Third Floor Common Room, Thursday Afternoon

[fewer_explosions]

There was a blue girl sitting in the third floor common room looking absolutely enraptured by the television. She was currently supporting her chin on her hands, her elbows resting on her knees. By her side laid an encyclopedia and another archaeology book... completely untouched.

She was watching BIGGER FISH: a History of the Whale in Human Art Through the Millenia.

It was fascinating.

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[pursuedthestars]

With nothing going on, Jim figured he could wander around the dorms for awhile until he decided to go out and maybe hit the beach. He'd figured out that summer wasn't gonna last forever so he wanted to get in some time while he could.

Iowa didn't afford him those options.

He spotted someone in the common room on the third floor and, upon seeing she was actually blue, Jim knew he had to stop and check that out.

"Afternoon," he said genially, giving her a little wave. He glanced at the television. "This looks a lot more educational than what was playing in the common room last night."

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"I wouldn't know," Liara said, "I wasn't in the common room last night." Yes... Yes, he had probably noticed, Liara. "But this is shaping up to be very educational. I didn't know your people held such reverence for fish-- well, they're actually mammals, I suppose."

[pursuedthestars]

"Yeah, I know you weren't. I would have remembered you."

Because she was blue but he was being good and now pointing that out. Yet.

"The name of the movie was Cactibear. I'm sure you can guess how stupid it was just by the name. Anyway."

He waved that off and glanced back at the television.

"And I guess people really like fish. I know they really like to eat them, if anything."

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"Well, large amounts of art dedicated to one particular species can suggest that the species in question was an important part of the local diet at that particular point in time," Liara agreed. "...What's a cactibear?"

[pursuedthestars]

"A half bear, half cactus killing machine, apparently," Jim said, taking a seat and kicking up his feet. "Very vicious. Can't you just picture the viciousness of a bear that has cactus features?"

[fewer_explosions]

"What... does a cactus look like?"

[pursuedthestars]

"Oh."

Well, he'd blown that one. Wasn't the first time he'd done that with anyone, blue or not.

"Uh. Let's see. It's a plant," he started and tried to kind of shape it with his hands. "It's green and has thorns on it. Usually grows in deserts. If you walk into one, you're gonna be hurting for days."

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"So it is an animal that shares the features of a succulent plant," Liara surmised. "Well. That's... interesting. Does it eat or simply photosynthesize from its prey?"

That was Liara trying to make a joke.

[pursuedthestars]

Chuckling lightly, Jim said, "Pretty sure the cactibear likes human flesh like most students at this school like pizza. Maybe that's why the cactibear is so grumpy. Humans don't taste like chicken or something."

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"Or sunlight," Liara added. Which made her think of Karolina, actually-- but ahem. "But I suspect humans won't have spent their time drawing cactibears on cave walls."

[pursuedthestars]

"Probably not and only part of that is because they're not real," he said, shaking his head. "And also, it's really ugly looking."

Or so Jim thought. "So, you interested in fish or interested in things in general?"

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"Neither," Liara said brightly. "I'm interested in archaeology. Even if yours limits itself only to the human species."

[pursuedthestars]

"Archaeology?" Jim repeated. "Isn't that the study of old stuff?"

He knew it was a little more specific than that. He wasn't an idiot. "Humans are self centered pricks. Of course we'd limit it to ourselves. Good thing there's a lot of it, at least?"

[pulseof_life]

Yeul was back from her afternoon class and that meant she was determined to make it to the roof, since her trip there had been aborted last night.

But on the third floor she happened to pass the common room and see Liara and Yeul really didn't think it would hurt anything if she stopped. It wasn't like the roof was going to go away.

"Hello Liara," Yeul said cheerfully, entering the room with her usual limp. "What are you watching?"

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"It is a documentary on prehistoric human art," Liara said helpfully. "Particularly the kind that incorporates whales."

She looked towards Yeul. "...You know what whales are, right?"

She hadn't until, well, documentary.

[pulseof_life]

Yeul shook her head and made her way over to one of the couches. "I don't," she admitted, studying the TV. "Animals seem to be the thing that's the most different between my world and this."

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"It is a large marine mammal," Liara provided. Still helpful, yes. "Apparently many of the humans on this planet enjoyed it for its meat at one point in time, but the consumption of whale meat has become frowned upon over time."

[pulseof_life]

She was very helpful!

"Why did that change?" Yeul asked curiously. "Has the documentary covered that?"

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"It is mostly centered on the archaeological implications of human cave art," Liara admitted. "The present isn't terribly exciting if you're attempting to do archaeological research."

[pulseof_life]

"I suppose not," Yeul agreed. "Unless you're using it as a reference but that might be something that's more assumed you know than anything else."

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"Well, the idea behind archaeology is that it should help inform the future," Liara relented. "For myself, at least. But that is quite different."

[pulseof_life]

"How so?" She looked curious. "I don't really know anything about archaeology, I must confess."

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"Because what happened in the past can teach us what shouldn't happen again," Liara said, "And if we dig far enough, then we find the relics of our predecessors... their knowledge has been invaluable to my people."

[pulseof_life]

Yeul thought about that, unsure of how much applied to her world, even in theory.

... Her world was special, okay. Which was not helped by the fact that Yeul really didn't understand archaeology either.

"What are your people like?" she asked, instead of trying to figure that out. "If you do not mind me asking."

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Liara blinked. "That's... a broad question," she said. "What would you like to know?"