Obstacles of Morphing

[Dustin]

<<Eh, I don't know...>> Dustin wasn't the best at initiating conversations, and he didn't know everyone else that well yet. He could probably force himself to do it, but that didn't seem very fun at all.

<<Could we like, do both? I can make sure to talk to the people who won't be able to fit a group class into their schedule. And maybe some of the people who can, too. I'm not really that outgoing, conversationally, unless I know the people really well.>> That was part of the reason he could talk to Jullian so easily, although most of the reason was probably because Jullian was younger than him.

<<And I think if you do set up that class thing, it would be easier for people to ask questions and stuff. Or at least they would be able to hear answers to questions that other people ask.>>

[Jullian]

<<Well, it's up to you really,>> Jullian said, looking down at him. His monkey was getting used to him and Jullian didn't have to fight the instincts as much. <<I don't mind pulling the entire group in for a student lesson. I can talk with Nineteen and Seiya and clear it with everyone's schedules. If we can find the time it probably would be easier for everyone to hear it all at once.>>

Jullian jumped down to the floor and began to demorph. He was pretty comfortable with this morph and it was so close to a human body anyway so it was a smooth transition. He simply allowed himself to grow larger as the fur was slowly sucked back into his skin, taking the place of his own, sparse, body hair. His tail sucked back into his spine at a relative rate to the rest of the change as his toes grew shorter and his senses dimmed. Soon enough he was himself again and looking down at the snake beneath him.

[Dustin]

<<Hmm,>> was all Dustin said as a reply. Perhaps he would have to think about it for a little longer. And when he noticed Jullian demorphing, he decided to demorph as well and think it over while he did. Dustin carefully slithered out from the obstacle course and began to demorph. His snake instincts were wary of the shifting monkey anyway, so it didn't take much urging to slip away.

As Dustin bulked up, he grew his four limbs so that he momentarily looked like some sort of freakish lizard. But then he grew ears and his scales disappeared while his skin turned pinkish and wetsuit-black. It made him look like a shaved genetic experiment gone wrong.

His teeth ground themselves into their normal shapes, and he could feel his skin straining as muscle formed underneath. Most of his bones elongated and hairs sprouted from his skin. The last change was his morphing suit unfusing itself from his skin.

Dustin shuddered as his demorph was completed. It wasn't as bad as the grasshopper, but it was still pretty creepy. "Were we going to go over any more lessons today?" Dustin asked. "Or can I go try and figure out what to tell the other beginners?"

[Jullian]

"Nope," Jullian said, smiling as he watched Dustin's demorph. He wanted to see if Dustin would repeat the performance of earlier but there didn't seem to be any attempt to control this morph. That didn't mean what he'd said earlier was wrong though and he looked forward to seeing how Dustin did when they got to some of the more complex morphing techniques.

"If you want to be done for the day you can." Jullian looked over at his obstacle course with a grimace. He was only now realizing he hadn't thought that plan completely through. There was no way to move it and he wasn't about to dismantle it and have to build it again. "How come my floor always suffers when your lessons come around?" Jullian asked though his tone made it obvious he was kidding.

[Dustin]

"Haha, because I'm cool like that?" he replied once he figured out Jullian was talking about the obstacle course. "Aren't other students going to try it out though? It seems like a waste if I'm the only one who gets to use it. It was... interesting, to use. In a good way."

Dustin started inching toward the door. "Well, whatever you decide, let me know if you need any help with it. Demolition or maintenance or whatever. You know where I live." And with that Dustin stepped out in the hallway and headed toward his room, trying to think of what he would say to the other students as he walked.

[Jullian]

Jullian laughed as he looked at the sprawl of miniature obstacles on his floor and only turned around just as Dustin ducked out of the door. His hand went out and his mouth opened to say something to stop him but he was already gone. Jullian felt an unexpected (though it shouldn't have been) pang of loneliness and disappointment. Which was foolish. Dustin was his student, not his friend. But, at sixteen, Jullian was having a really hard time convincing himself that Dustin couldn't be both. He was blessed enough to know when he was being irrational but that didn't actually stop the feelings at all.

"I hate this job," he said quietly to no one before leaving the room and heading towards the mess hall.