Thinking of Rocky and Adrian’s first meeting and they're both kinda assholes to each other because they're each at the top of their fields of research, and both assume the other was hatched for the role.
——
For Eridian standards, Adrian is very large.
They were hatched into a family bred for protecting and serving near the outer reaches of the colony. Adrian was a wonder of genetics.
And Adrian never wanted a life on the outer reach. Their family attempted to teach them about the honor they had to protect the minds in the thrum. Adrian was never interested in protecting and serving.
Living so close to the edge of society meant they perceived more of the life outside the colony. Most Eridians live their entire life only ever hearing and interacting with other Eridians.
Life called to Adrian.
Their considerable size meant that predators thought twice about making a meal out of them.
The thing about Eridians, is that they may be the smartest things on the planet, but they are not the strongest. Crafting and living together were born of necessity.
Eridians live long lives, but only when they aren't cut short.
Which means, all studies on creatures outside the thrum are few. Those willing to observe said creatures are near non-existent. The only reason they have as much knowledge as they do is from those banished from the Thrum and returned with horror stories of how they survived.
Adrian was fascinated.
Their family was horrified.
(Their research on the outside world and habits of animals on the surface is what will eventually alert them of something being very, very wrong with their planet. It will lead the revolution of searching upwards rather than continuing their descent to the core of their planet.)
Adrian meets Rocky at a Thrum. The two of them are both outcasts of their respective families. Rocky comes from a long line of workers that do all sorts of odd jobs. This sort of upbringing allows him to multitask like second nature. Which makes for an astounding engineer.
Engineering is a craft meant to be taken slowly and neatly.
Rocky does nothing by the books. Fully self-taught, his designs are otherworldly and crude, but they're remarkably efficient.
This is the first Thrum either of them have been to. Both of them, leaders of their crafts.
Its only common sense they'd meet carapace to carapace.
“I listened to your recordings of life on the surface. You are remarkably stupid.”
A jet of anger steams from Adrian’s vents. They are about to argue with this Pebble-brained idiot but he chimes on without regard for Adrian’s building wrath.
“You refuse to harm any surface creature, so I made this.”
A little device clinks into Adrian’s claws as Rocky pushes it to him.
“It imitates roar of Erissaur.”
Adrian runs their claws over the device. It doesn't seem like much. A latticework in the shape of an oval. They are about to comment that the real idiot is him.
“To use it, bring up to vents and expel a jet of steam. Lots. It will make you sound like Erissaur, but you'll need to work for it.”
Suddenly, Adrian feels a bit smug. “So I shouldn't test it here, in front of the whole Thrum?” they'll all hear this wannabe engineer’s failure and he’ll have learned his lesson about talking to Adrian like they're the idiot.
Instead of cowering, the wannabe preens. “Yes! Test! It will be very funny.”
Adrian can't help it, but they want this device to work exactly as the Eridian described. So they bring the small oval to their vents and expel a long string of steam. They notice that the oval isn't just that. But it's akin to vocal chords. The vocal chords of a Erissaur. A creature that no Eridian has heard and lived to tell the tale. There are a few recordings of them, but to replicate their exact sound from just that?
Incredible.
Around them, the Thrum panics. Eridians scramble to deeper tunnels. They are already deep underground, but logic is thrown out to sea.
In the chaos, Adrian asks, “What’s your name?”
The smaller Eridian braces their arms together and the tune of their name plays out. An Eridian’s name changes as their life plays out. A name is the song of their accomplishments and proudest moments.
Rocky’s song is short.
Two moments of his life mark the notes of his name. The family he hatched from.
And creating the device that sent an entire Thrum into a panic.
Adrian can't help the burst of laughter that escapes them. They still have the device over their vents, making another Erissuar screech.
