Spaceship Parking, and then [Location Redacted], The Mainland, Wednesday Afternoon

[firstofitskind]

Liam had been deliberately vague in the note he'd left Verity on Christmas about where exactly they were going and why, but when they decided to make the trip he'd promised her today, he did make sure to mention that she'd want to dress for weather that was warm and humid.

He showed up shortly before the time they'd handwavily agreed to meet at the spaceship parking in the junkyard, just to quickly run his shuttle through pre-flight diagnostics.

[ooc: for the one who is mentioned!

Comments

[firstofitskind]

"That you shouldn't just open a conversation in a public place with someone with an invasive question about their sex life? Augur got to stammer out an explanation of that one, considering he was the one to get me into that mess in the first place."

[arboreal_priestess]

"Well, that's only fair then," Verity decided. "He got you to say it, he gets to explain when it's actually appropriate." She lifted an eyebrow at him. "Do I want to know how much he explained to you? Or was sex just kind of included in the basic package?"

[firstofitskind]

Liam coughed. “More or less?”

Emphasis on the ‘less’, really. Pretty much everything Liam knew on the topic was either a) genetic memory or b) looked up on the internet.

[arboreal_priestess]

That was a very vague and unspecific answer. "I'll keep that in mind," Verity said, eyes dancing.

[firstofitskind]

"Well, uh, good?" Because, yes, eventually, there would probably have to be- discussion.

But maybe not when the skrills were watching, Verity, oh my god.

[arboreal_priestess]

Verity wasn't pushing the conversation further! It was a little soon for that, skrills or no skrills. But she was definitely amused and it showed.

"So, what can you tell me about the dietary habits of skrills in the wild?" she asked, blatantly changing the subject. Her expression suggested that while the mating habits of the Kimera-human hybrids might have been off the table now, it hadn't been forgotten.

[firstofitskind]

That was a good question, actually. Liam knew how they'd gained sustenance when paired with a human Implant, but now that that was no longer the case... he glanced over at the Queen, who chittered at him in reply.

"The short answer is- photosynthesis, sort of?" he translated. "The local animal life can't exactly consent to sharing their energy, so they make do with taking what they need from the plants. Since they're no longer expected to act as weapons, they don't actually need very much to get by."

[arboreal_priestess]

The skrill had more advanced ethics and morals than most humans Verity knew. Oi.

"And in return, they probably work to keep the plants healthy, yes?" she asked. "Not quite symbiosis, but more like sustainable caretaking?"

[firstofitskind]

"Not that the plant life around here needs much help," anymore, anyway. "But they do what they can."

[arboreal_priestess]

"So, then how do they spend their days?" Verity asked. "What do they do? Do they primarily spend their time harvesting energy for the, uhh, colony? Or maintaining their home? Or do they have a culture and society they're advancing? What is it like, a day in the life of a skrill?"

[firstofitskind]

Liam shrugged. "Right now? A lot of exploring. They've been here.... three? years, now," which, yes, he'd been the one to put them there, you'd think he'd remember, but he'd also spent a year kind of dead, which tended to mess with his perception of time a bit. "But it's a big jungle. Still pretty new to them."

[arboreal_priestess]

Kathy felt that whole 'being dead messing with your perception of time' thing pretty hardcore.

"That makes sense," Verity said, nodding. "Are they looking to map out the whole jungle? That could potentially be a very useful tool--a way to map it out without being invasive. A lot of good could come of that. In the right hands, anyway."

Which really narrowed down whose hands that information should go into.

[firstofitskind]

It was a hell of a thing to have in common! Though being incorporeal and one with the universe was somewhat less traumatizing than being a flesh-eating zombie, that's for sure.

"She says that's an interesting idea," Liam relayed. "Something to consider for when they decide it's time to reveal themselves."