trans_9 | Alex and Tavros: Brace for culture shock. [CLOSED]

Alex nods, "Y-you jus' haveta th-think of it. You c-can g-go first, i-if you want." He scratched behind his head nervously with a smile and slight blush, "I-I s-sorta avoid m-my house n-normally..."

"Well, um. I'll try..."

As Tavros thinks about home, it gets dark suddenly. Not exactly nighttime, just dim twilight, as though they arrived on the wrong end of a sunset. Tavros carefully constructs this scene (http://www.mspaintadventures.com/storyfiles/hs2/02116_1.gif). The ground near them falls away into a sheer cliff, far below them is a strip of beach and ocean as far as the eye can see. On the other side, Tavros recalls a well-worn path along a fence with a banged-up jousting dummy (http://www.mspaintadventures.com/storyfiles/hs2/02116_2.gif) at the far end. And beyond that stands a tallish structure with strange twelve-paned windows and a windmill on top.

A cool breeze blows in from the sea, ruffling their hair. He looks around, pleased and a little amazed at how real it all looks.

"Wow," he finally murmurs, "it's all... here."

He turns to Alex and grins.

"This, um, this is Alternia."

Alex smiles and looks around. "I-It's pretty awesome here. Th-the sensoriums c-can fill in anything you d-don't directly th-think of. I-it's better p-programming than I c-can hope ta achieve." Not for a lack of trying, of course.

He takes some tentative steps forward, looking around, "I-is it always th-this d-dark h-here or is it g-getting to b-be night?" Hey, it was a valid question after all the other differences he found.

"Well, uh, yes and no, I guess. It, um, it's the sixth dark season, like it was when I was taken, and, uhhh, what that means is, it's going to stay like this for awhile."

He moves backward, away from the cliffs.

"Which, is a good thing, because this is a lot more comfortable than, um, diurnal living."

Alex nodded, figuring that it must be like Alaska here. "W-we have s-some p-places sorta l-like that, th-though most places h-have d-day/night c-cycles." Alex followed Tavros as he rolled backwards, going on with a smile, "M-most people do s-stuff durin' the d-day, b-but I t-tend ta s-stay up a-all night, t-then only s-sleep a bit b-before school. S-seems ta b-be c-common among th-the geeks in m-my world."

Tavros finally turns and the two of them head toward the hive.

"Most trolls aren't, um, active in the day at all. It's because the, uh, the sun is too strong to be... pleasant to be out in."

He stops as they reach the jousting run, takes out his lance, and pokes at the dummy. Yeah, it's solid. Wow. It's like he never left.

"Some trolls like the sun, though. I know a girl, uh, she's always going out when most of us are asleep."

"I-I guess I'd b-be like h-her if I w-were a troll th-then, b-but I don't k-know wh-why I stay up a-all night. W-well, aside f-from spending all my t-time in the abyss that i-is the interwebs."

He laughed nervously a bit as Tavros poked the dummy, "y-yeah, e-everythin'll f-feel v-very r-real h-here. A-an' y-you c-can m-make r-real food too, th-though i-it's jus' the s-slop from the c-cafeteria, i-it tastes r-real." Just because food didn't give him nutrition didn't mean he didn't love stuffing his face. And he really could stuff his face.

That reminded him. It would be a good time to get more training for Alice in while they were here. He grabbed one of the pieces of slop-tray, which was now magically a yogi, and summoned a Fiduspawn card with the sensorium's projection. He held the Yogi in one hand, and the card in the other. "Alice, f-fetch the c-card."

Alice went to go down the arm with the yogi, but upon hearing the command, she changed direction and went for the card instead, grabbing it from Alex, and carrying it in her teeth to his pocket. She poked her head out, and Alex passed her the treat with a pat on the head, "G-good girl."

Tavros smiles a little at that. "I don't know, the stuff in the nutritionblock isn't, um, the best thing I've ever eaten, but it's not that bad. It's kind of like, like grubloaf, just without the mucus."

He watches Alice and grins as she gets the right thing. "Wow, uh, she got it. That's kind of neat, that you trained her like that. Without, any sort of psychic bond, I mean."

"I c-can't believe you c-can eat that s-stuff... Oh, r-right, d-different diets." Alex smiled and laughed, "I-it took a lot of work, b-but it also h-helps that sh-she's really smart."

Pointing off to the church-looking building with the blue glowing window things he asked, "I-is that y-your h-house? O-or is it the o-other one?"

Tavros makes a face. "Come on, the other one's, uh, a barn. Of course I live in the hive."

He heads toward it, still marveling at how much this feels like home. Even the little things he remembers, like uneven patches of ground on the lawn. It's all here.

The inside of the hive is modest, simply decorated, though every now and then Alex will notice some incongruously advanced piece of technology. The whole thing looks and feels organic. Tavros goes in first and waves his hand in a lame little "ta-da" motion.

"So, uh, this is a troll hive. I guess, it's not as exciting as some, but I kinda like the way I built it. Nice... even walls, and things like that."

"Y-you built this?" He had figured the 'hive' played into the whole growing up a a larvae thing, but he couldn't imagine that all this was created by Tavros on his own. It was too incredible.

Tavros starts to look a little surprised, but after all the differences between him and Alex the two have run across, he decides against it. Humans are weird; that's all there is to say on the matter.

"Well, um, not so much, with my hands. I guess humans have some other method of construction. Basically, uh, the last thing before we leave the brooding caverns, and go above ground, um, is for us to design our hives. Carpenter drones do the dirty work, but... we still say we made it."

"W-we u-usually have contractors a-an' carpenters- o-other humans who do that f-for work. B-but that's o-only when a b-building's f-first made. M-most p-people jus' b-buy a house, o-or an apartment." He looked around in astonishment, "I-I s-still c-can't believe you designed th-this! I-It's amazing."

Though, the mention of drones has caused Alex to imagine the zerg drones from Starcraft. "I-I need ta get you ta play th-this g-game I have, c-called Starcraft."

Tavros looks a bit embarrassed by the compliment. Really, compared to some of the elaborate castles and hivestems his friends made, his design is straightforward and not very exciting to look at. But he likes it.

"Sure, Starcraft sounds, like it'd be a lot of fun."

Alex is given the grand tour of the small place, ending with Tavros' respiteblock (http://www.mspaintadventures.com/storyfiles/hs2/02101.gif). Fairy posters, fantasy paraphernalia, Fiduspawn cards and toys litter the place, because he is a huge dork forever. Also, there's that recuperacoon he was talking about, tucked in the corner and full of slime. After a moment Tavros remembers that the place can look the way he wants it, and he goes back to a time when he could keep the place neat (http://www.mspaintadventures.com/storyfiles/hs2/02167_1.gif).

In both cases, that little white thing hovers nearby. Tavros points him out.

"That, um, that's my lusus. Was my lusus, um, I guess..."

"J-jus' c-cause you're apart, d-doesn' mean h-he's not still your l-lusus. He c-could still pop soon." Alex wandered over to the recuperacoon and peered inside, "S-so this is what you sleep in?"

When Tavros neatened the room, a thought occured to Alex, "Oh! I-if... if y-you want, I-I think th-the sensoriums c-can make i-it seem like y-you c-can w-walk normally... i-if you want..."

"I'd like it if he did. I've never, um, not had him around until this whole thing happened."

Tavros, who had only thought to change the room, stares blankly up at Alex at his last remark.

"It... can? Uh, how?"

"W-w-well, y-you jus'... i-imagine y-yourself... able ta w-walk." Alex was a little red, and looking away, feeling very awkward about pointing out Tavros' disability.

He moved to put his finger into the goop in the recuperacoon, sniffing at it curiously.

It smells vaguely medicinal. Not enough to be overpowering, though. Good thing it isn't real sopor slime or it'd cause drowsiness.

Pretty much everybody had something to say about Tavros' injury after it happened. Not much of it was kind. He's not upset at Alex mentioning it, just sort of baffled. Able to walk? Just because he thought about it? After everyone explained just how badly he'd been hurt, how lucky he was to be alive at all, and how sure they were he'd be in the chair for life?

He rests his hands on the grips and starts to push himself up... then lowers himself back down. No, better not. Bringing back recent memories is one thing, overcoming that sort of mental block is another entirely. Climbing back up into the chair if Alex turns out to be wrong would be such a pain, not to mention how upset they'd both be.

Maybe he can try the sensoriums by himself sometime, just to see.

For now, though, he heads over to Alex.

"That's, um, my recuperacoon. See, it's... nothing like your human bed."

Alex glanced to Tavros when he moved to stand, holding his breath, but said nothing more when Tavros decided to sit back down. He scrunched his nose at the goop and shook it off his hand. "A-aside from th-the r-recuperacoon, i-it l-looks a lot like n-normal bedrooms i-in my world." Or how he would imagine them to look.

"Yeah, um... I was kind of surprised. Your human block looked, basically a lot like mine, at least if you don't count the, uh, bed."

He shrugs.

"So, now you basically know, what Alternian hives look like. There isn't, uh, a whole lot more to see. I kind of live out there, away from, uh, most people. ...Did you want to show me, um, the sort of hive you live in, now?"

He glances up at Tinkerbull and waves a little. Sure, it's just an empty construct pulled from his memories, but he's still going to miss the little guy.

"Y-you mean o-on the ship? W-well, I guess, t-though a bit more... bare. M-my room at h-home is a-a lot b-barer too. F-Father never let m-me have much..."

Alex closed his eyes and allowed the city street to form around him. The buildings were mostly at least 15 stories high, and the streets were filthy and littered with papers. The buildings were in poor repair and just as grimy.

Alex opened the door to the nearest building- where all the windows were covered in bars. He lead Tavros to the elevator, called it, entered and pressed the highest number on the inside- 14.

The interior was in just as bad repair as the exterior and the elevator groaned as it carried the pair up to Alex's apartment. "I l-live in a c-city, so p-people have a-apartments. They're v-various p-people's h-houses- er... h-hives... a-all in one building... b-but we don' decide wh-what they l-look like. F-Father owns this b-building, s-so we h-have the wh-whole top floor. I-it's s-still s-small, j-just more t-than one one r-room."

A sort of cloud came over him once he summoned his world, looking around nervously. He suddenly seemed very uncomfortable. More than usual.

Tavros stares around at all the weird foreign architecture. All the buildings look so... similar. And dead, somehow. And run down. He recognizes the apartment complex for what it is and sits quietly as the elevator makes noises. The whole place is making him a little nervous too, so Alex is in good company.

"Well, uh, there are... hivestems, like communal hives on top of each other, in the cities. They don't really, go this high though."

"Th-they d-don' u-usally get this high a-anywhere else. J-jus' in the c-city, an' p-particularly i-in this city." The elevator made a sort of ding sound that made it sound like it's dying. The doors open to a small hall with only two doors. One had a lock, and one did not.

Alex went up to the one with the lock, averting his eyes from the other door, even shying away from it. He pulled a key out of his pocket and put it in, unlocking the door.

The place was small, the kitchen and the living room seperated by only an island cluttered with beer bottles and cans. More were scattered around the living room, next to the one recliner chair set up across from a great big wide-screen LCD TV.

He ushered Tavros through the rooms, ignoring everything. He went down the hall to the second room on his left and entered, ignoring the other two doors in the hall. He opened the door to reveal a bare room with only a low coffee table, Alice's cage, and a bed with a broken frame. "S-so... w-well, t-this is m-my room."

Tavros follows Alex, taking it all in. Some of the stuff is recognizable, like the big TV, but most of this is foreign to him. He thinks the collection of green and brown glass containers is kind of pretty, at least. Even if he doesn't understand its purpose. If it's a decoration, it sure does take up a lot of space. Maybe that's just what humans keep around instead of cups.

He picks up on the fact that Alex dislikes his hive (and secretly agrees), so he behaves himself on the short, silent tour. When they get to Alex's room, he doesn't seem to know what to say. Compared to his block, and the block of everyone else he knows, it's pretty barren.

"Well, it's, uh..."

Tavros struggles more than usual. There doesn't seem to be any positive adjective for what he's looking at here, but he doesn't want to insult Alex's hive.

"...it's, kind of, different from what I was, uh, expecting. Not that that's a bad thing," he adds quickly, "I just thought you'd have more, um, games, and things."

Alex smiles with a bit of bitterness and walks over to his bed, pulling the sheets up to show some boxes, "Th-they're in h-here. F-father h-hates 'em, b-but he w-won't bother r-really e-ever l-looking. S-so I m-made it s-so I c-could r-run 'em on my laptop. Th-that an' m-my c-cell are th-the only t-two things h-he lets me h-have, th-thanks to Mikel."

He was expecting a reaction a bit like this the whole time. He lays back on his bed and his smile fades. The sensoriums managed to even replicate the shadow that had clung to his mother and then finally grew to a tier 5. He frowned, knowing that the feeling if depression would probably soon start getting to Tavros. The only thing that could be worse would be if his father came home.

Of course, then he did. The door slammed closed behind him and the recliner squeaked a bit as he dropped down on it and turned on the tv to a sitcom. Alex flinched away, looking absolutely terrified. From the other room a gruff voice called, "Boy, come out here!"

Alex sat straight up, but didn't move any further.

Tavros is no stranger to sadness; he just always goes for optimism. He can always find a bright side, no matter how small. Still, the bare room, the bad feelings, and Alex's obvious change in mood are starting to get to him, and he makes his usual choice when things start to go bad -- abscond.

"Uh, you know, maybe... we should--"

He jumps at the door slamming and turns around, looking unsure. Whoever's out there trolling is part of Alex's memories and not actually able to hurt them... right?

No actual injury could be sustained, but it could still feel like he was getting hurt. "Boy! I said come out here!" called the voice again, but Alex didn't need to move. He old recliner squeaked again as his father got up and began to stomp down the hallway. He showed up in the doorway, towering at about six-foot-five. The family resemblance was clear, though his father had a distinct five 'o clock shadow.

He sent a scathing glare at Tavros. "Who is this fucking little gimp in the funny fucking costume? What are his horns made of? Fucking candycorn?" He walked in, and back-handed Alex, "Did I say you could have someone over you cowering twat?"

Alex was knocked down on the bed, and he stayed there, cowering, just as his father has said. Alex father punched Alex hard in the side, saying, "I asked you a question, boy!"

Still cowering he let out a muffled cry followed by, "N-n-no F-father."

His father struck him again, "Stop with your pansy-ass stuttering you worthless piece of shit."

He's no longer sure this guy isn't part of the program, and he looks away as he's insulted. This guy's starting to remind him of someone he tries to avoid but usually can't. But at least Tavros had the benefit of living nowhere near her.

As Alex is struck, Tavros rolls forward. He timidly puts a hand out, as if there's something he can do to stop this guy.

"Wait, uhh... don't, do that..."

His father turns around and looks at the troll in disgust before knocking over the chair. Looking down at the troll now on the floor, Alex's father laughs, "What do you think you can do, wheelie?" The older man goes to kick Tavros, but Alex's shadow tendrils shoot out, restraining him.

"Simulation end."

The room- and the shadow tendrils- faded away, leaving the sensoriums blank and Alex looking terribly ashamed. Alex moved to Tavros to try to help him back into the chair with a quiet, "s-s-sorry..."

Tavros sees him coming and fumbles to move away, but before he can get rolling Alex's Dad knocks his chair over, spilling him onto the floor with an undignified sqawk.

Looking truly frightened now, he lifts himself up on his elbows and starts to pull himself away from the big guy. As Alex's dad draws his foot back to kick, Tavros produces his lance and braces himself. It's nowhere near as deadly without the momentum, but it'll do in a pinch. He can't stop someone this size from kicking the crap out of him, but he can definitely draw some blood in the process.

"Simulation end."

Tavros blinks, looks around, finally understands that the other human was just part of the program. He puts the lance away, still looking a little stunned. Once he's back in the chair, he stares up at Alex with round, yellow eyes.

"No, um. I'm sorry."

Alex looks away, as if he was on the verge of tears, "I-it's my fault father s-showed up. I'm g-good with c-computers an' p-programs, b-but this thing r-runs off your m-mind. I-I didn' want h-him there, b-but he c-creeps into m-my thoughts and..." He hugged himself and shivered.

That's easy enough to understand. Sort of. Tavros still doesn't fully get the sensoriums, but at least now he knows why Alex brought such a horrible person into things.

"Yeah, I thought, uh, until he disappeared, that he was really there."

He sits quietly, at a loss, waiting for Alex to calm down. He's glad now he doesn't have human-style parents. This father thing is terrifying.

"H-he's a b-broken man... Jus' g-gets drunk an' angry a-all day. I-I wish h-he coulda b-been more like mum, o-or A-Amanda's parents. L-loving a-an' k-kind... B-but that's j-jus' my l-luck, ta g-get the sh-short end of the stick. S-sorry y-you had ta s-see that..."

He sighed and melted to the floor, "E-even Mikel's p-parents were w-wonderful, b-before they died..."

Oh, that makes sense. So mothers and ~~vaders~~ fathers aren't necessarily bad, it's just luck of the draw. Alternia's no different.

Tavros moves a bit closer to Alex. He's sorry to see him so upset, but he's not really sure what to do. "It's, uh, like that where I live too. Sometimes, you just... hear about someone with a bad lusus."

He pulled his knees up to his chest, "H-he's w-where all these scars c-come from, a-an' I l-look jus' l-like him... B-but I w-won' b-be like h-him. Ever." His nails dug into the rough cloth of his jeans, looking rather pained as he spoke.

Tavros honestly doesn't pay much attention to Alex's scars unless they come up in conversation. He has some himself. It'd be weirder to him if the guy didn't have scars.

"I don't think, you're, um, like him at all. In my opinion."

Okay, this is just getting too heavy. Tavros hates that. His lusus was really nice, and he's having a hard time relating. He glances over at the exit, then at Alex.

"Hey... maybe, maybe we should leave the, uh, sensoriums for now. This stuff is all, just make-believe anyway. You could, uh, show me some more of that game you like, the one with the pale-haired characters that I still say look alike."

He smiles a little despite the weak joke.

Though it's true Tavros can't reliably tell one FFXII character from another.

He looks up to Tavros, his eyes moist with tears. "I-I guess f-father i-isn't really here. N-nor is th-that room. H-he c-can't p-put m-me i-in th-that g-guest r-room a-anymore e-either..." He realizes that he lacks the will to even smile at the joke, let alone stand to leave.

"Uhh. Guest room? I don't think... I under... stand..."

He trails off, staring incredulously at Alex's face in spite of himself. The other guy's tears are clear. What the hell is up with that?

Alex looked away, going pale. "I-It's not a t-typical g-guest room... N-not like o-others'... I-it's not just a s-spare bedroom f-for a guest that v-visits..." For him it was a lot more like a torture chamber. For the 'guests' it was like a pleasure dome. He hated thinking about it, and yet he had no one on the ship who knew about it. No one to confide in about the nightmares it still caused.

Tavros shakes his head, snapping himself out of it. Maybe he can ask about this strange biological quirk another time.

As Alex speaks, he frowns a little.

"What, uh, exactly, was it for?"

Alex goes whiter, pulling his hoodie around him. Alice presses herself against his neck in attempts to console him.

Rather than answer he manages to stand and makes his way to the door, saying, "Lets go." A few seconds later, he turns around with a clearly forced smile and says, "Why don't we play some Fiduspawm?"

Some things just aren't worth talking about; Tavros knows that better than most trolls. He's sort of relieved, actually. Just remembering the look on Alex's face is making him feel a little sick.

He nods and follows Alex out.

"Yeah... sure."

Alex and Tavros: Brace for culture shock. [CLOSED]

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