the animorphs

[instar]

Renée is gone in the morning, a pot of maple oatmeal for the girls and Trouble cooling on the stove and a note on the fridge, she's going to be gone all day on a day trip to Tucson with her friends.

Andi wakes up first. Bella's not far behind.

Comments

[pandion]

He gets an orange popscicle. Andi flops into an armchair with her blue. "I'm tiiiired."

[palmofyourhand]

"So is Trouble," says Ethan, gesturing down at his lapful of same.

[pandion]

"Yeah. I'm not sleepy, though, I don't think I could just take a nap right now. I feel like I ran a marathon though."

[palmofyourhand]

"I suppose that makes sense. The energy has to come from somewhere."

[pandion]

"Yeah, I guess. Bella's pretending she's not tired even though she morphed almost as many times as I did."

[instar]

"Only almost, and more of mine were just to you and back," Bella says.

[palmofyourhand]

"Yes, morphing another member of the same species does seem to be less taxing," says Ethan, petting the sleeping Trouble.

[instar]

"Yep. I wonder when Robin will be here, do you know?"

[palmofyourhand]

"Not a clue. She was reportedly already buried in books when Trouble found her."

[instar]

"Sounds productive."

[palmofyourhand]

"It will be."

[instar]

"Good."

Bella is back to writing things.

She has to go get a fresh notebook, after a while.

[palmofyourhand]

"...What are you doing?"

[instar]

"Thinking. At the moment, about easily-obtained substances, especially anything likely to be effective in dense and solid form, that could be slipped into Yeerk pools we might find and disagree with the inhabitants. Might have to send Robin on a run for chemistry research after she's back with the verdict on birds."

[palmofyourhand]

"I like the sound of that," says Ethan.

[instar]

"I thought you might."

[palmofyourhand]

"Robin won't, she'll get squeamish. I should go with her to keep her on track."

[instar]

"I didn't know she was the type to be squeamish about killing invading slug parasites."

[palmofyourhand]

"Well, not if you handed her one to step on." He considers. "Maybe if you handed her one to step on. Chemical weapons, though, that's a different beast entirely in her eyes."

[instar]

"Why?"

[palmofyourhand]

"Harder to be sure of your aim. Probably less pleasant for the Yeerks. Definitely less pleasant for Robin to think about."

[instar]

"Efficient. Infrastructure damage. No hosts in the way."

[palmofyourhand]

"Unless someone falls in, or an insufficiently poisoned Yeerk causes brain damage later. The possibility of baby Yeerks. They have to come from somewhere, and presumably they have to eat while they're at it."

[instar]

"Well, fewer hosts in the way, at any rate. Higher Yeerk-to-host ratio. I don't think I can afford to worry about baby Yeerks. Not with five morphers and one box and no other tech, we don't have the leeway."

[palmofyourhand]

He shrugs. "I'm not bothered."