0006: NEW ARRIVAL BRIEFING

[crux_npcs]

Who: New Arrivals, Graham Baker
Where: Briefing Room
When: Late afternoon, Aprilo 1st
Warnings: None

When awakening, the immediate surroundings are swarming with activity. The people in the medical ward are polite and understanding, but firmly refuse to answer questions until the briefing. They move with a practiced efficiency, already veterans of this kind of thing. The same goes for the robots in the hangars. Either given hospital outfits resembling very comfortable pajamas, drone bodies, or their own bodies, they are escorted by polite, unyielding people in red and black uniforms to the briefing room.

The Briefing room is large. Not enough to accommodate a giant, but spacious enough for several dozen people. The tiles are black and featureless while the walls are nice, soothing colors. The chairs are high-backed and well-cushioned, more like comforting eggs floating a foot or so off the ground than anything else. Set into the ceiling and floor near the front is a large holographic projector. The floor in front of each seat also has a smaller projector, allowing people to see what the bigger device is showing without having to angle for a view. As of now, it merely displays a rotating pyramid.

Three Security personnel, dressed in their red and black uniforms, stand at ease in the rooms in strategic areas. One man stands at the head. Graham Baker, a middle-aged man showing the first signs of balding and wearing a wrinkled business suit, clasps his hands behind his back and smiles.

[Questions to the NPCs will go in the briefing thread. The rest of the post is there for people to mill about and do whatever with. The mods will not be doing hangar/medical awakenings unless it's specifically asked for.]

Comments

[act_of_god]

She's smart enough to understand he's not acting hostile, but she's not about to assume it will stay that way.

She gets up to about a foot from him and draws to a stop, watching in silence for a moment. She can see now that he's definitely quite a bit different from the Elites, but he's still alien enough to keep her from relaxing.

"What are you."

[smallest]

What was he? Well he was a musician, of course. As well as a monster, according to some accusations in the past. Yet without a way to write to her, he could not answer her question.

He held eye contact with her. Despite his appearance, there was something helpless about the way he looked. When he opened his mouth, all that came out were a series of indecipherable chirps. About the only point speaking had here was just to show how pointless it was for him to speak. He knew what she said, what everyone said in their strange language. He just could not speak it.

[act_of_god]

She blinked, then frowned with a hmm. She couldn't necessarily say she was surprised; it's not like the Covenant carried around translation devices on their way to wipe out cities.

But she might have seen some recognition, and that gives her an idea; a couple options that could break down the barrier. "You can understand me." She waits for a reply; if yes, there was the tried and true yes/no questions, though it was limiting. She knew the Covenant already had some idea on their language, considering the message they'd relayed with their attack on Harvest. She didn't know what percentage of ground troops, though, would be privy to it. "Can you write?"

[smallest]

The corners of his mouth lifted to a small smile. Well it was not exactly a friendly conversation, but it was a start. He nodded to both of her questions. Oh, but, he patted his suit pockets and shrugged when they all turned out empty. He did not have as much as a pen on him. All his belongings were somewhere else. Baker may have mentioned something about that but he did not understand much of what he said.

He chirped sadly. He wanted to write to her, but how?

[act_of_god]

She mimes writing words on the palm of her hand with her finger, then pushes her upraised hand at him. She's swallowing a lot of disgust at this, giving him a massive benefit of the doubt. She may not have bee trained to fight non-humans but when the Covenant showed up, she and the other Spartans were the only things keeping humanity from complete annihilation.

[smallest]

It was slight, but he shrank from her when she raised her hand to him. It was not that he thought she would strike him. It was just, well, a palm was a very small writing surface. For lack of a better option, he traced letters across her hand. He tried to keep it short.

I'm just a songster
Once called a monster

[act_of_god]

Songster? Did she read that right? She frowns, cocking her head slightly. It's certainly not the kind of answer she would have expected.

"You're a musician? Do you--" She's about to say sing, but given his vocal attempt she assumes that's not really feasible. "--play an insrument?"

[smallest]

If only she had asked. However, he could not correct what he did not know so he only nodded. Instead of writing out an answer, he held one hand out as if he were holding something and then ridiculously mimed playing a guitar. It looked a lot like he was stroking his chest.

Where was that guitar anyway? He looked around. It was important to him; he did not want to lose it.

[act_of_god]

What is he even doing.

It takes her a moment, but eventually she nods. It's hard for her to come to terms with, the idea of something so reminiscent of the merciless aliens she'd known doing something as innocuous as music.

"Our things aren't here." If they were he wouldn't be able to see her face in her armor.

[smallest]

Not here? He assumed that meant he would never get it back. His mandibles drooped and he hung his mouth open. But that guitar was from Lucille. Even if he could find a new one here, it would not be the same. His chirps turned into a sad hum.

[act_of_god]

Kelly honestly doesn't know what to do with this guy. It would have been easier if he attacked her: she could have dealt with that without really thinking. This, though, she's not so sure. She steps back and looks at him with poorly concealed confusion.

[smallest]

What could he do? Not even she seemed to know. After looking at her confused expression, his shoulders sagged under the weight of his sorrow. He gripped his hands together, holding them close to his chest. His guitar, hat, mask, and ring were missing; so many lost gifts from his friends.

I AM SO SORRY *SOBBING*

[act_of_god]

She frowns and gives a slight, controlled huff of exasperation. She wasn't about to feel pity for an alien and this was getting embarrassing. "Stop it." She gives him sharp jab to the shoulder."That won't solve anything. They've taken all of our things."

Kelly had every intention of getting her armor back so he wasn't about to cry over its current absence (even if it does leave her feeling open and somewhat vulnerable). She also wondered how much she could trust this thing. Was it all a ruse? Her gut told her no but her training made her question it. He could be playing coy.

Never be sorry, this is great!

[smallest]

He looked more shocked than anything from the jab, like he did not understand what just happened. He chirped at her, looking lost. At least that seemed to get him out from his mood. So their belongings were here, only taken.

But who had it now? He looked at the uniformed people that had escorted them here. None of them had it. He chirped thoughtfully. If it were all up to Francœur, they were not likely to find their belongings for a long while.

:D

[act_of_god]

He's definitely not acting like what she expects. There's a moment when he looks at the guards and Kelly feels a small press of excitement; she looked forward to - almost hoped for some conflict. When he doesn't act, though, she sags slightly in the faintest disappointment.

"Are you part of the Covenant, even?"

[smallest]

The look on his face said all that there needed to be said. He knew nothing about this Covenant. To answer her further, he shook his head.

"Krrr?" he chirped questioningly. He looked at the guards and then to her. What was this Covenant; were they the Covenant?

[act_of_god]

She shakes her head and motions to all of him. Less like her, more like him.

"Aliens. Killing humans. Destroying entire planets -- that's not at all familiar?"

Kelly was never faced with an alien she doubted killing until now.

[smallest]

His jaw dropped. That sounded terrible! Why would that be familiar at all? Did she think that he would do that? He shook his head; he would never.

This was not the first time someone assumed he was some monstrous killer, only instead of a monster, now he was apparently an alien. Experience did not make any of this easier. His felt his chest tighten and he squeezed his hands. He whined in a high, pitiful voice that seemed to be asking her not to think such things of him.

[act_of_god]

It's hard for her to imagine someone looking like he does not doing that, really, but since it's in the early days of the Human-Covenant war, she doesn't have any extensive intel on how they live or operate; there could be those that acted more like this guy.

She holds her hands up to try and shush him. "Okay, you're not like that. I get it." I think. "It's new to me."

[smallest]

He breathed out and his shoulders relaxed. It was important that she believe him. His hands unclenched and he looked up at her from his hunched posture. He opened his mouth, closed it, and then opened it again as if a lot of thought went into the next few chirps he uttered.

He smiled; it was small but genuine. Did she truly understand?

[act_of_god]

She continues to look at him blankly, a slight furrow etching her brow.

"Are there more like you?"

[smallest]

There were probably more fleas around, though their survival mainly hinged on remaining hidden. Of course, she did not mean that, did she? He shook his head. There were no others his size. The casual look on his face suggested that it did not pain him to be the only one. With the friends he had met, he never felt lonely.

[act_of_god]

Kelly remains still for a moment, and then nods. "Good."

Because as nice as this thing has been, she doesn't trust that any more would be the same.