![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
Entry tags:
3 resistance fighters walk into a bar...
WHO: Cassian, Marco & Ax
WHERE: the atrium
WHEN: Oh-God-Hundred in the morning on Dec 19th
WHAT: Everyone is paranoid and Cassian and Ax don't trust each other, so they're meeting. That's how these things go, isn't it?
WARNINGS: Snarky teenagers and a salty winter adult
Cassian recognizes high-level paranoia when he encounters it; his attempt at keeping his first name off the network failed when Marco revealed it, but that was fine. Merely an encouragement to figure out how to redact and create anonymous or alternative user profiles on the network.
He was probably being too paranoid about it, honestly, but he doesn't know how much reach his name has after what he's done, and he's sure that there's more than a few Imperial officers who wouldn't mind putting a blaster hole in him. Even here, after the fact.
Besides this person, whomever they were, seemed just as paranoid, and that could be good or bad. Most Imperials he met were not, as a rule, but that probably had a lot to do with being assured that they were the power in play.
So.
Either way, he's at the atrium in about fifteen minutes, stopping near the entrance and glancing around, looking for anyone who seems to be waiting. It's not terribly busy at this hour, anyway.
WHERE: the atrium
WHEN: Oh-God-Hundred in the morning on Dec 19th
WHAT: Everyone is paranoid and Cassian and Ax don't trust each other, so they're meeting. That's how these things go, isn't it?
WARNINGS: Snarky teenagers and a salty winter adult
Cassian recognizes high-level paranoia when he encounters it; his attempt at keeping his first name off the network failed when Marco revealed it, but that was fine. Merely an encouragement to figure out how to redact and create anonymous or alternative user profiles on the network.
He was probably being too paranoid about it, honestly, but he doesn't know how much reach his name has after what he's done, and he's sure that there's more than a few Imperial officers who wouldn't mind putting a blaster hole in him. Even here, after the fact.
Besides this person, whomever they were, seemed just as paranoid, and that could be good or bad. Most Imperials he met were not, as a rule, but that probably had a lot to do with being assured that they were the power in play.
So.
Either way, he's at the atrium in about fifteen minutes, stopping near the entrance and glancing around, looking for anyone who seems to be waiting. It's not terribly busy at this hour, anyway.
no subject
Probably the fact that for three blissful, wonderful, amazing years, he hasn't had to turn into an insect with all the creepy mouthparts and exoskeleton, hasn't had to feel the air currents rattling through the spaces between his natural armor, hasn't had to deal with the lack of input from the pathetic insect senses. Nestled down in Ax's human morph's hair, he clings to the roots and resists the all-powerful instinct to bite down, the addictive, enticing sense of blood under flesh. It's been a few years since the war, after all, and he's trying not to be uncivilized.
<Ax-man, you're gonna have to keep me in the loop here. I forgot how bad these stupid flea senses are.>
no subject
So.
Cassian offers a hand to Ax. "Captain Cassian Andor. You wanted to know about the group I hold rank with? I'm afraid I'll need to know at least a little more about you than just a username."
no subject
Ax is gonna nail this. And by nail it, he is actually going to take Cassian's proffered hand gingerly and sort of move it up and down a couple of times. That counts, right? He's never really gotten the point of handshakes.
They'd agreed beforehand to be as cagey as possible, but there's no harm in a little honesty just to test the waters.
"I am Aximili-Esgarrouth-Isthill. I am also a captain." It's not entirely a lie, but what's important is the name. Back home, Ax was as famous as Marco, but even if he wasn't it's clearly an Andalite name--and no Yeerk in his experience has been able to entirely suppress their visceral hatred of Andalites. If Cassian is a Controller, it should tell.
no subject
He's pretty sure this kid is not an Imperial though. "That sounds like a mouthful. Do you shorten it at all?" Mostly Cassian is worried he's going to butcher this kid's name and get himself on a shitlist because of it. "I'm going to guess you are not a part of the Empire."
Just. Going out on a limb. He'd be awfully young for a captain.
coffee's going to jump in when appropriate btw (also sorry about teens bein difficult)
He decides on a careful, "I don't know what Empire you mean."
it's all good
He'll practice. But he's starting to think Aximili doesn't come from the same corner of the galaxy as he does.
"This might be a better question: does the word Jedi mean anything to you?"
rip no fourth walling
Information for information, piece by piece. This way they stay on equal footing, even if Ax feels he isn't learning much about Cassian that is substantial. Just a sense that perhaps he is who he says he is. He could just be lying, of course, but that's not the usual tactic of his enemies.
Still, he's reluctant to let his guard down. Cassian could still pose an entirely new threat.
<Marco, I don't believe this man is a Yeerk. However, it would be risky to trust him. How should we proceed?>
I know but it's probably best for his sanity rn lol
Cassian shrugs, and puts his hands in his pockets. "I don't think you and I are from the same place. I am part of a resistance effort against the Imperial forces where I'm from."
no subject
<You know, I'm trying really hard to be civilized and everything, but your blood is irresistible, Ax-man.>
It's not like he's not paying attention, though. Ax might not be the most colorful narrator, but he's definitely smart and detail oriented, and Marco's smart enough to keep up with the details. It's pretty obvious pretty quickly that the guy doesn't know Ax's very famous, very Andalite name, and that the Empire he's referring to isn't one Ax has heard of. When Ax asks his advice, Marco gives it a bit of thought, then replies.
<I'm with you. I mean, this whole thing isn't really the Yeerk M.O. either. No point in telling him everything, but I figure we're not from the same part of the universe, you know? And it's been a while since the Animorphs were a big secret.I don't want to tell him everything, but hey, a bit wouldn't hurt, right?>
no subject
It's only half-serious. He recognizes Marco's humor at this point, and he's endured worse than flea bites.
Plus, he also recognizes what Marco is really asking.
<Would you care to give him a demonstration?>
no subject
It's just as much half-serious, but he lets go of the joking and goes quiet when Ax asks if he'd care to give him a demonstration. And this is the moment of truth, isn't it? The moment where they decide if they're gonna be on the up and up about what they can do.
<Yeah sure, give me a moment.>
And that's it, then. He takes a (metaphorical) deep breath and forces his flea body to jump as far away from Ax's warm body, falls and falls and falls until he lands on the ground. Once he's there, he focuses on his human form, and starts the change.
There's a certain level of horror by association that Marco feels every time he comes out of flea form - a certain point, after his skin has softened and he's gone from flea-sized to a few feet tall, that he gets a weird fluttering clench in his (metaphorical) chest. It's always a relief when he gets up to his full height, just barely over 5 feet, when the exoskeleton completely disappears and the extra legs schloop back into his ribcage, and he knows for sure he's not going to be stuck like he almost was that one time. Trapped between the two forms.
Why had he gone flea again? It was a total nightmare.
Maybe not as much of a nightmare as Cassian's probably been dealing with watching morphing for the first time. It's never a pretty sight, and any transition from bug to human or back again is particularly nasty. The human-sized weird bug eyeballs, the interlocking plates of shiny brown armor on a four foot tall monster as it grows up to the size of a nineteen-year-old boy? Not much more fun to watch than to feel.
But it's over with, and Marco waves a hand at Cassian, smirking a little.
"Hey. So you should tell us more about this Jedi thing."
no subject
Besides which this is all a bit fascinating. He'd have pinned Marco for a baseline human, honestly, not...whatever is capable of what Cassian just witnessed.
He raises his eyebrows.
"It's a religious order, or what's left of it is. I'm not the best one for explaining, I'm not sensitive to that sort of thing at all." The Force, in general. Icebergs have had more of a reaction to the Force than Cassian has in his lifetime.
no subject
What's more important is Cassian's reaction. Ax was watching his face very closely, and while it's still not intuitive for him he's spent enough time around humans to be able to read their expressions. Cassian definitely reacted, but in what way, Ax really couldn't say.
So he's still a mystery. Ax isn't a fan of those. He stays on his guard.
"You are very calm for never having witnessed morphing before."
no subject
"There's not much to be gained by losing my shit, at this point. None of that," he gestures at Marco, grimacing just slightly, "looked either fun or comfortable, and it is definitely out of my range of abilities, but I can respect that it is possible without being an ass about it."
no subject
Part of him is pretty thankful the suit he got when he woke up on this ship is so great for morphing - he looks a lot less stupid wearing it than he did in his old morphing suit, that's for sure. Feels less off his guard than he would if he were in spandex and a tight t-shirt.
It's a relief when Ax calls Cassian on his seeming non-chalance, because it means Marco can watch his face for the tell-tale darkness behind Cassian's eyes. It doesn't come, though, and for a moment, Marco wishes Cassie were here, observing, so she could tell them if she thought Cassian was lying or on the up-and-up. She's better at that than Marco is, can read people in a way even he can't. But she isn't here, so he has to do his best.
And Cassian seems pretty legit, not because of his assertion that there's nothing to be gained by losing his shit (though that's a point in his favor for sure) but because he says he can respect that it's possible without seeming to acknowledge what it might mean. After all, the Yeerks don't disbelieve that the Animorphs can do what they do, they're infuriated by who they are and what they've done. All in all, it sets Marco pretty at ease.
"Believe me, it's about as comfortable and fun as it looks, my man. So, like, you've never seen anyone do this before? It's old hat where I come from. Everyone does it."
no subject
He stays surprised for about half a second, and then he realizes that Marco is bluffing. Of course.
"Yes. What he said is the truth." Smooth.
no subject
"So." To Aximili. "We need to work on your handshake, if you're going to be passing as human. Also your Sabbac face." Because you are a terrible liar, kid, and it is not working in your favor. "No offense, please."
no subject
And Cassian really looks like the kind of guy who has half a brain cell in his head.
Marco manages to restrain himself from elbowing Ax, and glances up at Cassian as he starts having a go at Ax's "Sabbac face," which he can only assume is an alien version of "poker face."
Instead of commenting, he just smirks, dark eyes flicking between Cassian and Ax, amused more than anything, waiting for Ax to answer.