A/N: Back to answering questions in the A/Ns. In answer to:
Jobe: Interesting you should mention that, as Jeica herself has marksman training. I wouldn't hold out hope for seeing any more gay couples in the story though, as given the universe, they tend to be rare or hiding in closets.
CelfwrDderwydd: I dedicate the second half of this chapter to you and your never-ending torrent of ideas. The plans I had originally were much more boring than yours.
Rocket Guy: If you want to talk about something other than this story specifically, I would appreciate it if you flicked me a PM, as I don't like making these things longer than they need to be. But seeing as I'm here, I believe I do have a dusty, old, abandoned, neglected, sad, lonely Twitter account lying around somewhere under my usual nickname.
Guest: Hate to be that guy, but I honestly despise the prequel movies and ignore them as much as possible. I'll acknowledge the existence of Engineers because of the space jockey in the first movie, but that's about it. So sorry, no neomorphs or protomorphs.
The calm evening air was interrupted by a loud clattering of several carefully-stacked objects raining down upon the hard ground. Mozart skidded across the dirt road, apologising profusely to anyone who could hear him, before shooting forward again. A backpack flapped haphazardly off one shoulder as he sped down the short streets, narrowly avoiding flattening himself against a wall with every corner. Of all the days Jeica could forget her phone… As he neared his destination, he quickly hopped onto two legs and opened the bag up, heaving a sigh of relief when he was assured the phone still lay in the bottom, as if he had expected it to have vanished. Then he stepped up to the door, knocked politely, and watched as it creaked open from the timid contact. Confusedly, he darted inside, calling out to the home's owner.
"Hey, Jake, have you seen –"
He ground to a halt when he stepped inside the home's living room, unable to do anything but stare at the sight before him. He cocked his head slightly as he regarded Jake, plastered to the wall by thin strips of resin, limbs limp as he waited patiently for the substance to dry.
"Hey," Jake greeted him casually.
"Hey…" Mozart replied with a timid little wave. "I'm, uh, just gonna…" he mumbled as he jerked a thumb over his shoulder. Jake nodded, and watched the Xeno scurry back out the door, politely clicking it shut behind him. The human tested his restraints, finding they were almost dry enough to break. All he'd wanted was some blankets from their bed, but Advena didn't take too kindly to having her nest disturbed. He couldn't exactly sleep in the infirmary forever, and the couch got damn cold with only a coat to ward off the night. Maybe he should've just asked around. He tugged his wrist towards his body again, hearing an odd mixture between a squelch and a quiet crack. He put a bit more of his strength behind the movement, and his hand jerked free, almost smacking himself in the face. With his now free hand, he made quick word of the rest of his binds and flopped to the floor indignantly.
He shuddered slightly, a feeling of relief lifting the heavy knot of dread that had been sitting in his gut for the past hour or two. The last time he had been stuck to a wall like that… not good memories. He plucked his thankfully-not-stuck-to-the-ceiling phone off its shelf and dialled up the head of inventory, only having to wait a few rings for a man to pick up on the other end.
"Bunker Three Head of Inventory. How can I help you?"
"Hi, Sergeant Harlor here. Just wondering if you have any blankets in storage?"
"Shit, sorry Sarge, we just gave out the last an hour ago. But we did order a new shipment, so you can check the spaceport to see if it's arrived yet."
"Alright, thanks, I'll do that." Jake sighed as he thumbed the end call button and pocketed the device. He set a leisurely pace, not particularly feeling in the mood for a late afternoon jog; drills were no fun without Advena around anyway. Not that he really needed to cram in training on top of all the walking he did to get everywhere and the workouts shifting equipment and organising the colony gave him. Their selection of vehicles was very lacklustre, having only the trucks they'd brought from the Merciful Indictor, six cargo loaders and a couple of small flatbed car-forklift hybrids, which meant most work had to be done by hand.
Jake was jolted from his thoughts when somebody rounded a corner and collided with him at full speed, sending them both toppling onto the ground.
"Soldier!" the man squeaked, scrambling to his feet with a terrified expression on his face. "Someone's pulled a gun on the spaceport's cargo attendant! Please, you have to do something!" Jake groaned. Nothing could ever be simple.
"Alright, alright, I was heading over there anyway…" he grumbled, acutely aware of how unarmed he was, but confident enough in his training to continue on anyway. He crossed through the heavy gates and onto the asphalt of the spaceport, soon finding himself at the double doors of the cargo storage warehouse. Within was a small lobby akin to a post office, with a desk at the front where the cargo attendant would verify ownership and hand out packages that had come in through the spaceport. "Of course," Jake sighed, rubbing his eyes tiredly. "Who else?"
"Oh believe you me buddy, keep trying my patience and I'll blow your fucking kneecaps out! Do you want to be stuck in a wheelchair for the rest of your miserable, pathetic, useless, shitbag life? Do you?" The attendant, hands raised in the air and a cocky expression in his eyes, spotted Jake and raised an eyebrow, cocking his head slightly at Tyler, who had him by the collar with a gun thrust under his chin.
"Where do you keep getting all these guns from, Tyler?" Jake demanded, leaning in the doorway. Even looking at the man's back as he was, Jake could see Tyler visibly tense up in anger.
"Where do you keep recruiting these fucking pricks from, Jacob?" he shot back, lowering the gun to face his friend. "I have one, small, package, with my name printed on the fucking top and a clear screening. But no, this asshole won't give it to me!"
"Have you ever considered asking nicely?" Jake asked patiently.
"Oh yeah, for the first twenty minutes I was being very polite. After half and hour, that's when I get mad. After forty fucking minutes is when I pull a gun on this bitch, and if he wastes even five more minutes of my time, I'm going to make sure he never fucking walks again." Tyler growled this last part at the attendant, who seemed less intimidated than he should.
"What's the problem here?" Jake huffed to the attendant.
"Uh, the crazy faggot pulled a gun on me?" the attendant answered as if it should have been obvious. Tyler bristled at the 'f' word and tightened his grip on his pistol, almost whirling and firing off a round right then and there.
"Yeah, I know that Einstein. I mean why aren't you giving him the package?" The attendant seemed genuinely taken aback, as if Jake had just revealed he'd never heard of a television before.
"Well, I mean, it's Tyler!" he protested. "Tyler Doelle. The dangerous one that we shouldn't be giving what he wants."
"Oh bullshit!" Tyler exclaimed. "Go on, say the real reason, see how well that goes down. Tell him you're being a jackass because I'm gay. I'm a faggot. I'm a queer freak. Say it, I dare you."
"Okay, this isn't getting anywhere. Tyler, wait outside a minute, will you?" Tyler shot him a death glare and made to tell him to bugger off, but Jake cut him off before he could open his mouth. "Or do you want to keep threatening him until the marines show up? I can take care of this." Tyler shoved past him roughly on his way out, muttering curses under his breath and shoving his pistol into its holster. Once Jake was sure he'd left, he turned back to the attendant with an unamused expression. "So, the package was screened?"
"Yes…" the attendant replied hesitantly.
"Did it raise any flags?"
"Well, no, but…"
"Then do your damn job and give me the package. If you want to take away people's rights and freedom, you can crawl your sorry ass back to the Wey-Yu."
"I don't get why you're sticking up for the gay," the attendant grumbled after he'd retreated into the storage room behind his desk. He slapped the appropriate parcel onto the plastic table irritably. "You ought to know what his kind are like. Greedy, selfish, uncaring of humanity's struggles. All they care about is their disgusting perverted lust. I mean, come on, you saw what he did to this colony! Sold us all out just like that!"
"And then he commandeered the ship, set us all free, and blew it up," Jake reminded him. "If he hadn't, he would be sitting on a fat stack of cash living the good life on one of the Corporation's high-class beach colonies sipping whiskey from a coconut. And there would be nobody around to call him a faggot and give him a hard time, too." Jake grabbed the package and turned to leave, pausing when the attendant left one parting remark.
"Watch yourself Sergeant; he's an unstable one. He's stabbed us in the back once, he'll do it again." Jake just shrugged him off and paced outside, quickly spotting Tyler leaning against a wall beyond the security fence of the spaceport, under the shade of a small veranda. Jake handed him the package with a sympathetic smile.
"About time," Tyler huffed, snatching the package away and making to leave.
"Look, Tyler," Jake sighed, "I know it's been hard, especially after all you've given up for us, but you can't just –"
"You think that's what this is about?" Tyler snapped angrily. "You think that I give a shit about the money, the hero's welcome, the respect and admiration? Let me tell you something Jacob. All my life, I've wanted nothing more than to help people, to make other people's lives better, to see nobody needlessly suffering. And all I've gotten for my efforts is more pain, more heartache. I've lost everything Jacob, twice. And fuck if I'm gonna let it happen a third time. I'm not angry about the money, or the assholes who try to beat me in dark alleys, I'm pissed because these people aren't letting me help them, even though I'm clearly the only fucking person who can. I'm trying to keep this colony secure, trying to keep the Xenos hidden and off Weyland's radar, I'm trying to study the Xenomorphs to help us live together and understand one another, I'm trying to advance our tech so we actually have a chance in hell of winning this fucking war you're so intent on dying for, and I'm trying to enjoy some downtime with my boyfriend. But every, single, step of the way, they're fighting me! They're blocking me off, lashing out at me, setting me back."
Tyler's shoulders shuddered slightly, and Jake almost made a move to offer some comfort, but the young scientist jerked away, not done yet. "I'm pissed because this is my last chance. I can't handle any more, Jacob. All I have left is Sal, my friends, and this stupid colony full of idiots. I'm pissed because I feel helpless, like I can't do enough and people are only ever going to offer me obstacles, and I feel that I'm going to lose everything once more, and it's going to be the fault of these… these fucking shitheads who don't like me 'cause I'm gay. So you can fuck off with your 'I know it's been hard', because you don't know shit, Jacob."
"Tyler, we –"
"No, shut up Jake. I'm sick of hearing your fucking half-formed sentiments. Fuck you, fuck this colony, and fuck me for caring. Sayonara." Jake grimaced as he watched the young man storm off and rubbed his eyes warily. Tyler was obviously too upset to talk it out rationally, but maybe he could fix that. Maybe, he just needed somewhere to vent his anger… Jake recalled something he'd overheard during a planning session for the colony's expansion, and rubbed his chin as an idea came to mind.
~~~~~~~~~~()~~~~~~~~~~
Jake knocked on the ship's outer hatch, adjusting the duffel bag slung over his shoulder as he awaited an answer. Tyler heaved the door open with a scowl that only deepened when he saw who was on his figurative porch.
"You again," Tyler groaned, pinching his nose in frustration. "Would you kindly fuck off? I'm busy."
"No half-formed sentiments," Jake promised, "just come with me, and I'll leave you alone afterwards." Jake didn't wait for an answer, and instead opted to grab him by the shoulder and give him an encouraging tug. Tyler didn't look at all happy with the interaction, but let the hatch swing shut behind him. Jake took that as a sign of agreement and began leading Tyler away from his home, away from the town, towards the shoreline. A little ways off, they could pick out a large building in the darkening light. Jake pulled his jacket around himself tighter as the night's beginning brought along a cold bite in its wind.
Soon, the two of them came to a stop, both staring at the large building which looked much like a cross between a low warehouse and a garage. Large windows sectioned off into small squares by flimsy framing lined the corrugated iron walls, wooden cross-beams and pillars supporting the inside as well as comprising the racks which would have once held sea vehicles, but had been empty for many years.
"You brought me to a run-down boat shed. Fucking brilliant," Tyler remarked sarcastically. Jake ignored him and dropped his duffel bag onto the ground, before unzipping it and pulling out a pair of baseball bats. "You're fucking kidding me. You want to play baseball, in the middle of the night, next to an abandoned boat shed. You're an imbecile, and I'm going home." Jake shook his head, handed Tyler a bat, then stalked over to the shed. He held his own bat in place above his shoulder, tensing, then swung. With a mighty crash, the window shattered into a million pieces beneath his blow.
Tyler, for once, was speechless. He stared at the glass which coated the ground, then at the shed, his bat, and finally Jake.
"It's due to be demolished so we can build a harbour," Jake explained. "Which means, nobody's going to care if a couple of maniacs go to town on it. So, what do ya say? How's about we fuck this thing up?" Tyler remained silent, staring down at the bat in thought. Finally, he stepped forward and swung with all his might, punching a hole straight through the adjacent window. Defiantly, he swung his pseudo-weapon back up, crunching through the pieces which still clung to the frame, striking again and again to make sure every square was empty. Jake stepped back and watched as Tyler whirled around, burying his bat into the next window and causing cracks to wash across its surface. With a grunt, he tugged the bat out and swung again, shattering a good half of the window.
Jake watched Tyler tire himself out and decided it was time for phase two. He retrieved a four-pack of vodka from his bag. Curious as to what else he had planned, Tyler wandered over, dragging his bat through the grass behind him.
"I don't drink," he huffed, annoyed, panting slightly, but not seething with rage.
"Good, else you might've felt bad about this next part." Jake popped the lid off bottle and shoved a small rag into the neck, tilting the bottle from side to side to get it good and soaked. Tyler immediately knew what was coming next, even as Jake handed him the bottle and fished out a lighter. Tyler bit his lip as Jake lit the end of the rag, then adjusted his grip on the bottle, simply watching the flame crawl down the cloth. Shaking away from the sight, he took a good run-up and hurled the bottle, watching with satisfaction as it shattered upon a windowsill and showered the interior with flames.
"Take that you piece of shit!" he yelled enthusiastically as Jake handed him another. Tyler wasted no time in throwing this one as hard as he could, sending it crashing through an unbroken window and setting a boat rack ablaze. Tyler let Jake throw the last two, opting to flop down onto the ground and simply watch the fire take ahold of the old building. The wooden beams and racks within had been set alight, and soon high flames were flickering out of the broken windows silently as the duo watched from a distance.
Jake was content to simply sit silently and stare, happy in the knowledge that Tyler was quiet, and if he was quiet, he wasn't frothing with rage. "Thank you," he said in a voice barely above a whisper, surprising Jake. "That was surprisingly soothing."
"Hey, we're always here to help, you hear?" Jake replied equally quietly with a small smile tugging at his lips. "You don't have to do anything alone. 'Vena, Jeica, Mo', Sal and I, we'll always be here to help you when you need us." Tyler didn't reply, and Jake wondered briefly if he'd overstepped his boundaries by saying something that was probably a 'half-formed sentiment', but Tyler did eventually speak again, still not tearing his eyes away from the all-consuming fire.
"You know, I always used to wonder what Advena saw in you. I think I'm starting to understand now."
"What?" Jake spluttered. That had almost sounded like a genuine compliment.
"Starting to," Tyler reiterated with a hint of a playful smirk, though Jake couldn't tell whether that was a trick of the light cast by the dancing flames or not. "You're still an asshat."
"That's more like it," Jake chuckled. Soon, the fire ate away the supports of the boat shed, and the roof collapsed, smothering the majority of the roaring heat, leaving only glowing embers in the mounds of charcoal and warped metal. Without warning, Tyler slowly picked himself up off the ground and wordlessly headed home. But Jake knew an angry silence from a peaceful one. Mission accomplished, he lay himself down on the grass and stared at the stars for a moment, before shivering and remembering with an amused grin that he'd never found that blanket he was after.
~~~~~~~~~~(Earlier that day)~~~~~~~~~~
Jeica paused in the street, peering across the way at the small park beyond. Children were screaming and laughing in delight upon a fibreglass playground, while others still ran around excitably on the well-maintained grass. It was an odd place to meet, and for a moment she thought she might have misunderstood the scrawled and frankly poorly-written note that had been slipped under her front door. All doubts were washed away when she spotted a Xenomorph in the far distance, keenly observing the children from the shadows of a large tree. The alien was barely noticeable as it blended in quite well with the dark shade, but Jeica had been getting better at picking them out now that she was living with one.
Jeica approached the Xeno, who was laying on the ground on her stomach, head lifted barely above the short grass, arms and legs tucked about her neatly, much like a cat. Jeica wordlessly sat down beside her, turning her gaze to match that of the Xenomorph's. Even from this distance, she could still clearly see the kids engaging in various activities. One group was playing some distorted version of cops and robbers, where some would loudly exclaim they were rebels and point at others, stating that they were Weyland soldiers. An argument would then break out of who got to be the rebels, followed by some crying.
Elsewhere, kids were pretending to be Xenomorphs – with meek growling noises and comical snarls – while others squealed in delight and got chased around the playground by the 'monsters'. Others still simply took advantage of the limited playground, swinging on monkey bars or zooming down slides, sitting on swings or dangling on ropes.
"So… there a reason why we're here?" Jeica asked eventually.
"Not particularly. I just like to come here every so often. Your children are such strange and delightful creatures. Even in trying times, you nurture and protect them, give them space to grow and change. It was never like that with my Hive; naivety and foolishness was to be done away with as soon as possible if we were to survive. At least, that's what my Queen decided. She meant well, but Sal and Mozart… they got to grow up normally, have fun, have weakness, grow stronger at their own pace. It's quite probable that I could have too, but the Queen made a decision, and for better or worse, it's done and in the past. I don't hold it against her."
"Do Xenos ever have kids? Other than the Queen, I mean."
"Oh, all the time. Especially in bigger Hives. The Queen cannot give every child love and attention all the time, so often she will allow others to create and raise children of their own, or foster hers." Jeica nodded, going quiet for a moment, a question itching at her mind but unsure as to whether it was impolite to ask. Finally, she decided that Advena would understand her lack of ill intent, and went ahead.
"Do you want children, Advena?"
"I've thought about it before," Advena answered honestly. "But being in a relationship with Jake complicates things. A Xenomorph child might be dangerous for Jake, and I might be dangerous for a human child. As much as I love human children, they are so… fragile. I would never forgive myself if I hurt one with a careless claw."
"Mo' tells me that its quite common for Xenos in interspecies relationships to raise children from either or both species," Jeica informed her. "So if I had to guess, I would say you'll be fine either way." Advena grimaced.
"Jacob's many scratches and little scars would tell you otherwise," she chuckled nervously. "He can handle them because he is both a soldier and a fully-grown adult, but a child?" Advena left that sentence hanging, and Jeica knew full well what kind of nightmare that would be. Not only for the child, but for herself and Jacob when everyone began storming their home with pitchforks and torches accusing them of abusing children.
"Well, you have plenty of time to figure it out anyway," Jeica assured her, placing a comforting hand on her bony shoulder. "You guys are young, still at the very beginning of your relationship. Live a little, then talk to Jacob when you think you two are ready. But I've probably already said more than I have any right to on the topic."
"Perhaps," Advena humoured her noncommittally. "But I did not ask you here to talk about children – well, not my children, anyway. I've been thinking about our Queen problem, and I've come up with a solution of sorts."
"Go on then," Jeica urged, "I think we're all open to pretty much anything at this point."
"Well, logically speaking, the human Bonded to the Queen should be a military leader, because they will effectively be the King of this Hive. The King and Queen will be in charge of this colony, so it only makes sense to get a human who actually knows what they're doing."
"That does make a lot of sense," Jeica agreed, "but there's only two leaders here; Parker, and me."
"Well, nobody trusts Lieutenant Parker enough to give him access to all our minds. What about you? You are a strong leader, not to mention honest and trustworthy."
"That's a lot of responsibility to dump on a gal," Jeica murmured. "I dunno, 'Vena. I'm more of a field leader; I don't fancy being confined to this colony for the rest of my life. Not to mention Mozart, a Queen? He's a sweet guy and all, but… uh, submissive? Naïve? Self-conscious? I don't know if he would be the best choice…"
"Then we bring a good leader in from elsewhere and Bond them to one of the Elders we have… damn, but we're all out of Royal Jelly and need a Queen to make more…"
"Then, we put our asses into gear and get ready for a mission," Jeica told her. "The Corporation collects that stuff; all we have to do is raid one of their Xeno labs. We could even rescue the captive Hive while we're there."
"Yes! Yes!" Advena cried, leaping to her feet. "That is an excellent idea! How soon can we be ready? Tomorrow?"
"Whoa, whoa, take it easy there tiger," Jeica soothed, patting the air in a 'calm down' motion. "We still have plenty to do before we're ready for a mission of that size, and Tyler's not exactly in the mood to help us plan something out right now, not to mention you still need to make up with Jake if you're going to tackle an operation together – you're sure as hell not doing it alone."
Advena visibly deflated, but could see the sense in her words. "Hey, chin up girl. You'll be among the first to know when we're ready, alright?" Advena nodded and lay back down, placing her head in the soft grass so she could allow her muscles to go slack.
"Thank you for the talk, Jeica. It does make me feel better knowing we have a plan, even if we're not ready to carry it out yet." Jeica gave her a supportive smile, patted her tail reassuringly, and took that as her cue to leave. She did have to take an important call soon, after all, and she needed to go somewhere private in order to do so. Later, she would be horrified to discover her phone was not in her pocket as she had thought it was, only to be relieved a few minutes later when Mozart would deliver it to her, completely out of breath.
Advena, for her part, continued to observe the children from her position on the ground, sighing wistfully as she mulled it all over. Maybe she was being a bit hard on herself; most of the injuries she inflicted on Jake were during moments of passion anyway, when her mind was too absorbed by rapture to exercise proper caution. But she didn't want to think about that, not now while she was still pissed at him for repeatedly being incredibly insensitive towards her kind, her feelings and her culture. Just that morning he'd tried to mess up her nest by stealing a blanket – talk about adding insult to injury!
Advena took a deep breath, clearing her mind and calming herself down. She turned her thoughts back to children, wondering if a human soldier would be able to handle a Xenomorph child after all. While not ideal, many humans were trained or experienced in dealing with pain, and it's not like the child would be setting out to hurt its father. Just little accidents from time to time. She supposed Jeica was right; no point thinking about it now. They were still young, and still fighting a war. Either of them could fail to return home any day in the upcoming years, and she felt it wouldn't be right to put a child through that when there was an alternative, even if said alternative wasn't her strong point; being patient.
Advena jumped slightly in fright when she was violently yanked from her thoughts by a clatter of several plastic objects hitting something. Her head jerked upwards and she immediately locked on to the source of the noise, visibly relaxing when her gaze settled on a young girl who had dropped a blanket full of plastic cutlery. Advena tilted her head curiously as the girl flattened out the thin blanket and began meticulously setting out saucers and plastic teacups atop it. She placed a set in front of Advena, one for herself, and one for each of the four stuffed animals she had brought with her.
"There!" she exclaimed proudly, "now you don't have to be lonely anymore!" Advena tilted her head the other way, her body unable to utter a confused remark, blink confusedly or raise an eyebrow in confusion. The girl raised an empty plastic teapot in both hands, almost dropping the little lid which perched atop it precariously. "Do you want some tea?" she asked politely. Advena, dumbfounded, nodded and slowly began unfurling herself so she could sit upright. "It's only pretend tea though; mommy says we can drink real tea when we're older." True to her words, the little girl began pretending to pour tea into all the cups, starting with Advena's and finishing with her own, amazing the alien with her manners. "Did you hurt your back?" she asked innocently. Advena paused midway through picking up the tiny, dainty little plastic cup, having been caught out by an equally tiny human of some very young age. She had been pressing her body down in an uncomfortable slouch in order to make herself as small and unintimidating as possible, but the child's wide eyes had seen right through it.
Advena sighed and straightened herself out, folding her big legs beneath her to mirror the girl's seating position. "Wow, you're tall!" she cried, amazement glinting in her little amber eyes. "I wanna climb on your back!" Advena paused once more, slowly placed her little cup and saucer back on the blanket, and nodded hesitantly. The little girl squealed in delight and leapt to her feet, running over to the big alien as fast as her little legs would carry her, as if she expected Advena to change her mind at any moment. She winced mutely as the girl unknowingly trod on her tail, but managed to remain still while she attempted to stretch her way up to the vastly-taller alien's shoulders. Advena smirked slightly and lifted her tail, pushing her upwards by her rump until her pudgy little arms could wrap themselves around Advena's neck securely. She found that while slightly uncomfortable, she still had no problem breathing, so she opted to let it slide and instead concentrated on helping the child to support her weight by loosely wrapping her tail around both their bodies, holding them together.
The little girl giggled and shifted her weight a little higher, so she could see over Advena's shoulders. "Let's go to the playground!" Advena glanced down at the little playset that had oh-so-carefully been set out, accidentally neglecting to move. "Playground! Playground!" Advena huffed and gracefully dropped to all fours, being mindful of the little human clinging to her back. She set off at a brisk walk, relishing in the child's squeals of joy. "Faster!" Advena grinned and cranked it up to a mild jog which had the little girl bouncing up and down with every step, cheering wildly the whole way.
When the girl showed no signs of getting off, Advena decided to do a couple of laps around the playground, ever aware of the kids stopping to point and gasp at them, uttering childish little 'wow's and 'coooool's as they watched.
"Hey, I wanna see!" a child protested from atop the tall platform the slide was attached to, shoving the boy in front of him in an attempt to see Advena and her passenger. Advena knew a disaster when she saw one, and quickly wrapped her tail back around the little girl so she could put her head down and launch into a sprint. The little boy who had been shoved shrieked as he toppled forward over the edge of the platform, and Advena slid across the bark-covered ground of the playground on two feet, arms outstretched moments before the boy landed in them safely.
Advena let out a shaky breath as a man and a woman rushed over to the chorus of accusatory 'ooh's, and gently placed both children safely upon the ground.
"Brendon! We do not push people!" the woman scolded. "It's dangerous and you could really hurt someone!" Meanwhile the man crouched down to the little boy whom Advena had caught.
"Are you okay Nathan?" he asked softly. The boy nodded brightly.
"The zennomof catched me!" Nathan exclaimed energetically, proceeding to go over the events with added sound affects and wild hand motions. The man chuckled briefly and turned his eyes to Advena, who was sitting on her haunches looking somewhat ashamed, as she had been the one to stir up the trouble in the first place.
"I honestly don't know what I should be more surprised about," he admitted, "the fact that you managed to get the kids so riled up, or the fact that a big hulking alien is a natural with children." That wasn't exactly what Advena had been expecting to hear, but she made to apologise anyway. "Oh, uh, can't hear you by the way," he explained as he stood. Ah, the man, like all of the original colonists, wasn't a telepath. He wandered over to the woman and briefly discussed something with her, heading back over when she announced:
"Alright team, snack time! Come on, let's head back inside." The man leaned against the slide tower casually, regarding Advena carefully.
"Look, I know you probably mean well and all, but…" he sighed, averting his eyes. "We can't just have strangers running around playing with the kids – especially strangers that nobody here can understand." Advena nodded sullenly. He noticed her downcast expression, and felt guilty that she didn't get a say in any of this; she seemed to genuinely care about and cherish children, just as he and Sue did. Being an alien, she probably didn't even understand what she did wrong. "But hey, you're a natural, and god knows these kids need the exposure if this symbiosis thing is gonna work out. So if you want to, maybe sometime you're not busy, we could grab a coffee and actually have a conversation – with the help of a translator, of course. That way, you won't be a stranger anymore."
Advena nodded gratefully. She would like that, to be apart of these kids' lives, to help them grow and learn and laugh and play. But she had been rather reckless, and for that she knew she probably shouldn't come here anymore. Until the caretakers accepted her, that is. "Anyway, Sue's probably living a nightmare in there by herself, so I should probably…" Advena nodded again, and the man smiled, before quickly jogging over to the preschool, where the kids were having a snack.
As Advena wandered home, she entertained herself with thoughts of seeing the little girl again soon, being able to hear her giggle and scream in joy, and smiled.