[OPEN] Can I get extra sprinkles with that

[bridgeburning]

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. ]

Comments

[espigeonage]

Hah. Well, it's mostly mammals that do it like that. Things get different the farther you go from there. Especially with microbes, apparently.

...between you and me, yeah, pregnancy is kinda fucked up and I'm glad it's not something I have to worry about.

[Just indirectly. ...he's glad he's basically infertile now.]

So if it's not too personal, do you guys grow up like we do, or are babies and little kids really weird?

[bridgeburning]

It's... different.

[ How surprising. He taps his fingers together, searching for the right way to explain things. ]

There are Children and there are Mans. But Children do not grow up to be a Man as happens to humans. I am one of the Children, and I will never be a Man. But that is not a bad thing!

[ How thoroughly enlightening, am I right? ]

[espigeonage]

...Huh.

[Julien tilts his head, forgetting that he's trying to avoid birdlike gestures.]

Are the Mans... bigger? Do they have more responsibilities or powers or something?

[bridgeburning]

They are... different. Some are bigger. And I guess that they are more powerful! But mostly they are just different.

[ He smiles blandly. ]

The Children know more, I think. But that is the way with human children too, isn't it? They always think they know the most, too!

[espigeonage]

[Castes, Julien wonders? Genders?]

Hard to say! Lots of people think they know it all.

So - Tiny, Geoff, Meredith. Are and were they all Children too?

[bridgeburning]

Geoff and Meredith, yes. Tiny...

[ He looks thoroughly uncomfortable and unsure of what to say. ]

I do not like speaking about Tiny much. It was not one of the Children. It went rogue.

[espigeonage]

Really? Huh. [he wants to ask about Tiny, but his own wariness about Badri and typical unwillingness to make people uncomfortable stall him up.] He was pretty weird.

[...yeah he wants to ask but feels he shouldn't. Julien winces as a bit of melting ice cream runs into his feathers and licks the outside of the cone.] So if you're the silly one and Geoff's the responsible one, what's Meredith like?