savetheearth | [OPEN] Can I get extra sprinkles with that

Who: Actual IRL Alien Badri Barkley and you!
What: Hanging out. Trying new things. Plugging those cultist meetings that are happening in Vegas. NBD.
When: Backdated to Tuesday!
Where: Outside Espresso Yourself
Warnings: None!

[ Anyone around the area of well-known Numbered hangout Espresso Yourself is likely to notice something considerably different about the place today. There is a loud, slightly off-key tune coming from the immediate vicinity of the shop, and anyone following the sound will encounter an ice cream truck parked outside it manned by the most enthusiastic ice cream vendor in the universe.

Except anyone who has ever watched the news should recognise him as being one of the three aliens who landed in Locke a few months ago. One might not expect an alien to be hawking frozen dairy treats, but hey. Maybe he's fallen on hard times?

Not that he looks like he's suffering any hardships, what with the way he's grinning. And anyone watching closely enough may notice that he seems to be giving ice cream away for free. Why not come bother him? If you're easily recognised as one of the Numbered, he might even wave you over. Besides - free ice cream, guys.

Free ice cream. ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"Oh!"

As Lyall approaches, Badri hops a little in excitement, pointing.

"Hey, partner! That's quite the hat! Magnificent." A stack of empty cones get knocked over amidst his excited flailing, but the alien doesn't seem to mind. "Where did you get it? It's so big!"

He cranes his neck slightly, trying to get a better look at the face under the allegedly magnificent headgear. It's safe to say that he thinks he recognises Lyall, but isn't entirely sure yet.

Lyall helpfully tilts the hat back a bit, so Badri can actually see him. It's not his intent to hide, after all, really. "It keeps the sun off, which is really the only reason I bother with it. It is terribly ostentatious." Badri might also notice he's wearing a scarf, which is definitely odd for the summer, but then again, Badri might not find that odd at all, not being exactly a local.

"This isn't really the best place to be selling ice cream, given there's a shop just down the street," he points out, equally helpfully, though he still looks like he's trying to figure out just what's going on here. He isn't here to spy on them... is he? That's just... unexpected.

"I like it! If I had a hat that good I'd wear it all the time. But I like the sun, too, so maybe it wouldn't be a good idea..."

He pouts, lower lip jutting out comically before he shakes his head and clasps his palms together. To business.

"Anyway! I'm not selling ice cream. I'm giving it away!" He picks up a cone, tosses it in the air and points it at Lyall after catching it. "Cha-pow! What can I get you, buddy?"

"Oh, no, that's all right. I can't have ice cream." Stupid werewolf stomach. "But thank you anyway." Now he's even more confused. Though an alien deciding to sell ice cream for profit was pretty weird, too, this is even weirder. So he has to ask: "Why in the world are you giving away ice cream?"

"That's terrible. You can't have ice cream? What about strawberry syrup? Sprinkles? A cone?"

He seems genuinely devastated by this. A life without ice cream is apparently not a life Badri would ever choose.

"I'm giving it away because it tastes good. And I want to celebrate my return to this city."

"Nothing with processed sugars, I'm afraid. It's all right, I do well enough without." Though he does miss it, he's just learned to live with it. He'd rather that than having everything come back up again. "Did you go somewhere, then?" Apparently the aliens are fairly good at keeping such things quiet, because he surely hadn't heard about it.

And of course, he realizes, this may be the only chance he gets to ask about the mafia's augmentations... even though he doesn't have much evidence. Or is Badri even enough in the know to be of much use, there? He certainly projects enough obliviousness for a whole herd of people at once....

"I visited Las Vegas. I liked it! It was very bright. And loud." He's frowning a little, apparently still just that disturbed about the thiught of someone not getting to eat sugary things.

"I will be going back to attend the cult meeting in a few days! And then I shall come back here again. Because it is dangerous there as of late, yes?"

"It's a bit dangerous here, too." That's as good an opener, as any. "I don't know if you know this, but those of us who are-- ah, shall we say different-- have been being targeted by the local organized crime ring. Apparently with some help from your technology." He manages not to make it sound accusing, but rather apologetic, as if he's sure it's being used without their knowledge.

He's not sure of that, of course, but he's not terrible at subterfuge these days, either.

"Our technology?"

That earns Lyall a confused series of blinks.

"We haven't shared our technology with any humans. Geoff said that would be bad! But I didn't listen when he started talking about why. So it can not be ours! Unless... Tiny...?"

He seems to be half speaking to himself as he trails off.

"Tiny certainly was using that technology," Lyall explains patiently. The obliviousness is starting to wear a little thin, to be honest. Either this fellow is extremely challenged in mental capacities, something is seriously being lost in translation, or he's faking it for some reason. "We're very well aware of that. But now it's surfaced again. I'm not sure if someone stole it from you, one of your party is selling it or offering its use, or if someone managed to figure out how to do it on your own. I simply thought you might want to be aware of it, at least."

"Oh, we know Tiny was using it!" He sounds awfully chipper about this. "He provided splicing equipment and instructions for its use to certain law enforcement officials. Notably the one who was spliced with a sheep. Detective Shaven?"

Naturally, he means Sherman. He's not done, though.

"But it seems nobody accounted for the possibility of Tiny approaching others and giving them the technology. If he was not working as closely with them, it would take longer for their splicing to achieve quality results!" Badri's ever-present smile falters a little as he winces. "Human failures would be... unpleasant to witness. And likely to be disposed of quickly."

Lyall had long since surmised that Sherman's sheep-smell was related to the changes, but having it confirmed just makes him wrinkle his nose. What would be the point of combining one's genetics with a sheep, anyway? He's quite fond of the creatures, and did his college thesis on their DNA, but they don't exactly have investigative or powerful qualities.

The comment about human failures turns the nose wrinkle into a wince of his own. "Possibly so. Ah, perhaps you could bring the matter to your bretheren and see about removing that technology from the hands of criminals? You're probably far more capable of it than I would be, and the police haven't exactly done anything about them so far."

[OPEN] Can I get extra sprinkles with that

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject