Meet-n-Greet

[cityship]

The rest of the crew assembled on the Observation Deck to meet the latest editions to their numbers. After the revelation that their worlds are gone, many of them are even more eager to see people they knew from home.

Several people are set up near the doors to provide the new people with omnicoms and comm rings. New crew-mates might see a tall man in green armor and snake girl among their number. There are also several authoritative-looking figures ready to introduce themselves.

There's a lot to tell the new people. It's going to be a lot to take in.

[ooc: Only new characters and Command Staff can start new threads for introductions, to limit the number of threads. Everyone else, just tag in and have your guys greet the newbies.]

Comments

[hack-rat.livejournal.com]

Alex smiles and nods, "Yup! Sh-she's a q-quick learner. S-smart, e-even for a rat. Sh-she knows some b-basic c-commands, like 'g-get', an' 's-t-o-p', 'c-cept not spelled of course. I just don't want her to think she's doin' somethin' wrong."

Alex played a move, "I-is this allowed?" He wasn't certain, but he was definately having an easier time learning this than he had learning swimming.

[alterniantaurus.livejournal.com]

"That's, that's pretty good, then, I think. Training animals is pretty fun, and, really rewarding."

While allowed, the move isn't the best strategic maneuver Alex could make. Tavros explains why.

[hack-rat.livejournal.com]

"A-an' useful. S-she's h-helped me g-get inta places, s-stealin' k-keys, o-or if I've l-lost a w-wire or summat behind a d-desk. A-also, doin' what she was w-when she b-brought y-you ta me, f-finding p-people ta bring messages."

Alex asked about an alternate move instead and how well it would work.

"B-but the m-most rewarding thing I th-think is that she's t-trained ta tell me when she needs ta use the b-bathroom, an' ta g-go in an a-actual t-toilet. I-it lets me b-be able ta keep her with me all the time."

[alterniantaurus.livejournal.com]

The alternate move is definitely better, and Tavros actually has to stop and think about how to counter that.

"I don't think I've ever, uh heard of animals using, a load gaper before. Seems like, she'd just fall in."

[hack-rat.livejournal.com]

"Sh-she hasn' s-so far. R-rats have g-good b-balance. Wh-what sorta animals d-do you h-have in your world?"

Bonding over card games. How sweet!

[alterniantaurus.livejournal.com]

"Oh, um, there's so many, uh, different kinds. Like... hoofbeasts, behemoths, cuttlefish, cats, musclebeasts... I'm kind of, uh, allergic to cats though."

Animals and card games. I guess it could be a lot worse.

[hack-rat.livejournal.com]

"I-I've only ever heard of c-cats before. An' c-cuttlefish sounds familiar, b-but it sounds like something that might've b-been m-made up in my world. W-we had things l-like dogs, an' birds, an' fish, an', w-well, there's a l-lot. The ones I j-just said, w-with the addition of c-cats, are c-common pets. Rats are k-kept as pets too, b-but not nearly as often.

"I th-think it's your turn now?"

All we need is to get some Mountain Dew in here and we can have a geekapalooza!

[alterniantaurus.livejournal.com]

"Cuttlefish, uhh... they're some kind of undersea thing. I don't really know. ...Oh, sorry..."

Tavros ponders, then makes his move.

"I like cats, but their fur, kinda, triggers allergies. So I try to steer clear."

[hack-rat.livejournal.com]

He nods, "Y-yeah, they do that i-in my world too. D-dogs too. Have y-you ever had any sorta pet? Y-you mentioned 'lases' before. Oh, o-or 'lusus'?"

He played this move with a bit more confidence, but it was still not the best move. Better than his last one though.

((refer to icon. tinkerbull = the cute forever.))

[alterniantaurus.livejournal.com]

"Well, uh. A lusus isn't exactly a pet. ...Are you sure you want to, play that card? Remember my, um, hand's pretty strong against water types."

He gives Alex time to reconsider.

"I guess... different trolls have different, um, relationships with their lusus. Some trolls fight theirs, or are kind of... ruled over by them. Or... treat them like a, a servant. Mine was sort of like, the way Alice is to you, I think."

((DAW))

[hack-rat.livejournal.com]

"GAH!" He snached his card back up and replaced it with a different card, now that he's realized his mistake. Crisis averted, he returned his attention to the conversation, "Th-they sound m-more like friends." He pressed his lips together, realizing how he would feel if Alice hadn't popped with him. "I-I'm sorry, th-that your lusus isn't h-here. H-he might still sh-show up though!"

He went quiet for a second but a question was bugging him, "Wh-when I said I d-didn' h-have a lusus e-earlier, you s-seemed... w-well, I k-know you w-were f-felling s-something, b-because th-there was a sh-shadow f-for a minute. Wh-why would y-you be s-sorry that I h-had no lusus?"

[alterniantaurus.livejournal.com]

Tavros smiles a little, at Alex's better move and the encouragement. After a moment, he plays his own card. At the question, he frowns a little. The shadow may return.

"Uhh, well. I guess maybe it's, a lot different for you. A lusus is a... it's our custodian. A guardian, maybe, might be a better word for it. They, uh, raise us."

((Even when I type 'father' he's saying Vater, 'cept this post. Just so people can understand.))

[hack-rat.livejournal.com]

((Clarity > representation of speech))

Alex nodded, "W-we're born f-from our parents an' they r-raise us. S-so most people have t-two c-caretakers. W-we call 'em mum an dad, o-or mutter an' vater..."

He presses his lips together, though it's not clear if it's over what he just said or the move Tavros just played. "b-but I tend ta put an' accent on the words. M-most people say 'mom' i-insteada 'mum' an' 'mother and father'. Mum useta only speak German, a-an' so I p-put an ac-accent on some words."

Having noticed the frown, he decides not to mention that he lost his mother, or that his two best friends were orphaned. He figured his father would end up coming up eventually, but until then he was okay with not talking about it. Instead he tried going into the general nature of how a parent was supposed to act- at least according to Amanda, who had the most normal relationship with her parents.

"B-basically, they t-take c-care of y-you 'till you're old enough ta take c-care of yourself. Th-they're always in ch-charge, basically, b-but sometimes i-it's more f-friendly than o-others. Ya f-fight with 'em sometimes, b-but u-usually on'y v-verbally, an' it's c-considered a bad thing. I-it's even worse i-if it's a sorta physical fight. Th-they're supposeta protect you an' k-keep you fro g-gettin' hurt."

Re: ((Even when I type 'father' he's saying Vater, 'cept this post. Just so people can understand.))

[alterniantaurus.livejournal.com]

((it's only going to lead to Tavros phonetically reproducing the unfamiliar words later on. Sudden onset Germanic accent go!))

That is an awful lot of similar-sounding, unfamiliar words. And concepts. Tavros listens patiently, though he can't really relate to much of what's being said.

"Huh," he finally responds, "humans really are, uh, weird. Basically, after a troll pupates and, um, if they live through the... brooding cavern trials, they, they get picked by a lusus. There are all different kinds. And the whole thing is, is sort of... symbiotic, basically. They protect us and show us how we should, um, be, and we feed them and, sort of, keep them from causing trouble. ...oh, uh, your move."

[hack-rat.livejournal.com]

Alex laughed lightly, "W-well, h-how you grew uRe: ((Even when I type 'father' he's saying Vater, 'cept this post. Just so people can understand.))-up s-seems really weird ta me. B-brooding c-cavern trials? I-it sounds... d-dangerous. An' p-pupates? I've n-never h-heard o' anythin' b-besides a bug doin' that in my world."

He plays his move after a moment of thought and then goes on, "w-what is the brooding c-cavern trials?"

[alterniantaurus.livejournal.com]

"Really? Lots of stuff hatches from eggs, uh, on my planet. The Mother Grub lays the eggs, um, and then, the troll larvae hatch and make cocoons. The, the trials are after that. Once we have, uh, arms and legs."

He shrugs, falling silent for a moment as he looks at his cards. Finally he plays one.

"You didn't, uh, humans don't have trials? You're right, they're pretty dangerous, I guess. It's the first real culling we, uh, have to live through. But I don't really remember exactly how they go."

((Sorry, Convention took more out of me than I expected. o///o))

[hack-rat.livejournal.com]

Alex laughs, "I g-guess you c-can c-call high school a trial, t-though it's not that dangerous. Jus' k-kids makin' fun of each other. Nuthin' I'd c-call a c-culling..." He glanced at the wheelchair for a moment, "Th-that's not where y-you got hurt, was it?"

He couldn't imagine not having the use of his legs, though he didn't often think about how many ways he uses them. If Tavros had made it through something dangerous, he probably had the use of his legs at the time, or something that let him compensate.

((no probs, life happens! :D))

[alterniantaurus.livejournal.com]

"Oh, no, not at all," Tavros replies, "the chair is a, umm fairly recent addition, to my life. I could walk, back when I did the trials."

Like with every other bad break, Tavros dusted his shoulders off and adapted to the wheelchair. He'd be lying if he said he didn't want to be able to walk again, but really, it's not so bad. He can still do pretty much everything he wants.

Besides, compared to most of her victims, he's one of the lucky ones.

((It's not often I have a life anyway. XD))

[hack-rat.livejournal.com]

Beginning to play with one of the draw-strings of his hood after playing his next card, Alex ventured, "M-m-might I a-ask wh-what happened?"

He didn't make eye-contact as he spoke, concerned that he might be insulting his new friend.

((I hear ya!))

[alterniantaurus.livejournal.com]

Tavros doesn't seem to mind.

"Oh, um, FLARP accident. You know how it is."

He's not being short with Alex, he just seems to think that's a good enough explanation.

"Uh, your move."

((*Sleeps on* Cons are EXHAUSTING*))

[hack-rat.livejournal.com]

Alex plays a move as he asked, "F-Flarp? I d-don't k-know how it is."

What a surprise, more culture differences!

((*is slept on* I don't do cons often, but I know what you mean!))

[alterniantaurus.livejournal.com]

Tavros actually does seem a little surprised.

"You... don't? It's really, a popular game, back home. Uh, it's a live-action, sort of thing, and there are real-life consequences, obviously, but it's supposed to be, uh, a really awesome adventure, if it goes right."

He falls silent, looking at the cards on the bed in front of him. Whether by luck or skill, Alex just played him into a corner. After a moment, he tries a somewhat risky counter.

"There's a lot of, of treasure, too, and strong weapons, that is, if you play long enough to get to higher levels. I only played one time, though."

((I go to two every year))

[hack-rat.livejournal.com]

"Y-you have a p-popular game that's th-that dangerous back home?" Well, the kid did carry around a whole capatcha of weapons, or whatever his sub-dimensional pockets were called... "I-I'm... I'm so sorry." He couldn't imagine himself not being able to walk, especially not after an accident while playing what he thought would be something fun to do. He wasn't feeling pity, but actual sympathy.

[alterniantaurus.livejournal.com]

"Sorry? Why sorry?"

There aren't many things on Alternia that aren't a life-or-death risk, and FLARP is wildly popular. Mostly for trolls in it for wealth, power, and bragging rights.

"It was a lot of fun, uhh, at least up until everything went to hell. If I hadn't, gotten hurt, I would've kept playing, definitely."

[hack-rat.livejournal.com]

"W-well, w-we don' do anythin' like that really often where I c-come from...M-most things o-on Earth a-aren't life-or-death. It's j-just, wh-what you say when someone g-gets hurt, an' y-you feel b-bad about it."

he frowned at the cards in his hands, trying to decide what to play, and finally decided on one that might not have been the best move, but wasn't a terrible one either.