trans_9 | Mix-and-Mingle

Entry tags:

Mix-and-Mingle

After the most recent pod-pop had been completed, Stacy began encouraging the crew towards the Obs Deck. They would be most effective if they were familiar with each other, and as the Jaime Reyes Incident had proved, leaving them to meet whenever they happened to cross paths was not effective.

Anyone who stepped into the Hub would be transported to the Obs Deck, no matter where they had intended to go. Those who had been exploring the City were verbally herded towards the Hub, although the energy tentacles did not make an appearance.

||Please report to the Obs Deck for Crew Introductions.||

The Obs Deck hadn't changed very much since they'd last been there. The creepy sculpture was still present, as were the fleshy couches. However, the couches were arranged in a more obvious circle this time.

Come and meet the new -- and in some cases, weirder -- members of your crew.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"Does he have eight legs?" Ax asked. He'd always thought that eight legs was much more sensible than the two-with-no-tail that humans had. "Or pedipalps? I never asked why he was called Spider-Man."

He had spent some time trucking around as a wolf-spider, though. And a bat, come to think of it.

"No, he's just a human-two legs. But he swings around on webbing and wears a costume with webs on it, so he's called Spider-Man. It's...kind of a nickname, to hide who he really is."

"Is the costume important?" Ax asked. That was another thing that came up near-constantly, their morphing outfits. He did understand the need to hide one's identity, however. "Because otherwise his enemies would be able to target him and hurt him. Mee-zuh. Enemies."

He nodded. "That's it. People can still target you when you're wearing the costume, but it makes it a little harder if they don't know who you are. Then they can't find you."

"Maybe, but most people can't do that, so nobody usually worries about it." Pat looked back to Ax. "Sorry-he's distracting sometimes."

"I understand the concept of secret identities," Ax said, nodding. "And you do not have to apologize. I imagine that it is very distracting at times."

Yes, he was hanging onto that like a dog with a bone. Just because he had to work with a parasite didn't mean that he had to like it.

"They're pretty important if you're planning to hero and have people you want to protect." He glanced to Toxin. "And it depends on what he's talking about and how much."

Toxin prodded him again.

"It is very important for a lot of things," Ax said, remembering Prince Jake and his brother Tom. Tom was a Controller, and Prince Jake was the leader of the Animorphs. Prince Jake knew about Tom, but Tom didn't know about Prince Jake. All of the other Animorphs had secret identities as well -- except for Tobias, who had no family except for Ax, and Marco, who had rescued his father from becoming a Controller and his mother from being one.

Secret identities were important.

Pat nodded, then looked thoughtful. "So what's your Canada like, if there aren't any superheroes or aliens or any of that? It sounds pretty...sane."

As compared to, say, New York in his world or the entire situation they were in now. Sane actually sounded nice.

Oh, there were aliens. Just not any that Ax was going to talk about.

"It is very nice," Ax said, and began sharing a variety of trivia that he'd learned from his World Almanac. "...And women in Ontario can go topless," he finished. Marco had assured him that this was a big selling point.

Pat nodded as he listened, then paused at the last bit of information. "That's...interesting," he said, thrown off just a tad.

"Canada's a different country; it has different laws, and when were you watching COPS?"

Pat sighed and tried not to think about what else Toxin might've seen in his late-night TV forays, and looked back to Ax. "...Anyway. I don't think you're likely to see anyone topless here. Those suits seem to be pretty standard issue for most people." He was one of the exceptions, but that was because his talking pants came pre-attached.

Ax shrugged. He didn't care about topless women. While his human morph did find female humans attractive, his mind was still Andalite and humans...humans were still alien. And funny-looking. "You asked."

"Yeah, I did," he admitted. "But nothing weird in your Canada, huh? Where I come from, there's super heroes up there. Sometimes see a little about them in the 'world' section of the paper."

"No, nothing particularly strange," Ax said. "We do not have super heroes, except in comic books. Some of my friends read them."

"Coming from some place where you can't throw something without hitting a guy in spandex? That actually does sound strange."

"I always did want to ask, why spandex?" Ax tilted his head to the side. "It does not offer any particular body protection, and most super heroes do not seem to have shape shifting powers that would require tight clothing."

Pat shrugged. "I don't know-stretchy, I guess? I don't need to worry about the clothing thing-Tox is my clothing."

To demonstrate, some of Pat's clothing went from looking normal to looking decidedly more goopy and alive, then changed back.

Ax took a step back when Pat's "clothing" went all goopy. Apparently, Pat's parasite was a great deal larger than he looked.

Definitely not a Yeerk, however.

"I see." Ax frowned a little, warring with his curiosity. "Is it...actually a symbiotic relationship? Chuly. Ack. Chuly."

If Ax thought that was bad...well, it would likely be a good thing if Ax never saw Toxin in suit form and angry.

Toxin snorted at the question, managing to look offended at the question, despite his limited expression.

"I...guess so? He needs a host to live in and I get super powers out it. Not that I ever asked for them, but I guess it's something. Of course, that means I get to raise him, too..."

Just because there was no gnawing didn't make it a non-parasitic relationship. Toxin could be controlling Pat's body while Pat screamed helplessly inside his own head.

"So you are really all right with sharing your body?" Ax asked, still looking skeptical. "It does not...bother you at all?"

The fact that Pat and Toxin were often bickering could probably cast some doubt on that theory.

Pat sighed. "Honestly? I'm still not real happy about it. But he's too young to go to another host-and don't even start-" he said to Toxin, who just made a grumbling noise and flopped back down. "And I'm trying to teach him manners and how to get along."

The symbiote huffed a bit.

"That doesn't mean you don't need brushing up on how to act around other people, kid."

Toxin could have been dosed with instant maple-and-ginger oatmeal. That made parasites go insane -- really insane, not the insane that Marco claimed Ax acted in human morph, or that Rachel was, or that every single one of their plans were. Raving, screaming, losing-control-of-their-hosts insane.

"But...how are you going to find someone who wants to share their body?" Ax asked, still looking askance at the two of them.

Pat shrugged, frowning. "I never really thought about looking into it. Been too busy just trying to get everything sorted out. I've just kind of assumed he'll grow out of threatening to run off and settle down eventually."

That just earned an eyeroll, but he admitted, "He's doing better than he was, as far as manners go, but..."

Toxin flipped his tendrils in annoyed manner.

Pat glanced to the symbiote. "I'd feel better if I didn't have to worry about you being so eager to maul things."

Pat pinched the bridge of his nose and shook his head.

"I see," Ax lied. He didn't see. He couldn't even comprehend being that blase about sharing one's body with a parasite. Or even a symbiote, if that wasn't just what Pat was telling himself to make him feel better.

At least Pat and Toxin weren't as creepily Yeerk-like as the Iskoort were.

Pat shrugged again. "Lately I've just been more worried about the here and now, not the future." He was more concerned about Toxin gnawing off somebody's arm now, not where he'd be in several years.

"Getting abducted by aliens does alter priorities somewhat," Ax agreed. "Pruh. Priorities. Tees."

Pat and Toxin definitely bore some watching, although at least there probably wasn't enough room on one human for two parasites. Especially since he didn't know of any aliens from his own universe who bore any resemblance to Toxin. Pat probably wasn't a Controller. Not that Ax would trust him, but he probably wasn't a Controller.

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject