%20pngg.png)
"Whatever." Treb noticed that the alien he was carrying had started to stir and fervently hoped it wasn't some sort of parasite about to turn into his new fifth limb or something. "Here's the place." They reached a tall, rectangular concrete structure and Treb ducked through the doorless arch into the dim chamber beyond. "See that control panel over there? Hit the top button and stand in the middle of the floor."
"Fancy," Ba'al commented, genuinely impressed that anyone could get machines to work in this weather. She shifted back into her small form as the whipped wind was blocked out by the building, pressing the button and standing where she was told. She eyed the purple thing in Treb's arms. "Is…that thing trying to eat you, or?"
Treb shrugged one shoulder, bracing himself as the entire floor started to rise at an alarming rate. "I….don't know yet. I think it's just thawing out at the moment. Oh, um, watch your head, the roof panel's a little slow to open and this elevator doesn't really wait for it."
"Yipe!" she shrieked as she dove, tucking herself into the smallest ball she could. As soon as she deemed it safe, she cautiously rose, shaking herself out and stepping off the platform. "Okay, where to now?"
They were in the central square of a much larger roof that in fact extended far beyond the actual building. Spacecraft of various makes and models were moored over the roof some with their motors gently humming. Treb had turned towards a smaller ship nearby, but was now stopped and staring at Ba'al in confusion. "Well, uh…jeez, you didn't have to be that cautious. Did you get hit on the head by a house once, or something?"
( @SunGod :^ )
Ba'al hesitated, not sure if she wanted him to know this about her yet, but in the end, she decided it couldn't effect her job offer that much, and he'd just find out the hard way other-wise.
"I have a little trouble controlling my form" she admitted. "It changes based off my situation, and if I am in danger, sometimes it goes big unexpectedly. It's better to try and avoid that stuff."
"Oh. Well that's….good to know." Treb shrugged and started walking over to his ship. "So it's, like tied to your emotions, or something?"
"Sort of," she said, following him. "I guess. I don't know, it's weird, probably something to do with instinct. I'm no psychologist though, could be any number of things. I don't know of anyone who ever learned how to control it though."
"Huh." Treb keyed in the code on the hatch lock and it opened with a hiss, allowing him to duck inside. "Well, hopefully it won't happen too often while you're in the ship with us. Place is cramped enough as it is." Sidestepping a pile of jumbled cargo, he carried the half-conscious alien into a smaller adjacent chamber. "Yellow pad on your right closes that hatch, by the way. Sorry about the mess, I guess, but at least it's warm."
"That's what I'm worried about," she muttered, hoping he wouldn't hear. She closed the hatch, trailing after him deeper into the ship. It was a mess, but what can you do. She certainly wasn't here to judge.
Treb went to the sleeping quarters, where multiple beds were set into the wall on either side. He hefted the alien into one, trying not to bump its head as he did so, then rummaged in the storage compartment below it until he found some blankets. "I have no idea what temperature this thing is supposed to be at, so I hope it wakes me up and tells me pretty soon. At least it seems to speak a common language, so that's something."
The furry creature leaped to her feet and stretched. "Hey, I gotta apologize for being so pushy out there. I was not quite in my right mind! Thank-you for rescuing me, I wouldn't have made it, pretty sure! Feel better now." She looked around curiously. "Who are you guys? What's the plan? I'm hungry."
Treb had jerked up in surprise when his patient spoke, causing him to hit his head in the top of the storage compartment. "Ow! Jeez!" Stumbling to his feet, he stared at the alien, trying to absorb what she'd said. "Uhhhh. Wow, um, that was quick. Are you sure you're okay?"
"A tad bit hungry, actually." She started sniffing around the room.
"Okay, I guess you said that, didn't you," Treb muttered, starting to close cupboards and drawers protectively. "What do you eat, then? I don't know your race, sorry."
"Oh anything, I've been trying to cut back on meat and dairy, but not gonna be picky, if you'd be kind enough to share something. Hey, this looks good." She picked up something that looked like a sock and tilted her head at Treb.
"THAT–" Treb stopped and forced himself to lower his voice. "…is my sock. Not edible. Now just, uh….just sit tight one sec, and I'll go grab you something." He edged through the doorway, keeping a suspicious eye on her. "Don't touch anything else, please? Okay? Oh, Ba'al! Keep an eye on her for me, yeah?"
"Okay, fine," Ba'al grumbled. "What's your name anyway?"
"Flannery Sy, but everyone calls me Effy. And you're called Ball? You aren't so very round, but okay."
"Ba'al" she corrected. "Like a baleful glare. Nice to meet you, Iffy."
Eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth, name mispronunciation for a name mispronunciation. Ba'al settled back against on of the bunks. "So how'd you end up an Effy-cicle?"
"Well, haha, that's a long story, Ba'al, and I'm real hungry, but suffice it to say I apparently said the wrong thing at the wrong time to the wrong person, and next thing you know I'm out cold and out in the cold, and then you and your boyfriend kicked me and thanks for getting me here, like I said. What's your story?" Effy looked hopefully at the door through which Treb had disappeared. She sighed and visibly positioned herself to wait with seeming composure.
Treb reappeared with an armful of ration packets, just in time to hear the 'boyfriend' remark. He snorted explosively. "We are not in a relationship, pally. We literally just met like fifteen minutes ago." He showed Effy the packets. "Here. The pictures on the front show what's in each one. I have to warm them up before you can eat them, so pick one and I'll go do that."
"Hmm…Call me Effy." She pointed out 4 packets and stopped herself from adding to that number. She sighed again. "Thanks." Then she walked in a tight circle three times, and laid down for a quick nap.
Treb sorted out the ones she picked and ducked over to the tiny kitchen next door. "Righty then. Ba'al, you want anything?"