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[At first, to be honest, Wing had been a little surprised/grossed out to hear even the possibility that the humans might eat the flesh of the dinosaurs. His kind fueled on simple liquid energon. Much less...well, messy.]

[But he's gotten over that, and been, in his off moments, doing the unpleasant task of taking the dinosaur carcasses and dumping them hopefully far enough away from, well, anything. Though the winds have likely shifted and the Old City may get an occasional whiff of eau de rotting dinosaur. Sorry.]

[He holds up a long, curved, whitish piece of bone. It's a rib from one of the carcasses: predators have obviously been at work. In his other hand, the broad crest of a triceratops, some tatters of skin still sticking to it.]

It occurs to me that these might be of some use to us?

It seems a shame to let everything go to waste.

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I suppose the rib-bone could be useful as a tool for capital punishment. You may want to hand it to the local ruler, if there is such a thing.

[The woman commenting in the video feed was looking a bit absent-minded, she was cleaning her mouth with a piece of cloth between talking, apparently removing some blood. She wouldn't normally get involved with such a video message system, but to be frank, after exploring some (and having fed just now, on a predator had stalked her), it seemed more prudent to ask questions. And strike up a conversation or two.

Next would be asking the weird being what he was, exactly, of course. Some sort of giant in heavy armor? Curious.]

...Capital punishment?

[He looks slightly horrified.]

If its only use is to harm, perhaps it is best left to rot out here.

[Successfully endearing herself already, it seems! The vampire just smirked.]

Of course. Just take a look at this place - there is no order. Looters and bandits roam free, unchecked. Many a ruler would combat this by punishing bandits, and what better way than impaling? It's deterrence by terror.

That would be helping those suffering from the bandits, don't you think?

....'Impaling'?!

I-I don't think that's the best solution. If people are stealing, it is because they need. The better solution might be to make sure thy have what they need.

A popular method of execution. You stick a long, sharp object through a human. Your rib, for example.

[A toothy smile.]

If you give dogs like that what they want, they will want what others have on top of it. Give them that, and they will still want more. What do you do, then?

I...do not think that we should suddenly begin executions, friend. We are guests here, not universally welcomed already.

[He frowns.] There are ways to discourage that do not involve killing.

[Where do you come from?!?!] Is this common in your world?

Oh, of course. That's why I suggested to give it to whatever ruler, to have them do it. I was just thinking of suggesting it to them myself.
If there is such a thing left here in the first place.

[The question caused her to frown ever so slightly.]

It used to, but the world I come from isn't as insane as it once was. They try to resolve things by other means these days.

But [That seemed to cheer her up a little] when these methods don't work, inveterate butchers like myself are required. You cannot punish a monster by prison or law alone.

[A strange thing to be said from someone that appeared to be a rather small woman, but hey.]

I do not think we have a ruler.

[And for that alone, he's rather glad they don't. ]

You call yourself a 'monster'?

[While he may not be fond of the 'impaling people' idea, surely that's not enough to make one a monster. Perhaps he's been too harsh.]

That would explain the sorry state of this place.

[She then nodded.]

It isn't that I call myself that. It's simply what I am, just like you are what you are.

We are doing our best in some...very trying conditions.

And I am certain we have less violent options to exhaust first.

[He frowns. You certainly seem to embrace the label.]

So what do you call yourself? Why would you tolerate being judged so?

These options exist, truly, they just don't work. If the dogs see you as weak, they'll just ignore you and plunder at their leisure.

[Oh, she really was, but then, she was also terrible.]

I usually call myself just Alucard, but 'monster' is accurate. What would you call someone that needs human blood as nourishment?

But we are not dogs.

[Logic? Or slightly too literal? You decide!]

Lady Alucard. I would call someone like that someone deserving of sympathy and help.

Does 'we' include bandits and plunderers that are murdering regular inhabitants of this ruined city?

[Alucard then paused, and blinked. Then she blinked some more. And then she laughed. The kind of laugh usually reserved for villains, usually after their speech on how they were going to destroy the world.]

I don't think you truly understand what precisely I am.

[Well, it hasn't taken Pepper long to find a desk to be sitting at, and there appears to be a promising pile of paper amassing too.

She's not a scientist or an engineer, but when you're helming a transnational industrial manufacturing corporation you learn a little about raw materials.]

The meat is likely unfit for human consumption at this point, but if the bones were properly rendered, bone meal is a historical source of both crop fertilizers and calcium supplements.

[That is impressive.]

I'd been told the meat was likely unusable; and in the aftermath we had higher priorities than this.

[He nods.]

And your kind requires this calcium nutrient?

To a certain extent. We ingest it as a part of a healthy diet as well -- dairy products, such as milks and cheeses, as well as some green vegetables. The fertilizer would likely be the more important use.

[She trails off for a moment, lip caught and her expression partway between determined and thoughtful.]

You might want to speak with a man named Tony Stark to see if he knows any other uses for it.

Edited 2012-07-03 10:31 (UTC)

[Suddenly, his fuel seemed so much simpler.]

[He nods.] So we should find a way to grind it down to be this fertilizer.

Tony Stark. Is he a new arrival?

He is, yes. And he's going to love you.

[Tony, meet a giant robot. Be friends. Do not attempt to disassemble him. Pepper's lips twitch, and she adds on one amendment.]

When you meet him or talk to him, let him know that Pepper sent you.

That would be a pleasant change. Most newcomers have suspected my kind of being invaders bent on violence and conquest.

[Which isn't that bad a statistical guess about Cybertronians, but not Wing, not the Circle of Light.]

I will let him know. [He's not sure why, but it's a simple enough thing to agree to.]

Well, depending on where newcomers are arriving from, they might have a lot of popular media talking about machine uprisings as their only context for you. Others... might just see anything large and powerful as inherently prone to violence because that's their own experience. It's unfair, but I guess some of it is human nature -- fearing the powerful unknown can hurt you.

I hope they've learned to assess you as an individual.

[He nods. That makes sense.]

And in truth, I can't blame them for their suspicions. My kind have become notorious for their brutality.

It's something my kind will have to redeem themselves from, myself included.

The others here have been welcoming--if cautious. However, the Authorities have been less so.

[Pepper has an interest in the health of things shaped like android robots, for some reason. Her lower lip catches between her teeth.]

What sort of attention have you drawn from them, if I can ask? Were you doing anything in particular?

I was flying. Apparently they had never seen my kind before. When the Authorities first attacked, I was trying to protect the ship. And became a target.

[He shakes his head.] The Oracle had warned us, too, not to show what we could do, but...I was too caught up trying to help to listen to her.

That sounds familiar. I know someone who's also prone to flying around and ignoring his own safety because others need the help.

[Her smile shades wry, but it lingers all the same.]

That said, it's something that gives him purpose in his life. If it does the same for you, all I can do is hope that you'll be careful.

Many primitive cultures use bone and hide for tools. Given the size of the creatures, there are certain to be many uses, once the meat itself has been stripped away.

Could you advise which parts of the endoskeleton might be most useful?

[He's relieved to see you again.]

I take that you are safe?

I am, thank you. I hope that you have not faced much trouble, either.

[Her smile is a little weary, but it's not false.]

As for which portions of the skeleton are most likely to be useful, the long bones provide the best material to work with.

Nothing worth mentioning.

You were very brave to call for help with the building.

[He nods, holding two of the long curved ribs. ] That is what I was thinking. These must have some use. They seem quite strong.

It was merely practical. And thank you once again for assisting.

[She smiles faintly.] Knives, awls - even needles, I believe, although the inevitability of decay means I have seen few examples in my studies. It is possible the raw material might be useful for trade, as well.

I'm sorry I could not assist more.

I'm not used to things that are so fragile.

[Not being able to help is incredibly frustrating for him.]

So this can become sharp. [He nods.] Do we know anyone who can work with this? What items might be tradable?

If we have time before the next crisis, perhaps we can begin to reinforce some of the more intact buildings, so that they can bear your weight even if they've been damaged.

[She considers the bones a moment, then shakes her head.]

I do not know anyone, that I can recall. Perhaps one of the humans who awoke from an earlier time period would know how to work it. If not, there must be some amongst the locals.

Or perhaps that they can withstand the next crisis.

[Wing has no problem with assisting in rescues, but he'd much rather they not need rescues to begin with.]

It's a simple enough task for me to take the bones and keep them safe, until we can find a use for them.

But, if I may ask. You are not from Earth? [You know, blue and all.]

That would be ideal, yes.

[She knew she liked you, Wing.]

Ah, no. I am not from Earth. I was born on Thessia, though my people have colonies on other worlds as well.

We shall have to work on that. The citizens of the Old City would be grateful.

Perhaps.

Thessia? And that is how you have this 'biotic energy'? [The words sound awkward to him.]

Even if they are ungrateful in the end, I believe it would be worth the effort.

[There's a brief pause, and she frowns a little - explaining biotics to someone with no experience with them at all is a new challenge.]

Yes and no. The unique makeup of Thessia is certainly a contributing factor to the overwhelming frequency of biotic ability amongst my species, but even asari born off-world are talented biotics. There are some theories that the pre-natal environment is what assures the continuation of the talent, as every asari's body is seeded with eezo nodes, but it is understandably a line of enquiry that raises a great deal of ethical concern.

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Sorry for her being so horrible

She's fantastic. Wing is just that innocent.

His canon also works on totally different morals, even with decepticons around!

true!

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