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[open] party in the atrium
WHO: Ax and YOU (if you happen to be in the atrium)
WHERE: Atrium
WHEN: Morning of 2/14, before and after life support is restored
WHAT: Ax attempts damage control in the way only a disgruntled alien centaur stuck in zero-g can! Come hug a polar bear if you need help staying warm!
WARNINGS: Will update if necessary
[ 0820, shortly after systems failure ]
[ 0840, the temperature is getting... unbearable ]
[ 0920, after systems restoration ]
WHERE: Atrium
WHEN: Morning of 2/14, before and after life support is restored
WHAT: Ax attempts damage control in the way only a disgruntled alien centaur stuck in zero-g can! Come hug a polar bear if you need help staying warm!
WARNINGS: Will update if necessary
[ 0820, shortly after systems failure ]
[He should have known this would happen. A ship with an engine system so volatile it can regularly pull in residents of other dimensions is not going to have life support up to par. This would never happen on an Andalite ship.
After a few moments of undignified flailing (Andalites are not trained in zero-g because the idea that artificial gravity could simply break is laughable) he resigns himself to floating and waiting it out.
And waiting. And waiting. It's dark enough that he won't notice he's about to collide with someone until he does, though even if he did, there would have been little he could have done about it. His hooves will knock the wind out of you and his tail will do worse; be glad he only gets you with the flat of it. Alternately, he'll just barely miss you, casually gliding by as probably the strangest thing you've ever seen.]
<Please remain calm. There should be very little danger as long as life support returns quickly.>
[ 0840, the temperature is getting... unbearable ]
[Of course, it doesn't; it takes long enough that even Ax starts getting a little worried, though he's barely willing to admit it to himself. The biggest problem is that it's getting very cold.
Which Ax can actually do something about, but he's the only one. Probably. The only drawback is that the other people here don't seem to be all that used to morphing. So: they'll just have to learn fast.]
<Stay close to me. I am going to do something that should help with staying warm.>
[That's all he says before his body begins ballooning, changing color, shifting internal organs and bones and tendon... the pop of joints shifting rings out especially loud without the ambient noise of the ship's systems in the way. It's gross.
After a few grotesque minutes he has physically shifted from weird blue centaur alien to Earth-native polar bear. Grab ahold!]
[ 0920, after systems restoration ]
[There's no obvious sign that base power systems has been restored; it's only the natural Andalite ability to keep track of data in the environment that lets Ax know.
He has been in polar bear morph for approximately forty Earth minutes.]
<The ambient temperature has raised several degrees in the last few minutes. It is likely that life support has been restored.>
[There's a moment as he waits expectantly.]
<Which means you can let go of me.>
the bear-ening
He's never met an alien that looks quite like Ax yet, so excuse the staring from underneath his skull-like mass when he hovers close enough--special attention being paid to the curved blade on the end of (his?) tail. He's jerked from his thoughts, however, when someone elses' thoughts intrude on his own.
...What a weird feeling.]
Don't speak directly into--
[He starts to absolutely bitch about having his thoughts invaded (as Reaper does about most things) when Ax starts to shift.
Reaper's seen a number of uncomfortably gross things in his life, being a soldier and veteran of war, as well as a walking corpse--but nothing could have prepared him for what he just saw there.
When Ax's thoughts invade his head again, he's a little less inclined to bitch. If only because he's a bit grossly amused by what he just witnessed. He even laughs, a rough bark of a thing from under his mask.]
Save your warmth for yourself. The dead can't feel the cold. But I will comment that whatever the fuck you just did to turn into that was one of the grossest things I've ever seen. [And yet, why does he sound so... amused?]
no subject
Belatedly, he realizes that this means Reaper's species is likely humanoid, and when he'd revealed himself in the food court he had expected Ax to react as a human would, to another human that looked like that. Suddenly the whole encounter makes much more sense, in retrospect. As does Reaper's own self-absorption.
With this in mind, Reaper's lack of reaction here is rather impressive, though Ax is weirdly smug that he at least managed to gross him out. That same part of him flares mischievously to life, and he wonders how long he can string this out.]
<Gabriel Reyes.> [Ooh, without introduction! Spooky.] <Come with me if you want to live.>
no subject
His fingers twitch at his sides and he pulls his head back, almost in disgust as the ... alien thing once again talks to him; speaking his name. There's a few people he's told his name to on the ship, so it's not as if he would be able to deduce that it's a certain alien prince...
But with the thought-speak, it definitely makes him react differently.]
...I said stay out of my head. [His tone is markedly quieter, almost a low hiss as black smoke seeps out from around his mask. Of course: he assumes the alien is reading his mind. Hilarious, right.
But he doesn't move away from the bear, careful enough to stay floating close, if he can manage in in zero-g.]
no subject
When Reaper still doesn't move closer, though, he gets a little irritated.]
<The climate controls aboard this ship have failed. Polar bears can retain heat better than humans. It is in your best interests to stay as close to me as possible.>
no subject
Quick thinking, but you do realise there might be few who want someone elses' thoughts in their head. Never know what you could find if you dig around in there. [This part might even sound a bit like a threat, but.
It's hard to threaten a giant bear you're pretty much pressed up next to for fucking body heat.
Polar bears, he realises now, are uncomfortably huge.]
no subject
[He almost leaves it at that, but... well, this is going to get real awkward if they don't actually say anything to each other while waiting for the power to turn back on. Floating around with a ghost person clinging to him isn't exactly his idea of fun.]
<Have you considered talking to someone about these mental disturbances you are so defensive of?> [Perfect topic.]
no subject
He lets out a low breath, a whisp of fog esaping him and not quite floating away as quickly as it normally does when gravity is more ... normal.]
What, you advising me to see a therapist as we float aimlessly through the dark? [He actually laughs, though it's not an amused one.]
No amount of tharapy can fix what 'mental disturbances' I'm 'defensive' of.
no subject
Accordingly, there's a bit of an awkward silence. A ghost hugging a polar bear is pretty awkward! Who would have thought.]
<You do not seem surprised to find a talking polar bear.> [Not least of all one that already knows Reaper's name. Come on where's the fun if he can't be baited!!]
no subject
He'd missed that entirely, and now felt not only unguarded as they float out and around aimlessly, but now he has to deal with that stupid sheepish feeling of taking something too seriously. As he always did.
And yeah, this is awkward. Unbelievably so. He's trying to think of ways to escape this without looking like an idiot. He has an image to keep, dammit.]
...
Trust me, I'm more than surprised. But I've also had to deal with talking animals before. Once got into a firefight with a giant talking gorilla and a girl who can teleport.
[He's serious.]
no subject
[Though he's probably not talking about the same thing.
More importantly, Ax is getting a little bored of stringing Reaper along.]
<You don't know who I am, do you?>
no subject
You're telling me you've seen a gorilla in a firefight before, too.
[You're an ALIEN, there's no way--
Wait.
You can almost see him squinting under his mask...]
No, I don't. But now I have the feeling that you've been punking me this entire time.
[And he's usually right about his 'feelings'.]
no subject
[He sounds really, really smug, in fact.]
<I have been Aximili-Esgarrouth-Isthill this entire time.>
[Yeah. That tool.]
1/?
2/4
3/4
no subject
You could have fucking said something about being able to change shapes THIS wildly, you jackass.
no subject
<I assure you this form is temporary. I don't like the situation much more than you do.>
no subject
Save it. How was I supposed to know you were some sort of... shape-shifting alien.
....
Was that blue thing you were earlier just another shape you take, then.