instar: (Default)
Author: instar
Five pigeons, one with a beetle glued to her foot, fly to Seattle and find the aquarium and the orca tanks.

There is one with just one orca in it.

Five pigeons land on the glass edge of the tank.
aeskhyne: (⑦ i'll make you see)
Author: aeskhyne
One pigeon hops off the edge and into the water.

Trouble demorphs as fast as possible.

The orca takes the bait.

His leg goes crunch. He hugs the orca's nose and starts acquiring it, and it loses interest in chewing on him.
instar: (doe)
Author: instar
Other people demorph and acquire the tranquilized orca.

"Trouble, you want to morph before you leave too much blood in the water?"
aeskhyne: (⑨ nobody grows up)
Author: aeskhyne
"Way ahead of you," he says; his fingernails are sprouting into tiny feathers.
instar: (Default)
Author: instar
When Bella is done acquiring the whale she attempts to help Trouble back onto the glass tank edge before he gets all waterlogged. "I was thinking into Robin and back, but this works too."
aeskhyne: (⑥ don't know what I want)
Author: aeskhyne
<Faster this way.>
hold_infinity: (⑥ wanna be my string)
Author: hold_infinity
Ethan and Robin acquire the whale and climb out of the tank.
morphbox: (pigeon)
Author: morphbox
Bella turns into a bird and Charlie into a beetle. Andi retrieves the little bottle of glue she carried along and attaches Charlie to Bella's foot again, then morphs too. <We all done here?> Andi asks.
hold_infinity: (⑦ take a look around)
Author: hold_infinity
<Looks like!>
morphbox: (pigeon)
Author: morphbox
Up, up, and away!
palmofyourhand: (⑩ even deserts burn)
Author: palmofyourhand
<And now that we have our oceangoing morphs, what next? Do we head out to sea and follow Trouble down to his mysterious new friend? Do we have any notion at all of how far away that friend is? How about clever ideas for making sure we don't eat each other?>
morphbox: (pigeon)
Author: morphbox
<I,> says Bella, <will try the whale morph first to see what the shape of its brain is, since I can do that without letting it take me over. I'll report on that and then you guys follow suit, maybe a ways away from each other so you don't all get into a fight or eat the slow morphers before you get control of yourselves depending. If I'm not sure how well you guys will handle the whale Trouble can go second, he seems to lose his head less than anybody but me in new morphs. Then we follow Trouble to the distress signal. I looked up the moonset time - if we get home when I expect to and continue to the ocean right away after checking the clock, that'll be one almost-two-hours mark for demorphing and remorrphing, when the moon sets, it's due to do that at a quarter after two in the morning. If we don't find the Andalite before moonset, we turn back and attempt to set up another try another day.>
palmofyourhand: (⑦ the future never waits)
Author: palmofyourhand
<Fine,> says Ethan.
morphbox: (pigeon)
Author: morphbox
<Might also make sense for the rest of you to sit on me to get far enough out to sea for comfortable whaling so I'm the only one who has to wriggle away from water shallow enough to easily swim to in human form.>
palmofyourhand: (⑤ from our victory)
Author: palmofyourhand
<Or we could all morph seagulls.>
morphbox: (pigeon)
Author: morphbox
<I'm concerned about morph space. Maybe Charlie should get a seagull since he doesn't have a pigeon, but the rest of us are loaded up and we already have a good general purpose bird.>
palmofyourhand: (⑥ could be anything)
Author: palmofyourhand
<And I suppose there's not much call for seagulls in Phoenix. All right.>
morphbox: (pigeon)
Author: morphbox
<It'd be more remarkable than a pigeon, anyway, unless it was at a time of year such that it could be plausibly migrating.>
palmofyourhand: (⑦ the future never waits)
Author: palmofyourhand
<And pigeons are a little out of place in the middle of the woods, but then, seagulls aren't much better.>
morphbox: (pigeon)
Author: morphbox
<Yeah. I wish we had unlimited space and, like, an owl. I could really go for being an owl right now.>
palmofyourhand: (⑩ even deserts burn)
Author: palmofyourhand
<We don't know our space is limited,> muses Ethan. <But we don't know it isn't, either.>
morphbox: (pigeon)
Author: morphbox
<Exactly. Which is another great reason to get ahold of this Andalite, because I bet you they know.>
aeskhyne: (⑧ nightly in the attic)
Author: aeskhyne
<I'm pretty sure it's a he,> says Trouble.
morphbox: (pigeon)
Author: morphbox
<He, then.>
aeskhyne: (⑦ i'll make you see)
Author: aeskhyne
<And it got fainter when we went to Seattle and it's getting stronger again now, so I bet he's not that far.>
morphbox: (pigeon)
Author: morphbox
<Is he just continually screaming?> Bella asks.
aeskhyne: (Default)
Author: aeskhyne
<It's not like he's screaming... actually, now that I think of it, it's almost like it's a recorded message.>
morphbox: (pigeon)
Author: morphbox
<Are you getting any more detail from hearing it over and over, then?>
aeskhyne: (⑩ i'll just play along)
Author: aeskhyne
<Kind of.>
morphbox: (pigeon)
Author: morphbox
<Can you elaborate?>
aeskhyne: (⑥ don't know what I want)
Author: aeskhyne
<You know how when you listen to the same song over and over again, you get to know it better and you hear more things in it because it's more familiar? It's kind of like that. This thing's been playing in the back of my head for ages, and now I kind of know how it goes.>
morphbox: (pigeon)
Author: morphbox
<Yes, I mean, do you have any more information about the contents of the message that you could share.>
aeskhyne: (⑦ i'll make you see)
Author: aeskhyne
<If I did, I would've led with that. Mostly I'm just getting stronger impressions of all the stuff I already heard. Andalite, trapped at the bottom of the ocean, wants help.>
morphbox: (pigeon)
Author: morphbox
<Okay.>

Eventually, they reach the Swan household, and duck under the garage door gap for demorphing-clockchecking-remorphing-gluing, and on they go to the sea. <The moonset time marker should work just fine. If we wind up doing a lot of stuff at night I might try to learn to tell time by the stars, I bet that's possible.>
aeskhyne: (⑥ don't know what I want)
Author: aeskhyne
<I'm definitely getting kind of a direction here,> Trouble reports. <And we're going the right way.>
morphbox: (pigeon)
Author: morphbox
<Good.>

Eventually, there is the sea.

Bella checks for people. There are no lights; there is no sign of anyone existing nearby without a light. She demorphs and starts wading out into the ocean.
aeskhyne: (Default)
Author: aeskhyne
A cluster of pigeons waits on the shore.
instar: (owl)
Author: instar
Wade, wade, wade, swim, swim, swim.
morphbox: (orca)
Author: morphbox
Morph.

<This thing is definitely predatory. I haven't been a bear so I can't compare, but it sounds "chill" the same way you guys described the grizzly, nothing hunts orcas. I don't think you'll attack each other. You might go after seals if we found seals, or something.>
aeskhyne: (① loves to light the fuse)
Author: aeskhyne
&ltSounds good to me,> says Trouble. &ltI'll catch up.>

He demorphs, swims out to meet her, and morphs the orca.

<Oh, cool. Yeah, this is like a bear. A friendlier bear. In the ocean. And...> He kicks his tail and moves out a little farther from the shore, then circles back. <Happy. I'm a happy ocean bear. Who wants to play?>
morphbox: (pigeon)
Author: morphbox
<Yay, a happy morph!> says Andi, and she flutters out to sit on Bella's back with Charlie on her foot. They demorph and slide into the water.
morphbox: (orca)
Author: morphbox
<We are here to rescue an Andalite. Perhaps there will be time for recreational orca-ing if that turns out to be really straightforward,> says Bella.

Andi's an orca very quickly; she gets the colors first, then smooths out into a mini-whale and then grows. <I like this morph! Best morph. I'm gonna see how high I can jump!> she says, and then she races away and dives and leaps and splashes.

<We are here to ->

<Lighten uuuuuup!>
hold_infinity: (⑥ wanna be my string)
Author: hold_infinity
Ethan and Robin swim out to join the crowd.

<Ooh,> says Robin. <I like this morph. I like it, I like it, I like it.>

She bumps playfully into Ethan.
palmofyourhand: (⑤ from our victory)
Author: palmofyourhand
He finishes morphing and bumps back.
aeskhyne: (④ without any plans)
Author: aeskhyne
<Hey, guys,> Trouble says mischievously.

<Race you!>

And he powers out into the ocean, clicking happily.
morphbox: (orca)
Author: morphbox
<Are we at least racing in a general Andaliteward direction?> asks Bella, chasing the others.

Charlie is quiet. But he tries a jump, too.
aeskhyne: (② all night cannonball)
Author: aeskhyne
<No shit we are,> laughs Trouble.
morphbox: (orca)
Author: morphbox
<Okay, good.>

Swimming swimming swimming.

<Wheeeeeee!> crows Andi.
aeskhyne: (③ smile on my face)
Author: aeskhyne
<I know, right?> says Trouble. <I think maybe orcas are my favourite. C'mon, this way!>

The directional pull of the distress signal gets clearer and steadier as he goes.



Eventually, they reach a point where it mostly says down.

<All right, time to dive!>
morphbox: (orca)
Author: morphbox
Whales take deep breaths.

Whales go down.
aeskhyne: (⑦ i'll make you see)
Author: aeskhyne
And down, and down, and dowwwwwwwn.



Until -



<So I guess that's what a Dome ship is,> says Trouble.

It's a dome. Slightly tilted, resting on the ocean floor, a huge bed of blue-green grass under a shimmering transparent hemisphere that looks like it might possibly be a force field. Their whole group of orcas could fit in it just fine with room to swim and play, and considering the size of orcas, that's saying something.
morphbox: (orca)
Author: morphbox
Bella approaches the Dome. <Hello?> she says, aiming at contained Andalites, whoever they may be.
morphbox: (Default)
Author: morphbox
<Who is there?> demands the thoughtspeech voice from the recording. The recording itself cuts off abruptly.
aeskhyne: (④ without any plans)
Author: aeskhyne
<A bunch of humans,> says Trouble. He circles the dome, looking for an entrance. <My name's Trouble, what's yours?>
morphbox: (Default)
Author: morphbox
There is a hatch; but it's too small for a killer whale.

<...Humans? Down here? Humans are a terrestrial species.>
morphbox: (orca)
Author: morphbox
<We're morph-capable humans,> says Bella. <I'm Bella, and besides me and Trouble there's Andi, Charlie, Robin, and Ethan. What's your name?>
morphbox: (Default)
Author: morphbox


<Aximilli-Esgarrouth-Isthill.>
aeskhyne: (⑧ nightly in the attic)
Author: aeskhyne
<Nice to meet you,> says Trouble. <So is there another door I'm not seeing? Because we don't have infinite air here, and if we try to come in that hatch we are not gonna fit.>
morphbox: (Default)
Author: morphbox
<There is not another door. I can get out if I morph a sea creature. I stunned and acquired one. Is there a safe place to go?>
morphbox: (orca)
Author: morphbox
<The beach was deserted when we left,> Bella says. <Can Andalites swim or do you have a small sea creature that will be able to get close to shore?>
morphbox: (Default)
Author: morphbox
<It is a large sea creature, but I can swim in my own shape if I have to. You are really humans? Will you let me acquire you so I can pass among other humans unnoticed?>
morphbox: (orca)
Author: morphbox
<People will notice if you look exactly like us unless we're very closely coordinated, but we can probably work something out. Come on, we need to go up and breathe soon.>
morphbox: (Default)
Author: morphbox
<There are several of you; I could possibly perform the Frolis maneuver to combine you and not resemble any of you in particular.> Motion is visible in the dome; an Andalite, smaller than Elfangor, all blue-tan, trots toward the hatch.
morphbox: (orca)
Author: morphbox



<You can do that????>
aeskhyne: (① loves to light the fuse)
Author: aeskhyne
(Trouble giggles.)
morphbox: (Default)
Author: morphbox
<I haven't. But it can be done, and I can try.> The hatch airlock half-fills with water, and the Andalite starts morphing.

When he comes out, he's a tiger shark.
aeskhyne: (⑤ okay boys)
Author: aeskhyne
<Very nice,> Trouble says approvingly. <C'mon.>

He heads for the surface.
morphbox: (orca)
Author: morphbox
Up go whales. Ax follows, although the shark, obviously, doesn't require air.
aeskhyne: (⑥ don't know what I want)
Author: aeskhyne
Trouble surfaces, breathes, and leads the way back to shore.
morphbox: (orca)
Author: morphbox
Bella checks the moon. It has not yet set, although it's getting close. <We're cutting it close on our morph time. Let's demorph-remorph here - a few at a time in case Ax is tempted to eat us - in case we get distracted on the way back.>
aeskhyne: (① loves to light the fuse)
Author: aeskhyne
<Sure.>

Trouble, naturally, goes first.
morphbox: (Default)
Author: morphbox
<I wouldn't eat you,> says Ax, sounding offended. His shark swims in lazy circles.
morphbox: (orca)
Author: morphbox
<It's not the kind of thing I'd like to take casual risks with when there's no reason to,> Bella says. She demorphs and remorphs after Trouble.
palmofyourhand: (④ in heaven hell or earth)
Author: palmofyourhand
Ethan and Robin take the next two turns.
pandion: (Default)
Author: pandion
Andi goes next.
morphbox: (Default)
Author: morphbox
<You're an estreen,> remarks Ax, sounding impressed.
morphbox: (orca)
Author: morphbox
<I'm a what now?> Andi asks when she's remorphed.
morphbox: (Default)
Author: morphbox
<You have a talent for controlled and rapid morphing,> he says.
morphbox: (orca)
Author: morphbox
<I didn't know that was, like, a thing, I thought it was just me.>
aeskhyne: (⑤ okay boys)
Author: aeskhyne
<Makes sense, though,> says Trouble. He starts swimming for shore again.

<So - Aximili. What were you doing at the bottom of the ocean, anyway?>
morphbox: (Default)
Author: morphbox
<Calling for help,> says Ax. <Isn't that how you found me? I thought I would reach others from the rest of the ship - I suppose they've all fallen.> The shark doesn't really do body language, but he is sad.
aeskhyne: (⑥ don't know what I want)
Author: aeskhyne
<Yeah. We met one of the other survivors. Then Visser Three ate him,> says Trouble. <By what were you doing there I mean, how did you get there? Visser Three was bragging about watching your ship burn; I don't think the Yeerks even know you're here.>
morphbox: (Default)
Author: morphbox
<Visser Three is an abomination,> hisses Ax. <The ship did not burn. The Dome fell intact; I was the only one in it. Who - who did you meet?> he asks.
aeskhyne: (⑩ i'll just play along)
Author: aeskhyne
<Elfangor. I liked him.>
morphbox: (Default)
Author: morphbox
The shark still does not do body language; but it slows down, for a moment.

<No one could kill Elfangor. He is the greatest - the best warrior - Visser Three killed my brother?>
morphbox: (orca)
Author: morphbox
<He was your brother?> asks Bella. <I'm sorry. He was mortally wounded; he had time to give us morphing and tell us a few things and then Visser Three - killed him.> She pauses just short of specificity.

<Poor Elfangor,> sighs Andi.
aeskhyne: (⑧ nightly in the attic)
Author: aeskhyne
<I'm sorry too,> says Trouble. <I really did like him.>
morphbox: (orca)
Author: morphbox
<He died fighting,> Bella adds. <And giving us information so we could fight too.>
morphbox: (Default)
Author: morphbox
Ax is silent for a moment, then says, <My brother was a great warrior. Beloved by his cousins and feared by his enemies. I do not understand why he gave you the ability to morph - it is never done - but it seems like he has.>
aeskhyne: (⑤ okay boys)
Author: aeskhyne
<I'm pretty sure he was out of other options,> says Trouble. <Why's it never done?>
morphbox: (Default)
Author: morphbox
<It... Andalites do not share technology.>
morphbox: (orca)
Author: morphbox
<Except when they do, apparently?> says Andi.
aeskhyne: (⑩ i'll just play along)
Author: aeskhyne
<Huh,> says Trouble.
morphbox: (orca)
Author: morphbox
<Well,> says Bella, <Elfangor morphboxed us all, and we kept the box and added Charlie since then.>
morphbox: (Default)
Author: morphbox


<How do you ensure that someone you wish to "add" is not a Controller?> asks Ax suspiciously.
morphbox: (orca)
Author: morphbox
<In Charlie's case? Cornered him till we saw the Yeerk leave,> says Bella. <We knew he was one, and knew we could trust him once we fixed that.>

<I'm Bella and Andi's father,> Charlie clarifies.
morphbox: (Default)
Author: morphbox
<Oh.>
aeskhyne: (⑧ nightly in the attic)
Author: aeskhyne
Trouble... is silent.
morphbox: (orca)
Author: morphbox
There is the shore. The Swan family beaches itself and demorphs.
pandion: (pearls)
Author: pandion
"Oh - Aximili - can you understand English?" Andi asks when she's almost done, pitch-black hair sprouting from her head and assuming its usual color like a bizarre salon product commercial.
morphbox: (Default)
Author: morphbox
<I have a translation implant. It has this language already,> says Ax, demorphing and wading out of the water onto the beach. He shakes his hooves once he's out of the surf and standing all four on sand.
instar: (Default)
Author: instar
"I don't suppose there are a bunch more of those in a box in your Dome that we could go and get?" asks Bella.
morphbox: (Default)
Author: morphbox
<They're surgically installed, and that isn't done aboard ship.>
aeskhyne: (⑥ don't know what I want)
Author: aeskhyne
Trouble and Robin and Ethan beach and demorph.

"So hey," says Trouble, "is there a limit on the number of morphs you can acquire?"
morphbox: (Default)
Author: morphbox
<...What? No. There is not.>
instar: (mockingbird)
Author: instar
"Fuck yes."
sundayfish: (nice and respectful)
Author: sundayfish
"Bella."
instar: (butterfly)
Author: instar
"I stand by my profanity. Unlimited morphs."
aeskhyne: (① loves to light the fuse)
Author: aeskhyne
Trouble laughs and hugs her.
instar: (human)
Author: instar
"Okay, new modus operandi is acquire everything you can get your hands on, and Ax - can we call you that? - can teach us the mixing-DNA-thing and then Trouble can combine a few people and be able to go out in public and Charlie can too and we won't be impersonating anyone specific - we should all have 'generic human' morphs, I'll brainstorm situations where we can quietly acquire people especially if they're asleep and won't notice the sedative effect."
morphbox: (Default)
Author: morphbox
<Ax is fine,> says Ax, <if it is easier to produce with mouth-sounds. I will do my best to teach the Frolis maneuver but I still have not tried it myself. It only works with multiple individuals of a single species.> He shifts his weight a little. <Who is your prince?>
pandion: (do tell)
Author: pandion
Andi looks at Bella.
sundayfish: (some kinda magic thing)
Author: sundayfish
Charlie scratches his head.



Then he looks at Bella too.
aeskhyne: (⑥ don't know what I want)
Author: aeskhyne
Trouble looks at everyone, thoughtfully.
hold_infinity: (⑦ take a look around)
Author: hold_infinity
Robin... also looks at Bella, although she glances at Ethan first.
palmofyourhand: (④ in heaven hell or earth)
Author: palmofyourhand
And Ethan rolls his eyes.
instar: (Default)
Author: instar
Bella looks at people looking at her.

"Formally speaking we don't have a leader, and 'prince' isn't a human rank anyway," Bella says, "why do you ask?"
morphbox: (Default)
Author: morphbox
<I'm... only an aristh. Too young and untrained to fight. That's why I was in the Dome when it fell instead of in the main part of the ship. An aristh must have a prince. Something like one, under the circumstances, will have to do.> He tracks gazes, then bows his head to Bella, tail low. <I will fight for you, Prince Bella, until I can return to my people.>
instar: (human)
Author: instar
"...I am willing to tell you to do stuff, but if you're going to address me by a title it's going to have to be 'Princess' or else something completely different."
morphbox: (Default)
Author: morphbox


<..."Princess"?>
instar: (Default)
Author: instar
"Female form of 'prince' in English. I'm not sure why thoughtspeak is rendering it as anything that specific to begin with, but there it is. Perhaps you can't tell - me and Andi and Robin are female, Charlie and Trouble and Ethan are male. I can't really be sure about you, come to think of it."
morphbox: (Default)
Author: morphbox


<Well, I am a male,> says Ax, and there he stops.
palmofyourhand: (⑤ from our victory)
Author: palmofyourhand
Ethan snickers.
morphbox: (Default)
Author: morphbox
<Do females often fight among humans or is this an extremity of circumstance?>
instar: (rabbit)
Author: instar

"Let me guess. Andalites use a single-sexed combat force."
morphbox: (Default)
Author: morphbox
<There has been occasional talk of allowing a handful of female cadets, as a test of the idea, but - yes.>
instar: (Default)
Author: instar
"Well, the history of human females and how we interact with combat is long and complicated, but the current situation is, if you want somebody to take orders from, I'm it, and I don't want to be called 'Prince', plus if you go around visibly hesitating to presume human women competent at whatever they happen to be doing because they are female this will be considered degenerate and rude behavior."
morphbox: (Default)
Author: morphbox


<Princess Bella,> says Ax, and he bows and drops his tail again.
hold_infinity: (⑤ see all the profit)
Author: hold_infinity
"We have a quick learner," says Robin.
morphbox: (Default)
Author: morphbox
Ax finishes whatever bowing-related formality he has been doing and swishes his tail thoughtfully. <May I acquire you all and attempt a Frolis-maneuver combination morph?>
instar: (rabbit)
Author: instar
"Can you take into account the fact that me, Andi, and Charlie are all related and not wind up looking much more like us than like any of the others?"
morphbox: (Default)
Author: morphbox
<I can try.> He holds out his hands.
pandion: (Default)
Author: pandion
Swans touch his left hand.
hold_infinity: (⑦ take a look around)
Author: hold_infinity
Robin goes for his right. Likewise Trouble; likewise Ethan.
morphbox: (Default)
Author: morphbox
Ax acquires them, one at a time.

He closes his main eyes for a moment, thoughtful.
instar: (doe)
Author: instar
"Humans prefer to wear clothes and be only around clothed humans, as a general rule," Bella says when she comes out of her trance. "We didn't think to bring any spare clothes, and we won't be able to check over your combined morph very well in this dim light anyway. Let's see if we can catch you a sleeping seagull, or at least an insect, and then you can fly home with us."
morphbox: (andalite)
Author: morphbox
<I have a bird morph, but it is not native to this planet.>
instar: (rabbit)
Author: instar
"What's it look like?"
morphbox: (Default)
Author: morphbox
<Six wings, long sharp beak. Mine is dark magenta.>
instar: (shark)
Author: instar
"It's dark enough that you probably wouldn't be seen, but let's see if we can get everybody a seagull to share anyway."
morphbox: (Default)
Author: morphbox
<Yes, Princess Bella. What does a seagull look like?>
pandion: (pearls)
Author: pandion
"Seagulls have two wings and they're white and gray with black parts. Yellow beaks, yellow feet. Bella, are you going to get the most swelled head of all time?"
instar: (human)
Author: instar
"Maybe."
hold_infinity: (⑥ wanna be my string)
Author: hold_infinity
"Two yellow feet," Robin clarifies. "On seagulls. Two legs, two wings."
aeskhyne: (④ without any plans)
Author: aeskhyne
Humming under his breath, Trouble looks for seagulls.
morphbox: (andalite)
Author: morphbox
Ax also starts looking for seagulls. <Will it be a great problem if I harm a seagull in order to catch it?>
instar: (rabbit)
Author: instar
"No," says Bella, investigating possible seagull hiding places. "Seagulls are commonplace and not well-liked and it wouldn't be likely for anyone to get suspicious about an injured one."
aeskhyne: (⑤ okay boys)
Author: aeskhyne
"Well, I think they're cute," says Trouble. "But I won't mind if you hurt one."
instar: (shark)
Author: instar
"Yes, not-hurting seagulls is the ideal, but it's not worth letting one get away if the only way to catch it is to clobber it out of the air."
morphbox: (Default)
Author: morphbox
<Understood.>
palmofyourhand: (④ in heaven hell or earth)
Author: palmofyourhand
"Got one!" says Ethan.
instar: (butterfly)
Author: instar
"Awesome."

Everybody converges on Ethan to see if he got a nice seagull.
palmofyourhand: (② from the beginning)
Author: palmofyourhand
It's a seagull. It's sleeping. Thoroughly sleeping, since he's acquiring it, and when he's done he passes it off to Robin.
hold_infinity: (④ the greatest show)
Author: hold_infinity
Who holds it out for everyone.
instar: (butterfly)
Author: instar
Seagull: acquired.

"Okay. Shall we take these critters for a spin?"
pandion: (pearls)
Author: pandion
"I hope seagulls are a happy morph," says Andi, and she goes first, getting wings before everything and turning in place like an armless angel before shrinking and finishing the morph.
aeskhyne: (⑥ don't know what I want)
Author: aeskhyne
"I think I'll just go pigeon," says Trouble. "I'm all comfy with how they navigate."

He enpigeons.
hold_infinity: (⑥ wanna be my string)
Author: hold_infinity
Robin and Ethan go seagull.
morphbox: (seagull)
Author: morphbox
Seagulls all, the Swans and Ax.

<You want to lead the way, navigator-pigeon?> asks Bella of Trouble.
aeskhyne: (② all night cannonball)
Author: aeskhyne
<Sure!>

Off he goes.
morphbox: (seagull)
Author: morphbox
Flyyyyying. <Ax, when we get to the house, we're going to duck in through a gap under a door, and demorph once we're inside and no one will see us. We'll be able to turn on lights there, and loan you some clothes for your human morph, although I don't know if we have anything spare that will be snug enough to morph with you.>

<What is a house?> inquires Ax.

<...Just follow us,> Bella says.

<Yes, Princess Bella.>
aeskhyne: (⑩ i'll just play along)
Author: aeskhyne
<...Ooh. Do Andalites not like enclosed structures? I bet you don't,> says Trouble.
morphbox: (seagull)
Author: morphbox
<Of course not. That is why we have the Dome on our large ships. Somewhere to run. A house is enclosed? Why? The planet is not enveloped in hard vacuum.>

<It rains,> says Bella. <The temperature fluctuates outside of our favorite ranges. There's wind and small unwelcome creatures. It's easier to control the environment in an enclosed house. Speaking of temperatures - how cold or hot do Andalites like it? It's cooler here than it is at the latitude where most of us usually live.>

<I do not know your temperature scale. It was a little colder than I would have liked on the beach but that may have been because it was dark and I had just come out of the water,> says Ax.

<Okay. Hopefully we can find someplace comfortable for you to sleep, even if you can spend most of your waking hours in this or that morph like Trouble does. We might have to tell Renée everything, but if you don't like to be enclosed I guess 'keep you in the basement' isn't a good long-term solution.>
aeskhyne: (⑧ nightly in the attic)
Author: aeskhyne
<I'm not sure the way I hide is gonna work for everybody, now that there's so many of us,> says Trouble. <Especially with one Andalite. I sleep in enclosed spaces a lot - outdoor ones, usually, but still.>
morphbox: (seagull)
Author: morphbox
<You and Charlie, in a pinch, we can tell Renée what's going on and put you in the basement over nights,> says Bella. <If Phoenix were near woods like Forks is, maybe Ax could hide out in them relatively safely, but the desert's too open - maybe it's unlikely for someone to wander by, but if they do, they can see him from a mile away. I don't suppose there is any useful tech in the Dome that could be repurposed for this or anything else? For that matter, do you need those specific plants to live on? Techwise - cloaking abilities? That force field's generator? Weapons, long-distance communication, anything else cool.>

<...Andalites do not share technology.>

<Elfangor shared technology. Telling us how it works isn't going to get anybody anywhere, we aren't physicists or engineers, but something down there is generating a force field. If it would become convenient for us to have a force field somewhere other than off the coast of Washington, can that be arranged?>

<I - don't know. I'm not a technician. I know where the generator is but not how to remove it or how its power supply works - and I would need to have hands, to work on it, and if it failed ->

<Okay. I'm not telling you 'do things likely to disable the force field while it's protecting you from a few hundred feet of water'. I'm just asking, what's there, what can we get, do you need anything from it, would any of it make it easier to hide you. How much sleep do you need? How bad is the claustrophobia?>

Ax hesitates.
aeskhyne: (⑥ don't know what I want)
Author: aeskhyne
Trouble - decides not to poke him along. See if he gets there by himself, first.
morphbox: (seagull)
Author: morphbox
<Well,> Ax says. <I sleep for about - I don't know your time system.>

<Elfangor said the limit on morph time was two hours, does that help?>

<Then when I'm adjusted for Earth's daylight cycle it will be about six hours a night, although in the long term I would do better with occasional midday naps because the Earth day is longer than I am used to. The claustrophobia is - bad but not unendurable. I will be able to tolerate any space with enough room for me to stand up and turn around if it's the only safe way for me to get sleep and demorph.>

<Okay. And?>

<...If I go back down in my sea creature morph - yours are too large to go through the airlock - I can collect two shredders, have a small chance of removing intact the thoughtspeak amplifier I used to call for help, and could collect a personal computer left in the Dome that doesn't belong to me that I might eventually be able to hack into, as its owner may be presumed dead, though I don't know what I'd do with it besides play pilot simulators, here. I don't specifically require any of the plants. I should be compatible with local flora.>

<A shredder is...?>

<A handheld beam weapon. It is intended for hands with the Andalite number of fingers, but it would be easier for a human to handle than a Dracon beam meant for a Hork-Bajir hand.>
aeskhyne: (⑤ okay boys)
Author: aeskhyne
<Yeah,> says Trouble, <Aspret mentioned 'em.>
morphbox: (seagull)
Author: morphbox
<Aspret?> asks Ax, faltering slightly in his flight.
aeskhyne: (⑧ nightly in the attic)
Author: aeskhyne
<I had a Yeerk for a few days. I was too much for her to handle,> says Trouble. <She dumped a bunch of useful memories on me, trapped herself in a bird morph, and flew off. There was some more complicated shit, but that's the basics.>
morphbox: (seagull)
Author: morphbox


<Bird morph?> exclaims Ax. <A Yeerk with the power to morph?>

<Not any more,> says Bella. <Trapped. Stayed two hours and then some.>

<But - but ->

<Is there some accepted Andalite protocol for dealing with live, helpless Yeerk prisoners? I had her in a bowl of water,> says Bella. <I would have killed her if I believed she'd be dangerous, but she made a convincing case for wanting to fly away and never bother anyone again.>

<I - that's - but ->
aeskhyne: (⑩ i'll just play along)
Author: aeskhyne
<And, you know, she was in my head,> says Trouble. <You get to know a person pretty well that way. She's all right. Her own side played enough nasty tricks on her that she was pretty well fed up with them - I don't think she would've gone back even if she'd thought she was going to live through it, as long as there was another way to go.>
morphbox: (seagull)
Author: morphbox
Ax is silent. (Well, actually, he makes a seagully noise, but he thoughtspeaks no words.)

<Ax,> says Bella, <I don't know what your personal history or the history of Andalites in general has been or where this anti-tech-sharing sentiment comes from, and even if I did, I wouldn't feel particularly attached to abide by comparable guidelines of anti-Yeerk warfare. I am absolutely, one hundred percent against letting them go on infesting people of any species, or for that matter disintegrate fleeing hosts or whatever other nefarious things they've been getting up to - but I do not go in for gratuitous slaughter of harmless prisoners because they belong to a species that has earned a bad name. Not when I have an alternative. The Andalite reluctance to share tech doesn't apply to me, especially when it let me turn a parasitic slug who was going to starve or otherwise die into a duck. Are we going to have a problem? Do you want to reconsider placing yourself under my command and negotiate as an independent agent or something?>

There is a long pause, and then Ax says, <No, Princess Bella.>
aeskhyne: (⑤ okay boys)
Author: aeskhyne
Helpfully, Trouble interjects, <I'm pretty sure I could guess who's the last people Andalites shared technology with.>
morphbox: (seagull)
Author: morphbox
<Wait,> Bella says, <the Yeerks? But they don't have morphing tech.>

<Of course they don't,> says Ax indignantly.

<Was it invented recently?>

<...Not that recently. No.>

<Someone met a race of friendly brain parasites, who - they have to have hosts on their home planet, right, there's no other way you get brain parasites like that, is there?>

<...The Gedds, yes,> supplies Ax.

<Someone meets a race of friendly brain parasites who prefer to spend most of their time controlling not-brain-parasite-shaped bodies. And decides to be nice to them. And gives them beam weapons and space travel and not morph tech and a few of those six-winged birds or something.>

Ax is silent again.
aeskhyne: (⑥ don't know what I want)
Author: aeskhyne
<I didn't get many details,> says Trouble. <Could be the people who had the morphing tech weren't friends with the Yeerks and the people who were friends with the Yeerks didn't have the morphing tech. But I do know almost all Yeerk technology is built on Andalite stuff, with some tweaks here and there. Aspret knew that, but she didn't guess why - it was just background info to her; she's too young to have seen it happen. But I mean, where else would they have gotten it that would leave you guys with a rule about handing out technology to strange species? It just fits.>
morphbox: (seagull)
Author: morphbox
<I will point out that it is a very good thing that the Yeerks do not have morph technology,> says Ax. <The abomination is more than bad enough.>

<Sure,> says Bella. <At this point I wouldn't like to trust the Yeerks with anything more complicated than a paperclip. I just can't figure out the mindset behind 'here, have spaceships and guns, but no turning into animals; if you want eyes and hands you have to steal them'.>

<The ships and weapons were stolen,> says Ax stiffly, <from one who had been merely educating the Yeerks about the wider universe.>

<That makes more sense,> says Bella.
aeskhyne: (④ without any plans)
Author: aeskhyne
<Man, eyes and hands,> sighs Trouble. <Aspret still got excited about those every time. Well - almost.>
morphbox: (seagull)
Author: morphbox
<I hope,> begins Ax, and then he stops.

<What d'you hope?> asks Andi.

<...>

<Seconding that question. You may speak freely outside of crisis situations where distraction is dangerous,> Bella tells Ax, <with me, I don't know what the rules were in your previous outfit.>

<Ah. I hope this... sympathy for the Yeerks won't... It appears that...>

<I am willing to kill Yeerks. We starved Charlie's out. I'm even willing to kill hosts if it comes down to it, the innocent-person-shield is a tactic that cannot be allowed to work, although I'd rather find ways around the need - maybe you know of good ways to sabotage Kandronas or poison pools? You don't know what I had to do to chase Aspret out of Trouble. I didn't have the luxury of starving her.>
aeskhyne: (⑦ i'll make you see)
Author: aeskhyne
<Yeah,> Trouble chimes in, <I mean, I felt sorry for Aspret 'cause she was having such a rough time, doesn't mean I wouldn't have killed her if she'd wanted to sell us out after all.>
morphbox: (seagull)
Author: morphbox
<..."Chase" her out of...?>

<She was acting pretty out of it because Trouble's brain isn't a comfy place for unwelcome guests,> says Bella, <so I had a chance to surprise her, and once she was down it got more unpleasant from there. It involved a lot of blunt force trauma. She decided not to hang around.>

<Oh.>
aeskhyne: (① loves to light the fuse)
Author: aeskhyne
<I didn't mind,> Trouble says brightly.
morphbox: (seagull)
Author: morphbox
<Trouble is the one who goes to acquire anything predatory we all want to collect,> Bella adds conversationally, <in case it's not friendly. Since he doesn't mind if a whale bites his leg or whatever.>

<...I see,> says Ax.
hold_infinity: (⑦ take a look around)
Author: hold_infinity
<Orcas aren't technically whales,> says Robin. <They're more closely related to dolphins.>
morphbox: (seagull)
Author: morphbox
<There are so many species on this planet,> marvels Ax. <How many kinds of birds do you have?>

<...how many kinds of - what, how many kinds of birds do you have?>

<Three,> says Ax.

<...More than that. We have more than that by several orders of magnitude.>
aeskhyne: (⑥ don't know what I want)
Author: aeskhyne
<Yeah,> says Trouble. <Aspret noticed that too. Earth is way off the charts on biodiversity.>
morphbox: (seagull)
Author: morphbox
<I would,> says Ax, <prefer not to be compared to any Yeerk.>

<She's a duck now,> says Andi unhelpfully.
aeskhyne: (⑨ nobody grows up)
Author: aeskhyne
<It's my head she crawled into,> Trouble reminds him. <I'll talk about her how I want.>
morphbox: (seagull)
Author: morphbox
<Sounded to me like he was complaining about talking about him,> Andi says. <With the 'too'.>
aeskhyne: (⑭ i'll be made to breathe)
Author: aeskhyne
<You know what,> says Trouble, <skip it.>

He speeds up. Pigeons are not that much faster than seagulls on the whole, but this pigeon in particular is a racer, and he's been flying slow so as not to lose the entourage.
morphbox: (seagull)
Author: morphbox
<Are you okay? Is this going to be a problem?> Bella asks Trouble privately.
aeskhyne: (⑥ don't know what I want)
Author: aeskhyne
<Not a big one. I'll deal.>

But he's not slowing down to let the rest of the group catch up again.
morphbox: (seagull)
Author: morphbox
<Figuring out how to integrate the alien - who conveniently has decided to take orders from me - would be easier if I knew what I was integrating him with,> she calls after him, fainter as the distance grows.
aeskhyne: (⑧ nightly in the attic)
Author: aeskhyne
<I'll talk to you about it. Later. Ask me later.>
morphbox: (seagull)
Author: morphbox
<Okay.>

Eventually they get home, which is harder but not impossible without pigeonly guidance. They duck into the garage. They demorph.
morphbox: (Default)
Author: morphbox
And Ax says, <I will attempt the Frolis maneuver now. Is a male human form acceptable?>
instar: (rabbit)
Author: instar
"Yes, but give us a minute to find some clothes - a minute is one-sixtieth of an hour -" Swans duck into the house and raid Charlie's closet.
morphbox: (generic)
Author: morphbox
<That took two and two-fifths minutes, if the conversions I have are correct,> observes Ax, when he accepts the clothes. He starts morphing.
instar: (Default)
Author: instar
"I don't know if they're exact, it seems unlikely that morph limitations map that closely onto hours. You can do math that sophisticated in your head?"
morphbox: (generic)
Author: morphbox
<I can keep time,> explains Ax. He completes his morph. He's an odd blend of the bunch - a little Swan family resemblance, but not enough that people would think them definite cousins. A little Trouble, in the hair, around the eyes; Ethan's nose, Robin's chin, a mixed build that's too short for the clothes. He is pretty puzzled by the clothes.
palmofyourhand: (⑩ even deserts burn)
Author: palmofyourhand
"Would you," sighs Ethan, "like some help with those?"
morphbox: (generic)
Author: morphbox
"Yes," says Ax, and then he tilts his head. "Yyyyye. Yesss. Sssss."
pandion: (still)
Author: pandion
Andi (facing the wall) giggles.
palmofyourhand: (④ in heaven hell or earth)
Author: palmofyourhand
Ethan raises his eyes to the ceiling and then endeavours to assist.
morphbox: (generic)
Author: morphbox
Ax continues playing-with-sounds while he dons the outfit.
palmofyourhand: (⑦ the future never waits)
Author: palmofyourhand
"Is it really such a fascinating novelty?"
morphbox: (generic)
Author: morphbox
"It-t-t-t-t is! Zzzz. Izzz."
palmofyourhand: (⑤ from our victory)
Author: palmofyourhand
"Right." He snorts and tugs down the hem of Ax's new shirt. "He is dressed, ladies. You may cease to shield your maiden eyes."
instar: (shark)
Author: instar
Ladies cease to shield their maiden eyes. "It'll do," sighs Bella. "Okay. Ax, let's go in and you and me get each other up to speed on - everything - and then you can sleep in here in your normal form, I hope you were paying attention to how the clothes worked for future reference."
morphbox: (generic)
Author: morphbox
"Yes, Princess - prrrrrrinn-sessss! - Belllllllll-ah."
instar: (Default)
Author: instar
"Maybe you should just thoughtspeak for efficiency."
palmofyourhand: (④ in heaven hell or earth)
Author: palmofyourhand
"Efficiency or comedy. What a choice."
instar: (Default)
Author: instar
"It's three in the morning. My appreciation for comedy is a little limited."
palmofyourhand: (⑤ from our victory)
Author: palmofyourhand
"There is that. And where shall we hold this conference?"
instar: (rabbit)
Author: instar
"Living room," shrugs Bella, and she pushes through the door into the house. When everyone - except the absent Trouble, who she presumes is off brooding somewhere - is situated comfortably, she summarizes the adventures of the Animorphs to date.
morphbox: (generic)
Author: morphbox
Ax, who communicates mostly by thoughtspeak but occasionally pauses to pronounce things in fascination, answers her questions, explains what he can about the Frolis maneuver and how to perform it, watches a clock with a second hand for one minute and announces that the actual limit on morph time is two hours, four minutes, and thirty-one seconds, but it will begin to be difficult to demorph if one approaches too close to the end of that time. He is also confused about how Bella has been able to conduct so many experiments in such a short time; apparently morphing is more tiring to Andalites than it seems to be for humans.
palmofyourhand: (④ in heaven hell or earth)
Author: palmofyourhand
"I wonder why that is," says Ethan.
hold_infinity: (⑦ take a look around)
Author: hold_infinity
"Me too," says Robin, thoughtfully.
morphbox: (generic)
Author: morphbox
"I do not know. Ooooooh. No. Knnnnnnow."
hold_infinity: (⑤ see all the profit)
Author: hold_infinity
"Yeah, well, I plan to find out."
instar: (rabbit)
Author: instar
"Have you got a way to do that in mind?"
hold_infinity: (⑥ wanna be my string)
Author: hold_infinity
"More or less. I mean, I've done all this research on animals, but I haven't really done any on humans yet."
instar: (shark)
Author: instar
"I look forward to hearing what you find out. Okay. Ax, is there anything you know that we are likely to need to learn in the next twenty-four hours?"
morphbox: (generic)
Author: morphbox
<I cannot think of anything else that seems urgent, Princess Bella.>
instar: (Default)
Author: instar
"Okay. Do you need anything to be comfy in the garage that doesn't involve knocking down a wall?"
morphbox: (generic)
Author: morphbox
"No. Oooooh."
instar: (shark)
Author: instar
"Okay. Get some sleep. It's probably safest if you don't come into the main house in Andalite form at all - we don't expect guests yet, but might be surprised."
morphbox: (generic)
Author: morphbox
Off goes Ax.
hold_infinity: (⑥ wanna be my string)
Author: hold_infinity
And to bed go Ethan and Robin, since that seems to be the next logical order of business.
instar: (shark)
Author: instar
The house is a little crowded; the twins wind up sharing Charlie's bed to let him and Ethan have their bunks and Robin have the air mattress in the master bedroom. (The trouble with the couch is it's nowhere near Andi's protective light-sleeperhood.)
aeskhyne: (⑥ don't know what I want)
Author: aeskhyne




The next morning, whoever is first to venture downstairs will find Trouble in the kitchen, setting up to make breakfast.
pandion: (pearls)
Author: pandion
Andi! Andi is first up.

"Hi," she says. "Where'd you disappear to?"
aeskhyne: (⑦ i'll make you see)
Author: aeskhyne
"I slept outside," he says. "Comfier that way. Will people like it if I make French toast, you think?"
pandion: (checking)
Author: pandion
"French toast sounds good to me. How's outside comfy?"
aeskhyne: (④ without any plans)
Author: aeskhyne
"Psychologically," he says. "When are Bella and your dad gonna be up, you think?"
pandion: (do tell)
Author: pandion
"In like... half an hour?" guesses Andi, tracing a vague swirl on the table. "Maybe a little longer."
aeskhyne: (③ smile on my face)
Author: aeskhyne
"Mm, I better not start yet, then."
pandion: (Default)
Author: pandion
"Okay. Psychologically comfy how?"
aeskhyne: (⑤ okay boys)
Author: aeskhyne
"...Sometimes I get kind of spooked," he says, "and it's just easier not to be around whoever spooked me until I calm down."
pandion: (pearls)
Author: pandion
"Ax spooked you because he didn't want to be an 'also' or whatever you said with Aspret?"
aeskhyne: (⑦ i'll make you see)
Author: aeskhyne
"Kind of. It's complicated." He sits down at the kitchen table. "I kind of get where he was going with that, but I don't think I can make myself talk that way - I don't want to - and I wasn't sure which way anybody was gonna swing if I pushed it, except that Ethan predictably doesn't give a damn, and it was so much easier to just bail on the whole conversation. I do that sometimes." He quirks a smile. "Maybe you've noticed."
pandion: (brow)
Author: pandion
"I think you kind of spooked Bella. I'm not positive, it's kind of hard to tell when she has a beak."
aeskhyne: (⑥ don't know what I want)
Author: aeskhyne
He shrugs. "I told her I'd talk to her about it later."
pandion: (pearls)
Author: pandion
"She's kind of - I don't know, never mind, I'm probably imagining things."
aeskhyne: (⑩ i'll just play along)
Author: aeskhyne
"No, tell me," he says. "Kind of what?"
pandion: (Default)
Author: pandion


"I think it's easier than it should be to get away with stuff that would usually bother her, now."
aeskhyne: (⑧ nightly in the attic)
Author: aeskhyne
"Huh," he says thoughtfully.
pandion: (smooth)
Author: pandion
"She's - I think she's avoiding doing this with everybody else? Out loud anyway, God only knows what she's writing down, but I think she's kind of - turning herself into a - she thinks she has to - I think she'd drive herself insane if she thought that would get the Yeerks to go away, and she doesn't think it would, but maybe she thinks using herself like she's some kind of - very creative tactical computer program operating a lightly armed Transformer? - will - does that make sense?"
aeskhyne: (⑥ don't know what I want)
Author: aeskhyne
"Yeah," says Trouble. "Yeah, a little."
pandion: (pearls)
Author: pandion
"I think she thinks she knows how much of that she can do before she falls apart, I just don't know if I know that, and anyway there are bad things besides falling apart."
aeskhyne: (⑧ nightly in the attic)
Author: aeskhyne
Trouble sighs. "Yeah, no kidding."
pandion: (skepticism)
Author: pandion
"Dunno what to do about it though."
aeskhyne: (⑩ i'll just play along)
Author: aeskhyne
"Me neither."
pandion: (pearls)
Author: pandion
Andi sighs. "I wonder if Ax will try the French toast."
aeskhyne: (⑦ i'll make you see)
Author: aeskhyne
"I hope he likes it. Andalites don't have a sense of taste the way we do, so I have no idea if French toast will even, like, make sense to him."
pandion: (still)
Author: pandion
"Nonsense French toast!" giggles Andi.
aeskhyne: (③ smile on my face)
Author: aeskhyne
He grins. "We'll see, I guess."
pandion: (pearls)
Author: pandion
"Man, how do Andalites even eat?"
aeskhyne: (⑩ i'll just play along)
Author: aeskhyne
"Good question. Bet I could find out if I morphed one. Or we could ask."
pandion: (checking)
Author: pandion
"Didn't you morph one? And Bella did too. I guess you weren't trying to eat."
aeskhyne: (⑥ don't know what I want)
Author: aeskhyne
"Yeah. I mean, I could guess, but I don't know."
pandion: (Default)
Author: pandion
"Hmmm."
aeskhyne: (⑤ okay boys)
Author: aeskhyne
Trouble shrugs. "We might as well just ask."
pandion: (pearls)
Author: pandion
"I hope he doesn't get offended or anything, is it rude to ask aliens how they eat?"
aeskhyne: (③ smile on my face)
Author: aeskhyne
"Who knows? I wouldn't think it was rude if aliens asked me how I eat, but maybe Ax feels differently."
pandion: (Default)
Author: pandion
"You probably wouldn't think it was rude if aliens asked you, like, anything."
aeskhyne: (① loves to light the fuse)
Author: aeskhyne
"Maybe not," he concedes, grinning.
pandion: (brow)
Author: pandion
"Yeah. Hey, you could start making breakfast, I'm hungry and if you don't I'll just eat cereal and that would be tragic."
aeskhyne: (② all night cannonball)
Author: aeskhyne
"That would be tragic," giggles Trouble.

He gets up and begins the process of making French toast.
sundayfish: (Default)
Author: sundayfish
Charlie comes downstairs just a couple of minutes after there begin to be sounds of frying.
aeskhyne: (① loves to light the fuse)
Author: aeskhyne
"G'morning," says Trouble. "How do you feel about French toast?"
sundayfish: (how bout that)
Author: sundayfish
"French toast is good," says Charlie.
aeskhyne: (④ without any plans)
Author: aeskhyne
Trouble beams.
instar: (Default)
Author: instar
Bella is downstairs soon after, bearing a notebook. "Ooh. Thanks, Trouble."
aeskhyne: (③ smile on my face)
Author: aeskhyne
"You're welcome," says Trouble.
morphbox: (generic)
Author: morphbox
Ax in human morph - having mostly figured out the clothes for the second time himself, though the pants are backwards - enters the house. He sniffs the air, puzzled.
palmofyourhand: (④ in heaven hell or earth)
Author: palmofyourhand
Ethan comes down the stairs and passes him in the hall.

"You have your trousers on backward," he observes.
morphbox: (generic)
Author: morphbox
Ax looks at his pants. "This is bad? Bah-duh."
palmofyourhand: (⑤ from our victory)
Author: palmofyourhand
"If you were trying to pass for a normal human, yes. Since everyone here knows better, I don't think it's a problem."
morphbox: (generic)
Author: morphbox
"Ah. Ahhhhhh." Ax continues, backwards pants and all, into the kitchen, sniffing the air curiously. <This smell is much more arresting with this nose than with my usual nose,> he remarks.
instar: (rabbit)
Author: instar
"Out of necessity we've been doing some experimenting with eating in morph," Bella says, "do you happen to have more precise information about it?"
morphbox: (generic)
Author: morphbox
<It will continue to sustain a person for a few days, but how long beyond that depends on how often they morph and how similar the dietary requirements are.> He sits, taking a moment to inspect the others and reconstruct how to do it.
aeskhyne: (③ smile on my face)
Author: aeskhyne
"You can try some French toast if you want," says Trouble.
morphbox: (generic)
Author: morphbox
"That is this food? Fooooooooooooood. Ood. French toast. Oast oast oast."
pandion: (laughter)
Author: pandion
aeskhyne: (① loves to light the fuse)
Author: aeskhyne
He giggles. "Yep! Want some?"
palmofyourhand: (④ in heaven hell or earth)
Author: palmofyourhand
Ethan certainly does. He helps himself to a plate, some French toast, and a seat at the increasingly crowded table.
instar: (dolphin)
Author: instar
Swans also want French toast. With syrup on it.
morphbox: (generic)
Author: morphbox
"Yes," says Ax. "Sss."
aeskhyne: (⑤ okay boys)
Author: aeskhyne
Trouble loads a slice of French toast onto a plate, adds syrup because why not, sets it in front of Ax, and (not without a thoughtful pause) hands him a fork.
morphbox: (generic)
Author: morphbox
Ax looks at the fork.

He watches the other humans eat with forks, and manages to get a large but conceivably bite-sized portion of French toast sawed off the corner.

He stabs it.

He puts it in his mouth.

And he falls off his chair.
aeskhyne: (⑩ i'll just play along)
Author: aeskhyne
"...Okay, I wasn't expecting that," says Trouble. "You okay?"
morphbox: (generic)
Author: morphbox
Ax gets up off the floor and picks up the French toast in his hands and crams most of the slice into his mouth. <I am uninjured! Toast!>
aeskhyne: (③ smile on my face)
Author: aeskhyne
...Trouble giggles.
morphbox: (generic)
Author: morphbox
Ax half-eats, half-mauls his French toast, and then he steals Ethan's.
palmofyourhand: (⑪ one more hole in space)
Author: palmofyourhand
"D'you bloody mind? I was eating that," he says, giving Ax a look.
morphbox: (generic)
Author: morphbox
<TOAST!> says Ax heedlessly.
instar: (snake)
Author: instar
Bella cradles her head in her hands. "How much of this bread do we have," she mutters.
aeskhyne: (⑥ don't know what I want)
Author: aeskhyne
"...Enough to feed everybody, but maybe not enough to feed everybody twice. Ax, man, slow down. Trust me, I know my French toast is awesome, but you are probably gonna be embarrassed about this later."
morphbox: (generic)
Author: morphbox
"Mmf!" protests Ax around Ethan's French toast.
instar: (shark)
Author: instar
"Ax," says Bella. "You can finish that, and then wash the syrup off your hands, and then go in the garage and demorph."
morphbox: (generic)
Author: morphbox
Ax doesn't say "yes, Princess Bella", but he does slow down a little, eats Ethan's French toast with an orgasmic expression on his face, accepts Bella's wordless tutoring about the use of the kitchen sink, and goes into the garage to do what she said.
aeskhyne: (⑩ i'll just play along)
Author: aeskhyne
Trouble silently replaces Ethan's French toast.
hold_infinity: (② you were meant to be here)
Author: hold_infinity
Robin comes down the stairs and steals Ethan's plate.
palmofyourhand: (① ever seen your eyes)
Author: palmofyourhand
...

He cracks up.
morphbox: (Default)
Author: morphbox
<The human sensation of taste is very intense,> Ax reports solemnly from the garage.
aeskhyne: (③ smile on my face)
Author: aeskhyne
"Yeah, I figured," snorts Trouble.

He supplies Ethan with yet another slice of French toast.
morphbox: (Default)
Author: morphbox
<Are all foods as amazing as French toast?>
aeskhyne: (① loves to light the fuse)
Author: aeskhyne
"Some of them are better."
morphbox: (Default)
Author: morphbox
<That is impossible,> says Ax faintly.
aeskhyne: (③ smile on my face)
Author: aeskhyne
"You know what," says Trouble, "when we've all got our generic human morphs, I am gonna take you on a food tour of Phoenix and show you just how wrong you are."
instar: (shark)
Author: instar
"You and what money? I guess you could use your generic human morph to get a job and a place to crash if we gave you some startup funding..."
pandion: (brow)
Author: pandion
"Also, if Ax eats like that in public he will get attention," Andi points out.
aeskhyne: (⑥ don't know what I want)
Author: aeskhyne
Trouble shrugs. "I'll figure something out. And a lot of places do takeout, we can do the eating in private."
sundayfish: (on the one hand)
Author: sundayfish
"The 'generic human morphs' aren't going to have much in the way of legal identity."
instar: (owl)
Author: instar
"Yeah, Dad, you might have to work outside your comfort zone if you want to assume a Frolis-maneuvered persona and do work and have an apartment," Bella says, "I don't see a good way around that unless somebody here is secretly a hacker."
morphbox: (Default)
Author: morphbox
<Human computer systems must be embarrassingly primitive, if they are on a level with the rest of your planet's technology,> scoffs Ax. <Identities are tracked on such things? And people believe them?>
instar: (rabbit)
Author: instar
"...Do go on."
morphbox: (Default)
Author: morphbox
<I'm not a computer specialist. But given a human computer interface I would not expect to take long to determine how it works and how to accomplish various tasks on it.>
instar: (Default)
Author: instar
"...Okay. Charlie is a Luddite, so he doesn't have a computer here, but that is very good to know."
aeskhyne: (⑥ don't know what I want)
Author: aeskhyne
Trouble snorts.
palmofyourhand: (② from the beginning)
Author: palmofyourhand
"Identity fraud. My favourite," says Ethan.
instar: (shark)
Author: instar
"Or possibly just outright robbery, although I'd want a while to sort through possible targets."
pandion: (brow)
Author: pandion
"Ax, do you have qualms about stealing?"
morphbox: (Default)
Author: morphbox
<...I would be more comfortable taking from Yeerks than from innocent bystanders.>
instar: (rabbit)
Author: instar
"Embezzling large amounts of money from the Sharing would be kind of obvious, but maybe we can find a heavily Controller-infiltrated bank or corporation or something."
palmofyourhand: (③ my love flowed for you)
Author: palmofyourhand
"I don't have qualms about stealing," Ethan puts in. "Ax, do you have qualms about teaching me to steal?"
morphbox: (Default)
Author: morphbox
<...I am not sure to what extent I can. I would be relying on a large body of education that you do not have.>
instar: (Default)
Author: instar
"And stealing from Yeerks is preferable anyway, so."
palmofyourhand: (④ in heaven hell or earth)
Author: palmofyourhand
"But you don't mind if I watch, do you?" he coaxes.
morphbox: (Default)
Author: morphbox
<...I will allow you to watch if Princess Bella prefers,> says Ax uncomfortably.
instar: (rabbit)
Author: instar
"Princess Bella thinks that having more than one person with the skill would be a decent idea but isn't sure that it won't be used inadvisably by the particular volunteer in question."
palmofyourhand: (⑨ it just don't mean a thing)
Author: palmofyourhand
Ethan puts on his most innocent face.
hold_infinity: (③ took a storm before)
Author: hold_infinity
"How about I watch," says Robin.
instar: (dolphin)
Author: instar
"Go for it."
hold_infinity: (② you were meant to be here)
Author: hold_infinity
"Brilliant." She pats Ethan on the arm. "Try being less openly sketchy next time."
instar: (Default)
Author: instar
"I have a strong background assumption of Ethan being sketchy. Improving his acting skills will only help so far."
palmofyourhand: (Default)
Author: palmofyourhand
"My acting skills are spectacular," Ethan says loftily. "I wasn't using them."
instar: (Default)
Author: instar
"Aha, all is explained."

Bella's slice of French toast is gone. She starts writing.
palmofyourhand: (⑥ could be anything)
Author: palmofyourhand
"What's this morning's homework?"
instar: (shark)
Author: instar
"Options that may open up with bonus hacking skills. Also plans for fetching the movable objects from the Dome after dark. Ax, how heavy are the things? The morphing box weighs six pounds."
morphbox: (Default)
Author: morphbox
<The shredders are about two and a half pounds each,> Ax estimates after a moment, <the thoughtspeak amplifier might be as many as ten but I don't know how much of what it's attached to is part of the device, and the personal computer is about a pound.>
instar: (rabbit)
Author: instar
"So kind of hard to carry in bird forms, at least ones we have. We could make another Seattle trip to acquire everything in the zoo, or make a few trips with a bag we can share the load of, or we could get the stuff, hide it on the shore, and get Renée to drive us there and back and smuggle it away that way."
palmofyourhand: (④ in heaven hell or earth)
Author: palmofyourhand
"I vote zoo," says Ethan.
hold_infinity: (⑦ take a look around)
Author: hold_infinity
"Me too," says Robin.
pandion: (pearls)
Author: pandion
"Only the big animals are in the open-air cages. How are we going to get, like, birds - morph bugs and go in through the wire and demorph there?"
instar: (human)
Author: instar
"Yes. Which means it'll be kind of a long night and we won't be able to grab literally everything we see, but we should be able to get in and out of everything in bug shapes."
hold_infinity: (① has the dawn)
Author: hold_infinity
"Sounds good to me," says Robin.
aeskhyne: (② all night cannonball)
Author: aeskhyne
"Definitely," says Trouble.
instar: (dolphin)
Author: instar
"Pity about the lack of computer, but we should be able to swipe park maps or something and get shopping lists of sorts when we arrive at the zoo, and I do know roughly where it is."
aeskhyne: (① loves to light the fuse)
Author: aeskhyne
"We found the orcas just fine!"
instar: (Default)
Author: instar
"Orcas are hard to miss. I might need a map to tell me where to find an owl."
aeskhyne: (③ smile on my face)
Author: aeskhyne
"True," says Trouble. "All right, we'll find maps."
instar: (rabbit)
Author: instar
"Trouble, since you're the limiting factor on things that bite - how many times do you think you can morph in one night?"
pandion: (do tell)
Author: pandion
"You rhymed!"
instar: (Default)
Author: instar
"A coincidence."
aeskhyne: (⑥ don't know what I want)
Author: aeskhyne
"Plenty," he says. "Getting a lot of practice helps with that, it turns out. Morphing's easier than it used to be. I don't have hard numbers, but if I got fucked up and had to morph, like - ten times, I wouldn't expect that to be a problem. As long as they weren't all in the same five minutes."
morphbox: (Default)
Author: morphbox
<Humans must have ludicrous endurance,> says Ax. <A professional estreen could work for years without having that much potential to morph repeatedly in a short time.>
pandion: (do tell)
Author: pandion
"You can be a professional estreen?"
morphbox: (Default)
Author: morphbox
<Morph-dancers. Yes.>
aeskhyne: (① loves to light the fuse)
Author: aeskhyne
"Cool," says Trouble.
pandion: (laughter)
Author: pandion
"I know what I wanna be when I grow up!"
aeskhyne: (③ smile on my face)
Author: aeskhyne
He giggles.
pandion: (lens)
Author: pandion
"Ooh, Dad, I should show you some of the cute things I can do if I stop partway through the right things. If I go part butterfly I can be a tiny fairy, and if I do just the ears on the way to an Andalite morph -"
morphbox: (Default)
Author: morphbox
<I beg your pardon?>
instar: (rabbit)
Author: instar
"Elfangor scored a few hits on Visser Three. Me and Andi and Trouble all acquired from the blood, and Trouble also thought to ask Elfangor before the Visser landed, so he has two. Nobody has acquired you, although if you'd let at least Dad and Robin and Ethan, that would be convenient."
morphbox: (Default)
Author: morphbox
There is an uncomfortable silence from the garage.
palmofyourhand: (⑩ even deserts burn)
Author: palmofyourhand
"Is some part of this a problem?" inquires Ethan.
morphbox: (Default)
Author: morphbox
<Not as such. I think Prince Alloran's consent can - be presumed. And it sounds as though my brother gave Trouble permission.>
aeskhyne: (⑥ don't know what I want)
Author: aeskhyne
"He did, yeah."
morphbox: (Default)
Author: morphbox
<I will consider allowing the three of you without any Andalite morph to acquire me.>
instar: (shark)
Author: instar
"Thank you." Bella pauses in writing. "Hey, Ax - does morphing deal with poison and venom as well as it does with injuries?"
morphbox: (Default)
Author: morphbox
<If a morph is bitten, yes. The body is reconstructed the next time that morph is accessed. If one's natural form is poisoned or bitten, the toxins will remain in that form, although they will not affect others, until they have had time to leave the body in whatever way they normally do. Are we going to acquire venomous creatures?>
instar: (doe)
Author: instar
"Maybe. I'd like some kind of suitably vicious snake. Sounds like a bit much to add to everything else, though, if the venom would stick around."
aeskhyne: (⑤ okay boys)
Author: aeskhyne
"I wouldn't mind," says Trouble. "We could save it for last or something."
instar: (shark)
Author: instar
"Okay. If you're up to it when we've raided the other major clades."
aeskhyne: (① loves to light the fuse)
Author: aeskhyne
He giggles.