for Tesla

[stands_for_hope]

You've heard this story.

There's a lonely road and a single car and a shooting star that seems to be aiming for said vehicle that thankfully manages to leave a crater at the side of the road instead of in it. But really, the most important part is what crawls out of the crater. Really, for all the fuss, he's a very normal looking toddler except, perhaps, for the eyes. And the fact that the whole thing seems to have left him without a scratch...

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[vampere]

On the one hand, Tesla is fairly certain that being hit by a meteor probably wouldn't have killed him. In theory, at least. He might be more than capable of healing from any of a number of injuries, but even with that, there are some things that he quite simply doesn't want to try. Though some people might be inclined to thing otherwise, he is generally aware of what things might constitute pushing his luck when it comes to what he might not survive.

On the other hand, children of any age aren't exactly something that he's had a lot of experience with. But he's curious by nature and habit, and though the near-miss with the meteor had been enough to get him out of the car in the first place, someone actually manage to crawl up out of the crater is all the more interesting. Regardless of how old the individual in question happens to be.

"You know," he begins, entirely unconcerned with whether or not the toddler in question can understand him, let alone actually respond, "I'm not sure I'd have considered that to be anything like a safe place to stay."

[stands_for_hope]

The toddler in question tilts his head curiously, clearly hearing and trying to understand, but his response of a giggle says that he either didn't understand or he had no language with which to reply.

He's wrapped up in a red piece of fabric which seems to be the only thing on him and should Tesla actually peer into the pit in the ground, he might see that the 'meteor' was in fact a strange and alien looking pod that seemed to have popped open to dispense his new little companion.

[vampere]

For all that a giggle doesn't exactly offer much by way of answer, Tesla figures it's probably a good thing. If only in the fact that it proves that he's theoretically capable of understanding. He'll still need to figure out what to do about the fact that he may or may not have just come into (temporary?) possession of a small child. Who... should probably not be left to potentially crawl into oncoming traffic, for all that the road does look like the sort that doesn't see a lot of traffic. Still, it's the work of a moment's thought to pick the boy up, for all that it's been at least a century since he's been anywhere even remotely near small children.

(Fortunately, it seems that he hasn't entirely forgotten how it's done, for all that. Graceful he might not manage just yet, but he does manage to support everything that needs to be and that's as good a start as, he figures.)

Only then does he make his way back down into the crater, heedless of the fact that the ground might still be a little warm from the force of the impact. If it's enough to get through the soles of his shoes, he'll heal, and if not there's no harm done - and he does want to have a look at the meteorite. Especially once he gets close enough that it's not a meteorite, but some sort of capsule. And that is enough to prompt him into a more thorough exploration; while aliens aren't something he'd ever expected to run into, it's clear enough that the capsule is not of earthly origin regardless.

(And if he's trying to decide how easy it would be the take the capsule with him, well. Surely he can't be faulted for that.)

[stands_for_hope]

The capsule isn't huge; roughly the size of a motorcycle with a side car, though considerably more solid. It seems to be in a vaguely arrow shape, other than the globe at the center which until recently had contained the child that he's currently holding. There does appear to be some sort of script on the outside, an insignia found both on the red blanket and the ship itself, and despite the impact, the vessel appears to be in tact, even if it is 'off'.

The child, for his part, tucks up against Nikola happily enough, content with someone willing to hold him and showing some care. There's no universe where this child is a particularly 'easy' child, but the difficulty has yet to present itself.

And thankfully, Tesla's shoes should be spared. Which is something of an oddity, but definitely not the only one.