Home Forum Wiki The Rules Newbie Guide Roleplay Guide Plot & Setting Wanted Characters Aedolis Teinar Edanith Libra Cancer Thanatos Inc. Contact Us Copyright Affiliates Advertise Us Advertise You Donate! Playing a Leader

Author Topic: Far From Home  (Read 995 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Titanus

  • Guest
Far From Home
« on: February 11, 2013, 06:42:51 pm »
Something so peaceful shouldn't have felt so... heavy. Smothering and tight about the neck like on of Aikens old work collars back home. But when he went to feel his neck, by habit, nothing was there. Then the calmness set in again and he forgot what he was doing, removed his hand from his neck, and looked up to see his surroundings.

Earth? He'd heard unpleasant stories about it's current status, and couldn't tell if he should have felt sympathy and pity, or indifference. But they were, apparently, very defensive. At the access point, they had told him to leave his weapons. Every single one. Leaving his scimitar in the hands of untrustworthy guards left a distinct metaphorical hole in his chest and an uncomfortable feeling of restlessness. He had, in fact, brought up the statement of, as he used a sword rather than a projectile weapon, his victim would  see it coming. They disagreed and continued asking for his weapon, which he relinquished with no less than quiet and feral growl.

The nearest bench looked the least worn. Chipped here and there, but otherwise nearly untouched, so he made his way to it and settled down at the very end, the most comfortable end. This felt like a park, looked like one. Back home, parks were rare, and those that did exist consisted of rocky caverns and the torn down buildings in the middle of the desert.

He sighed and looked up at the sky, muttering loudly about CPU's and the acquisition of optical fibers. Most of the people passing by only spared a quick, confused glance and hurried on by, either considering him rude or out of his mind. He didn't care either way.
« Last Edit: February 11, 2013, 07:42:41 pm by Titanus »

Bowen

  • Guest
Re: Far From Home
« Reply #1 on: February 11, 2013, 07:25:55 pm »
Eyes closed and nostrils sealed, Kahaku idled through the cool, fresh water.  The sun let its warmth seep through the water above him and helped to flush the grime and dust that accumulated with any long trip through space.  There was never quite the same thing as planetary water.  Real and fresh and filled with an infinite variety of minerals and compounds and life forms - such a cocktail was impossible to create and maintain aboard a ship.

He burst into the air with a wild splatter of expelled water, shaking his head furiously to free those drops that clung to his scales and whiskers.  That was so much better!  Sliding over to the edge of the pond with a smooth lash of his tail, he caught his feet beneath him and shook the rest of his hide free of water as he strode onto the grass.  He scooped his uniform from the ground and shrugged into the top as he continued onwards.  Nudity wasn't an issue to a limnaris, since their genitalia was hidden from view, but it made other people feel better, so he plopped down on the edge of a bench to haul the bottoms on.  Twisting his tail to slide it into its own section of his shorts, he glanced at the other occupant of the bench.  "Nice day, isn't it?" he asked amiably, entirely unconcerned with the humanoid's muttering.

Titanus

  • Guest
Re: Far From Home
« Reply #2 on: February 11, 2013, 08:13:22 pm »
Aiken had been prepared for almost everything, but the sudden surfacing of the being not too far in front of him was startling, even while he didn't show any outward signs of seeing anything. He honestly hadn't even noticed the pond in the first place

He hadn't expected anyone to come by at such a time. He cast a quick glance toward the newcomer before responding with a pleasant half smile. "Yes. Bright. Uncomfortably so, but nice." It wasn't ideal. He'd say it wasn't warm enough, wasn't loud enough, or wasn't dry enough.  Or maybe too green for his tastes.

Being the friendly, bright person that he was, he turned fully toward this newcomer whom he hadn't so much as given a name to. "You must have a name, and I have one. I believe it is customary in places like this to exchange them?" This was the kind of thing he said to almost everyone away from Vrol Pau, and Cythamine, every alien species he didn't know much about. It was an effort to avoid being rude, but sometimes everything didn't work out the way he'd wanted it to and came off as trying to pick a fight with sarcasm.

"I am Aiken. Aiken N'raai. You must be...?" He held his hands, palms up, in front of him. What were some human greeting gestures again...?

Bowen

  • Guest
Re: Far From Home
« Reply #3 on: February 12, 2013, 08:23:51 pm »
Kahaku cocked his head to blink at the sky and shrugged his back fins.  "To each their own," he said, entirely willing to leave it at that.  Atmosphere-filtered sunlight always seemed overstrong when he first headed out onto a planet, but that was in direct comparison to the carefully controlled shipboard environments he was otherwise limited to.  "I do find it's a nice change from light levels calculated down to the tenth decimal for optimum productivity and mental stability, though," he added drily.

"Customary?"  Kahaku cocked his head and considered the humanoid beside him.  "I suppose so."  He swirled the tips of his whiskers and grinned - though it wasn't a particularly limnari expression, the human trick was so incredibly infectious that Kahaku had picked it up shortly after leaving his homeworld.  "Nice to meet you, Aiken.  I'm Kahaku.  If you want to be formal or anything like that, you could toss s'evalta on there too, but around these planets referring to the silver limnaris tends to get you about as much understanding." 

Titanus

  • Guest
Re: Far From Home
« Reply #4 on: February 13, 2013, 04:50:12 pm »
Aiken squinted. "I do not miss the stuffy engine rooms of the freighters. First it is too dark, then it is too warm." Yes, it was brighter to him, but he'd choose the uncontrolled sunlight from above over artificial heating bulbs in the old storage and cargo holds on the freight ships going to and from Cythamine. "Plus, they rarely replace the evaporator coils on their temperature control systems. I don't think they want us to be comfortable..."

He shook his head dismissively, "Likewise, Kahaku. I'm sure if anyone asks whom I was speaking, I will keep that in mind." Kahaku's last comment earned a light-hearted chuckle from Aiken, an unnatural action. The first time a human had taught him to laugh, he had begun worrying if he'd contracted some sickness in the chest. They told him the truth, but he was mortified just the same.

"This is Earth. I think... so I suppose we should follow earth customs? I've seen humans exchange names in the most unruly of ways... they hit each other in the back!" He considered the whole 'clap on the back' to be violent, along with the oh-so-common 'affectionate headbutting'.


 

SimplePortal 2.3.5 © 2008-2012, SimplePortal