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[Estelore]

(No worries, Leo. Most of what you missed was a time-stop, and, for all we know, The Man could have frozen you, too, since you weren't named directly. Just follow the action, and throw in your 2 cents when it feels right. )

<Sounds fine by me. The more, the merrier, I suppose. Edward, eh? Well, I'm Ais, and these are Leah, Norin, Rich, and Chase. We are easily as confused about this whole situation as you are, so you can follow us if you like. Heh. I wonder where my brother went....>

As I jogged out the door, a vague needling sensation, not quite fear, tingled in the back of my mind when I thought about Alistair.

I shoved it out of my thoughts and focussed on finding a safe place for our motley crew. We would be needing some morph-firepower and supplies to provide for emergency situations, but first and foremost we needed a secure hideout.

[Qwerty the Charliecorn]

As we headed off into the dark night, I tried to ignore Edward. The more I looked at him, the more familliar he seemed. It's all in your mind. You need rest, I told myself. Luckily, the rest of the group remained silent during the walk, which made the situation seem less awkward. Yet, judging by their expressions, I could tell they were trying to think of something to say, but couldn't find the words. After we'd been walking for at least thirty minutes, I broke the silence.

"Ais? If this is too much trouble, I--I can find somewhere else to stay. Like, a warehouse or something. I've lived out here before. I don't want to get you guys into trouble."

[Estelore]

<It's no trouble at all, Leah. As I said before, I have no intention of leaving you alone at night in the middle of southern California. It is a dangerous place, doubly so because you have no way to protect yourself. Watch out, guys, there's a pile of bricks here in the middle of the sidewalk.>

I was still in cat form, playing as eyes for the rest of the group. I'd already demorphed and remorphed once, just to be safe, and it was dark enough to leave the others virtually blind.

I sensed that something was making Leah uncomfortable. I reached out to her in private thought-speak.
<Leah, nobody else can hear what I'm saying right now. This is private, just between my brain and yours, okay? Is someone in this group worrying you? Just nod or shake your head a little, I'll see.>

I looked back and waited for her silent response.

[Qwerty the Charliecorn]

I didn't know how to answer. Edward was bothering me, but it had to have just been my mind playing tricks on me. I was tired, and I needed rest. When morning came, the feeling would be gone. But even I knew that was a lie.

I nodded slowly, but casually, to make it appear is if I were only looking around.

[Estelore]

I had thought that she seemed a bit anxious.

<Okay. I know that this has been a crazy, scary day for you, just like for the rest of us, and we all could use a little peace of mind. I'm going to ask the rest of MY group, the ones that I already know and trust, to keep going wherever Norin decides to take them. We, you and I, that is, shall casually split off from the rest. I am going to feed you some words that you can use to seperate from the rest, and I'll tell them that I'm just going to follow you to keep an eye on you, make sure you get there safely, stuff like that. I'll then lead you to one of several safe, quiet places in the nearby forest. If another person tries to follow us, we'll know automatically that something is wrong, and we'll call the others for help. How does that sound? Nod if it sounds okay, shake your head if it's a big NO. Okay?>



(Guys, I've gotta' run into town and grab some munchies. Charlie, do as you like. If you like Ais' idea, you can nod, say that you've remembered a place you can go, and walk towards the woods. Beyond that, I'm not sure if there's anything to be done without God-modding, and I don't want to force the other players into anything.)

[Leonardodavinci]

I followed along nervously, having no idea what to expect. I paused for a second, realizing that my yeerk had to feed in the next two days, and I shrugged it off... My yeerk didn't want them to get suspicious.

"So... you in the cat morph - sorry I don't know your name... How did you get the power to morph? Is it freely distributed here?" I wondered as I sped to catch up to Ais and Leah.

[Estelore]

(Ah. I'm back. Nothing new happens? Well enough.)


<My name is Aisli. It certainly isn't FREE, but it isn't difficult to obtain, either. My family is well-off, and my parents gave my twin brother and me our own miniature Escafil devices. We wear them like pendants, they are so small. If you want to be able to morph, I can let you touch my morphing cube after I demorph.>

I spoke to my three teammates privately.
<Norin, Chase, and Rich. There is something about this Edward fellow that I do not trust. Leah appears to distrust him, also. If she gives me the signal, the two of us shall separate from the group and hide out in the nearby woodland. We will know that something is wrong if he tries to follow us.>

[Qwerty the Charliecorn]

Edward had spoken, and to my relief, his voice was just as unfamiliar and indifferent as any other. Of course, that didn't stop the fear I felt every time I glanced in his direction.

I nodded my head quickly this time, hoping Edward wouldn't notice.

[Estelore]

<Guys, I just got the signal that I was waiting for. Okay, everyone except Edward, since he can't hear this: we aren't going to do ANYTHING to tip him off that we are suspicious of him. If it all proves to be nothing more than nerves, we'd not want to upset him. If it proves that he's dangerous to us, he doesn't need to know where our true 'headquarters' will be. Norin and company, please lead Edward someplace peaceful, fairly hidden, and neutral, but not anyplace that we intend to use frequently. Leah? Please say aloud that you suddenly remember a place that you can stay tonight. Then, ask me to go with you, to act as your eyes, okay? Once we are well out of sight, I'll take you to a safe spot. Everyone else please act as though this conversation hasn't happened, and make sure that Edward doesn't trail us. Thanks.>


I slowed my pace and waited for Leah to do her thing.

[Qwerty the Charliecorn]

I listened to Ais's instructions, then nodded and continued my previous speech. "But there are plenty of places to hide. I have a place where I can guarantee no one will find me." I paused for a moment, and began to change my expression and make it appear as if I were listening to her in thought-speech. "All right. Will you come with me? I can't see very well. I'll need a little help." Another pause. Finally, I stopped and split apart from the group, Ais trotting silently beside me. It wasn't until we were far out of earshot, having walked for three minutes, that either of us spoke.

[Leonardodavinci]

I noticed that for some reason, they seemed to act nervous around me... their "aura", if I can say that, seemed nervous.. and distrustful. <Maybe because you have a parasite inside of you that controls your every move.> My yeerk commented lightly. I mentally sighed, and continued with the conversation.

"You have a place to stay? Thats great." I called out as Leah and Aisli walked off. I found myself in a group of people that I had yet to meet... and I assumed that they, like Aisli, also had the power to morph.

<Do you think they know anything?> My Yeerk asked. <Hardly.> I thought back. <If they're expecting that I follow, they're dead wrong.> I stood my ground, wondering what was going to happen next. <If anything goes wrong, morph wolf and run.> I told my Yeerk silently.

((Am I doing this wrong?))

[Toominator Z]

"We're almost there." I finally answered. I had been zoned out thinking about the events explained to me by Ais. "It's a community center but it's owned by a close friend of mine who is also a Chee. There'll be plenty of rooms and food for us there. They also have showers and typically have a storage of extra clothing."

I sent a private thought-speak to Ais as she and the new girl walked away. <I don't believe we need to worry about Edward. His kind goodbye was genuine as far as I can tell. His pupils seemed to dialate when he first realized the two of you were leaving, but it may be the light, it's difficult to tell.>

"Here we are." I announced at last. I did a thorough scan this time. I knew the building itself would be secure, I just wanted to make sure we weren't being followed or watched.

Initializing search........aaaaa aand......five sentient life forms detected.

Wait a minute. Five? I looked around. Chase, Rich, Edward, and myself.

Locate non-visible life form.

My vision went black and white and a red glow came from Edward's head.

<Uhm, Ais. Edward is a Yeerk...........>

[Estelore]

(Leo, you're doing just fine. Remember, your character can't read our minds, and we can't read his mind, so even if we act like we expect something, it doesn't mean that it has to happen. Each character acts individually according to his personality and logic, so anything within the rules is a plausible action. This is getting good, so please keep playing with us!)

<Uhm, Ais. Edward is a Yeerk........> Norin's thought-speak was almost impossible to hear, at this distance, but THAT much was perfectly clear.

<Leah, Norin just confirmed that Edward is a Yeerk. Your instincts were spot-on, and you saved us from taking him into a place where he would be a danger to us. Thank you. Now, if you'll just watch your step on these rocks, there SHOULD be a flashlight right...HERE! Hah!>

I head-butted the large Mag-lite that was wedged between two stones just within the lip of the cave. It clicked 'on' and rolled to Leah's feet, casting a circle of brightness onto the wall.

(More later, busy now. Feel free to post, of course.)

[Leonardodavinci]

"We're almost there." I finally answered. I had been zoned out thinking about the events explained to me by Ais. "It's a community center but it's owned by a close friend of mine who is also a Chee. There'll be plenty of rooms and food for us there. They also have showers and typically have a storage of extra clothing."

I sent a private thought-speak to Ais as she and the new girl walked away. <I don't believe we need to worry about Edward. His kind goodbye was genuine as far as I can tell. His pupils seemed to dialate when he first realized the two of you were leaving, but it may be the light, it's difficult to tell.>

"Here we are." I announced at last. I did a thorough scan this time. I knew the building itself would be secure, I just wanted to make sure we weren't being followed or watched.

Initializing search........aaaaa aand......five sentient life forms detected.

Wait a minute. Five? I looked around. Chase, Rich, Edward, and myself.

Locate non-visible life form.

My vision went black and white and a red glow came from Edward's head.

<Uhm, Ais. Edward is a Yeerk...........>

((Can I see what you just did? Or am I completely oblivious???))

[Toominator Z]

((OOC: Well, I didn't announce that I was scanning but, he did several motions and glanced around. So you know I did something, just not exactly what it was I did. You character can speculate or even just ask my character.))