the capture

[instar]

Bella is, uncharacteristically, home alone; Andi is over at Robin's, and Renée is visiting a friend of hers in the hospital, though she could be home relatively soon depending on how much the two get caught up in conversation.

Bella is memorizing the map of Phoenix.

Comments

[aeskhyne]

"Yeah. Tell Aspret what's up?" he says, dragging a folding chair over next to the bowl.

[morphbox]

<Aspret, this is Bella. We're going to put you back in Trouble so you can talk. If you don't come out as soon as any of us tells you to, staying's going to be unpleasant, and if you start to morph or otherwise make sudden movements likewise. The possibility of a complete lack of unpleasantness exists but we need to determine if there's any way we can trust you.>

[aeskhyne]

The Yeerk in the bowl wiggles. Trouble watches her for a few seconds.

Then he takes a deep breath and leans down to put his head over the bowl.

Aspret slithers into his ear. He sits up and closes his eyes.

[morphbox]

Bella folds her arms and lashes her tail slightly. It makes a whistly noise, if she angles the blade right.

[aeskhyne]

He shudders a little, hunching in his chair.

Then... Aspret opens his eyes.

She looks fearfully at Ethan, then even more fearfully at Bella. Trouble's hands twist together in his lap.

[morphbox]

<I invite you to convince us that we wouldn't all be... entertaining mental guests... or dead or on the run if we found a way to keep you comfortably alive.>

[aeskhyne]

"Are you kidding me?" says Aspret. "Trap me in morph! Please! I won't starve, I won't die, I won't ever have to see that Andalite-wearing sadist again!"

[morphbox]

<The fact that he's numbered suggests that there are other Yeerk authorities running around. Even if you don't have any reason to like Visser Three in particular, he's not the only person you could betray us to if we gave you freedom of movement and the ability to thoughtspeak.>

[aeskhyne]

"He's in charge of this—of the invasion of Earth, I mean," says Aspret. "There's no Yeerk I could talk to about, about you guys, that wouldn't lead me back to him eventually." She shivers. "Which is the last place I ever want to be. There are regulations against wastefully killing subordinates, but nobody dares to remind him about them anymore. I've heard rumours—" She bites Trouble's lip, then shakes his head, shivering again. "Some people try to get close to him, soak up the glory, stay on his good side. Not me. I'm done."

[morphbox]

<We'd still be running a risk,> Bella says, shifting her weight, rippling her tail. <Even getting the morphing box and then putting it back is a risk, and we'd have to catch you some kind of animal, too. Would you work for us?>

[aeskhyne]

Aspret huddles in the chair, wrapping Trouble's arms tightly around his stomach.

[morphbox]

Bella waits.

[aeskhyne]

"...Y...es..." she says tremblingly, and then shakes Trouble's head. "No! Not if I had to go anywhere near another Yeerk! Turn me into a, a bird, a migrating bird, I'll give you... everything I know that isn't something only I know, and I'll just fly away. Be a bird forever. I love birds..." She trails off with a sigh.

[morphbox]

<Intel is a form of helping,> Bella says mildly. <I take it you don't have any friends you want to give the same deal?>

[aeskhyne]

She shakes Trouble's head again. "N-no."

[morphbox]

<Do you have anything else to say before you leave and we talk amongst ourselves?> asks Bella.

Swish, swish goes her tail.

[aeskhyne]

Trouble's eyes track that tail as though magnetically attracted.

"...I'm talking to Trouble," she says nervously, "can we have a minute...?"

[morphbox]

<Does anyone think she's lying?> Bella inquires of the room idly.

[pandion]

Andi shakes her head mutely.

[palmofyourhand]

"Doubt it," says Ethan.

[morphbox]

<Go on.>

[aeskhyne]

Aspret goes back to twisting Trouble's hands together in his lap. She continues watching Bella's tail.

[morphbox]

Swish. Swish.

(Bella kinda likes having a tail.)

[aeskhyne]

"Y-you're scaring me," mumbles Aspret.

[morphbox]

Bella's tail stills.