[IC] Strange Arrivals (A ZAVAZggg & Calle Roleplay)

[DELETED jdl3932]

A few hours of wandering around found the Laizu standing before the clear glass doors of a library, a repository of human knowledge from what he could tell. Deciding this would be the best place to learn more about their kind, as his inquiries of passerby in the street about all the technology humanity had created had yielded indifference at best. Taking hold of the handle he pushed open the door and stepped inside to be greeted by the brisk kiss of a cooling unit and the scent of new books.

Ignoring the people manning the counter, he began perusing the shelves, eventually stumbling across the science and technology section. Picking out a modest selection of tomes, he made his way to an upholstered bench nearby and began to read, quickly finishing a book on machines a short time later. From there he went on to study textbooks on human biology-from which he gleaned a lot of useful information-physics, and other related topics.

Alastor left a couple of hours later, feeling a bit more knowledgeable about the accomplishments of the human race, primitive as they were. Twirling his cane as he walked along, he began making his way back to Andy's apartment as the sun laboriously clawing its way through the blue expanse overhead.

[Loksfjoer]

Work at the emergency care department had been hectic, as usual. Much to Andy's relief there were no more unusual cases, no more Laizus had fallen from the sky and the news hadn't reported about any incidents in the city. When the last patient he had to treat was diagnosed and stable he signed the form to transfer the patient to the appropriate department and let his colleagues take over.

Before going home, Andy made a stop at an electronics store and when he found what he needed he paid for it and continued home. He didn't know if his guest would be home or not, but he wasn't going to serve him fast food again. Not that he enjoyed cooking and he didn't even know what vegetables his guest would like, but he would be able to prepare a meal. With a bit of luck the Laizu would have hidden cooking skills.
Daydreaming about that, Andy drove to the building where his apartment was.

After parking his car, Andy went inside and took the elevator up. Once he reached his flat, he went inside. "I'm home," he announced, in case his guest was here as well.

[DELETED jdl3932]

Alastor, who had arrived back at the apartment several hours prior, looked up from the book he was reading, which was apparently the first of Isaac Asimov's Foundation series. Closing the tome and setting it back in its proper place on the shelf, he shifted his attention over to Andy.

"Welcome back my human compatriot," he exclaimed, brushing a stray strand of hair from his face. "I've had a rather informative day learning all about your technology and how its progressed over the ages. You've come far, for primordial ooze anyway."

He turned to gaze out of a nearby window, pushing the blinds aside slightly with a finger.

"Anyway," he went on, crossing his arms as he faced Andy once more. "How's your day been?"

The Laizu paused, the ghost of an amused grin on his lips.

"At least, I believe that is what your kind say to express miniscule amounts of curiosity towards each others personal lives."

[Loksfjoer]

Andy chuckled at the praise, at least it was a good attempt. Not that the Laizu was wrong, but he could tell Alastor felt superior over humans. He listened to the question and laughed at the clarification.

"Small talk," Andy stated, still grinning, "very good. A few more days and you'll fit right in! Faking interest in other people's lives is an important part of our lives. As for your question..." he shrugged. "One day you are primordial ooze, the next day you have to take care of people accidentally cutting themselves, or falling down a ladder, or getting run over by a car while being on the bike." He walked to a cabinet and opened the door, pulling a bottle with a gold-like liquid from it. "The day was eventful, but it was a rather regular day at work."

He examined the label of the bottle before he turned to his quest. "Would you like to try a whisky? It's a kind of alcohol, the bane of humanity, but I like it and it doesn't cause any problems in moderation." He examined the Laizu. "I don't know how your body or mind will react to the alcohol though."

[DELETED jdl3932]

Alastor shrugged, "Why not? It's not like I'll be tasting the chaotic energy of my home plane anytime soon, so I might as well try this bane of humanity you speak of. I do not know, however, what effect it might have on my body and mind."

Walking over to the counter, he leaned against it and watched as Andy went about getting the required items. A bottle of amber colored liquid and two glasses, both of which he set on the counter as Alastor considered what he had said. Just how would this beverage effect him? From what he'd learned of his prison thus far, it seemed as though he possessed some natural abilities that normal humans did not, an example of which was his rapid healing rate. If logic held true, then perhaps this healing factor would extend to shrugging off the alcohols effects as well?

There was only one way to find out.

"Either way," he went on, absentmindedly drumming his fingers against the countertop as he nodded towards the bottle. "There's only one way to know for sure."

[Loksfjoer]

"True." Andy picked up his glass and raised it slightly. "Cheers. Just remember this isn't water, drink it slowly. And it may burn the throat." He sipped from the glass, keeping the liquid in his mouth for a moment to savour the aroma, before swallowing and feel the familiar burning sensation.

Drinking something after coming home from work had become a habit. Doing that in company was better of course, but it was too early to say if Alastor was the right company. He kept his eyes on his guest, seeing him drink the alcohol would be interesting. This Laizu sparked his scientific curiosity, but had also made him laugh.

"Before I forget, I also bought you a gift." After the statement, he took a second sip from his glass.

[DELETED jdl3932]

"I'll keep that in mind," Alastor said as he took an inquisitive sip of his drink, finding the slight burn it had going down not too dissimilar from the gentle burn of the energies that made up his home.

"A gift?" He asked, eyeing Andy suspiciously. "What kind?"

While he doubted his human confidant was going to try and betray him, the old habit to withdraw into a fortress of mistrust and paranoia was still deeply ingrained within his psyche, through no fault of his own. His entire civilization was built upon paranoia after all. Power plays and schemes, dynasties rising and falling to the most delicate of political maneuvering.

So naturally he was somewhat concerned about this gesture of kindness, as well as the motivation that inspired it.

[Loksfjoer]

Andy had to refrain from shaking his head at the sudden suspicion. He went to get his backpack and pulled a small rectangular carboard box from it. On the top it showed the image of a smartphone.
"You may have observed a human obsession with these things," he said. "This one is not the best of its kind, but it will allow for calling, texting, browsing the internet. I took the liberty of adding my phone-number to it and install a chat-app. In the box is the manual, I'm sure you're smart enough to figure out how it works."

After putting the box down, Andy picked up his glass again and sipped from it. "I'll see about producing something edible in a moment. Something healthier than french fries and a burger. But first tell me about your lunch: what did you eat and how did you like it?"

[DELETED jdl3932]

Alastor nodded at Andy's assumption. He was indeed more than smart enough to figure out this primitive device, though he would do so later and at his own leisure. Turning his attention back to Andy as he slid the phone into his pants pocket, Alastor took another sip of whiskey as a thoughtful expression washed over his face.

"Come to think of it," he said, absentmindedly swirling the liquid in his glass around. "No, I don't think I did. Then again, can you really blame me? I am used to my found being around me at all times. As such it is rather difficult for me to actually go and get something to eat. That aside though..."

He paused, setting his glass down as he moved to the other side of the counter and towards the fridge.

"I did find some books on cooking while I was at the library, and if you have the ingredients, I wouldn't mind trying my hand at making a dish or two. Might seem strange for a former lord to be making their own meal, but there is something about the act of meal preparation that I find absolutely fascinating."

[Loksfjoer]

Andy stared at his guest; the last thing he had expected was to hear him offer to cook. "If you want to cook, you can stay here forever. I'm not particularly fond of meal preparation myself." He joined Alastor to the fridge to look inside. "We'll need some fat to prepare the meat," he said, tapping on the bottle of liquid butter and then moved to inspect the top shelve of the fridge. "I seem to have some bacon and chicken filets..." he checked the dates on the pre-packed meat, "we probably should eat the chicken first, the expiration date is tomorrow."

He opened the door above the fridge to have a look in the freezer. "Green beans, peas with carrots, cauliflower..." he muttered as he inspected the bags of frozen vegetables. "I keep some potatoes, onions and garlic in that cabinet," he added, pointing to one of the doors. "And the spices and herbs are over there," he mentioned as he pointed to a rack close to the electric stove.

He turned to Alastor. "Is there a specific recipe you wish to try? Because we can quickly go to the shop and buy what you need."

[DELETED jdl3932]

"Yes," Alastor replied, striding over to the kitchen area. "As a matter of fact there is. Chicken fajitas. If we have the ingredients for it that is."

Crossing his arms, he peered about the kitchen expectantly.

"Do we have the ingredients? If I recall right, we need quite a bit, plus some optional one's like shredded cheese and the like."

[Loksfjoer]

"Chicken what?" Andy asked, taking his phone to look up what fajitas even were. "Right... grab your coat and your cane, we are going shopping!" He gestured to his guest so he would follow him. "We'll walk to the store just around the corner; I'll explain how it works and help you find the things you need. And I'll give you money to pay for it all."

Andy glanced at Alastor as he pulled the sleeve of his jacket over his arm. He recalled how puzzled his guest had been the night before, at the fastfood restaurant; the guy at the cash register had mentioned the concept of paying for food had seem alien to him. And Alastor had admitted he hadn't bought lunch, so it was possible he hadn't practised spending money yet.
"Have you researched the concept of money already or do you need a brief explanation?" he asked.

[DELETED jdl3932]

"It was unavoidable," Alastor replied, grabbing his coat and cane. "While I'm nowhere near being one of your economists, I should know more than enough to make a purchase of goods."

Striding over to Andy, he followed him outside, falling silent as they began their trek.

A few seconds later, however, he broke the quiet.

"If you're wondering, I did not eat lunch because I forgot. Strange as it is for me to do. I was so absorbed in your people's books that I simply lost track of time. And by the time I did finally break from my learning..."

He shrugged.

"I figured it would be better to simply return here. Well, to your abode anyway."

[Loksfjoer]

The walk to the store would be a short one, but Andy still welcomed the conversation. "Welcome to the club," he stated. "I forgot to eat lunch on several occasions, especially when the emergency department was very busy. I've also had times I was so immersed in work or gaming at home that it was closer to midnight than dinner time when I realised I hadn't eaten yet." He glanced to the side. "At least you had a good breakfast and I doubt your body has any underlying health issues, so you'll be fine with skipping a meal, unlike me. Humans can potentially last up to three weeks without food, although it's generally not advised to do that, but we will only last three days without drinking, so keep that in mind."

Truthfully, Andy didn't even know whether or not Alastor was interested in these facts about the human body or maybe he had read about it already, but it Andy considered it important enough to mention anyway.

He gestured to the door of the small supermarket to let Alastor know that was where they were going. A few people left with full bags and an old lady entered the store. The shopping carts were inside, close to the automatic gates that would give entrance to the store.

[DELETED jdl3932]

Alastor followed him inside as he went down the aisles, looking for the ingredients they needed, all the while examining his environment. Although he had read of much of this in the library, he had yet to see it in practice. Or at least to this extent anyway.

"I'll keep those in mind," Alastor remarked as they rounded a shelf and began making their way down another aisle.

[Loksfjoer]

Andy followed Alastor with a shopping cart so he could pick the ingredients he needed for the chicken dish he wanted to make. He pointed out what could be found where and answered any question Alastor may had about the various foodstuffs found. As they were going through the store he loaded some things into the cart he knew he needed too: a bottle of white wine, milk, bananas, fresh green beans, some canned white beans, and a box with vanilla ice-cream.

It was interesting to see Alastor explore very basic things, the Laizu seemed out of place with his clothing and stature; he drew in some curious looks, but they probably just thought of him as a cosplayer of some sort. These days people could dress weirder than Alastor.