the airplane

[instar]

Bella, Andi, and Robin all get on the plane. Bella and Robin have toothbrush caps in their pockets containing flies. Nothing in particular happens when they go through security. They fly for an hour, and then Bella, rather than risk crunch time due to turbulence or a line for the bathroom a little later on, gets up to take Trouble into privacy for demorphing and remorphing.

She takes the toothbrush cap out of her pocket and sets it on the tiny little counter, and then flattens herself against a wall to give him room.

Comments

[pandion]

Andi goes to the bathroom to let Charlie demorph and remorph after it's been a while. She passes the toothbrush cap to Bella when the receptionist isn't looking so she doesn't wind up looking like she's been drinking gallons of coffee if they wind up staying here for a while.

[alicornucopia]

It does, in fact, take a while for one of the park rangers to come back.

He tries not to be too pessimistic in front of the girls, but they've apparently found the scene and it apparently wasn't good. They're going to keep looking - he doesn't say it, but presumably it's to see if they can find the rest of the body.

[hold_infinity]

Robin pushes for more detail once or twice, but then looks at the girls and goes quiet again.

[alicornucopia]

The park ranger awkwardly pats Bella on the shoulder, but doesn't try it on the other girls when she shrugs him off and scrunches in towards herself.

[instar]

The twins tell the rangers and receptionists how they got to the park (in Charlie's cop car, which other cops may wish to claim) and where Charlie lived and that apart from their mother there are no significant relatives about. The receptionist lady gives the girls a ride home and asks them if they will be okay by themselves.

They will, Bella says, be as okay by themselves as they can be.

[aeskhyne]

A couple of pigeons are waiting for them at home.

[sundayfish]

After Bella has checked all the curtains and given him the all-clear, Charlie demorphs. He doesn't really have any tight-fitting clothes, but he goes and gets a bathrobe.

[aeskhyne]

Trouble demorphs too. He does not have a bathrobe, but his morphing outfit - a tight T-shirt and bike shorts - is intact.

[palmofyourhand]

Likewise Ethan.

[sundayfish]

"So - thanks," says Charlie awkwardly. "Suppose nobody knows how much food there is in the house and won't miss a few slices of leftover pizza."

[instar]

"I'll go warm some up."

[palmofyourhand]

Ethan sits on the couch and hugs Robin.

[hold_infinity]

Robin thinks this is an excellent plan!

[aeskhyne]

Trouble heads for the couch to join them, and...

...pauses.

"Do you guys hear that?"

[pandion]

"...Wait, you hear something? I kind of - I thought it was my imagination."

[instar]

"I don't hear anything - what is it?"

[aeskhyne]

"Thought-speak," says Trouble. "Really faint. Incredibly faint. I can barely even hear it. If there are words, I'm sure not getting them. Just - feelings, kind of? Like 'help me, help me'. And something else I can't figure out."

[pandion]

"...The ocean?" says Andi vaguely.

[aeskhyne]

"Yeah. I think so, yeah. Like, the bottom of the ocean. All that water." He shivers. "I don't think he likes it down there."

[pandion]

"Yeah, it's not... a happy voice."

[instar]

"...Dad, is this ringing any bells?"

[sundayfish]

"Esclan wasn't important enough to know anything about that kind of thing," says Charlie, shaking his head, "his job was to have a respectable authority figure participating in the Sharing chapter and let Controllers off with warnings if they had to commit crimes going about their business."

[aeskhyne]

"So... mysterious SOS from somewhere under the ocean," says Trouble, "in thought-speak. Who else thinks that Andalite ship might not have been as burnt up as it sounded?"

[instar]

"Do you think you can find the place?"

[aeskhyne]

"Sure, if I could get there," says Trouble. "Morph a whale or something. Dolphin? Do dolphins dive? I don't even know how far down we'd have to go."