Hail walked out of the hunter’s lodge, where he had handed in a good amount of the carcass of the beast he’d encountered and killed upon arriving to Earth. Looking down at his open hand, he peered curiously at the currency he’d been given. Zen-eye. Zen-ee, that was it. He’d corrected his pronunciation from earlier, but it still interested him. He knew that the interstellar markets tended to take Earth currency, but he had rarely left the Empire, and he’d only ever seen it written down, not said out loud. Still, this was a start. Not much, but a start.

He began walking the streets of Penguin Village, idly examining the place. From what little information he’d already gotten, this settlement was far below the standards of a typical earthling city or town, being considered a bit backwards. Thus far, he considered it a rather pleasant, if quaint, place. Strangely, he hadn’t gotten many looks or nosy questions since arriving. He’d expected the people around here to be curious about who he was, what he was and why he was here, but instead, they had mostly just let him be, even as he walked through the streets of their village.

Perhaps the diverse look of Earthlings was even more pronounced than he’d been led to believe? The idea that an alien could simply look like a Changeling while being an entirely different being seemed odd to him, but he didn’t dismiss the idea out of hand. After all, he knew very little about this world. Unfortunately, his people’s intelligence on this area was fairly limited, though perhaps that was because so many of them preferred swinging their brute strength around rather than taking their time and considering their options. He doubted there would have been much accomplished on Namek without his part in it. Even then, they were even less built up than this planet, so he had even more doubts about his people’s chances with Earth.

Hail sat down on a bench, his arms crossed over as he leaned back, his eyes closing. He was quiet, just trying to listen. Not to the noise or the hustle and bustle around him, but to the energy of the planet. During his many years, he’d felt the power of some of the greatest lords in the Planet Trade Organisation, some of the strongest Changelings alive today, at least the ones who were still alive. Yet, when he reached out and simply felt the energy of beings on Earth, it was overwhelming. It was like attempting to count drops in the ocean while tidal waves battered him, shocking his senses. How was one supposed to just deal with that, every day? He could see now why earthling fighters focused more on their martial arts than raw power, and yet, it seemed they had accomplished both.

Was it possible that the people here had discovered something, something that Changelings had not? Amongst his people, it was rare to see one of them significantly grow in power after reaching adulthood. There were exceptions of course, certain warriors and well-travelled types who devised techniques and training methods that pushed them beyond their limits. Yet, in a way, it almost felt like a curse for his people to be born with such natural strength, to the point that they could barely hold it back with these suppressive forms. He took a moment to just check how he felt, if he was comfortable. Yet, how could he be? Sitting here, in his first form, unable to be his true self without danger of overwhelming his body or destroying things around him with excess energy. Perhaps that was the secret of Earthlings; being born so weak, they always had complete control, and as they grew in power, their grip on it only tightened. It was an envious position, in its own way.

Then, there was a noise that interrupted his meditation. It was strange to think of it as that, ‘meditation’, but he supposed there was no better word for it. He’d never seen himself as the type. One of his eyes opened, the crimson iris staring out as he saw something was filling the road. At first, he had assumed it was one of those fairly advanced hover vehicles the Earthlings used, some kind of high speed collision that was no doubt accidental, but entirely avoidable. Instead, what met his eyes was something far more antiquated. An old man, with a horse and cart. It had fallen to the side, somehow, with the old man himself sprawled out on the street in front of Hail. There was a moment of confusion and bemusement; what exactly did he do here? What was considered appropriate for Earthlings? Back on Frost, you would let another being simply get up on their own and continue; to imply even that they needed help or could benefit from it could be considered a grave insult. Yet, somehow he didn’t think they would be the same around here - certainly not the man who was struggling on the ground.

He walked over, crouching down and gently bringing a hand underneath the elder’s arm, pulling upwards to aid him. Soon, the old man was up on his hands and knees and already starting to make his way to his feet when the Changeling spoke up. ”Are you alright, my friend? That looked like a bad fall.” Hail’s voice came across as warm, and genuine; someone who cared about the man’s condition and simply wished to offer his assistance. He had a lot of practice, listening in on other species and hearing how they interacted with each other. The old man looked up at him for a moment once he reached his feet, and it was only now that Hail realised so many were staring at him. It was as though they had only just noticed now that he was different, and it almost got him up on his haunches before he remembered himself.

”Thanks, sonny.” Hail didn’t remark on that word, even though he was almost positive he and this Earthling were around the same age, with him perhaps being even older. ”I got a bit dizzy, and I-I guess I must’ve lost control of the cart somehow, spooked the horse.” The changeling tilted his head curiously at the work animal, which laid on its side, the reins tangling up around it as it thrashed now and again, seeming confused as to whether it should lay still or try to escape. Hail gave the earthling a pat on the shoulder as he approached the animal, speaking aloud. ”Tell you what, if you can keep it calm, I should be able to get these reins off and free your horse for you.” Looking back at him, Hail could see the man nod, coming over and crouching down, his hand stroking over the horse’s head and neck as he whispered to it.

Hail reached down, rather easily finding a spot in the reins where getting rid of it wouldn’t hurt the animal, and simply squeezed to tear it where it was. People weren’t able to really see what he did up close, of course, so the show of strength wasn’t as obvious. He stood up straight as the horse, realising it was free, did the same, staying where it was and whinnying in response to the comfort from its master. The changeling glanced curiously before walking over to the large cart itself, reaching down with a single hand and easily lifting it up off the ground, before adjusting it to stand up straight again. Gasps were elicited from the crowd and the old man himself as Hail dusted his hands off, glancing around. After a few moments, he heard the old man’s voice again as he quickly approached, a light seeming to have brightened in his eyes. ”You’re one of those students of the hermits, ain’t ya?”

There was a moment of hesitation, as Hail almost considered saying yes on simple reflex, slipping into the role they had assumed for him. Yet, that would be less useful than getting more information. It sounded like these hermits were teachers - just the sort of people he wanted to talk to. He wished to understand earthlings thoroughly, and if this man thought a show of strength made him a student of the hermits, perhaps they were the ones teaching Earthlings how to master their energy. In that case, who better to learn from? ”Hermits? No, I’m afraid not. I am not from around here, you see.” He let out a chuckle, which elicited another smile from the elder. ”They sound like the kind of people I would like to speak with, however. Can you tell me about these hermits?” The man nodded, a grin growing on his face as he slapped Hail on the arm gently. ”Absolutely! Tell you what, sonny, how about you come to have dinner at my house, and I’ll tell you all about it?” He supposed that would be an opportunity to learn about earth cuisine…and he was a tad peckish.