the ocean

[instar]

Five pigeons, one with a beetle glued to her foot, fly to Seattle and find the aquarium and the orca tanks.

There is one with just one orca in it.

Five pigeons land on the glass edge of the tank.

Comments

[morphbox]

<It... Andalites do not share technology.>

[morphbox]

<Except when they do, apparently?> says Andi.

[aeskhyne]

<Huh,> says Trouble.

[morphbox]

<Well,> says Bella, <Elfangor morphboxed us all, and we kept the box and added Charlie since then.>

[morphbox]

<How do you ensure that someone you wish to "add" is not a Controller?> asks Ax suspiciously.

[morphbox]

<In Charlie's case? Cornered him till we saw the Yeerk leave,> says Bella. <We knew he was one, and knew we could trust him once we fixed that.>

<I'm Bella and Andi's father,> Charlie clarifies.

[morphbox]

<Oh.>

[aeskhyne]

Trouble... is silent.

[morphbox]

There is the shore. The Swan family beaches itself and demorphs.

[pandion]

"Oh - Aximili - can you understand English?" Andi asks when she's almost done, pitch-black hair sprouting from her head and assuming its usual color like a bizarre salon product commercial.

[morphbox]

<I have a translation implant. It has this language already,> says Ax, demorphing and wading out of the water onto the beach. He shakes his hooves once he's out of the surf and standing all four on sand.

[instar]

"I don't suppose there are a bunch more of those in a box in your Dome that we could go and get?" asks Bella.

[morphbox]

<They're surgically installed, and that isn't done aboard ship.>

[aeskhyne]

Trouble and Robin and Ethan beach and demorph.

"So hey," says Trouble, "is there a limit on the number of morphs you can acquire?"

[morphbox]

<...What? No. There is not.>

[instar]

"Fuck yes."

[sundayfish]

"Bella."

[instar]

"I stand by my profanity. Unlimited morphs."

[aeskhyne]

Trouble laughs and hugs her.

[instar]

"Okay, new modus operandi is acquire everything you can get your hands on, and Ax - can we call you that? - can teach us the mixing-DNA-thing and then Trouble can combine a few people and be able to go out in public and Charlie can too and we won't be impersonating anyone specific - we should all have 'generic human' morphs, I'll brainstorm situations where we can quietly acquire people especially if they're asleep and won't notice the sedative effect."

[morphbox]

<Ax is fine,> says Ax, <if it is easier to produce with mouth-sounds. I will do my best to teach the Frolis maneuver but I still have not tried it myself. It only works with multiple individuals of a single species.> He shifts his weight a little. <Who is your prince?>

[pandion]

Andi looks at Bella.

[sundayfish]

Charlie scratches his head.



Then he looks at Bella too.

[aeskhyne]

Trouble looks at everyone, thoughtfully.

[hold_infinity]

Robin... also looks at Bella, although she glances at Ethan first.