New Knowledge, Stray Thoughts. (open)

[Stray]

The hallways of the ship were silent, eerily silent. It might have given Sable a sense of discomfort if he wasn’t already uncomfortable and edgy. He couldn’t spend all of his free time in his room between classes and whatever else. He was sure he could explore the ship, if he was careful not to get lost, without bumping into anyone.

Given his time here he was very slowly growing into his settling there. He would never call it home, though even if it was a strange alien ship in Antarctica it was a favorable setting compared to everything else Sable had spent most of his life in. His stepfather’s house, a Dorm room in a foreign country, refugee camps... At least here he was living with some sort of purpose.

He was dressed in his favorite pair of boot-cut pants and skate board brand name shirt, finished off with his pair of punk-like boots and a black form-fitting hoody. Despite the heels on his boots, he could walk without a single whisper of noise. Which was what he was doing at that moment.

He knew from first getting there that the red tubes of light led to parts of the ship that were functional, what caught his eye were the not so vibrantly glowing tubes in the ceiling.. Like they still kind of sent power to different parts of the ship. His curiosity and boredom sent him to follow one of the half-dead glowing tubes down a darkened hallway. He didn’t know why but if felt like he was doing something he shouldn’t. Of course if that was the case someone would confront him and tell him so.

Sooner than he thought, he had reached the end of the semi-glowing tube to a partially closed doorway leading to a room. Pausing for a moment he stared down the darkened hallway again, expecting someone to be walking briskly at him, telling him off. When the few minutes of rigid waiting passed with no results he turned to the doorway again and pushed at it to widen the doorway further to see what was in the room. What he saw would have made him smile, he had gone without expressing his emotions for so long though, that the gesture seemed to be lost to him.


“It’s...a library..?,” He spoke aloud in a soft spoken voice as he glanced around at the few stacks of books and messily strewn pieces of paper, files and maps. He stepped in closer to inspect the items carefully but almost appreciatively.

[gabriel]

Gage carried the pile of papers over to Xander and let them fall on the counter next to where the other animorph was working. "So mad genius, you almost done? We've been here for hours and all I've been able to do is watch you play with funny looking liquids and things that look like Bunsen burners but aren't," Gage said holding up his arm. There was a neat little hole burned in one of his favorite shirts. A souvenir of trying to figure out how the burner looking things worked. He poked his finger through it and waved at Xe.

Gage looked over at Jon with a bored look. He wasn't sure if Jon found this all as boring as he did but he was prepared to try to outvote Xander and leave if he could get Jon on his side. "What do you say Johnny Boy," it was Xander's name for the recruit and Gage had just picked up on it. Even though it was longer than Jon it was fun to say, especially when he used Xe's English accent. He never really got tired of hearing the nickname.

"Want to break for lunch or something?"

[xander]

Xander snatched up the papers up the second they hit the table and began flipping through them. The smile that hadn’t left his face since they got in spread even further as he read over a particular line. He climbed up on the counter again and scanned over the strangely marked containers and grabbed two powders. After dropping back down he opened the two and checked the contents. Satisfied he poured some of both into smaller vials and slipped them into his trouser pockets.

“I told you to stand back,” he said to Gage and stuck out his tongue, “and I’m not the only benefiting for my mad experience.” Xander motioned to the flash powder he made earlier, “Just don’t wear your favorite shirt when you two decide to play with that.”

“Practically done mate,” Xander added jumping back on the counter. He set the containers back on their shelf and turned them labels out to match with the ones they were next to. Back on the ground he added, “And breakfast is more like it.”

[Nineteen]

Nineteen stretched as she made her way to the library. She'd been informed that they had videos, and even some magazines, as well as books. Of course, the magazines would all be horribly out of date by now, but the idea of feeling the glossy pages seemed nice.

She wasn't altogether too interested in reading, but just the idea of a library had struck her curiosity. After all, it'd been quite some time since she'd had much choice, and a library was a place that was full of choices. All sorts of titles to look through, picking whatever you please...

She just hoped all the DVDs and videos weren't of awful, boring crap like "Classics" from the 40's and 50's. The kind of stuff that people thought was culturally relevant, or whatever that meant. Nineteen was half-praying on her way there that they'd have something made in the last decade, which at least decent special effects or a killer action-chase scene.

When she walked into the library, she was suddenly surprised by the number of people inside. She stopped in her tracks, confused, wondering if she was in the right spot -- but sure enough, there were a bunch of books on shelves. What the hell were a bunch of teenagers doing hanging out in the library?

Then again, I guess when you're stuck on an alien ship on a block of ice, you haven't got much choice. She did recognize one of them, though. He seemed to be fiddling with some test tubes and crap. "Uh. Hi guys." She waved. "Anyone know where they keep the movies?"

[jonathan]

Jon was seated next to one of the lab tables, tapping his finger on an electronic scale. Each tap was met with a burst of numbers on the little digital read-out, then eventually a dip into the negative. He'd already thoroughly explored the lab when the three of them had entered, curiosity driving him to mess with objects that most likely shouldn't have been touched. Then Xander had settled down to start making whatever he was making, and Jon was left to fend off his own boredom. The scale had been interesting the first tap, but now Jon was beginning to wonder what exactly Xander, the evil mastermind of this, was planning to do. And why it was taking so long.

He glanced upwards at Gage's call and shrugged. "Yeah, maybe a break or something. Stretch our legs." Suddenly a noise from the library caught Jon's attention, like the sound of a whispering voice, and he twisted around in his chair to look. The darkness of the library gaped back at him, empty, so he turned around to continue playing with the scale. Just as he did, a female voice floated in from the doorway.

Jon winced, surprised, and then turned. It was someone he didn't know. He shot a brief look at both Xander and Gage, then back at the woman. "There's a sort of lounge area in the ship, that might have some movies. I'm not sure where they are, library-wise. Try the back section maybe."

[gabriel]

Gage nodded at Jon, glad someone agreed with him. "Breakfast, blah. I can't believe you got us up at 7am to mess around with this stuff. Is it still pre-noon?" He asked, jumping down from the counter he was sitting on and going to find a clock.

Before he had even begun to look in earnest he heard someone ask them about movies. Gage's head shot up from behind the counter he'd been about to look in and a huge smile spread across his face. He had heard they'd gotten a new recruit he just hadn't heard it was female.

The population of the Academy was actually pretty evenly split as far as men and women went. But it seemed like all the girls here were some how unavailable. Tess was with Matt and though he could get her to smile at him every once in a while it seemed like it was done more to indulge him than out of any real interest.

Then there was Sara who was interesting and pretty and intelligent. But between her frequent trips around the globe and her big hulking boyfriend who looked like he'd drive a fist through Gage's throat for looking at her wrong Gage had wisely decided not to even pursue it.

Then there was the pretty little french girl who was a fellow recruit and technically %100 available. No pesky boyfriend and no annoying difference in status. They were both recruits, they were both young and they were stuck in a ship enduring difficult training together. You would think there would be a chance, at least a little flirtation. Maybe I take care of you, you take care of me? Tough day on the obstacle course? Can you help me study for the yeerk rank test? But no. Nothing. Stevie seemed completely focused on proving herself as capable if not more capable than all the recruits here. Gage had hardly even talked to her.

And then there was Liz...who didn't talk.

So when he saw they had a new female recruit Gage completely overlooked the fact that she seemed like she could also punch through his throat for looking at her wrong. All he saw was opportunity. It had been way too long since he'd been able to enjoy the easy, pointless but fun act of flirtation with anyone except his own image in a mirror and that was just for practice.

"Hi," he said, walking around the counter. "My name's Gage and this is Jon who apparently has terrible manners since he didn't introduce himself to the latest and most welcome addition to the Academy de'Animorph." Gage wasn't sure if that actually followed the rules of any language but it sounded fun enough to him. "Over there that Xe," he said waving behind him in Xander's general direction. "And who might you be if you don't mind me asking?"

[Nineteen]

"Allrig-" Nineteen began to answer the one guy that'd spoken to her, and had half-turned towards the back of the library, when another one of the guys had started talking to her. She turned back to see him walking around the counter.

"Call me Nineteen," she responded, one eyebrow raised and half her mouth lifted into an amused smile. Gage? Well, at least he couldn't make fun of her name. "Hi Jon," Nineteen said, waving a little at the guy. "I met Xander -- Xe? -- already in the training room."

She glanced over at the ultra-pale kid not far away, then looked back at the larger group. Gesturing between them all, she asked: "Anyone else wanna try to find a movie to watch? Or are you guys... uh... occupied with the science fair project over there?"

[Stray]

Sable might have not even bothered to walk into the library if he knew there were people in the next connecting room. He did feel a wave of annoyance at the fact. Maybe a childish emotion of...something. He couldn’t quite place. It was soon pushed back by stubbornness and he walked into the room, glancing and sifting through the reports and files. At the extreme edge of the other connecting room, it wasn’t a secret that he was a solitary person. And he wasn’t the warmest of personalities either.
Further ignoring the group he only glanced up when he heard a female’s voice but then returned to his sifting for something worthy to read. He wasn’t condescending in his seclusion, though he did feel that it was a waste of time, especially when there wasn’t any work or training to be done.

Slowly he crept closer into the light of the other connecting room, looking along the tables and shelves of books. His blue eyes fixed on the papers, files and binded books. Keeping his mouth firmly shut, he really had no intention in conversing with any of them. They were doing their thing and he was doing his. Aha, he focused on a book that had caught his eye and on a shelf a little higher than his height would really allow...dammit.. Standing on tip-toe he reached for it, his fingertips barely scraping at the spine of the large hard-cover book.

[xander]

“I never said you had to come with and I never said you two had to stay,” Xander said simply, “So on that it’s your fault.”

He thought briefly about telling Gage that he’d woke them up much earlier but he didn’t think that would help things along. Besides the boy would figure it out next time he looked at a clock. His face would probably be priceless too, Xander just hoped he could see it.

Looking over to the voice, he relaxed when he saw it was Nineteen. For a moment all he had heard was female and thought it was Tess or Stevie. He wasn’t sure but if anyone was female and likely to turn them in he figured it was those too. As Gage started with her Xander just smirked, the boy would figure it out soon enough.

“’Ello Nineteen,” He gave her a quick wave, “either of the titles are fine if your concerned,” he stopped at the science fair comment, “Oye! Don’t knock it! What is it with you lot? Never had a good explanation of the importance, have ya?”

He glanced over at the others, “I don’t know, you two still busy being bored?” he looked at Nineteen, “It severally affects the potential to be entertaining. As for me self, movie don’t sound to bad. Got anything in mind, Love?”

[gabriel]

"Um...Nineteen. Sounds interesting." He despaired a little at hearing the name. It sounded like this girl had an odd story behind her as well. Why couldn't the Academy attract normal, well adjusted young women?

Gage felt a pin prick of homesickness. It wasn't the first time it had happened but it always surprised him when it did. He had never thought he'd be the type to always miss home but maybe he should have factored that in. He'd never really been away from home before coming here. His family had always lived together in LA and when the yeerks had attacked they had just gone underground.

No one would say that Gage's life had not been touched by the invansion. It certainly had. He lived in an underground city hidden from the rest of LA. He served as a scout and scavenger and had to deal with Controllers all the time. His life was definitely different from what it would have been without the invasion. But since coming here he'd realized how easily he had got off. Yes the war had changed the world, but it hadn't changed his world, not the parts that mattered. He had a life, he had his family and he could think about flirting with girls on the weekends, wonder who he was going to take to so and so's party or what he wanted to do to earn some extra money. He had time to stress about what he was going to do with his life, what he could do that would make his parent's proud, as opposed to just having to worry about staying alive period.

"Well it looks like you won't need a nickname to join the cool club," Gage said though there was enough mocking in his voice to let her know he wasn't serious about creating a clique. "We've never had a girl in the group before," he continued waving to encompass him, Jon and Xander. "We call him Johnny boy by the way," he continued looking over to Jon. "And before you look at me all nicknames are courtesy of Xe. My given name is Gabriel and somehow he got Gage from it," Gage said rolling his eyes though he had come to love the nickname over the past couple of days. Not just because it sounded cool, and to him it did, but because he'd always found nicknames were a sign of inclusion. If someone took the time to name you they planned on having you around for a while.

"You know where my vote lies as far as a break goes. Food. Movie. All sounds good. Yo," Gage called out, catching sight of a familiar looking white haired boy reaching for a book in the shadows behind Nineteen. "Sable, hey. Don't sulk around the outskirts like a stray cat, come join the group. Want to watch a movie?" he asked, trying to be friendly. To his knowledge Sable had never really warmed up to anyone. He seemed determined to be as cold as his complexion indicated. But Gage had never really liked people being left out of anything, even if it was by their choice. He just didn't understand solitude. What was the fun of being alone?

[Nineteen]

Nineteen laughed at Xander's reaction to her science fair comment. "Hey, you wanna be a bookworm that's your own business. If there's one good thing that came from the invasion though, it's never having to do homework. I'm gonna enjoy that for all its worth."

Her attention turned back to the Gage kid. He tried to include the pale guy in the corner, who seemed to have gone out of his way to avoid the rest of them. She didn't feel slighted by it: some people liked to be alone. Wasn't any big deal to her.

Nineteen looked between the group again. "I could eat. Though I don't mind watching a movie and eating at the same time." Returning Xander's question from earlier, she said, "I was thinking something that had some nice special effects. I mean, we've probably all seen stuff that put all the old sci-fi movies to shame..." Her voice softened for a moment before she continued. "But hey, there's some nostalgia in some like Independence Day, eh?" Also, there was quite a bit of irony, which Nineteen appreciated as well, but wasn't sure they'd share the sense of humor.

"Other than that, maybe a martial arts flick with bad dubbing or something."

[Stray]

Sable barely winced when Gage called out to him, no. It was Gabriel, The boy mentally corrected himself. He paused from his efforts to reach the book he wanted to stare at the group, a slight heated look crossing his face.

“Don’t sulk around the outskirts like a stray cat, come join the group.” The other had said. Sable had never, in his life, been invited to join anything. And if he was it was to increase the fame of choice individuals, especially at school.
A small timid voice told him that they weren’t at school anymore, and that his past life should stay in the past. What would it hurt to watch a movie with these people? A stronger stubborn and more familiar voice shot back that it was a pointless waste of time. Why watch a movie with these people when you could be training, getting better and preparing to fight the controllers? Wasn’t revenge the whole reason the boy was still fighting to stay alive?

“I’m not sulking,” He spoke out as he walked to the group a little warily but otherwise coolly as he glanced at the others and the new girl, Nineteen. He wouldn’t comment on the Stray Cat comment. At home when he was younger and more reckless there was something like ‘Alley’ Talk, something he was nearly fluent in. A ‘Stray’ obviously was a term that meant exactly that, no place in the world.

But apart from that he didn’t want to react and give in to the whole, nickname/teasing business. It was already bad enough he was giving into ‘joining the group’ for a movie. The book wouldn’t walk away on him though and it’s been forever since he’s seen a movie.

[gabriel]

"Did I say sulk?" Gage asked looking over at Jon. "I think I meant skulk. That means to sneak around or something right?" Gage shrugged and looked over at Nineteen. "You may be enjoying the lack of school but I think some of us suffered for it," Gage continued tapping the side of his head. "It's been forever since I read anything good or challenging and I feel like my brain is going to mush. I'm a little glad to be back in a place where I actually have to study something. I didn't like it at first but, I don't know, there is something nice about it. Just don't give me science," he said looking over at Xander's experiment with distaste.

"I'm gonna run to the cafeteria to pick up whatever food they got. Anyone want to come with and help me carry it back?"

[Nineteen]

The pale kid came over and Nineteen tried to pin his name to his image. Sable. The Gage/Gabriel kid had called this guy Sable. Even if he looked more on the androgynous side, Nineteen had plenty of experience seeing different types of bodies (and breaking their various parts), so she didn't really mistake him for a female. But that did bring up an interesting point. Nineteen looked around again. She'd seen a couple other young women around, but the presence at the academy was overwhelmingly male.

"Studying blows," she offered to Gage's comment about his brain turning to mush. "Never a borrower nor a bookworm be, right?" She smirked lightly to show that she wasn't entirely serious.

"I'll help carry if everyone promises not to settle on a movie till we get back -- no offense, but I'm want some properly mindless action." She paused for a short moment, and then added: "And I'm sure I'm late to the party mentionin' this, but is this ship a real sausage-fest, or what?"

[jonathan]

((Ugh, so many posts...))

Jon returned the friendly wave to Nineteen, eyebrows lifted somewhat at her name. Must be a nickname or something. The woman definitely looked like she could punch a hole through someone's face on accident. Still, her presence was a welcome distraction from the boredom that had been plaguing him since Xander had started working. Jon continued his idle tapping on the electronic weight, quietly watching the others converse.

He shrugged at Gage. "Movie and food sounds fine to me." Twisting his head to glance back where Gage called, Jon realized someone else was in the library. It had been so dark he hadn't even realized Sable was in there. He'd chalked up the sound of whispering voices to Nineteen's arrival. As Sable neared the group, Jon did a silent double-take. He'd mistaken the guy as a girl at first, and it had taken a moment for him to realize otherwise.

"Oh, yeah, totally. Skulk is the word you were looking for," Jon said in response to Gage. "And I could help carry stuff too. Better than sitting around." At Nineteen's remark, he suppressed a small smile. "Pretty much. Guess Antarctica doesn't attract many ladies." Most of the recruits that had stepped off the bug-fighter had been sadly male. But there were a couple cute girls wandering around the ship.