The entire ship is worried, the companion is starting to feel stressed. Why? The human has begun to mention how they've been getting bored lately. -- The New Guy
Humans are very strange. For a species of Deathworlders, they can both be remarkably gung-ho, and also remarkably paranoid. Often, it's the same Human being both. They will keep animals that would eat their bodies if they died. Some keep animals that would eat them when they're asleep. Some are content with routine and others... others crave variety.
Human Reuel was one of the ones who needed variety. Since this was a long trip between star systems, the travel time was getting to hir.
Ze had ploughed through all the available entertainments, railed against the lag between their ship and the nearest comms network, played every game to completion, and read every book in hir files. Ze was currently playing "the floor is lava" for want of something to do.
Companion Vanss knew all the signs and had already taken hir anti-stress medication for the day. This, ze knew, was a time for desperate measures.
Food sticks, pony beads, yarn, pipe cleaners, and googly eyes were all part of Vanss' emergency stores. Along with an assortment of containers and tubes that could inspire creativity.
Usually, Human Reuel sneered at such things, but anything was more attractive than being bored.
"Perhaps," Companion Vanss said beguilingly, "you could show me how to make the bead lizards."
"Oh I can do one better than that," Reuel forgot about the floor being lava. "I can make paleontologicaly accurate bead dinosaurs. To scale of course."
"Of course." Vanss paid close attention to the lessons, lest Reuel get 'tetchy' and claim ze was sabotaging the occupation.
It would turn a cargo bay into a model diorama of Terran prehistory, but it was better than dealing with a bored Human. After all, Deathworlder excitement was not safe for everybody.
[Image (c) Can Stock Photo / webking]
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