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 Posted: Mon Dec 28, 2009 9:18 pm
Hearing someone call out in an unfamiliar language, Mikhail whirled around only to see a blue blur running through the snow in his direction. Meeting the strange boy half-way, Mikhail said, "You poor thing..." and took off his own jacket. Wrapping it around Jacan's shoulders gently, he said, "My truck is just over this way. Come on, I'll take you to my home." When he thought about it, there was really no other option. Even though he was employed by such a secret organization, they had never asked for his address, not once, although he wasn't sure if that could deter them from finding him if they really wanted to. Regardless, it would probably be the safest place to hide him until they managed to find his friends.
Leading the boy over to his truck, Mikhail helped the boy into the passenger's seat before climbing into the driver's side himself. Looking over at the boy with an odd expression, Mikhail wondered if he should attempt to disguise him better. Because of the weather, there was little chance of anyone stopping them or paying too close attention to them as they drove by, but Mikhail didn't really want to take any chances. Pulling off his scarf, he wrapped it over the boy's head like a bonnet, much as his grandmother always had when she went to church. "There, that should obscure your face. Just keep your head low until we get there," he advised as he started up the truck once more.
As they drove along, Mikhail was practically silent. He was so used to being on his own that he didn't think anything of long periods of silence any more. Every night he drove home from work alone, and every night he returned. It had become such a common cycle for him with so little interruption or detraction that he had become oddly comfortable with complete silence.
However, when he remembered that he had a guest with him in the car, Mikhail wondered if he should try to socialize, even if they were in such a terrible situation. "So, umm...why don't you tell me about yourself?" he suggested to Jacan, wanting to know more about who he was getting himself involved with. "Like, what kinds of things do you like to eat, how did you get here, what were your comrades like...simple things like that." Not only did he feel that it would help them grow a little more comfortable with each other, but Mikhail thought that speaking could help the boy practice interacting with humans more. God knows he needed it.
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Posted: Tue Dec 29, 2009 9:10 pm
Jacan held the jacket close to his body. Though he was nearly as tall as the human, the coat seemed to nearly engulf his small frame. Though he still shivered from the cold, he felt better now having something to cover himself in. He gladly followed the human to his vehicle (as strange as it looked) and climbed in, letting the human shut the door. Sitting in the seat, Jacan brought his legs up and hugged his knees to his chest, using the coat as a blanket to cover his legs up. He huddled against the door, trying to recover from the cold.
When the human got in, Jacan looked over at him, his eyes wide as they had ever been. This man was hard to read. Plus, he was giving him the strangest look. Jacan almost asked why he was looking at him like that until the human wrapped the scarf around his head. It forced his antennae down, pressing them against his head in an almost uncomfortable fashion but hid most of his face. He reached out from beneath the coat, shifting the covering around so it was more comfortable on his head. "Why did..." His question died as the human answered it, as if he had read his mind. Tucking his antennae into the scarf, Jacan nodded and burrowed a little further into the coat, bringing it up so most of his body was covered. Actually, the skin one could see where his feet and face; the rest of him was covered by the thick coat.
As the human started driving, Jacan turned his head towards the outside. Looking out the window, he couldn't see much. Except for the strange white things that continued to fall from the sky. He couldn't help but wonder what that was. There were many things he wanted to ask, though he didn't know where to begin. The top question was when he would be able to find his friends. It worried him so. Just thinking about them... he wondered if those wicked humans, those scientists, had them. Were they experimenting on his friends, in the same way they had experimented on him? Jacan prayed they weren't and had been spared. Perhaps they had even escaped the crash, before the humans had even gotten there. But then, why did they not take him? Why did they leave him to be found?
Jacan was so wrapped up in his thoughts that he hardly realized the human was talking to him. The alien boy turned away from the window and looked at the man. "You ask so many questions. What do I answer first?" He smiled lightly then sighed, leaning his head back against the seat and looked up at the sky through the window. "My home is very far and very different from yours. I was apart of an expedition that went in search for other worlds, like ours. We needed it." He paused, staring out of the window for a moment longer then lifted his head. "I... cannot remember much of the crash, but I believe something struck our ship. Your planet pulled us towards her... I do not remember the crash, except for flashes and Zanti's shouting."
He paused again, looking at the dashboard of the truck with his thin brows furrowed, as if he was thinking. "I later woke in water but it was not water. And I was surrounded by these strange creatures in white." He brought his hands out of the coat, spreading them in a semi-circle around him, as if showing the human what he was talking about. "They were such terrible creatures. They treat me like... animal." There was a little bit more passion in his voice, showing that he obviously did not like the scientists. Though, the quicker he spoke, the harder time he had with pronouncing his words.
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Posted: Thu Dec 31, 2009 9:58 pm
As the truck bounced along the road at a careful speed, Mikhail listened to the alien and what he had to say about himself and what had happened to him. It wasn't pretty, and Mikhail had a strange feeling that humans may have played a larger role in his troubles than the boy realized, but for the time he would keep his thoughts to himself. After all, it was not his place to incriminate or point fingers. In the end, he had committed a serious crime himself; he'd stolen a coveted experiment from the very facility he was hired to guard. Although he would not guilt himself about this, Mikhail knew that there would be plenty of people willing to punish him should they ever find out.
As the ride wore on, Mikhail found himself unable to say anything to break the awkward silence. With everything the scientists had done to the boy, there was nothing that he could rightly say to try and defend humans; they were truly ugly creatures, MIkhail had to admit, but not all of them. There were a few, a very few, who were good people. Unfortunately, Jacan had not had the chance to meet any of them, and it would be unlikely that he would. From that point on it would be of the utmost importance to try and hide Jacan until they could find his comrades. It would be a happy reunion and one more thing off his mind, so Mikhail hoped that would come soon.
Finally, they drove into a small neighborhood, the snow blanketing all of the parked cars and rooftops surrounding them. Stopping at once house, as inconspicuous as every other, Mikhail finally parked the car in the driveway and sighed. "Well, this is my house. Other than myself, it's always been empty, so...there should be plenty of room and privacy for both of us. No one will bother you here," he explained, opening his door and hurrying over to the other side of the car. Helping Jacan out, he locked the doors behind them with the remote and led the boy to his door.
When the two of them were finally inside, Mikhail asked, how is your tolerance to heat? If it gets too hot in here or if I ever serve you something too hot, let me know. Same with being cold. I want you to be comfortable while you're here. It isn't often that I have guests," he admitted, with a smile, bitter smile. "Are you hungry? If there's anything here that you can eat, I would be glad to make it for you. Could you give me a quick run-down of what you can eat?" he asked hopefully, not wanting to end up poisoning his guest by giving him something that he couldn't metabolize. After all, dogs could die from being given chocolate, and there were several species of animal that could eat plant matter that would normally kill a human. Mikhail knew he had to be careful.
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Posted: Fri Jan 01, 2010 9:37 pm
Not hearing a reply from the human, Jacan looked over at him. It wasn‘t that he really expected the man to say anything to him (he had been talking about his people) but to quickly revert to silence… it made Jacan wonder if he had said anything wrong. Perhaps it had been his tone. If the man was passionate and protective of his kind, he might not like the fact Jacan had just basically insulted the scientist. Though, if he really was passionate and protective, he wouldn‘t have helped Jacan escape. He would have just caught him and put him back in a cage. He didn‘t and, for that, Jacan was grateful.
Jacan turned away from the human and leaned against the door, huddled in the coat as he watched the white flakes fall outside. He was much warmer than he once was and this coat was comfortable. To top it all off, the human didn‘t have to give it to him. He didn‘t have to do anything. Such a kind human. He was proof that some humans held kindness and weren‘t like the Gvenyri. Though, now that he thought about it, he didn‘t even know the human‘s name. There wasn‘t a chance to earlier and now didn‘t seem the right time. Perhaps when they reached their destination, there would be an appropriate time to ask.
When they entered the neighborhood, Jacan lifted his head from the window to take a better look. Was this the human‘s village? It seemed so… perfect. Everything was in straight lines and the houses all looked alike. Or, perhaps it was because of the white substance that covered them. That could have altered the look of the place. As the human pulled towards one of the houses, Jacan leaned forward and looked at it. It seemed so dark and lonely. Did no one else live here? When the human spoke, he answered Jacan‘s question. So the human did live here alone. That was strange to him. Where was his family? Or… perhaps he did not have one. Was the orphaned? There were so many questions to ask.
Once the human helped him out of the truck, Jacan followed him inside, keeping close and glancing around, almost expecting a guard or scientist to leap out. But none did. Once they were in the house, Jacan let a shiver visibly pass through him. This weather was not something he was used to. He didn‘t think he could get used to it. He held the coat close to him and peered around at his surroundings curiously. This home was a little odd looking but it didn‘t look so different from his own. There seemed to be a sitting area with halls that probably split off into other rooms. From the outside, this place didn‘t look that big but the human claimed there was enough room.
“Your planet is much colder than my own. I am not accustomed to your climate.” Jacan admitted as he slowly stepped into the living room. He looked around at the objects and pictures curiously. “My home is very warm and green. It is not cold and there are no strange white flakes.” He crouched down in front of a box with a glass screen, peering inside it. It remained blank for a long time and he tapped on the surface, frowning slightly when nothing happened. At the mention of food, Jacan stood from the strange box and looked at the human. His stomach clenched and growled, making Jacan put his hand over his belly. He nodded his head, “Yes, I am hungry.” He replied, looking up at the human. “The scientists seemed afraid to give me any food, for fear that I might die. On my home world, I ate meat and plant. I believe you do the same here on Earth, correct?”
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Posted: Sat Jan 09, 2010 7:10 pm
Chuckling a bit at Jacan's response, Mikhail replied, "Well it's winter here now. There are places on Earth where it's warm all year as well as places where it's cold all year, but here there are times when it gets cold. Actually, back in my home country, its really cold all of the time, and there's even more snow and ice than there is here. The white flaky stuff is snow. It's really just frozen water, so it's nothing to worry about too much unless there's a lot of it. When it gets really cold here on the ground it can be even colder up in the sky where clouds form. Water in the rain clouds freezes before it can even hit the ground, and that's why we get snow.
"Since rain drops are so small, it only forms soft, fluffy snow instead of hard ice or anything. Oh, but it can turn into ice if a lot of water on the ground freezes together," he added, wanting to be clear that there were times when ice could be found. Of course, usually finding ice was something dangerous, as it meant the roads were slippery and unsafe for driving. Unfortunately, even when the weather was bad Mikhail could never avoid driving to work. It was required of him. "No one really likes this kind of weather. There are people who love the cold and people who love the snow, but when the winds get this fierce and visibility on the roads begins to decline, things can become very dangerous. Even if you know a road really well, it's easy to become lost in a snow drift and crash. What's worse is that it can take people even longer to find you when you crash in weather like this. You have to be careful," he said, even though Jacan probably wouldn't be driving any time soon.
Watching as the boy tapped on the television screen, Mikhail said casually, "That's just a television," before realizing that Jacan might not have any idea what that meant. "There are things called shows and movies that humans often make. Both of these are picture shows and can be seen on that screen there. Of course, sometimes there isn't anything interesting on, but for the most part you can find programs to watch that will either entertain you or teach you things. There are a lot of cooking shows, but I never bother watching them since I have so many instant dishes," Mikhail mentioned, even though it was a little off-topic. "I'll show you how to use it a little bit later. You'll probably have to spend a lot of your time alone in this house since I'll either be asleep or at work, so you should get comfortable with working things around here. I'll see what I can find you to eat that won't be dangerous."
Although he didn't have any real knowledge of nutrition or those kinds of things, Mikhail felt as thought he knew enough not to poison the poor boy with any of his food. For the most part it seemed that nothing was poisoned by simple carbohydrates or meats, so it seemed safe enough to assume that Jacan wouldn't be harmed by them either. Also, simple vegetables like iceberg lettuce and carrots probably wouldn't be harmful, although with the colour of Jacan's skin, Mikhail had to wonder if his race didn't need beta carotene. Regardless, it seemed edible enough to even give an alien, although if the boy didn't like the taste, then he certainly didn't have to eat any of it.
Putting together a salad of lettuce, carrots, and some bits of cheese, Mikhail made two cups of instant noodles as well, knowing that it would be easier to fill the boy up with noodles than with vegetables. When he walked back into the living room with the food, he suddenly remembered drinks, and returned to the kitchen to get both of them a glass of water. Sitting down on the couch, leaning over the short table he had, Mikhail said, "Dig in, but please us the utensils." On the table next to Jacan's food he'd set a spoon and fork. Whether or not the boy already knew how to use them was not Mikhail's problem, unless it hindered his eating. If he couldn't even get the food to his mouth without a mess, then MIkhail would take the time to teach him how to eat. However, for now he just hoped that Jacan's race use similar utensils to humans. "Also, when we're done, we'll go upstairs and I'll find some proper clothes for you," he added, suppressing a giggle when he realized the boy was still dressed in only his coat and scarf.
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Posted: Mon Jan 11, 2010 9:32 pm
"Snow..." The alien repeated softly, turning his head to look out the window. The snow was still coming down around them, falling on the ground to create a white blanket. Now that he was inside, it didn't seem so bad. It seemed almost... nice. Though, he knew the dangers of being caught out in those elements. It was not pretty or nice. Jacan held the coat closer to himself, remembering running through that cold and icy wind. Horrid. He did not want to do that again any time soon.
"If it unsafe, than why don't you just stay at home?" Jacan asked, tilting his head to the side slightly. It was simple; if the roads were dangerous, stay off of them. Even babes knew to stay away from dangerous things. Jacan seriously doubted this man was an infant, even in his own time. He looked out the window again, watching as the snow fell. Who could ever love it? Jacan didn't like it, that was for sure. If it hadn't been for the human, he would have died out there. Thankfully, though, the human was on his side.
He was probably the only one who was.
When the human began to explain what the box was, Jacan tore his gaze from the window back to the television. Ah, so that‘s what it was. Jacan had thought it was some sort of communication device. Something like they had back on his planet. All one had to do was touch the screen and they could find out information on so many things. You could also communicate with others. Which is why this television confused Jacan. Well, up until the point when the human explained it. Then it made sense. Sort of. They had a device like this on his planet as well, though they did not call it a television. Of course, they also did not have snow on his planet either. What other things did Earth have that his planet did not?
The alien male frowned slightly when the man said 'return to work'. He was going back to that awful place? Jacan couldn't imagine anyone wanting to go back there but, than again, the human did work there. It only made sense he would want to return to his job. He nodded at him, though his eyes were still on the television screen. "I do not mind being alone. It will give me time to adjust to your world." He said softly. Since he was probably going to be on Earth for a while, it was probably best if he learned the customs of the humans.
When the man went into the kitchen, Jacan remained in the living room, looking around at the objects sitting around. All of them tugged at his curiosity. He wanted to know these things, learn what they were and if they had a purpose. He was also curious about the man who aided him in his escape. He knew so little of his rescuer, yet the man knew quite a bit about him.
Jacan didn't even know the human's name.
Oh no, that would simply not do.
When the human returned, Jacan caught the scent of the food. It smelt delicious. When the bowls were put on the table, he went over to it and knelt down, leaning over one of the bowls, smelling it. Even though it looked foreign and strange, it smelt wonderful. So much better than the things the scientists fed him. Jacan moved one of the bowls, being careful since it was hot, to the other side of the table so he was sitting opposite of the human. Of course, the human sat on the couch and Jacan sat on the floor, though the alien didn't seem to mind.
He sat there until the man returned with drinks, not touching his food until the human said he could. "Yes, thank you." He said, looking down at his bowl and the utensils. They were odd looking as well and, when he touched them, he found they were cool against his skin. He glanced up at the human before he picked up the spear-shaped one, wrapping his hand around it. It took him a moment but Jacan soon held the fork like the human did. He started eating slowly, occasionally blowing on it to cool it down.
Proper clothes? Jacan blinked then looked down at himself, seeing that he was still dressed in the clothes the human had given him. "Ah, yes. You will need this more than I will, especially since your going back out in the cold." He said, putting his fork down to pull the scarf off his head. His antennae sprang back up and he shook his head, exhaling a sigh of relief. That felt much better. Jacan tucked strands of black hair behind a pointed ear and he looked up at the human again. "What is your name?" He asked, looking at the man curiously.
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Posted: Mon Jan 18, 2010 10:02 pm
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Posted: Sun Jan 24, 2010 8:36 pm
Wondering why the boy was so fascinated by the falling, frozen droplets of water on the other side of that thin pane of glass, Mikhial realized that there wasn't so much difference between the boy and a human after all. There were many people who would sit by a window all day and watcha blizzard, perhaps reading a book or with the television on as well, but their eyes always drifted back to the window in the end, as though they were watching the birth of a new world around them. Even if it could be dangerous at times, the snow could also be magical when it wasn't so harsh and unforgiving. Nature was often that way; either a lion or a lamb. In this case, it seemed as though they had been dropped right in the middle of a lion's den with no hope of escape. That is, until the storm subsided, which would probably only be the following morning, according to what Mikhail had heard on the weather that morning.
Thinking so much about the snow, Mikhail was reminded of his homeland time and time again. Although he'd been born in Russia, his parents had moved over to America when he was still very small, and he could really remember much from when they lived there. However, they went back once or twice a year to visit family that had chosen to remain there. It wasn't the most beautiful place; most of the year it was cold and unpleasant, even though Mikhail had quickly adjusted to the weather. Still, something about the country always drew him back there in his mind; it was something he could neither explain nor understand, yet it meant a lot to him in his heart.
Chuckling at the boy's simplistic suggestion, Mikhail explained, "I would starve, ultimately. Bad weather isn't an acceptable excuse for missing work, at least not where I'm stationed, so I would lose my job. If I lost my job, I would run out of money, and eventually I would starve to death because I wouldn't be able to afford food." Although it was oversimplifying several important things, it was a good enough explanation in Mikhail's mind. After all, the boy had to understand the importance of keeping a job and being able to eat. Nothing was more basic than the need for food.
"That's a good point," Mikhail said, thinking about how valuable it could be for Jacan to try and learn a few things about human culture. Although it was unlikely that he would ever have to meet another human while he was still on earth, Mikhail thought they would be able to get along better if Jacan knew the ins and outs of basic human living. After all, things like television were important, so even just knowing about them would help him live better during his stay and give them more things to talk about over dinner. When he thought about it, this would be the first time Mikhail ever had someone staying over for dinner in his home, let alone for the night. It was odd, yet at the same time somehow comforting, even though he knew it was bad for him to have the boy in his house at all.
Smiling at the boy as he removed the scarf from his head, Mikhail said, "Sorry if it hurt your antennae, but it was necessary. You don't have to hide when you're around the house, though, so long as you stay away from open windows and if there's ever someone at the door or inside other than me. Although, you're actually the first visitor I've had in a long time, so I don't think you're in much danger of that." Looking up again from his food as Jacan asked for his name, he smiled before answering, "Mikhail Balk. You can just call me Misha, though." Even though he'd gotten used to living such a solitary life, Mikhail enjoyed having someone to talk to, someone to show his home to. Even if he spent most of his time sleeping or watching television, he knew that having Jacan around for a while would bring some extra warmth to his empty home.
((Sorry, late post is late. sad And short compared to yours.))
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Posted: Fri Jan 29, 2010 2:25 pm
Ah, yes, starving would be a problem. Though, if he lost his job, wouldn't it be easy just to get another one? Or... perhaps they couldn't do that on this planet? Maybe they were set to one job and only one job. Was that how it worked? That was nothing like the rules on his planet. Everyone was free to choose what job they wanted. If they didn't like it, they could quit and find another one. Of course, there were some jobs that required work all the time so it was difficult to get out of. Such as his job. Jacan couldn't easily quit his job just because he wanted to. It was dangerous and called for someone with the right skills to succeed. Though, as of right now, it was hard to say if he succeeded now. His initial mission might have failed but, as long as he found his comrades, he could return home with his head held high.
Returning home... Would he even be able to now? He knew his ship was badly damaged and there was no way he could run it alone. Or, rather he didn't want to run it alone.
Blinking, Jacan returned himself to the conversation, looking up at the human. "That is true. If you can not work, your... way of life is... compromised." His pauses were due to him having trouble finding the right words. He'd picked up the human language rather quickly but, actually speaking it was a different matter. "Even if you were to hate your job, you can not leave because they need you. It is an important job."
Picking his fork up, he poked at the leafy green salad, looking at it's contents curiously. Some of these were similar to the plants that grew on his planet while others were completely foreign to him. He glanced up at the human for a second, seeing that he was eating them with no problems. Than again, he lived on this planet; he would be used to the food here. Jacan picked up a piece of lettuce and carrot, taking a quick sniff of them before he put them into his mouth. The taste was... different. But he did like it. It was a good different.
Hearing that he was the human's first visitor, Jacan looked up at him again. He wondered why that was so. Didn't he have family? Or friends? Comrades from work? Did no one visit him? "I understand." He said with a nod of his head, his antennae twitching slightly. "I have no... desire to return to that place. I will be careful while here. You do not have to worry." Jacan now knew the dangers he faced here. From what he had seen, this planet was violent and cautious. When he had been captured, they didn't treat him like he was one of them. They treated him like he was an animal. No, they treated him worse. The animals on his planet were treated with care and trust. Not with fear or hatred. Just thinking about his past captivity made him think about his crew members. Were they going through the same treatment right now? Jacan prayed they were not. Perhaps the scientists were keeping them somewhere else, providing them with some amount of protection.
When the human finally answered his question, Jacan looked up at him. "Mik...hail Balk... Misha..." He repeated slowly, just to make sure he got the pronunciation right. He tilted his head to the side slightly, "You do not wish to be called by your birth name?" He asked curiously. "Why not?"
((It's fine. And I honestly don't care about length. Unless it's a one-liner, haha. No, quality is worth more to me than how long the post is. As long as you give me something to work off of, we're good. ^^))
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Posted: Fri Jan 29, 2010 9:27 pm
Nodding, Mikhail agreed. "Yes, I suppose they need me, but I don't really care about them all that much over there. It's more a matter of myself," he tried to explain, although it was difficult to try and put it into exact words. The main reasons he worked there were the for pretty much anyone stuck in a job they didn't necessarily like; money and convenience. If he left his job he would have to find another one soon after, but Mikhail couldn't honestly think of anything he'd rather do. There was really nothing in life that he had much of a passion for except instant noodles. Of course, noodles from a restaurant were good too, but only if they were done right. What ticked him off the most was when someone overcooked noodles.
Trying to get back to explaining things to Jacan, he smiled weakly and continued, "It's hard to find work these days. Even though my hours suck and I'm not too thrilled with the work or the conditions, the pay is good, and the position is sound. I mean, the commute can get a bit tricky at this time of year because of the weather and they really don't give us many sick days, but it isn't so bad that I would rather leave. If I keep doing good work and don't stand out too much, I could get a promotion or maybe a raise in a year or so, and it would continue on like that until I have to retire. Of course, I really don't want to be stuck in that place for the rest of my life, but what choice do I have? I don't have any kind of training or a degree in anything else, so even if I could find another job it wouldn't be nearly as good."
A bit surprised by Jacan's question regarding his nickname, Mikhail thought about it for a second before saying, "Well, Misha is just a shortening of Mikhail. I don't mind Mikhail, it's just...Misha is more casual." Pausing for a moment, Mikhail hoped that the boy understood the difference between formal and casual. Although he seemed to have a decent handle on the language, there would, of course, be vocabulary that he wouldn't pick up right away. Giving the boy the benefit of the doubt, he continued, "Everyone at work is so stuffy, it would be nice to come home and talk to you as a friend rather than a coworker or something like that. It just feels more friendly." The boy's reaction made Mikhail wonder about his culture. Were names something important in their world? People on Earth seemed to treat names and identity with such a careless attitude. There were plenty of kids whose parents named them on a whim. At the last minute they would realize they needed to actually give the baby a name and pick something simple and easy to remember like John or Emily. Not that they were bad names when given for the right reasons, they were just so abused in those days.
As he worked his way through the food, Mikhail briefly wondered about the other guards at the laboratory. Not so much about the incident, but about what their daily lives were like. After living alone for so long, he'd lost the ability to make any light conversation with people, even at work, so he knew very little about the others. Did they also head home to an empty house and instant noodles? Were some of them married, perhaps with children even? Did some go out to the bars and try to drown their loneliness, or did they head home to their families and spend dinner chatting about their days? It was interesting to contemplate the lives of others just when Mikhail's own life had been turned on its head by Jacan. Although, he didn't mind it. It was a welcome change of pace.
"So Jacan, earlier you mentioned having to find you friends. Why don't you tell me about them? They seem awfully important to you." From the way the boy had been speaking earlier about having to find his friends quickly, it made Mikhail wonder just how close they were. After all, there were those friends who considered each other closer than family, and those who would die for one another. It seemed as though the friends he had been separated from fell into at least one if not both categories, seeing as they had been the boy's first concern when he'd gotten out of his restraints.
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Posted: Wed Feb 10, 2010 9:37 am
“More casual…” Jacan understood a little bit about that. His people had names like that, except they were more like titles. Only the select few could have two names. Zanti, for example, had a second name because she was a captain. Myalintari was her other name but, to anyone who were her friends, she was just Zanti. “Ah, yes, I believe I understand…” He said softly, glancing down at his soup. He looked up again when Mikhail said 'friend'. Did this mean... he considered Jacan as a friend? He must be! After all, the man was allowing him to be called Misha, his second name, so that must mean he considered Jacan as a friend. This made Jacan smile and the ends of his antennae glowed faintly. His first friend on this planet, who was also his savior.
Oh this was wonderful! Perhaps now, they would be able to get along better. There was still the issue of trust but Jacan figured he could lay some amount of trust in the man. After all, Misha DID save him from that horrible place. The least he could do was give him some amount of trust.
Jacan didn't mind the silence between them as they ate. The ends of his antennae continue to emit a faint glow, signifying that he was happy. Or at least, he was happier than he was earlier. But, when Mikhail asked about his comrades, the glow faded out slightly. Of course he hadn't forgotten about them, but, to be reminded that he didn't know where they were set him back a little. He only hoped they were alive and well, even if the scientists had gotten a hold of them. Or, perhaps they had escaped. What if they were looking for him right now?
"My comrades and I have been working together ever since our... training days. They're names are Zanti and Tsu'Teni. Zanti is our... captain and my qwent. They are very dear to me." He poked around the soup as he spoke and, though he smiled a little, his antennae didn't glow. He was remembering them. "Zanti has a fiery yet maternal spirit. She can make any of the other officers beg forgiveness with a simple look but she looks out for the younger ones. And Tsu'Teni... he is big and strong. He is so much taller than me or Zanti - he nearly hit the top of our ship." Jacan laughed softly, remembering when Tsu'Teni would hit his head on the hatch of the ship because he forgot to duck.
"Bet he's even taller than you, Misha. He comes up here on me." He put his utensils down and put his hand above his head, leaving a space that could be a couple feet wide. "He is very serious but we are all friends. We make a good team, we do." His smile faded a little and he looked down as the table. "That is why I must find them. Zanti and Tsu'Teni are more than comrades. They are my friends, very dear and close. I could not show my face to Feri if I failed them." Did humans have this sort of affection to their friends as well? Did Misha? Who did he hold dear in his life? Anyone? What of his parents or family? Surely they held a place in his heart.
"Do you think they are back there? In that place with the... scientists?" He asked, looking at Mikhail again.
((Sorry - I couldn't think for the longest time ><))
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Posted: Sun Feb 21, 2010 9:56 pm
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Posted: Fri Feb 26, 2010 10:15 pm
((*dodges heavy fire, jumping sideways into a bush*))
Nodding with a satisfied smile, Mikhail said, "Good," and took another mouthful of noodles from his bowl, slurping loudly as he tried to be sure that none escaped his grasp. Listening as the alien told him about his comrades, Mikhail had to admit that he felt sorry for the boy. He'd lost his friends through no fault of his own, had been unlucky enough to get picked up by the scientists before they started performing who-knows-what kind of experiments on him, and on top of all that, he still didn't know if his partners had fared any better. From the sound of things they were all pretty close as well, which probably made things more painful.
"Well, there are a few assumptions we can start to make," Mikhail mentioned, setting down his bowl and fork for the time being. "First off, we can be fairly certain they weren't being kept in the same laboratory as you. If we consider that the scientists seemed to keep many other experiments in the same room, they probably kept all of the ones for that laboratory in that room. Even though it's a large compound and there are still many buildings and many more rooms we don't know about, I can only think of one or two reasons that they wouldn't have been kept for the same laboratory as you. Either the scientists wanted to 'spread the wealth,' so to speak, and share similar specimens around several labs, or...I'm sorry to say, but they might not have been in the proper condition to be kept with you." Although there was always the possibility that they had merely been injured and were being kept in some kind of medical wing, it seemed highly unlikely. However, a dissection table...
"If your friends did not die in the crash, I'm certain the scientists would do everything in their power to keep them alive. After all, I'm sure it isn't too often that they get live visitors like you, so they probably consider you 'precious cargo.' In any case," he added, trying to distract from the depressing turn their conversation had taken, "you shouldn't worry too much about it right now. There isn't anything we can really do about this just yet, and worrying will only make things worse. For now, just...be ready, I suppose, for anything. Of course, you'll also need to rest and relax. I may not know much about your kind, but you don't look healthy right now." For some reason, Mikhail thought of Jacan much like a stray cat, and wanted to be sure that he regained as much of his strength as he could before trying to exert himself too much.
Staring down at his soup with a blank expression, Mikhail asked suddenly, "Jacan, do your people tell stories much? Do you like stories?" Although they had been talking of such depressing things, Mikhail still thought about the boy's culture, about what kind of people they were. Whether or not they found his comrades, they would have to live together for a while, and there would certainly be points when they would have nothing more to do than sit down across that very table and speak with each other, probably over nothing at all. If they at least had something to talk about, then perhaps everything would go more smoothly.
((Did you know that Tetris is Russian? : ) ))
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Posted: Wed Apr 07, 2010 8:26 pm
((Bump. Also, adorable sig is adorable. Bonus points for Chibitalia. Although it seems more like Southern Italy to be pouting than Northern.))
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Posted: Mon May 03, 2010 12:49 pm
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