(Untitled)

[a_mere_child]

Work on restoring the Borealis continues apace. If all goes well, they'll be ready to teleport out within the week.

Of course, not everything goes according to plan. Alyx hadn't anticipated Shephard's pet houndeye going into heat, for instance. But Alyx refuses to make that her problem. Shephard can deal--no, Shephard will deal with it. Alyx is

Comments

[braveomaticaya]

The munching sound has one of Tsu'tey's ears flicking back every time Alyx crunches a chip.

Eventually, he has to look and see what's making the noise--and strangely it correlates with the faint smell of powdery-corn-like-something.

"What are those?" He's familiar with chips, just not that kind. Or with why they're electric orange.

[a_mere_child]

"They're--" begins Alyx, then does a double-take when she sees who's speaking. "They're corn chips," she says once she's recovered her composure. "With artificial cheese flavoring."

[braveomaticaya]

"Why would you artificially flavor them?" he asks, ears perking forward.

[a_mere_child]

"...that's a good question, actually," says Alyx after a moment's thought. "I guess real cheese wouldn't keep very well?"

[braveomaticaya]

"Not in those bags, no," he says, quiescent. "Are they good?"

Many Earth foods that are offered here in the bar he finds inexplicably strange; it says a lot when one is as impressed by the sonic-barking abilities of animals from other dimensions as the ability of humans to artifically produce seemingly everything edible.

[a_mere_child]

Alyx shrugs. "I like 'em."

[braveomaticaya]

Thankfully he knows better than to ask if she likes them because she's pregnant, or if the two are unrelated.

"I will try them soon, then." That having been settled he extends her a hand as he's seen many of the people do here in the bar, though his hands are large and blue, and with not quite the usual number of slender digits. "I am Tsu'tey."

He's not giving his full name out every time. Few people pronounce it right anyway.

[a_mere_child]

"Oh, you're the one Shephard was talking about!" Alyx shakes the offered hand with a smile. (Tsu'tey may have day-glo orange dust all over said hand now.) "I'm Alyx Vance."

[braveomaticaya]

"He has spoken of me?"

Color Tsu'tey surprised. He knows, in theory, that his appearance must make an impact on the humans not familiar with Pandora--and he knows this in other ways judging by Adrian's first expression when they met--but he didn't expect to be talked about. "It is nice," he says. "To meet you." Finishing the return greetings humans use often doesn't click with him--understandable given the Na'vi almost never use the same phrasing.

[a_mere_child]

"Likewise," says Alyx. "And yeah, he said you wanted to play that 'great ball game' he was trying to organize?"

[braveomaticaya]

"Yes," he nods. "It sounded amusing."

He would be the one to say that game sounds 'amusing'. "I have never played it with humans, though."

[a_mere_child]

"But you have played it before?"

[braveomaticaya]

"A version of it, yes. It is popular with the others of my age in the tribe," he says. "The girls are surprisingly good at it, too."

[a_mere_child]

"Huh. I'm hoping you don't have the human sacrifice aspect?" A beat. "Or Na'vi sacrifice, whichever."

[braveomaticaya]

"No, no," he assures quickly. "It is just a game. Nothing real is at stake, except perhaps a bet or two. Something of little value, usually."

The same as with adolescent humans on earth, really. Or...well, what had been Alyx's earth before.

[a_mere_child]

"Well, go easy on Shephard, okay? I don't need him laid up with a broken leg or something."

She's joking. Mostly.