The27percent - Tumblr Posts

@mechahero​, @the27percent​ and @moonglittering​ started following stxr-bxster

“Oh... cosmic horror space. That’s... fun.” It’s not to Krigg, given the slow, nervous and tired creak of her voice as her stylus hovers over her map of the galaxy, jotting down a few new metrics in small purple text.

There was a lot for her to hate in the universe. Warp gate taxes, evil empires, violent dystopian worlds, the Horde, orbital stations that charged 7.35 standard credits for a lukewarm cup of stimulant that tasted like piss water...

But she had a special place in her heart for anything that related to supernatural points of distortion, which seemed to crop up in the universe like landmines of bad taste. Be they as spaces in the galaxy where the fabric of reality had crapped its metaphorical pants, or as entities of bullshit min-maxing floating around in the great galactic soup, it was always a special sort of displeasure dealing with them. And by dealing with them, Krigg meant keeping between her and their weird ass a few light years of distance, minimum.

As much as they were violently unpredictable, those spots of reality-bending nonsense rarely were omniscient. They couldn’t torment, pick on, bind to their will or otherwise fuck with something they had no way of knowing about.

Krigg much preferred it to remain that way. They weren’t always bad, or wildly destructive to their surroundings and the people they chose to interact with, or that just passed them by. Sometimes they were just regular-ass blokes. But those were infrequent enough occurences that she usually preferred to err on the sight of caution.

Come to think of it, she also liked to play keep-away with those few insular factions that tended to pop up unexpectedly across the map, changing and disappearing every other year. Those guys were always embroiled in some shady shit just to stay afloat, something that Krigg had no interest in. They could be good hiding spots - blank spaces with little surveillance or law enforcement, but lawless zones always came with a degree of risk. You could stick around long enough to lose whatever was chasing you, but any longer, and you’d either be in trouble, involved in something, or blackmailed into both.

Plush toy

This plush has been through a lot, but it's still very colorful. The antennae are made from fuzzy string, how cute!

the27percent​:

@stxr-bxster

Atieno really appreciated being able to take some time away from the more crowded places. Not that they didn’t enjoy immersing themself into ‘civilization’ and learning about any given locations peculiarities, it’s just that the more out of the way, the hidden spots were a place of comfort.

A place where they could think, gather themself, make plans for their next location. Or sometimes just lounge and do a lot of nothing.

The latter seemed to be their aim for this given location on the outskirts of Lumina. The details of the flora and the environment was enough for them to feel relatively at ease as they walked among the intertwining trees - occasionally bending down to avoid branches too close to their head.

It’s only when they step again under some of the branches that they hear some sounds. These didn’t seem like any of the local animals. Perhaps there was another visitor to these far out places.

It wouldn’t be the first or last time that they come across another would-be traveler. What the nature of this interaction would be though, the entity couldn’t be sure?

They already felt themselves coming back into some kinds of guarded position at the sounds of a nearing being.

Krigg couldn’t help but feel her mind seized by the urge to wander, whenever she stepped away from the perpetual hum of people.

As much as the peppy little extraterrestrial liked to think that she was the social sort, always enjoying the proximity of other people and the sounds of life going by, her life as a drifter involved a lot of watching things from the sidelines. More often than not, it was just a non-negociable matter of respecting the technological advancements of whatever planet she found herself on by not making first contact.

Avoiding drop-kicking a poor pre-space era specie’s conception of the Fermi paradox was a sort of tacit rule between drifters. Being accidentally seen by one or two people without leaving proof, or very limited scale bartering, was the grey limit of acceptable. Anything more was a bit of a no-no. So she watched, from a distance, and wandered the places away from people’s awareness. Didn’t intervene too much, didn’t poke her fingers where they weren’t supposed to go. And people like easy solutions, sure. Nothing wrong with that, struggling isn’t a needed prerequisite to the things of life - more like something that just sort of happened, to everyone’s admission, and that they just dealt with as an unavoidable step.

Easy was just, well, easy to conflate with unhealthy. And it was sometimes a little hard to see the line, or the unfortunate conscequences of initially well-meaning actions.

Soft leaves crunched underfoot as Krigg idly hopped over a winding tree root, skipping along with a neutral expression on her face. Her gaze passed over the winding branches overhead, having long shed their coats of leaves, leaving the cloudy skies to peek between the gaps of the withered foliage. She hummed to herself softly, without tune or rhyme - just noise to fill the silence, fingers idly brushing against the trunk of a passing tree. The air smelled of dead leaves and of the cold. Another skip over a large root, another soft rustle of leaf litter.

Ah, what was she thinking about again? Her train of thought had plumb run from her, she noted with a frustrated click of her tongue. Oh yeah, it was true that her mind tended to wander when she was...

Not... alone? Krigg stopped her advance rather abruptly as a dark shape came into view from the corner of her eye, clashing with the soft colors of the woods. Her head snapped to the anomaly, her mind suddenly very much in focus, antennae perked sharply at attention. The first thought that crossed her mind was something of a wordless jeer related to the misfated nature of her previous train of thought, only for her to have stumbled upon some random local with an exotic dye job, crumpling face into a disbelieving wince. The second one caused the wince to drop into a wide-eyed expression of unease, upper lip twisted into a nervous sneer. She took a short hop back, frame suddenly tense, legs shifting into a ready stance.

Krigg believed in gut feelings, very much. Tiny little fragmented details that the mind latched onto subconsciously and associated with a sense of danger. Sometimes, instincts were just good judges of character on a small contradition in the behavior pattern of a given liar, or the posture of a dangerous animal about to pounce. Over time, she liked to think her ability to pick up on something just not being biologically right from a cursory glance had gone through the roof from exposure.

And that wasn’t right.

the27percent​:

Non-intervening was something they had done by nature, but visiting quieter spots where they could at least be mostly alone was something that didn’t trouble them much. Perhaps they had shown up in  some of the stories of varying civilizations over the many years, that didn’t seem to bother them much. Although they still had a way of avoiding such places just to make sure the potential fervor died down after a few generations.

They had been moving careful and quietly within the forest, prepared to dissipate or alter themself at the sight of a local. They had done enough reconnaissance to know this was fairly out of the way of most patterns - so when they did pick up on someone else.

They couldn’t be too surprised to see another.. potential wanderer type out here. Usually, they would actually be a little friendly even to see someone interested in places of this nature. But the sheer reaction on her face was enough for Atieno to remain guarded, distant in a way that came off as aloof.

They weren’t biologically right, alright. Ati is uncertain whether they should get closer or not. No, they would stop their movements and remain still, very still as they kept an eye on this other being.

They weren’t going to be judging for wandering, they were in no position to do exactly that. Instead, they would let this oh-so-expressive kind of wanderer make an impression.

“Interesting walk out here.. isn’t it?“ They kept their stance, casual - almost off-puttingly so, with their hands in their pocket and their overall gesture of someone who does not play all their cards so boldly, so immediately. Never at first.

A tilt of the head as they are studying her, almost too aware of how wary she has to be - the facial expressions had given off so much information without saying a word.

There’s something to be said about circumstances being able to engrave a reaction to something in someone’s bones. Potential danger being treated and analyzed, processed before it had any chance to become a true threat was a general hallmark of twitchy trigger fingers. Alive twitchy trigger fingers, of note.

Slowly, Krigg shuffled her poise from ready to act, to defensive. She slid one foot back, shifting her weight to it, her gaze fixated upon the strange figure, lips drawn tightly into a thin line. Faint star-shaped pupils contracted, the branches thinning and expanding minutely as she meticulously scanned them, trying to sink her claws into what exactly her hindbrain latched onto that her higher brain functions hadn’t caught.

It was the eyes, wasn’t it? Just one distant glimpse had been enough to send alarm bells ringing in the back of her mind, but a closer inspection certainly didn’t help soothe her reactive habits. There were plenty unusual details about the... she didn’t even want to qualify it as a *biped*, but they could all be attributed to cosmetic flights of fancy.

But the behavior, and the eyes - those struck out at her like things she SHOULD have been wary of with reason. Even when straining her vision harshly, she could not see pupils distinguished from the irises. They were two blacker-than-black dots that sucked in all the surrounding light like the space between stars. And for a creature that was supposed to belong to a civillization that hadn’t gotten to the stars yet, they were awfully comfortable.

Well, maybe not comfortable, more... detached. Like the whole situation was just a thing to happen. The behavior was extremely non-stereotypical, which was saying something about bipeds, which had BY FAR the weirdest reactions to this sort of thing normally. Krigg found she had to very consciously will her face back into a neutral posture when they spoke, lips instinctively curling to bare rows of sharp teeth. Her antennae slowly tilted downwards until they lay flat on her head, their usual curve growing stiff. It was a small wonder she didn’t hiss at them.

Call it a professional deformation, but she didn’t much like things that wore the skin of something else. Especially not when the things were looking back at her and picking her apart with as much attention as she was giving them.

She considered not answering and just walking the other way. But she lacked information - only surface assessments. Being too hasty and not treading carefully was how you made a fool of yourself. Or how you ended up dead, which sort of nullified the other possibility on a technicality. In a remote corner of her mind, the less anxious part of her leaned over its balcony railing, and suggested that maybe not jumping to conclusions on others was the right thing to do. It was, promptly, not ignored, but not answered either.

“...It’s quiet and the air smells nice. The greenery is pleasant to look at. I guess it’s... alright.” It took Krigg a few tries not to mumble through clenched teeth, or to try and chase the tension from her body. She only marginally managed the former.

the27percent​:

It was pretty obvious that whoever they were encountering was used to having analyze threats and quickly at that. If nothing else, she seemed to have a strong sense of self-preservation at all costs. A good quality to have if one was going to be out among the stars for any potential reason.

Indeed their incredibly dark eyes would have been the physical signal that all that the being here was of a very different state of existence. One that barely fit within the form that they had chosen to taken up. Perhaps they should have done something more shadowy, that would have been closer to their true nature. But would that have made this situation any easier?

What does a presentable form look like for those ultimately more formless than anything else? Atieno had experimented with that according to their interests, but those interests still meant that they would always sit in a uncanny valley kind of territory for those that they ran into. That they had long gotten used to. So the staring, the bearing of teeth, the sheer tenseness that they seemed to inspire in her - that was to be expected. They couldn’t and wouldn’t blame her for being wary.

But they weren’t going to take any particular action to give her reason to act either. Seeing her finally respond to their statement was enough for Atieno to give a slight nod.

“Alright? Yeah, it’s pretty lovely area, places like this can be quite the nice refuge when traveling. But I mean.. I can certainly let you continue on your way. I don’t mean to hold you up from wherever you’re trying to go.“

Of course, they doubted that being staring them down wouldn’t try to get some information out of them. Like why where they here, what their exact deal was.

----

For some skin-crawling, unknown horror, the false biped had some rather choice thoughtful opinions on the art of remote locales folks passed through along the way to other places. Krigg gave a slight frown, pushing to the side her urge to speculate - did it actually have refined, self-formed opinions, or was it repeating something to get a desired outcome? Mindless trap, or intelligent predator? Despite the phantom buzzing within her arm muscles of a practiced gesture to grab hold of her plasma pistol, she refrained.

She would not engage hostilities, yet, or risk sparking an agressive response from the creature. If it gave her no reason to draw fire, she wouldn’t give it one to retaliate. Though t’was the path of least risk, the situation left her just as confused as for which reaction to display in regards to the being offering she continue her path.

She wanted to gather more intel first - but would doing so expose her to a higher risk of the situation turning sour? Most likely, but walking away and leaving one’s back exposed while knowing nothing was just as likely to end miserably. The gears turning inside her mind halted with the one certainty she did have. She needed to make a choice, stalling would only delay actual decision making so long.

And her need for information won out.

“I’m not... going anywhere. I was just trying to enjoy the scenery. Would me leaving even...” Krigg’s voice hung in the air, the words “be safe” resting on the tip of her tongue - unsaid, but at the same time so predictable from context. She had no doubt the sharply observing creature ahead would, anyways. “Like- what’s- what’s the catch? Is there one? Should I be worried about turning my back to you? Are you going to rob my ability to speak if I do it, or turn my eyes inside out out of some weird principle? I don’t even know what you are - sure as shit not a biped!”

Ah, and there was that bad habit of hers. A rising and lowering, rapidly flickering tone stuck between playful-ish disbelief and annoyance that seemed to belt out of her mouth when she was stressed.

the27percent​:

Atieno figured that their offer for the other to continue her journey would mostly be baffling more than anything else. Probably hard to believe, and hard to justify just leaving without further context. They could at least see the hesitation all over her behavior. Ati remained still, not daring to try and rush a response out of her.

Hearing that she wanted to enjoy the scenery, the entity gives a small nod. They didn’t need the question to be completed for them to know where this line of questioning was going.

“It’s totally fair to ask if there’s a catch. Because way too often there is, in fact, some unpleasant surprise that seems to come with the territory. I’m not interested in robbing you of your ability to speak…“ As tempting as it might actually be, they don’t intervene if they don’t have to.

“I’m not going to do .. any of those kinds of things if I don’t have reason to. But you’re right.. you’re right. I’m not a biped. It’s not too hard to figure that out. “

Disproving that he would visit harm upon her if she didn’t give them a reason, but not that he couldn’t do the things she’d mentionned somewhat from the top of her head... Yay. Reassuring.

Krigg’s face scrunched into an open, rather disgruntled sneer, her open, ready-to-run stance somewhat falling apart as her feet shifted closer together leaving her standing in place with a straight back. She crossed her arms on her chest, one antennae twitching on her head in noticeable annoyance.

“Then can you please speak straight for a minute and tell me what you’re supposed to be?” Krigg hissed, pinching the bridge of her nose and squinting her eyes shut briefly, only for her hand to swivel to them, making an inviting motion as she continued to speak. “What are you even doing wearing a biped skin, what logical reason do you have to look like that? Is- is that how you choose to go on secluded walks? That seems kind of overdressed for the occasion, if you’re not planning on meeting someone.”

“Or - what, would my brain matter melt if I somehow saw you in your birthday suit?” That, was a positively unnerving thought.

the27percent​:

Atieno was this far from laughing at the sheer annoyance that they seemed to be provoking in her. It’s not something that they aimed to do, but if someone was having that much of a reaction to them, they can’t help but find it funny.

“I could. Although hissing at me isn’t exactly a way to get what you want. But fine. I am and embody the dark matter, the darkness of the universe. Been around for.. entirely too long. “

 As patient as they could be and friendly as they could be at times, this seemed to be a different encounter, revealing a more sharpened edge to their sense of self.

“Well it’s easier to visit places in a relatively smaller form. Trying to get a larger version of myself into places I wanted to see without causing a huge scene - that would be a lot more trouble than it’s worth. The details is just personal preference. And yes. This is how like I look in general - it’s not for anyone but myself. “

As for her brain matter melting, Atieno hummed. “Well. It depends. There are versions of myself that could that. But most of it is more.. disperse, and present in the vastness of space without people noticing too much.“

“I-” Krigg tried to find herself interjecting, but seemed to stop herself before she could provide any sort of argument, her raised finger slowly moving back down as her face fell into one of disgruntled acceptance of the fact he did have a point. Never had a rude, demanding behavior gone anywhere in negociations, unless someone had the clear superiority in the firepower department.

And as she came to learn shortly after, face decomposing slowly into a mask of quiet horror, the one with the superior firepower wasn’t her by a loong, looooooooooooong shot. “...Oh.” Was her long-awaited response, at the end of a relatively long, polite period of silence to listen to and digest what the other was feeding her, the little alien having gone from staring at the man to staring at the tip of her boots. The thought that he was lying, feverish and hurried, emerged to the forefront of her mind.

But either he was the best fucking liard she’d met, which she would have believed easily enough, fucking skin thieves and all that, or he simply saw no reason TO lie. Which, if you were some eldrich abomination on a stroll, why would you see a reason to lie about your nature - the fuck’s the other person gonna’ do? Telling it outright was disturbing and just the type of shit she could see something like that do for the hell of it.

“Okay - you’re either NOT disproving or actively letting me know you can do whatever freaky shit litterally passes through my brain and happens to be vocalised, and I’m going to take that as a sign I should not say those things. For the sake of preserving my own sanity.” Krigg eventually said after a long inhale, hands joined in front of her face, brows furrowed. She exhaled slowly. Her logical brain was now aware of the situation. The emotionnal brain was just struggling behind but, she had good faith it’d catch up.

“So, the embodiment of dark matter just... turns into a biped out of sheer “because” to enjoy walking on ground level and smelling the flowers. That’s... I’m... So confused. I don’t understand.” Krigg slowly lifted her hands up, fingers curling in mute exasperation as they shook, the question she wanted to ask. “Whyyaay?” She sputtered out, arms falling limp at her sides. “Why do you, at all, just... exist like this. Why ARE you here? I’d expect the embodiment of dark matter to just be some diffuse consciousness just existing within a whole quadrant of space and causing the whole thing to get violently sent running amok like a bunch of coins rattled in a jar every time it turns around in its sleep? What’s the interest of just... being, on the level of one rock in the cosmos; to you?”

the27percent​:

Atieno had expected her to try and get a word in, they didn’t seem to particular mind that she seemed on the verge of saying something. But the way that her face seemed to fall was more than enough for them to know that their point has been made pretty clear. She was now very aware of who she was dealing with and while Atieno didn’t want to necessarily leverage that off the bat. If they have to, they are not above doing so.

Hearing her finally speak about not actually saying the things that she imagined them being able to do, Atieno gives a small nod in response. “That’s likely the best move you could make really.“  It’s a simple statement, just an acknowledgement that she probably did make the wiser choice all things considered.

The next rIound of questions, the confusion about them just hanging out more or less in different places were ones that Atieno was well used to.

“I mean I am what you expect because that diffuse consciousness is my true nature and is still.. doing what that aspect of me does while I’m out here right now. So you’re not entirely wrong.  But it’s curiosity that tends to drive my visiting of different places. When I go from seeing a whole lot of nothing, to helping form so many places, to seeing so many different civilizations come to fruition - it’s very interesting to see in the long term of things. And sometimes.. I just want to stop in and see what has arose from a more ..immediate point of view. “

“So, let me get this straight.” Krigg began, voice feeling somewhat softened compared to its previous aggravation, but no less incredibly confused. The little robot sucked in a deep breath, hands gingerly reaching to press against her sternum before falling away in time with her exhale. “Because, I still struggle to understand much of what you’re explaining to me. Well- I speak your language, it’s not that fucking obscure, but the reasoning behind the facts still has me swamped with confusion.”

“But you, in all your... vast eldrich existence, a tiny portion of your mind somehow saw the world form around itself, possibly from the beginning of matter in the univese, which would make sense as anti-matter and matter was just a great big soup with no concept of separation. It saw the world form around itself, and decided it would mimic a life form with an incredibly reduced perception of things to go explore that.” Krigg slowly spoke, the whole exercise mostly a way to chew the cud, so to speak, and actually assimilate what the unfathomable being was saying in terms she could sort of understand.

“How are you... not going nuts from that. I mean - not sure your mind can comprehend the concept of insanity, but it’s got to understand discomfort, at minima. Even if you definitely don’t conceptualize that too well in others.” The mention of his, well, rather poor decision to just let her know casually about some uncomfortable notions, was treated more factually than with any degree of annoyance at him for it. At the very least, it wasn’t actively malicious in that his lack of fucks given wasn’t actively causing her harm. Not that she was all too sure he’d restrain himself if it did, or care - it was only benign out of sheer luck of the conversation. “You’ve gone from two radically different perceptions of the world around you and your body related to it. How is it not bothering you even a little bit to suddenly be blind and deaf to your surroundings by comparison? I’m- honestly, I’m still kind of reeling from the fact you’re even capable of feeling curious, and not in a “welp, I wonder how that thing’s insides work - oh, it’s dead, that was fun, moving on” way.”

“...That or I’m actively boring and I’m fucking thankful for it.”

the27percent​:

Atieno could clearly tell that she was struggling with what they had explained. Although it was honestly a fair reaction, one they had gotten some times before. Which is often why they were a little careful about when and where they spent their time. “I mean.. fair. The reasoning can be hard to gauge especially when it’s contrary to how you’d expect someone my sort of being to move.“

“I mean. Yes. That’s more or how it happened. Although to be fair, I had seen many worlds form and.. so I have more amorphous but smaller versions that lets me slip about pretty easily too.“ It was quite the exercise to have caused.

“I think the main thing keeping me from what could be ‘insanity’ although I would question applying the concept of sane/insane to me at all in the first place - is that despite my fairly limited appearance, I still pick up on way, way, way more than any human or mortal being would. So it’s not that much of a separation for me. “

Atieno gives a bit of a dry mildly understanding hum at the admission about conceptualizing discomfort in others. It didn’t even land as a poor decision given they were being pushed to explain themself in the first place - that kind of uncomfortable realization was going to come. Even if they did manage to smooth things over a bit better with their words in other situations.

 “Yeah, you’re probably right about that. For the most part… I’d rather not tell anyone anything if they don’t actually want to know, to be forthright there. Easier to let people question things and maybe forget about the whole thing in time. “

Should they actually tell her about how curious they could get about the decay process and how that plays out? Atieno has since decided, that kind of honesty wasn’t worth it. Not here at least.

“As I said, I’m not entirely so removed in understanding my surroundings despite how I look currently. It’s very much a thin cover for what I can really do at a given moment. As for you and still reeling from all of this - I think most would understandably, and besides being boring isn’t exactly a bad thing. If it makes getting through things easier, then it has to be a relief. “

“Honestly chief, it depends on who finds you boring. The less energy something dangerous opts to spend on me, the better in my book. It means you might just slip through the cracks of something’s awareness, and in due time, they might forget you more than you forget things they’ve told you.” Krigg answered with a rather blunt strain of honesty, reaching to stuff her hands in her pockets. This whole conversation was a multi-track drift of trying to figure out how the person in front of her felt, how dangerous it was, and in general, to understand the strange social case that stood in front of her. Frankly, she wasn’t finding the task easy.

Trying to psychoanalyze something that far removed from the normal concepts that most people were subjected to for actual motivations was a plain headache and a half. And Krigg looked properly like she was slowly feeling the mother of all migraines coming on. The nasty type that started between someone’s eyes and that felt like some random asshole had driven a railroad spike into their forehead.

“So, you looking like this and approaching the world looking like a random, if very weird biped, isn’t any sort of downplay on your perception of the universe. You’re still observing the world under the same lens that you started out with, only in a way that would freak people out significantly less. But, that begs the question - do you get anything out of the world interacting back with you in that specific manner?” Krigg couldn’t help but ask, trying to pick her words with some degree of caution. She slowly reached up to rub her temples, staving off the feeling of mental exhaustion that came from her brief moment of fight-or-flight.

Now that the stress was dying down to levels acceptable for not being at an immediate risk of expiring, it was taking a toll on her body. “Are you finding some form of worth in interacting with other people as a pseudo mortal creature, at least in looks? I mean - you gotta’ have some form of interest in the situation to even maintain a conversation with me.”

“...I wonder if that’s how it feels like for chicks of endangered species to realize they’ve been interacting with a hand disguised as a sock puppet of their parent their whole formative years.” She added, the thought feeling fairly incongruous, but in a way that demanded she say it out loud. “You are basically talking out of a human sock puppet.”

the27percent​:

The absolutely blunt honest of her statement was interesting very interesting. Atieno was tempted to respond with a small smile, clearly relating well to this situation. But they figured showing such interest in it may only keep her even more unsettled, which she clearly already was. Making it worse now doesn’t seem like it was worth the attempt to explain to themself why bother.

“That’s understandable. Might as well just pass by, allow the briefness of the encounter and let the consequences of time catch up. Not a bad way of handling things really, not at all.“ Seeing her start to manage what could be a very bad headache, or even worse had them almost feeling bad. Maybe they could have just left in the first place to avoid her having to deal with the sheer complications of this conversation. Just because they liked being such a challenge to others, doesn’t mean that they would bother with this if they were in her situation.

“I mean I like talking to people sometimes, it’s been interesting to get to know a few individuals every so often in my travels. I think it’s interesting to be able to directly hear about different experiences. Make a friend or two when I just want to talk even if I know I can not be truly understood by … whoever I encounter really. It’s nice to participate in smaller scale activities that people enjoy over the course of their life, just try it for the sake of doing so. I have found some worth in such interactions. It’s hard to justify but it is a nice change of pace from the otherwise distance and diffuse presence I constantly maintain.“

With the comparison to a hand disguised as a sock puppet of their parent, Atieno offered a small nod.

“Yeah. I mean you’re right. I am. I can not and will not deny that. It’s really just a  convenient if peculiar layer for interacting. And it makes sense it’s very bizarre to just confront the sheer reality of that.“

“That sounds... Kind of one-sided. Lonely, almost, considering that even if you interact with people in a certain way, you’re not likely to encounter anything that could ever view the world the way you do.” Krigg admitted, letting out a short sigh that seemed to work at easing some of the tension that had taken root into her very bones at the threat of something clearly not following the general laws of dangerous encounters. Stress was a bitch and a half to deal with whenever it decided to violently ramp up in a way she couldn’t control.

She didn’t feel too bad for the guy’s situation as a lone singularity in a world of comparatively dull creatures - mostly because she barely knew the guy, and that there was basically nothing she or anyone could do about the situation.

“In a way, you’re kinda’ dumbing things down for the sake of others. Guess that sock puppet analogy wasn’t that far out of left field, hehe...” There was a little cackle from the small extraterrestrial as she mused out loud to herself, before turning back to Atieno. “I mean, I guess that the whole “not finding someone to relate to you or to open up to” isn’t that much of a you problem. I mean, it’s especially bad for you, no arguing it, but I can’t say it’s something a lot of people find in their lifetime. You share an issue with us plebs, rejoice!” There definitely wasn’t that much cheer in her voice, but Krigg made do with what she had.

“...You ever regret getting down on our level to experience things, in a way? Did it like, suddenly make you aware of some things you weren’t considering before, in a bad way?”

the27percent​:

When Atieno hears the comments about it being one-sided, lonely - they can’t help but nod a little bit in affirmation. It was often a very one-sided kind of encounter that they had been dealing with all this time. Even if they do and .. they do bring themself to a relatively ‘understood’ level (and that’s questionable even there), it wouldn’t be enough. It hadn’t been enough for so many times.

“I mean yeah. That’s the nature of doing so - even when I know it’s very futile just because of the sheer unlikeliness of that kind of mutual understanding. I guess a part of me is curious enough to keep trying every so often. But there are eras where I don’t.. for a good long while because of that realization.“  They certainly had no problems with returning to their diffuse solitude should the situation suit them and they have done that plenty of times.

It’s something that just comes with the territory of being who and what they were. They couldn’t expect her to feel for him in any particular way.

“Heh. It really wasn’t.. and it’s a funny image I have to admit.“ They were probably going to be chuckling to themself about it every so often.

“Yeah, what I have found is that relating .. and opening up is a very common challenge across so many kinds of beings. So I guess there’s something to be said about having that.. as a shared issue.

“ There’s a dry laugh that they can’t help but express at her common about the ‘plebs’.  The question about regrets is enough to make them pause a little more to think about it.

“There are moments where I do regret it a bit. Just because I .. already had a sense of how complicated trying to exist and be was. But seeing the immediate ways, the immediate impacts of people having to navigate so many systems, conflicts and struggles that are set up by their own civilizations. I’ve seen some really rough stuff … not to the point where I’m like none of you deserve to exist fuck off as that’s not fair to those who don’t participate in all that. And it doesn’t address some of the desperation that comes up. But damn, it’s really something knowing exactly what many are capable of versus just being faintly aware of it from a distance.“

“...Man, even if you weren’t an eldrich horror cosplaying as something made from flesh and blood, I wouldn’t blame you for wanting to just take a break from reality. It’s got too many stupid people in it.” Krigg couldn’t help but quip a little at the strange eldrich creature, hands stuffed inside of her pockets with a slight shrug. She was not starting to understand them - mostly because it had started to cement itself in her mind that she couldn’t, despite getting a rough idea of whether they were dangerous or not.

Which they were... not intending to be? That was honestly the best she could conjure up with any degree of certainty. Maybe they’d get bored and blast the planet to pieces, but she was starting to guess they probably wouldn’t. Maybe in a few thousand of years, when they finally gave up on the possibility they could ever find anything worth looking for, they’d stop caring for the conscequences of their actions by and large. But, it seemed that wasn’t the case in an immediate manner.

Which was definitely a strange realization. Krigg liked to think she’d outlast most of her issues, but she was pretty sure that her children wouldn’t have to worry about the void incarnate pitching a fit. Mostly because they were unlikely to ever exist - though that was a matter for another time.

There’s a bit of a genuine bark of laughter as the being admits, quite bluntly, that they’d never expected to suddenly learn the complexities of mortal life, as pertaining to the fact they tended to get themselves into trouble. “Hah! And here I thought nothing could surprise you, o wise creature from the litteral middle of nowhere!” Krigg chuffed, flashing a bit of a smirk up at the false human. “Well, glad to hear you didn’t take one cursory glance at the budding civillizations that popped in the middle of nowhere and decided they were good to throw away.”

“...In all seriousness though, that’s the curse of mortals for you. There’s many of us, all of whom have an opaque view on the feelings, motivations and emotions of everyone around them. And somehow, we have to make it work, because roughing it alone is something our genetics won’t allow us to do, most of the time! The world is one, great ball of miscommunication, when people aren’t being straight up dicks about everything, and we have to deal with it.”

the27percent​:

Atieno expressed an amused tsk in response to the comment about getting the need for a break from reality. “Truly. It’s just like .. astounding to see how much the depth of it actually goes. For as much as things do change over long periods of time, seeing some of those same patterns come up is enough for me to want a break.“ Some of the memories coming through their mind at the moment is enough to make them give a small, low sigh.

Although their very being had some danger to them - if they were pissed off enough by an individual or in the course of them just adjusting some planetary things, or even in the distant future where they would come to cause some more drastic endings - in the moment though, it wasn’t like they wanted to throw that sense of danger around. They didn’t like doing so, it felt kind of weird.

Hearing a genuine bark of laughter is enough for them to have a sly smile on their face, one that only widens at her chuffing. “Ah well for all that I know.. surprises has always been a part of existence. Even for the likes of me. And finding out out has been very interesting.“

“I was too curious about how those civilizations would be in the first place to risk throwing it out so early. “

When she confirmed the nature of mortals - so many of them, often unaware of their feelings and motivations of others while having to be around each other, Atieno nods in understanding. “Yeah. It’s like all kinds of mess is inevitable because of that very thing. Fascinating but also frustrating at the same time. Comes with the territory even if that doesn’t make it any easier to deal with.“

“Yeah. Spend enough time around people, and you see patterns tend to kind of emerge - no matter where you go in the universe, no matter when it is, some shit just doesn’t wanna’ change.” Did Krigg feel unusually cocky to be talking so boldly around a creature that could possibly sneeze her out of existence (not that she wanted to test that theory)? Absolutely. But, she figured that if that being hadn’t been phased by everything that had gone on before, they probably wouldn’t mind a slow change in attitude. Or care. But mostly mind. “If it’s annoying for a couple of decades, I can imagine it getting pretty grating over a couple centuries.”

“But... none of us live that long, so I doubt that stuff gets annoying, unless you just so happen to be surrounded by younger races as some extremely long lived being.” Krigg couldn’t help but feel her gaze wander out to her surroundings. Even if her attention had been entirely fixated onto the strange being, her surroundings were still the same forest that had gently pushed her mind to wander. Staring off to the winding trees, she couldn’t help but feel herself lean back, a soft expression of melancholy crossing her features.

“...A fair few people think it’s not... worth it, you know. That state of confusing being, the way we feel out blindly the edges of other people’s perceptions to build the way we react to the world. Only for the next generation to have to relearn it all again, sometimes worse.” Krigg began, speaking softly. She wasn’t sure if she expected the being to comment in a profound way, but maybe... she wanted to hear their thoughts. That was all.

“They only see the frustration that comes with taking two steps forward, one step back, and they think we ought to change, to become something else to avoid a stasis of our own making. I think... they’re not completely wrong, but they also advocate for the end of what already exists. I know that every step forward is a little death in itself, and that change is unavoidable, but... I like our chaotic, imperfect selves a bit too much to agree.”

the27percent​:

“That’s very true. There are people who just refuse to change in so many possible ways. And that’s just all there was to it.“ It had been especially irritating to deal with those sorts but at this point Atieno was like, if others insist on riding that bullshit until it’s done - that’s their choice and their consequences as far as they were concerned. “Can confirm. Has gotten quite grating over some centuries. But it’s almost a relief that many don’t live that long enough to have to deal with that kind of feeling.“

Noticing the way that her gaze drifted back to the trees, Atieno reminds themself why they had come here in the first place. The sheer beauty of different locations was often worth dealing with whatever seemed to arise along the way.

When they noticed that sense of melancholy on her face in combination with her words, it’s enough for them to be feeling quite pensive about what she has said.

“Yeah. I.. I have run into a number of those types too. And I can understand where it comes from. I really can. In some ways I don’t mind those who want an end for what already exists, because I do think there are some things that seriously need to end sooner rather than later.”  If it was restrained to certain things, Atieno would actually be more in favor of those kinds of drastic shifts.

However, they knew a lot would rather the kind of destruction of absolutely everything in some .. likely poorly thought out strategy that they were frankly unimpressed by at this point. So they had to end up taking a different position on it in the end.

“ However, I do think…overall  the sheer imperfect, chaotic nature of many mortals make it so.. that they would have to be able to struggle on their own terms more often than not. That sense of autonomy and opportunity to try on their own terms even if they don’t succeed.. is important.

It’s a good part of why I don’t try to throw what I can do on many places any more than I absolutely have to. “

Krigg couldn’t help but feel a little snort of laughter escape her at the strange being’s rather thoughtful insight on allowing the chaotic, silly, often contradicting species of the universe to find their way on their own. She looked up to the false human, feeling her lips quirk upwards in a crooked, if very much genuine grin.

“An unbelievably old cosmic entity, citing one of the core reasons behind the prime directive in more easily digestibles terms than I’ve heard some official cadets from extraplanetary organizations come up with. Well, I think I’ve got to thank my lucky stars I got up this morning still alive to hear that.” The small alien giggle-snorted, feeling an air of levity creep up on her despite the somewhat dour conversation matter, or the fact her interlocutor remained an eldrich being playing dollies for all she knew.

Despite the unnerving feeling that remained at the back of her mind generated by her conscious thought, telling her to keep a pin on the fact she wasn’t really talking to another living being, she was... not having a displeasant chat. Nor was she in danger, that she could tell. And frankly, she’d managed to find fun out of situations where she was saddled with either a dreadful conversation, or a highly dangerous set of circumstances. There were worse things she’d been through.

“In the end, the answer is, as usual, that the path is hard, we go through the same shit differently, and the destination is too far away to see. But we nonetheless walk that road, because onwards and through is the only way out. And being a little shit just because you’ve walked longer is just being a little shit, not wise or clever.” Krigg sighed to herself, rocking on her heels as her gaze drifted off back to her surroundings. For a few moments, there was comfortable silence - until a niggling thought wormed its way from the recesses of Krigg’s mind, blooming into being quite abruptly.

“...Say, uh... I’ve been calling you the not-biped in my head the whole time, and it’s getting redundant. Do you have a name people call you that doesn’t melt people’s eardrums?” She piped up with a light quirk of an antennae, taking her hands out of her coat pockets to place them on her hips, turning to fully face the stranger. Was it wise to give names to an immortal being? Yes... and no. Always a chance they’d just forget it.

the27percent​:

Atieno couldn’t help but be curious about what had caused that snort of laughter to come from the being they had been chatting with.  And the sight of that quirky and yet actually genuine grin - now that was a twist of twists. They hadn’t expected to be able to inspire that kind of reaction from her. And now they really wanted to know where it came from.

Hearing the answer is enough to make them chuckle as well. “Yeah, I can only credit having enough to time to try out .. worse and clumsier explanations truly.  Guess I’m glad I was able to provide that kind of memory at least.“ They often lingered in people’s minds for understandably ambivalent reasons - the awareness of such an entity out in the universe can be an unsettling thing and that is something Ati had come to accept as part of the risk of talking to others at all.

Her response about the difficulties of the path being hard as usual with no clear destination in sight is enough to have Atieno nodding a little bit. “You’re very much correct about that. There’s only the experience of going through that can say so much. And being a little shit ah, it gets pretty old constantly even trying that anyway.“ They had seen how hard it was to maintain that kind of persona after longer periods anyway, making the whole effort futile.

With the change in this conversation, Atieno was starting to feel more at ease within their surroundings.

“Yeah, I can see that being a tiring phrase. But yes, I do. People call me Atieno. I hope that’s not too much of a brain destroyer. I don’t think it is.  How about you? What.. do you go by, or at least what are willing to tell me you go by?”

There was a tiny uptilt of Krigg’s lips as “Atieno”, as it apparently were, asked her about her own name, though not without posing the possibility of her not wanting to give it, likely out of habit. She reached up to her hat, pushing up the rim to angle it slightly on her head in a way that would cover more of her very bald noggin’ against the chill in the air, looking to nowhere in particular as she turned the idea in her head a few times.

Then, without warning, she gave a small huff. “Name’s Krigg, actually.” She spoke calmly, amusement bleeding into her voice as she smiled to nothing in particular, hands stuffed in her pockets. The small alien rocked on her heels a few times, seemingly unable to sit completely still for long. “After some pondering, I don’t think this makes much of a difference on my likelyhood of getting into trouble from you. I mean, if there’s ill intent  hidden somewhere, it’s gonna’ happen either way, and if there’s none, nothing I’ve got to worry about.”

Krigg clicked her tongue, pointing a finger to Atieno with a small, knowing, almost friendly grin. “Rule number one of Drifters - freak out quickly about something that can be a problem, assess the situation, and then calm down just as quickly, because you’ve got a lot of shit to stress about, and no time to stay high-strung in-between. Constantly freaking out is bad for you!”

Krigg sucked in a deep breath, before sighing slowly, feeling as though a small weight had been lifted off her shoulders. Who knew that a formal introduction would work so well to just make the situation feel weirdly... normal? Yeah, seemed about right. The little alien seemed to slump forward the slightest bit at the realization, only for a stray thought to re-enter her brain and straighten her back in one, fell swoop. She stood ramrod straight for a second, eyes blown wide in quiet surprise before she groaned, reaching to run a hand down her face.

“The prime directive is about protecting people’s tiny fragile minds from imploding at sudden and new concepts too far removed from what they know. You’re a walking, talking proof of something even advanced civillizations would mildy freak out about - there is litterally nothing surprising about you knowing the prime directive. It’s SO obvious! Why am I only NOW catching on?” Krigg ranted, hands flying about in angry gestures before her arms slumped on each side of her body.

⏰ thrill

Slip a ⏰to see a memory or a part of my muses’ past.

The clamps on Krigg's antennae sent a sharp pulse, making the sensitive appendages twitch and inch apart the slighest bit. No sound in the depths of space, only the faint rumble of the scout ship's engines, and the artificial brushes of vibration from the clamps, painting an environnmental picture that her eyes couldn't see. A sharp jerk of the twin control sticks sent the craft on a swerve, barely grazing a small cluster of asteroids. The sensation of moving parts behind her sent a shiver down her spine, an all-obscuring mass practically brushing against the back of her neck sending the clamps into a frenzy of white noise with each smashed asteroid. Auxillary screens in the corners of her vision flashed nightmarish pictures of huge, snapping pincers and a gargantual body advancing in slow undulating motions across the asteroid field, worming its way through like a mighty icebreaker.

But the faint flicker of fear seemed to only fan the flames fluttering inside Krigg's chest, and she gunned her craft's engines, a smirk creeping onto her face, exhilaration obscuring the fear. Obstacles zipped right and left as she slalomed between sluggish asteroids, placing more and more of the field between her and the advancing carrier titan that had little time for subtlety, only crushing power. And yet, in that lay the thing's downfall.

That's the neat thing with Horde organisms. The less of them there are, the stupider they get. And the easier they are to bait.

With one last flick of the scout ship's thrusters sending it wriggling through the last few, tightly clustered rocks of the asteroid fields before she righted her craft's control, and zipped sharply ahead at a sheer angle.

There was no noise in the void. But she would be damned if she didn't feel a vivid rush of satisfaction at the light that reflected off of the stray asteroids surrounding the field. In her rear view screens, the dark shapes of the firing line, barely illuminated by the carnages, provided a subtle backdrop to an explosion of molten rock as a small contingent of the force proceeded fire all cannons towards a small, focused point in the field. The sinewy coils of the carier titan flailed and thrashed, before the light of the artillery finished consuming it, throwing its remains against the wrecked asteroid field.

Krigg felt a cheer erupt from her, legs kicking against the console with a bang as she screamed. "EAT MOLTEN SLAG YOU MANYLIMB FREAK!" Her holler screeched through the crackling communication channels, static-peppered calls and barks echoing the sound.

"Ready to go again, ship 00-626?" Came the crackling of the command ship's channel. Krigg's hand slammed against the command console to un-mute her end of the channel, a wide grin stretched across her face.

"Positive, command. Let me at 'em." She purred, legs kicking in her seat.

the27percent​:

It had been a habit for Atieno to be comfortable using people’s alias, names that maybe covered for names that would be vulnerable information. And giving how this interaction had started, they couldn’t be too surprised if this was another case where they had to make do with a pseudonym of some kind.

Hearing the name Krigg, and it actually be her name was enough to inspire a slight smile from Atieno themself. As Krigg spoke about this not matter whether anything happening to her in the end, Ati hummed a bit, giving a small nod of understanding. And ultimately agreement. They didn’t have any plans on being hostile or cruel towards her in the near or long-term future if it could be avoided. So maybe it was nice for her not to have to worry about this.

“Not a bad way to think about things. “ They chuckled at her description of this initial rule among drifters. “Hm. That’s a good rule, I can certainly understand why .. if you’ve been following it so far that you’ve managed to get through all kinds of situations really. The constant freaking out really does only leave someone in a more vulnerable position than they would otherwise be.“

Now this whole thing felt more like the kind of run-ins that Atieno often had and it was this entire shift in dynamic that Ati would be pondering over for a little while after. It was deeply, deeply curious the ways that shifts could happen within one interaction. Before they could comment on it - the sight of Krigg having a sudden realization, and groaning had them tilting their head towards her in interest.

The rant about the prime directive was enough to make them smile even more. “I mean.. sometimes the obvious has a way of being so apparent that it’s easy to miss. Understandably a frustrating situation, but yeah.. yeah I’ve operated like this way before the prime directive became a thing honestly. “

Krigg’s disgruntled look was as comical as it was short-lived, and soon enough, the small extraterrestrial was burying her embarrassment for good by continuing the conversation as best she could. Though not without smoothing down her coat a few times reflexively and clearing her throat with a cough, antennae wriggling a few times before finally falling still.

Just... nevermind the slight, dark green flush lingering on her face, even as she made a point to return to the conversation as normal. “Aerm... well yeah, you’re kind of likely older than most people who cared about implementing anyways.” She huffed, swivelling a hand casually for emphasis before stuffing it back into her pocket, breathing out a soft sigh through her teeth.

Though, to return on the argument of Atieno on her philosophy being a rather practical one, she can’t help but feel a small, humorless laugh escape her. “Well, good it is, not always as a choice though.” She pointed out with a light shrug, tucking one leg behind the other idly as she leaned against a nearby tree trunk. “Fact of nature is, your squishy little organic brain can only take so much of you flooding it with fear and alarm before something just stops freaking out and assumes a fetal position on the floor. Controlling your fear response is important to avoid both dying, and frying a few too many neurons. Either you get numb or you adapt - and, to give you credit...”

Krigg kicked her folded leg idly a few times, but otherwise fell relatively still as she grinned up nonchalantly at her interlocutor. “I’ve had SOME practice to adapt. No outer gods or celestial entities in my portfolio though - believe it or not, you’re actually the first eldrich critter I met in person long enough to strike up a conversation! Mostly because I avoid anything that looks like it induces some weird, reality-warping fuckery. You live longer when you pick your battles.”

“...Almost makes the thought of a custom made, cosmic play-dough body appealing.”

the27percent​:

Atieno glances at Krigg for a few moments, observing the way that the small extraterrestrial was smoothing her coat and clearing her throat. Perhaps this was a signal that was meant to try and carry on. They wondered about their word choice, were they too honest? Did it come off weird? They can’t even ignore the dark green flush on her face although they are sure that commenting on it would make it worse. Best to let her actually move on.

“Yeah, yeah.. figured that would be something would have developed over time independently. Once again, totally understand how it might not have been so apparent to notice. “

Hearing the humorless laugh from Krigg, it was all the more reason for Atieno to pay closer attention to her words and the admission that it wasn’t always a choice. “Oh. Yeah.. that makes a lot of sense. It’s something that comes up as a bodily response, it’s way beyond it being a choice or not. I’ve heard about how that shows up and demonstrates itself in so many ways. “ Their gaze drifted towards the surrounding forest - taking in the feeling of the ground against their boots and the wind against their ‘skin’.

“It’s good that you’ve had some experience in adapting- it’s clear that you have figured out some strategies that you do choose which works for you.  I.. I don’t know if I’m surprised that I’m the first eldritch critter .. that you’ve actually spoken to. Because from what I can gather, avoiding those with reality-warping fuckery is a good way to survive longer. “

They smiled at the comment of a cosmic play-dough body being appealing. “It certainly has its benefits it put it lightly.“

“That’s what I said!” Krigg squeaked with emphasis, holding her arms out with a sharp motion before letting them hang at her sides, still resting her diminutive weight against the tree behind her. She rolled her eyes, bringing her arms back up, one crossed over her chest to support the opposite elbow in its palm, while the other idly swiveled as she continued to speak with a very “in the know” look. “Look, no offense to all those other drifters who say they don’t give a shit if they die young and that they’re here for the thrill, the money, and everything else that generally destroys your way of life. Those guys chose that life knowing they’re burning through their options, and they don’t give a shit.”

“But my ideal death is a while away from now, old and toothless with bad knees, a bad back, and so few fucks to give they’d need a whole dedicated scientific facility to register them. I’ll be doing a lot more adapting in the meanwhile.” Krigg’s hand stilled against her cheek, drumming thoughtfully a finger against her cheek. A warm grin crept up her face, both facecious, and filled with a strange sense of... peace, perhaps. “That’s the idea, anyways. It might happen sooner, but if it does - eh, sometimes the cosmos decides “fuck your plans”, and you deal with things as they go.”

Krigg remained quiet for a beat, expression remaining much the same before another stray passing thought crossed her mind, once again painting the expression on her face in a new light, brows and antennae quirking upwards inquisitively. “Say, speaking of that body of yours. Any particular reason you just look like that when you decided to pop into that point of view? Is it a feature, or did you just so happen to like it appearance?”

the27percent​:

Atieno nods a little bit. “Yeah.. I suppose saying that was completely redundant then. But .. at least you know that I heard you very loud and clear. “ They do feel a tad bit of embarrassment from having spoken when it didn’t seem needed or ..really important in the least.

In the mean time they pay closer attention to the point that Krigg’s point being made about other drifters who claim not to care about whether or not they die. Indeed, Atieno had ran into many of those kinds of individuals with no sense of caring about the way that they would go.

“Seems like you know exactly what you want - the expectations and the drive of other drifters be damned. “ That strange sense of peace that Krigg seemed to have about the cosmos saying ‘fuck your plans’ is something that Atieno finds quite interesting but.. poking at that didn’t seem like a necessary action. Not really.

“I definitely appreciate that kind of perspective, not that my opinion makes a difference.“ A small shrug at the thought before the question about their body piques their interest.

“Oh.. um well to be honest, the first times I took on a smaller form.. it was just really a shadowy vague figure, and that’s something I still do sometimes. This iteration .. is relatively new. But I had seen individuals look similar and liked the appearance, the style of it.. and I figured I’d take it on personally. “

Krigg didn’t appear to feel any sort of way towards Atieno’s repetition of phrases and words, expression remaining unchanging, even as she pricked an antennae the slightest bit upwards towards the “puppet”. Or, whatever she was supposed to call Atieno’s physical body.

He was some form of cosmic entity. There was going to be some sort of difference in brain function. Even if it was just... a lot of repeating things. She shot the voidling something of a mild grimacing grin as the topic of conversation drifted to things such as peer pressure and rather unique opinions. “I jumped into drifter life specifically BECAUSE I didn’t have any interest in peer pressure. Backtracking in that regard kind of defeats the whole point of it.”

She quickly shook off the thought to focus moreso on the fact that, of all the things that a void-made creature could find appealing enough to make a physical life form copying said things, it was to be a rather... alternative style. Sort of - it was teetering on the goth and alternative thread that she herself didn’t know too much about, but was fairly certain was the adequate-ish terminology.

She felt her cheeks puff up, a poorly contained snort of laughter whistling past clenched teeth as amber eyes scrunched up and twinkled with poorly contained mirth. “This feels oddly adequate, in a “so weirdly on brand it loops all the way around unlikely to hit perfectly likely” sort of away.” Krigg puffed out, a huge grin slowly creeping up on her face. “I would not have expected someone to pick up a sense of aesthetics from a millenia-long watch over the world of mortals, but beauty is litterally in the eye of the beholder, so maybe it’s not that out-there. I can find clothes from completely different cultures nice ‘nough as it is.”

“...Though I do fabricator-make all my clothes.”

the27percent​:

Atieno remained quiet - the grimace being shot their way was more than enough for them to shut up for a bit. It’s really only after the fact that they noticed some of the things that they had recently said and.. seemed to sigh a little bit more to themself than anything else. Had it been necessary? It almost made them feel terribly aware of how difficult it was to push things forward. Why was it so difficult to do so? Was this something they always did when talking to people?

If they weren’t careful, Atieno could find themself trying to pick apart their interactions even more. And that would truly be a useless venture..

Instead, they could only nod at her statement of wanting to avoid those kinds of peer pressures. “Right. That.. should have been obvious. I’m sorry. “ So much of this should have been obvious. They were going to ruminating about some things long after this encounter was over.

It was almost a relief when they saw Krigg start to express some laughter, the mirth had them glancing back at her with interests.

Atieno chuckled at her description of things being so ‘dead on’ perhaps too apt to really be believed.

“Didn’t realize that would be so surprising? And just on me to pick the ‘stranger’ kind of fashions that I’ve seen over time huh. .. Fabricator-make? That sounds pretty interesting. What’s your favorite thing that you’ve made? “

Krigg’s hands shot up the second Atieno’s apologies made it past his lips, wagging in her best attempt to dismiss the negative idea with an awkward little smile. As much as it was a slight bit of a less pleasant language trait, it seemed that he was just processing things that way, and she was not one to judge him for that. “Eh, don’t apologize! It’s nothin’ to get all freaked out about, as far as slow paced listening comprehension goes, I’ve had much worse.” The diminutive extraterrestrial’s face froze into an awkward expression as the words caught up with her.

She briskly shook her head. “Wait, that came out wrong. I don’t mind you ruminating anything, is all.” Krigg added quickly with a slight wince. Yes, ‘bout time to move on to the topic before she made a fool of herself trying to sound like she didn’t mind.

His question did require some thinking time. The small alien’s hand shot to her chin, and she pursed her lips with a thoughtful hum, brows furrowed slightly. “Well, you’re kind of asking a big question there. A fabricator fabricates stuff - doesn’t just stop at clothes. I practically make everything I regularly use with the help of that handy little doodad, be it directly or by printing out some pieces and assembling them myself later.”

The small alien tapped her foot several times, seeming to rake her brain for something that could fit the description of “favourite”. Finally though, her mind seemed to come up with something, and she allowed her hand to fall down. “I guess I really like that one sticky polymer I managed to make it hack up in large amounts, packed inside of my grenades. Very practical to have on hand - people don’t expect glue to be this much of a cure-all, but I can attest to it being handy.”

the27percent​:

Although it seemed like their apology wasn’t needed in Krigg’s eyes, Atieno still felt a little peculiar overall about their approach at processing. They would likely still be keeping an eye out for how often they did that specific thing.

“Heh. I don’t even want to imagine the much worse that you’ve had to deal with.“ A small dry joke, even if they are trying not to be too difficult with themself about their understanding.

“Appreciate you letting me know though.“ Before anything else they could think about, they are observing her reaction to their question. The mention of it being a big one is enough to have them nodding a bit of understanding.

“Have a bit of a habit with the big questions I guess.“ Comes from their perspective that tends to look at very distant angles they guessed.

“Oh .. Right, right. It makes sense that it would be so incredibly versatile.“ The sheer variety of tools that have developed never failed to impress Atieno.  They do wait for a moment so when Krigg does mention something in particular, they find themself paying close attention to what she says.

“Oh wow. That’s really interesting that glue has been able to use in so many different ways. And considering how you move about, something with that kind of applicability … seems incredible. “

“...You know what, I’m not going to theorize WHY it is you’re drawn to asking complex, debate-provoking questions, but I’m going to stick to the gut feeling it provokes and assume that it makes sense enough.” Krigg quipped back after a short moment of silence at Atieno’s strange observation, lips pressed together in a way that suggested a... normal-ish amount of pondering a sudden question.

Their flattery on the subject of her goo bomb is met with the small alien squirming in place with a short snort teetering between dismissive and amused. Despite that, the urge to exhibit was apparent from the knowing, wily smirk that slowly crep up onto Krigg’s face. “It’s kind of a no-brainer when you’ve gotten habituated to the use of it for a while, honestly.” She chuffed, swiveling a wrist as she spoke, a pleased lilt to her voice.

“You’re getting chased by something that has easily gummed-up jaws or limbs that touch the floor or eyes that can be shut? Stick bomb. You need to attach two pieces of metal together in a hurry because of failing infrastructure? Stick bomb. Need to catch a galactic perp for some merc business? Stick bomb!” The little alien chuffed, hands moving about as though to illustrate the tossing of the small object in response to each posited scenario, before letting her hands fall still, stuffing them in the inner pockets of her coat, shoulders leaning back casually.

“...I mean, it does sound simple, but the formula to the bloody thing is not. A good glue needs to be a lot of things to work properly in bombs. Liquidy enough to spread out on detonation, quick to harden, able to resist massive strain and stay in place when freshly sprayed, and easy enough to remove when needed... That shit has SO many patents placed on it.”

A nervous grin spread on Krigg’s face as she let out a dry cackle. “...Actually, I’ve done a lot of questionable things, but making it illegally might be the biggest offense in the eyes of galactic law I ever committed.”