Intelligent Life [Closed] - Printable Version
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Intelligent Life [Closed] - Tindome - 08-19-2015
Uala had taken no time at all to grow accustomed to Roan's easy acquiescence to xyr poking and prodding. So at first, xe just assumed he was trying to make xyr job easier. Getting things out of the way, adjusting position… that sort of thing. Xe didn't figure out that he was trying to get away until he succeeded. Sort of succeeded. A high-pitched and resonant yelp accompanied xyr panicked and instinctive clinging, as they both fell over in a tangle of mismatched limbs. The many important things xe was supposed to be keeping in mind were forgotten in favor of xyr primary goal of not getting squished by a big boney muscle alien.
In the end, xe ended up sitting on top of his legs, tentacles sprawled in all different directions and stuck firmly to the floor, membranes and silk making it look like he'd covered himself with a very strange blanket. Arm tentacles had wrapped around his forearms – except for the one that was still down his pants. Xe'd gone quite purple in all the commotion.
«What happened?» xe demanded, confused. «Was I hurting you?» Xe immediately let go of whatever it was xe'd been holding, leaving his pants intact. «But I was being so gentle!» Xe looked down at his pants as if this would clarify anything. «If it's so delicate, shouldn't you wear something sturdier? Why would you have a delicate organ so easily access…»
Slowly, xe trailed off and looked at the tentacle that had been touching him. Xyr other arms let him go as green blossomed outward from xyr eyes.
"Ah! Ah! Ye ye ye – ah!" Xe straightened the tentacle out and away from them both, as if scared to let the glove touch anything else, holding it at a safe distance. "A le – ou la – a la u'a!" Xe looked down at where xe was sitting on him – and, more importantly, how. "Eeeeeeeeeeeeee–" Xe scrambled to get off of him, and more importantly to get xyr tentacles all demurely closed and covered in silk the way they'd been when xe sat down before. One tentacle was still held at length as dark blue spots started to appear all over green skin like freckles. "A la u'a!" Xe pulled the glove off to toss it away on the floor, which was about as effective as tossing a thin sheet of plastic ever was, tentacles flailing as it attempted to gently drift back towards xem. The other gloves joined it momentarily, no longer able to be trusted, as xyr cephalic tentacles uncurled enough to try and hide xyr face.
«… did I just try to mate with an alien,» xe said more than asked no one at all.
In the end, xe ended up sitting on top of his legs, tentacles sprawled in all different directions and stuck firmly to the floor, membranes and silk making it look like he'd covered himself with a very strange blanket. Arm tentacles had wrapped around his forearms – except for the one that was still down his pants. Xe'd gone quite purple in all the commotion.
«What happened?» xe demanded, confused. «Was I hurting you?» Xe immediately let go of whatever it was xe'd been holding, leaving his pants intact. «But I was being so gentle!» Xe looked down at his pants as if this would clarify anything. «If it's so delicate, shouldn't you wear something sturdier? Why would you have a delicate organ so easily access…»
Slowly, xe trailed off and looked at the tentacle that had been touching him. Xyr other arms let him go as green blossomed outward from xyr eyes.
"Ah! Ah! Ye ye ye – ah!" Xe straightened the tentacle out and away from them both, as if scared to let the glove touch anything else, holding it at a safe distance. "A le – ou la – a la u'a!" Xe looked down at where xe was sitting on him – and, more importantly, how. "Eeeeeeeeeeeeee–" Xe scrambled to get off of him, and more importantly to get xyr tentacles all demurely closed and covered in silk the way they'd been when xe sat down before. One tentacle was still held at length as dark blue spots started to appear all over green skin like freckles. "A la u'a!" Xe pulled the glove off to toss it away on the floor, which was about as effective as tossing a thin sheet of plastic ever was, tentacles flailing as it attempted to gently drift back towards xem. The other gloves joined it momentarily, no longer able to be trusted, as xyr cephalic tentacles uncurled enough to try and hide xyr face.
«… did I just try to mate with an alien,» xe said more than asked no one at all.
Intelligent Life [Closed] - danixiewrites - 08-19-2015
Oh, this was bad. This was SO bad and was probably going to rack him up more demerits than any Protector had ever garnered in the history of the Agency. He was far more concerned with the sudden tumble that must have seemed like an attack than the manner in which xe had landed, seemingly a little angry and a little stunned."I'm SO sorry," he sputtered, trying to hold still as xe suddenly recovered and reared back, floundering around him and trying to right xyrself. "I didn't realize it would...I was just trying to...if I'd known..." Many things would have been done differently. Yes, he would've pushed the button to get away. But he certainly wouldn't have been leaning into the resistance at the same time, or else caught himself, maybe, and stopped himself from moving so quickly and startling xem.
Because he had, hadn't he? Xe had been keeping him from moving because xe didn't feel safe around him, and then Roan had done something that'd come off terrifying and aggressive and all xe was doing was being curious. After the initial shock, now xe was flailing like mad and ripping apart xyr tentacle plastic. The shrieking noises and color changes were so far from the calm examination he'd faced to date that Roan wasn't immediately certain what he should do. He only knew he had to fix it, because it was keenly obvious xe hadn't meant him any harm. Probably his cuffs would all be turned back on in a hurry and he wouldn't be surprised--if he didn't fix this now--were he shoved right back in the pod for xyr own protection. Which would be infinitely worse than merely being cuffed. And sans food, too. He had to make xem understand. In the end he shifted to sitting, then pushed his palms against the cold floor to get to his feet. Slowly, he approached, stepping around discarded and tangled plastic, and reached out to touch a quivering tentacle.
"Hey," he said quietly, trying not to startle xem further. Intergalactic incident was flashing in great neon letters on the inside of his skull. Novae but he had to make this better. "Hey, I'm sorry. It's okay. I wasn't attacking you, I swear...it was an accident...that could have gone better."
He curved his fingers around a tentacle covering xyr eyes. "Uala?"
He thought he might have gotten the pitches spot on that time, but was too worried about having broken his host to be very cheered by success this time. "Are you okay? Are you hurt?"
Intelligent Life [Closed] - Tindome - 08-19-2015
This would not have been half so mortifying if xe hadn't known his name. Uala was very sure of this. Xe'd done awkward examinations of plenty of specimens before. Even more awkward, in fact. But those specimens hadn't been big and person-shaped, and they certainly hadn't talked back when xe spoke to them. He was trying to talk to xem again, but xe was still busy trying to regain something resembling composure.
"Ah–!" His touch against a cephalic tentacle was unexpected for any number of reasons, and xyr chime of surprise resonated more than usual. Tentacles flared slightly, a ripple of color emanating outward from his hand before xe tried to get it under control. «Oh, you – you said my name. Yes, good. Don't, um.» Xe chirped a nervous giggle as two tentacles wrapped around his wrist to coax his hand away from the one on xyr head. His hand still smelled liked fruit, and xe chirped nervously again as xyr tentacles curled back into place, trying to run xyr other tentacles over them as if to smooth them out. «That's not for, uh. That was an accident, before,» xe explained. «I didn't know – why is it on the outside?» Xe gestured at his pants in frustration. «It's just… out there! Anyone can mate with you! Just, whenever! Is that what all the muscles are for?» Xyr flush flared darker for a moment, and xe rubbed tentacles against the spots to try and make them go away. «I won't do that again, I promise.» To emphasize the point, xe reached out to tug his pants higher.
Then xe looked down at his feet. "Ah! Roan!" Xe sat up taller on the floor. «You let yourself out! You aren't supposed to do that!» Xe looked around for the remote, irritated at xyrself for having failed to realize the obvious. It was all so distracting! Keph didn't have all their parts just out. Xe was totally unprepared for this. This was a travesty.
"Ah–!" His touch against a cephalic tentacle was unexpected for any number of reasons, and xyr chime of surprise resonated more than usual. Tentacles flared slightly, a ripple of color emanating outward from his hand before xe tried to get it under control. «Oh, you – you said my name. Yes, good. Don't, um.» Xe chirped a nervous giggle as two tentacles wrapped around his wrist to coax his hand away from the one on xyr head. His hand still smelled liked fruit, and xe chirped nervously again as xyr tentacles curled back into place, trying to run xyr other tentacles over them as if to smooth them out. «That's not for, uh. That was an accident, before,» xe explained. «I didn't know – why is it on the outside?» Xe gestured at his pants in frustration. «It's just… out there! Anyone can mate with you! Just, whenever! Is that what all the muscles are for?» Xyr flush flared darker for a moment, and xe rubbed tentacles against the spots to try and make them go away. «I won't do that again, I promise.» To emphasize the point, xe reached out to tug his pants higher.
Then xe looked down at his feet. "Ah! Roan!" Xe sat up taller on the floor. «You let yourself out! You aren't supposed to do that!» Xe looked around for the remote, irritated at xyrself for having failed to realize the obvious. It was all so distracting! Keph didn't have all their parts just out. Xe was totally unprepared for this. This was a travesty.
Intelligent Life [Closed] - danixiewrites - 08-19-2015
"You should be blue, I think." Roan suggested quietly, still far more concerned with causing an intergalactic incident than registering how very much exploration was happening below his waist. There were problems that needed fixing first.For instance, xe was still green. Roan suspected this was not good--anxiety maybe, because he'd been so careless. But the ripple of color that occurred when touching xem was intriguing. A lesser Protector would have done more than consider poking xem again to see if the familiar blue appeared--the men he had played the fateful card game with would have, certainly, because they were really children. Roan was far more capable of restraining himself for the sake of peace among the stars. Besides, touch was how all this started, wasn't it?
Novae take it, there was rather a lot of touching. Just what does xe want--errr.
Xe was gesturing toward his pants and tugging on his waistband and his cock decided that meant it should jump against the fabric. Oh NO. Roan turned his hips slightly, frowning and trying not to draw further attention to himself by covering his cock's idiotic decisions with his hands. Not the kind of reaction he wanted to have when faced with an unfamiliar yet overly familiar alien. By the seven moons. It registered now, how he'd been struggling on the floor trying not to crush xem and trying to be so very still and playing "peaceful human" while xe had had a tentacle down his pants and xyr grip hadn't been limited to wrapping around his limbs.
Exploration. Uh-huh. Innocent. Uh-huh. Plastic. Covered. Tentacles. Novae! If this was a prank the boys at home would be howling with laughter. Shock? So much for what he'd thought. It was more like xyr exploration had nearly taken a very different road. If he hadn't taken a dive, he might be more than halfway up and less in need of diplomacy than a...towel. Now thoroughly mortified, he tipped his chin up to stare at the ceiling, hauling in a series of deep breaths to keep his cheeks from darkening.
Thank the stars xe hadn't begun stroking his member or squeezing it like xe had his bicep!
As xe looked him over again, Roan skipped a step back. "Oh no. No no no, Uala. I think you've gotten all the fondling out of your system. I think I check out fine. I think...I should maybe go. Forget this happened? Yes?"
He was sure this bizarre encounter would be hilarious if it were happening to anyone other than himself. Sending a quick sidelong glance toward the door, he stepped sideways, away from the pod, away from xem. And then as many more as he could get away with.
Intelligent Life [Closed] - Tindome - 08-20-2015
Roan's attempt to protect himself only made xem more mortified. «I said I wouldn't do it again! It wasn't on purpose! I'm not trying to kill you!» This was so much easier with small canines. Why couldn't it have been another small canine? Xe liked those. They had soft fluff all over, and only sometimes tried to bite xem, and never turned out to be able to talk. And no one ever ended up touching any penises. Or mounting anyone.
Ship save xem.
Xe was briefly distracted by the apparent fact that he could change color. Angry? No, not angry – red blood. The color of his face was changing because of blood. Oh, no. Had xe broken his face, too? His one little heart must have been working so hard!
… and then he tried to escape.
"Roan! Ye ye ye–" Xe scrambled for the remote which had clattered to the floor with them, stumbling and sliding and whacking the button with a tentacle. Just the legs, because if he fell xe wouldn't be able to catch him this time, all tangled up in xyr own legs on the floor. Xe hummed with relief that he hadn't made it out – not that he'd have anywhere to go. But someone would probably notice if xe had an alien loose in xyr suite. That seemed like something that would get xem in trouble. Xe certainly hadn't lived this long just to go having it all ruined by something like this.
Whatever happened to Uala? Oh, xe tried to mate with a furry alien. Hm, yes, I see. Thank goodness xe's dead.
Xe smacked xyr forehead against the floor with a frustrated buzz before pulling xyrself up, rubbing at xyr spots and trying to get xyr silk… decent. At least a little decent. Here xe'd gone and touched his genitals and now xe was worried about him seeing the backs of xyr legs. Xe just needed to be a professional about this. The spots faded as xe carefully returned to blue, getting up off the floor and still holding the remote.
"A la u'a, Roan." Xe tried to get close enough to see if his face was okay, but xe hesitated before touching him again. Xe'd clearly frightened him. Or else he'd just been waiting this whole time for an opening to escape. «I'll get your food, okay? Don't be scared. I really won't do it again.»
Uala retrieved the abandoned tray and the fruit he'd seemed to be enjoying, and added two more waterpouches just to be safe. Rather than hand it to him directly, xe set it on the floor and nudged it towards him. Safe distance. Yes. Safe. Everyone safe. He could just… sit on the floor. Over there. For now. In the way of the door. That would be fine.
Xe retreated back to clean up the mess they had made falling all over the place, finding a stick they could use to direct the gloves into the biohazard chute. Xe washed xyr tentacles, and splashed water on xyrself for good measure, because everything was dry and also terrible. Xe perked up as another chute made the telltale sound of a delivery, gliding toward the other end of the lab to get it.
«Oh thank goodness it's food.» It was only a few mussel shells, and not remotely close to the amount of food xe'd offered Roan, but so it went. Xe gathered them up and settled into a nearby chair, a large cup-shaped piece of furniture that xe could tuck xyrself into like a bird in a nest. Xe draped xyr clothes carefully over the edges to be sure nothing beneath xyr 'waist' was visible. The remote sat in xyr lap.
«Have you forgiven me, yet, Roan?» xe asked across the room, fidgeting with a shell but not cracking it open.
Ship save xem.
Xe was briefly distracted by the apparent fact that he could change color. Angry? No, not angry – red blood. The color of his face was changing because of blood. Oh, no. Had xe broken his face, too? His one little heart must have been working so hard!
… and then he tried to escape.
"Roan! Ye ye ye–" Xe scrambled for the remote which had clattered to the floor with them, stumbling and sliding and whacking the button with a tentacle. Just the legs, because if he fell xe wouldn't be able to catch him this time, all tangled up in xyr own legs on the floor. Xe hummed with relief that he hadn't made it out – not that he'd have anywhere to go. But someone would probably notice if xe had an alien loose in xyr suite. That seemed like something that would get xem in trouble. Xe certainly hadn't lived this long just to go having it all ruined by something like this.
Whatever happened to Uala? Oh, xe tried to mate with a furry alien. Hm, yes, I see. Thank goodness xe's dead.
Xe smacked xyr forehead against the floor with a frustrated buzz before pulling xyrself up, rubbing at xyr spots and trying to get xyr silk… decent. At least a little decent. Here xe'd gone and touched his genitals and now xe was worried about him seeing the backs of xyr legs. Xe just needed to be a professional about this. The spots faded as xe carefully returned to blue, getting up off the floor and still holding the remote.
"A la u'a, Roan." Xe tried to get close enough to see if his face was okay, but xe hesitated before touching him again. Xe'd clearly frightened him. Or else he'd just been waiting this whole time for an opening to escape. «I'll get your food, okay? Don't be scared. I really won't do it again.»
Uala retrieved the abandoned tray and the fruit he'd seemed to be enjoying, and added two more waterpouches just to be safe. Rather than hand it to him directly, xe set it on the floor and nudged it towards him. Safe distance. Yes. Safe. Everyone safe. He could just… sit on the floor. Over there. For now. In the way of the door. That would be fine.
Xe retreated back to clean up the mess they had made falling all over the place, finding a stick they could use to direct the gloves into the biohazard chute. Xe washed xyr tentacles, and splashed water on xyrself for good measure, because everything was dry and also terrible. Xe perked up as another chute made the telltale sound of a delivery, gliding toward the other end of the lab to get it.
«Oh thank goodness it's food.» It was only a few mussel shells, and not remotely close to the amount of food xe'd offered Roan, but so it went. Xe gathered them up and settled into a nearby chair, a large cup-shaped piece of furniture that xe could tuck xyrself into like a bird in a nest. Xe draped xyr clothes carefully over the edges to be sure nothing beneath xyr 'waist' was visible. The remote sat in xyr lap.
«Have you forgiven me, yet, Roan?» xe asked across the room, fidgeting with a shell but not cracking it open.
Intelligent Life [Closed] - danixiewrites - 08-20-2015
This was just embarrassing. The door was so close he could sneeze on it. Any other Protector would've been in the hall or adjoining room already, sprinting for the next exit, then the next. Of course, they wouldn't have passed the "do not provoke alien" test beforehand, so maybe he could--should--take some comfort in that. Roan gritted his teeth, his fists clenched too as he balanced himself between his spread feet in an effort not to crash to the ground.He should have run faster to get away. He knew that. It seemed the part of him who wanted to avoid the intergalactic incident was still overly concerned that he might have hurt xem rather than focused on the import of xyr gratuitous touching.
The tray of would-be food slid next to one of his trapped feet and he sighed. Xe would never give him another shot at the control for the cuff, he'd wasted his chance, and now he was what--expected to eat with his toes? He grumbled a bit as he forced himself to stoop and grab the fruit he'd been eating before, as well as a different, green globe. Might as well suffer on a full stomach rather than an empty one. He devoured the rest of the first fruit and tossed what seemed to be a juice-filled, transparent pit onto the tray. In hindsight, he should have set it down gently. It didn't burst open but bounced a little and proved he was definitely riding the edge of temper. At himself, for stars sake, and all the idiotic decisions he'd made to get to this point.
Do not accept new up-and-coming drinks during game night.
Do not take taxis after dark.
Do not answer the comm.
The comm? He considered that thought, focusing on it to pull himself back to a more zen frame of mind. When had there been a comm, and who'd been on the other side of it? At the sound of his name on a lilting pitch--a question?--he sent a look over his shoulder. Xe was blue again. Well. That was good. For xem. He guessed. Obviously xe was feeling more confident now that he was back in xyr control. He grunted softly and his shoulders slumped as he eyed the control for the cuffs that he should have kept a hand on once he realized what it was. And then brown eyes widened and he swiveled away. Staring at the part of xem--regardless of the fact there was demure fabric--that had been so recently draped over his waist would probably send the wrong signal. So he took a deep breath instead. Control. Xe might have him at xyr mercy where his feet were concerned but his brain was his purvey. At the moment. Novae! He needed calm.
Absently Roan slid his nail under the thicker skin of the green--very much like an orange rind, probably just as bitter. Taking less cautious bites of this one to try to distract himself from thought of his failures turned out to be not a good plan either. For one, it wasn't sweet. Wasn't bitter either. It was...spicy. Very spicy but the kind of heat that had flavor and not just a riot of temperature. But as for the other...when the skin of his hand began to react to the seeds on the inside, splotches of puffy red cropping up where he'd touched it, he coughed. A short moment later he cast decorum aside and spit the bite he'd taken onto the floor. At least he hadn't swallowed. But what was it going to do to the inside of his mouth? He stared, hopeful, feeling his cheeks with his tongue to check for swelling while he waited to see if it'd recede from his skin like the contact heat from a pepper.
Intelligent Life [Closed] - Tindome - 08-20-2015
Xe buzzed sadly as he threw the pit, an obvious sign of ill-temper. They'd been doing so well, too. He turned to look at xem, and xyr blush was very faint, didn't leave the edges of xyr eyes this time. He was probably just looking at food. Or the remote. He didn't say anything, and xe stuck a mussel in xyr mouth to crack it open with the point of xyr beak, carefully setting aside the empty shell instead of tossing it away. Xe scraped out the meat and swallowed it whole like an oyster, licking saltwater from xyr tentacle with a tongue almost as long and as nimble.
Xe dropped everything when he made a sound xe associated with distress, immediately up and out of xyr chair with both lunch and the remote forgotten. «What's wrong? Did something happen?» Xe descended on him without a thought to how it might look or whether it might frighten him, taking hold of the hand that had his attention so xe could see. "Weh! Ah, ye, Roan, wen w'ae keph ou." A cephalic tentacle uncurled to tap a sucker against the irritation, and it recoiled immediately with a reddish-orange tint. "Ah! Ah ye, ah ye." Immediately the two arm tentacles not holding his hand snatched the fruit away. Xe tossed it away unceremoniously. "Weh!" xe added after it, as if yelling at the fruit itself.
«Oh, you haven't been poisoned, have you? I don't know enough to fix you, yet!» Still holding his hand, two tentacles curled to frame his face, trying to look into his mouth to assess the damage. «Your skin is so thick! I didn't think it would bother you!» Didn't think at all, really. Just sort of assumed, probably foolishly, that he'd have some way of telling what he should and should not be able to eat. Xe didn't usually have this trouble with specimens! They came with their own food, so to speak. He hadn't come with anything at all, and xe still wasn't sure what xe was supposed to be figuring out.
Usually xyr job was to learn everything xe could to add it to their database, and to determine whether the planet xyr specimen was from was likely to be safe enough to colonize. Except, obviously, his wasn't? It already had people on it, for one thing. Great big scary people, who the interns thought were too dangerous to leave unrestrained. They'd rejected planets for far, far less. So what, exactly, was xe supposed to be finding out?
Hopefully not whether they could eat him. Xe was going to give a very firm no, on that.
Xe dropped everything when he made a sound xe associated with distress, immediately up and out of xyr chair with both lunch and the remote forgotten. «What's wrong? Did something happen?» Xe descended on him without a thought to how it might look or whether it might frighten him, taking hold of the hand that had his attention so xe could see. "Weh! Ah, ye, Roan, wen w'ae keph ou." A cephalic tentacle uncurled to tap a sucker against the irritation, and it recoiled immediately with a reddish-orange tint. "Ah! Ah ye, ah ye." Immediately the two arm tentacles not holding his hand snatched the fruit away. Xe tossed it away unceremoniously. "Weh!" xe added after it, as if yelling at the fruit itself.
«Oh, you haven't been poisoned, have you? I don't know enough to fix you, yet!» Still holding his hand, two tentacles curled to frame his face, trying to look into his mouth to assess the damage. «Your skin is so thick! I didn't think it would bother you!» Didn't think at all, really. Just sort of assumed, probably foolishly, that he'd have some way of telling what he should and should not be able to eat. Xe didn't usually have this trouble with specimens! They came with their own food, so to speak. He hadn't come with anything at all, and xe still wasn't sure what xe was supposed to be figuring out.
Usually xyr job was to learn everything xe could to add it to their database, and to determine whether the planet xyr specimen was from was likely to be safe enough to colonize. Except, obviously, his wasn't? It already had people on it, for one thing. Great big scary people, who the interns thought were too dangerous to leave unrestrained. They'd rejected planets for far, far less. So what, exactly, was xe supposed to be finding out?
Hopefully not whether they could eat him. Xe was going to give a very firm no, on that.
Intelligent Life [Closed] - danixiewrites - 08-20-2015
Dissonant chimes piped up behind him and came closer in a hurry. Roan shook his head as xyr tentacles reached for him again. "I'm fine, I'm fine. It'll go away." Optimism. The true mark of a Protector. Or an idiot. He bit the inside of his cheeks. Pain. That was good. He hadn't eaten any of the seeds, then, the part that seemed immediately problematic.His reflex to tug away kicked in, but almost immediately subsided. This was above the waist and definitely concern, as xe poked at him, recoiled, and tossed the fruit toward the door. "Not all of it was bad," he protested with a smile as xe made an...angry sound toward the offending food. The only reason he opened his mouth to let xem inspect the damage was the series of concerned sounds piped between them. Not xyr grip nor how fast xe had come to his side. Stars only knew if this had been some kind of experiment to see how he'd react to poisonous food--but it was obviously distressing to xem that he was...mildly concerned.
He shook his head lightly between xyr tentacles. "Guess I'll stick to the red ones," he said with a quiet chuckle. It wasn't getting any worse--unless one counted the continuous burning sensation along his fingertips--wasn't spreading, wasn't affecting his mouth or how he felt physically elsewhere. So it seemed his hope that it was more a reaction one would have from a particularly potent spice than something that might kill him was still valid.
Unless it ate through his skin. That could be a...situation.
"Do you have a towel I can use to wipe it off with? Might make it stop faster." Like cleaning off the oil from a pepper, he theorized.
"Or wash?" he asked again, this time jerking back from xyr tentacles. He stopped with his hands almost touching, pantomiming rubbing them together, stopped again, scrambling inwardly to figure out how to get this concept across. A sort of rain motion came next, his fingers lifting and then waving in a flat, downward motion. "Wash? Soap? Water?"
"Water!" He ducked his head suddenly and then stooped to grab up the packets xe had added next to his food. Once he'd straightened, he gripped two and tore them open with his teeth. More forcefully than he'd intended as he sent one's contents splashing enthusiastically in all directions. The second fared better, most of it making it to his food-endangered hand, and he rubbed his fingers together to start to rinse the fruit away. They grew hotter. He hissed between his teeth. Probably should have tested that and not just rolled with the default 'wash off the alien fruit without checking first how it interacts with good ol H2O' plan. "Oh. No." He blew on his fingers next in a useless attempt to dry them, the look he sent xem regarding the whole foolish situation still one of furrowed brows and intense frustration.
Intelligent Life [Closed] - Tindome - 08-20-2015
Uala still didn't know how to interpret all the sounds he made, but xe'd figured out at least that the curve of his lips was supposed to be… good? Reassuring? Blue, for someone who was always brown.
Xe let him go when he pulled away, watching his gestures. So many little wiggling fingers! Before xe could try to interpret he was ducking down, making xem back away so he wouldn't headbutt xyr legs. "Ah, ye!" xe said as the first waterpouch exploded, realizing now what he was trying to do. But it was too late, and xe wondered if the words he was saying meant something similar. Xe ran to grab a towel, returning with haste to drape it over his fingers, pressing a tentacle toward his mouth to indicate that he was extremely wrong and should stop evacuating his lungs everywhere.
"Ye ai'ae, ai'ae weh," xe said. "Wa'er?" xe attempted, but xe could not quite get the t, and still had to buzz for the r. Xe was listening more carefully to his sounds, now, trying to isolate things that might be words. "No?" Xe had no idea if xe was using that correctly, but xe soldiered on. "No wa'er. Wa'er no. No no." Xe held out tentacles as xe moved away, hopefully indicating that he should not move or dump things on himself or breathe aggressively. Digging through a cabinet, xe returned with something that should help. It helped on other animals with this kind of allergy, anyway.
If he broke out in hives, xe was done. Done.
To demonstrate for him – and because now xe was itchy – xe took the little powder puff and patted it against the sucker that had touched his hand. Then xe took the towel away from him to pat the puff gently on the irritated areas, where it would hopefully act to absorb the allergenic oil. Xe buzzed again as xe waited to see if it would work. "Roan…?" Xe hesitated, unsure how to best convey the idea of 'better'. So xe reached toward his face again, and this time tried to move the skin above his eyes back where it belonged and tilt his mouth upward. "Aiai?"
Xe let him go when he pulled away, watching his gestures. So many little wiggling fingers! Before xe could try to interpret he was ducking down, making xem back away so he wouldn't headbutt xyr legs. "Ah, ye!" xe said as the first waterpouch exploded, realizing now what he was trying to do. But it was too late, and xe wondered if the words he was saying meant something similar. Xe ran to grab a towel, returning with haste to drape it over his fingers, pressing a tentacle toward his mouth to indicate that he was extremely wrong and should stop evacuating his lungs everywhere.
"Ye ai'ae, ai'ae weh," xe said. "Wa'er?" xe attempted, but xe could not quite get the t, and still had to buzz for the r. Xe was listening more carefully to his sounds, now, trying to isolate things that might be words. "No?" Xe had no idea if xe was using that correctly, but xe soldiered on. "No wa'er. Wa'er no. No no." Xe held out tentacles as xe moved away, hopefully indicating that he should not move or dump things on himself or breathe aggressively. Digging through a cabinet, xe returned with something that should help. It helped on other animals with this kind of allergy, anyway.
If he broke out in hives, xe was done. Done.
To demonstrate for him – and because now xe was itchy – xe took the little powder puff and patted it against the sucker that had touched his hand. Then xe took the towel away from him to pat the puff gently on the irritated areas, where it would hopefully act to absorb the allergenic oil. Xe buzzed again as xe waited to see if it would work. "Roan…?" Xe hesitated, unsure how to best convey the idea of 'better'. So xe reached toward his face again, and this time tried to move the skin above his eyes back where it belonged and tilt his mouth upward. "Aiai?"
Intelligent Life [Closed] - danixiewrites - 08-21-2015
Roan was going to have to be more careful about exploding into action around his hands-on host. He'd startled xem and while he hadn't meant to fling water about, making xem scramble as frequently as he seemed to wasn't going to help engender trust. The cuffs would stay on longer, and he'd never go home.Of course a towel was much more efficient than blowing on the heated skin and he stopped immediately when xe shoved at his lips. His eyes widened at the attempted words and he nodded slowly, much more slowly than he'd moved. "Water," he repeated, pointing with his other hand at the remaining bag on the tray. He pointed to the hand wrapped in a towel, a little relieved as the temperature eased but didn't stop. "No water." He made a face. Water is stupid. Survival of the fittest is stupid. Taxis are stupid. Unfamiliar booze: STUPID. Then he poked at the cloth, rubbed his fingers on it. "Towel."
Roan watched xem carefully when xe demonstrated with the ball of fluff and a tentacle what xe apparently wanted to do to his hand. A more russet shade of xyr skin slowly returned to the blue he'd become accustomed to. Medicine? That was promising, for all that their anatomies were...different. He hadn't noticed xyr skin reacting to the oils on his--he felt terrible about that and hoped fervently the water hadn't burned xem as it had him. At the same time, relief of the irritation for good might actually be at hand. Stars, why not? It couldn't make it worse than he already had himself.
Skin burned to the bone like it'd been washed in acid, hand eaten away like water ate at the embankment of a river... He grimaced. Quickly clearing that peculiar curve from his lips, he nodded. "Yes. Yes."
Sure, and why not? Let's go for the hat trick. Because leaving it alone was causing them both distress.
When xe pulled the towel away it was clear the seed oil plus water combo had done its job: his fingertips were bright red. Xe fluffed on a light layer, dusting the pads of his fingers like baby powder. He concentrated wholly on his skin for several long, silent moments. Ignoring the tugging of his skin in favor of being certain something additionally horrible wasn't about to interact with the seed oil and water. A rush of relief coursed through his veins when the heat receded completely. The red leeched from his skin, normal sensation began to return, and he sighed.
If he'd known all he had to do to make a language breakthrough with xem was to attempt to poison himself, he wouldn't have bothered with the smaller experimental bites earlier. A chuckle sounded in his throat. Once he was assured his hand would be fine, Roan realized what xe was trying to do with xyr tentacles, not trying to make him not look at a potential soon-to-be horror of a burned-away hand but rather shaping his face in a less concerned mien. He laughed louder then, and gave in to xyr intent. Showing teeth was okay now, he suspected, if xe was trying to put his expression back into place.
"Aiae, Uala," he replied, and hoped fervently that he'd gotten it right...and moreso that it meant that he was well and not that he wanted xem to do something...untoward. "Aiai. I'm...aiai." To emphasize this he patted a tentacle touching his face with his not-poisoned hand, and waved the other toward xem with a quirk of his lips. "Okay. Okay?" he pointed at the sucker xe had fluffed for xyrself. "Aiai?"
Intelligent Life [Closed] - Tindome - 08-21-2015
Why did his language have so many terrible, toothy noises? Xe shook the towel. "Owl?" That seemed, probably, wrong. Xe thought xe was doing pretty well for having not even been aware of the existence of other languages yesterday. If someone had asked xem whether it was possible for other languages to exist, xe would have said yes, in theory. In practice, this was a huge pain. They didn't even have enough in common to really establish words that should have built the foundation of discussion. And what about abstract concepts? How was xe supposed to indicate words like 'good' or 'bad' or 'sorry' or 'accident'? Those were very important words. Xe needed those words.
He did not, thank goodness, break out into hives. The red faded to a slight pink, which was still not ideal, but was almost certainly better. Xe was pretty sure the lung-emptying was good. The other sound… xe pulled away in confusion. He'd made littler sounds before. Was he barking at xem? But he was doing the mouth thing. And the teeth thing. Why was everything he did so darn aggressive.
His first attempt at 'good' was actually something filthy. The next was nonsense. Then he got it right. Then he called xem pretty. Maybe they should stick with letting xem try to say his words. Xe flushed green around the eyes with a chirp, tentacles pushing his hands back down to his sides.
Xe'd really just abandoned best practices altogether. Touching specimens without protection, putting things on him without testing them first, feeding him things that might kill him… this was just a mess. Xe was going to end up with some horrible space disease, probably, and everyone would assume it was because xe touched his penis. Possibly they would be right.
"Okay," xe repeated, still no idea at all if xe was using any of these words correctly. They might be having a horrible misunderstanding. "Roan okay. Okay Roan." Xe patted the top of his head gently. That was safe, right?
He did not, thank goodness, break out into hives. The red faded to a slight pink, which was still not ideal, but was almost certainly better. Xe was pretty sure the lung-emptying was good. The other sound… xe pulled away in confusion. He'd made littler sounds before. Was he barking at xem? But he was doing the mouth thing. And the teeth thing. Why was everything he did so darn aggressive.
His first attempt at 'good' was actually something filthy. The next was nonsense. Then he got it right. Then he called xem pretty. Maybe they should stick with letting xem try to say his words. Xe flushed green around the eyes with a chirp, tentacles pushing his hands back down to his sides.
Xe'd really just abandoned best practices altogether. Touching specimens without protection, putting things on him without testing them first, feeding him things that might kill him… this was just a mess. Xe was going to end up with some horrible space disease, probably, and everyone would assume it was because xe touched his penis. Possibly they would be right.
"Okay," xe repeated, still no idea at all if xe was using any of these words correctly. They might be having a horrible misunderstanding. "Roan okay. Okay Roan." Xe patted the top of his head gently. That was safe, right?
Intelligent Life [Closed] - danixiewrites - 08-21-2015
Speaking in one word phrases was going to be a trial, he could already tell. Despite having a primer in first encounters, it generally involved more prep than this. Diagrams. Sign language. Possibly translator implants. Definitely translator implants or datapads at the very least, if humans initiated the contact like in all the simulations. He'd always considered that quite vain of the Academy. Especially when they knew other peoples were out among the stars who were far more technologically advanced. Still, if Uala had patience enough to pick up on his attempts to begin naming objects, if they could find some shared vocabulary somehow, Roan could cope.This first encounter was just off to a rocky start, was all.
So long as one discounted the groping and restraints and cryopod as...accidents.
Oh, he'd give his eyeteeth for an Academy datapad right about now.
When xe pushed his hands down, Roan flushed. He'd just been trying to make sure xyr tentacles hadn't been harmed worse by the same fruit--but clearly it was not okay for touching to go the other way around. He held his palms out, trying to seem harmless when xe made some unsettled noises.
Slowly, he lifted his hands, pointed toward himself in response to xyr attempts to mimic his words. "Yes. Roan," then he nodded and held out his improved hand for xem to look at. He offered another smile in response to what seemed like it might be a comforting pat of his head. It was nowhere near the inspection-oriented touch he'd experienced upon waking from the pod at any rate. "Okay."
All better! Good thing, too. Being killed by my food is not how I'd like to go out.
He considered for a moment, pointed at one hand, then the other, then the first again. "Hand. Hand okay."
He was afraid to wonder what his hand motions might look like to xem. After all, xe didn't exactly have hands to compare. He pointed carefully toward xyr tentacles anyway--hovering just over xyr skin. "Tentacle."
Which was far too many syllables. "Uhm. Novae," he muttered. "What's another word for tentacle?"
"Limb?" he suggested, and it came out on such a lilt it sounded like he might have been trying to speak xyr language instead of his own. Then, more confidently regardless of how un-useful it seemed: "Limb."
Abandoning that tack because comparing apples to oranges didn't seem like developing common ground, he pointed at the tray, the red fruit that matched the first one he'd tried. If he didn't go faster than xe could keep up this time...Roan took a deep breath to physically remind himself of that. Slow. Because it was clear Uala could and would understand if he didn't go flinging food and water and his entire body about. "Food. Okay. Yes. Ah...okay. We'll stick with that one, that's fine, it's good for lots of things." He squatted slowly and picked up the fruit with his non-recovering hand, then rose, biting deep. Juice dribbled down his chin, but he nodded, smiled with his mouth closed while he chewed.
Not hearty enough to fill him up for long, but flavor-wise? Stars, this one's good. Ice cream again, but this time it's like it's covered in hot fudge?
He blinked down at the fruit. Then remembered he'd been in the middle of an attempt to establish a word basis. "Food," he said, frowning at the thing xe had thrown away, pointing with the hand it had assaulted and shaking his head with another "No."
What should he try next, he wondered as he lifted the fruit again. Cuffs? Free? Earth? Pants? Personal space? Take me to your leader? Why have you brought me here? The last one would probably result in a long symphony of musical notes, none of which he would understand and all of which would not bode well. Still, Roan smiled, because what else was he going to do when he was literally glued to the floor and mostly at xyr mercy?
Intelligent Life [Closed] - Tindome - 08-22-2015
He was turning colors again, and it was hard to ignore xyr instinctive assumption that he was angry. That upward curl of the lips again, and xe cautiously tried to emulate it. But it sort of brought the rest of xyr face with it, because xe didn't really have the bone structure for that kind of thing. Or bones. Some cartilage, but that wasn't really the same. So, a no on that. Xe also hadn't figured out what 'yes' meant. Not the same thing as 'ye' because he used 'no' for that, which was very unintuitive.
"Hand?" xe repeated cautiously. Xe poked the back of his hand. "Roan hand okay." Okay. Yes. Getting the hang of this. But then… what? "En… acul?" Oh, that was simply impossible. No one could say that. What a terrible word. "Limb?" That was much better. Xe wiggled the end of an arm tentacle. "Uala limb okay?"
This… was not even a conversation. Was this even going to be useful?
Watching him eat like that was actually kind of disconcerting. Slowly, xe picked up a towel, and gently dabbed it at his face. Which also covered up the chewing. Chewing was weird. It seemed like it should hurt. It would hurt to move xyr beak that way. "Foo… fuh?" All these darn noises! Xe experimented with using letters xe could say, trying to make them sound closer to that 'd'. "Foon. Foos. Foosh. Fook?"
Xe buzzed. This was going nowhere. Maybe xe could communicate something useful with what xe had so far. Xe gestured with circles of xyr tentacles to the inside of the lab. "Okay. Roan okay, Uala okay." Then xe turned to use that same gesture for outside the door. "No. No Roan. Uala okay. No Roan." There. Maybe that was clear? Next xe left his side to pick up the remote again, and point to it. "No Roan. Uala okay."
Giving him a list of things he wasn't allowed to do seemed sort of negative, didn't it? Still holding the remote, xe tried to think of another example, coming closer to him again. Xe pointed at the uala fruit in his hand. "Roan okay. No Uala." Did that count as a positive? He could eat fruit and xe couldn't?
What other ground rules could xe establish with only two words?
Tentatively, xe pointed at his pants. "No Uala," xe said firmly. "No no no." Xe briefly flushed that faint green again. Xe couldn't remember the last time xe'd been this embarrassed this often. Probably never. This was the most social interaction xe'd had in years. Then xe pointed at xyr head. "No Roan." Then xe gestured at the region below xyr waist, for good measure. "No Roan." This was getting very negative again. Xe wiggled xyr four arm tentacles. "Roan okay." There, that was reasonable. They could… touch hands? Limbs? Xe gestured with small circles and without touching to the area above his waist. "Uala okay?"
"Hand?" xe repeated cautiously. Xe poked the back of his hand. "Roan hand okay." Okay. Yes. Getting the hang of this. But then… what? "En… acul?" Oh, that was simply impossible. No one could say that. What a terrible word. "Limb?" That was much better. Xe wiggled the end of an arm tentacle. "Uala limb okay?"
This… was not even a conversation. Was this even going to be useful?
Watching him eat like that was actually kind of disconcerting. Slowly, xe picked up a towel, and gently dabbed it at his face. Which also covered up the chewing. Chewing was weird. It seemed like it should hurt. It would hurt to move xyr beak that way. "Foo… fuh?" All these darn noises! Xe experimented with using letters xe could say, trying to make them sound closer to that 'd'. "Foon. Foos. Foosh. Fook?"
Xe buzzed. This was going nowhere. Maybe xe could communicate something useful with what xe had so far. Xe gestured with circles of xyr tentacles to the inside of the lab. "Okay. Roan okay, Uala okay." Then xe turned to use that same gesture for outside the door. "No. No Roan. Uala okay. No Roan." There. Maybe that was clear? Next xe left his side to pick up the remote again, and point to it. "No Roan. Uala okay."
Giving him a list of things he wasn't allowed to do seemed sort of negative, didn't it? Still holding the remote, xe tried to think of another example, coming closer to him again. Xe pointed at the uala fruit in his hand. "Roan okay. No Uala." Did that count as a positive? He could eat fruit and xe couldn't?
What other ground rules could xe establish with only two words?
Tentatively, xe pointed at his pants. "No Uala," xe said firmly. "No no no." Xe briefly flushed that faint green again. Xe couldn't remember the last time xe'd been this embarrassed this often. Probably never. This was the most social interaction xe'd had in years. Then xe pointed at xyr head. "No Roan." Then xe gestured at the region below xyr waist, for good measure. "No Roan." This was getting very negative again. Xe wiggled xyr four arm tentacles. "Roan okay." There, that was reasonable. They could… touch hands? Limbs? Xe gestured with small circles and without touching to the area above his waist. "Uala okay?"
Intelligent Life [Closed] - danixiewrites - 08-23-2015
Roan nodded as Uala inquired after his hand--or merely repeated his words as he continued munching. The latter was more likely, he thought, until xe began extrapolating the words "no" and "okay" into a full set of boundary rules. Quick on the uptake but not in the way Roan would have liked, had xe thought to ask or give him a choice. Choices. Several of those would have been nice.He gave xem a sad smile as xyr tentacles pointed toward various "no" zones. All--he hoped--of the boundaries were now outlined, and they firmly closed off the concept of freedom and the outside world. Which left him exactly where he didn't want to be: feet secured to the floor and restricted to the inside of the lab. It also made him feel somewhere between a prisoner and a house guest that xe didn't know how to take care of.
Because he definitely didn't want to consider the word "experiment".
After a moment, he pointed toward the pod and asked hopefully, "No Roan?" Because being trapped in a sterile room was one thing but being sent back into a containment pod would be something else entirely. Even if xe had nowhere else to offer him as a bed.
"Thank you," he said when xe dabbed his chin with the cloth. He considered the motion toward the fruit. No, Uala. Xe couldn't eat the food xe had given him. Made sense, given the reaction xyr skin had had to the fruit that had turned his skin colors as well. But how had xe known this one wouldn't kill him?
GUESSING? He thought, giving xem an incredulous look. Of course xe is. What else is xe to do with an unfamiliar species? Novae save me.
At least he had one definitely safe option, but restricted to fruit...ugh. Possibly not as big a problem as being a guinea pig for an alien who'd never met a human before, but ugh.
Hmmm...hadn't xe been...he cast a look over his shoulder at the scooped out seat xe had been perched on while he stood around eating poisonous fruit--or rather, where xe had been hunkered down inside?--and the shells scattered about. His eyebrows went up. Seafood? Or did xe eat the whole shell? He wasn't really the kind of man who stole food off of someone's plate--and indeed, it might be poisonous as anything else so wasn't really a consideration for his stomach--but he might as well be using the opportunity to learn as much about whatever alien race xe belonged to as xe was about humans. "Uala food?" he asked, emphasizing the D at the end as if that would help xem not sound like xe was cursing.
When he turned back and realized Uala was pointing toward his pants, he choked out a laugh. Very indignant "no" territory, even turning a little anxious/concerned green. Maybe what had happened was...accidental? If xe really knew nothing about humans...and then the pointing resumed toward the fabric that covered xyr walking tentacles so it was Roan's turn to blush. If Uala hadn't known before, xe certainly comprehended now. He agreed with a nod and another choking sound because he was sure laughing wasn't going to send the right message and the hilarious misfortune in the situation was trying to make itself known anyway. "Okay," he finally managed. Then shook his head. "I mean, yes. Uh. No Roan. No."
Stars, teaching Standard is HARD. They all mean the same thing and different things at the same time! Give me a weapon and dump me in a wasteland, great. Language barriers...I should never have passed that class.
Or there should be way more material.
Way more.
As for the additional limb-waving, he smirked. "Okay, Uala." Cautiously, he stretched out a finger to tap one of xyr tentacles. Boundaries. Excellent.
Intelligent Life [Closed] - Tindome - 08-23-2015
Okay. This was good. He seemed to be understanding the boundaries xe was setting. That was all it would take, right? Now that he understood, he wouldn't try to go running again. Just a misunderstanding, that was all. Xe looked between his hand and the pod in some confusion. "No…?" Xe moved closer to the containment unit to look it over. Was there something wrong with it? Was it uncomfortable, in some way? It seemed a bit big, but he couldn't make himself smaller very well. Maybe it was too soft, or too hard. Xe didn't know where xe was supposed to keep him, if he didn't like it. But if he didn't like it… well. That was that. "No Roan," xe repeated more firmly in affirmation.
Xe looked to where he was pointing at xyr seat, repeating that word xe couldn't seem to say. "Uala foo… fool… naike," xe said finally, giving up. He could use xyr word and like it. Xe didn't think he could mispronounce that one too badly. Maybe. Hopefully. Xe picked up the two unopened shells xe had left, as well as the remote, gathering them all up to rejoin him. "Naike," xe repeated, setting down all but one iridescent shell. Xe stuck it in xyr mouth to stick the point of xyr beak in a small gap, cracking it open. «See? You can't eat this with teeth, I don't think. I hope you don't want me to share. I really don't have any extra.» Xe scraped out the meat with xyr beak to swallow it whole, setting the empty shells aside. Xe'd put them with the others, later. Then xe coughed, cephalic tentacles flaring in surprise as two limbs covered xyr mouth. When xe pulled them away xe was holding a tiny pearl, translucent and shimmering like a soap bubble. «Aw, I got a rock. That probably doesn't happen to you, with teeth, huh?» Xe dropped it dismissively down with the shells.
Okay. So they were all agreed to stay far away from each other's penises. And other parts. Did he have other parts? Xe'd just sort of turned the whole pants region into a no-zone. Who even knew what else might be going on down there. Xe'd wait until later to find that out. Scientifically, and from a distance.
Xe chirped a giggle as he touched xem, very gentle with one of those little fingers. Xe patted the back of his hand. "Okay." Then, cautiously, xe picked the remote back up. "Okay?" Xe looked at the small amount of space between his legs and the door suspiciously. Then xe released his legs, which was either very naïve, or else a gesture of good faith. Really, mostly both.
Xe looked to where he was pointing at xyr seat, repeating that word xe couldn't seem to say. "Uala foo… fool… naike," xe said finally, giving up. He could use xyr word and like it. Xe didn't think he could mispronounce that one too badly. Maybe. Hopefully. Xe picked up the two unopened shells xe had left, as well as the remote, gathering them all up to rejoin him. "Naike," xe repeated, setting down all but one iridescent shell. Xe stuck it in xyr mouth to stick the point of xyr beak in a small gap, cracking it open. «See? You can't eat this with teeth, I don't think. I hope you don't want me to share. I really don't have any extra.» Xe scraped out the meat with xyr beak to swallow it whole, setting the empty shells aside. Xe'd put them with the others, later. Then xe coughed, cephalic tentacles flaring in surprise as two limbs covered xyr mouth. When xe pulled them away xe was holding a tiny pearl, translucent and shimmering like a soap bubble. «Aw, I got a rock. That probably doesn't happen to you, with teeth, huh?» Xe dropped it dismissively down with the shells.
Okay. So they were all agreed to stay far away from each other's penises. And other parts. Did he have other parts? Xe'd just sort of turned the whole pants region into a no-zone. Who even knew what else might be going on down there. Xe'd wait until later to find that out. Scientifically, and from a distance.
Xe chirped a giggle as he touched xem, very gentle with one of those little fingers. Xe patted the back of his hand. "Okay." Then, cautiously, xe picked the remote back up. "Okay?" Xe looked at the small amount of space between his legs and the door suspiciously. Then xe released his legs, which was either very naïve, or else a gesture of good faith. Really, mostly both.