ello's good, aye? It's dia diut."

"Dia duit." the lad repeated dutifully. He paused and did so again changing the accent just a bit. He looked at his new partner and studied him thoughtfully. "Is that a'right?" He asked inquiringly. "just like that?" He smiled feeling somewhat more at ease. The other man seemed patient enough, but was he the sour, serious sort or a more amiable young no matter the number sort? He leaned towards the second. Ofcourse he would have rnoug time to know for sure while he was to learn from him. "Wot went on in camp while some o' us was missing?" If anything at all did. It could have been as any other time, but for the lost supplies.

"Did yer get to meet t' germans proper?" He was not eager to introduce them. Some were nice but they were still so foreign and he much preffered learning the stange language from him and.. Learn more about him since they were to be partners!

"One question at a time!" Burke protested, laughing.

He shrugged slightly. "Not too much 'appened while ye was gone. Marchin' an' picquets, same as ever." He paused, smiling. "Though, I imagine there were a lot o' folk fair pleased t' see all o' ye come back."

It was true, too. The camp seemed greatly heartened with the return of the missing riflemen. Burke figured mix of relief at seeing them again, and the hope that the others still captured were alright. One way or another, it had done them good.

"I ain't really met too many o' th' Germans yet. Seem t' keep themselves t' themselves, so they do."

"Fer others i am sure plents o' em was pleased. I am not ol' enough ter be missed much." Pye grinned saying that. "An' i didn' have a partner ter miss me till now. Though i dun' intend ter get lost so soon if at all. No smart thing ter do that. An' the French ain't got food good enough fer me neither." He joked lightly. He nodded when Burke mentioned the Germans and shrugged all the same." They's a tough folk. Speak a weird language, they so. But so.... I can say good day now. Teach me more. Mebbe... How to say..rabbit! Or chicken! ... Like so we know but they don't know wot we got..." He grinned at that.

"Wouldn' suggest usin' much in front o' other folks," Burke cautioned. "Ain't many as is fond o' th' Irish."

The last thing he wanted was to get them both into trouble straight off. Pye seemed a good lad, but a bit of the sort to rush in with more enthusiasm than thought. Still, Burke was enjoying himself.

He shrugged, and smiled. Ah, well. In for a penny, as they said.

"Don't mind teachin' a bit more, though. 'Ere's a good one t' learn: Ar mhaith leat tae?" He grinned. "It's 'd'ye want tea'?"

And, thinking on it, tea sounded a rather good idea.

" I know. " It was no secret that the Irish word wasn't a favourite. But then Pye did not seem to worry all too much about that. Burke was the wiser to warn him. It did not stifle his enthusiasm however, just made him grin.

" How do you say, that I do? An' should yer want it, i can make some fer t' both o' us. Good idea that it is!" He did repeat the words in Irish at best he could and repeated them again till he was convinced they sounded alright. Then he looked at the other rifleman and glanced at his coat. " Will yer need t' ol' one, that?"

"Old one what?" Burke asked, confused at the sudden change of topic. He glanced down. "Oh, me coat?"

That did not actually clear things up for him any.

"I s'pose not," he said. "Why d'ye ask?"

"You've seen wot' mine is like n'... Well I .." He shuffleda little, not being as sure of asking now that he had started the topic. A coat such as another rifleman's would be an abundant supply od green cloth. It would ask for little mending and changing and only request some red. It would have been easiest ofcourse but hardest to ask!

He dropped his gaze. He did not want to draw a coat from their supplies, not even certain there was one left there. He frowned.

He had, indeed, noticed Pye's jacket. It was not a half bad idea, actually, to repurpose Burke's old one. Assuming they could find red cloth, anyway.

"Alright," he said with a nod. "Sure 'tween th' two of us, we can figure it out, aye?"

"You mean..." The boy paused, his eyes wide in surprise. He searched Burke's face to see whether the man was trying to lead him on, just to burst into cruel laughter later. But no, Burke seemed genuine. Then he decided that he might not have understood and wanted to make sure that he did before he could feel excited about the prospect of the coat.

".So.... you'll ..really let me have it?" He asked and then more timidly. "An'.. wot' do yer want in return?"

"What d'ye mean?" Burke asked, feeling perplexed. He had not meant to give the impression that he was selling his coat to his new partner. "Ye need sommat in better shape, and I an't like t' need it."

Sure, he would be sad to give it up - it had been something special to become a rifleman, and serving with the 95th had been a great honour. But, it was just a coat. He would still have the distinction of having been one of the chosen men.

"Though," he said, thinking. "I s'pose there is a wee catch."

Burke offered a sheepish smile. "Ye'll have t' help me wash th' blood stain out o' it. An' patch it up. 'Fraid it got damaged when I were shot."