#smash cut to stratt and the eridian watching in utter horror as like #grace and rocky bicker HARD about something while using grace's duct-tape translator software #and grace is chowing down on ramen the whole time (massive eridian cultural violation) #and rocky is just utterly mocking grace in a way that would probably destroy the mission if it were to anyone else #grace and rocky in the situation like hell yeah normal every day workings this is how life is #stratt and the leader watching like. sure. i guess. this is our lives now #altho i think stratt's opinion would be less worry and more like #ah yes my molecular biologist who made venus out of plywood and duct tape #and who is making a translator software out of ramen and duct tape #im so glad i brought him along #between the two of us it was always going to be him who'd charm the eridian delegation via @poppyboppydoppy
i want to develop the leader character more so i'm jumping off these tags because i love them. i'm going to base the leader off clarity-of-song a.k.a. clara from my own fic. a linguistics expert and diplomat!
i think that stratt and clarity-of-song would end up basically in a crisis meeting regarding their rogue mission members and it would go something like this.
stratt: it's recently been brought to my attention that a member of my crew has been. informally meeting with a member of your crew outside of the strictly regimented and pre-arranged diplomatic crew-wide meetings that we're all here to complete and which took three years to negotiate.
clarity-of-song, working really really really hard not to use nervous tones because the fancy translation software can pick up on it: yes! we have also recently become aware of this. please be assured this crew member is a low level engineer without the clearance required to make decisions on behalf of the eridian diplomacy thrum.
stratt: yes, of course. we would also like to confirm that our rogue crewmember is a low-level microbiologist here strictly to provide support in understanding microbial alien life, and therefore also has no clearance to make decisions on behalf of the human diplomacy committee.
clarity-of-song, accidentally letting out a relief tone: yes! good. exactly. no one is to blame.
stratt: no one is to blame :)
clarity-of-song: so. your scientist. is he from a human culture where sleep-watching is more normalised? we were relieved to hear that he took no offense to rocky's faux-pas, but we were under the impression that this is considered highly offensive to humans.
stratt: oh, no, it's definitely not normal under modern human cultures outside of actively dangerous situations.
clarity-of-song: [desperately holding back three separate tones of WHY and FRUSTRATION and KILLING-ROCKY-INTENT]
stratt: however, in my time with doctor grace, i have learned that ... he is one to ... go with the flow. so long as the flow does not inconvenience him.
clarity-of-song: ah. in my time with engineer rocky, i have learned that they are very forceful with their opinions. this might explain some things.
rocky, who is present for this meeting but was sworn to absolute silent respect: use my human pronouns please!!!
clarity-of-song, using the full blown killing intent tone: i will not be doing that.
grace, also present: wait but isn't that like, transphobic? i had this one student, noah, who-
grace: right! promised to not say anything. shutting up now. as requested. you're the boss.
stratt and clarity-of-song: [mutual, silent understanding that they should be thanking their lucky stars these two freaks found each other instead of anybody else.]
