Charles
Experienced
Animorph of Hemington
Yeah, I am the ninja Animorph.
Posts: 42
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Post by Charles on Aug 26, 2010 19:12:15 GMT -5
Charles opened the door to his new home with no energy left in him to do anything. He wasn't sure what the people were going to be like, but he was too tired to care. With two duffel bags full of things, he made his way through the front door and kicked it shut. It may have seemed in bad taste to do that but he wasn't really thinking clearly.
His eyes looked for where he could drop his things, so he started looking into some of the doors on the first floor. Laundry, pantry, bathroom, and a girl's room is all he found. Charles decided to take his chances up stairs for an empty room. He opened a room to find that it was completely empty except for a bed, dresser, and a nightstand with a lamp. "Home Sweet Home."
Charles dropped his bags on the floor and collapsed on the bed. He would unpack tomorrow or something. It was weird to think that last week he had been a sort of normal guy living in an apartment, and now he was in a new state with a new name. This could not get any more weird if Stephen King was writing the story. He rolled onto his back and stared up at the ceiling. "I am going to have to redecorate this place tomorrow."
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Bruno
Experienced
Animorph of Hemington
I'm more lackadaisical than cantankerous, but mostly just farouche.
Posts: 104
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Post by Bruno on Aug 26, 2010 19:47:33 GMT -5
Bruno felt vibrations as he swept a tentacle along the side of the tub.
<<What was that?>> he asked himself in bewilderment. <<It's not some weird octopus sense, is it?>> Buno was in the upstairs bathroom trying out his octopus morph. He didn't really want to, but he figured he should test it out at least once in case he ever needed to use it later. And it was a good thing he tried it out ,too, because controlling an octopus's body was odd to say the least.
Finally, Bruno decided he should probably demorph to go investigate the strange vibration. He didn't want anyone wandering in and deciding to flush him down the drain or something. Besides, bathtub water was not meant for octopi to live in.
Bruno concentrated on his human self and the changes began. He grew taller, more muscular, and lost a few limbs. Before long he was his big hulking self, standing in a few inches of water with a wrestling suit on.
He dried off his feet and opened the bathroom door. "Is somebody here?" he asked loudly as he poked his head out through the doorway. He figured the vibrations had been from somebody walking around or slamming a door somewhere in the house.
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Charles
Experienced
Animorph of Hemington
Yeah, I am the ninja Animorph.
Posts: 42
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Post by Charles on Aug 26, 2010 20:35:32 GMT -5
Charles did not know if he was the right person for this sort of job or if he was even worthy of being given this kind of honor to do something that most people only dream of. He laid there on his new bed wondering what he was supposed to even do now. How does one actually look for trouble in a town that one does not know anything about. Was there a brochure that could point out all the underground activities or did SPECTER expect him to use his morphing ability to become some sort of spy? It didn't help things that he couldn't use his own name in this new town since he was technically a dead man.
When someone called out asking if someone was there, Charles figured that he had woken someone up with all the noise that he had been making. "I guess I should go introduce myself to my new housemates." He slowly got up off the bed and headed toward the door to find a big guy poking his head out of what he guessed was the bathroom, since the guy was sort of wet. On second thought, big was probably not the most accurate description as this guy looked like he could go toe to toe with a rhino and walk away the victor.
Charles gave a slight wave down the hall at the big guy. "Hi there. My name is Charles. Sorry if I was being loud." There were two things going through Charles mind when he had arrived. One, try not to do anything that might expose the group to the world. Two, buy several books on animals so he could do his homework. Now all he was concerned with was not upsetting the gigantic housemate. It might have been safer to stay in the burning apartment.
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Bruno
Experienced
Animorph of Hemington
I'm more lackadaisical than cantankerous, but mostly just farouche.
Posts: 104
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Post by Bruno on Aug 26, 2010 22:44:52 GMT -5
Bruno raised his eyebrows with a surprised expression on his face. They had a new guy? He never seemed to get notifications for these sorts of things. But at least the new guy was a new guy this time. Bruno had been stuck with a house full of girls since he arrived. Granted, he didn't mind his female housemates, but he did feel a bit outnumbered.
"Um, hi," Bruno finally responded stepping out of the bathroom. He took a few steps toward Charles and offered him a hand to shake. "I'm Bruno. I wasn't expecting to make introductions," he said, referring to his damp wrestling uniform. "I was doing some deep sea exploring in the tub."
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Charles
Experienced
Animorph of Hemington
Yeah, I am the ninja Animorph.
Posts: 42
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Post by Charles on Aug 26, 2010 23:01:46 GMT -5
Charles started to relax when Bruno's face seemed surprised at the fact that Charles was even there. His mind was trying to put two and two together how a guy that looked like that could be talking about deep sea exploration in a bath tub like he was playing a game. It left his mind in a sort of paradox state until he remembered that Bruno was offering his hand. Charles took a few steps out of his room and shook Bruno's hand. This was going in a direction that he hadn't expected it to gone. His original idea was that Bruno would have seen him as a burglar and taken him down like a monkey takes down a banana. Quick and easy.
"Yeah, I kind of just arrived, so I thought I would just slip in without disturbing anyone." Charles probably should have thought of that before kicking the front door shut, but it was too late to do anything about it now. He would just have to socialize now and sleep afterward if at all possible. "So how does one perform deep sea exploration in a bathtub? Is the tub like the size of a whale tank?" He wasn't sure if Bruno was going to take that as a joke about his size because of the way Charles had said it. This was one of those moments where he should learn to filter the things he said before he said them.
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Bruno
Experienced
Animorph of Hemington
I'm more lackadaisical than cantankerous, but mostly just farouche.
Posts: 104
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Post by Bruno on Aug 27, 2010 0:00:59 GMT -5
Charles seemed nice enough. Maybe a little tense, but that was probably because he had only just arrived. Bruno released his firm grip on the handshake. At least Charles didn't seem too shy, unlike himself when he first arrived.
Then Charles asked about the tub and Bruno had to think about how to reply. "I may have been exaggerating on the 'deep' part, but it did seem like a sea when I was in there. Or at least as big as a whale tank, as you put it."
Bruno realized that he hadn't actually cleared up what Charles was probably confused about, so he attempted to give a more thorough explanation. "I'm assuming you already know what we can do. Our 'abilities?' The bathtub isn't any bigger than a normal tub. I was just really small. Well, compared to my normal size anyway..."
Bruno tried not to make a big deal about his size. He liked being able to throw his bulk around to intimidate people sometimes, but not to feel like an outcast. The stares he recived just walking down the street were hard enough to ignore without deliberately drawing attention to himself. Not that he would hesitate to make his size into a big deal if someone made the mistake of picking on him for it.
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Charles
Experienced
Animorph of Hemington
Yeah, I am the ninja Animorph.
Posts: 42
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Post by Charles on Aug 27, 2010 15:24:08 GMT -5
Charles was slightly confused by the response that the tub seemed like a whale tank, but wasn't deep. He figured that a whale tank would have to be pretty deep in order for a whale to actually be able to get some exercise. He was about to ask Bruno what he meant by it, but Bruno continued with his explanation about how it was possible.
With a slight nod, Charles gave a positive signal that he definitely knew about the group's ability to morph into any animal that they came into contact with. He should have figured that whatever Bruno was talking about had to do with being an animal especially with the whole deep sea exploration comment. It was probably the obvious answer to most any weird question that came up during the course of a conversation.
"So exactly what were you? I assume it was something that was not meant to swim in a bath tub." Charles ruled out anything really large off the bat, but there were some deep sea animals that were pretty small. He wasn't very knowledgeable about the subject of the Earth's animals, but he could pretty much distinguish between most land animals since they were kind of obvious to anyone.
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Bruno
Experienced
Animorph of Hemington
I'm more lackadaisical than cantankerous, but mostly just farouche.
Posts: 104
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Post by Bruno on Aug 27, 2010 15:43:59 GMT -5
"What was I?" Even though he knew what Charles was asking, it was still a weird question. Usually when someone asked that question they were asking about a job or an acting role. Not what animal they had just been.
"I was an octopus. Not sure what kind exactly, but I acquired it at a restaurant. Three, actually, but they were all pretty identical. And no, they are definitely not meant for the bathtub. I found that out first hand."
"What about you?" Bruno asked, changing the subject back to the new kid. "Have you gotten the chance to be anything besides yourself yet?" Bruno was a little surprised he was being so talkative with this new kid, but he didn't question it. Bruno was glad that he had become more sociable since joining the animorphs.
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Charles
Experienced
Animorph of Hemington
Yeah, I am the ninja Animorph.
Posts: 42
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Post by Charles on Aug 27, 2010 16:08:42 GMT -5
Charles found that it was very interesting that these guys got morphs while in public. At least he wouldn't feel bad later if he acquired an animal just because it seemed like the appropriate thing to do. Where had he been told he was working again? A fishery of some sort should have plenty of animals that could survive in the waters around this place. His first thing to do at work was find a suitable morph for the ocean as it would save him the trouble later.
Bruno had asked him if he had morphed anything yet which brought back the memory of his meeting with the men in black. "Yeah, I morphed a raccoon when I got recruited because I had broken a couple of bones that were necessary for me to be able to walk around." It had not been what he had hoped, but having some guys watching as he morphed into a raccoon and then back to his human body was not meant to be enjoyable. Especially when they had forgot to mention that his clothes were not going to morph with him.
Charles found that his brief time as a raccoon was something that was interesting, but he figured that it would have been a lot better if he had gotten to pick something a little bigger than a raccoon. He personally wanted to look for something fast and powerful instead of stealthy. He did not think anyone would feel threatened by a raccoon.
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Bruno
Experienced
Animorph of Hemington
I'm more lackadaisical than cantankerous, but mostly just farouche.
Posts: 104
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Post by Bruno on Aug 27, 2010 16:27:28 GMT -5
"Raccoon is a good one, I would think. It will fit in around here pretty well. Unlike my morphs..." A peacock, a flamingo, and an octopus wouldn't exactly blend in around downtown Hemington.
"You know, maybe we should go morph hunting sometime. I think that if we are going to do whatever it is that SPECTER wants us to do, we will need to blend in. At the very least." Bruno still wasn't too keen on using morphs, but he figured it was sort of a necessity in his line of work.
And working at a petting zoo should have provided him a lot of opportunities to acquire new animals, but with the exception of his peacock morph, Bruno hadn't taken advantage of that situation.
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Charles
Experienced
Animorph of Hemington
Yeah, I am the ninja Animorph.
Posts: 42
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Post by Charles on Aug 30, 2010 8:46:31 GMT -5
Charles figured Bruno was right about the raccoon being a good morph for this area. It was pretty common in most parts of the United States, so if he ever had to move then he would be set. It was also a good night time morph as it allowed for night time movements as a raccoon is good at following its nose.
"Sounds like a good plan. Saving the world one small town at a time probably requires having the ability to think fast, which means we would need to have options." And by options, Charles mean that he need to be able to fly and fight. His raccoon morph was not really considered a dominant threat by any human with a gun in his or her hand.
"So what exactly are we supposed to be looking for? I mean do we like just try to be observant of the people around us and pick out the ones we think are threats?" He had never been really good at finding bad guys without exposing himself to them by trying to get involved. Charles figured that it would be counted as letting others know about them if he used that method here.
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Bruno
Experienced
Animorph of Hemington
I'm more lackadaisical than cantankerous, but mostly just farouche.
Posts: 104
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Post by Bruno on Aug 30, 2010 14:58:59 GMT -5
"Options," Bruno agreed, nodding his head. Options were always good. Bruno could stand to have a few more options than he currently possessed.
But Charles's next question stumped Bruno. He was surprised he had never really thought too hard about it. What was their exact purpose for being in Hemington?
"Well, we are supposed to be trying to keep the peace and stopping crimes that the police can't. Not that we have uncovered many of those... But SPECTER still hasn't given us a definite plan of action yet. Especially not one that would warrant faking our deaths and giving us super powers. However, I imagine we should find out soon."
This topic was really starting to bother Bruno now, although he tried not to let it show. He had lived here for how long now? And he still hadn't been given any real direction by the organization that hired him.
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Charles
Experienced
Animorph of Hemington
Yeah, I am the ninja Animorph.
Posts: 42
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Post by Charles on Aug 30, 2010 17:44:17 GMT -5
Charles liked the fact that he wasn't the only one who thought about the need for more variety in their individual morph pools, so to speak. He made a mental note that a trip to a nearby zoo was in order for the both of them, but first he would have to acquire a bird morph that could make the trip.
Bruno's reply to Charles question did not put his mind at ease at all. He had hoped for a definite answer, but it seemed like they were left in a fog that could only be lifted by the almighty SPECTER. "Well I hope that it is soon or else it will become rather boring for us even with the ability to morph."
"At least we will have plenty of time to practice our morphs. Might as well become experts at the ones we have, so we can use them to their fullest." Charles was just using this as an excuse to morph whenever he felt like it. If there was no mission, then he might as well have a little bit of fun because chaos was probably not far away.
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Bruno
Experienced
Animorph of Hemington
I'm more lackadaisical than cantankerous, but mostly just farouche.
Posts: 104
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Post by Bruno on Aug 30, 2010 18:24:31 GMT -5
Bruno just smiled and nodded to the hopes and ideas Charles was mentioning. But the smile was mostly to be polite. While Bruno was extremely curious why exactly they were recruited, actually finding out meant that they would probably be thrown into danger. And Bruno wasn't looking forward to putting himself into danger. Not that he would ever admit it.
Likewise, when Charles mentioned practicing morphing, he wasn't too enthused. Turning into an octopus in the bathtub that day was all the actual practicing he had done. And that was only so that he would know what to expect if he ever had to morph the gross thing. But the fact that morphing bothered him wasn't something Bruno would readily admit either.
Hence the smiling and nodding.
"If you discover any pointers for morphing, let me know. And if I discover any, I'll let you know too." Bruno didn't actually plan on discovering any. "But in the mean time, I think I am going to change out of my wrestling suit. Sorry. I mean my morphing suit. It isn't as comfortable as I make it look."
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Charles
Experienced
Animorph of Hemington
Yeah, I am the ninja Animorph.
Posts: 42
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Post by Charles on Aug 30, 2010 19:40:45 GMT -5
Charles was already psyching himself up for some morphing as soon as he was done talking to Bruno as his mind was wondering what all a raccoon could do. It was an interesting life that he had been thrust into, so he might as well be excited about it while he could. The gloves on his hands were starting to make his hands itched, so he figured it was probably time for him to take a shower or something.
Bruno had made a very good suggestion about sharing any tips about morphing that either came up with. Charles nodded to show that he agreed with what he was saying. Then Bruno said that he was going to change out of his wet suit. "Yeah, I figured that it was probably a little annoying to wear around."
Before Charles forgot, he decided to see if Bruno wanted to do that morph hunting thing tomorrow. "So, since you have been here for awhile I guess you would know where all the good places to get morphs are. Want to go hunting tomorrow?" He didn't know if Bruno's job would interfere with that plan, but he had been told that he wouldn't start at the fishery for a couple of days since he had just moved here.
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