¿Hablas Blahajar? | Vinzent + Taran | Furniture Car

Vinzent Mayer

Yeah at this point, he might as well wander a bit more until he finally find something either useful or fun to do. This car was giving off weird vibes, but it wasn’t like it wasn’t also reminding him of the time he spent in the store before. What Vinzent didn’t expect was being approached… And by Taran. At the poke he jumped a bit but no freaking out, turning around, his relief was clear in his face. Taran seemed like a fun guy to be around and… His suggestion?

Shark whispering? Sounds fun.

“Sure, I’m in. Let’s go!”

In theory, it should be harmless, and they’ll kill time in this car, so… Win win! Vinzent will still be attentive just in case it turns sour, but otherwise he doesn’t show much of his anxiety. He’d rather not be a party pooper. In any case, he started observing the sharks, trying to gauge how to do this, unless Taran has already an idea about that.

Taran

Taran almost second-guessed the direct approach here, but the poor employees didn’t seem very coordinated… Team cohesion at about a 2/10 but they make up for it with heart.

“So mostly I wanted to find out what else the sharks do around here besides work.” He signs some air quotes- “Work. They’ve gotta have homes, right? Or at least a break room. Thought we could start with just talking to them. Alternately we could track ’em around the store, but that would take more time. So!”

The pair approach a shark who was trying to move a bookshelf into position for a display. Taran pokes in and introduces himself:

“Hey, little buddy, how’s it going? Want some help?”

Vinzent Mayer

Taran

Vinzent listened to what Taran said, nodding.

“Right? I was wondering that too.”

“I’m down to talk to them right now..!”

As Taran went ahead, Vinzent followed him, not interrupting before talking to the one Taran was adressing to.

“You do look like you have a lot on your fins! I don’t mind lending an hand if you’d like me to.”

As accidental (was it really?) as the pun was, Vinzent held himself back from chuckling. They did look so busy, these poor sharks, though.

Narrator

It takes a little while for it to realize it’s being addressed directly, but one of the stuffed sharks turns from supervising its current project to face the two, clipboard under its fin.

“Hej! Lurvig, stjärnbuske… rävunge huvudroll?”

It looks at them quizzically.

Taran

Taran resists the urge to facepalm.

“I thought the train was translating between everyone, but of course it would make an exception for Swedish in the Ikea car. Vinzent, there isn’t a chance that you caught that, is there?”

Vinzent Mayer

Taran

Vinzent remembered he has a Swedish translator as soon as the employee spoke, but once he took a look at it after getting it out… Nothing. So it doesn’t catch voice sounds then.

Yep. Nope.

“I’d have thought so too! But… The only word I do remember is hej, which is obviously ‘hello’.”

Seeing as how the website also kept it in its welcome page, it’s natural that it is the only word he’d recall…

Though… Wait. Lurvig? Why did that sound vaguely familiar?

… Yeah. nothing comes to his mind with this word. Maybe he’ll figure it out later. He felt like he has read it somewhere at least.

Narrator

“Eneby? Lillabo, nej…”

The shark waggles a fin helplessly, then taps its chin in thought. It seems to have an idea.

“Ja… Nej.” It bobs its head with the first word, then shakes it with the second.

Taran

“Oho, nice!!” Taran bounced in place, excited to try and cross the language barrier. Yes and no may not have been revolutionary, or even especially different from english in this case, but it’s still significant.

“Got it, got it. Yes…” He nodded, “No.” He shakes his head. “Ja,” nod, “and nej.” shake. Communication. Conversation.

But the train is weird, after all. Just to be sure this wasn’t a pokemon situation, he asks, “Can you understand everything I’m saying?” Behind that statement was a minor busload of thoughts about what a weird question that was, but none of them were worth the breath to explain if the shark did not in fact understand everything he was saying.

Vinzent Mayer

Taran

Ja (and nej, by context) was easy enough to understand. It’s fun to have some similarities in both German in Swedish. But that stops here.

… Hold on.

Vinzent now understands why the shark said something familiar among all the nonsense (putting Swedish words together without any structure.)!

“Ah! I have a guess! Lurvig is actually a collection of cat and dogs items! That’s why the name rang a bell! Because I used to browse over their offers when I had my dog! So in short… It might be just telling the products names?”

He wasn’t sure but sometimes it helped to have memories like that.

Narrator

Taran “Can you understand everything I’m saying?”

“Ja…”

The Blåhaj nods, but it’s definitely not clear how much of their speech it seems to actually be processing. It lights up, though, at…

Vinzent Mayer Lurvig

“Lurvig!” It points at Taran, then at Vinzent. “Stjärnbuske.” Then at itself. “Blåhaj.”

Vinzent Mayer So in short… It might be just telling the products names?

“Ehh… Ja, nej, men tjusig lillabo…”

It looks a little miffed, and waggles its fin as if to say “it’s more complicated than that.”

Taran

Narrator “Ehh… Ja, nej, men tjusig lillabo…”

It looks a little miffed, and waggles its fin as if to say “it’s more complicated than that.”

“I guess it’s more like they speak IN product names? Nature is amazing, isn’t it, starnbusks?” He asked, playing up his american-ness for a joke.

“Oh, I did have an actual question, Blahaj. Where is it you guys live? Do you have a little village or something in here?”

Vinzent Mayer

Taran

Oh the nickname stuck for a bit. It is kind of funny, really. Vinzent smiled at Taran’s question.

“Yeah, I think that’d make plenty of sense!”

He didn’t know what else to ask the Blahaj so Vinzent will let Taran go on for a bit. He’s curious though.

Narrator

Taran "Where is it you guys live? Do you have a little village or something in here?”

“Fältlönn…”

The little shark waves for them to follow and starts hopping away on its tail, towards a bright yellow door in between two of the showrooms.

“Jag är ledsen– Tromma!”

With that, it slips behind the door and quickly pulls it shut, somehow, with its tiny little fins. It seems social graces aren’t the Blåhaj’s strong suit.

No amount of budging will let the human Passengers open the door themselves, either. But the sign printed on it, for once, can actually be read by Vinzent’s Swedish translator device– “EMPLOYEES ONLY.”