[There hasn't been that much change in Sebastian's expression until now, and to see - and hear - that of everything they've talked about, the simple idea of getting ill is what's thrown him... Well, it brings home a little just how different they are - how different everyone here is.]
Trust me, you don't want it. I know people who've spent more of their lives sick in bed than up and doing anything. We deal with it - I mean, we're improving these all the time... [She taps at her mask.] But hopefully one day we can do something about it.
I do not, no... Disease is only something I have witnessed, but it does seem perfectly miserable.
[ Which is casual, and especially casual if she were to learn that he had actually been the one responsible for bringing the Black Plague to Earth. She may not have the context for it that someone from Earth would, but the numbers alone that had fallen to that plague would make it truly frightening with how little he actually cares.
But. He also knows that, which is why it's something he keeps quite secret. ]
It is my hope that you do as well, Tali. I would offer direction if I could, but matters of health have always been questions which I cannot answer, even if the price is paid.
Most aliens seem offensively disease free most of the time, but someone who doesn't even have the proper concept of sickness... That's almost funny.]
It's fine. We'll manage. We do manage. [She pauses for a moment, tapping the flat of the knife idly against the trunk.] You'd be surprised what people can get used to if they have to.
[... Or maybe he wouldn't - he's a demon who eats souls, for goodness' sake.]
[ He gives her a sympathetic look, though it's entirely manufactured. He's observed such feats in humans, so he understands it objectively, but she's also right. Demons are free from such strife, for better or for worse. ]
Though out of curiosity, has your stay here at least been somewhat better? The medical advancements I have seen are nothing short of remarkable, but you may be less impressed than I have been, admittedly.
[Tali notices nothing artificial in his expression - she just gives a self-effacing shrug.]
The nanite shots aren't something I've ever seen before - they don't fix everything, but I'd have gotten a lot more ill before without them. Most of the problem here, though, is that I can't eat a lot of the same food as humans and it has to be sterilised and... It's just a lot of trouble all round.
[And even though it's something she's more than used to by now - she's even managing to eat meat now without thinking about how disgusting it looks and smells - that's the point where just a hint of weariness seeps into her voice]
[ He had been nodding along with idle interest, but as the topic turns to food, it definitely catches his attention, even if it's just odd, nerdy reasons. In terms of the tasks he had to learn to be an excellent butler, cooking was by far his favorite, and as such, well. He liked to challenge himself. ]
Can you tell me more about it? If it is a matter of food, I may be able to help with that, depending.
mass effect science with no basis in real life, coming right up
It's my people's biological makeup. It's of opposite chirality to humans. [Would a demon from several hundred human years ago have any idea what chemical chirality is? The questions she has to ask herself these days... Just in case, she keeps going:] It's like trying to put your left glove on the right hand. They're oriented the wrong way - same with our biology.
So if a quarian or a turian - like Garrus - ate human food, we might be fine. It wouldn't have any nutrition we could use, but we'd be fine. Or he might have a major allergic reaction and die, I don't know.
[She quirks her head, grinning ironically.] But quarians don't have immune systems that work, so we're not allergic... although if we kept eating it, we might get allergic. [She makes a vague sort of gesture.] It's just not a good idea.
[ Sebastian's eyes clearly light up with interest as she explains, since these sorts of in-depth science are still far beyond even the forefront of advances in the late 1800s. It's amazing that any mortal would even come to know such a thing, since even curing disease in the first place is relatively new to humans as he knows them. ]
That is fascinating... I at least understand the gist of it, but my.
[ It presents a challenge, and Sebastian is always the first one to take them on. ]
[She wonders for a moment just what it must be like to find the workings of your own body such a mystery - to not have to pay hyper-close attention to every minute detail of what it does because lack of attention could mean the difference between life and death.
Maybe ignorance is bliss.]
There are some things on this planet that are neutral. I have to check each type of animal or plant before I try them, but there's a few. I just have to keep a list and be really careful.
[And she's happy to have that list - because this could easily have been a completely levo planet without anything she could eat at all - but that doesn't make it less stressful.]
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no subject
Trust me, you don't want it. I know people who've spent more of their lives sick in bed than up and doing anything. We deal with it - I mean, we're improving these all the time... [She taps at her mask.] But hopefully one day we can do something about it.
no subject
[ Which is casual, and especially casual if she were to learn that he had actually been the one responsible for bringing the Black Plague to Earth. She may not have the context for it that someone from Earth would, but the numbers alone that had fallen to that plague would make it truly frightening with how little he actually cares.
But. He also knows that, which is why it's something he keeps quite secret. ]
It is my hope that you do as well, Tali. I would offer direction if I could, but matters of health have always been questions which I cannot answer, even if the price is paid.
no subject
[Wow, Sebastian, you demonic Typhoid Mary.
Most aliens seem offensively disease free most of the time, but someone who doesn't even have the proper concept of sickness... That's almost funny.]
It's fine. We'll manage. We do manage. [She pauses for a moment, tapping the flat of the knife idly against the trunk.] You'd be surprised what people can get used to if they have to.
[... Or maybe he wouldn't - he's a demon who eats souls, for goodness' sake.]
no subject
[ He gives her a sympathetic look, though it's entirely manufactured. He's observed such feats in humans, so he understands it objectively, but she's also right. Demons are free from such strife, for better or for worse. ]
Though out of curiosity, has your stay here at least been somewhat better? The medical advancements I have seen are nothing short of remarkable, but you may be less impressed than I have been, admittedly.
no subject
The nanite shots aren't something I've ever seen before - they don't fix everything, but I'd have gotten a lot more ill before without them. Most of the problem here, though, is that I can't eat a lot of the same food as humans and it has to be sterilised and... It's just a lot of trouble all round.
[And even though it's something she's more than used to by now - she's even managing to eat meat now without thinking about how disgusting it looks and smells - that's the point where just a hint of weariness seeps into her voice]
no subject
[ He had been nodding along with idle interest, but as the topic turns to food, it definitely catches his attention, even if it's just odd, nerdy reasons. In terms of the tasks he had to learn to be an excellent butler, cooking was by far his favorite, and as such, well. He liked to challenge himself. ]
Can you tell me more about it? If it is a matter of food, I may be able to help with that, depending.
mass effect science with no basis in real life, coming right up
So if a quarian or a turian - like Garrus - ate human food, we might be fine. It wouldn't have any nutrition we could use, but we'd be fine. Or he might have a major allergic reaction and die, I don't know.
[She quirks her head, grinning ironically.] But quarians don't have immune systems that work, so we're not allergic... although if we kept eating it, we might get allergic. [She makes a vague sort of gesture.] It's just not a good idea.
[Biology is dumb. Who would have thought.]
grips shoulder consolingly
That is fascinating... I at least understand the gist of it, but my.
[ It presents a challenge, and Sebastian is always the first one to take them on. ]
What do you eat now, if I may?
no subject
Maybe ignorance is bliss.]
There are some things on this planet that are neutral. I have to check each type of animal or plant before I try them, but there's a few. I just have to keep a list and be really careful.
[And she's happy to have that list - because this could easily have been a completely levo planet without anything she could eat at all - but that doesn't make it less stressful.]