002 | Video

[halfbloodhatchling]

Who: Kai Gracen
Broadcast: Yes
Action: Caprine
When: Now-ish

Can anyone here do tattoos?

[Kai’s not certain about letting someone other than Jason cause him that kind of pain, or giving them the trust to mark him like that. But he also doesn’t know when he’ll get home, and not having done it nags at the back of his mind. And the scope of what he wants will probably take a while?]

I can talk about the specifics of what I want, but it’s intended as a sort of memorial, so fair warning there. I’ve got previous ones if you want to look at them.

[Not showing them on a broadcast at large, though, because they’re not in precisely appropriate locations.]

For the rest of you, what sort of things have you done while you’ve been in space that you didn’t think you’d ever do or that you regret.

Trying to get a sense of what I’m in for.

Comments

[video]

[sonofgold]

Traveling in space itself is something I never thought I'd do. The technology here is decades beyond what I have at home.

[video]

[halfbloodhatchling]

Sometimes I try not to think about it too much, because I'm just not sure I can wrap my head around the idea.

What tech are you most impressed by here?

[Besides the fact that they're all somehow here and alive...]

[video]

[sonofgold]

Probably the ships. The communicators seem like the natural evolution of the radios and telephones we had back home, but flying through space... sending a human out of atmosphere would still be a long ways away for us.

[video]

[halfbloodhatchling]

Yeah. It's kind of surprising there's anything worth flying to.

[video]

[sonofgold]

It's pretty astounding to think about. I only have human beings in my world, but I've met all sorts here, too.

[video]

[halfbloodhatchling]

Only humans and elfin where I'm from, but everyone keeping their own world is a good deal less messy than the merge that happened.

[video]

[sonofgold]

A merge of worlds?

video;

[survivalistcookbook]

[The guy who responds to the video has his own sleeves rolled to the elbow, revealing ink worked across both forearms to just shy of the wrist.]

I haven't heard of any tattoo artists on the fleet, but every now and then we run across a planet with the right culture and technology to have some decent artists. Three or four months ago I got a piece done when we were planetside.

video;

[halfbloodhatchling]

[Most of Kai's tattos are on his hips and lower back. Still, he's not shy about studying what's revealed of the other man's work.]

I haven't been here when we've gone planetside yet. It usually takes a few sessions with my tattoo artist. How elaborate of a piece were you able to get?

video;

[survivalistcookbook]

I didn't actually want anything too elaborate, but-

[Hold on, he just has to unbutton his shirt and peel out of one sleeve to show the most recent one off. Picked out in fine-lined black along the inner length of his upper arm is a soundwave, the rises and falls suggesting about eight sounds of some sort or another.]

Here it is.

video;

[halfbloodhatchling]

Ah. Not bad work.

[Kai shifts, turning and lifting up his shirt to show his lower back, where an Asiatic dragon the size of a hand rests, in color.]

That's some previous work on me.

Most of the rest would require removing more clothing.

[When Kai turns back to face the monitor, his purple eyes twinkle a little.]

video;

[survivalistcookbook]

[There's an instinct-level immediate response of hey, sounds good to me that Eugene does his best to quash before it gets too far, resulting mostly in a quirk of a rueful grin and a moment of averted eye contact.]

I should probably catch your name before I see anything else then, huh?

video;

[halfbloodhatchling]

Mmm.

[This is the complicated thing about being on a ship with a limited population when he can't just pick up someone in a bar.]

Usually I don't do anything with people whose names I know.

[Maybe that makes him weird...or maybe it just makes him smart.]

[notanoptimist]

Well, considering I've spent the better part of a decade in space now... [There's a wry tone to his words.] Haven't been in this fleet too long, though, if that's what you're askin'.

[halfbloodhatchling]

Whichever you want to talk about. I'm more curious about this fleet, sure, but I'm mostly just making conversation.

[notanoptimist]

This place is different, I'll tell you that. I'm used to far more structure.

[halfbloodhatchling]

Government?

I'm used to less structure, where I get to pick what jobs interest me.

[ Unless they come from arrogant elfin lords who lean too heavily on diplomatic connections to let him refuse. ]

[notanoptimist]

Sorta, yeah. Military-based, with a focus on exploration and peace-keeping. My rank's actually Lieutenant Commander and I head up the medical department on a starship.

[halfbloodhatchling]

Military peace-keeping? Can't really see that working.

I suppose it might manage well enough for doctor.

video

[lord_wizard]

I baked bread.

[Not that he'd ever thought he would do that in the first place, ok. It's also more polite than the x-rated answer to that question.

He'll go ahead and prop his chin up on a hand that is clearly backed by brightly colored vines that disappear up the cuff of his sleeve.]

video

[halfbloodhatchling]

That's it? You're in space and that's the best you can muster?

[Although Kai's eyes will follow the pattern up the wrist as best he can, before it gets covered by clothing.]

video

[lord_wizard]

[He's showing off on purpose, a little, as a way of holding two conversations at once.]

After all the extraordinary things I have seen and done, something so ordinary stands out in comparison. What is it that you're really trying to learn? What life on the fleet is like? What kind of dangers to expect?

[He smiles sharply] Or are you merely looking for gossip?

video

[halfbloodhatchling]

[ It's a conversation Kai can only half participate in, since he's willing to show of his existing tattoo (at least the one on his lower back rather than those on his hips) but it's not possible to do so casually. Still, he'll enjoy looking. ]

I guess much more of this food and I'd be happy about bread too.

Trying to figure out what I'm in for, yes. The less taken by surprise I am, the less risk of having an over eager trigger finger.

video

[lord_wizard]

Precisely. The greatest trial of the fleet is the lack of resources, especially if you're accustomed to an abundance of them. [Going by his dress and demeanor, it might be easy to guess that's true for him. The castle also spoiled him in that regard, and while he can live without, he can't say he doesn't miss it] I've had to take the most basic of jobs to help pay for the things I want.

I might say your trigger finger can rest easy. There hasn't been much need for that sort of thing, though there are conflicts among the crew from time to time. Atroma uses the augments to manipulate us into it. The fleet has been attacked twice, but as a whole, and not for quite some time. The planets and stations come with their own hazards, but only the ones you walk into. We aren't here to play soldier.

video

[halfbloodhatchling]

If we’re not here to play soldier, then I might ask what I’m here for at all. I don’t do well with diplomacy.

[If they wanted someone whose words could come out into smooth rivers, they should have taken Ryder, rather than Kai. Of course, that assumes there’s been any sort of plan here at all.]

Nor am I particularly interested in becoming a cook.

[Besides, he’s been given weapons.]