Your friendly neighborhood space bugs!

[thespaceopera]

[For about a week, now, all ships in the Drift Fleet have had clearance to land on the Blue Planet whenever they'd like. The humanoid natives have all been very open and sociable, nothing short of grateful that the Iskaulit is no longer sending pods down to raid their towns and infect their insectoid brothers.

At first, the Nunnilis themselves stayed very quiet, hiding for safety... But as word of a stable cure spreads through the islands, more and more of them have been spotted out in the open. Now, it's not so unusual to spot a couple of them helping with repairs, and many have been assisting passengers in curing their sickly kin.

Have you been looking for a chance to talk to one? A lot of basic information has already been passed through the Fleet, but perhaps you're looking to ask your own questions about the situation, offer condolences, or just get to know a little more about the Nunnilis themselves. They seem perfectly friendly in their own strange, dozen-limbed way, so there's no time like the present!]


ooc: This is a post for anyone that wants to talk directly to one of the Nunnilis! Mention in your first comment if your character is talking to a particular bug or looking in a specific place (examples include: "someone helping with the cure", "a bug in the marketplace", "someone who looks like they might be in charge", "literally the first random bug they run into on the street"), and we'll go from there! Details on already-common knowledge and this mini-event can be found here (scroll down to "The Iskaulit Saga"). If you need a refresher on what they look like, check out this old info post. This post will be open and running all event, so it's never too late to tag in!

Comments

[averagestar]

[Well, I know what I want to do. I have some music from the Nunnilis ship, and I'd like to find out what kind of music it is, and the best way to find out, is... to talk to ones that seems like they're involved with music. Let's look for some musician bugs, yes.]

[thespaceopera]

[well, there aren't exactly any Nunnilis concert halls or instrument-playing street performers... but she can find one of them selling what look like music boxes in the marketplace!

it sits behind its booth, while something similar to what she found on the Iskaulit plays out of all the strange little percussion parts in the biggest box. it's bopping its head (and attached pincers) to the beat--so maybe it's in a good mood!]

[averagestar]

[Nobody that likes music can be a bad person. But yes, going to listen to the music for a bit, and before making speaking up.]

This is a good song, isn't it? Can you tell me anything about it? Music's important to me, so I'd kind of like to hear about music around here.

[thespaceopera]

[it looks up, pedipalps tasting the air with a sort of insectiod curiosity! their music has always been rather strange, but when one hears that they speak rather like a text-to-speak program that's being run through a fan, it kind of makes sense...]

This song is one of my very favorites! I would be happy to speak of it... [it clicks the ends of its two little torso legs together, almost like clapping.] May I ask, are you one of the visitors from the fleet that found our Iskaulit?

[averagestar]

Yes, I am... I'm afraid my job was just trying to see what we could put together from their ship computers, though. I found a song a lot like this one in there, actually.

[I transferred it to my communicator too, so let me just play that.]

[thespaceopera]

[it hums and clicks as it listens to the song. it's difficult to pick up emotion from their alien sounds, but this humming is a distinctly low buzz. thoughtful, maybe, or even sad.]

...Ah, it is an old tune, made new by the musician. I knew it as a much slower melody, clicked to me by my nurse while I was in my first molts.

[averagestar]

Ah, it was one of those kinds of songs, then... I just wish we could have done more for them.

[thespaceopera]

[thoughtfully, it clicks its smaller torso arms together, before one claw goes tentatively reaching toward her hand.]

You should not feel sadness or regret. We celebrate the fact that you and your colony stopped to help, and preserved these precious things.

[--its other arm tipping its claw in the direction of the song she'd saved.]

[averagestar]

Right... Music is a precious thing too. It's good that we managed to save this...

[Smile, smile. She needs to smile. Okay, time to put her acting to the test. Putting her hand over that claw slightly and... smiles as best she can.]

Then, can I count on you to bring it back to your people?

[thespaceopera]

[its claw is bristly, maybe like a crab, and it doesn't seem to mind the gesture. it also seems to simply take her smile at face value.]

Oh yes, of course. We share all things. I will make sure to...

[and it stops as a thought occurs to it, and it buzzes excitedly.]

--I could make it into a music machine very easily. I know the melody already. All I would need to do is alter the tempo.

[averagestar]

[The value of physical contact is something that stays the same no matter the race, after all. Maybe it's a little bristly, but it's both a comfort and a reminder that even so far away from home, some things just don't change. Maybe we're different races, maybe our languages are completely different, but the truth is that everyone still communicates the same way.]

Really? That's amazing! ...Actually, could I buy one of these music boxes, too? You're selling them, right?

[thespaceopera]

Of course.

[and the way that it chitters and clicks its forelimbs together make up for the lack of enthusiasm in its makeshift voice.]

Though, you can consider it a gift. It would be the least I could do for all the help you and your visiting fleet have shown us.