Chapter 4
“I didn't know that this was a costume party,” Merlin said when Rad opened the door for him in full Ra'at (Rad & Ma'at) garb. He wasn't expecting to find her in a gold buttoned up dress with a belt full of her Goa'uld technology and a sword. “I would have come dresses as a leprachun if I had known.”
“Yeerks O'lot?” Rad said looking at Jude. “Sorry, Grimluk has given RAFians the ability to recognize each other. You should have told me you were a RAFian. I would have asked you to play a part in the Our Summer Vacation audio drama.”
I can't host hope then, Merlin said. She'll spot me if I change. “I didn't know about how I could help,” he said. “Sounds like you know what you're doing.”
“Thank you,” she said, smiling. “It was your voice that I really wanted for a character named Merlin.”
Merlin turned a shade of pink that matched his host's red hair.
<<She's fond you out,>> Jude said. <<Did she name a Yeerk after you? That is great!>>
<<It was a voluntary human host,>> Merlin said quietly. <<I've had to study everything Christina ever wrote about Ra'at to prep for this moment. OSV kept coming up.>>
“Really? What do we have in common?” he asked.
“Your age, an intest in law,” Ra'at said, “nothing much more. I just didn't want an evil sounding voice for that part.”
<<Does she like my voice?>> Jude asked.
Merlin suppressed an eye roll.
“Christina, you should have told me you were having guests!” It was her grandmother coming down the steps of her apartment with her newest wig of short, honey blond hair a little cruced on her head. “I made cookies.”
Ra'at was surprised. She wasn't going to tell Christina's grandmother. “You wouldn't be able to understand.”
She must have not heard or didn't care because she kept coming.
“Jude, go to the living room I'll meet you there.”
Indoors, donut moaned to himself. It's harder to fly indoors. He flapped his wings, being careful not to brush his wings against anything. He landed on a window sill to rest to rest and look at the sun and the trees. Outside was where he belonged. Where Este was. He was losing track of how often he had cursed the body that he was now trapped in, yet he cursed it again.
<Este,> he said using his thought speak. <It's me, donut.> He gave another sigh. <The bird.>
Este looked at the trees around her.
<I'm inside this house,> donut said tapping on the glass with his beak.
Este turned to the tapping to see a scarlet macaw sitting on the still. She started laughing.
<This isn't a joke.>
Este came inside and over to the window that donut was perching on. “I would have though you would turn into into Donut from Red Versus Blue.”
<That is what I should be,> donut said. <You know what's happening then.>
“I was just using RAFchat to talk to Dameg,” Este said. “She's a Yeerk now with three days or less to live. I don't think we can make Kandrona.”
<Yeah, I don't think McGuiver could fix this.>
Myitt felt like she had been thrown in to the back seat of a moving car. I guess you could say that she had. She was in the back seat of Jessi's car with Brian and a fox in the front. “Where am I? What-”
<Tara?> Marie said.
Marie identified the fox as Marie. “She's here too. You're Marie and Jessi?”
“Yeah it's me,” Brian's voice said. “How come you got a host and I didn't?”
<<Or you know that we support each other so well that we need each other?>> Tara said to Myitt.
<<Its possible.>>
“I wrote the two of us to work together,” Myitt said. ”What are we doing?”
<We're driving to Goom's to see if he's shut the site down yet,> Marie said. <We don't want this to spread.>
“Oh,” Terenia exclaimed. “Imagine if this happen to World of War Craft. I wouldn't want to walk the streets anymore.”
“How long have you been driving?” Myitt asked, getting herself comfortable in the backseat. “He's in a different city.”
<We're almost there,> Marie said.
Myitt looked at the time on the dash and the time on her watch. “The Ellimist must have left me in a SARIO? rip,” she commented. “It was about 1 P.M in bolder when then he took me to whereever Rad is, and gave us that speech about not having RAFians log on, and sending us to where we should go.”
“Wait, Ellimist!”
<You saw Rad?>
Myitt had to tell the other two RAFians about Grimluk and meeting the other RAFians during Rad's fencing lessen. Meanwhile, the car pulled up Goom's house in time to hear a scream from inside. Myitt grasped her dracon beam on her belt.
Terenia bolted out of the car to the house.
<I'll stay in the car,> Marie said.
Myitt nodded as she ran out of the car to the door keeping a tight grip on her dracon.
Terenia stopped outside the door and closed Brian's eyes. “I just sent Goom thought-speak to tell him we were coming.”
A woman opened the door. “It told me that you could explain,” she said. “Hi Tara, what's with the fancy gun?”
“Nothing,” she said putting away the gun. “I'm guessing that he has turned in to a goomba.”
Goom's mother nodded.
Ma'at and Rad had their plan for the announcement to the family and the club. Rad would talk first about Gymn and the changes that come with being a mother. Then after everybody had accepted Gymn and petted him Ma'at would start to talk about herself in the third person and with Rad's human voice. Then Ma'at would leave her and, as much as Ma'at hated the idea, everybody could touch her and see that she was real or some junk like that.
She stood before her audience of her sister, who was called Humbleness, Rad's mother and father, her grandma, Mohamed, Jude and Steinbrenner.
But Jude had an icebreaker in a plastic bag. “I brought salsa and chips, Christina. I know that you get hungry before speeches.”
<<Salsa!>> Rad screamed at Ma'at.
<<I'll have some,>> Ma'at moaned. <<It's far too spicy for my taste.>>
Rad took back control of her body. “Thank you, I feel the need have a little now.” She sunk into the black plastic and opened the bag the bag of chips. The salt could be felt between her fingers. She twisted the cap off the salsa and dipped the chip in. “You should take a seat. I'm only having one now.” She moved her hand out of the bag so she could take a bite.
The swelling started before Rad even swallowed. <<What's happening?>>
Gymn rushed out from underneath the dinning room table and draped over Rad's shoulders.
<<I tasted mango,>> Ma'at said. <<I've increased the effectiveness of your immune system so you're reacting wost then norma l to your allergy. I'm going to leave and tell Gymn to reduce the swelling.>> Ma'at could feel Rad lose oxygen and the flesh between her and Rad's mouth thicken. <<I'm heading out the back.>>
