maskormenacelogs | 2 aliens walk into sand bar

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† lapis lazuli | n/a

2 aliens walk into sand bar

WHO: riptide and lapis
WHERE: A Beach™
WHEN: late evening
WHAT: water adventures
WARNINGS: uhh. underwater stuff maybe?

[it was a good two days later until riptide realised he didn't know the network alien's name, where they'd meet, when or even what they looked like. it was a bit silly, he realises, but at the same time doesn't really care. if they meet randomly on a beach, so be it. if they don't, he can just find the wavelength again. that's something he can do with his brain! in robot form, anyway. god, his human form sucked. so much so that when he went to a beach in heropa, he had to wait until the late afternoon to even enjoy anything because he'd overheat far too quickly. the other humans running around confused him; maybe they had skin mods to stop overheating? he'll have to look into that. organic modding is a thing, right?

it's getting dark when there's few enough people around that riptide feels like he can go back to being himself. he switches to his robot mode (something that he feels should look cooler other than a small POOF) and wades out into the shore until he's about waist deep in the water. he looks back at the beach and wonders if cybertron had any beaches. he's seen corrupted and rust filled areas that might have been similar to this before the war, but... there's no way for him to know. the waterways during the senate reign just didn't feel the same. probably because he was pretty sure he saw some senate goons disposing of a body at one point.

he shakes the line of thought off, using his hand to swirl the water a little. fish swim away from him and riptide just takes the moment of quiet to enjoy the fact that no-one's trying to murder him.]

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[to Riptide's credit, Lapis still hasn't realized that there's anything wrong with the little meetup she'd organized with him. perhaps it was her continued inability to tell most of the landmarks on earth apart, or perhaps she was subconsciously preventing it in order to keep from having to socialize more. whatever the reason, her potential alien buddy has nothing to do with the fact that she's currently visiting the same beach.

although she's tiny, especially compared to something as large as a robot, it's not long before Lapis is grabbing attention for herself. she walks out to the shore...and continues walking out onto the water, as if it were merely an extension of the beach. it's surprisingly elegant for someone with blue skin.

she assumes that Riptide is some kind of leftover human relic that didn't work out, rather than an actual sentient being. a faint look of surprise crosses her face when she passes close by enough to find him moving of his own accord.]

...oh.

[it's phrased more like an observation than a conversation starter, however. if Riptide doesn't speak up she'll probably just keep walking on by.]

[yeah no there's no way he's not going to take that as anything other than lapis screaming "TALK TO ME!!"]

...Are you cold? You're blue. Humans go blue when they're cold, right?

[and also don't walk on water but herp derp.]

[Lapis seems less startled at the thing actually addressing her and more at the idea that it's somehow managed to take her for a human of all things. maybe the water was effecting its eyes?]

...I don't think they turn colors at all.

[and also she's not one, but that detail escapes her for the moment. it seems so obvious to her that she just assumes her reply will be enough as is.]

I've seen them go red and blue and pink!

[on tv, yeah.]

Are you that water alien?

I think that's just when their internal fluids spill out.

[this is also something she saw on television. oh, wait, he's asking her a question that's actually relevant now. one that she immediately takes the wrong way.]

No, I'm a gem alien.

Eugh, no, that's something else.

[not all of them are red on the inside, unfortunately.]

Okay, gem alien. Is that what you guys are called? Gems? I'm a Cybertronian. Have you heard of Cybertron? What planet are you from?

Yeah, we're gems. We come from Homeworld.

[if this answer were coming from anyone else it would be inevitable that a rational person would assume they were being fucked with. but there's a sort of earnestness in Lapis' blank expression that one can't help but believe, because the alternative is too mind-numbing.]

I've never heard of a Cybertron before, but that doesn't mean it doesn't exist in my world. [gems were often more efficient in naming, after all.] What star system is it in?

Hadean. It's pretty near Arduria? Where's Homeworld?

[not a very fun name, he things.]

It probably doesn't exist in your world if you have to ask about it. If it were there you'd already know.

[gems are hardly subtle creatures, after all...]

Are those the only names you use for them? I don't think I know that one.

Ah. Conquerers, then? I'm in the same situation. You'd know my race no matter what, mostly because we're banned from most of space.

[he shrugs, sending a mini deluge of water from his armour.]

We had a really long war that, uh. Spilled over. Not to mention the Decepticons were conquerers and tended to straight up cyberform planets. Y'know, like, the six phases of take over?

[the water bends unnaturally as it hits the sea, seemingly slowing without cause so that it returns from whence it came without so much as a splash. Lapis makes no comment on it.]

We only ever really had three when we colonized a planet. There wasn't too much complicated about it.

[well, there hadn't been back in the day...]

Oh, geez. Yeah, no, I think we'd know if you guys existed.

[he laughs, a little awkwardly.]

What do you think of Earth, then? I'm finding it pretty boring, myself.

[she just stares back at him for a moment or two until he asks his question, completely oblivious to how this could possibly be uncomfortable for another person. when he inquires after earth, however, she looks away to stare unseeingly across the ocean.]

I was here before, in my own world. [her gaze hardens] It's just as awful in this one.

[riptide's expression changes slightly, clearly empathetic.]

I'm sorry. Being stuck anywhere sucks... I've been stuck on some backwater planet before. Ten thousand years and they didn't even discover space travel! Bloody awful, hope this isn't like that. Are any of your gem pals around?

They aren't my friends.

[and now her posture is as hard as her expression, arms held rigidly against a tightly wound little body. had there ever been any genuine sentiment shared between herself and her fellow gems? it's a question that Lapis wouldn't have had to think about at all, once upon a time, but now she's not so sure.]

But they'll show up eventually. I'm not lucky enough for anything else.

[hopefully after humans get a little better at space travel...that ought to be another six thousand years or so. plenty of time to breathe a little easier.]

Oh. Well, you can make new friends! I'll be your friend!

[he sounds so excited about that.]

Look, we're both... water type people, right? That's something in common!

...you're metal.

[like, dude, she doesn't want to stomp on any dreams here, but...]

--Hey! I can't help that that's what I'm made of! I mean, I can turn myself human but I can't do anything cool when I'm like that. Plus, I've only been able to do that here and I hate being human?

[her nose crinkles delicately in some mixture of bafflement and disgust]

Why would anyone want to be human on purpose?

I have no idea; I certainly don't!

[he rubs his face, groaning.]

Just being like-- this, makes me tired. But... this is me!

Maybe it's time for you to regenerate.

[sometimes Lapis forgets that other species can't repair all the damage taken to their physical form on command. this is one of those times.]

I can't do that. Also, how would that help?

[what kind of fucking garbage-ass alien are you anyway, Riptide?]

If you're wearing down, that'd probably repair whatever's wrong.

[obviously.]

I'm not wearing down. It's just some weird power the Porter forced on me. I'll live.

[he snorts.]

I fought a war for three million years. I ain't about to let something this dumb get me down.

War's a lot easier to deal with then earth. At least you know what to expect from it.

[like, for real. she'd take the stupid civil war part of her tragedy over the rest of this bullshit any day. it was awful and sad, but at least it made sense.]

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