RP [IRC of YE 46] A meeting of cultures

[HarperMadi]

"So what of of that husband?" One of the Nepleslia a asked. "I know you folks tend to have several, so who was so lucky? And so bold as to let you in here unsupervised?"

The woman in question was indeed overweight, about sixty pounds if she were human, based on her height and what Toidorno had seen with other Senti women, or even with humans and Nekovalkyrja. Her build was distinctly more filled out than the lithe and thin builds of most tsulrati he had seen so far, but that silver skin and blue lips combination was distinct, strikingly alien. Just alien enough. Perhaps with some makeup, this specimen could even pass for human. Bit then she spoke, revealing the twin sets of vocal cords in her accent and the seeming harmony of her voice. "Missing in action. Survivor mission at Turassiel, just after the fall. He's... Still missing."

"The fall of Turassiel was several years ago," one of the Senti soldiers piped up, tilting his head. "If he was still there, we would have found him and returned him to you by now."

"I know. But he survived a serious crash before, during the war. I have to hope he can do it again."

"Girl, that's..." the ID-SOL shut his mouth after a moment, offering a gentle squeeze to the Yamataian's shoulder. "Anyone to help?"

"The other died at Glimmergold. I got a fiance, now. And a daughter. They help a lot. But Sacre has trouble with Nepleslians. Old trauma. Not my story to tell. Keeps me from talking about Lev much." Giving a shrug, Ali set poured herself a small glass of the whiskey. "He's a Hell of a pilot, too. Flew a Viper, like it was a part of him. Easy as breathing and the sneaky bastard scared the Hell out of me on training sorties. Always managed to sneak up on my Ginga. To this day not sure how."

"This Sacre a pilot, too?"

"Nah. Doctor, combat medic, few other hats. Fights like a demon and instinctively defends people. Even from themselves. She's unapologetically true to herself and her beliefs, stronger than you'd ever believe, and a force of nature all packaged into a gorgeous Separa body. She's got a missing partner, too. But we're kinda focused on our daughter right now."

"Adopted?"

"Yup. And makes me proud as Hell every day."

"Fair enough. Hey, so when you did that whole hug thing and embarrassed an Admiral on Fleet broadcast, you had red eyes. They're green, now. You finally get those fixed?"

"In a manner of speaking. They would have healed on their own in a few years." Giving a shrug, she took a sip from her glass. "So what's your story, big man? You got a name?"

"Jerome. I ain't too special. Retired out a few years ago, rejoined to fight the Kuvvies and they stationed me at the embassy as a mechanic for the diplomatic vehicles. Been here ever since. Hell, married a sweet nurse down at the hospital. Apparently your senator was giving her a hard time."

"Ain't my senator. I ain't Shuristan, anymore. Sorry about the senator, though. I'm Aliset. Just call me Ali."

"And I'm not the one who had to wrestle a tricentennial out of his work long enough to take his meds or eat. Just means I had to learn to cook. Got pretty good at it."

"Coming from a Nepleslian, that's either real good or you finally learned how to heat up a ration pack properly."

"Not like you're gonna eat it," he laughed at the dry humor. "You want an actual beer or you just looking to drown your troubles in getting dumb?".

"Lemme finish this glass and I'll go get a crunched thumb."

"Atta girl."

 

[Hollander]

Toidorno sat with his back to the bar now, eyes on the action around him as he listened. The open-roof above allowed him a view of the sky. No world-station ceiling, no dome... Though he understood that some kind of shield could be erected up there in the event of inclement weather. His furred ears tilted and turned this way and that; Tsulrati voices were, at least, not too difficult to pick out. He heard talk of Turassiel, but there had been too many new words shared in the talk with Khelas and Dusali, and he wasn't sure what the word meant at the moment. Glimmergold... That he knew. The Clan had participated in that momentous final battle... Sacre? An unknown word. Lev, Viper, Ginga, their meaning unknown in the context. He was about to tune in to the other Tsulrati nearby when...

"I'm Aliset. Just call me Ali."

'There she is.' Toidorno thought to himself took a third drink of his hoppy beer, the bitter stuff going down with an acerbic little kick. A bit of beer-froth remained on the fur above his upper lip, but he quickly licked it away. He actually found a beer-related opening when he heard Aliset speak of getting a crunched thumb, the same beer he was now drinking. He turned, extending his claws to tap out a four-taloned-tune in rapid succession on the counter to get the tender's attention. "Crunch-Thumb for the metal one when she comes over, on me, if you please."

Buying someone a beer usually got you at least a brief conversation with a person in most cultures, didn't it? Besides, if he returned to Clan territory without at least trying to interact with the person who had so deeply impacted Senti culture, he'd surely be criticized for missing a unique opportunity.

 

[HarperMadi]

That didn't take long as Ali set finished her drink and played a few games, continuing to chat and make friends. Still, she strode up to the bar and raised her hand to place an order only to be cut off by a glass of beer being placed in front of her. Her order turned to a "What the fuck?"

"Crunched-Thumb. Courtesy of the big man down the bar" was the bartender's reply.

"I mean, he's cute and all, but kind of in my gay phase right now."

"Gay enough to say no to a free drink? Honest, lady, I just serve the drinks. Go talk to him at least."

And that's exactly what Ali set did, with a roll of her eyes and a small laugh of "Alright, what'd I do to piss off the diplomats, now?"

The Heir of Skydas took a stool next to Toidorno, offering him a small smile and taking a much enjoyed sip of her beer. "So. Bought me a glass of my favorite. How could you be so insightful?"