( open ) you are descended from animals

[hyperkinesia]

Who: Bruce Banner and anyone!
When: First half of March.
Where: Several places around the Moira.
What: A general catch-all if anyone wants to run into him on the ship since he won't be going down to the planet at all.
Warnings: None for the moment, will update if need be.
( a note: I'm good with both brackets and prose, so just pick whichever you prefer and I'll match! )

WORKING; SCIENCE DEPARTMENT.

Things seem a little calmer now, and while that leaves Bruce feeling wary of what might yet happen, it also offers him a semblance of peace and quiet. The planet seems interesting but not very welcoming, and for that reason he decides not to go down there and visit himself, opting for staying on the ship and spending a good amount of his time in the science department.

Especially as he starts getting data from the planet, helpfully provided by Clark, he dedicates himself to putting together a file with all the thorough information, as well as building a holographic projection of the surface, based on the images and sensors Clark got him. It's exciting work to him, even if it might not seem like much to some, and he can often be found at the department, poring over all the images and information collected.

TRAINING & MEDITATING; OBSERVATION DECK, GARDENS, RECREATION AREA.

It's not all work for him, though. He knows he can't push himself past a certain point of exhaustion, and even if things seem calm right now, it's always good to keep practicing a little, and keep himself well in check. His favorite meditation spot is the observation deck, and he's likely to be found there more often than not, sitting on a small blanket, legs crossed and hands resting over his knees. The gardens are also a close second, and he goes there a few times too, enjoying what little of nature they have on board.

At the recreation area, he makes use mostly of the pool about once a week, going for a few leisurely laps at odd hours, when the place happens to be empty - or close enough to it.

MEALS & DUTIES; MESS HALL.

Sunday, Monday and Tuesday afternoons are spent doing his duties at the mess hall, clearing out tables and making sure there's always food at the buffet for people to help themselves. Outside of that schedule, he can be found there during meal hours, sitting by himself and more often than not reading some file or, most likely, a book.

WILDCARD; ANYWHERE.

Run into him on a corridor, spot him at the library, what have you - Bruce regularly visits different areas of the ship so it's not unlikely for him to be spotted in a myriad of different places. Go wild!

Comments

[heliakal]

Truth be told, Clark feels a little badly for Bruce. He understands why he'd stay - it's the best choice to make considering the last time they ran into less than friendly locals - but at the same time, the novelty of visiting different worlds isn't something that wears off.

After stopping to by the science department and agreeing to take some equipment down, Clark had gotten on the first shuttle planetside. Aside from wanting to keep an eye on the crew, flying is a nice way to clear his head, usually, and there's been a lot going on with the new arrivals. Even despite the circumstances, he can't really believe what's happened in the last few hours. He has a cousin. He has family. He would have asked Kara or Conner to come out here with him, but he knows they need their space to digest all of this too.

Instead, he focuses on flying. It isn't quite as easy as it usually is, despite his best intentions in trying to keep the camera steady for Bruce. The irregularities in gravity aren't so frequent or severe that they he'd consider them dangerous, but soon enough he has to give up on trying to fight them to keep steady. Whenever Bruce doesn't give him specific instructions, he's doing loops in lighter gravity or speeding through valleys and severe drops that seem to go on into nothing. He's mostly just enjoying himself, or calling Bruce's attention to any interesting features of the landscape - insofar as there is one to show.

The only other downside is the atmosphere burns a little to breathe. The few times he does it by accident, he coughs for a while - longer each time. Maybe he'll head back and get a breather in a little bit, but he's not worried.

"How's it looking up there, big guy?"

[hyperkinesia]

Bruce doesn't feel so bad, honestly. As curious as he might be, he can recognize a potentially dangerous situation when he sees one, and although he would've liked to see the creatures navigating through the thick atmosphere with his own two eyes, for now he chooses not to risk it. Maybe later on he'll do a quick trip down there just once, but he doesn't want to now, especially knowing how the beautiful creatures are just getting hunted down and killed.

As much as he doesn't want to get involved with other planets' habits and customs, this one is a little too gruesome and barbaric for him to just sit around and watch.

Right now, he's sitting in the science department, a large holographic screen pulled up in front of him showing the feed in real time, a couple smaller ones on the side showing him any information coming in through the sensors Clark's taken with him too. The radius of the sensors is wide enough to provide him with the topography of the planet in large portions, which will prove extremely useful when he starts working on a holographic projection of Ceta.

"Pretty great." He can't help but smile at the way Clark addresses him in a term he clearly doesn't mind— rather the opposite. "How about you? Sounds like you should've taken a mask with you too." A bit jokingly, though it does sound like he's having a bit of difficulty breathing. Maybe a rebreather would've helped with that.

[heliakal]

Clark is no stranger to the idea of animals being harvested; he grew up on a farm, after all. Food is something people need to survive, and whether it's farmed or hunted, it's a necessary way of life for some. The problem for him isn't the hunt itself - it's the reasoning behind it. The loss of life for a non-essential drug, of all things, seems completely barbaric.

He's doing his best not to interfere in a way that will spark yet another large conflict, but at the same time - it's hard not to. Better to work on something else until he really makes up his mind. Bruce seems to be in a good mood, at least.

"Yeah, maybe." Clark admits, but he doesn't sound even a little concerned. "I think it'll be alright. If anything happens, you'll just have to resuscitate me."

He's teasing, but it's well-meaning. He can't help but find Bruce's continued fussing sort of charming. "So what's all of the data collection for? Scientific curiosity?"

[hyperkinesia]

It's one thing to harvest them for food, another entirely is to kill them for nothing but sport or whatever other unessential reason. The way it's done only sits worse in him, but he's not going to get involved. He's not going to start a conflict here, and he's hoping beyond hope no one else will either. For once they need to leave a planet without it turning completely upside down because of them.

"If I can get to you on time," he jokes back, smile tugging at his lips as he watches Clark's video capture. He glances to the mappings and readings, then instructs him to shift his course just a few degrees to the left. There's a small mountain range there that hasn't been completely scanned yet.

"I'm putting together a map. A holographic projection, actually. I'm also recording any additional data about the planet to add it all to the system. The flying around is mostly for the map, though."

[heliakal]

"You'd have to. It's only fair that you're the first to say 'I told you so.'" He shifts course according to Bruce's directions, veering close enough to the mountains to grab a handful of snow from one of the peeks.

He slows down enough to pack it into a snowball, and unceremoniously drops it on a hunter lining up a shot down below. There's some very colorful shouting as a pod of creatures glides past, unharmed, and Clark gives the hunter a little wave in return. It's probably for the best that he's not wearing his Moira uniform.

"That sounds like it could come in handy," he says. He pulls alongside the nearest creature, drifting with the pod of them through the fog. One of them is far smaller than the others - a calf maybe. "Think there's anywhere these guys can go to stay safe for a while?"

[hyperkinesia]

"I do like the sound of that." Since they're apparently poking fun at each other —and Clark doesn't seem to be in as much trouble now, so Bruce sees no reason to worry.

He can't help a huff of amusement as Clark plops some snow right on top of one of the hunters. No words of disapproval, and no cheering either, even if he kind of agrees with what he did. It won't change anything in the long run, but it feels a little vicarious to see the man cuss out when he misses his perfect shot.

"I don't think so," he answers after a few seconds of silence, not so much smiling anymore. The sensors and camera capture the animals too, giving him just enough information that he'll also be able to recreate them in a holographic projection, if he wants to. "We could find a more secluded place down on the planet, but we wouldn't be able to keep them there. We also wouldn't be able to keep the hunters away from them for long." They'll have to leave eventually, no matter what they try to do he knows in the end things will just go back to the way they were. "Finding another planet is out of the question, too. Even if we somehow had the means to take them all with us, which we don't, it's highly unlikely we'd find another planet with a similar enough atmosphere for them to survive."

[heliakal]

He hadn't really thought so either, but he'd hoped that maybe Bruce would come up with a miracle. Clark drops down below the pod, keeping an eye out for hunters while he's here. In the long run, it doesn't make much of a difference, but... What else is there to do? Bruce bleakly outlines their options, none of them good.

"And this is their home," he says. He's silent for a while, the only sounds coming from the creatures singing to each other in long melancholy notes. "There must be a way to stop this without inciting another disaster. Maybe if the hunters could be convinced that they're sentient..."

[hyperkinesia]

"That's right, it is." And it doesn't seem right, does it? To force the native species to leave, while the ones invading and doing the wrong thing are the ones who get to stay. Not that they would stay if the creatures were gone, but still.

"I'm not sure it would make much of a difference. It might work on a few of them, but for the larger part, it's... if there's a demand, then there will be people willing to do anything to get a supply. It's the way in any universe with people in it." And Bruce isn't one to paint pictures any prettier than they truly are. He has no illusions about the nature of humankind, about how much bad some people are capable of. Of course, he also believes in the extent of good they can do, but there's always a balance. There has to be, as unpleasant as it might feel at times like this.

He's quiet for a moment, watching the creatures swim alongside Clark. "I'll think about it. About... something we can do. Maybe we can think of a way to stop the hunters from getting down to the planet."

[heliakal]

The sad truth of it is, Bruce's assessment of the situation is right on the mark. The creatures being sentient might be enough to convince a few people to back off, but it won't be long before they're replaced with someone more bloodthirsty and more willing. Still, that doesn't mean the handful of hearts that might be changed aren't worth anything. It's as much about the hunters as it is their intended targets.

"As long as there are people like that, there will be people who are willing to protect those who can't protect themselves. We'll find a way, or make one." There's a quiet, bone-deep conviction in the words. Clark doesn't think he sees people as any better or worse than they are - but he sees potential, and he wants it to develop into something good when it can. "When we're done here, I'll see what I can find out through the locals. Maybe there's some kind of government oversight in this part of the universe... And some other way for these hunters to earn their living."

And of course, the hunters aren't the only ones on the planet who might have some stake in the future. "A barrier of some kind? That's a good idea. If you come up with anything I can help with, just say the word."

[hyperkinesia]

There's a strange kind of familiarity in the way Clark says that. The words, how he says them, the genuine belief and meaning behind them— it only takes a second for Bruce's mind to make the connection, and he can almost hear a 'click' somewhere in there when the piece fits into place. When he almost hears those words in another voice and realizes they could have well come from Steve's own mouth.

It's a nice kind of realization, though. The world —or worlds, as is the case right now— needs more people like Steve, like Clark. He smiles, keeps that thought to himself, and focuses on the rest.

"That could help too, yes. I didn't even think about that, considering the planet seems unpopulated aside from the creatures and those visiting." Which are pretty much just the hunters. "I will let you know. And you let me know too, if you manage to find something?"

[heliakal]

"It's a long shot," Clark admits, a little wry, but he'll try anyway. After all, it doesn't seem like he's wrong about people willing to help at least; Bruce is willing to throw his lot in and try to figure something out. That's two already, and he's sure there will be more, among this crew.

"Of course," he says. He gives the creatures one last look before dropping below them and veering towards more unexplored territory. "Let's get this done, then..."

[hyperkinesia]

"But not impossible." Bruce has always been more cautious than he is optimistic, but sometimes it's good to have a little hope. It doesn't always pan out, but he also makes sure to always be ready for things to go wrong. That way, he's not disappointed if things don't work out the way he hopes them to. Well— not as disappointed.

"Careful about gravity fluctuations," he offers, unable to tell if the areas Clark's flying over have any noticeable shifts. He's not entirely sure how Clark's powers work either, for all he knows he's virtually unaffected by gravity, or adapts easily to it changing unpredictably.