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

[aeskhyne]

He shrugs. "Yeah. Oh well, I guess."

[instar]

"Yes. Let's go catch me a butterfly, and I can go practice with Andi supervising while you find Robin?"

[aeskhyne]

"Sure."

[instar]

"There should be some in the garden. Little drab ones."

[aeskhyne]

"Okay."

Out into the garden, then.

[instar]

There are some little drab ones.

Bella is terrible at catching them; she comes closest to succeeding when she finds one on a plant and tries to coax it into her hand, but never quite manages.

[aeskhyne]

Within five minutes, Trouble has a little white butterfly caged in his hands. He brings it to Bella.

[instar]

She accepts it, acquires it to keep it from escaping, and carries it in in case Andi wants it too.

[pandion]

Andi does want it too!

[aeskhyne]

"You guys are gonna be a cute butterfly," says Trouble, admiring the original.

[pandion]

"Yep!"

[instar]

"So I guess we'll see you later, Trouble?"

[aeskhyne]

"Yep. Hug?"

[instar]

"Sure."

Hug.

[aeskhyne]

Very hug.

"See you," he says, and he's off.

[instar]

The twins play with the butterfly until he comes back.

[aeskhyne]

He returns about an hour later, accompanied by Ethan and a map. A really good map.

[instar]

"Hi, guys. It turns out Andi is some kind of morphing prodigy. She can include clothes, and control order of operations, and she's six times faster than me at the butterfly. She also figured out how to stop in the middle, but I can do that too, now."

[palmofyourhand]

"How about clothes, can you do those?"

[instar]

"Working on it."

[pandion]

"I can't do just any clothes, they have to be pretty snug," says Andi, who is in fact wearing a tube top and leggings. "But they just sort of come along, if I want them to - not when I'm turning into Bella, though, then I want them to stay where they are."

[palmofyourhand]

"Fascinating," says Ethan. "Could you attach one outfit to each shape, I wonder?"

[pandion]

"We were about to try that when you showed up, actually."

[palmofyourhand]

"Well, don't let me stop you," he laughs.

[instar]

"She's not going to do it in front of you. Andi, you think you can take notes by yourself while I watch these guys?"