When the alien woke up, Hannah was already in his room. He sat up and watched her as she worked, eventually putting on his mask to breathe better. She had spent the day yesterday hunting down meat and branches. She had come home and tried to sleep as much as she could in the chair that was not meant to be slept in. When early morning came, she gathered the sticks from her living room floor and moved herself to the warm room upstairs.
She had cut and tied together a crude sort of crutch. It was crutch-shaped, and approximately his size. He was watching her as she tied off the final chord and held it up and examined it, tapping it against the floor before standing and putting her own weight on it, even jumping up to see if it would collapse under her full weight, dropping back to the ground before she fell down.
"Hey Jolly, try this," she said to the alien, approaching the bed. The alien looked at it, then at her. He grabbed the crutch and looked it over, feeling along the sticks, the bark smoothed away. He moved to the edge of the bed and stood, putting the weight on the crutch and his good foot, lifting the injured leg off the ground. Seemed he had the basic idea of how it worked and figured out that it was not a cane.
She attempted to direct him to show that the top part, wrapped in the towel, went under his arm. She wasn't sure if she was nay help or if he had figured it out on his own, but he eventually tucked the thing under his arm, and began getting used to moving around with it. He was quiet for being so heavy, she really only heard the crutch as it fell on the ground. It took him just a minute to get it coordinated before the red mask turned to look at her.
She gestured for him to come and backed out of the room. He followed willingly and she led him to the stairs, "this way Jolly," she said, gesturing to the handrail for him to use. He looked over, and then around, bending slightly and extending his hand, reaching out and finding the handrail as if he couldn't see it. She gave him a confused expression before moving down as he started making his descent.
She was convinced that if he fell, she could do little more than get squished, but she remained two steps in front of him at all times until he made the landing. He looked around instantly, rattling, as if looking for someone else, then focused on her. She was the only one there, well, besides the lizard. He tilted his head and she sighed, "yeah, I'm alone," she turned, almost putting her back to him and quickly corrected herself but he hadn't noticed. He moved around, exploring the large room. She put more wood on the fire, getting his attention for just a second.
She put the lizard back on her shoulder and folded the throw over the back of the chair. She looked over and saw him touch one of the pictures on the table beneath the snow-covered window.
"That's my mother," she said, knowing he didn't understand. He looked at her then back at the picture, his red mask reflected in the visage of a woman, short blond hair styled up, brown eyes glittering, wearing a grey fleece jacket with her arm around the shoulder of a teen, brown hair down to her shoulders, pearly grin with matching eyes.
He moved his hand away from the pictures and explored some more. He was going to be sorely disappointed, the cabin was sparsely furnished, the basics. It didn't take him very long to circle the room, and he looked over at her, who was watching him. He pointed at various skulls and then to her, asking if they were hers. She nodded to most of them, but shook her head to a few, but didn't know how to pantomime 'mother.'
"Come on Jolly, I got food for you," she said gesturing. He followed after a second, watching her moonwalk into the kitchen. He perked up when he saw the gutted deer on the long island and moved in with a bit more pep in his step.
"All yours," she said, sweeping her arm over the animal and pointing to him. He looked at the animal and then at her. He bent and touched his leg then gestured 'where.'
'Hidden,' she said and before he could finished the gesture for him to give it back, she moved to the door on the other side of the kitchen and opened it up. She went down the stairs and was honestly surprised when he followed her into the cold. She turned so that her back wasn't to him and walked backwards down the stairs, feeling along the walls. His breath was almost instantly visible and he looked around.
She moved around the room and reached behind the shelves, pulling out the dagger he had asked for in its sheath. She handed it to him and he took it in his hand, looking it over and then around.
"Yes it's all here," she said sighing. She didn't really want to rearm him, less now because she thought he would do her harm and more because she was afraid that once he had all his things, he would leave. She wasn't sure why this filled her with dread, maybe because all that hard work would likely die once he set foot outside; maybe it was fear that while he might be grateful, the rest of his race might take offense to the way he was treated by Weyland, and whoever was before Weyland. What if he was someone important to their species?
That seemed unlikely, why, then, would he be alone? Unless whoever it was that got to him before he got to her mountain had killed his escort party.
The alien tilted his head and looked around, rattling softly before he made the same gesture again, asking about his mesh cloth thing. She went immediately to where she hid it and brought it out. He then gestured to his left arm, circling the whole forearm, and she went to retrieve the thick bracer that had the device attached to it.
He looked at her holding it and looked to the stairs, then to her, before turning towards the stairs. She murmured something about hypocrisy but followed, looking at his back. He struggled up the stairs and into the kitchen, moving out to the living room and up the other stairs, grunting and growling along the way, something that seemed like he was complaining to himself. Once he got to the room he hopped in, set the mesh on the bed and held his hand out for the device.
She handed it over and he sat on the bed, setting the crutch aside. He turned the device over, parting the sides of the brace and held it so that she could see the underside. There were three smooth circular plates lined along the bottom. He flipped the lid of the device and touched five red screens. It flashed bright red symbols at him before he deliberately set the device on the mesh, making sure she was watching.
She was, but didn't understand. He motioned with his hand, the same motion she used to get him to follow, and took her hand. It felt almost clammy, and she resisted the urge to pull away. He then put her hand against the mesh and she blinked.
It was very warm, almost too hot to touch and she pulled slightly against his grip. He let her go willingly and watched her carefully as if to gauge her reaction. She gently rubbed the red spot where the skin had been against the mesh and looked from it to him.
"I see," she said and let go of her hand.
He grunted at her and jerked his head towards the door. She left immediately, getting that he wanted his privacy while he dressed. She went down the stairs and petted Smaug, who seemed to be getting used to his new perch. The alien was soon down stairs again, dressed in his mesh with the device on his wrist and the dagger on his left calf.
He gave her a passing glance before moving into the kitchen to eat the deer she had offered him. She walked in after him, watching him cut choice meats from the animal and eat it raw. He looked over at her then the deer, and moved a hand over where the head should have been. He was interested in seeing the skull, but it was in the bathroom in the blood-soaked tub. She indicated vaguely where it was and he seemed satisfied and continued eating.
He ate about as much as she thought he would. She showed him how to work the sink so that he could get his own water and got to work cutting the rest of the meat.
The alien toyed with the sink, turning on and off the water and testing it with his hand. He figured out by himself that one handle was for cold water and the other was for hot. He grunted and looked back at her, some water cupped in his hand and grunted again.
She looked up at him, sharp fillet knife making short work of the carcass. He looked at the water then back at her.
"Water," she said looking away and heard him repeat the word in her voice. Then something guttural, and so deeply toned she couldn't at first hear the difference in syllables, came from his direction. She looked up, knife blade still as he looked at her. There was a moment of silence before he repeated.
"Ju'dha."
She blinked, entirely understanding but unsure of what was going on.
"Juda," she repeated and he rattled at her.
"Ju'dha."
"Judha?"
"Ju'dha," he repeated a little slower, showing that there was a brief pause between 'ju' and 'dha.'
"Chuu'dhha," she tried again, emphasizing each syllable and making sure she had the pause right. He nodded once and tilted his hand, the cupped water flowing over his fingers. She set down the knife and stared at him for a bit, watching him as he looked at her, tilting his head and rattling. He had a verbal language, one much easier to deal with than the clicking and rattling that she had no hope of replicating. She blinked once then cleared her throat. She pointed at herself and said, "Hannah."
"Hannah," her voice repeated to her and she nodded.
"Hannah," she said again and pointed at her chest, then she pointed at him, he grumbled something and she sputtered. He tilted his head again and repeated.
"Jar-hidda," his tone was so low, it was really difficult to tell the difference between syllables, but this one had a longer pause in it than water. It was confusing, with these pauses, where was the difference between words?
"Jar-hidda," she repeated, making sure to add the slightly longer pause in the name. It seemed her first try was acceptable and he gave a nod. She smiled, excitement welling in her chest.
"Knife," she said, holding up her fillet knife.
"Da," well that one was easy enough.
"Deer," he said moving his hand indicating the corpse and she nodded, unsure of how he knew without its head, it being the only part of it he had seen previously.
He picked up one of her cuts and growled, "amedha."
"Amedha," meat, apparently, or maybe it meant 'piece.' She wasn't sure, but she suddenly felt like life was going to get at least a little easier. The rest of the day was spent exchanging words. Basic things, nouns mostly, things that they could point at and show to each other. But he had given words to certain chores he observed her doing like kuo'I or 'cutting' and reck-vet or 'eating.' It was a start, though it seemed more like he was teaching her his language rather than her teaching him hers.
Once darkness fell over the cabin, Jar-hidda retired. He didn't say anything when he did, just moved and left up the stairs. She watched him go, moved to the chair, or himo as he called it, and sighed happily. She sat down and thought. With how quickly he was healing, he would eventually leave. She'd have to show him where she found him, which she was assuming was where his ship was, in the cave. Red-Hair Cave. Her mother's cave.
She frowned, reaching up and detaching Smaug from her chair and attaching him to her shoulder, "things are going to be moving quickly from here Smaug," she said, petting him gently, "we'll be alone again soon."