We Are Our Avatars XI (Open)

[Outisakanobody]

"Right, but I was just wondering why the ears and tail and nothing else."

 

[Slenn]

"What do you mean, 'nothing else'?" She asked.

 

[Gearhead mk2]

"For a while. But then things started falling apart. We stop all the bad guys. Some people even said WE were the bad guys. Eventually the higher ups decided I was too old to fight and retired me." Reinhardt told her quietly. "I had to watch my unit fall without being able to help."

 

[Slenn]

"So you guys were framed for things you didn't commit? Is that correct?"

 

[Gearhead mk2]

"Sometimes. But there was someone inside, sabotaging us. Public opinion turned, and then we got hit, inside and out. The whole thing fell apart." Reinhardt straightened his back and stood tall. "Someone had to deal with the fallout, so I took back my armour and stepped in."

 

[Slenn]

"There's always someone who doesn't like lasting peace. So what jobs do you do now?"

 

[Gearhead mk2]

"I go around cleaning up this mess."

 

[Outisakanobody]

"I dunno, fur? Claws? Fangs? I mean, if all you've got to show you're altered genes is the ears and tail, why not just get rid of those as well?"

 

[Slenn]

"I dunno, why should I have fur, claws, or fangs? I don't think I can answer this question fully because I'm not a genetic engineer. But I do know that if you got rid of the genes that provide the ears and tail, then the cells responsible for the nuclear fusion would become unstable. Humans and chimpanzees have a 1% difference in their DNA. Mine is roughly about the same difference, which includes both the nuclear fusion and wolf genes."

 

[Outisakanobody]

"Alright. I doubt I'll be able to understand this fully. Let's talk about something more easily accessible. Do your kind have a very distinct culture? Music, literature, things like that."

 

[Slenn]

"Sure we do. Most of my ancestors were scandinavian, but not all of us carry scandinavian names. So much of our culture is inherited from that region on Earth. Or at least that's what I've been told."

 

[Outisakanobody]

"That's interesting. Do you celebrate any special holidays? Maybe the day you're race was created?"

 

[Slenn]

"Yeah, sure we do. We create a massive pyre in the middle of our town and sing songs that sound tribal to a lot of outside people." She chuckled.

 

[Outisakanobody]

"...is that a joke or...?"

 

[Slenn]

"No it's real. It's just that I understand why people may find the songs a little silly. I enjoy them. Plus the pyre is pretty cool. It's set in a metal circular basin that's 10 meters wide."

 

[Outisakanobody]

"Right. Well I try not to judge people's taste in music to harshly. It sounds like a nice holiday. Any special food?"

 

[Slenn]

"Well we grill a lot of things on skewers over the pyre. Anything from chicken, beef, lamb, deer, to pork. It's sort of why I have a taste for grill outs."

 

[Outisakanobody]

"Sounds nice." I say, even though I'm not much for parties myself.

 

[Slenn]

"Is something up? Because you don't seem to talk much."

 

[Outisakanobody]

"Sorry. I'm not very good at small talk." I say with an apologetic smile.