Watching and Waiting [open]

[pantsr4pansies.livejournal.com]

Paranoia was a perfectly reasonable reaction to waking up in a strange place covered in slime, having a fight with tentacles that put some kind of throbbing...thing on him, and then being forced to run through mazes that shot fire, a cruel voice passive-aggressively taunting him the entire time.

Tarzan didn't know where he was, didn't know what was going on, and didn't know what happened to the people--and gorillas---he cared about most. His entire world had been turned upside down. He'd found himself in a strange place completely full of people, more people than he'd even imagined existed. It was full of lots of strange people, and some of them walked on two legs but didn't look human; others were clearly animals but they conversed with humans with apparently no difficulty.

They all were strange to him. Frightening, even to one that had faced Sabor. It was all so confusing. Even terrifying, all the more so because he couldn't find Jane or his mother anywhere, even when he searched during the times other slept.

So he'd hidden in Hydroponics, and taken to the trees, wary of every living being on the ship.

Anyone that entered Hydroponics and stayed there for long might find themselves having the unmistakable feeling that they were being watched.

But he was just as curious as he was frightened and cautious. As much as he was holding back from the people on the ship, he had a burning desire to speak to them, to figure out what they were all about.

Comments

[pantsr4pansies.livejournal.com]

Tarzan pursed his lips together, thoughtful.

"Tarzan only need help with English."

Obviously, given how he structured that sentence itself.

He was rather self-sufficient otherwise, though.

"I hide because...not used to people. Strange place. Confusing. Will...get used to. Eventually."

[the-companion.livejournal.com]

She smiled at that. It was a good, full sentence. Perhaps not structured in the best way, but it seemed a lot more civilized than the grunts that Jayne sometimes tended to give out as replies. "It is a very strange place," Inara agreed. "I'm still trying to get used to it myself, and I like to think of myself as a people person. But it seems like everyone has gotten used to this place on some level. You will, as well. And until then, well, this a very beautiful place to stay," she said. "But if you ever want to talk about anything, Tarzan, if you miss Jane or want a friendly hug - I can be here for you."

[pantsr4pansies.livejournal.com]

Tarzan took that exactly at face value, and smiled at her.

For all the good he saw humanity as having, for all the good Jane and the Professor were, Clayton and his thugs had shown him the worst of what humanity could be. Without meeting other people, without knowing them, he couldn't know if people were more like Clayton or more like the Porters.

This helped his view of people massively.

He had made a friend today, and one who was very kind. He was very sure she was someone Jane would like very much.

"You are kind." He patted her hand awkwardly. "Thank you."

[the-companion.livejournal.com]

"You're welcome, honey," she said, careful not to use any words that weren't English around him. She didn't want to confuse him any further than he already might be. That would be, well, less than nice or helpful, and she could tell that he'd had experiences both good and bad when it came to humankind.