《Onward To Providence》Camping 0.0
Advertisement
Terrans were weird but they had some very adorable traditions. Actually almost distressingly naive ones.
Pylo found this idea of ‘camping’ equal parts adorable and distressing in principle.
Apparently Terrans had a very different threshold they used to define ‘wilderness’ and enjoyed actively going out ‘into the wilds’ in order to enjoy ‘nature’.
It took a lot of mental gymnastics and serious self reflection to just decide that the Terrans didin’t really mean anything even remotely like wilderness.
But to be fair they effectively had spent the existence of all of their recorded history living in Terra’s tooth scum.
Even quarti who was at least sensibly aware that all things were not so safe as Aleph and Omega seemed inclined to believe did not know of any time that Flatlanders were explicitly not on Terra.
Although she had heard stories that perhaps they had come from somewhere else.
But still camping was a friendly and comforting activity for Terrans apparently. And it seemed that at least for them simply settling into the outer reaches of Tunie’s Drive waste refineries qualified as ‘wilderness’.
It had actually come up by accident during one of the last few tours.
“Why does the ship have a FOREST?!”
Alephs wonder had Pylo pause in trying to explain what was around them and tried to peer at the insides of her charge’s heads a bit more carefully.
“Huh? This looks like a what?”
“It’s a forest! Like it even has trees and leaves and everything facing down... or I guess up...”
Aleph, Omega and Quarti turned themselves to line up with their aft limbs all pointed out to Tunie’s skin and their faces turned inward towards where her drive core was.
They all seemed. A lot brighter, more at ease and happy.
Pylo tried to wrap her head around it at the time.
She supposed a lot of the sessile support trunks and the baffles for absorbing the many many lengths of light from shortest to longest did look like something the Terrans recognized.
Which was why they were now ‘camping’ with her in the mid range baffling of the drive reclamation sponge of Tunie’s hull.
Advertisement
She had checked thrice to make sure that nothing in the waste light should injure them. But it was well within tolerance. As long as none of them went any closer to the drive.
Normally Apparently Camping involved digesting food outside their bodies in a manner that Pylo realized was part of what had given cakes their delicious properties. However in a rare bit of sensibility no one had insisted on trying to ignite exposed plasma in the middle of the orb.
It was confusing, and every once in a while the way they thought about it kept giving Pylo tremors of panic relating to being left alone and exposed in the horror of the reef itself.
But it also was nice and seemed to be calming and relaxing them.
They were more talkative with her and each other than she’d ever seen before.
“So wait. You eat whole cakes? For snack food?! Wait... you have an entire hold full of dessert cakes preserved! We’ve been stuck eating freeze dried rations and vegetables since we left and you have a hold full of CAKE?! and you’ve been eating them? You’ve got to show us the boxes! I need to know whether they gave you good stuff or just some generic no wait you have to SHARE-”
Omega gently put a hand on Aleph’s shoulder and pushed her back ‘down’ into sitting on the cushion of the orb’s control cradle.
“If you don’t mind sharing some that is, There is a lot from terra we don’t have anymore... it would be nice to be reminded of home”
Pylo nodded, understanding completely, she still sought out the caches her family left for her all over the reef. Even if it was incredibly old and long past that she got a hold of them to enjoy reminders of her youth.
“Oh that would be fine... in fact maybe you can help me figure out one of my favorites... I only ordered one of each you see and none of them have tasted as good as this one... And I can’t figure out what it was”
Advertisement
Aleph started coughing. Pylo craned her head a little to try and spot any danger or a bad air mix. But no it was just...
Wait really?!
“You can accidentally block your breathing tubes with your digestive tube secretions?!”
Quarti however spoke up quick to reassure Pylo.
“Don’t worry, we are well practiced in clearing them. We’ve been doing it since each of us were infants... Something Me and Omega have done several times actually”
Weird creepy Terrans.
Aleph finally managed to clear the gob of oozing digestives out of her breathing space (seriously how were terrans not already extinct?!) and finally managed to focus enough to speak.
“You have a hold as big as the one the Terran Alliance rented full of cake and each one is individual and unique? I didn't even know there were that many KINDS of cake! You have got to show us some of them!”
Pylo laughed.
“Oh no of course not, That would be a huge waste of space”
Aleph sighed in disappointment and was muttering and thinking something about it being too good to be true.
“I only filled a dɛshk of tunie’s smaller food holds with cake”
Omega frowned and rubbed at her brow.
“What was that? It uh... felt like a number... cut into pieces?”
Pylo peered more closely at Omega’s brain and tried again.
“Dɛshk... it’s uh... huh... where do you keep your numbers... oh like THAT? Wat?!”
Omega tilted her head the other way and frowned.
Aleph was blinking kind of blankly and looking a little concerned.
The good mood evaporated, everyone remembered last time Pylo had gotten frustrated with being misunderstood.
She curled in on herself little.
And shivered, which just made the awkwardness worse, this was SUPPOSED to be a nice ‘camping trip’ to help the passengers recover from their ‘ordeal’.
“I’m sorry... but um... you are um... ‘thinking’ numbers all wrong, like your wasting so much space with them? I mean really? You lose track if it’s more than that?!”
She shook her head.
Aleph was the first to put something together to say.
“You think about... NUMBERS differently then we do?”
Pylo spun in a spiral, laughing almost exactly like how Tunie would when she was feeling free and playful.
“Um... I guess? But it’s kind of uh? The only way that makes sense? Like... Wow... okay if I even TRIED to think like that I’d lose track of everything... how do you three even manage? I mean... Quarti even you too?”
They were all warming up to bemusement, confusion and a hint of wonder.
The slight frisson of fear starting to fade away. Pylo was the best at Passengering!
When she wasn't completely messing it up.
“Wait... so how do you think about numbers?”
Pylo stared at them for a while. Then look around and twiddled her phalanges together a bit before huffing.
“I don’t know how to explain”
Omega started laughing.
Pylo pouted.
“That’s mean Omega”
Omega waved helplessly at the air like she was trying to maneuver and ended up lilting over until she was gently resting against the surface of the pod.
“I...I’m sorry! It’s just! The alien that can literally read our brains and insert words in them... Doesn't- She doesn't know how to explain how she COUNTS?”
Aleph was smiling a little weakly and trying to get Omega to calm down.
Pylo just turned away and huffed again.
“I’m sorry okay, you don’t hold the numbers right in your heads and I don’t want to mess anything up”
Quarti nodded and smiled reassuringly.
“That’s fine pylo, we can talk about something else”
Omega nodded a bit gasping for air before she managed to get control of herself.
“Y-yeah... I’m really actually sorry that was kinda mean... eh... just that completely surprised me... Wooh... uh so since we’re camping maybe we should just tell stories?”
Pylo turned back around to face them.
“What kind of stories?”
“Campfire stories of course!”
Omega’s smile was very bright and toothy.
Pylo thought that was a good sign.
Advertisement
- In Serial24 Chapters
The Apocalypse Show - Dungeon Core
There were lot's of ways that people had predicted that the world would end. A few even had it partially correct. But how could they have predicted it would be a combination of the system apocalypse and aliens. Specifially aliens that wanted to create the equivlant of a TV show about the system apocalypse on Earth. Arthur woke up with a headache and the option to create a character. Most people would have gone with the safe choice and selected to stay a human. Arthur suspected that wouldn't be the safe choice in his new world. Instead he decided to see what other races were available. Eventually he decided to become a dungeon core instead. Of course being a dungeon core comes with a number of challenges. Starting with the fact that he was a giant crystal instead of having a body, managing a bunch of unintelligent minons, and most importantly the reaction of his human neighbors when they discover him. If he can overcome these challenges he may be able to enjoy some of the benefits. Such as the fact that dungeon cores are immortal and he would eventually have an entire army of dungeon minions that would obey any of his commands. Perhaps even find some female companions that are looking for a safe place during the apocalypse. Warning: If this fiction was a movie I'd rate it R for occasional scenes of violence, gore, nudity, and sexual content. This isn't something you would find in the young adult section. This does not mean that this would be rated NC-17 or X, if that is what you are looking for try lewd dungeon.
8 108 - In Serial29 Chapters
A Master, 5 Students, and Revenge [AM5SR]
A Master, 5 Students, and Revenge Revenge is what the Master needs to attain. He took them in, gave his all in training them, but all were utter disappointments. They were a waste of resources and precious time. But, out of the blue, beneficiaries he held dear reached out, he agreed to shelter their child as they moved their settlement to the Royal Capital. 'Him,' he decided, 'he will have to be my saving grace.' He would place all his efforts on him and have him be the one to achieve his lifelong wish. However... would it all work out as he intended, even after all his previous failures? The most glaring fact was that the lad had no combat experience to speak of. No drive to gain what many would kill to learn. His most threatening aspect could be the constant improvement of his toothy attitude.Gin, the sorry sod, has no idea of his oncoming turmoils.---- @2020 Red Nuru. All rights reserved.This story is also uploaded on Webnovel and Wattpad.
8 192 - In Serial6 Chapters
The Thousands Sons - First Cycle -
Do you love playing strategy games ? No matter the style ? I do. And I was quite good at it. World challenger and all. I even got a title! The Deceiver ! Why the past tense ? Because some class 3 civilisation judged good to use me and 5 other thousands fellow human in a deadly experiment, craving for innovation.
8 101 - In Serial13 Chapters
HoneyComb
Will our bee character survive? Will he find his way with horrible directional skills? Or will his sudden obsession with honey get him killed... most likely, time to find out! Every chapter will have 1000 words or more.
8 191 - In Serial43 Chapters
My Hero /L.H.
Амбър Смит е нормално 19 годишно момиче. Живее в Сидни Австралия заедно с родителите си. Има дълга до кръста руса коса и сини очи. След като отказва да изпълни заповедта на майка си, тя се озовава сам-сама на улицата. След една дълга нощ, тя среща момчето на мечтите си и само час по-късно, се оказва в една къща с 4 почти непознати момчета.
8 185 - In Serial19 Chapters
I can't seem to let you go (A story I thought was Style but isn't)
Stan and Kyle had been together since 8th grade, but now as they make it to their junior year, Kyle can't help but notice something off about Stan. This is taken directly off of my AO3(Title is from a song called 'Gravity' by Sara Bareilles)
8 158