Post by aardvarklord on Jul 19, 2016 19:51:53 GMT -5
"Listen to the air leaving my mouth," Jevik growled with exasperation, "You don't have to agree with anything that she's saying or anything of that sort. You don't even need to socialize with anyone. Just do a bit of basic training. Just something in case you wind up in a dangerous position." The kriina was getting rather exasperated with having this conversation so often with his pseudo-kinsmen. He would have thought that basic logic of being prepared would have been enough to get the land-dwellers to actually accept the proposition of doing some simple combat training. He knew they would never be proper warriors, but just a little something to keep them from being helpless. Wasn't like they were stupid.
But no no no, that was for the brave, 'callous' people. Actually, to be fair to Raani, he was resistant for reasons other than the idea of hurting people. Granted, he didn't like that idea--especially since the very concept of hurting another sentient being was repugnant, especially for something as stupid as training for a battle that would never come. But... no, he was more worried about it for another reason. "Please, just stop pestering us with this," Raani asked, tugging on the sleeves of his golden dress and keeping his ears folded back in displeasure. Their voices were interesting, Raani sounding smooth as silk and feminine, though just close enough to the male line to leave most people confused--meanwhile Jevik's voice sounded like a somewhat butch woman had run herself hoarse to the point she started sounding like an airy, raspy boy. The two couldn't have looked more different, despite being about as similar in species appearance as anyone got on the Exhibition, Jevik looking like a primitive hunter built for combat (which he pretty much was), while Raani was the emblem of elegance and a model of beauty (which had some of the more masculine species chuckling considering his gender). "I don't want to get my clan into trouble. We simply want to try to make our lives here, is that too much to ask? We understand why you go there--we know you do not like it here. We don't either. But... please, don't try to make our decisions for us."
Jevik let out an irritated, twittering sigh through his nose, his melon vibrating lightly within his nose. It was the same old story every time--the shiinei just didn't want to make it seem like they were a bother. His 'tribe' had all reported the same thing whenever they tried to invite one of these stubborn landlocked lugheads to training. It would be their undoing. Still, nothing more to be done. Finally, he just grabbed the shiina by the shoulder and held onto him lightly, looking him firmly in that fragile gold eye. "You know, if you ever change your mind, we will listen."
Well, at least he had gotten the message finally--of course Raani knew it wouldn't end there, but he was stepping back for now. He'd take it... and he really didn't want to make a rift between himself and the kriinei, because he genuinely did value them. "Thank you," he replied as he tenderly lifted the seaman's hand off of him, and gave it a gentle rub with his fingers, "May your seas be warm and the waves gentle" It was a traditional farewell, but he hoped that such a peaceful thing was enough to get him to accept that the conversation was over.
It was. "And may your winds be soft and their direction true." While he acted civil, just the way that the aquatic man stalked off told just how angry he was. Idiot. It wasn't worth the effort of stepping on seashells around the shiinei trying to get them to understand that it was important to be ready. He was starting to realize that they'd come of their own accord when they were ready. Probably once their game of playing house with each other fell through.
Needless to say, Raani was more than a little ruffled after that conversation with the kriina--they were such rough creatures. They refused to even attempt to understand either his own people's or even their people's feelings, much less anyone else's. How the 'sibling species' managed to separate so much in mentality he had no idea. Regardless of the reason, it left him irritated, and while he had initially intended to head to one of his usual hangouts, maybe go to the musical bar and find someone to talk to distract him from... certain things. But the way he was feeling, he didn't want to bring his sour tone into there... maybe a library would be nicer. He knew that some people made some pretty good works and that they occasionally managed to copy their people's histories over, or at least as close to accurate on it as they could manage. Well, some tended to lie about it, but it wasn't likely that Raani would ever know--plus it wasn't like it was his soul getting poisoned by it. He just hoped that those sorts would realize their errors before the damage became irreparable.
It was a typically ideal day out in the Citadel of the station, countless people walking about on their usual days. A few peacekeeping robots were patrolling around, but near as he could tell they were just moving around on their typical routes. There were a few actual people peacekeepers, but Raani knew better than to talk to them--he wasn't a troublemaker, but they were almost entirely unpleasant sorts. Thankfully, other people were around to help bring the station's song up, especially the happier psionic sorts--not everyone was cheerful, but most were trying to keep their life fulfilled while aboard the station. It was nice to hear some less dour voices, and while Raani knew that this song wasn't nearly enough to replace a proper, natural world, it at least helped fill the gaping void. He also liked the wide variety of architecture on display. The standard equipment mandated to be in place for the station to function were dull, but those that the residents had made of their own accord were beautiful and varied, much like the people were. The shiina wasn't looking for a mate or anything of the like--he was glad that his betrothed were back home on their own and he dreaded to think what it would be like for them to be here--but at the same time he reveled in seeing the vast diversity of the station. Oh how he hoped he would be able to return to tell of all the different creatures he saw here. But, until that day came, he was here alone... only a crude mock-up of a clan to keep him afloat.
The library was actually made by one of the earlier species to be picked up, one of the near-extinct ones who wished to have a place to store their equipment. It was actually rather clear when others started adding to the Great Library of the Exhibition--the architecture started off smooth and simple and started taking on different personalities as it gained stories. Inside it was mostly simple and tasteful, though again it seemed to keep changing depending on where you were. Not many people actually spent time in the library--the staff was entirely robotic and most people found VR technology and live performances more interesting than anything based around reading. Raani thought it was nice to start reading something. Hmm... what would he start off with? Maybe some epic poems? Yeah, that sounded nice... something to get his lungs working again and his pulse pounding. Maybe it would bring a bit more energy to his 'clan' back home. Do something to alleviate the ache in their songs.
Jevik, by contrast, simply intended to return home and regroup with the rest of his 'tribe,' see if any of them had had any success in dealing with the shiinei. It had been their plan to hit as many of the slippery little bastards as possible at once so that the thought was in as many minds as possible. That funky song thing that they had was useless to most, but he had noticed long before coming here that the shiinan clans tended to start messing around with each other's heads a lot. Who knew, maybe getting one going would start a chain reaction. Though... then again... if nobody got it to stick, then they would just have to try again in a few weeks. Hmm... maybe he had best wait, try out one of the VR simulations beforehand. After all, they might be away for a while and he didn't want to waste time. He remembered that there was one particularly good one that had just been put in that helped train for combat--granted it was in a pre-space system, but perhaps that would be useful.
He never saw the VR arcade--instead as he was passing a building a pair of "peacekeepers" came out from one of the alleys behind him, and were quickly joined by two in front of him. Well, seemed they wanted words with him. "I presume you have something to say to me," he greeted them grumpily, shifting around and sizing them up as they wound up to launch into some spiel that they no doubt had practiced for hours on end before coming to nab him. It wasn't the first time the kriina had been targeted for a 'chat' by the Archivist's thugs, though using a group was new. He and the other kriinei had all been harassed for going to combat training sessions with that one alien, "Maz" he thought her name was--it wasn't unique to them, in fact they got pestered less since they were a big group rather than individuals. The police wannabes must have gotten tired of getting smacked around so much. Granted, these guys were fairly beefy to begin with. Two of them were smoothskin mammals--one with very thick grey skin and a bald head, standing a solid head taller than Jevik and enough fat on him to feed a family of five for a week; the other was a short and stout thing with green skin and horns coming out of his head. He'd call them Fat Grey and Greenhorn. The other two were interesting--one was an amphibious sort like him, but with slick and smooth skin and a strange black and orange coloration. Spooky. The last was what looked to be an overgrown bug, a bit shorter than Jevik but plenty of meat on his bones... assuming that wasn't all armor. Funny thing was that he had REALLY long antennae coming off his cheeks--so he was immediately called Whiskers.
Spooky was the first up, his voice slick and disgusting. "Hear you gave our buddies a hard time recently, you and the rest of that little training group."
Fat Grey then spoke in, her thick skull apparently inhibiting her ability to speak. "We want fix that. Teach you good."
Rolling his eyes, Jevik cracked his knuckles and told them in a relaxed tone, "Look, I've never struck out at you guys. You've always earned it. Besides, don't you think this'll go badly for you if my tribe decides to return the favor?" Which they probably would--one-on-one fights they would gladly let go, but just ganging up on one of their own was a declaration of war.
It was about then that Whiskers came up behind him, resting its filthy pincers against his back, "Yesssss... this is why we will make you not want to tell."
Well, that was all he needed to hear. In a blur, he ducked and lashed out with one of his feet, dropping the insect with a soft clack. He then used the freaky alien's head as a bounceboard and pushed off to take a swipe at Spooky, his hope being to knock out the faster members of the group first. Fat Grey took some early swings, but they all missed easily... but by that same token with the four quickly trying to close the noose on him Jevik couldn't really get a good swing at one of the aliens either. Even that first swing at Spooky missed wildly. He did land some blows, and in his desperation he made damn sure to use his claws, getting a good helping of xeno blood on them after a particularly good swipe at both Greenhorn and Spooky--his swipes on Whiskers didn't do anything. Still, he was doing okay, only taking minor jabs as they tried to get a hold of the slippery man... but then he tried to claw at Fat Grey. Boy was that a mistake. His claws got in... but it turned out that the thing had pretty thick skin (to a howl from the beast) and his claws got stuck. He let out a strange, high-pitched growl as he tried to get them loose, but then the brute finally landed a punch on his head and he dropped like a sack of fish. Before he could even remember what direction was up and what feet were for, Fat Grey had him by the arms and threw him bodily into an alleyway.
Within moments they had him pinned up against Fat Grey, all of the rest taking turns to deliver a 'well-deserved' punch to the gut or limbs. He heard them making comments the whole while, but he wasn't paying attention. He had failed in combat (even if it was wildly unfair) and now he was going to take his punishment for capture like a man. Of course, if he was still capable of doing anything once they released him he'd tear someone's arm off, and the occasional hiss that he gave them as response to their rhetorical questions spoke that well, but at this point he knew that they would probably beat him till he couldn't stand.
But no no no, that was for the brave, 'callous' people. Actually, to be fair to Raani, he was resistant for reasons other than the idea of hurting people. Granted, he didn't like that idea--especially since the very concept of hurting another sentient being was repugnant, especially for something as stupid as training for a battle that would never come. But... no, he was more worried about it for another reason. "Please, just stop pestering us with this," Raani asked, tugging on the sleeves of his golden dress and keeping his ears folded back in displeasure. Their voices were interesting, Raani sounding smooth as silk and feminine, though just close enough to the male line to leave most people confused--meanwhile Jevik's voice sounded like a somewhat butch woman had run herself hoarse to the point she started sounding like an airy, raspy boy. The two couldn't have looked more different, despite being about as similar in species appearance as anyone got on the Exhibition, Jevik looking like a primitive hunter built for combat (which he pretty much was), while Raani was the emblem of elegance and a model of beauty (which had some of the more masculine species chuckling considering his gender). "I don't want to get my clan into trouble. We simply want to try to make our lives here, is that too much to ask? We understand why you go there--we know you do not like it here. We don't either. But... please, don't try to make our decisions for us."
Jevik let out an irritated, twittering sigh through his nose, his melon vibrating lightly within his nose. It was the same old story every time--the shiinei just didn't want to make it seem like they were a bother. His 'tribe' had all reported the same thing whenever they tried to invite one of these stubborn landlocked lugheads to training. It would be their undoing. Still, nothing more to be done. Finally, he just grabbed the shiina by the shoulder and held onto him lightly, looking him firmly in that fragile gold eye. "You know, if you ever change your mind, we will listen."
Well, at least he had gotten the message finally--of course Raani knew it wouldn't end there, but he was stepping back for now. He'd take it... and he really didn't want to make a rift between himself and the kriinei, because he genuinely did value them. "Thank you," he replied as he tenderly lifted the seaman's hand off of him, and gave it a gentle rub with his fingers, "May your seas be warm and the waves gentle" It was a traditional farewell, but he hoped that such a peaceful thing was enough to get him to accept that the conversation was over.
It was. "And may your winds be soft and their direction true." While he acted civil, just the way that the aquatic man stalked off told just how angry he was. Idiot. It wasn't worth the effort of stepping on seashells around the shiinei trying to get them to understand that it was important to be ready. He was starting to realize that they'd come of their own accord when they were ready. Probably once their game of playing house with each other fell through.
Needless to say, Raani was more than a little ruffled after that conversation with the kriina--they were such rough creatures. They refused to even attempt to understand either his own people's or even their people's feelings, much less anyone else's. How the 'sibling species' managed to separate so much in mentality he had no idea. Regardless of the reason, it left him irritated, and while he had initially intended to head to one of his usual hangouts, maybe go to the musical bar and find someone to talk to distract him from... certain things. But the way he was feeling, he didn't want to bring his sour tone into there... maybe a library would be nicer. He knew that some people made some pretty good works and that they occasionally managed to copy their people's histories over, or at least as close to accurate on it as they could manage. Well, some tended to lie about it, but it wasn't likely that Raani would ever know--plus it wasn't like it was his soul getting poisoned by it. He just hoped that those sorts would realize their errors before the damage became irreparable.
It was a typically ideal day out in the Citadel of the station, countless people walking about on their usual days. A few peacekeeping robots were patrolling around, but near as he could tell they were just moving around on their typical routes. There were a few actual people peacekeepers, but Raani knew better than to talk to them--he wasn't a troublemaker, but they were almost entirely unpleasant sorts. Thankfully, other people were around to help bring the station's song up, especially the happier psionic sorts--not everyone was cheerful, but most were trying to keep their life fulfilled while aboard the station. It was nice to hear some less dour voices, and while Raani knew that this song wasn't nearly enough to replace a proper, natural world, it at least helped fill the gaping void. He also liked the wide variety of architecture on display. The standard equipment mandated to be in place for the station to function were dull, but those that the residents had made of their own accord were beautiful and varied, much like the people were. The shiina wasn't looking for a mate or anything of the like--he was glad that his betrothed were back home on their own and he dreaded to think what it would be like for them to be here--but at the same time he reveled in seeing the vast diversity of the station. Oh how he hoped he would be able to return to tell of all the different creatures he saw here. But, until that day came, he was here alone... only a crude mock-up of a clan to keep him afloat.
The library was actually made by one of the earlier species to be picked up, one of the near-extinct ones who wished to have a place to store their equipment. It was actually rather clear when others started adding to the Great Library of the Exhibition--the architecture started off smooth and simple and started taking on different personalities as it gained stories. Inside it was mostly simple and tasteful, though again it seemed to keep changing depending on where you were. Not many people actually spent time in the library--the staff was entirely robotic and most people found VR technology and live performances more interesting than anything based around reading. Raani thought it was nice to start reading something. Hmm... what would he start off with? Maybe some epic poems? Yeah, that sounded nice... something to get his lungs working again and his pulse pounding. Maybe it would bring a bit more energy to his 'clan' back home. Do something to alleviate the ache in their songs.
Jevik, by contrast, simply intended to return home and regroup with the rest of his 'tribe,' see if any of them had had any success in dealing with the shiinei. It had been their plan to hit as many of the slippery little bastards as possible at once so that the thought was in as many minds as possible. That funky song thing that they had was useless to most, but he had noticed long before coming here that the shiinan clans tended to start messing around with each other's heads a lot. Who knew, maybe getting one going would start a chain reaction. Though... then again... if nobody got it to stick, then they would just have to try again in a few weeks. Hmm... maybe he had best wait, try out one of the VR simulations beforehand. After all, they might be away for a while and he didn't want to waste time. He remembered that there was one particularly good one that had just been put in that helped train for combat--granted it was in a pre-space system, but perhaps that would be useful.
He never saw the VR arcade--instead as he was passing a building a pair of "peacekeepers" came out from one of the alleys behind him, and were quickly joined by two in front of him. Well, seemed they wanted words with him. "I presume you have something to say to me," he greeted them grumpily, shifting around and sizing them up as they wound up to launch into some spiel that they no doubt had practiced for hours on end before coming to nab him. It wasn't the first time the kriina had been targeted for a 'chat' by the Archivist's thugs, though using a group was new. He and the other kriinei had all been harassed for going to combat training sessions with that one alien, "Maz" he thought her name was--it wasn't unique to them, in fact they got pestered less since they were a big group rather than individuals. The police wannabes must have gotten tired of getting smacked around so much. Granted, these guys were fairly beefy to begin with. Two of them were smoothskin mammals--one with very thick grey skin and a bald head, standing a solid head taller than Jevik and enough fat on him to feed a family of five for a week; the other was a short and stout thing with green skin and horns coming out of his head. He'd call them Fat Grey and Greenhorn. The other two were interesting--one was an amphibious sort like him, but with slick and smooth skin and a strange black and orange coloration. Spooky. The last was what looked to be an overgrown bug, a bit shorter than Jevik but plenty of meat on his bones... assuming that wasn't all armor. Funny thing was that he had REALLY long antennae coming off his cheeks--so he was immediately called Whiskers.
Spooky was the first up, his voice slick and disgusting. "Hear you gave our buddies a hard time recently, you and the rest of that little training group."
Fat Grey then spoke in, her thick skull apparently inhibiting her ability to speak. "We want fix that. Teach you good."
Rolling his eyes, Jevik cracked his knuckles and told them in a relaxed tone, "Look, I've never struck out at you guys. You've always earned it. Besides, don't you think this'll go badly for you if my tribe decides to return the favor?" Which they probably would--one-on-one fights they would gladly let go, but just ganging up on one of their own was a declaration of war.
It was about then that Whiskers came up behind him, resting its filthy pincers against his back, "Yesssss... this is why we will make you not want to tell."
Well, that was all he needed to hear. In a blur, he ducked and lashed out with one of his feet, dropping the insect with a soft clack. He then used the freaky alien's head as a bounceboard and pushed off to take a swipe at Spooky, his hope being to knock out the faster members of the group first. Fat Grey took some early swings, but they all missed easily... but by that same token with the four quickly trying to close the noose on him Jevik couldn't really get a good swing at one of the aliens either. Even that first swing at Spooky missed wildly. He did land some blows, and in his desperation he made damn sure to use his claws, getting a good helping of xeno blood on them after a particularly good swipe at both Greenhorn and Spooky--his swipes on Whiskers didn't do anything. Still, he was doing okay, only taking minor jabs as they tried to get a hold of the slippery man... but then he tried to claw at Fat Grey. Boy was that a mistake. His claws got in... but it turned out that the thing had pretty thick skin (to a howl from the beast) and his claws got stuck. He let out a strange, high-pitched growl as he tried to get them loose, but then the brute finally landed a punch on his head and he dropped like a sack of fish. Before he could even remember what direction was up and what feet were for, Fat Grey had him by the arms and threw him bodily into an alleyway.
Within moments they had him pinned up against Fat Grey, all of the rest taking turns to deliver a 'well-deserved' punch to the gut or limbs. He heard them making comments the whole while, but he wasn't paying attention. He had failed in combat (even if it was wildly unfair) and now he was going to take his punishment for capture like a man. Of course, if he was still capable of doing anything once they released him he'd tear someone's arm off, and the occasional hiss that he gave them as response to their rhetorical questions spoke that well, but at this point he knew that they would probably beat him till he couldn't stand.
