What it Takes: Blending in on Earth

[Writer]

When everyone had gathered, Matt explained that the plan was to leave for Boise the next morning, spend the day in town, and then return to the center by around 8 PM. He went into a little detail about what stores were in the mall and other places nearby.

 

"I'm not going to force anyone to come," he concluded. "But I think that after a month of having our Jabric friends hard at their studying, it's time to get them out and see how they manage. On top of that, it could improve our relations with one another." He paused. "Questions? Concerns?"

[mur'phon]

"Any plan concerning what we'll do if any of us start drawing atention? Not that it's likely from your species partly random behavior, but it woul be irrational not to consider the possibility. Also, we should have a plan if the hunters show up."

 

"And pherhaps we should walk in small groups with at least one human in each, different tastes and all." And easier to get the humans to trust them he thought.

[JasraLantill]

Ishi held up a hand and patiently waited for Matt to acknowledge her, which he did eventually with an amused nod.

 

"Credit cards?" Ishi asked politely. But upon seeing Matt's look of confusion, Ishi pointed to one of her magazines. "We need credit cards. What is the point of going to a mall if we don't have purchasing power?" She picked up one of the newspapers. "And it said right here in today's paper that your economy needs a spending boost."

 

Then it dawned on her what Shaqui had just said. "Hunters, Shaqui? Hunters?! Hunters are not going to find us here." She shot a sharp look at Jathan. "Why would Hunters find us here? You said Earth would be safe. That the Hunters would never find us here. You said!"

 

She rose and began to pace, not sure what to do with the extra adrenaline. "So, what are we going to do if the Hunters find us?" She looked to Pallax for an answer. "Do you have a plan?" she asked anxiously. "You must have a plan. You *always* have a plan if something involves fighting or weapons."

[Quist]

Pallax glanced over at Ishi, still curious as to why the younger Jabric had chosen a male form, but she shook that thought away as she focused on Ishi's question. "If the Hunters manage to find us, then we are to do what is obligated to us and fight them. Preferably away from the humans. I have instructed you all on basic combat tactics and I hope they will serve you well in the event of a conflict."

 

She peered out of the corner of her eye at Shaqui, then over to Jathan. "And I do not believe there is any cause for concern about Hunters at the moment. We should just go and attempt to have..." the word escaped her for a moment, "fun."

[JasraLantill]

Ishi's expression changed from one of worry to one of anticipation. "Well, I have complete faith in your judgement, Pallax. If you don't think there is a threat, then I won't worry. Jaiera and I will just have fun."

 

She suddenly looked down at her arms, her male arms, and flexed her biceps. "Besides, appearing male on the outside may allow me certain advantages. I've got muscles now."

 

"Yes, but we are all stronger than average humans," Jaiera said.

 

"True," Ishi conceded. "But I feel stronger in this body than I think I would feel in a female one." She looked at Jaiera, and then Pallax. "No offense intended. But I just feel slightly more secure in this body." She tapped her chest, then grinned. "I feel... armored."

[Writer]

Jaiera playfully punched Ishi in the shoulder. "How do you feel now?" she teased. Jathan cleared his throat.

 

"I'll add only one thing to what Pallax has said," he said. "I never said we wouldn't be found. I just said it would take time. That is why I have not only allowed Pallax to go through her training exercises with us; I have encouraged it. Sooner or later, we will have a fight on our hands. But she is also right in saying we have nothing to worry about just yet."

 

"So that's why you've been staying around the center," Matt concluded. "You've been watching for your enemies, haven't you?"

 

Jathan nodded. "They have not found Earth yet." He eyed Ishi and added sharply, "And remember Ishi... armor is only so helpful. Pay more attention at our next combat exercise."

 

With that, the group was dismissed to do what they wished with the rest of their day...

 

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

 

After the meeting, Kayla and Logan went back upstairs. There, Kayla retrieved her cell phone and made a call. After a long silence, she said, "Jenna Myles, six-four-one-three-oh-two... please."

 

Logan smirked. "Please?" he echoed. Kayla stuck her tongue out at him. Then, she began speaking rapidly in some other language - a mixture of at least three different Earth languages, actually, and none of them English. Just as she was finishing the call, Matt came in.

 

"What was that?" he asked with a laugh. Kayla blushed.

 

"Oh, it's just..." she began. She grinned a little. "An old friend of mine... she's weird... won't speak English anymore. Just an odd sort of mix... Spanish, Italian, couple of German words thrown in."

 

"And you have to do the same to talk to her?" Matt wondered doubtfully. He snorted. "Sounds like too much effort... you sure you're not coming?"

 

"Bad mall experience," Kayla reminded him. Matt shrugged and left. Then, Logan took out his phone and made a call. Unlike his girlfriend, he spoke entirely in Russian... and his conversation was much shorter. When it was done, the two of them settled into chairs, watching the skies.

[RobQel-Droma]

Odrimae shook his head. Hunters possibly on our tracks, and here we go off out clean in the open. At least, he reasoned, the humans would be there to help him. Then again, they would all be in one place at the same time. Easy for hunters to find them.

 

After walking upstairs and finding Kayla and Logan there, he went back downstairs and found Matt. He wanted to talk to him about this little venture of his.

 

"Matt - before we go do this, I just wanted to ask you something. Do you happen to have an, er... "escape plan", just in case something happens and we need to exit the area quickly?"

[Writer]

Matt grinned. "Nothing to worry about... the mall's got plenty of exits and we'll be in smaller groups, scattered throughout. If police get suspicious or your... Hunters, was it?"

 

"Trackers, actually," Jathan answered, coming up behind Odrimae. "Hunters are newer, but Trackers are more reliable."

 

"And what exactly are they?" Matt asked, finally confronting an issue that had been bugging him all month long.

 

"Both are part of Jabros' genetic altering programs. Trackers came first. They are essentially stronger, faster Jabrics with enhanced senses and quicker shapeshifting time. The Hunters were second. Their shapeshifting time is lightning fast, they are ever so slightly stronger than we are, but their minds are not whole. They will do whatever it takes to get to their target, even if it means killing whatever is in their way."

 

"And the Trackers don't do that?" Matt wondered, shuddering at the thought of these genetically altered Jabrics out there hunting Jathan and his friends. Jathan shook his head.

 

"Trackers have enough of their minds left at their disposal that they understand a senseless killing of an unrelated bystander costs far more than it aids," he said. Then, he frowned. "But it is pointless to speak of them so early. They are not even on approach yet."

 

"I disagree, Jathan," Matt said slowly. "Based on what I've learned today, I think you ought to have brought this up sooner. A few of my people know how to fire a gun... I'm not sure anyone actually carries. And yet, since we're helping you, we are in just as great a risk as you are."

 

Jathan frowned. "My sincerest apologies, Matt," he said. "I had considered that issue, but with our pursuers being Trackers instead of Hunters, I did not believe there would be any great risk to you and yours."

 

"Perhaps you might want to recalculate that," Matt shot back, the unmistakable edge of frustration in his voice. To Odrimae he concluded, "Your enemies won't be here tomorrow. We'll be fine."

 

And with that, he left.

[JasraLantill]

"Ok, well, we'll need to at least visit this store," Ishi said to Jaiera as she pointed to a newspaper ad for the mall Matt had given to them. "They're having a 'sale'."

 

She flipped the page and then gasped. "Oh! Look!" She turned to Jaeira pointed excitedly to an advertisement of a current action/adventure film. "A movie! We have to go and see a movie! From what I gather it is the pinnacle of human entertainment media, and it would most certainly be an excellent opportunity to study not only humans in a social environment, but to gather more insight on popular cultural references and euphemisms."

 

She handed the paper to Jaiera. "Here. Take this to your brother. See if you can convince him that it would be a good idea. Then he can convince Matt."

[Writer]

((Thinkin' we need a time skip...))

 

The next morning, after the morning rituals were taken care of, everyone who wanted to were loaded into the truck and the van, and the group all headed south, toward Boise. It took roughly two hours and fifteen minutes (because Matt was speeding, much to Ishi's paranoid concern). They made it to the mall in exactly two and a half hours.

 

Jathan had at first been reluctant to agree to the movie idea, but with nonstop pressure from Jaiera on the long car ride, he finally gave in to the idea. They would eat lunch at the mall and then load into the cars again to go to the movie theater, not more than ten minutes away (though Ishi calculated Matt's driving would get them there in five).

 

Once at the mall, they split up into small groups of two to four, each group with both Humans and Jabrics. The Humans each had a credit card and everyone was warned not to go over the limit.

 

((All participants: See discussion thread))

[starmark2k]

Dianne had led her group through all the various boutiques and shops that the Jabrics decided were important for their social integration. For some reason Matt thought it was a good idea to send all the women off together, he probably felt the stereotype that women liked shopping would translate through the species. Dianne knew this was false because she despised shopping.

 

To make things worse the Female Jabric that chose the image of a man to disguise herself as had chosen to go with the women. Although she never said it out loud everyone (well at least the humans) knew that of all the dislike she had for the Aliens it was amplified with Ishi.

 

The dislike Dianne had may have been misinterpreted as xenophobia, but it wasn’t, in fact she was quite excited by the fact that intelligent life existed beyond earth. The problem was that the only other intelligent life she could compare the Jabric to were Humans, and humans as a species had a tendency to have god complexes especially around ‘lesser Species. It was because of this she wanted the other humans to be cautious with information given to the Aliens.

-----------------------------------

Titel stayed at the back of his group, he stayed close to the rest of the group he was in but he didn’t like this little expedition. The planet, technology and people were so primitive compared to that he was used to on his home world. He felt like he was in a prison, trapped on this planet in the human form unable to truly express himself or leave.

 

He wanted to leave this world and go home, he’d prefer to fight than hide on the wretched planet he had followed Jathan too. Now he was following Jathan once again exploring human commerce, he was both bored and irritated.

[JasraLantill]

Ishi sat on a chair just outside a ladies changing room. Jaiera was inside, trying on an ensemble that they had seen in the window of the store, but since Ishi's appearance was male, she couldn't go with Jaiera.

 

Instead she sat outside on a chair, watching and observing the humans around her as they shopped in the store.

 

"They should have more chairs for us guys here," a deep voice said from beside her.

 

Ishi turned her head to notice a human male, older and grayer than what she looked to be, and laden with a couple of shopping bags in both hands. "Oh, I'm sorry...." She rose and offered him her seat. "Please, have mine."

 

"Thanks, pal." The man sat down wearily. "It's the wife's birthday, you see," he said. "And since I never know quite what to get her, I always end up agreeing to take her shopping for her to get what she wants. Only," he sighed, "she can never decide."

 

"There are many products to choose from in this establishment," Ishi agreed.

 

The man nodded. "In here, out there...." The man waved in an all-encompassing gesture. "It all costs me money."

 

"I just use the credit card."

 

"Oh!" The man seemed positively dismayed. "Don't even talk to me about credit cards! Evil things, they are."

 

"Really?" Ishi was intrigued. "I was under the impression they were the basis of modern economic commerce?"

 

The man nodded. "Oh, they are. They really, really are." He shook his head. "Evil things." The man lifted up his bags. "Ee-ville," he said in a whisper. The man nodded towards the door to the changing rooms. "So, who are you waiting for, pal? Wife?"

 

"No. Just a friend."

 

The man suddenly looked up. His wife was exiting the changing room. "Do you have one of those jackets in my size?" she asked a shop assistant, pointing at the display window. "The young lady in there is trying one on and she said it was out on display."

 

As the shop assistant helped his wife, the man nodded. "Young lady. Ah. I had a friend like that once." He rubbed his graying hair, then grinned. "When I was younger, of course." He motioned Ishi in closer. "Word of advice, pal," he said in a conspiratorial whisper. "Use cash whenever you can, and never use a credit card unless it's something you can justify purchasing for yourself. Otherwise, if the wife sees the bill, you've got a lot of explaining to do."

 

Ishi was a bit puzzled about what the man was talking about, and so she just politely nodded. But she was curious. Giving a quick look over her shoulder to be assured that Dianne and Pallax were apparently out of earshot, she quietly asked him, "So, how would one go about explaining something like that?"

[Rogue Nine]

Cael looked behind him and observed the four Jabric men following him through the mall. It wasn't a sight out of the ordinary to the casual observer, but Cael was anything but. He noticed their unconscious mannerisms, the uncomfortable set they had to their shoulders...they were definitely still getting used to 'being' human. Though they looked every bit like normal human males, they still needed some work in the behavior department. And Cael didn't know anyplace better to learn how to be a human male than the local sports bar.

 

"Well, here we are, gentlemen," he said to them as they came upon the outside of the bar, the glow of the flashing neon beer advertisements splashing off their clothing. "You're all going to get a crash course in watching sports, drinking beer and killing time while the women go frolic and spend loads of money." At their confused and curious looks, Cael couldn't help but chuckle. "That's the way things work here on Earth, unfortunately." He beckoned them to follow him as he headed for the barstools. "Let's get pissed."

[JasraLantill]

After listening to the man in the clothing shop detail just how many ways there were to lie about having a second partner in response to queries from his primary partner on the matter, Ishi was completely confused. All her research thus far had indicated that humans were genetically prone to having multiple relationships, and she was puzzled as to why there seemed to be such strict, self-imposed cultural restrictions on the matter in place.

 

She, being a Jabrac, could not comprehend the reason why choosing or refusing a mate had to be so complicated. And so she sought to find additional information on the subject. Perhaps it was the selection process itself that complicated things.

 

She looked around. Jaiera was still trying on clothing in the changing room. Pallax, ever the vigilant one, stood near the entrance of the shop, staring out into the stream of people walking past in the main corridor of the mall. And their human guide for the day, Dianne, was looking bored as she listlessly rummaged through a circular rack of shirts on hangers.

 

She decided that since it was a human conundrum, Dianne was the one she would have to ask about the subject, and so she went over to her.

 

"Dianne," Ishi started. "What kind of qualities do you look for in a mate? Is it merely physical attractiveness or is it more esoteric traits that you seek?"

[Writer]

((It's a bit of a smaller mall, Niner. No bar, sorry to say. Old Chicago probably has some beer, though... and they've got the additional benefit of having pizza ... though now that I think about it, I bet there's a bar in there too ))

 

Matt was on edge all the way down to Boise, and it didn't get better wandering around the mall with Cael, Jathan, Shaqui, and Odrimae. All the while, even as they went into the Old Chicago near the mall's main entrance, Jathan's cool dismissal of the potential danger to Matt and his friends was disturbing. He just couldn't shake the feeling of unease at the thought of the Jabrics' enemies honing in on Earth. Truth be told, he wanted to race back to the observatory and watch the skies for their approach. As it was, he strolled up to the bar beside Cael and slumped onto one of the stools.

 

"I dunno, man," he muttered to Cael, "it's been a month. Things were going okay, yeah? Then, we get the bright idea - Ishi gets the bright idea - to do this outing thing... and that is when Jathan decides to go into a detailed explanation of their enemies?"

 

He sighed. "What are we even doing with them? Do you think... well, might Dianne be right in being... you know... hesitant about them?"

 

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

 

Jaiera came out of the dressing room finally, with a puzzled look on her face. "It's so... tight," she confessed in a hushed whisper to Ishi. "It's like a second skin, practically." She shot a worried look to Dianne and asked, "Do you humans wear this sort of thing? Really?"

 

The item of clothing in question was a t-shirt, fully suitable by Human standards for wearing out and about, but it was entirely possible that Jaiera might have grabbed a size too small.

 

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

 

"Logan, come back me up, will you?" Kayla asked softly. "Looking through Hubble, here..."

 

Logan crossed the room and bent to look. With a frown, he said, "That's looking... not good."

 

"Yeah," Kayla agreed. "Make a call?"

 

Logan nodded. "I'll inform my superiors, you tell yours."

 

They got on their separate phones and made their calls. When the calls ended, they turned to one another.

 

"Mine said to let it play out," Kayla said. "Jabrics want help, they got to ask for it, go through all the proper diplomatic channels."

 

Logan grunted. "With Trackers chasing them? Keh... they're more likely to solicit help unasked by running helter skelter through a crowded place... you know what I mean?"

 

Kayla grinned. "Yeah," she agreed. "So what did your guys say?"

 

"Let the Trackers land before warning Matt or Jathan," Logan answered. "They want a shot at restraining one or more of the Trackers first."

 

"And they're still debating on the Council of Jabros... or what's left of it, yeah?" Kayla asked. "My guys too. Let them stay or send them away... it's all just a tossup to the higher ups..."

 

Logan shrugged. "Nothing better than to wait now."

 

They settled in, both watching the images Hubble was capturing.

[mur'phon]

As he folowed the humans into the bar, he noticed the rather strange way the humans around them acted. It seemed so irrationall, and yet all around him humans where happily consuming vast amount of poison, and cheering at a monitor. Taking a seat next to Matt, he decided to ask

 

 

"So, human males actually enjoy drinking mind adling toxins, while watching other humans exersice? And what's the point of all this cheering at a, eh, TV?"

[starmark2k]

“What do you expect?” Titel rhetorically asked his fellow Jabric. “This sPecies are so primitive I’m surprised they don’t still eat each other.” An Alcoholic beveraged was placed in front of him and he looked down at it then looked at the Irish Human. “Any chance I could get something other than fermented vegetable products?”

------------------------------------------

 

Dianne was shocked to hear such a personal question from the he/she Jabric, but then again she shouldn’t have been as Ishi had been more than a little intrusive since it arrived. “Excuse me!” She exclaimed to the Jabric with the male appearance. “That’s not the kind of question you just come out and ask in such a public place.”

 

Jaiera came out of the dressing room finally, with a puzzled look on her face. "It's so... tight," she confessed in a hushed whisper to Ishi. "It's like a second skin, practically." She shot a worried look to Dianne and asked, "Do you humans wear this sort of thing? Really?"

 

“Unless you’re trying to look like a waitress at Hooters I’d go a couple of sizes bigger.” She answered the Alien. “I mean how’d you even get that on?”

[Writer]

Jaiera blushed and turned to go back to the dressing room. From what she'd gathered, 'Hooters' was not an admirable place to work. Definitely not the image she wanted to be portraying to the world. She tried on a few more things, before settling on an outfit she thought might be considered 'cute'. Then, she emerged once more, wearing the new outfit to display.

 

By human standards, it worked very nicely. She was wearing a pair of jeans, not too tight (which she now associated with 'Hooters'), but not too baggy either (which she'd learned was a sort of anti-social, anti-fashion statement). Thanks to Dianne, the shirt she'd chosen was not skin-tight. To complete the outfit, she'd chosen black, zip-up boot-shoes with a quarter-inch heel; and a brown suede jacket.

 

Just as she was about to ask what her companions thought of the outfit, a loud beeping sounded from the nearby door. Someone had tried their hand at shoplifting, but the clothing item had a tag on it, which had set off the alarm. Jaiera winced and turned to Dianne.

 

"So... how do we get out without... that going off?" she asked nervously.

 

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

 

 

"So' date=' human males actually [i']enjoy[/i] drinking mind adling toxins, while watching other humans exersice? And what's the point of all this cheering at a, eh, TV?"

 

 

Matt smiled faintly. "Can't say I've ever really understood it much myself. I mean, watching sports is kinda fun... not like I'll ever be in good enough physical shape to participate, so watching's the next best thing... and they're cheering for the team they want to win the game..."

 

"What do you expect?” Titel rhetorically asked his fellow Jabric. “This species are so primitive I’m surprised they don’t still eat each other.” An Alcoholic beverage was placed in front of him and he looked down at it then looked at the Irish Human. “Any chance I could get something other than fermented vegetable products?”

 

Matt chuckled, and was about to answer when his phone rang. With a puzzled frown, he excused himself from the bar and headed outside to answer it.

 

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

 

"They've accelerated," Kayla observed. Logan nodded and Kayla ran some numbers through a program on the computer that monitored Hubble. "They'll crash down within the hour."

 

"Can we pick out their trajectory yet?" Logan asked. "Where will they hit?"

 

"Umm..." Kayla murmured, using the program on the computer to factor in the turn of the earth combined with the speed of the Trackers' descent. She paled. "Oh..."

 

"Where?" Logan pressed.

 

"Interstate 84, roughly," Kayla answered grimly. "Less than a mile from the mall."

 

They got on their phones. Only a few minutes later, they got off.

 

"Still say to wait," Logan said. Kayla shook her head.

 

"Mine are saying to warn Matt," she said. Logan nodded and Kayla got on her phone again. Matt's was busy...

[JasraLantill]

"So... how do we get out without... that going off?" Jaiera asked nervously.

 

Ishi stepped forward and held up a small plastic card. "We use the credit card," she announced. "I've been observing the procedure." She motioned for Jaiera to come with her to the counter where one of the shop assistants stood near the register.

 

"Excuse me, but I'd like to purchase these items for my friend," Ishi said, sporting a charming smile. She handed the girl the credit card. "With this."

 

The girl smiled at Ishi, who looked 110% male to her, and coyly said, "Sure thing, hon." She eyed Jaiera. "So, does your 'friend' want to wear those home," she said, referring to Jaiera's new outfit, "or should I put them in a bag for you?"

 

"She'll wear them," Ishi answered for Jaiera. "They look nice on her, don't you think?"

 

The salesgirl nodded, then motioned for Jaiera to come closer. "I'll just take those tags off for you then, shall I?" In a moment or two, the tags had been removed and the purchase made.

 

"Wish I had a 'friend' like him to buy me designer wear," the girl said to Jaiera, and then gave her a wink. "He's cute."

 

Ishi beamed at the compliment as they all left the store and exited out into the main mall. "So, where should we go next?"

 

Just then, Ishi overheard someone say in passing, "...to the food court, dude. I wanna check out the hotties."

 

Ishi's brow raised, and she looked at Dianne. "What are 'hotties'?" she asked her, thinking that they were some sort of localized delicacy. "And can we try some?"

[Quist]

Pallax crossed her arms as she observed Ishi and Jaiera interact with the human salesperson. The two younger Jabrics seemed to be assimilating into human culture easily enough, but Pallax knew that the process would not be so easy for her. A career soldier all her life, she'd been taught how to take action and get things done from a military perspective and she was exceedingly good at that. This fact made traipsing around in human skin just a little bit more irritating, but like all good soldiers, Pallax had a lot of patience and discipline. She just hoped that those wouldn't be tested too much.

 

As they stepped out of the store, she heard Ishi query Dianne, "What are 'hotties'? And can we try some?"

 

"I do not think you should," Pallax told Ishi. "At least not until they have been verified as non-toxic to Jabric physiology. The humans have already demonstrated a very...unique style of cuisine." She hoped her attempt at being diplomatic was heard. "So until we can verify the composition, characteristics and measurement of these 'hotties', I must recommend you hold off."

[Writer]

Jaiera breathed a weary sigh. "Always so... scientific aren't you?" she observed of Pallax. Turning to Ishi, she added, "But she's right as ever..." Turning an inquisitive eye toward Dianne, she asked, "So what are these... 'hotties'?"

 

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

 

"He's still on the phone!" Kayla exclaimed, exasperated. Logan growled.

 

"They've sped up again," he pointed out. "They'll be there within twenty minutes. Even my superiors are telling me to get in touch with them. What about Dianne?"

 

"I never bothered to get her number," Kayla muttered. "Shame on me, I know. I wasn't thinking... oh, get off the phone!"

 

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

 

 

"Mom!" Matt protested. "I'm old enough now you shouldn't be asking stuff like that. Look... I... Mom? Mom, you're not listening... I'm hanging up now... didn't hear me, did you? ... I got someone pregnant... oh, so that you'll listen to? ... Mom... no, Mom... ugh..." He ended the call. Immediately, his phone rang again.

 

"Mom, for the last time..." he began.

 

"It's Kayla," his cousin cut him off. "Get the Jabrics out of there five minutes ago. Trackers, collision course, less than... five minutes."

 

Matt dropped his phone in shock.

[JasraLantill]

"Look at that!" Ishi excitedly pointed towards one of the shops in the food court. In the display window, was a giant, chocolate chip cookie in the shape of a big heart, with the words 'I love you, Sally' written on it with thick, white icing. "It's huge!" She turned to the others, more so Dianne. "Who's Sally? A local celebrity?"

[RobQel-Droma]

Odrimae looked down at the table as one of the same drinks offered to Titel was given to him. Normally, he would have much rather watched the surrounding humans to gain a further understanding of their culture and behaviour, but he didn't want to offend. So, he took a small sip of the drink ("fermented vegetable products" he agreed), and... liked it. Odrimae took another small sip, and then another.

 

Then he coughed. This would make him- what was the word? Drunk. He could almost feel himself become slightly affected by the substance, and he prudently wondered what and Earth drink designed to make humans lightheaded and irrational would do to his species.

 

He next directed his attention to the "TV'', at a particularly noisy cheer from some of the bystanders. It seemed humans were exceptionally drawn into the viewing of other humans attacking each other to try and gain possession of a small brown object. On another TV, nearly naked humans were attacking each other as well in a rectangular stage. Barbaric, he muttered, although he was rather interested.

 

"Do all your sports involve some kind of violence?" He quietly asked Matt, who had just dropped his communication device.

[Writer]

((Matt went outside, Rob. He's not with you.))

[starmark2k]

“A hottie is a term used by some men to describe women they find physically attractive, it isn’t a food.” She informed shaking her head slowly.

 

Dianne looked down at the heart shaped cookie and then back up at Ishi “No the Cookie is an example.” She explained. “It’s so men will buy this cookie and give it to there loved one with their name on it… It’s suppose to be romantic, although if you ask me it’s just tacky.”