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It's afternoon on a cool spring day, and Mutant Town is buzzing with its usual activity, though nothing seems untoward for the moment. Josh emerges from the Community Center, carrying with him a paper bag in one hand and a thermal cup in the other. It is from the cup he is paying most of his attention, sipping it continually, an expression of some weariness on his features. Features that stand out like a sore thumb: the young man looks to be made of pure gold, from the golden strands of his hair to the shine of his skin. He doesn't blend in very well, even for Mutant Town, but he is at least relatively safe around here. Usually.
"Josh," Piotr says as he approaches from up the street. As one is leaving the Community Center, the big Russian is heading towards it with a pair of beefy bags held against his body. "Good to see you; I didn't realize you were going to be down here."
Given he's going to be here a while, Noh-Varr's started exploring the city. He's only somewhat familiar with it from another reality and this one is obviously very different. Yesterday was Brooklyn, today is closer to home. Well, Billy's home. He'd heard a mention of 'Mutant Town' and decided to check it out. Leaning against a street light, he's been disappointed so far in how much it looks like any other run down part of Manhattan. Until the gold guy shows up and gets his instant attention.
"A kid fell down some stairs and got seriously hurt, and since he has gills, the family didn't feel safe to take him to a hospital." explains Josh to Piotr with a slight nod, "So they called me. Hey, Piotr. What do you have there?" he inquires, nodding to the bags the big guy has. His eyes scan the area around, always alert even with the relative safety of Mutant Town. As his eyes scan past Noh-Varr he does a double-take; its hard not to for obvious reasons. Is stupid-pretty a mutation? But, for now he reaches a hand out in offering to suggest he might take one of Piotr's bags off his hands. Not that the big guy needs help carrying anything smaller then a tank.
Piotr shakes his head, "Oh, don't worry. I got it. They're just some supplies for the center. Someone asked that I might bring some toiletries." He twists at the hips once he notices Josh's gaze and follows it toward Noh Varr. "Who's he?" Piotr asks quietly. "I've never seen him."
Noh-Varr gives Josh a nod when the other man looks over though he doesn't say anything, instead just continuing to watch him curiously. Just colored gold? Metal? Some other substance? "Because I've never been here before." he answers Piotr, despite most people not being able to have heard that comment.
Josh gives Piotr a quick nod, flashing a slight smile, "We can use all the help we can get. Thanks." Josh doesn't run the place but he might as well considering how much he puts into it. "I don't kn—" he begins, but when Noh-Varr answers what shouldn't be able to be heard, he turns a curious look to the man. Perhaps stupid-pretty isn't his only power. The movement of his skin and flesh looks natural like flesh moves, though it looks metallic gold otherwise. "Well, welcome to Mutant Town. I'm Josh, this is Piotr."
As Noh-Varr speaks, Piotr raises an eyebrow and looks toward Josh out of the corner of his eye. A cool power. From there, Josh moves to introduce them both and Piotr bends down to set the bags on the stairs before reaching out his hand. "Piotr Rasputin, as Josh mentions. It is a pleasure to meet you."
Noh-Varr pushes off the streetlight and walks over to clasp Piotr's hand when it's offered. "Captain Noh-Varr of the 18th Kree Diplomatic Gestalt. Hello Josh, Piotr. Are you really made of gold?" he bluntly asks the former. "Are you a mutant as well?" This directed to Piotr, since it's the logical assumption to make about Josh.
Daire comes wandering out of the community center, in jeans, t-shirt, light jacket, and a pair of work boots, having been volunteering and doing some work inside. He wanders on over toward Josh and takes note of the others with him, lifting a hand to wave in greeting. Well, he doesn't exactly look normal either, with those curved horns poking up from his head and curving backward from above his temples, or the nearly lambent green eyes. When he smiles, the fangs probably don't help either, but he does smile, and seems friendly enough as he approaches. Nope, no freaks here. "Heya," he says. "New friends?"
Since hand-shaking is going on, Josh offers a golden hand over to Noh-Varr to shake after. His skin feels completely normal. "The… Kree Diplomatic Gestalt?" he asks with a furrowed brow and a tilt of his head. He then has to chuckle softly, "No, its a secondary mutation. The reason for it is a mystery, but if I use my power to heal, I turn gold for awhile. I'm a biokineticist." Pause, "Healer." Usually. He turns a quick smile for Daire, "Captain Noh-Varr of the 18th Kree Diplomatic Gestalt…" He shares a 'no I have no idea what that means' wordless look with Daire, "…meet Daire. Daire, Noh-Varr."
"Hello," Piotr adds after Josh speaks. He gives a nod and a smile to Daire before circling back towards Noh-Varr's question. "I am," he says defiantly. "And it is with great pride that I say so."
Noh-Varr takes Josh's hand after releasing Piotr's, running his thumb over the back of it to test the feel. Skin, not metal. Interesting. The mutants I've met so far here display no physical aberration." he says, looking at Daire and studying the horns a moment and the fangs when they appear. "We're a peacekeeping force tasked with diplomacy between the Kree and Skrull Empires as well as the others in this sector of the galaxy." Or were.
There's a curious expression on Daire's face at the introduction as he studies Noh-Varr with open interest. "That is quite the title. Hello. Nice to meet you. Like the folks that showed up at the U.N.?" he asks. Then he smiles over toward Piotr and says, "Heya. How's it going?" Then to Josh he says, "Should I go see if we've got some coffee brewing? You guys want to come in and have a seat?"
"Piotr here is about the strongest and toughest guy on the planet, give or take a tank or two." Josh flashes a grin to Piotr, cocking a thumb that way. He does squint at Noh-Varr, "I would prefer deviation, as aberration carries a negative connotation. Most mutants can blend, but yeah, some of us have more difficulty." He shoulder-bumps Daire, "Yeah, instead of standing on the street, let's all go in. I can throw together some sandwiches if folks are hungry. I don't run the place but I might as well." He pauses, and gives a sidelong look at Noh-Varr, "For the record, I wouldn't go around advertising who you really are to just everyone. It can be dangerous. We've had some less then great history with aliens lately, and people kill people because of the color of their skin, let alone planet of origin." But with that, he'll turn to lead them inside at Dai's suggestion.
Piotr nods to Daire, "Not bad at all. I was just heading inside, actually, with some supplies." He motions towards the pair of paper bags on the ground not far from the group. The large Russian almost reddens as Josh discusses his strength and constitution, "I would not say that."
"Like who showed up where?" Noh-Varr asks Daire, looking blank. "Deviation then." he agrees, nodding to Josh. He's not out to offend. The suggestion to stay in the closet gets a shrug. "I am Kree and have no intention of hiding it." Why should you when you're the superior race in the galaxy? "It's unlikely anyone would be able to harm me anyway. I've heard my people had a presence here but I've heard no specifics." he continues as he follows the others indoors. "I'm from a different reality so don't know what they've been doing in this one."
Daire looks from Josh over toward Piotr and both brows raise, that's pretty cool. He chuckles then at the shoulder-bump and shrugs his shoulders. "I used to hide more, but at least in this neighborhood, I don't as much. Less problem being a deviant in deviant-town." To Piotr he says, "Supplies! Great. I just put a bunch away, so there's room for more." When Noh-Varr doesn't seem to catch what he was referring to he says, "I think some of your people were here recently." Then there's a pause when Noh-Varr mentions being from another reality entirely. "Oh. Well… nevermind then. Welcome! Do you like coffee? Do you know what coffee is?" And with that, he heads inside.
"Some big blue guy showed up at the United Nations— sort of like a global council of representatives of the world's nations— and sorta made some threats about a Skrull and us needing to deal with it." Josh shrugs, following Daire inside, "Don't be too confident; not everyone with powers are good and the hero type. Who gets a mutation isn't a moral determination— not to mention the other sources of abilities." He turns an apologetic smile towards Piotr's blushing, "It's true that in this neighborhood hiding is less of an issue as Dai says, but its not no issue. We've been attacked here."
Piotr brings in the bags he's brought, "Is there a specific place you want these?" The thought of coffee is welcomed in his mind. He's got a bit of time before he needs to be back in Westchester and that'd help with the commute, especially with traffic. He listens on about the stuff between the Skrull and Kree. None of it made much sense to him, and hasn't since the beginning.
"I'm a lot tougher than most Kree." Noh-Var says without any hint of boasting evident in his tone. It's merely fact. "They were probably right about the Skrull though. They can be dangerous. So can the Kree. But if you need to choose one over the other, go with the Kree. My people are the much better option. Plus you always know who we are." Unlike with shapeshifters. "And yes, I love coffee. Good coffee." he amends. He didn't get a lot of it in SHIELD's prison. "You should export it."
"Yeah, this neighborhood sees its share of violence," Daire admits with a faint hint of sadness there. "Wish it were otherwise, but at least it's a little better here, when it's not on fire." Because that's been a thing. When Piotr asks about the supplies, he shows them where they go, helping to get them put away and situated after making sure that a pot of coffee was going.
"Oh, can't make any promises on good coffee. Our budget is shoe-string tight around here, we survive entirely on donations and even then…" Josh shrugs, following with Daire to the kitchen area, "But its not awful coffee, at least. And we import it, coffee beans grow in more tropical climates." He gestures to Noh-Varr, "We always know who you are? You sure? Up until today I thought you were all blue. They'd stand out. You, kinda, blend in. You know, mostly." He nods his appreciation to Piotr, "Thanks, man. For the stuff."
"It's no problem," Piotr replies as he begins to unpack. There's toilet paper, toothpaste, deodorant—all the important things. The Russian stacks them meticulously in a geometric way that fits his liking before he begins to fold up the paper bags nicely.
"The blue Kree are a very vocal minority in the Empire." Noh-Varr explains as he looks around, no doubt for more mutants with physical… deviations. "Though a politically strong one. Kree were originally blue but were at an evolutionary dead end. Some started to breed outside the race, thereby producing pink Kree so the blue ones consider themselves 'pure'." The air quotes are audible. "And while we might blend in, we don't change our shape is what I mean. It makes trust difficult when you never know what a potential enemy is going to look like."
"The coffee's not bad," Daire says over his shoulder. Once all of the various supplies are tucked away, and Piotr has arranged them in a perfect puzzle of necessities, they return to the group. "Huh," he says on the topic of the blue vs non-blue Kree. He leans up against the wall comfortably, arms folded as he listens to what Noh-Varr has to say with interest.
Josh listens to the explanation, blinking a moment, but accepting it: why not? "Well, good to know. Still, you shouldn't bring attention to your alien-ess. Though I suppose if you're here as a diplomat then hiding isn't an option either. Sooner or later you'll get into a fight with someone who isn't human-scaled. But hey, it's your life. Advice given, take it or leave it." He flashes a grin, and goes to lean against a wall himself.
"I think I'll have to take my coffee to go. I need to get back and get some things graded before spring break finishes. Noh Varr, it's been a pleasure." Piotr nods towards Daire, "Thank you for the coffee." After fixing himself a styrofoam cup, he does his rounds and waves before exiting out.
"I'm not here as a diplomat. My ship is damaged." Noh-Varr explains, picking a seat and making himself at home. "I'm not sure the Kree here would accept my rank and position since I don't come from this reality. This reality is more primitive than I'm used to and that goes for what I've heard of the Kree too. I'm wondering if I should approach them and tell them to stop."
"Sure, Piotr, any time. Drive safe!" Daire says when Piotr takes his coffee to go, filling up the rest of the mugs for those who want one before taking up his own and taking a sip from it. He listens to the advice that Josh gives and then takes a sip from his mug, studying Noh-Varr again. "So you're just here until you can get your ship repaired? What's wrong with it? And do we have the materials here that can fix it?" He wraps his fingers around the mug, tapping them lightly against the ceramic surface. "I mean, I guess you could. Not sure how they'd take to that, but you'd probably be able to hazard a guess better than us."
Adding some sugar to his coffee, Josh stirs it for awhile as he listens. "Well if they don't accept your rank, why would they listen to you if you told them to stop?" He considers Daire's question then, "If even the Kree are more primitive then you're used to, then there's not likely much help you can get from us to get your ship fixed, I imagine." He lifts a hand in a wave for Piotr as he departs.
Noh-Varr's expression falls at the question about his ship. "It's slightly fused with the bedrock of this island." he answers. "Well, more than slightly. I could definitely fix most of it and get the dimensional matrix working again though the interstellar drives are gone. You just don't have the technology to duplicate the power source. But getting it unfused and above ground… I don't know if that's even possible." Shaking his head at Josh's comment, he says "Oh, I expect I'd have to make them. And I meant culturally primitive." No doubt the Kree of this reality would argue the point. Enough gloom! "On the bright side, your planet is full of very pretty men and women. I look forward to getting to know a lot of them much better. And you are both very pretty."
The complexities of inter-reality-galactic politics is probably a little more than Dair was ready to take on pre-coffee and even post-coffee he still seems to have a bit of trouble sorting how all of that would actually work, nodding a bit in agreement with Josh's questions. "Ouch. Fused with the rock doesn't sound good." He contemplates the thought of trying to build spaceship parts and says, "There might be other folks who might know ho to work with that kind of technology.. or even where to begin. There are some resources in New York who might know where to find people to talk to about that." He then laughs a little bit when Noh-Varr calls them pretty, but to his credit he doesn't immediately and reflexively slip into self-deprecation, which he might have done in the past. Instead he just shrugs his shoulders and smiles. "If you find humans and mutants pretty, then yeah, there's a lot of us around on this planet."
"You think you, one guy, a Captain, could *make* the Kree Empire do something? I assume there's an Emperor or something similar who might have something else to say about that." Josh's voice is dry, but he winces when Daire mentions his thoughts on fused: that does indeed sound bad. He nods his agreement with Dai then, "There's Tony Stark of Stark Industries. He's got some of the top-tier tech on the planet; somehow he's got himself a flying shooting blasting armored suit which no one else is really able to reproduce." As he's called pretty, his golden cheeks pale slightly: is that a blush? "We have our fair share." he agrees, "And thanks."
"It would involve fighting." Noh-Varr admits with a grin. "And the Emperor is not here. It's possible he doesn't even really care about your planet. Kree are always tasked with expanding the Empire and the more planets one person or faction brings in, the more status they get. Make it too costly and they'll cut their losses. On the other hand, make them really angry and they'll stop at nothing to destroy you if you don't kill them first. Or so I'm guessing, based on my own race's history." After taking a sip of his coffee, he grins. "Oh, I do. Very pretty." The grin slips a moment though as a brow rises. "Tony Stark is alive here?"
Daire nods when Josh mentions Stark Industries, voicing what he had been thinking, and adds a little bit more hot coffee to his mug to warm it up before returning to where he had been leaning. He does grin at Josh's familiar blush, that smile tugging his lips at the corners and making his eyes sparkle with amusement. The question though, draws his attention back toward Noh-Varr and he says, "Oh, yeah, he's definitely alive. He's on television every so often on the news. I'm sure if you stick around for any length of time you'll see him somewhwere."
"Kree seem like such nice people." Josh remarks with a grin, "Always so into expansion. We more or less put an end to expansion on this planet, if you don't count the Soviet Union gobbling up client states. But they're the villains in most human stories." He nods quickly in agreement with Daire, "Alive and somewhat of a celebrity. You know him in another reality?"
"We've met." Noh-Varr answers, looking both thoughtful and puzzled. "Just what year is it here? I don't see how he could be alive in both times. Sure, they're different realities but your lack of technology means it's many decades different. Unless you progressed unrealistically fast. How old is he here?"
"It's 1965 here," Daire says and then shakes his head, "I don't know how old he is." He looks over at Josh. Maybe Josh knows. "Fourties?" He finishes off his cup of coffee and he goes to wash off the mug before returning it to where it needs to go, turning to lean back against the sink.
"Yeah, its something like in his fourties. Does time move in differen realities at the same rate?" wonders Josh, but not having any particular more special knowledge of Tony. "I don't know the guy, even before my secondary mutation happened when I was part of normal people's lives, I was a surgeon, not an industrialist. No reason for us to cross paths unless someone shot through that suit of his."
"We spoke once or twice." Not under the best of circumstances either. Noh-Varr thinks a moment then shakes his head. "He had to have been the same age, or close enough. But if it's 1965 here, it was fifty years later there. And that's not how neighboring realities work. Which means my ship was more damaged than I thought and instead of crossing them a couple at a time, it was making much wider leaps than I thought. And that explains how I ended up underground since that also explains how the topography would be so different. Well, fuck."
Daire seems kind of fascinated about this whole reality-hopping business and the time differences, both brows rising a little bit as he slides his hands into his pockets. "That's.. kind of cool, and yet.. doesn't sound good either. So you were hopping through both space, and time, and realities.. and ended up in another reality in another time that's got the same person in it in both. That's.. pretty trippy, but kind of neat. I mean, not for your ship but.." He trails off, looking a bit apologetic.
As Noh-Varr works out his multidimensional calculus, Josh just looks sympathetic, "Well, he's the only person besides the Fantastic Four who might even remotely be able to help you out, so.. Good luck? And sorry about your ship." Pause, "You need somewhere to stay until you get it working again or— whatever? This isn't a shelter, we don't actually have beds in the Center, but we do have a soup kitchen that puts a dinner out every night for those in need. I could offer you a couch." He looks questioningly at Daire.
"Well, no. I wasn't moving through space. The engines are damaged. And I only thought at first I slipped through time." Noh-Varr explains. "I wasn't doing either; instead, I was moving through too many realities at a time to where the changes started to become very noticeable. Which isn't bad unless you didn't know you were." Looking over at Josh, he asks "Reed Richards is here too? How about an obnoxious Atlantean with stupid tiny wings on his ankles? Or an old, bald telepath in a wheelchair?"
"Oh right, those guys, too. They're at the Baxter Building if you want to find them," Daire says, nodding at the mention of Reed Richards. It's not that he knows any of these people, but he is aware of the news and television enough to have heard the names. When Josh looks over toward him, he nods and says, "You're welcome to crash on our couch if you need a place to sleep for a bit. It's definitely not the Ritz." He then realized Noh-Varr might not get that reference and says, "I mean, it's a pretty cheap apartment here in the low rent district but it's warm and there's beer." He grins.
"Don't know any Atlantean, and the only telepaths I know are at the…" Pause. "Secret secret mcsecrethood secretitis." Josh winces. Talking about the institute is hard, "The guy in charge of the sanctuary isn't in a wheelchair— or I'd fix him if he was— and isn't really old. He's very not bald." There's a nod to Daire's re-offer and a shared grin over the beer.
Eh, enough about the other reality. Instead, Noh-Varr shakes his head. "No but thank you. I'm staying with some other pretty boys I ran into the other day and borrowed some of your money so I could make what I need. I could also sleep in my ship too if I had to though it's an inconvenient and smelly trip to get there. But I'll keep the offer in mind."
"Sure," Daire says, "No pressure. Just didn't know what your situation was." He doesn't seem concerned either way. "It's an open offer if needed." Then he glances over to Josh. He knows who Josh is talking about and a brow raises, but he doesn't make any attempt to add anything to that answer, himself.
"Okay, just checking. 'I fused my ship with the bedrock' sounded homeless to me, but if you've got your situation covered, all power to you." Josh inclines his head at this. "Wait, you borrowed some of my money?"
Noh-Varr nods. He has it covered. But then "Not /your/ money. Your country's money. Dollars. Ones, fives, tens. Naturally, we don't use physical currency and it wouldn't be valuable here even if we did."
"Sounds like you're pretty set, then," Daire says with a grin. Then he asks, "So what sort of things do Kree do for fun where you're from? Are there any earth equivalents in your reality?" He offers Josh and Noh-Varr a warm-up on their coffee if they want any.
"Oh, dollars. Right." Josh pauses, and narrows his eyes slightly, "One does not generally 'borrow' money without a line of credit in a bank, which takes like, a legal identity, which I don't imagine you have. Not being born here and us not being quite so galactically cosmopolitan." He turns a curious look to Dai for his question, nodding to Noh, "I don't imagine earth-sports would translate well to you."
"A Kree warrior can adapt to any situation he finds himself in and thrive." Noh-Varr answers matter of factly. What do we do for fun? Same thing everyone does, I'd guess. When we're not on duty and training or studying, we spar against each other, plan the conquest of the galaxy, and come up with Skrull jokes." He seems totally serious. "But then he adds, plus we have music, and other arts. And sports. Which is just ritualized combat, of course."
Daire doesn't seem as concerned as Josh about how Noh-Varr came by his borrowed funds, instead chuckling a little bit, "I'm afraid I'm not much good at coming up with Skrull jokes. I'd be interested in what Kree music is like, though. I'm a musician, myself."
"I don't spar, plan conquest, or come up with skrull jokes." Josh remarks dryly, giving an arched-brow look to Noh-Varr, "Or is that, itself, a skrull joke? That skrull can be funny at all?" On the topic of music, he nods curiously in agreement over to Daire.
"Well, I don't have any on me. Maybe if you ever visit my ship." Noh-Var says. "But really, Not all Kree are warriors. Someone has to make things and grow things and everything else. I'm sure most are comparable to your world. They all need the same basic services and laborers, even the Skrulls. Like with anyone else, there are good ones and bad ones. And they do make fantastic lovers."
"I spar sometimes," Daire says with a slight shrug of his shoulders, "Usually with others who at least have somewhat similar abilities, so that I can practice my hand-to-hand. But I'm not really a warrior, per se. I fight when I need to, though." He then grins and says, "Sure. I mean.. if you wouldn't mind me seeing your ship and hearing it sometime." The idea of hearing the music of an entirely different race seems to intrigue him. "I suppose like any people anywhere.. there are different sorts."
"Seeing a spaceship would not be something I'd turn down." notes Josh with a quick nod, slipping his hands into his pockets after setting his finished coffee down on a nearby table. "Well good point, I've been learning to spar at the school lately, but only for basic touch-practice."
Noh-Varr shrugs a shoulder. "I don't see why not. It's not like you could steal it and Plex wouldn't let you damage it or take anything so it's safe enough. You'd really like the training room. It's completely configurable to any kind of enemy, environment, or threat level."
"I wouldn't know what to do with a spaceship if I stole one," Daire laughs a little bit. "I don't think I could get it out of the rock either to do so. So I think you're pretty safe. Plus, I'm interested in hearing music, not damaging anything." He tilts his head, "Yeah? That sounds pretty cool. It simulates combat situations?"
Josh tilts his head to the side at talk of this training room, "Man, I know some people who would love that. You wouldn't believe where they're training, its practically a hole in the ground." Pause, "Really, its a big hole in the ground with cement for walls. If I had to train my power on that, I'd drive myself nuts. Fortunately I learned all the applications of biokinesis myself."
"It simulates anything you can think of." Noh-Var tells them, leaning forward as he starts to get into it. "It's completely programmable and uses solid light holograms to create the environment you want. By playing with lighting, perspective and creating obstacles, it could even seem like you're in a wilderness by tricking you into wandering in circles when you think you've walked in a straight line for miles. The Shi'ar invented it centuries ago but we traded them for it as part of the peace accords. It's probably the best thing they ever invented. Assuming they didn't steal it from some more advances race." After all, if the Kree didn't invent it, what are the odds the Shi'ar really did?
Daire has no idea what a hologram is or solid light but the concept of light that you can touch, he can at least put that together from context. "That sounds pretty amazing. Can you really get hurt in there? I mean do things feel real in there? If you ran into a tree walking around in the wilderness would you really feel bark?"
Josh has no idea what a hologram is, either; but he does figure out what hard light might be. Sort of. "That sounds amazing. And quite useful." But he nods to Daire's question, sobering up and serious, "Because if you can touch it it seems like it might be able to touch you— and hurt you, right?"
"That too is programmable. The basic setting is that you can't get hurt but you can adjust that to whatever degree you want." Noh-Varr answers. "Usually, you want to be able to get hurt since otherwise you don't learn." No pain, no gain right? "But you could also just turn off the safeguard completely and get killed. That's not advisable. Doing that could also end up blowing a hole through the bulkhead."
"Wow," Daire says, letting all of that sink in. "I mean, I can understand why you'd want it to be able to have solid impact. You won't learn how to fight if you don't get hit." It does make sense, he just has a hard time grasping how you could do all that just with light. But then, he has no idea about lasers or anything like that, either.
Josh inclines his head slowly, wincing at the bulkhead comment, "Well yeah, safety's should not be turned off then." He glances back out the way they came, "So, can you show us this ship of yours? Or is its location secret or something like that? Understandable if that's the case."
Noh-Varr thinks a moment. He did offer so ends up nodding. "I could, yeah. I'll warn you, it'll take about an hour to get there and you need to go through your waste management pipes so it smells horrible. There might be a better, more direct route but I only made the trip once so far."
Daire glances over at Josh, then Noh-Varr and then back again before he shrugs his shoulders, "I'm done with what I had to do here and I don't have any other plans. Is it entirely underground? Is there no part of it that's above ground? I could do a fly-over or something and see if there's a less stinky method of approach?"
"Oh, I can turn our olfactory senses off for the trip." offers Josh up, pausing to regard Noh-Varr for a long moment, "Well ours as in we humans. I don't know Kree physiology so it wouldn't be safe for me to attempt to manipulate your biology. Doing damage without knowing how things work is easy, fixing things without knowing how things work is nearly impossible."
Noh-Varr shakes his head. "Completely underground. A portable light source would be good too. I couldn't see a thing half the time and had to listen for the wait out." The explanation of how Josh's powers work is pretty interesting. "So you study medicine then in order to use your powers?" It's not really a question. "And what is it you do?" he asks Daire. "Beyond the horns and fangs that are not typical for your species."
"I uh, am a bouncer over at the Eight Ball and I play guitar," Daire says with a little bit of a grin. "But as far as my abilities go.. I'm strong, and fast, and can see in the dark. I don't need a light source. And when I transform into my uh, more resilient form — I can also fly and become even tougher to kill."
"Well, I actually didn't know about my powers until late in life— much later then is the usual for mutants. I was using it before that, but only in a passive way to scan biology. I was a doctor— a surgeon— so learned anatomy and biology. Then when I first healed someone, I used that knowledge instinctively to manipulate the tissue. Since then I've learned more *from* my powers but it takes the baseline of knowledge to start doing that. You wouldn't happen to have a medical textbook in your ship for your species, would you?" He nods to Daire and grins quickly, "He's also loyal, which is a super-power in its own right. But I have flashlights here in the center, anyways. For when the power goes out."
Transform? Into what? That sounds like something Noh-Varr would like to see. Textbooks? "No textbooks. But computer files, of course. The medbay is still mostly functional. It was the stern of the ship that sustained the worst damage as the engines were targeted. It's also where most of the fusing with rock is, for some reason. It was very lucky there were tunnels down there. Anyway, you can look over the projections if you want. I never say no to being healed fast. It still takes me a while to accelerate it."
"And stubborn," Daire adds when Josh mentions loyal, a little amusement flickering across his lips. "Yeah, that is fortunate that it wasn't more damaged than it was. Some of that knowledge might prove useful while you're stuck here." He then says, "So.. if we can't smell it, that works.. but when we get back to the apartment.. everything goes straight in the wash."
Josh nods his head slowly, thoughtfully, at Noh-Varr, "Well, the more I know of your physiology and biology, the more likely I could be of use to you in an emergency. Without details I can only handle obvious trauma— stitching some stuff back together that obviously belongs together, like skin or muscle." He flashes a grin on Daire at the stubborn, "True enough." He reaches out to lay a hand on Daire's shoulder, and the gold of his skin seems to radiate off of him and briefly flow into Daire's body, absorbing into the skin before his hand falls to the side again, "Okay, I turned our noses off."
Noh-Varr nods and stands up. Once they've gotten the flashlights, he leads them to Christopher Street and pulls a manhole cover off. "Down here." As it happens, the light makes it faster expected though he has to periodically pause and look around when there's a branching. "Okay, now where?" he asks thin air then nods and continues onward. When asked he explains it's 'Plex is on the ship. We have a telepathic connection and he recorded my path." The sewers eventually lead to an abandoned tunnel which leads to some more abandoned tunnels and then, eventually, there's a spaceship. Or part of one. Much of it ended up running the length of the tunnel though not exactly so which is why over half of the stern disappears into solid rock. It didn't collapse the tunnel; it fused into the rock. "We're here. Open up." he says, totally unnecessary as the hatch is already retracting.
Following along, for awhile there Josh is real happy his nose is turned off, but he makes his way through the tunnels and eventually, there's a spaceship. He blinks. "I almost didn't believe you; if it weren't for the fact I'm impossible to kill, I was starting to worry you were luring us down here for some cannibalistic ritual." He flashes a grin, but nods, "So, you're telepathically bonded to your ship?"
"Not to the ship. To Plex. He's an AI." Noh-VArr explains, leading the way into the Marvel. "And the moment you step inside, he's going to scan your minds and make sure you're trustworthy so be warned."
Gargoyles sit on top of churches, not crawl around in sewers, but Daire seems to manage okay within the tunnels even though it's a little claustrophobic being below ground. He follows along, listening to Noh-Varr talk to the air, until it's explained who he is talking to. It doesn't make any sense to him, but he seems to accept it along with the other terms that he has heard that he doesn't quite get. Daire is an accepting sort, in general. He does however reach over and give Josh a nudge with his elbow and laughs at the crack about luring them down to their doom. "Uh, okay," he says when warned that Plex is going to scan his brain. "I apologize to Plex in advance," he says with an amused smile. Then he follows on in.
Turning a quick grin on Daire, Josh follows along into the spacecraft. Is mind scanning painful if its from an alien 'AI', whatever that is? "And if it didn't find us trustworthy, what would happen?" he wonders, without sounding so very concerned.
"That depends. If you were an enemy, he could fry your mind. Or he could just wipe the last few hours from you and program you to return to the surface and forget." Pretty much what Xavier could do. "I would prefer not to." says a disembodied voice. "That's Plex." Noh-varr tells them as a monitor screen in the corridor crackles to life and displays a floating green head with tentacles for hair."
Daire's brain reveals that he is trustworthy. Whatever else it reveals, well that depends on what Plex decides to share. He doesn't seem worried about what the A.I. is going to find there. Once inside, he takes a look around the corridor and blinks at the floating green head. "Oh.. hello.." he says somewhat tentatively. That's new.
Josh's mind reveals he's trustworthy, as well; trusted by a sanctuary and school for mutants, trusted once by a rebellion of mutants against oppressors. He left the latter for the former, but withuot then even breaking trust. That isn't to say he's not dangerous, because Josh's ability to give life is exceeded by his ability to bring forth death. Destroying is so, so much easier then healing. You don't need to know anything to rip cellular bonds apart. He does blink at the floating head, "That's… uhh." Kindad gross?
"Plex. He's an AI." Having been introduced, the screen shuts off. "He'll keep people away from the ship if any happen to wander by accidentally. He used to be able to to control the minds of everyone within miles but his range is a lot more limited down here and with the ship damaged." Noh-Varr tells them as he leads the way deeper into the ship. As they head toward the stern and descend a level, battle damage becomes more evident.
"That's a little disturbing," Daire says at the thought of the green head mind-controlling everyone for miles. He looks where it was before it disappears, but then he turns his attention back toward Noh-Varr, and follows him as he leads the way, taking in everything as they walk around, hands in his pockets. Look at everything, touch nothing.
Josh is on board with this hands in pockets thing, following along, "I'm surprised a _diplomatic_ ship would have mind-controlling… Aye heads. It seems messing with someone's mind would be an act of war, if someone was inclined to go to war with someone." He shrugs, and peers at Daire for a moment, then goes back to following Noh-Varr, "I'm familiar with using telepathy as a security precaution, though."
"We're also equipped with weapons." Noh-Varr points out. "We need to be able to defend ourselves if attacked." Which they were. And it didn't help. "Diplomacy doesn't mean being helpless." Eventually he leads them into a large empty room which lots of circuitry built into the walls, floor and ceiling. "Here we are."
Daire seems to be of the same opinion as Josh, glancing over toward him and returning the look, but it doesn't deter him from following along all the way down to the room full of circuitry built into the walls. This he studies with curiosity, walking up close enough to look, but not touching. Then he turns back toward the other two and says, "So how do you make it do things?"
"Weapons are fine, mind control not so much. How can someone negotiate with you if you might be manipulating their minds?" asks Josh, but he glances around once they're in the big room. But still, once he's in, his expression furrows, like he expected… more. "Its… okay, how does it.. go? And does it have to be Noh-Varr or is Noh okay?"
Noh-Varr just shrugs at the question. "There are defenses against telepathy that can be used." Then he hmms? "Oh. Umm, I suppose that's okay. Plex?" The door closes behind them as Noh-Varr looks back into the room. "Hala." There's a very brief flicker and they're suddenly floating in space.
"You could meet to do the actual negotiations in a neutral place, and the ship is where you retreat when you need defenses, too," Daire suggests as a possible way that the ship itself being capable of mind-control and weapons might not interfere with the diplomatic relations. And then they are lookinat at Hala. The sudden floating in space visual is enough to put Daire off balance, since he wasn't expecting it, or for it to look so real, and *whoosh* Suddenly two sharp shards of bone tear through slits in his modified clothing and extend, fleshing out with leathery membranes until he has a very large full set of wings. A clawed hand reaches out to grab for Josh, as though to catch him. His skin has taken on a more grey cast and his eyes glow, everything about him looking far more gargoyle than before. And.. is that a tail? At least he's modified all his clothing at this point to avoid some embarssing episodes of the past. It's only after all of this, when he realizes they are not falling that he looks very sheepish. "Uh.. oops."
They're in a room then,.. in space! Josh gasps, and when Daire's claw grabs him, its not unwelcome, because in space no one can hear you scream. "Whaaa—" But no, they aren't falling. He looks over with a wince at Daire in his transformed state, "You're supposed to grab me before you turn so I can turn off your pain receptors." he admonishes gently. But he gestures, and nods to Noh-Varr, "The transformation."
Noh-Varr glances behind him then turns fully around when he sees Daire. "That is very interesting!" he exclaims. "Where does the extra mass come from? Does your body produce extra cells? Where does it go when you change back?" Which is a much more problematic question. While not falling, they are slowly drifting down toward the surface.
"I.. wasn't really *thinking* about it," Daire objects when Josh admonishes him. "I thought we were falling.." he says, the faintest hint of pink tinging his grey cheeks. This time it was his turn to blush. Gently, he releases Josh's arm with a little bit of a cough. A little bit more combobulated now that he realizes he's not falling, Daire looks around a bit and then over at Noh-Varr. "Um, yeah.. it's the gene, it triggers kind of this hyper-growth and it all just.. sprouts and grows.. and then when I change back it kind of, gets re-absorbed and.. I honestly don't know enough about it scientifically to explain it. It just hurts, a lot, usually, when I do it intentionally. I think the burst of adrenaline there was enough I didn't even notice it…" He takes a few breaths, and accepts the drifting. Drifting is okay.
"On power onset…" Josh has touched Daire enough while he's changed to have a pretty clear idea of the biology involved, "…it triggers a rapid cellular generation that I'm actually convinced might hint at a yet-unexpressed healingi factor because nothing short of rapid healing would normally produce cells that quickly, or destructively. As he changes back the body breaks down the excess cells. I believe if he keeps in the form briefly he's fine and will have roughly a net-equilibrium, but if he stayed transformed for awhile he'd probably get real hungry eventually since he's not recovering the nutrition that went into the rapid growth. Alternately … well its just theories, his body is in incredible flux so its hard to track the specific bioalterations." Then he's okay with drifting. He does nod with a warm smile to Daire's objection, "I appreciate your first instinct was to grab me so I don't fall to my death."
"You realize that should violate the laws of physics." Noh-Varr points out. "Unless, of course, he pulls energy from around him and somehow converts it into matter or taps into another dimension. I can see why my people in this reality have an interest in bringing your planet into the Empire." You know, conquering it. "Plex, take us to Kree-Lar." Their descent starts to speed up though they don't actually feel any of it as they head toward the surface of the planet then down into a city that looks unlike anything on Earth. As they set foot on the surface, he reaches out to tap a pillar. It's quite solid. "Welcome to Kree-Lar, capital city of Hala, capital of the Kree Empire."
Daire is no longer afraid that they are going to plunge anywhere and the fact that there is no actual sensation of motion even though the image shifts helps him to regain his balance and his composure. He reaches out to touch's Josh's arm to shift back, letting Josh take the pain this time when he does it deliberately, everything going back to normal, and with a shrug of his shoulders and a slight tug at his jeans, everything is as it was. "I dunno," Daire says. "All I know is that it works." And so long as he doesn't implode when that happens, he seems kind of okay with not understanding it. But his fascination is more with the surface of the planet that they are looking at. This, he studies with interest, even walking over to the pillar and touching it, himself, since it seems relatively safe to do so.
"Many mutant abilities prove that our understanding of natural law and physics is limited." admits Josh, though he takes a little satisfaction that clearly the more advanced Kree do not know everything. At Daire's touch he does take the man's pain away as he returns to normal form. He looks around what can be seen in Kree-Lar with a shake of his head, "It's pretty amazing, but if you have all this, why do you need more? Why expand?"
"To being our influence to other races." he answers. Another pink skinned Kree walks over to them before he can say more. Well, he walks over to Noh-Varr. "Noh-Varr! Welcome home! Who are these strangers?" "They're humans from the planet, Earth." Noh-Varr answers. "Earth? Isn't that one of the planet the Celestials performed experiments on the primitves there? The one we decided to alter the DNA of some of the natives ourselves?" The Kree steps closer and looks carefully at Josh and Daire. "Did you bring them here to be dissected?"
Daire smiles gratefully to Josh when the return transformation is painless, giving his arm just a little squeeze before he turns his attention back to the vast city and the Kree that approaches them. He looks a little surprised when the person actually speaks to them. Then he squints a bit, "We are not here to be dissected." Then he looks at Noh-Varr. "Wait. Is this thing connected to.. your reality? Or is this just a recording? Are the people simulated too?" He eyes the other Kree with open curiosity.
There's a blink as Josh regards the new Kree, with his brows arching up at dissection, "Wait, what's this about altering the DNA of some of the natives yourselves? And who are the Celestials?" There's a bit too much willy nilly genetic modification being alluded to around here. But Dai asks good questions so he nods to him then looks to Noh.
"No, they're my guests." Noh-Varr answers and the other Kree gives him a look as if he either doesn't quite believe it or if he thinks Noh-Varr might be ill. Shrugging, he turns and walks away instead. "It's not a recording. Everything here is simulated." he tells Daire. "As realistically as possible unless you program the simulation to be otherwise. Of course, you need to know the parameters to program in. Or in this case, Plex does though this is a standard program that was used very frequently." It seems Kree gets homesick too. "The Celestials are beings of great power who've been alive since the First Firmament created them. They went against their creator's wishes and decided to alter species to evolve instead of maintaining the status quo. Earth was one such experiment. The Kree also came to Earth not long ago in a cosmic timeframe, and altered the DNA of certain primitives as an experiment. It's almost certain that mutants are a product of the Celestials' experiments."
Daire has some of the same questions that Josh does, as he nods in agreement with what is being asked, turning to study Noh-Varr and the Kree that he was talking to. Even when Noh-Varr explains that the other person is a simulation, and not just a recording, he seems a little unsettled by the question. "Right so.. that simulation isn't going to actually come back with friends to dissect us, right? Failsafes and all?" Then he looks puzzled. "So you're saying that Kree came to earth and messed with our DNA? That's.. uh.. I dunno how I feel about that." Not that how he feels matters in the grand cosmic scheme of things, but he just learned his ancestors' DNA may have been swizzled by an alien race.
The look that Josh's golden face gives to Noh-Varr on the talk of Celestials is one of profound skepticism; oh great, aliens have religion too. Josh nods to Daire, frowning, "It's another mark in the 'not our friends' list, though I can't blame you for it though, whole other reality and all that." But he gestures around, "You said this can be used for combat simulation?"
"The Celestials did it first on a much wider scale." Noh-Varr explains. "The Kree experiment was much more limited. We were trying to breed soldiers." Glancing at Josh, he says "I'd wager half an empire that the Kree of this reality have done no differently that those of mine. This reality might be offset in time a few decades but we're talking thousands of years. This reality is close enough that it probably didn't split till a few hundred years ago. And something not that major either since it's still very familiar to the Earth I was on." At the question, he nods. "Plex? Combat training program one. Arena." As soon as he says so, the city grows hazy and shifts until they're standing in what looks like a Roman colosseum, assuming the Romans existed in the 23rd century with high tech. In the middle is a very large, Shi'ar gladiator looking at them. Noh-Varr grins and looks over at Josh. "Feel free. It's level one so you won't get too hurt."
Daire is still busy taking in this galactic DNA swizzling when Josh is asking about combat and the scenario switches around them. He frowns just slightly, but whatever thoughts he has on the topic are set aside when he notices the gladiator. Glancing from Josh to the gladiator and then over to Noh-Varr, he says, "What level does it go up to?"
"We have a saying on earth, two wrong's don't make a right." quips Josh, but then there's… whoa, everything changed. He eyes the gladiator for a long moment, then shakes his head and gestures to Daire, "He's the fighter. In a fight I'm either staying behind him or I'm going on the offensive, and I don't know that offensive would work against a simulation, and I don't want to deal with the consequences of donning the black today. But let Dai try?"
"The equivalent in your language would be 100. I'm not certain the increments are the same though the fundamentals of arithmetic are universal to these laws of physics. 100 is no safeguards and needs an override to implement since you can die on that level." He nods to Josh. "The parameters of your power aren't programmed into the simulation so it wouldn't be able to account for them. If Daire's are mostly physical… Well, that's pretty universal no matter what planet you're on."
"Uh.." Daire says when Joshn points him at the Gladiator. "I just shifted back… and I wasn't asking to actually fight anything right now. I just wanted to hear some music, man. Can he play the guitar?" He hadn't really signed up for combat time; that was all Josh asking about that. "Do you have any medical simulations? Like for teaching purposes?"
"I was just curious, I thought combat training was its point." Josh says apologetically to Daire, laughing softly and giving a half shrug of his shoulders, "So, yeah, music I guess. Then maybe some Kree medical data? To get an idea of your baseline physiology. It can't be _too_ different then ours, obviously evolutionarily you come from a planet that selected for traits close enough that we evolved a similar appearance." Because he's not going to believe in this Celestial business.
Noh-Varr doesn't need to say anything before everything around them grows hazy before altering into a very high tech medical bay. "Display Kree physiology." he tells Plex. "Josh's aberration is biological manipulation. But in order to heal an organism, he needs to know exactly what is normal." As he explains, a medical diagram of a Kree male appears in front of them with layers cut away and arrows and captions pointing out what things are. "Translate." Noh-Varr reminds him and they suddenly switch to English. In the background, Kree music starts playing unobtrusively.
Daire seems a little bit relieved when he isn't going into impromptu combat training, and instead approaches the medical bay simulation with a little more interest. His mutation may be more on the physical side, but Daire himself is, generally speaking, far more interested in social and mental pursuits, and he examines the little captions, once they are in English. When he catches the sound of the music in the background, he grins, "Oh hey.. cool.." and he's distracted with that, head tilting a little as though he might hear better that way.
Stepping closer, Josh examines the medical files with deep attention, crossing his arms over his chest thoughtfully, "The basic biochemical foundations are similar enough; but that's expected or you wouldn't be able to survive in an oxygen-nitrogen atmosphere planet driven by a carbon cycle. Circulatory system, respitory, that looks like something akin to a liver for toxin filtration…" He shakes his head slowly, "If you wanted me to be able to heal you in a pinch I'd probably need to spend at least a few days down here just pouring over the information. Would a simulated-Kree have anything like organic material, or is it just… uh.. what did you call it. Hard 'light'?" He glances back to Daire and grins, "Music doesn't sound too alien."
"Nothing here but us is actually organic." Noh-Varr explains. "Everything is a hologram produced by the computers. You could walk in a straight line for miles and never see a duplication of what you've passed as it's dynamic. Even though the room we're in is much smaller than that. Likewise, you'd be hidden from our sight."
Daire watches Josh as he examines the information, seeming content to listen to the music and the pair of them talk about Kree physiology. He eventually asks, "Is this one particular type of music? Is your music similar? Or are there different styles? Different patterns to the sound and rhythms?" He tries not to interrupt the more important medical conversation too often, though, instead plopping himself down on the floor of the medbay cross-legged and watching from that vantage point.
"Oh, then yeah, I'd have to study the files for awhile, since I wouldn't be able to examine a simulation's biology to experiment on." Josh inclines his head to Noh-Varr, his attention focused still mostly on the medical information that Plex is showing him. "It's too bad your ship is so far underground, this would be great for training mutants in how to control their powers. That's always a challenge: more then a few end up getting themselves or others killed when they come into their abilities."
"There's many different styles of music." Noh-Varr answers. "The Kree Empire has been in existence over a million years. In that amount of time, lots of things are created including music." Grinning at Josh, he suggests "I'd be happy to let you study me if I can do the same to you." Then he nods and looks around. "It would be nice to get the Marvel closer to the surface but I have no idea how to unfuse it from the rock. I'm not even certain what systems have been compromised since the sensors are down too. It's entirely possible that removing the rock would cause an explosion, much like removing a blade from someone causes much worse bleeding than if you had left it in. I do have a portable version that's much more limited but the full scale version couldn't possibly be reproduced here. You don't even have computers."
Daire nods his head to Noh-Varr. It makes sense, but one can't know without asking, and so he goes back to listening to the music, letting his head bob along a little bit to whatever beat there might be. Eventually ne does pause though and says, "You could extract the rock around it, so that you're cutting around all the parts with ship in it, and then you know, leave a layer of rock, and take it all out together in one big.. lump, to make sure you weren't just hacking off something important."
"What do you mean by 'study'?" asks Josh a little bit skeptical, what with the first simulated Kree they ran into wanting to dissect them, "And this portable version, it makes these solid light things too? I wonder if you could reproduce the little one, if not the big one." He looks to Daire and nods his head, finding his ideas possibly of use and turning a questioning look to Noh after that.
"The Kirby Drive moves the ship through realities." Noh-Varr tells Daire. "Through solid rock is another matter. And since I don't know exactly where I am in the multiverse, I don't know how many realities I'd need to pass through to get back to open space, especially since the drive's calibrations are off. It might run off of imagination and belief but there's still a certain amount of mathematics involved." Glancing at Josh, he answers "Oh, visual and tactile examination over the course of several hours in various positions. Perhaps interrupted by a meal and some sleep before resumption." While he might sound serious, there's a definite glint in his eyes and a slight curl to his lips. "Oh, the portable version requires computers too."
"Right, I didn't mean spinning up the drive and trying to move the ship. I meant like getting a crane and lifting it up onto the surface after cutting it out.." Daire says but then he shrugs and lets it go for the time being, instead one brow creeping upward at Noh-Varr's suggestion, but looking a bit amused, if anything.
Josh blinks, staring open-mouthed at Noh-Varr for a long moment, looking a little incredulous, "…are you propositioning me?" he asks in shock, blinking again. The gold of his face pales lightly, and he lifts a hand up to cover his mouth and cough. "Ahem. The portable version requires computes too? How portable is it, then?" he asks
"This far underground?" Noh-Varr asks, quirking a brow to Daire. "Do you have the technology to do that? And would those in charge allow it?" Disrupting both traffic and subways for an undetermined amount of time. Grinning at Josh, he asks "Does it happen that infrequently that you're not sure?" Though when the portable v version is mentioned, he reaches into his jacket pocket and pulls out a pink cube. "This portable. And yes, computers are required. It would, in fact, be easier to make the full scale version as it doesn't require micro miniaturization on top of everything else."
Daire shrugs his shoulders at the question and says, "Was just a thought. I have no idea what might or might not be allowed. Was just brainstorming ideas." He grins at Josh's blush and he says, "Yes. I do believe he is hitting on you. You can't fault his taste, at least, can you?" But he's already outed Josh once saying something outright, so he dsays no more than that. Instead, he returns to listening about the portable and full-sized simulators, looking thoughtful, but not adding anything further for the time being.
"Oh, well. I was going to try to talk you into donating the tech to a mutant sanctuary-school I know of, though I can't really talk about that more then its existance without getting you vetted through one of the telepaths." Of course, Josh is standing in the middle of a telepathic green head's range. He glowers at Daire for a long moment, then turns a look back to Noh-Varr, "I'm flattered, but I'm seeing someone and I don't think there would be any approval for such activities coming from that direction. It does in fact happen fairly infrequently, at least since college."
"A mutant sanctuary school?" Noh-Varr repeats musingly, as he considers the concept. "Interesting. So that's why you were talking about how they came into the their abilities. Well, as I said, it requires computers so it wouldn't be possible." But as for the other subject… "Attractive sentients come in many colors." he points out. "Golden skin is no different than blue or pink aor green. If humans can't see that, their loss since you are very pretty."
"Yeah, some of us come into what we are gently, others are kind of jarred into it and control isn't really a thing. There were folks that helped me when I really struggled with mine.. they're good folks, and they're trying to help others," Daire says, resting his elbows on his knees and lacing his fingers. Then he gets that glower from Josh and both brows go up quizzically, "What? I can't compliment you now? He started it." He nods toward Noh-Varr and can't help but flash a little bit of a grin despite the glowering. But then he stops the teasing and just smiles a little. It's clear he has more to say, but he closes his mouth and doesn't, at least for now.
"Unfortunate." Josh nods his head, and then glances around, "Well, is there anything else you think we should see? I won't get enough medical information in one sitting, but if you want you can just leave me here with the files and once my eyes cross lead us up. In the meantime, maybe you could have it simulate some Kree instruments for Dai?" He blinks at Noh-Varr again, "Men are handsome, women are pretty. In this world, people will often not find someone of a different skin color who is human attractive. Gold's right out, for most." BUt of course he did say he was seeing someone. He eyes Daire a moment, and relents with a grin.
"Plex?" NOh-Varr prompts and one wall turns into a display table with musical instruments on it. They're not just Kree but of several different races and some aren't even playable by humanoids with only two arms. "Handsome, pretty, whatever. Good looking enough to want to get naked with and have fun." But since that's not going to happen, he shrugs. "You can spend more time here if you want. It benefits me more than you, should I ever get injured badly enough that I need more healing than I can quickly do myself. Much of the ship is inaccessible but the bridge, medical bay and some of the crew quarters can be gotten to."
The appearance of the instruments draws Daire up off the floor, pulling himself to his feet and going over to look at them. Some of them, he reaches out and touches and plays a few experimental notes on — nothing too jarring, even if a little unexpected. There are some though that he doesn't even attempt — particularly those that look like they require more limbs than he has. "These are fascinating.. is there information on them.. like the medical information.. describing what they are and how they are played?" His eyes practically light up with fascination. As much as he's interested in everything — this is realy his particular passion — Music. He looks back at the instruments and says, "Humanity sometimes spends too much time focusing on the fact that things are different to fail to see the beauty right in front of them."