Face blind -- Anon Guest
Humans take odd things with them. Comfort toys, religious symbols, multitools... you name it. Human Najm brought a seemingly infinite supply of stickers, and offered them up to their crewmates.
"For your livesuits," Najm explained. "So I know who everyone is."
"We have nameplates for that," Captain Hrafn frowned. She could not understand this version of practicality. "And you can see our faces."
Najm winced. "See, yes. Understand, no. You know how most humans can see faces in anything?"
"I am familiar with pareidolia, yes."
"I don't have that. To me, a smilie is just two dots and a line. I can recognise one, I can make one, but to me it is not a face. I don't see faces. Like... the features are there. I can recognise eyes and noses and so on but I can't put them together with anyone's name. So... stickers."
"Stickers can be scraped off or blasted in over-active situations," argued Hrafn.
"So can name plates. If we're in that situation, I can ask, friend or foe, but if its an unconscious being in a livesuit, I'll drag them back to base no matter what. Better to look silly than be silly."
Hrafn mentally went through all the situations in which dragging a limp livesuit all the way back to a rally point might end up looking 'silly'. Up to and including dragging an enemy all the way to a rally point. "I wish to have the tricorner hat sticker."
"Many captains do," grinned Najm. "It's like a law or something."
[Image (c) Can Stock Photo / notkoo2008]
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