Chapter 11
The Flick
Alasha POV
Alasha couldn't help but let out a small growl as she walked through the gate, more than tired of dealing with the humans guarding the base. For the second day in a row, she had been heckled behind her back by the humans standing post. Now she understood why Derek wished for her to ignore their words when he first drove her to the dance, they were more than disrespectful. The sangheili resisted every urge to snap their necks but knew it most certainly would not be wise to do so.
She put the less than pleasant discourse behind her as she scanned around inside base, searching for her suitor. Alasha had been directed to him before, but it had been in a location he was seldom allowed to visit. He surely wouldn't be in the same location twice, would he?
"Yo."
She jumped at the sudden noise, spinning midair, only to face Derek.
She quickly relaxed at the sight, letting out an amused snort, "How did you find me at such speed?"
Derek shrugged his shoulders and said, "Well, I was expecting you. Didn't want to watch any movies without you."
Any distaste Alasha had upon entering the base went out the window once Derek said that, taken over by a feeling of appreciation. He could've gone off and enjoyed this human pastime while awaiting her arrival, but he instead waited out here for her instead. He had once again proven his care for her far exceeded all of those before him, something that still surprised Alasha.
With a gesture of his arm, Derek motioned further into the base, "Well, let's join the show, shall we?"
With a slight nod of her head, Alasha agreed and began following Derek. She moved next to him and turned her head to look at his alien face. One thing she was quick to understand was how expressive human faces were, a feature that made it all too easy for even someone with little human experience to read their emotions.
She was easily able to read a very thoughtful expression on her suitor's face, his downward gaze complementing it. Her mind wondered what he was thinking about. The current silence surrounding the two prompted her to simply ask, but she didn't get the chance as he turned to her and asked his question.
"I know it's only been a day, but did anything interesting happen over at that fortress of yours?"
Alasha turned her gaze downward as well as she thought of an answer. After a moment, she turned back to him and said, "The most interesting thing had to be my… friend's reaction to my defaced armor."
He took a quick look at her. She of course was still wearing the armor, although it had obviously been cleaned well within the last day seeing as it was once again shiny.
She watched as a grin grew over his mouth, followed by him asking, "It wasn't a very good reaction, was it?"
With a sigh, Alasha shook her head, "It never is."
Derek turned his head to face her more directly and asked, "I'm guessing they don't like you hanging around humans?"
Alasha nodded, "If anything she is more understanding about it than I'd expect most of my kind to be. And that is of itself isn't reassuring given her distaste towards it, though, most of it stems from a false belief."
Her words began making him more curious as his pace slowed. He put his hands on his hips and asked, "What belief?"
The question made Alasha freeze up for a moment. Despite the implications of Derek being her technical suitor, she did not want to even acknowledge the idea of someone believing their relationship as anything more than it was. It might make him think things she didn't wish to think about herself.
Luckily, she didn't have to make an excuse as a voice from ahead of the two said, "Hey, you made it! Come on, one of the better ones is on!"
The pair turned their heads from each other to look at the source of the voice, seeing Knott's form peeking out from inside of the building before them.
"Hurry up, we are just getting past the studio credits."
Alasha thought to ask what that meant but decided it would be better just to see for herself.
"So what movie did you guys just put in?" Derek asked as he rounded the corner into the barracks, Alasha following in soon after.
"Old 20th-century one, Alien."
Derek's face turned a shade red, "Har har very funny-"
Pausing for a moment, he collected his thoughts before going pale.
"Isn't that a horror movie?"
Alasha tilted her head slightly, confused by the terms and names being thrown around. The only thing she could decipher was 'Alien', such as the humans; or inversely her, and 'Horror'.
Horror? Were they meant to make one scared?
Knott nodded his head, "Yup. Ridley Scott was it?"
Derek seemed agitated at his fellow marine, annoyed even. He raised a finger and pointed it between him and Knott.
"I don't think it is a good idea for Alasha's first film experience to be with a scary movie."
Knott scoffed at the remark, "Dude, the special effects are super dated. It would be hard to convince anyone it is real."
Derek only pinched the bridge of his nose and shook his head, "Alasha has most likely never consumed a single piece of visual media, so she has no point of reference to what 'looks real' or what 'is real'. I'm saying it's not a good idea to show that sorta movie as an introduction."
"There is no need to worry about me," she said, placing a hand on Derek's shoulder causing him to shudder slightly, "I am perfectly capable of dealing with otherwise 'scary' things."
No matter how much courage Alasha could muster, she couldn't help but lie to them. In truth, she has never done well with anything remotely considered scary. From what she knew about human 'films', they were not too different from the broadcasts that the san'shyuum prophets would televise, only these films would be telling stories not spouting lies. She wondered what stories of the past they would be willing to share with her that were so scary; Perhaps hunting a great beast on their homeworld, or the deeds of a great warrior. Although, they did mention the word alien, perhaps their first encounter with another species?
Before thinking much longer, Derek nudged her to come inside the building. As she entered, a foul odor penetrated her nostrils, nearly causing her to gag. Piles of dirty… clothes scattered across the floor, underneath cots and on top of them. The air was more humid than outside, which was quite a feat considering it was sunny after a day of rain. Daniel must not have noticed, or had otherwise grown accustomed to it.
"Sorry for the mess," Daniel said as he walked next to her, "I told them to clean up before you got here, but you can clearly see the result of that."
On the far side of the room was a large mat of sorts hanging against the wall, an image being projected on it via a small box resting on a table. A few folding chairs in various makes and sizes and orientations were gathered around the screen, most being occupied by members of the barracks.
The video being projected itself showed a large human vessel drifting to space, slowly panning through different shots within its interior. Various electronics and systems begin turning on, blinking, making noises.
By then Alasha had already found herself sitting in a chair, enthralled by the scene opening up before her eyes. The only way she could have described it was fascinating.
A light illuminated a rounder room, opening up what appeared to be cryopods (she remembered reading about them from a few articles about human technology) with half naked men and women groggily waking up within.
So distracted by what was on screen, she didn't notice that Derek was quietly watching her, concern plastered on his eyes and hands. He had a vague understanding of what happened later in the film and was worried about her eventual reaction. Yeah, she was a big alien warrior princess, but he had seen her nearly break down in the warthog on their way to the dance as well as in his arms a little more than a week ago, so anything was possible.
A good thirty or so minutes had passed and nothing had happened, Alasha had immersed herself in the movie so much that she found it hard to take her attention off it. Occasionally she would lean over to Derek and quietly ask him what certain things were, learning of things such as 'cats' and 'bonuses'. She however did find herself a little off-put by the long dead creature as the three humans found in the wreckage of the ship, but did not find it too terrifying.
She watched as one of the humans explored a room of what appeared to be eggs.
As an egg opened near and the movie got quiet, she leaned forward out of curiosity.
Not soon after she nearly fell backwards out of her chair as whatever creature was inside jumped at the screen. She instinctively grabbed Derek's arm, squeezing it tight and gaining a small yelp from him. Everyone else in the room spun their heads to look at the commotion.
Mi was the first one to giggle, followed shortly after by everyone else. The shared reaction elicited a blush from both Alasha and Derek, the former being much more flustered than the other.
But the movie continued on, Alasha still as curious, but much more cautious. The creature now attached to the human's face was… interesting to say the least. She had no idea what to expect from it and it further worried her.
She suddenly felt the soft flesh of Derek's hand in her own, momentarily looking down as he interlocked his fingers in her hand. Looking up at his eyes, she caught a soft smile on his face as he shook their hands.
"Hey, everything is going to be fine," he said quietly, "It's just a movie, just pictures on a screen."
His touch and words grew a strange warmness in her chest, not enough to quell the fear inside of her, but enough to calm her down again. Much to her own surprise, she didn't jump when the carcass of the creature fell onto the human named 'Ripley', believing that was a direct result of her suitor holding her hand.
Unfortunately it didn't take too long for another issue to arise.
She watched the crew of the ship gather around and eat, suddenly the human with the alien attached to his face began to choke and seize up only for another creature to burst out of his chest in a bloody fashion. Her stomach sank and she was quickly on her feet.
In the blink of an eye she had left the barracks and somewhere outside, Derek on the floor with his chair knocked over next to him. His arm stung from her pulling away as she ran off.
He could only sigh and chase after her.
"Shit."
Derek POV
Derek sighed as he patted Alasha on the back, watching as she vomited into a can. He was able to grab her helm from her head before she could vomit, luckily saving it from catching any unwanted particles, and was now holding it under his arm. It was much heavier than it appeared and he was doing his best to not look over encumbered.
He rubbed his hand on her back, unhappy how right he was. He knew they shouldn't have watched a horror flick as Alasha's first movie experience, and now she was suffering the consequences.
A few moments passed as Alasha heavily breathed leaning over the can, then in a voice of disgust, "Who would ever wish to create such a guttural and grisly display! For entertainment!"
Derek shook his head, "Some people like that kind of stuff. I'm sorry, I should've made them change it."
Alasha's saurian head rose from it's downward facing position, then she turned to him with a soft chuckle and said, "I believe I should try and trust you more. You seemed to know what would happen beforehand."
Derek shrugged his shoulders, "What can I say, I guess I'm a bit brighter than most people think."
He held up her helmet in both of his hands, weighing it for a moment, then looked up at Alasha. Her eyes darted from the helmet back up to him, then she slightly ducked her head. Derek carefully slid the helmet back on her head, then slowly moved his hands away.
Alasha's head rose up, then she softly smiled, "Thank you, Derek."
Derek returned the smile and said, "Anytime. So, since it's clear we've had enough of movies, are you ready to go back home?"
"Yes, I am sorry for ending this so soon. I will contact someone from the keep to pick me up."
He nodded, "Do you mind if I stay with you until that happens?"
"Not at all," she said with a smile.
The smile quickly disappeared as she thought to herself, her eyes slowly widening as she came to some sort of revelation.
"Is something wrong?"
"I… have no way of contacting the keep from here," she said, slowly turning her head to face him.
"Well that's no problem, I can just take you home in a 'hog," he said pointing over his shoulder to approximately where the motor pool was.
Alasha could only smile and shake her head, "You spoil me too much."
Derek slowly began walking backwards and said, "Given your status, I would've expected that to be the norm for you."
Alasha began following him, her eyes looking up thoughtfully for a moment, then she looked back into his eyes and said, "Well, yes, especially compared to most females. But never is it done with such courteousness. It's very… refreshing."
A smile grew on Derek's face as he turned around to walk and said, "Glad I can be a nice change of pace."
The two were sucked into their small conversation as they wandered into the courtyard where warthogs were stored, and it took Derek a few seconds to realize that all of them were raised into the air by jacks. He looked around at warthogs, confused, then noticed some mechanics currently working under one.
He let out a huff as he approached the men, Alasha slowly following him from behind. Once Derek was near the two mechanics, he cleared his throat to grab their attention. They both rolled out from under the vehicle, then turned to face him with slight irritation. Their irritation, however, was quickly quenched as their focus turned from Derek to the armored sangheili behind him.
The two turned to look at each other blankly when Derek gestured to the warthogs and asked, "What's up with the hogs? Why are they all on jacks?"
One of the two mechanics lightly chuckled as he rose up, wiping his hands against each other, then he pointed at the two from the hip and asked, "You're Derek, right? You're actually dating the keep lord's daughter? Jesus Christ, get a load of this guy, Bill."
The second mechanic, newly named Bill, chuckled with a wide, dumb smile, then stood up himself and said, "He looks like an alien fucker too!"
Derek was close to saying something snarky back, but he quickly let out a long sigh as he tried to relax himself. He didn't have time to deal with this, nor did he really want to. He gestured to the warthogs again and asked, "Are any of them driveable?"
The mechanics chuckled again, then the unnamed one shook his head and said, "Nope. We just got new pipes for these puppies, so all of them are decommissioned til' we finish replacing the old pipes."
"Yup," Bill interrupted, "Only working one is for emergencies only, and taking your pretty girly friend for a late night drive ain't an emergency, right Ted?"
Derek crossed his arm with a grumble, turning around, when the mechanic snickered and added, "Not like a beast that big could fit in one of these beauts anyways."
Derek's grip tightened on his own arms out of anger, then he spun around, about to say something, when Alasha's hand rested on his shoulder. He looked back at her, looking into her soft gaze. Given what these guys just said, Derek would've expected her to be more heated than this.
Calmly, Alasha lowered her head closer to Derek's and said, "We can simply walk there. It isn't too far of a stroll."
With a sigh, he gestured to the warthogs again and said, "You sure? I mean, I might be able to…"
Alasha gave him a small smile, then lightly tugged his shoulder and said, "A stroll would be nice too. Just gives us more time to talk."
Derek stared at her face, then peaked back at the two mechanics, who both seemed to have disregarded their presence and went back to work. He turned back to her with a nod and said, "Yeah, that would be nice. Anything would be better than talking with these two morons any longer."
The pair turned their backs on the courtyard and walked away, heading for the base's gate. They were, once again, met with rude remarks from those guarding it, but this time around they were more than happy to allow the pair outside.
As they walked away from the gate, Derek turned to Alasha, irritated, and said, "Once again, please forget what those guys said."
Alasha looked down at Derek and said, "Words such as the ones they spoke are devoid of meaning to me. If I were to take such comments to hearts, I wouldn't dare tread close to your base."
Derek nodded as he lowered his head, then sighed and said, "Yeah, people can be asses."
His eyes gazed at dirt below him as they walked forward, then heard Alasha say, "That is fortunate, though, since speaking to you seems to make any effect their comments had disappeared immediately."
Derek raised his head to look at her, a small smile on his face. He was about to say something back, but he was caught off guard by the sight of Alasha's silhouette outlined by the shimmering moon behind her. Her eyes were almost glowing in the darkness as she looked down at him, the sight being hypnotic to him.
The sight was interrupted as a distant sound of wind blowing leaves broke through the silence, making Alasha rip her head upwards. The straightness on her face had disappeared as Derek watched her mandibles open and her eyes widen at the sound. She took a step back as she looked out into the forest, obviously spooked.
It only took Derek a second to realize it was just the wind, then he turned to Alasha with a smirk and asked, "Alasha, you aren't scared, are you?"
Her head whipped back around to face him, her expression now shocked at his accusation. She shook her head as she tried to relax her tense body and said, "No, of course not. I was raised here, to fear the forest would be… foolish."
Derek chuckled as he continued forward and said, "Alright then, if you say so. But remember, I'm here, so don't be scared."
He watched her release a small groan, then said, "I am not scared, but fine. Your presence is as reassuring as always."
Alasha moved next to Derek as they strolled through the loose forest. She had moved so close that Derek could feel her armored arm brush against his own with every stride. He lightly chuckled as he shook his head. He wasn't put off by the closeness, he quite enjoyed it, but if this wasn't proof she was at least slightly spooked he didn't know what was.
After some time of feeling her armor rub against him, he shifted his arm and asked, "So, seeing as you wear this armor so often, you do much fighting? Are you any good at it?"
He wasn't expecting to get much from her, so he was surprised when he watched Alasha lightly laugh. She looked down at him and said, "All my sparring matches are more equivalent to my friend using me as a punching bag."
With a raised eyebrow, Derek asked, "So, you're not very good?"
Alasha sighed and said, "I certainly could be keeping myself in better fighting shape, but recently I've let go of my once strict training regiment."
Derek nodded as he turned to look ahead of them, then Alasha asked, "What about you? You described yourself as a warrior, of what caliber are you?"
He nervously laughed, reflexively pushing his fingers through his hair, then said, "Well, you know... I hit most of my shots on the range."
Derek dared a glance at Alasha, whose head was tilted. She then asked, "Have you seen any battle?"
He shook his head, then lowered his hand with a sigh and said, "Uh, no, I haven't. But, I was one of the better shooters back in boot. Top 10, at the least."
Her eyes were trained on his face, he could feel it. After a moment, he let out a sigh with a lowered head and said, "Top 20."
He shifted his gaze to Alasha's face, seeing her head was pushed closer to his, her eyes almost stabbing him now. With a deeper sigh, he grunted and said, "30."
Out of the corner of his eyes, he could see her head pull back with a slight nod. He turned back with a chuckle, his hand splayed out, and asked, "What? Does that sound right to you?"
She lightly chuckled in return, then sighed and said, "In the short time I've known you, you haven't exactly exuded the qualities of an expert warrior. Though it is a worthy trade given your other qualities."
Another smile grew over his lips, but he had no idea whether to feel good he had nice qualities, or insulted she could tell he wasn't exactly the best soldier. His body seemed to have decided for him with the dumb smile he could feel on his face.
They walked in a calm silence for a little while, Derek's eyes wandering around the forest as they went. One thing that broke the natural silence was the sound of metal plates shifting with every step Alasha took. Her breaths also seemed to get heavier with every step, prompting a tinge of concern to strike Derek.
He looked up to her, his gaze catching her attention, then asked, "Hey, is that...uh, armor a bit heavy?"
Alasha's eyes widened a bit from his question, then she asked, "Where did this come from?"
Derek shrugged his shoulders and said, "Well, I can hear your armor with every step we take. Plus, I was holding your helmet for a second, and it was quite hefty. You said it yourself, you haven't been keeping yourself in tiptop condition. I'm just…"
Alasha waved dismissively with her hand, lightly chuckling, then said, "I appreciate your concern, but the armor is fine. While I admit, it is a bit encumbering to wear, it will be good for me to get used to it."
She then pointed to his body and said, "You, on the other hand, seem quite comfortable in your armor. Are you quite strong for a human or is it not very heavy armor?"
Derek looked down at his armor, brushing his hand over it, then said, "Well, it's not as heavy as some people think. It did take some time to get used to, but these days I really don't notice the difference when it comes to weight."
He watched as Alasha leaned closer to him, then she carefully pressed one of her clawed fingers against his front vest, then she leaned back and said, "It doesn't seem very protective."
Derek lightly chuckled, then poked her armor and said, "I highly doubt it's as protective as your guys' armor, but it gets its job done well enough. I mean, why would they make us wear it if it wasn't protective?"
Alasha lifted her head up, slowly nodding, then she said, "I guess that makes sense. I just hope you don't get into any kind of serious danger wearing that, I highly doubt it will be of much use if you fight my own kind."
Derek softly chuckled, then jokingly rubbed his arm and said, "Aw, you care about me."
Alasha, not catching onto his joking tone, nodded her head and said, "Of course I do. You've become, what I consider, an enjoyable friend. I would be… quite unhappy to find out something happened to you."
Derek's hand lowered from his arm, his joking nature disappearing as he took her words in. There was a strange feeling stirring in him. He felt quite… touched by what she said. It was nice to know he meant that much to someone. He was strangely weirded out by how touched he felt, given the length of their relationship. But, he wasn't going to self destructively ruin the moment for himself, so he simply grinned and continued walking forward, choosing to simply accept it.
As they walked, a light rustle of bushes came from more wind blowing, once again slowing their pace as Alasha panned her head around.
With a suppressed chuckle, Derek gestured to the bushes ahead of them and said, "Alasha, it is just the wind, there's nothing to be-"
A dark figure leaped out of the bush at the pair, both of them shrieking and flying into each other's arms. Alasha backpedaled away from the shadowy figure, tripping over Derek's legs and making them both fall onto the ground, tightly hugging each other with squeezed shut eyes.
After a few seconds of holding each other, the two opened their eyes and looked at each other, wondering what had scared them. In unison, the two sat up and looked forward to see what was there, only to see a lizard standing a few feet ahead. It was completely disinterested in them, then ran off into the forest, disappearing from sight.
Their heads turned to watch the lizard run away, then they panned back and looked at each other. They were silent for another moment, then they realized they were still hugging each other. They simultaneously let go of each other, Derek letting out a few coughs as they rose and dusted themselves off.
They stood still for a moment, an awkward silence between them, then Derek coughed again and said, "I...um, I wasn't expecting that."
Alasah nodded in agreement, then she said, "I guess we are both… on edge out here."
Derek grinned, then slowly nodded his head and said, "Yes, on edge. Of course."
It took another few seconds before Alasha turned to him and said, "I… apologize for grabbing you. It was just in the moment, I was…"
Derek waved his hand up and down and said, "No, no, no, it's fine. I grabbed you too, I should be the one apologizing."
He was silently thankful it was as dark as it was, so she couldn't see his red cheeks at the moment. Still, he reflexively turned his face away when he felt her eyes studying him, though he barely noticed her doing the same.
They got up and their walk began again, but now a string of thoughts were running through Derek's mind. When they both got scared and held on to each other, Derek felt… safe. He remembered the warmth and safety he felt, despite him clinging to her armored body, it was something he quite liked in the moment. Now he just felt rude for doing it, wanting to put the short interaction behind him, but it stuck in mind like glue.
By Alasha's body language, Derek had a sneaking suspicion she felt the same, but if he brought it up she'd most likely explode. It brought a small smile to his face as he thought about it, how she tried her best to cover up such simple things she had no reason to be embarrassed over.
The rest of their walk through the forest was quiet, a lingering awkwardness from the hug between them. The loose forest cleared as they approached the gates of the large keep, a sight that still amazed Derek. The two stopped a short distance from the gate, gazing at it silently.
After a few seconds, Alasha turned to Derek and softly said, "Thank you for… escorting me, Derek. It was a nice stroll, despite the scare."
Derek looked up to her with a smile and said, "Anytime. Spending time with you is nice, plus I never really got to admire the forests here as well as now. You have a lovely home planet."
Alasha nodded her head, then took a step towards the gate and said, "The time was enjoyable for me as well."
He watched her regal head turn towards him, her eyes cutting through the dark, then she asked, "Perhaps I can come again tomorrow. You humans seem to have many strange activities to witness."
Derek thought back to watching her vomit into a can, then brushed his fingers through his hair and said, "I don't know if that's the best idea. Especially now, your little display was kinda on show for the whole base, and people talk shit. I'd rather you not have to deal with that."
Alasha paused for a moment, staring off past him, then she turned fully towards him and asked, "Well, why don't you come here?"
Derek froze as he thought about it, then met her eyes and asked, "Are you sure that's fine? I thought sangheili didn't really like us humans."
Alasha was silent for some time, looking deep in thought, then she took a step towards him and said, "I can assure it myself. You'll only be visiting my home, it's not like I shall parade you through the streets. Only those I trust will see you. I… don't want to delay any more time with each other, given how long I was absent from visiting you. With how you treat me, it's the least I can do."
Derek stared into her eyes, then gazed past the gate ahead of them and said, "Well, it would be cool to see what it's like in there."
A bright excitement rose in her eyes as he said that, then she said, "It is a plan then. Arrive noon tomorrow, if that's ok."
Derek nodded with a smile and said, "I'll be there."
Alasha nodded her head, then began walking to the gate and said, "Until tomorrow, then."
Derek watched from a distance as Alasha slipped quietly into the gates. Seeing her wave before being safely inside, he began to walk back.
A string of thought and emotions hit him at once as he thought about what had happened. Did he grab onto too much? Why did it feel so comfortable? Why did he do it in the first place? Was she feeling the same thing afterwards?
It was awkward at first, but it was weird yet reassuring that her first instinct was to hold on to him for protection. There was no doubt at this point that they shared something between them, deeper than just a simple friendship, and the experience only furthered his belief that it was a mutual feeling. He also could not lie that she felt really soft in his arms, something he could just nestle into.
He giggled at the thought, stepping over a root sticking out of the terrain and sliding down a calf-high slope.
But then again, she was an alien, someone he was just pretending to date so that she could have some reprieve. So why did he want it to be more than an act? More than just them acting like two awkward flirts. And he knew it wasn't just him.
He didn't know if he felt afraid of the prospect, not only was this the first time he has dated someone in years and it was some alien princess of sorts, it was quite a jump when it came to status. He really didn't know what his parents thought, he very well knew what his peers thought, and he dreaded what Alasha's people would think. He wasn't sure if this 'follow your heart' mentality was worth the trouble it would not only cause him, but her.
He prayed nobody had seen them walking.
Of course Derek was thinking this all the while slowly tripping over an object on the ground.
"Gah!"
He quickly rolled onto his back and looked at whatever he tripped on, and much to his surprise (and horror), the object began to slowly rise before coming to its full height. He couldn't exactly make out what it was, but he knew for sure that it was a living creature.
The creature bellowed something incomprehensible in a gruff tone.
"W-What?" Derek stammered.
It growled before yelling again, "Watch where you step, you insolent worm!"
Derek could instantly tell that he had tripped over some sangheili. It seemed to be wearing a coat of leaves of sorts that covered him from his head to his mid-thigh, similar to a ghillie suit.
"S-sorry, uh, why are you laying down in the middle of the forest?" He said, slowly getting up off of the ground.
"Why do you care, human?"
"Well, you are kind of at fault for me tripping over you."
The sangheili only snorted before looking towards the keep, "I was hoping to catch a glimpse of the young lady with her suitor, but I foolishly fell asleep," he turned back to Derek, "Tell me, did you happen to catch two sangheili walking in these woods?"
"N-no, you are the only one I have seen."
The alien pouted for a moment before looking back at the keep.
"Why are you out here?" The sangheili said, turning around.
"Uh… taking a hike."
He scoffed and returned his attention to the keep.
"One of these days I will catch the Quas daughter and her alleged 'suitor', Der'ek; I know she is deceiving me to prolong our inevitable engagement."
Derek bit his tongue, realizing who he might be talking to.
"She seems to visit your base a lot," Busras, as Derek could now assume, continued, "Perhaps you might know as to why?"
"I… have no idea. I see her around occasionally but I don't know why she is even there. But then again I... barely pay attention."
Busras thought to himself for a moment.
Derek was quietly shitting himself in fear. He thought he was afraid when he first met Alasha, but this was hundreds, no, thousands of times much scarier and life threatening.
He snapped his finger before pointing at the human.
"I have a request."
Derek frowned, "A-And what would th-that be?"
The sangheili chuckled, "I want you to spy on her whenever she comes to your base and report to me what she does."
Derek felt a stab of fear in his stomach, "W-Why should I?"
Busras crossed his arms, smirking, "I will pay you handsomely."
Derek really couldn't refuse Busras at this point. From the sangheili's perspective there was absolutely no logical reason to not accept. If he did it would seem very suspicious and Derek could only imagine what would happen next.
"S-sure."
"Good! You can call me Busras. I need you to report to me in the village next time she arrives, does this sound fine?"
"Y-yes."
"Perfect, what is your name by chance?"
"U-uh… Ripley...?"
"Right, if you would-" he suddenly stopped talking.
He took a step and leaned forward, taking a brief sniff of Derek before backing away. Busras scratched his head before speaking once again, "You smell… familiar…"
"W-What?" Derek said, smelling himself as well.
"Is that… no, impossible…"
"What do I smell like?"
Derek knew the answer; he smelt like Alasha. Her scent was memorable, intoxicating even, and he could still smell her on him.
Intoxicating? Oh lord, he must be falling down the deep end.
"Nevermind, I must be losing my sanity. I hope to hear from you shortly. Now, off to find an actual bed to sleep in," Busras said as turned and trudged away into the blackness of night.
Derek held his breath for a moment before letting out a sigh of relief, quickly turning away and jogging off.
He was certainly screwed now, seeing as Busras will clearly see him visiting the keep tomorrow. Or perhaps, he hoped, that Busras would believe he was somehow spying on her, but that was a stretch.
And he still had to tell his superiors what he was doing. Digging his own grave seemed to be what he was good at these days.
A/N Quack: This is our first chapter completely from scratch. In case you are wondering, yes, I did rewatch Alien for this chapter. That aside a nice portion of this was written by Red Raptor Writing (Who I will be referring to as Brudder because it is easier to write), partially because he is a bit better at writing certain scenes and partially because I am a lazy bastard. Jokes aside, we'll be trying to push out the next one soon.
A/N RedRaptorWriting: Hi. I wrote something. Quack called me bitch a lot til' I did. It's a special work relationship.