experiment 001

[fotofoto]

Who: Honey Lemon and You!
Broadcast: Fleetwide
Action: Caprine
When: Not too long after shuffle

Oooo, look at this communicator!

[ Hello, fleet! Have an enthusiastic blonde latina grinning and waving at you ]

Hi! Wow, this is so great, isn't this just fascinating? And these augments, they put information into your brain, does that mean they cracked the code of how to create specific impulses and connections between your neurons? It's amazing, I wish I could take it out and poke at it.

I wonder if it's electrically or chemically based.

[ ponder ]

Oh! Right, I completely forgot, hiiii! I'm new around here, and I just got so distracted by all this new information in my head and this new place we're in! I really should go home if I can, I know, but think of the learning opportunities!

Comments

[detectivewonder]

An electrical system would be simpler - easier to stimulate the brain's own production of chemicals than to keep a reservoir of its own hormones and enzymes. Pretty easy to keep charged off our own bioelectrics, too, unless it receives wirelessly transmitted energy in some form. If it were siphoning off us to refill a chemical stock of neurotransmitters, there ought to be perceptible variations in our moods when it happens.

[paeon]

[ Hey, it's someone else on the Caprine, too! She hasn't been silent, but compared to Honey Lemon it's been a bit like standing next to a mute... She looks horribly entertained by the enthusiasm, however. ]

Learning opportunities, indeed. There's so much here with which I'm unfamiliar, and yet I cannot say I'm overly confused... Overwhelmed, perhaps.

[fotofoto]

That's a good point! Although considering the spaceships and the fact that we're even here, the technology could be almost anything. They could have a way to synthesize chemicals from taking in small amounts of blood and fluids from the circulatory system for all we know! Or extra-dimensional pockets of chemicals to introduce into our brains, which I wouldn't put it past them to have developed if they can pull people from other dimensions.

Electrical systems stimulating the brain's own production seems the most likely, but there's still so many possibilities!

[fotofoto]

I know, right? It's just amazing how these seem to work, I know exactly how to work things I've never seen before!

[ She seems a little breathless from excitement, but finally realizes she should be polite and-- ]

Ohmygosh, are those your actual ears?

[paeon]

While useful, it does seem rather too convenient. Or... perhaps I should say there was nothing wrong with way things were. I—

[ wait what, her ears twitch noticeably at the attention to them ]

I... I beg your pardon?

[fotofoto]

Your ears! They're clearly not part of a costume, but I never thought feline ears on a humanoid was something that was actually possible!

[ Wait, tone down the science, Honey ]

You have actual cat ears!

[paeon]

[ Space? Yeah, okay. Entertainment for unseen masses? Ehh. Someone implying she's related to cats and not a miqo'te? WHAT. ]

They're not cat ears. I am miqo'te!

[ That thing swishing behind her, though? Totally a fluffy cat tail. ]

[fotofoto]

[ AAAAAH CAT TAIL!!!!

She does at least restrain herself a little, because oh, right, that was extremely rude ]

I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to imply they were actually cat ears, I just-- I've never met someone who has features like yours! We don't have miqo'te where I'm from, and it's just so fascinating to see how life has developed in other worlds!

[ She offers a hand with a sheepish smile ]

I'm Aiko. And I really am sorry if I caused any offense.

[paeon]

[ Hells yes it was very rude, but O'danya is interrupted from her indignance by the simple statement: we don't have miqo'te where I'm from. ]

No miqo'te...? But you're hyur! How is it one could be there without the other? [ Or the other three races? ]

Aiko... I'm O'danya Mitnu. [ She shakes, albeit still in baffled, curious wariness. ]

[fotofoto]

[ She is very very sorry and will never call you a cat again, never fear! ]

I'm human. We're the only sentient species on my world. Well, the only proven sentient species, I have my beliefs about whales and elephants, but that's not really important right now.

It's nice to meet you O'danya!

[paeon]

We're all human. You're hyur.

[ This is... beyond her comprehension right away. Different worlds with different places, technology and rules, of course that's hard to wrap her head around but positively doable. Somewhere without roegadyn, elezen, miqo'te or lalafells? That seems like an outright impossibility. ]

The pleasure is mine. Well, aside from the obvious.

[fotofoto]

So you're all subspecies of human?

[ She's curious again, but doing her best to be tactful now that she's stepped in it once ]

[paeon]

[ O'danya considers that. It isn't how anyone has ever classified the five races of man before but for someone who's apparently never run across it... ]

Yes. That's as good of a summary as any. If you've truly only come across hyur, then you've never met the other four races.

[fotofoto]

Oooooh, I wish I could learn more... Well, even if I can't meet them all in person, if you don't mind telling me about the different [ What word did she use? ] races sometime, I'd really appreciate it.

If I can find the ingredients to make brownies or something in return, I will so totally do that.

[paeon]

As long as you're willing to listen. [ And not call roegadyn behemoths or lallafel midgets or elezen giraffes or something, geez. ]

Brownies? You cook?

[fotofoto]

Always! I'm a scientist, I love learning new things, even if they're not about chemistry. [ NO SHE WILL NOT, SHE IS POLITE AND WILL FOREVER FEEL BAD ABOUT CALLING YOU A CAT IN HER ENTHUSIASM. ]

I do! I like it because it's basically edible chemistry! [ giggle ] Do you?

[paeon]

A scientist? Oh, if only Alichi'ra were here. He's much more minded to the pursuits of alchemy or arcanism than I am.

[ GOOD. ALWAYS FEEL BAD ABOUT THAT. GEEZ, THAT'S SO RUDE. ]

I may not look it, but I'm a realm-renowned culinarian in my own right. Thank the Twelve, I was left with my implements when I arrived here.

[fotofoto]

[ Cue her biggest starry eyes ]

Really? Do you think we could work together on meals sometimes, then? The kitchen is currently horribly lacking in some of the most basic kitchen tools, it's a nightmare.

[detectivewonder]

I'm still going to go with Occam's Razor on this. If for no other reason, because anyone with this kind of technology is going to be very familiar with Murphy's Law.

Hi. Tim Drake, Captain of the First Breath.

[paeon]

Assuming that I'll even be allowed near the cookwear, I would love to have a chance to put my hands to the oven again. Metaphorically speaking.

[ yeah no the 5'5" mildly athletic catgirl actually security, surprise. ]

[fotofoto]

Definitely, but I like thinking about what else could exist. And then what I could do if I could get my hands on technology that could do that.

[ She's not a mad scientist, she SWEARS. ]

Oh! I forgot to introduce myself, didn't I? I'm Aiko Rodríguez, I'm on the... Caprine? Yes, the Caprine. It's nice to meet you!

[fotofoto]

Well, the kitchen is basically mine, unless we get someone else with a cooking augment, so I say you are definitely allowed near the cookwear.

[ Well the 6'2" (in her heels) skinny chemist is actually the ship's cook, not a lab tech, so clearly they're on a roll with "oh, you're what now?" ]

[paeon]

In that case, I would avail myself to the kitchen to see the state of it for myself. It surely can't be unworkable? We needs must eat something while we're here.

[fotofoto]

Oh, it's not entirely useless... for preparing the protein substance they've provided. It's lacking a LOT, though, I'm going to need to build it up to a proper kitchen. I think we can upgrade it? I plan to do that as soon as possible.

[detectivewonder]

Likewise. I'm glad to see someone else around here who's into science. We'll have to ferry you over for some brainstorming sessions with Hange and Hiro and his brother.