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Life just got a little weirder for Rachel.

She didn't expect instructions or much more of an explanation, or even a goodbye. She's known the Ellimist far too long to expect anything in the way of courtesy or useful information.

What she didn't expect was the explanation it did give her.

"I thought you said warriors were a big deal here!"

So they are. But that does not mean your appearance will mean nothing to them.

Which made sense, in a warped kind of way. Still in the forest, Rachel has found a sort of pond and is kneeling in front of it, glaring at her reflection. Twenty minutes ago, she was sixteen. Now, she'd put the face staring back at her at her early twenties.

It was strange to think about, though. She's gotten used to her friends getting freaked out by her, but it never had anything to do with how old she was.

"Great," she grumbles to herself, pushing up from the ground with a scowl and starting to walk - the direction doesn't much matter now. "So now I'm lost, I'm alone, I have no shoes, and my clothes don't fit anymore."

An hour later, as a wolf races through the trees, making for the distant sound of open space and the occasional car, her clothes don't really matter.

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What's that up there in the sky?

It's a little big for a bird.

And birds don't come that shiny and black.

Oh, and it's got... arms?

What?

Problem with being a wolf: looking up never really occurs to you.

Luckily (?), Rachel is morphing out not too much later, picking splinters out of her feet and scowling. She doesn't have a watch and that makes her paranoid about any morph. It'd be just her luck to get a second change, thrown somewhere new by the Ellijerk, and then get stuck as wolf Nothlit.

Maybe the Ellimist would bring Marco over next, so there'd be someone to roll his eyes at her.

Right now, though, there is a blonde with a scowl and some splinters in her feet, leaning against a tree.

The tree gains one smallish, shiny black dragon. (It's amazing how quick you can land when you're that manoeuvrable.)

A moment later, human-shaped Lucy is dropping out of the branches, barefoot in a charcoal grey dress.

She peers at Rachel with wide black eyes, tilts her head, and sniffs the air.

"You change," she observes.

Another problem with morphing: you start to rely on the animal's instincts instead of your own.

To the point where you really don't have any anymore.

Startled and scrambling back, Rachel stares at the black-lizard-thing-no-wait-human as it approaches her. She pushes back from the tree she'd all-but molded herself against, staring back.

"...you, too."

Well, what else was she supposed to say? That certainly wasn't morphing.

Lucy smiles.

Nods.

Holds up a finger as though to say, just a minute, and upshifts-- scales flowing over her skin like ink, a morph in fast-forward, ridiculously beautiful-- the better to climb back up into her tree.

A moment later, she hops somewhat awkwardly back down, holding a lumpy brown bag in one clawed hand. Humming-- or at least rumbling-- to herself, she proceeds to extract a pineapple, claw off the rind with remarkable neatness, and offer up the result to Rachel.

Shut up this is totally a valid way to make friends.

.....................kay.

The dragon eats pineapple.

And is also way more attractive when she morphs than Rachel is.

Very, very carefully, Rachel takes a chunk of pineapple off the claw.

"Thank you?" Yes, it's a question.

Downshift.

Beam.

"Welcome."

Hopefully she isn't upset if Rachel doesn't actually eat it yet, too busy staring at Lucy. Waiting for something. ...anything, really.

"So."

Headtilt.

"I'm Lucy."

"Hi."

She doesn't give her name to just anyone. Just because this (alienhumanmorpherwut?) is friendly now doesn't mean it's sincere. Sure, there are innocent, friendly aliens she's met before, ones that generally got hurt for being so trusting, so gentle.

...she really should have asked more questions before the Ellimist left her.

"Rachel."

"Fly home with me," Lucy suggests simply.

"There's shoes."

Rachel's eyes narrow, suspicious. How does Lucy know she can fly when she only saw her morph wolf? How does Lucy know she needs shoes?

...probably because her feet are full of splinters. OKAY BUT STILL.

"I was a wolf a second ago," she points out.

Eyeroll.

"I could carry you."

She only just barely manages to keep that sneer back. "I'd sooner walk."

But... if this girl already knows she can morph...

Rachel sets her jaw and looks back toward the trees, as if deciding exactly how important shoes are. And clothes that fit.

...she should not be wondering how possible it is that there's a mall nearby.

After a moment, she shakes her head and looks back at Lucy, attempting to at least look a little friendlier. "...I can fly."

Smile!

That instantly becomes about a hundred times more threatening, because she upshifts and launches herself (plus sack o' fruit) into the air without another word.

Not very talkative, is Lucy.

Which is okay. Rachel might not trust her very much right now, but she'd be trusting her a lot less if she was chatty.

It takes longer for Rachel to morph, but the dragon is shortly joined by a bald eagle. "Joined" in the sense that Rachel keeps a couple hundred yards between them and follows.

At Lucy speeds it's about twenty minutes to the Cooper place.

At bald eagle speeds, it's about an hour and a half.

...yeah.

Also, the Cooper place is crawling with people. It's a farmhouse, probably somewhere in the midwest for all the farmland they passed, and it is crawling with people.

Rachel lands in a tree a few miles out from the house and demorphs quickly, nervous about the time. And also staring, narrow-eyed, at the farmhouse in the distance.

Lucy lands and downshifts.

"Home," she says, pointing with the hand that isn't holding a sack of fruit.

Yeah, that's great, Rachel does NOT say. Now what the hell do you want me to do about it?

She leans back against the tree and returns her gaze to Lucy, eyes narrowed - it's getting to be a theme - and suspicious.

And also, probably quite obvious to Lucy, she is very nervous.

Nervous Rachel tends to be violent.

"What's going on here?"

Shrug.

"We have food. And shoes. And space for people."

"Lots of people," Rachel points out, no calmer for the explanation. "And I meant here, the whole place. We didn't pass any cities, I didn't see any people until we got here.

"What's going on everywhere? What are you?"

"Ask Mel."

Rachel stiffens - not out of fear or shock, but because getting angry will only do so much in any given situation.

It's taken a while for her to get that.

"Who's Mel? She's-- like you?"

Shrug.

"Farm's mine, but she runs things. Good with people."

Rueful smile.

"I'm not."

"Shocking."

No rly. Iz trufax.

Shifting a little, Rachel glances over toward the farmhouse again. So many people, all looking like very content refugees.

Like all of their family and friends, stuck with the Hork-Bajir in the valley... but a lot happier.

"...you gonna tell anyone about me?"

She inhales.

"That you change? No."

Not if Rachel doesn't want her to.

Rachel nods. "Good."

The way she says it, it's good for Lucy's sake.

She shifts again, this time to lean against the nearest tree, arms crossed over her stomach. "So... is the only way I'm going to get clothes or answers by talking to whoever Mel is?"

Small smile. "I can give you clothes. Answers..."

She spreads her hands.

Rachel makes a face - but not as much of one as she might have made if Lucy hadn't just promised her clothes.

"I know you can talk," she says after a moment, stumbling over diplomacy. She's met creatures before that could speak but weren't quite... Cassie would say developed enough to communicate with other races. Marco would say they were retarded.

Rachel isn't actually sure how to phrase the question.

Lucy nods.

"I don't, much."

Haha, understatement.

Here's the million dollar question then: does she want answers... or secrecy?

Rachel sighs, brows drawing together in irritation. "Is it safe here? Are there-- enemies?"

"Kansas is safer than other places. My sister made it."

The annoyed look Rachel gives her has more to do with the uselessness of Lucy's comment on her sister - if she isn't going to explain, then it's kind of useless to point it out.

...wait.

"Kansas?"

"Are you freaking kidding me?! I get pulled out of a multi-dimensional war so I can-- what? Save the corn from the evil crows of Topeka?!"

Fucking Ellimists.

Lucy wrinkles her nose and shrugs.

Rachel scowls.

She is not a happy Animorph.

"...thanks for the pineapple." Oh, it hurts to choke down more yelling at this point. KANSAS. "So... clothes? And shoes, too, if you have them."

Nod.

Walking now.

Sigh.

Sliding down to sit among the roots of the tree.

Facepalm.

[eeee! Now you're in!]

[I am!! Now to PLAY FOR REAL :D]

[*laments!* You are far away. There will have be plotzing to make her find crazy hunters!]

[How far is Lawrence from Smallville, anyway? Rachel was going to go exploring a bit since she isn't getting any answers from Lucy. :D She could perhaps make her way over there! ...perhaps in the noble search for CLOTHES!]

[Not a huge amount? There's Topeka inbetween them and--I will get you map! Here.

In Kansas, you can see Topeka. To the SW, there is Smallville. Now up NE of Smallville, Lawrence (unmarked, so don't feel crazy that you can't find it!) is right between Topeka and Kansas City on 70. Two towns over about?

Maybe Jo can be riding around on her bike, too? She could have gone to Topeka on her supply collecting. Bigger town, better things?]

[*calls upon her great knowledge of Kansasland* Well, Wichita is 3 hours from Kansas City by car, with no traffic, so that'd make Smallville about two hours away by car. So... if Rach is flying (which she most certainly would be), it's probably a little over an hour for her to get to Lawrence.

Course, then, she'd have to have a reason to land and de-morph otherwise the Winchesters get some kind of animal buddy, which wouldn't be as fun. XD

Jo could totally be on her bike during a Rachel de-morph to get stuff in Topeka! Sassy blonde niceties! Oh and if you have AIM, I'm s4ndb0xg1rl.]

[This can be made to work! You want EP or me? And when? And stuff! Yay!]

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