Culture Clash
#2 of From The Sky
Ghost struggled to open his eyes as he woke up on the floor. The mattress was soft, but he wasn't going to give into luxury after spending so long on concrete and cardboard. His barren room was dark still, devoid of any sounds or smells. It was a strange way to start the day.
He rolled over and slowly rose to his feet before stumbling to the bathroom and eventually to the shower. It was far more conventional than the cleansing the previous day, this one was just water falling from a hole in the ceiling and several soaps on a metallic shelf. The warmth of the water was inviting and calming but nagging thoughts and suspicions clouded his mind. All of this kindness and help for some information about culture, it wasn't a normal request and reward. Everything felt sinister.
"Ghost, you have five minutes before we get to work. Hurry up, your meal will be ready at your workstation." Mirabelle's voice was just as gravelly as before, not a hint of sleep was carried in her tone.
Ghost was just about finished, "I'm moving, I'm moving." He washed off the rest of the soap and used a towel to dry off. Oddly, it was highly absorbent and left his skin feeling dry, "Futuristic towels. At least they focused on important things first." He slipped on his robe and shoes before meeting Mirabelle.
This time, she wasn't wearing armor. Tight fitting clothing made of some matte material in matching colors to Ghost's robe. Her feminine form appeared, but it was nothing to write home about. Long sleeves, long pants, militaristic boots, a belt with pockets, and her bizarre spear slung across her back. Gears and pistons were kept narrow and thin while also being dense, "You are curious, yes?"
Ghost grimaced. He didn't like showing any sort of tell, and if he was that obvious then his short time here made him soft. Not like he'd be allowed to just live on the street again anyway, the dragons would rather feed him to one of their mounts than let him go free and spout secrets, "It's different than what I'm used to seeing."
She took in a deep, controlled breath through her nostrils, "If you must know, we have a name for this weapon, but you would most likely know it as a 'Rifle Spear' in your native tongue. Multi-purpose but effective at all ranges. It has too much kickback for a human, so forget wielding one yourself. Now come, we have work to do."
She walked with purpose to some unknown destination and all Ghost could do was try to keep up with her long stride. This meant speedwalking and getting exhausted constantly. He wasn't a soldier, just a bum. That didn't stop her from moving faster when a few male soldiers walked by, "Any reason... you can't... take it easy?"
Maribelle snarled, "I would prefer to be done with this and go on patrol." Snippy, which meant there was a cause for this, not a personality defect. Ghost wanted to know more, but things like this required finesse and subtlty, not blurting out questions and expecting private answers, "In here. Quickly."
A square room with metallic walls, hidden lighting, and a big table in the center with maps, notepads, pens, and several folders full of pages, "What is all of this?" Revealing information about society was one thing, but this was set up to learn specific things rather than an overview. Starting without a direction was insane.
Maribelle took a stool out from the other side of the table and sat down, "First, I need to know about eating habits. What sorts of foods are popular in this area and why. Those sorts of questions." She presented a map of the city with every eatery marked in various colors of ink. Ghost recognized that the richer areas had a different color than the poorest.
"Should I write them down, or just mumble?"
"Tell me what you know, you will be recorded."
A plate of food was brought in by an average dragon in simple canvas clothing, "Protheus is this large tower here I'm guessing. You're in a working class area. Most people make their own food or go to these yellow restaurants. Comfort foods, greasy food, and quick processed meals are the choice." He went on about types, the tastes, and why people prefered those options. It was boring, but Maribelle was hanging on every word. Maybe these dragons just liked hearing about other people.
"That's good, take a break."
"I thought you wanted to get this over with quickly. Most people wouldn't give me a break."
She appeared concerned, "You have said more than I've expected. Ghost, it's well after noon already and you've just about finished this area alone. Your knowledge of this city is astounding."
"I learned what I needed to learn. If you don't pick up little details, you can't expect to read people well."
"Fair enough human. Here, your pay and identification card." She produced a few shiny blue dollars from a pouch along with a standard I.D. Card. The money wasn't too different, except instead of faces there were monuments in the middle. In total, there was about 500 dollars in dragon money, "If you are wondering, our currency is in Kir. This is a generous payment, spend it wisely."
Ghost didn't want to have to state the obvious, but he didn't have much of a choice, "And where can I spend this? I don't exactly have a store in front of my apartment."
Maribelle's face appeared concerned for a moment, "I apologize. I will teach you how to travel efficiently in Protheus. Please, follow me." She led Ghost to the same elevator he used the other day, "Your identification will allow you to travel only to locations you are allowed. For instance, the level with your room and the shopping district." She took his card and placed it against a deep black panel, two lights popped up, "It will take some time to adjust, but the first is home, the second here is other." She tapped the button and the elevator descended.
Maribelle didn't say much on the ride down, and it was quite an awkward time. When the door opened Ghost found himself in a five-level mall. Stairs connected the levels to each other, but there was a bit of everything, "What do you expect me to buy?"
She pointed to several storefronts, "Clothing won't be necessary for some time, but extra food and trinkets to pass the time may be good. With your pay, you may also consider a minor implant to enhance your senses. I leave that up to you."
That was pretty generic for advice, but before Ghost could ask more she boarded the elevator and vanished, "Guess I'm on my own here. Can't think of what I would need, but I don't have much else to do." At the very least, he could get an idea about what these dragon people liked. So he wandered on the opening floor, all while the civilian dragons kept a close eye on him.
Different fashions, jewelry, and styles of food that weren't actually that special. Ghost might as well have just visited a different country. These dragon people did seem to be vagrants of sorts, invading with so many civilians on board their little colony towers. If their rapid attack was any indication, "shock and awe" was the primary strategy. The entire fight was in their favor as they could identify key targets before human militaries could even gather their troops. The flying mythical creatures coupled with advanced technology was overkill.
The second floor of the mall had the implant shops. Tiny little chips that could do everything from making you thinner to making your body immune to the elements. The richer dragons liked to browse the useless ones. Ghost imagined that having breath and bowel movements smell like fresh mint all of the time would be great for business deals and showing off to company, but not much else. The eyes watching him increased in number.
His heart started beating, and his survival instincts kicked in fast. The one thing he was missing was a place to escape, a place to hide. On the surface, he could easily duck into any alley and vanish, or even disappear in a crowded street. Here there was no such luxury, every location could be seen by everyone.
Ghost's heart was racing.
"Gotta leave... gotta leave..." He was having difficulty controlling his breathing as he stumbled and pushed his way towards the elevators. A few mumbles and groans now and then were nothing but distractions, Ghost needed to get back to his room fast before something bad happened. The logical side of his brain knew deep down that nobody would dare pull a weapon on him. He was wearing the colors of the Grand Inquisitor and technically was a VIP on the ship. Or tower. Whatever structure he was on.
These thoughts did nothing to calm him, only increase the panic. He didn't even know what he was on, if it was really making contact with the ground, if he could leave, if he would ever be allowed to leave, when he would be released from service, if he was going to be executed instead. The hyperventillating caught the attention of those around him as he stopped his mad scramble in the middle of the first floor and bit his arm. Pain was the ultimate distraction, but Ghost didn't know if it would be enough.
"Hey! Easy, easy." A soothing voice, but no doubt a viper if he let his guard down, "Just take it easy, it's a lot to take in but you'll be alright. Here, take a seat." A hand a little smaller than his took his arm and dragged him over to a bench in a corner. Ghost's tunnel vision was impeding his thought process and he wasn't able to deny the dragon, "Take a drink of this, it'll calm you down."
"Who... are... you...?"
"I'm Security Officer Miel, I'm a friend, human." Another female dragon, but when Ghost glanced up she was about the size of the average female human, "You aren't the first to panic. I've seen different species have their hearts fail once the reality of it all sets in."
Ghost pulled up his hood and returned his gaze firmly to the floor, "I don't like being surrounded."
"Can't say I blame you. One other ship I was on took aboard this other species. Whew, talk about a riot. Still have the scars from that one." There was a country sort of twang to her voice, "But I wouldn't worry about these folks. Harmless as can be, no matter how often they try to act tough."
"I've seen perfect little goody two-shoes turn into violent bastards when they thought they could show off. Perfect little angels tear up cars and stores just because they could get away with it." His memories flashed through his head, all of the things that he had to do, all of the things he saw, "So no, these dragons aren't harmless. They're ticking timebombs."
Miel sighed, "Yeah, well, I can't exactly tell you otherwise. Of course, most I've seen is some petty theft or an argument here and there. The civilians can hardly throw punches." She pulled out what was clearly a flask, "Want something to hell cool off?"
"Fine."
Ghost popped open the cap and started to drink. It was sickly sweet and didn't taste much like alcohol but even he knew that it was going to hit like a truck, "Easy there, I don't think you humans can handle our best stuff."
"I've had worse. This is for kids."
"Well," Miel was either offended or impressed, a dragon's expressions weren't clear yet, "Maybe I should get you something else. Or not, you seem calmer."
Calmer because this bench was behind a pillar. Nobody wandered back there, nobody had a reason to. It was a safe place, but still out in the open, "I would prefer to be better hidden. I'm not a novelty act, I was brought aboard to do some stupid job."
"It's either this or confinement, and nobody likes that."
"I never minded isolation. It's how I stayed alive all this time."
Miel was looking frustrated, "Yeah, and look how your mental state is holding up. Isolation sucks unless you're with another body. Then it's a real party."
Parties weren't Ghost's thing. Too many unpredictable variables. Sticking to the shadows and working where nobody could see was a truly enjoyable time, though he could tell that it wouldn't be as simple as that from this point on. Miel was trying to cheer him up, but she didn't understand Ghost's past, so her words fell on deaf ears, "Sex isn't all it's cracked up to be. You of all people should understand that. An adult woman, right?"
"You're smart for a human. Bet you could tell me a thing or two, am I right? C'mon, it'll take your mind off of things."
"Thinking about the past won't take my mind off of the present. It just reminds me of who I am and what I need to do in order to survive." A crowd on the other side of the pillar parted, "What's happening?" His heartbeat increased again.
"You didn't know? One of the noble families is walking around today. Ya know, rich folks. Wanna go see?"
"I don't think so. Where is the closest exit to this place?"
Miel appeared concerned, "Oh, uh, right around there, just slip up the stairs and you're all set. Why? All done? You haven't even shopped today." She rubbed her chin and looked closely at Ghost, which made him quite uncomfortable, "Nervous sort I guess. Oh well, you'll lighten up eventually and learnt o relax, nothing bad happens under my watch."
"Time will tell officer. Now leave me be. This death trap won't take me today."