the zoo

[instar]

There is one visit during the day from a lady down the street who has made the girls a casserole, on the grounds that it can be hard to remember to eat when bereaved. Bella thanks her sincerely, sniffles a little, and sends her on her way. The casserole is shared around for lunch. Bella asks Ax what Andalites eat, and when she finds out, she locates a bag of grass clippings in the backyard that he pronounces acceptable. She also asks him how he eats them. By way of illustration, he steps both forehooves into the bag of clippings.

Night falls.

They can all go to the Seattle zoo and acquire everything they can get their hands on.

Comments

[morphbox]

<I don't know. Does it matter?>

[aeskhyne]

He shrugs. "I guess not."

[morphbox]

<Are any of the others likely to be alarmed by your absence from the couch?>

[aeskhyne]

"I don't think so."

But, contemplating this possibility, he gets to his feet and opens the door and peeks out.

[pandion]

Andi is dimly visible in the moonlight filtered through the curtains; she hasn't bothered to turn on a light. She is standing by the sink with a glass of water. "Making friends with Ax?" she asks Trouble.

[aeskhyne]

"Trying to."

[pandion]

"Are you having trouble with it? I pried the plastic stars off our ceiling for him and showed him where to get a casserole dish he could stand in to drink water out of and bam, friendship."

[aeskhyne]

Trouble comes through the door in his blanket, shuts it behind him - the door, not the blanket - and proceeds into the kitchen for a glass of water of his very own.

"It's a little more complicated with me."

[pandion]

"How come?"

[aeskhyne]

"'Cause the other day I accidentally insulted him and he accidentally scared me, and now I'm trying to work through that."

[pandion]

"Oh. You were scared?"

[aeskhyne]

"Yeah. Scared doesn't usually look like scared, on me."

[pandion]

"That and you were a pigeon."

[aeskhyne]

"You can't see scared on pigeons?"

[pandion]

"Nnnnot really."

[aeskhyne]

"I can. I mean, now that I've been one. I wasn't born with a mystical connection to pigeons or anything."

[pandion]

"The Amazing Pigeon-Boy!" suggests Andi.

[aeskhyne]

Trouble cracks up.

[pandion]

"It was super-dark too, anyway."

[aeskhyne]

"True."

[pandion]

"I thought he was really polite, what scared you?"

[aeskhyne]

"It's not about how polite he was. It's just - the whole thing set me off."

[pandion]

"Yeah, obviously, what about it?"

[aeskhyne]

"If I knew, I might tell you."

[pandion]

"Huh."