A Vague Beginning

[Rapunzel]

"Well, it sounds..." Rapunzel trailed off trying to pick her words for a moment before settling on the adjective, "Lively?"

The various cadets of the Freedom Fighters were a collection of characters to say the least. Michi was a sweetheart. Lucky reminded her of Eugene. Boso was... boso? (We'll work on that one.) And Ferto was so timid and scared he reminded her of a small part of herself when leaving the tower. Rapunzel thought she might have been a lot like Ferto if her excitement at all the new experiences hadn't eclipsed her fear of the unknown.

"Mm?" Rapunzel glanced back at Hercules and then laughed. She finished pumping the second pail and then stretched, "Well, I don't know about 'accustomed'. It's still very new and... well I mostly focus on my medic and magic lessons! So I don't know about everything on the camp."

The princess stepped over to the now full bucket and hefted it up in both her small hands. Man, water is way heavier than you expect. Rapunzel was really glad Herc was helping. Carry both buckets would have been HARD, "Michi might have a better idea of the general camp. Don't cadets often have a lot of errand running? I bet you've been all over the camp."

Rapunzel stepped back on the path leading back to the medic tent, "Let's go guys!"

The medic wanted to get back to the tent, and her current patient as soon as possible. 

To say that meeting Zamora last night had been... overwhelming... was an understatement. It had been wild and overwhelming and a whirlwind that Rapunzel had no idea how she managed through. The alien figure, the blood, the noise-

Rapunzel closed her eyes and gave her head a firm shake.

Yeah, she wanted to get back to the tent and her patient ASAP.

[Hercules]

Hercules nodded, seeing Rapunzel was in a hurry. "Is there anything else I can do to help?" he asked. He was really hoping to help around the camp more since he hadn't been helping much as it was.

[Zamora]

There's a bright, happy rumble as Silver addresses the Pit Beast, and she gives a wide, slightly-split smile. This was another voice she remembered, from last night. Though, she didn't know the name it belonged to...


It's only a beat before he gets the same treatment Hikaru did. Rough hands gently reach to feel across his face, taking in his features while she leans to snuffle against the top of his head. This.. might become a habitual greeting, at this point! Notably, though, she seems to take a beat or two at his nose and ears. These were not humanoid. And she seems to realize that, expression brightening to a massive, thrilled grin. She chatters a question at him through all this happy.. purring?.. And a hand motions upward.


This doesn't seem to be her first run in with an Ursid.


Though, when he asks her what she'd like to eat, she seems to hang there for a moment, face contorting to one of confusion and awe. She.. could choose? Zamora hadn't chosen her food in a very long time. She had only been fed sparingly, just enough to keep her cranky but in fighting form. It'd been years since she'd hunted her own game, made food with decent flavor...


She makes a confused noise, but opens her mouth to show Silver her teeth. After a moment, she gives a curious, questioning noise, but closes her mouth again. With rows of sharp, shredding teeth, it seems she's trying to illustrate that she's mainly a carnivore, though a few grinding teeth in the back hint at a true, omnivorous nature.


There's a chirp of realization, followed by a small snort. Her hand presses against her chest, and she puffs up slightly.


"Zamora."


Then, her hand switches to press against his chest instead, and there's a soft noise. Questioning.


She's introducing herself to Silver. Only after she's touched all over his face, investigated his scent, and shown him her teeth, but.. still. She's a bit out of touch, but she's trying her best, it seems.

John Silver

[John Silver]

Silver's cyberntic eye whirls as it takes in the creatures info, it's height, those sharp teeth once they appear a tell tale sign that this creature was a possible meat eater back on her home planet, where ever that may be. She in turn runs her massive hands over each part of him, exploring him. The ursid gives a soft chuckle before introducing himself once the pit beast speaks her name.

"Zamora."

"Sir John Silver, at your service ma'am. Cyborg, cook of this here camp and of course a wee bit of a scalawag if i do say so myself" he moved her hand to place it on his cyborg arm allowing her to get a feel of it. "If it's meat your wanting, so you shall have" Silver smirked, pulling away to grab a slab of meat off the rack and holds it out to her not sure if she would take it raw or not. "I can cook it up for you if ya want?"


Zamora

[Hikaru]

Hikaru didn't seem off put by the large hands that immediately went to cup her face and explore her features, she simply waited, letting Zamora get her own mental picture. Zamora's snuffling tousled Hikaru's already unkempt hair, causing it to push back and away from her face.

When Zamora finished and then actually seemed sheepish at Hikaru's question, the smaller woman simply crossed her arms expectantly waiting for an answer. If Zamora was the child drawing on the wall, Hikaru was the baby sitter with the mom on speed dial.

When Zamora pantomimed her reasoning, she had been hungry, Hikaru shook her head and opened her mouth to scold the creature that was almost double her size-

"Hello there!" 

Silver's greeting interrupted Hikaru's coming scolding, and she turned to face the Freedom Fighter chef. It was too late for her to send Zamora back to the medics. Once Silver found some one in his kitchen, they wouldn't leave with out a full belly. Hikaru let out a soft gust of air from her nose, a small sigh. Hikaru began rolling her sleeves up, exposing a network of scars all along her forearms, preparing for Silver's first inevitable order.

Well, at least Zamora wouldn't strain herself here in the mess tent, and she would need food to restore her strength...

[Zamora]

Zamora’s eyes grow wide as she’s led to feel Silver’s mechanical arm, understanding fully what the feel of metal beneath her fingers meant. He was missing a limb, just like she was. A bit of familiarity, even if it was just an arm and a lack of Earth-born status.

She’s drawn from her awe when he pulls away, only to be offered a slab of meat. At first, she moves to take it, but then he offers to cook it up for her, instead. And oh, goodness, the noise! All the rumbling purring from before, accompanied by a bright chirping noise this time. She’s got this look to her, like a child told they were getting a puppy.

It’s readily apparent that this one hasn’t eaten very well in a long while.

She gives a bright nod, two of three hands clapping together excitedly, obviously thrilled by the concept. It seems Silver may have a fan!

Pale gaze shifts at Hikaru’s huff, and she can’t help but give a small snicker, leaning to bump her face against Hikaru’s hair and allow a forked tongue to flick slightly. At first, it seems like a reptilian thing, to smell the area... but Zamora’s already smelled the two of them in a completely different manner.

She’s sticking her tongue out. She’s being cheeky!

[Kopa]

Kopa entered the mess tent, his face in a constant scowl. He didn't feel like talking to anyone. He saw Silver and head forward but stopped dead in his tracks when he saw the creature. He blurted out, "What in the Pridelands is that thing?!" he emphasized thing quite heavily. He hissed at it. His whole body tense.

[John Silver]

“Hikaru” Silver nods, eyeing the cup of coffee with a smirk
“How’s the coffee?” His attention diverted back to Zamora, listening to her noise and body language. “Cooked it is then luv!” He chuckles before placing the slab of meat into the frying pan. “Gather some more fire wood, if you please, Hikaru” he turns to the girl giving her the order, motioning with a fling of his organic hand towards the stack  pile of firewood in the far corner of the tent. He had Aladdin gather it up earlier that day as one of the many duties he had given the ex peacekeeper. “Now lass-“ he turns to Zamora about to ask her how she would like the meat cooked up when Kopa suddenly entered the tent looking very annoyed and surprised at the massive creature evident by his question.

“Belay that Kopa” Silver frowned at his aggressive hiss at Zamora. “This here be Zamora! I was just getting her a bite to eat” he explains, right eye flickering to an orangish tent at the teenager. He didn’t need the male to freak out the new solider.

[Hikaru]

"Fine," Hikaru said simply to Silver about the coffee. But she didn't miss Zamora's flick of the tongue, Hikaru merely pointed towards Zamora in an almost 'you're getting off this time' motion. Then she moved to gather the dried chunks of wood for the fire. Hikaru piled a stack under her arm and returned to Silver.

Kopa then entered the tent and immediately hissed at Zamora. Hikaru would have thought that word would have spread to him by now about the crash last night and the alien that had been brought in for healing. Kopa had been distracted, obsessed even, with his father's death. It was obvious that he was exhausted, but that didn't excuse his aggressive behavior.

Hikaru shifted her body between Kopa and Zamora. It wasn't just to symbolically protect Zamora (because, lets be honest, Zamora didn't need protection from a lion cub), but was also to prevent Zamora from responding to Kopa's disrespect. Hikaru doubted Zamora would be aggressive to Kopa, but it was still just habit for her to step between possible confrontation.

Hikaru stared at Kopa silently, her gaze even.

[Zamora]

‘Thing’.

With a loud, irritated huff, all enthusiasm and excitement deflated from Zamora. Her hair settles, the purring stops, and the enthusiasm in her delighted expression is exchanged for an irritated gaze. Pale eyes flick vaguely towards the lion, narrowing slightly as Silver speaks.

For years now, Zamora had been a ‘thing’. Beast, monster, creature. Unnamed. Bastardized. She was a betting chip and little else. But with this newfound freedom, these new people... Silver and Hikaru addresses her by name. People spoke with her, not at her. Mended her wounds, offered to feed her.

She would be a ‘thing’ no more.

Even as Hikaru steps between them, Zamora gives a sharp grunt. Dense tail lazily drapes around Hikaru’s feet, tensing slightly before the bladed end scrapes the ground, flinging dirt, dust, and debris at Kopa.

She has no intent to start a fight, as of right now, but she doesn’t seem willing to take the slight sitting down.

The larger gives an idle noise, shifting her weight to instead find seating close to Silver and his kitchen, murmuring to herself. The accent is heavy, but the noises she’s making aren’t nearly as angry as her expression.

She’s attempting Silver’s name.

Though, she’s having more trouble than ‘Ih’kahru’. ‘Siyahn Zilvah’ isn’t exactly on the nose... She’s trying.