(Based on experience with Harm-OCD)
The new human on board came highly recommended. They left every area they worked in cleaner and safer than it was when they started, seemed to always find and fix issues before they ever had a chance to become a problem, were quick to talk down anyone that started to become angry or frightened, and even seemed to never have issues with Silly-Seasons. The only issue was that they refused to work with Havenworlders…
Anytime they were around Havenworlders they would become quiet and place their hands behind their back. While never directly rude they would take any excuse they could to leave and often would never directly look at any Havenworlder near them. This gave them a unpleasant reputation despite being highly regarded for their skills.
This continues until a Havenworlder tries to bond with the "quiet human" by silently sitting next to them while they are reading. The human upon noticing the Havenworlder jumps away hard enough to knock the Havenworlder over. The Havenworlder is unharmed but the human is now obviously panicking whispering, "I'm sorry," to themselves repeatedly. -- Anon Guest
Humans can be very strange. Galactics know this. Pack-bonding with some is easier than with others. Conversely, bonding with some is harder than with others. Human Vae was one of the Humans who was difficult to bond with. They were hard-working, safety oriented, and tidy to a fault. They didn't participate in Silly Season. They didn't participate in anything.
When invited into social activities, they rarely responded at all. If they did respond, they were lucky to get a "No, thanks," when the default was, "maybe later." This was always delivered in an anxious mumble, and followed by their retreat to a different space in which to work. Usually something more confined, and increasingly difficult to access.
Companion Firrith consulted the latest update of the Human Manual, and logically deduced that Human Vae was one of the quiet ones, who could companionably share space and consider that a bonding activity. Firrith selected a space of Human Vae's downtime and occupied a roost inside Human Vae's personal space and joined them in the activity of reading through some form of media.
All seemed to be going well until Human Vae actually noticed that Companion Firrith was there. Human Vae shrieked and kicked away, incidentally upsetting Firrith's perch and sending the avian Havenworlder sprawling on the padded flooring. He took a moment to be certain no harm had come to him before he righted himself to check on Human Vae...
Who was cowering in a corner and repeating apologies over and over in an anxious tone.
This, to use a colossal understatement, was not a good sign.
"Human Vae, are you... afraid of us?"
"You're okay? You're all right? No injuries? I didn't hurt you?"
The puzzle pieces clicked together to create the bigger picture. "Ah. I am in good health and uninjured. My kind are only Level One Havenworlders. We are safe for interaction with Humans. Have you spent all this time worried you may harm us?"
"...'es," squeaked Human Vae.
Someone had been overly enthusiastic when rewriting the interaction manuals again. Companion Firrith sighed. "We are more delicate than you, this is true, but we are not that breakable. Please ask me about your concerns. It is my duty to help you properly adapt."
Human Vae said,"So... my mouth bacteria actually can't infest your entire body systems?"
This explained the distance Human Vae kept from everyone else on board... "You and your bodily biota have been cleared as safe for the crew," said Firrith. "There was only a small risk from one species and we have since been innoculated."
"Okay. Okay. I can deal with that. Okay," Human Vae singsonged. "How about the loud noises thing?"
This was turning into a long day.
[Image (c) Can Stock Photo / lucidwaters]
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