She could speak Filipino, Pyr thought. Although the variation of the language and the dialect in the Philippines were vast, he was still surprised. And the way she smoothly interjected between his and Ven's shouting conversation told him there was more to it.
Kayla was having a good time. She was currently playing tag with some of the kids they had rescued the day before. It was nice to see her smile and have fun for a change.
Mila's body was still at the hospital morgue. He was waiting for an update about the results of the autopsy so they could give her a proper burial. She was Henry's wife, it was the least thing he could do.
"So, your girl can speak Filipino, huh?" Ven said. He was idly swirling his sparkling apple juice in a whiskey glass when he made that comment.
Yes, apple juice. RagTag may be a group of badass shifters, but they have established a 'no alcohol' rule when there were kids running around The Nest.
Pyr nodded and took a sip of the ice water. "She remembered her father, brothers, and grandfather…her mother died when she was young." Scanned the area and found her sitting on one of the several sofas that were scattered around the pavilion. "We need to buy some diapers and milk for Cole," he added.
Cole was feeding on his third bottle ever since they arrived. He was a shifter baby, and with no mother, to give him sustenance they had to use formulas. A newborn human baby could only have one or two ounces per feeding, but since he was a shifter, it was doubled from two to three.
Pyr rubbed the back of his neck. He was tried and the conception surrounding Cole made things more complicated. As much as he would like to dig further, not now.
"Cole is not Henry's," stated Ven. "He can't be. He died three years ago, but when I looked at Cole…" Ven also looked at the pair. To say he was baffled was an understatement.
"I know," Pyr finished his ice water and walked to where Angel was feeding Cole. "Comment tenez-vous le coup?" he asked her as he sat beside them on the sofa.
[How are you holding up?]
"Je vais bien. J'ai ce sentiment à l'intérieur que je déteste être dans des endroits bondés. Pourquoi parle-t-on en français?" she automatically replied.
[I'm fine. I'm fine. I have this feeling inside that I hate being in crowded places. Why are we speaking in French?]
He let out a heartfelt laugh when he saw how Angel closed her eyes and groaned. He felt several eyes upon them. They too were trying to figure out who was the woman sitting beside him.
"Are you trying to tell me something?" she asked in English. There was a note of weariness in her voice. She adjusted Cole in her arms before facing him.
"Here, let me take him. No, not for you, but more on an experiment," he replied using the same language. "I'm curious as to how many languages can you speak. So far, you can speak English, Filipino, and French quite well. I'm thinking of letting some of the crew talk to you using their native language." He told her.
There was a grimace on her face, but she nodded. "If you think it will help speed up the process of me remembering about my past, I'm good," was her reply.
A sudden idea came into his mind. "How about we have a horizontal experiment on a bed? Are you up for it?" There was a wicked gleam in his eyes and his body couldn't help but react to her.
"Try it and I will gut you like a pig, and then feed it to the wolves," she replied. Her voice sounded so cold and deadly, but it only made him desire her more.
"She sounds better when she speaks in Russian, Prez," Ven said. He must have been standing behind them for some time. He leaned down to look at Cole. Something good must have happened because there was a smile on his face. "You look good with a baby in your arms. You should make one of your own," he said as he looked at Angel.
Angel glared at the man and said, "Do I look like a baby maker?"
"You do know that we are using Russian, right?" Ven couldn't help but ask.
"We are?" Angel said back, confusion could be heard in her voice.
"Ven, stop it," said Pyr in English. He had said his suggestion in Russian, and just like what he expected, she reacted using the language that he had used.
He could already taste her anxiety in the air, and with Ven near her, she was becoming a bit more hostile.
"Ven, stoppt es. Sie reagiert automatisch in welcher Sprache die Person verwendet. Mein Intimismus sagt mir, dass sie keine gewöhnliche Frau ist." Pyr added in German.
[Ven, stop it. She automatically responds in whatever language the person is using. My gut is telling me that she is no ordinary woman.]
"What do you mean 'no ordinary woman' do I look like a freak to you?" Angel replied, speaking the same language Pyr used.
"Babe," he began in Mandarin, "this is the fourth language we have used in a row. Speaking and using different languages in five minutes requires mastery and familiarity." He added. Cole must have felt the tension in the air because he suddenly began to fuss.
"I…I don't know, but, I guess, I'm used to using different languages all at once," she replied in the same language without realizing it.
Pyr could feel her trepidation and fear pouring out from her, affecting Cole, who had started to whimper and cry.
What happened next made Ven's jaw drop in astonishment.
Pyr didn't take his patch from Angel, that was already an unspoken statement. But publicly letting her sit on his lap, with a baby on the other arm was something he NEVER did.
For a male who vowed never to have a child and woman, the way fate worked was truly baffling.
Add in the fact that the woman did not have any memory, and the child he was holding may not be his friend's child.
What a cluster f**k.