Trees of Wood and Other Differences

Ninjapa

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Jan 6, 2017
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It was a cold day outside. Too cold. Nova's skin was used to being warm all the time on her seasonless planet. Nevertheless, she wore a tight fitting singlet top and black shorts. Just what she was used to, save for the rubbery 'flip-flops' she wore on her feet. She looked, to others, as if she was in summer. In actual fact, she felt colder than the others that day. At least there was no wind.

Nova had arrived at the Academy that morning after a briefing at the Starlight Observation Station. Now she was - mostly - familiar with basic human customs and modern terms. So, with her new backpack filled with two other sets of summery clothes and some toiletries, she entered the school grounds.

The girl had never seen anything like it. It was so grand, it looked thousands of times more architecturally advanced than the mere treehouses she had been used to. What's more, there was a large lake - sure, it was frozen over, but other than that perfectly fine - and an overabundance of trees.

Nova was very familiar with trees. Or rather, organisms resembling trees. These new things looked so much worse. First of all, they were brown, which was a horrible colour to begin with, not to mention their roughness and odd structure. Still, she felt the urge to try it out. So, with her backpack still on her back, she found ridges on the tree to help her grip it beforescaling it with ease. She landed herself in a sitting position on a lower hanging, thicker straight branch. She was correct. It really wasn't as comfortable.

Had it not been for the backpack, all a passerby would have seen was the voluminous blue hair draping around Nova's back. Instead, it was clear that there was indeed someone sitting up in the tree. She stayed sitting there for a while, taking in the surroundings and people going about their daily lives. Would anyone notice her up there?​
 

Griffin

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Nov 10, 2016
342
[xtable=skin1|bcenter|518x15]
{tbody}
{tr}
{td=colspan:3|center}Victor Castleton{/td}
{/tr}
{tr}
{td}Initial Entropy: 100%{/td}
{td}Mood: Conflicted{/td}
{td}Outfit: Uniform{/td}
{/tr}
{/tbody}
[/xtable]

Okay, so now he wasn't alone.

Having found the final book in a series he ha been reading in the massive library, he had escaped outside to a tree. Being winter, the leaves were gone, but it was still thick enough for him to be hidden and not interrupted by anyone. Until now.

A girl, he guessed from the body shape and hair, had climbed onto a low branch, and was just sitting there.Normally he would ignore her, but the tree had rotted mostly, and that branch, in particular, was in danger of breaking. He could even see it bending in a dangerous way.

"Excuse me, ma'am," He called out. "I would recommend getting off that branch."

@Ninjapa
 

Ninjapa

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Jan 6, 2017
163
Hearing a voice behind her, Nova turned her head curiously, her overabundance of pastel blue hair flying over her shoulder like a large wave. It came to rest in front of her, so she flicked it back over her shoulder and smoothed it out to appear semi-presentable to whoever was addressing her.

It was an elder male. She was not experienced in age detection of humans, but he was clearly a little older than her. He also had very little hair compared to her, and it was a grey shade. So few humans had hair as thick as hers, especially not males. Males on Nova's home planet possessed hair of the same length and volume as her own.

Just slightly shocked that someone had approached her so quickly, Nova tilted her head to the side. He was quite polite, she had to admit, but telling her to get out of the tree? It was strange to say the very least. Still, she leant backwards, gripping a higher tree branch behind her, and swung her legs off of the one she sat on. From that position, Nova simply dropped down from the tree and landed softly on solid ground. She was still getting used to the feeling of no water being there.

"May I-" she started, before correcting herself and using the 'modern' language she had tried to pick up in the past year. "Sorry. Why would you say that?" She asked this in a friendly tone of voice, trying not to show her frustration at never fully grasping modern English.

"My name is Nova," she introduced herself with a smile. "And you are...?" She looked at him more closely. He was attractive, as far as human (or human-like) beings went. She didn't regret coming down from the tree anymore.


@Griffin
 

Griffin

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Nov 10, 2016
342
[xtable=skin1|bcenter|518x15]
{tbody}
{tr}
{td=colspan:3|center}Victor Castleton{/td}
{/tr}
{tr}
{td}Initial Entropy: 100%{/td}
{td}Mood: Relief{/td}
{td}Outfit: Uniform{/td}
{/tr}
{/tbody}
[/xtable]

The alien girl, hearing him, slid off the tree.

Despite his warning, the act was too much for the branch, and though she made it down safely, the branch was left parallel to the trunk. Victor sighed a breath of relief, if she got hurt, he would heal, but preferred if it didn't come to that.

Looking at her in detail, he noticed a few things. 1) She had long blue hair 2) Green skin and 3) She was quite cute (really cute actually)

Thankful he had spoken to her, he dropped to the ground. "Sorry, old tree." He nodded at the broken branch. "Had to fall at some point, I guess. Sorry for making you get out of the tree, though."

The wood was rotten for a while, so there was no point in fixing the branch, Instead he turned his attention to the girl.

Feeling awkward in front of Nova, he rubbed the back of his neck and reached out a hand for a handshake. "Hi, uh... I'm Victor."
 

Ninjapa

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Jan 6, 2017
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Hearing a loud crash behind her, Nova turned to see the branch she had sat on fallen to the ground.

"Earth trees fall down?" She muttered to herself. Weird, she thought. She had never seen a tree fall down before, as her planet's equivalent had a much longer lifespan. A frown was present across her face for a moment before her pure gratitude towards Victor for his warning outweighed it.

"Thankyou," she said, clearly taken aback. "I apologise- I'm sorry for being so oblivious to it." Her first instinct was to hug the boy in thanks, but had learnt that the majority of humans do not actually hug on first encounters. She had been learning their customs for a while and was still attempting to replace the old with the new.

Nova instead took his hand when he offered it and shook it up and down. She knew this to be a handshake, something nobody on her home planet regularly used. Whilst they did this, Nova glanced up at his face, before looking away once more.

"Nice to meet you, Victor, she replied. "I'm clueless. I only just recently arrived today." She mentally slapped herself. She was getting her language mixed up, which wasn't the way she liked to meet someone. Definitely not someone as cute as Victor.
@Griffin
 

Griffin

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Nov 10, 2016
342
[xtable=skin1|bcenter|518x15]
{tbody}
{tr}
{td=colspan:3|center}Victor Castleton{/td}
{/tr}
{tr}
{td}Initial Entropy: 100%{/td}
{td}Mood: Calm{/td}
{td}Outfit: Uniform{/td}
{/tr}
{/tbody}
[/xtable]

He watched her surprise as the branch snapped, and loudly fell. A strange way to meet someone, Victor thought.

"You are most welcome Nova," He said, with a slight grin. "And its okay, The tree was quite old." He had seen a picture of it with the first settlers, so it was easy, what, 500 years?

She was quite energetic, shaking his hand like it was about to fall off. She also kept sneaking glances at his face, but he pretended not to notice. What was so interesting about him? Well, other than his hair.

Victor did notice her speech mistake, though he also kept this to himself. He wasn't really one to judge, as he hid away from society for years. Maybe this wasn't her first language?

"So... Excited for school starting?" Then again, he was horrible at small talk.
 

Ninjapa

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Jan 6, 2017
163
Nova felt like an idiot. She had not realised the tree was about to snap, even though a passerby noticed it without even checking it specifically.

"What do you mean old?" She inquired. "How old are Earth trees before they do that? And does the academy not have anything to strengthen the trees so they do not perish?" She wondered at the dangers of the human trees. Countless people surely fell from them and hurt themselves, especially because no water was present to cushion their fall. Maybe that was the reason so few people sat in trees.

Nova lacked most knowledge of human society. She had learnt about it, and made it one of the things she researched most. Her large, obvious movements didn't appear to be reciprocated by Victor. Truth was, she was less energised than usual, but still had enough to try her hardest to be socially acceptable. Things were different where she came from.

"My apologies for the questions. Um, I'm really new here," she said, her word choices switching partway through. Victor took enough notice of her to save her from a falling tree, so she hoped he would also answer her questions. His whole demeanour was interesting to her, likely due to the fact that he was one of the only people she had met on Earth to not gasp at the sight of her.

"School starting?" Nova paused. She had forgotten about that aspect of coming to Manta Carlos. She was a little nervous about it and the differences to her old school, but wasn't too worried. "Not really. I mean, it is why I arrived here, but I'm not looking forward to it. How about you?"

@Griffin
 

Griffin

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Nov 10, 2016
342
[xtable=skin1|bcenter|518x15]
{tbody}
{tr}
{td=colspan:3|center}Victor Castleton{/td}
{/tr}
{tr}
{td}Initial Entropy: 100%{/td}
{td}Mood: Calm{/td}
{td}Outfit: Uniform{/td}
{/tr}
{/tbody}
[/xtable]
Noticing that she felt stupid, Victor quickly tried to think of a way to make her seem less so. "Well, uh, the trees here are quite old. I think I saw a picture with the settlers near that tree over there" He said pointing. Great, now he felt like an Idiot.

He cleared his throat, trying to cam his voice. " Earth trees can be hundred of years old before they break." He pointed at a stump. "You can see how old they are from the number of rings it has." Pondering, he answered "I don't think the academy wants everything to be immortal. Ruins the balance of nature I guess."

"Its alright for the questions. Most things I learned by myself when I was new." He was surprised by himself, not even a semester, and he no longer cares what people look like. If only the outside world knew about this place, racism wouldn't be such a problem.

"I'm not too fussed about School. I still attend, but I am pretty good at it." He tried to explain. He was smart, and could learn things easily, but attended for the routine.
 

Ninjapa

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Jan 6, 2017
163
"Yeah, wow, okay," Nova nodded her head slowly, taking in everything Victor had said. She was much more reassured that she had not sounded stupid once Victor began referencing the history of a tree.

"I skimmed a History book or two about Manta Carlos on the way here. 600 years ago, pirate settlers, right?" She asked. Mentally 'hi-fiving' herself for her modern-sounding word choices, she came to the realisation that Victor's flustered state made her feel better about herself. Wow, was she truly so insecure? Nova mentally scrunched the thought up and soaked it in water.

"Hundreds of years and I happen to sit there in the exact moment one breaks?" Yes Nova, she thought to herself. Her words were falling into place perfectly, something that had been impossible at any other time.

"But anyway, where I come from trees last thousands of years. I have never seen one snap in my entire life. None of them have any rings either. How could a tree coincidentally grow a ring of wood after exactly one year?" The last sentence she spoke was a sentence too much. She had almost reverted to her old speech. Nova didn't mean to come off as harsh at all. Victor had saved her from a falling tree and she had to admit that he was cute. It was just that she did not know what to think of him. There was the heroic cute male she had encountered whilst in the tree, and the nerdy awkward one that was revealed after a small chat. She desperately wanted to know who Victor really was.

"You learnt yourself? Using books?" She inquired. Every piece of information had to become from somewhere.

"Hmm." Was all she answered to his last response. Another side to the male adolescent arose, this one self-assured and overconfident. Nova would've told him more about the variations between her old school and human school, but Victor's strange answers to questions and quick personality changes worried her. Was it merely timidity, was it a serious problem, or had he not figured himself out yet? Nova hoped the first possibility would be true. He was attractive, but she wouldn't allow herself to be attracted to somebody with switching personalities.​

@Griffin
 

Griffin

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Inactive
Nov 10, 2016
342
[xtable=skin1|bcenter|518x15]
{tbody}
{tr}
{td=colspan:3|center}Victor Castleton{/td}
{/tr}
{tr}
{td}Initial Entropy: 100%{/td}
{td}Mood: Calm{/td}
{td}Outfit: Uniform{/td}
{/tr}
{/tbody}
[/xtable]

Thankfully, his comment had worked, and she was a bit more sure of herself. "Yeah about 600 years. And they were pirates.. most settlers were at that time."

Her words came more easily now, and Victor was surprised at the flow. "Some trees can break easily. Besides," He reminded her. "You left the tree before it broke, didn't you?"

Thousands of years?? Nothing on Earth lived that long normally, let alone Trees. "I'm not really sure why they get a ring every year. Maybe it was the explosion of growth every Spring?" He never thought to look it up.

Victor noticed he seemed to change personalities every so often. Did she notice? This is why he tries not to talk to others often. Usually he would just say hello then leave. Why did he stay?

"Yeah," he said, rubbing the back of his head. "I struggle to talk to people sometimes, so I try to stay away. It's easier for me then."

Now he sounded overconfident. Why can't he explain himself? His memory allowed him to remember things easily, plus he practically home-schooled himself before he came here. Starlight Academy, when compared, was a way for him to help people, as well as make friends.
 
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