(no subject)

[helpful-squid.livejournal.com]

The door slides open, briefly revealing the interior of the UNSC heavy cruiser Spark In Darkness. A Huragok floats idly through, and the door closes. As the creature approaches the Bar a note pops up.

Well, it was only a matter of time, really. Vergil floats over the Bar, dips down behind it, and comes up with a slate and several pieces of chalk.

Hello
I am called Vergil
I am a Huragok
I understand English, but communicate in sign language
And tonight I am tending the Bar.

Specials

Pink Beaner
Pink Heart
Purple Heart
Blue Moon
Golden Glow Punch (non-alcoholic)

Enjoy!

It eyes the sign, twitters to itself in satisfaction, and floats to one side to wait for orders.


[Tinytag: Valentine's Day Plot]

Comments

[no_justice]

This is the perfect opportunity for Death to establish something.

He starts with ordering a Blue Moon.

Weird. He doesn't speak English, nor can he really be said to use sign language, but the order is nevertheless placed.

[helpful-squid.livejournal.com]

That's fine. Vergil has communicated in odder ways before; it's not that different from accessing the Covenant battlenet. The data is there to act on.

The creature whistles in acknowledgment and begins rooting around for the Blue Curacao.

[no_justice]

Death thanks it in advance, and waits patiently while he ponders if he needs to make small talk.

Instead he asks if Vergil minds if he asks a question?

[helpful-squid.livejournal.com]

Vergil's just located the sweet and sour mix and the juice, but looks up at that, cocking its head curiously. All indications point to the Huragok not minding in the slightest. It only needs two tentacles to talk if words become necessary.

[no_justice]

It's a rather personal question, one sees. Death would like to know if Vergil would consider itself of the Molluscan persuastion, and is the structure of its tentacles maintained by one of those hydrowotsit skeletons?

The impression is given, that Death is following up from a conversation he's had with another being.

[helpful-squid.livejournal.com]

It's a fair question, considering some of the misconceptions that humans have had about Vergil's species in the past. The Huragok considers this for a bit, measuring the ingredients into an ice-filled shaker.

At last it responds that no, molluscs are a different sort of life altogether. Its structures are maintained by tiny machines, tinier than most living things, all clustered and organized into the larger creature. Besides, even the most fluid of skeletons may have some trouble doing this.

(By 'this' it means the sudden act of splitting a forward tentacle into clumps of brushlike cilia, which wave and fluff briefly in the local breeze.)

[no_justice]

That's presumably quite impressive. Death has seen very few beings able to manage something quite like that.

Still he will observe that in a way, organic life is maintained by very tiny particles, smaller than most living things, all clustered and organised into larger creatures.

And Death would know.

[helpful-squid.livejournal.com]

Vergil reunifies its tentacle and starts shaking up the drink. It supposes this is true, but there are a few differences along the way; its kind are built and not born, and do not experience age so long as they can consume such resources as they need. And there are things in its galaxy, very terrible ones, that infect and feed on and control organic life- but they do not infect its kind, and don't seem to be able to, at all.

[no_justice]

Death would concede that, but all types of being, organic and inorganic, have their differences.

He wonders if Vergil is familiar with the likes of trolls, golems and gnolls, and offers an explanation if it requires.

[beatoftheworld]

Jacob's hands touch the bar before his toes fully connect with the kick plate as he steps forward.

When nothing happens as he lays a hand on the bar, he realizes it must be asleep; speaking out loud, he asks of whoever's back there: "Can you read off the board?"

[helpful-squid.livejournal.com]

Oh dear.

"Prrrrt," answers Vergil, or some similar sort of sound, anyway.

This part may get awkward.

[beatoftheworld]

"...Uh."

Well that's not one he's heard before. "Well. Can you tap it out?"

[helpful-squid.livejournal.com]

That would probably require Vergil to know Morse code, which... is not really something that comes all that naturally to the Huragok.

Perhaps if it slides one tentacle forward to briefly lay on top of the human's hand the difficulty in communication will convey itself.

[beatoftheworld]

He almost jumps before he recognizes it's a tentacle and not a hand.

What.

"Uh" he repeats. "So. How do you wanna do this?"

[helpful-squid.livejournal.com]

Vergil thinks about this for a bit, then trills briefly before turning back to the area behind the Bar. It has an idea.

It is very fast at making up small samples of each of the drinks and putting them out to be sniffed or tasted as necessary.

[beatoftheworld]

The new smells hit his nose quickly, and he gets it. Jacob's hands slide out, palms down along the woodgrain until his fingertips bump into the glasses, slowly extending up to grasp one. "Shots?"

He sniffs the first one he's grabbed, the second in line. "Fruit. Hm." He tastes the pink heart recipe, and it's pretty good, pretty sweet. What he'd have called a sissy drink when he was alive.

"I like it."

[helpful-squid.livejournal.com]

There's a prrrt noise, and Vergil takes back the other glasses in three tentacles. It will mix up a properly-sized glass of the stuff and place it in front of the human instead of the other samples.

[g00d_d0ggie]

They're getting ready for another big mission, back home. Everyone's busy. When everyone's busy, D0G gets restless. When D0G gets restless, he needs something to do, and fast.

Unfortunately, Alyx hasn't had the time to give him a job, so right now that "something" consists of shuffling around Milliways looking forlorn.

At least, that is, until something ping!s off of his right forearm, and he goes absolutely still.

(Skitch, who's been trailing along behind him, pulls up short and beeps in alarm.)

[helpful-squid.livejournal.com]

D0G isn't the only one freezing. Vergil very definitely felt something wing its back sacs just now.

It's going to take a while before the Huragok realizes it hasn't been harmed and it's not going to explode.

[g00d_d0ggie]

"-.. ----- --.? .- .-. . / -.-- --- ..- / --- -.- .- -.--?"

Bwerp! D0G shakes his head vigorously, as if trying to dislodge something. His system froze up for a moment... there...

Oh. Oh, my.

D0G is now staring at Vergil rather intently.

( D0G? ARE YOU OKAY? )

[helpful-squid.livejournal.com]

And Vergil, once the 'no, you're not damaged' information processes, shakes off and winds up staring right back.

The Huragok will remember that Skitch is there in a moment. Right now it's working on properly processing D0G in all kinds of detail.

[g00d_d0ggie]

Mwoooooo... coos D0G in stunned admiration, his single eye dilating. (Skitch beeps at him in increasing agitation.)

[helpful-squid.livejournal.com]

Vergil blinks all six black eyes in rapid succession, then holds up a tentacle- just a moment! It's had an idea!

What follows is probably the fastest disassembly and part-sorting of a laser pointer, a digital clock-radio, and some kind of remote control device the Bar has ever seen. And then reassembly of all the parts into one coherent... um... device. Yes. That's the word for it. Device.

Look, right here, if these circuits get activated the laser light blinks on and off, see? Very quickly? And if these get activated instead it blinks more slowly? It's Morse code! Without having to stomp! It's a present!

(Oh, Vergil hopes it's a good present. It's always important to be really, really good to truly impressive machines."

[g00d_d0ggie]

For him? Really?? D0G eagerly trots over to the Bar and picks up the device.

...how does he work it? He doesn't see any buttons.

[helpful-squid.livejournal.com]

Oh. Right. Well- Vergil thinks for a moment, and then reaches for the chalkboard, flipping it over to work on the blank side. The end result is two sketches, one for each possible option. The first shows Vergil locating a pair of buttons and installing them. The second shows Vergil assisting D0G in fastening it to a body panel and connecting the wires to a usable but not critical bit of D0G's circuitry, so that D0G can control it without having to hold it. Really, Vergil's willing to help with either.