Ian In The Wrong Place? - OTA

[ubuntu_programmer]

Open/locked?: Open
Who: Ian and whomsoever encounters them
What: Ian arrives in Auradon
Warnings: Some angst, maybe?


There was a figure slumped by the wall, their white and black hair disheveled, their glasses on the grass beside them. Their small suitcase was over their legs, their backpack dangling from one arm. After a moment they groaned and lifted a hand to their head. "Did I get hit by a truck or something...?" They mumbled.

Eyes opening, they looked around. "Well that's not good. I can't afford to be hallucinating now." They picked up their round lensed glasses and checked them before putting them on, then fished a phone out of their pocket. "No bars. Of course. I need to write an algorithm that will allow my phone to find signal from anywhere in the world. Of course, I should still be close enough to get signal anyway, hallucination or no. So... what is actually going on here...?"

Comments

[under_the_raptors_wings]

Enki shrugged when they repeated the words. He didn't even have experience with the flavor of parallel universe travel that sometimes happened back home, so it wasn't like he had any further insight to offer. And outside of that, well, while some people he felt quickly at ease enough to just talk to, this person was not one of them. So he ended up going quiet for that last stretch.

[ubuntu_programmer]

After an awkward bit of silence. "Look... I'm sorry if I offended or upset you. I didn't mean to..."

[under_the_raptors_wings]

Enki flinched and then shook his head. "It's more... I don't have words to explain further and... don't know what else to talk about." He worried at his lower lip, considering what else they should know given that they were stuck here too. "I um, should warn you the food situation here isn't great. We've been here a while and just about everyone from here is gone, so there is very little in the way of actual fresh food. We're working on improving it and then on getting some food to some people stuck elsewhere, but for the moment," he shrugged.

[ubuntu_programmer]

"Sounds like getting us home should be an immediate priority so the food situation would matter less, and perhaps sending us home would create a vacuum that brings back those who ought to be here."

Oh. Right. Well. "As for other things we could talk about... like what kind of music do they listen to here? What do you listen to at home?"

[under_the_raptors_wings]

"They're working on it as much as they can. The last attempt sent us to the island where some others have been stuck and uhhh... that was even worse. The problem is we were brought by accident. And one of the people who was part of that has been I guess the equivalent is in a coma?"

Enki looked a bit blank at that, quiet a moment as he considered. "I'm... not sure I could describe the music listened to here in the correct words. It is... typically 'happy' sounding even the slower songs have a sort of energy to them? It doesn't tend to reach particularly high or low ranges and most of the songs I've heard were in major keys. I'm... not sure what all the instruments are." He rubbed at the back of his neck, flushing bronze. "I suspect the Terrhassu here could describe it a bit more sensibly, sorry."

[ubuntu_programmer]

"In a coma? Are they getting proper medical treatment?" they asked, concerned.

"Also, trying to follow all that about music, what are Terhassu exactly?"

[under_the_raptors_wings]

"A coma is the closest equivalent I can think of, but it's not entirely accurate. Mostly I just mean it as... she can't really help fix the current situation." He mumbled, distinctly uncertain sounding since that was one of those things he didn't really understand?

"And ummm, the species," He chewed on his lip then, trying to recall the word they used for themselves. "Human?" While his accent certainly came out on the word, it wasn't nearly as strange to say as some Ængliish words.

[ubuntu_programmer]

"Species? Human? As opposed to.... what?"

[under_the_raptors_wings]

Even with the unique situation, Enki had a wave of a guilt at that, flushing deeply. It didn't so much matter here. Not even everyone here was Terrhain. But it was a hard reaction to get past.

"Well, in my case Rihan," he clarified after recovering at least a bit.

[ubuntu_programmer]

"I can honestly say I have never heard that word before," they admitted.

[under_the_raptors_wings]

Enki shrugged. "Can't say I'm surprised. Even where I'm from Terrhassu have their own name for us." He paused as he tried to drag up what he'd heard once. "They called Rihannsu Romulans and Havrannsu Remans? One of my old teachers explained it when I was growing up but I um, I can't remember more than that it involved the twin worlds."

Well. He supposed at least the person wasn't outright denying the idea? That might just be to avoid Enki going quiet again though.

[ubuntu_programmer]

"Wait... so you are saying you are from outer space? Like... an actual from another plant alien? Wow. I jut thought you were into some really interesting body mods," they admitted.

[under_the_raptors_wings]

"I mean, to me it's all of you who are the aliens," Enki replied with some amusement. "But, ie. I actually grew up on a moon."

[ubuntu_programmer]

"Wow.." Ian said. Then grinned. "Oh this is going to kill everyone that I was the first one of us to meet you. Gotta say though, even with everything going on the past few years, not sure any of us had meet an actual alien on our bingo cards." A grin. "Now I want to know everything about your people. Tech, culture, music. Everything. Lay it on me."

[under_the_raptors_wings]

That sure earned an Expression of some kind. Overwhelmed was probably the closest and Enki rubbed the back of his neck nervously as he recovered. "I can't give any tech information. Those are your rules, not ours. Well umm, your people in my reality."

A pause as it belatedly dawned on him he might have messed with this person's timeline already. And yet, the best solution seemed to be to continue answering questions but to tread with a bit more care than he had earlier.

"I... I guess guess sharing culture won't hurt too much. I can give bits and pieces from Rihanh or V'Tosh, but, umm, specific questions might make it a bit less daunting for me?"

[ubuntu_programmer]

"I can respect an NDA," they assured him. "And sure, I can offer questions. Let's start easy. Music. What is considered new and hot, what is old and classic?"

[under_the_raptors_wings]

"You umm... you heard my attempt to describe music, right?" He asked with a small laugh, shaking his head. "And even if I was good at describing it. I can pretty safely say I'm not knowledgeable on 'new and hot'. I'm both provincial and very much influenced by the V'Tosh. And while I feel their composers are brilliant and it's fascinating to listen to them, my best friend back home disagreed with me on that. Vocally. The only thing he hated more was the Klling'hann epics someone decided to teach me. Which... may have contributed to me memorizing as many as I did." At least Ujehk was not an opera writer. Khev probably would have thrown Enki's music out of an airlock if he had been.

[ubuntu_programmer]

They chuckled a bit. "Alright, then what do you feel comfortable telling me about?"

[under_the_raptors_wings]

Æn'kae considered, chewing on his lip a bit more. "I'd tell you some about languages, but I'm... bad at them too, outside of Rihan and Vuhlkansu, I can't speak anything else." He rubbed at the back of his neck and chuckled. "I guess I wasn't the best person for you to run into. 'Ie, I met an 'alien'. He knew basically nothing.'"

[ubuntu_programmer]

Ian chuckled. "I'm sure you know plenty, but lots of people freeze up when put on the spot. Not me, but lots of people."

[under_the_raptors_wings]

Æn'kae chuckled at that, shaking his head. "Well uh, I can safely say that outside of a fight, freezing up and overthinking is a definite issue for me." He considered again. "I... don't know enough about the history of Terrha to be able to ascertain much by year, but uh if you haven't had first contact yet, you seem to be taking the alternate dimension and alien part of this well. You will probably meet a synth too, sooner or later. They're hard to miss. They are... particularly fond of bright clothes.

[ubuntu_programmer]

The urge to correct grammar was strangled by the thought of alien languages and whatever translation software must be at play here.

Of course, the desire to be pedantic was utterly scattered by what was said after. "Synth?" whoever or whatever this synth was... singular they. Outer space was welcoming!

[under_the_raptors_wings]

"Ie, A umm.. synthetically created lifeform. I uh, I know there's a range of possible varieties, but they're the only one I've met before. There was a ban until a few years ago, so there aren't that many around." So much for space being welcoming. "Rren basically looks Terrhain, but they're very openly not."

[ubuntu_programmer]

"As in... artificial intelligence in a non-organic body?"

[under_the_raptors_wings]

"Artificial Intelligence, ie, but fully sentient, most starships have Artificial Intelligences, but they aren't even close to sentient. As to bodies, some are non organic, but Rren's is organic, or it at least reads as such to scanners."