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?
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?
Dreams come in a size too big so we can grow into them.
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