14598/An Alien At the Zoo

An Alien At the Zoo
Date of Scene:	03 April 2023
Location:	Central Park Zoo
Synopsis:	Essix starts her Sunday by mimicking birds only to be discovered by another shape changer. After Gar scares the alien straighter (and into a wall) they share a conversation.
Cast of Characters:	Essix, Gar Logan

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Essix has posed:
After a particularly cold winter, the snows have finally melted away. The air is still a touch chilly, a light jacket required for comfort, but it is without a doubt a beautiful spring day.

The zoo has been open to the public for about an hour, and with it being a weekend day, the place is already packed with parents leading their children around from one animal habitat to the next. For the most part, these humans are all involved in their own little piece of the world, the family bubble as Essix called it. Mothers and fathers focused entirely on their children, and only their children, as they moved along pointing out animals behind bars. Some took the time to explain the endangered nature of the creatures, others just made faces at the creatures like their children.

For Essix, this had become something of a tradition since being released from her ship. Every earth Sunday, she went to the zoo to mimic the varies animals, and this week she was in the Tropic Zone imitating the birds. Avian creatures of earth were in fact her favorite creatures on this planet.

Gar Logan has posed:
Documentaries are great ways to learn more about different animal species. Another? Actual, real observation at a zoo. It isn't that Gar /needs/ the practice. He just enjoys animals, enjoys the zoo even if the idea of animals in captivity isn't his favorite thing. Many of them wouldn't survive out in the wild, and at least in a place like this they can help educate others to hopefully encourage them to take better care of all animals. Even people.

He walks with a skip in his step, no doubt due to recent personal news that was shared to social media. Something a long time coming has taken place, and it's been both exhilarating and a bit nerve-wracking. That's for other times. Right now, he's in casual clothing on his way from one exhibit to another, his path bringing him toward the home of the birds. Not without numerous stops for photos and autographs, though.

Essix has posed:
The Tropical exhibit was literally a massive area that could be walked through, with the birds and other animals that could all tolerate each other in the space around people, and above them... watch out for the falling poo.

For Essix, the enjoyment came from being a Sun Conure for a time, flying around with the others, then landing near one of the natural bushes in the exhibit to hop inside and change to a Scarlet Ibis, then hop out the other side and go join those birds in flight or on the branches above.

The entire point was to learn the habits, from feeding, to flying, to how they communicated with each other, so that she in turn was able to one-hundred percent /be/ a Scarlet Ibis.

Gar Logan has posed:
It wouldn't be the first time Gar's come here and decided to join in, though in the majority of cases it's considerably more difficult to do so and not stand out due to his all-green, all-the-time nature. One way to blend in is to turn into a parrot, which he does once /he's/ able to get more out of sight, flying into the exhibit to land upon a branch near another one, 'chirping' a greeting.

Eyes catch movement, the Sun Conure ducking into the bushes, another bird emerging. Odd. The additional green parrot watches that spot for a few moments before hop-flying down to investigate further. Seems empty of Sun Conures. So where did the Scarlet Ibis get off to?

Essix has posed:
Presently there are six Scarlet Ibis bickering together on the branches of a Kapok tree. Gendering the birds would require an expert but all six seem to be expressing some sort of disapproval over the presence the bright blue Hyacinth Macaw that has joined them in the branches. Red birds do not like blue birds apparently, is this avian racism?! No, not at all, the macaw is stealing their worms from the feeding platform then flying down to eat them in front of everyone. How rude!

Gar Logan has posed:
"Something's fishy here, and that's completely the wrong habitat," says the green parrot, very much under his breath. It's the behavior of the Ibis over there that's got his attention again, with the Macaw interrupting their meal to claim some for itself. Now attention is kept on that area, the better to see if something out of the ordinary happens again. Internally, Gar's beginning to wonder.

Essix has posed:
The green parrot, most likely a Red-Lored Amazon, doesn't seem to gain the Scarlet Ibis attention until it has moved to the feeding platform where some seeds, a few insects and a few worms still remain uneaten. Whether this is because the Scarlet Ibis are full or something else is keeping them from finishing, isn't obvious. The minute this green bird joins the blue one however, the Ibis all start squawking and complaining at it, all six, the minute they see the green bird on the platform.

Two of the Ibis hop closer to the platform, and one flies right and lands on it, and through it all the complaining continues. From below where the humans are passing through a little girl squeals with delight and screams out, "Wed bud! Momma, wed bud!" This causes five of the six Scarlet Ibis to start and fly off. It takes the sixth bird about ten seconds to react like the others and fly off.

Gar Logan has posed:
Ah, there. The Ibis that doesn't move in tandem with the others. That's getting the parrot's attention. Whatever that one is, it's all green, no other colors except perhaps a lighter or darker shade. Even the beak is green, one potential clue. He ignores the calls of the little girl, his attention on something a little more important.

Now where are you going, Ibis...the parrot takes to wing, circling and watching on.

Essix has posed:
The Scarlet Ibis, now known not to be a normal bird and is in fact Essix, mentally tracks that there is something not quite right about the green parrot, but in her attempts to /be/ a Scarlet Ibis she missed the signs until she had flown away. Since the Ibis had all scattered, she took the chance to fly into some thick leaves above in the canopy of the mock rain forest, change to a Ringed Teal to fly down to the bushes near the water in the bottom of the exhibit and into a bush.

This time the small Ringed Teal hopped in and a large Puna Teal waddled out and over to the water to start swimming around. The green parrot had been entirely green, even the beak, and that meant it was /not/ one of the birds normally in this habitat, in fact she did not know if a bird with a green beak anywhere in the zoo. As she swam around now, she was looking intently around for the green bird.

Gar Logan has posed:
It happens to be that said green parrot was watching all of this closely, to the point that the disappearances into the bushes and reappearances as other birds did not get missed. Well, well, well. Another shifter of some kind, but the question is to what extent or limitation. To throw things off just enough, when the other 'bird' is in the bush (insert 'one bird in the hand' joke here) the parrot quickly turns into a Turaco and takes up a spot not far off. When the latest iteration of avian begins to move about in the water, the Turaco flits closer and actually speaks. "/There/ you are, clever one!"

Essix has posed:
The minute the green Turaco starts floating toward her, Essix /knows/ something is up. It was a parrot before, completely green, and now it was a Turaco... another bird that should not be in this habitat, and most definitely not solid green. The final clencher is that Turaco don't float, they were tiny birds without webbed feet and likely in the water had no luck moving around and yet here this bird was...

And then he spoke.

Essix had never in her time on this planet encountered a talking animal or another shapeshifter... so naturally her reaction was to scream like a Puna Teal at first, or so it sounded, and then into something more human sounding while at the same time taking flight and trying to fly away from the smaller bird.

Gar Logan has posed:
The Turaco didn't land in the water, rather circled around it. Upon greeting it, the sudden and startled reaction, birdlike at first before changing, told Gar he had the one he was trying to find. He was already pretty sure, but that cemented it as the bird took off.

He didn't pursue, though he was already beginning to laugh as he headed back out of the exhibit to land somewhere nearby on the other side, not as any bird, but rather himself. He couldn't help but guffaw, literally rolling around on his back in laughter. Did one shapeshifter just surprise another? You'd better believe it!

Essix has posed:
All bets were off now, there was no pretending to be Puna Teal, a Laysan Teal or whatever the heck bird it was, no longer mattered to Essix. What mattered was getting away from the Turaco...

The bird returning to man outside the exhibit got to witness something now that later, Essix will deny ever happened. In her panic to get away from a bird that was no longer there, she shifted to the much smaller Ringed Teal and flew right into the clear acrylic wall that humans could look through to see the birds in the bottom. He got to watch her slide down the acrylic just like one might see in a cartoon, while listening to a kid standing there watching as well, and then she fell into the bottom of the enclosure out of sight.

Gar Logan has posed:
Gar Logan watches this, seemingly in slow motion, and as the bird smacks squarely into the clear but very present barrier and slides/falls down, he just can't. Can't hold his composure, and the laughter doubles as he goes into more of a fetal position, shaking and almost in tears. He knows he shouldn't be laughing at that. Some birds can kill themselves from the impact, so hopefully this shifter is all right.

The question is going to be..what kind of shifter, and when will he or she reveal the true form? Even then, in what mood will said shifter be? Just as the visual begins to form again, he manages to push it out of his head and sit mostly upright, wiping his eyes with a hand as the other helps prop himself up. "Oh, man..."

Essix has posed:
There is no physical damage done to Essix. There may be some mental and emotional damage, but that's something she will have to figure out later. Laying there in the underbrush for a moment, she returns to her natural state long enough to ooze through the fence at the very bottom of the enclosure.

The decision was made before she even finished getting her golf balls sized form out where she could technically get stepped on... in?... but people were more focused on all the birds and not watching where they put their feet. Seeing the green man on the ground laughing, she knew exactly what she had to do.

A long tendril formed to stretch under the bench he was by, then she snapped over so that all of her was under the bench and forms herself into a mouse. "You scared me," she finally said in a very squeaky voice. "That was very unkind."

Gar Logan has posed:
Soon enough, Gar is seated mostly on his backside, angled so it's more of a lounging position still with one arm up for support. Shortly after this, there is a mouse nearby at the bench, scolding him in a very mousey way. Rather than react with surprise, he comes off as more curious than anything else. "Oh, so you can talk too. That makes this a lot easier. And I wasn't /trying/ to do that. I was just trying to find you. I have an eye for this kind of stuff."

He offers a hand out, to see if the mouse will take the invitation to climb upon it. "Another shapeshifter, but you aren't stuck one color like me."

Essix has posed:
Since she's just a mouse, Essix crawls right out from under the bench and walks toward him as she is squeak talking to him. She is attempting to adjust the pitch of her voice as well, so she doesn't sound quite so... mouse, but it's difficult given the size of the creature she chose.

"You are the first to /ever/ notice me," she admits, approaching his leg, and if he doesn't stop her, she'll crawl right up onto his knee.

"I have been very careful for nearly six months now, and no one has ever caught me until now," she chews a little at her side, just like a mouse would do, then looks back up at him.

Noticing now that he has his hand out, offering to be transportation, she moves right into his hand. "I also have never met one who can shift forms," her little mousy voice turning to an excited tone. "Would you be so kind as to carry me some place a little less... open, public, obvious? Yes, obvious is the correct word."

Gar Logan has posed:
Studying this, and the behavioral habits, Gar realizes that some of this is clearly an attempt to mimic actual animal behavior, the better to blend in. "Yeah, I can see why. You're doing what's pretty much right. Maybe nobody else paid close enough attention, but I study animals all the time and when I saw one bird disappear and another one come out, I started wondering."

He holds the mouse up to about eye level, a couple feet away from his face, which is certainly very green just like the parrot had been. "Six months, huh? That's a long time. A lot can happen in six months." Looking around, he nods in the direction of a path that leads off to another section of the zoo but has a close proximity to a few trees and bushes that provide some cover. Ducking in over there, he sits down and lowers his voice. "Good enough?"

Essix has posed:
"Humans tend not to be that observant," Essix squeaks, looking the green man right in the eye, literally... one eye. "They are busy in the family bubbles."

The fact that he has no idea what the family bubble is doesn't seem to bother her at all, and when he starts walking she goes quiet. She returns then to acting like a pet mouse, scratching at an ear before her nose starts twitching in the air to take in the scents of the zoo, trusting her 'person' to keep her safe.

When he reaches the cover, she looks around to ensure that no one is watching. "This is an acceptable location," she squeaks with a nod. "One moment."

The mouse in his hand melts into what looks very much like shimmer aqua colored slime, the very kind children create to play with, but she is far more solid and can clearly control the very molecules of her being. Once she has become the viscous liquid, she forms a tendril that reaches down to the ground from his hand, expanding in size as she goes until she has enough mass to start forming up into a human shape that shimmers then goes solid before his very eyes.

Gar Logan has posed:
Now seated, Gar keeps his palm up for the mouse as long as it's needed. "Family bubbles, huh? I guess that's one way to put it." He can guess at the meaning, whether right or wrong, keeping an eye on the mouse's act. That is, before they're hidden safely enough from random eyes.

At the melting form, he squints more closely to study and watch the effect. Once the tendril is formed and begins to enlarge, he can't help but reach out with his free hand to poke at it to test how it feels, only just before it all reforms into something more or less human...except for some facial details that are off. "Well, that's a neat trick. Not exactly now it works for me, but interesting."

Essix has posed:
In her natural form Essix feels like ooblek, the mixture of corn starch and water together... partly solid, partly liquid, but she leaves no trace of herself on the finger that touches him her.

Once she is fully formed she extends a hand toward him in the human fashion of greeting as she says, "I am Essix, pleased to meet you green not a human."

Gar Logan has posed:
"Gar," he answers, meeting the hand after a moment before letting go again. He's definitely taking note of the way it feels in comparison to the rest so far, normal or not. "And I am human, but..ahh, it's complicated. So, obvious question. How far does yours go? I can be any animal I can think of."

These are the kinds of things shifters must ask each other upon meeting. Need proof? He just gave it!

Essix has posed:
The shake of her hand is a gentle hold of his hand, and no attempt to squeeze. Essix learned how humans perform this getting act by watching, including those who played the 'over squeeze' game with one another, the 'limp wrist' shake and so many others that she has a section of her memory devoted entirely to the subject.

Taking her hand back, to smooth the white tunic style shirt she wears over a pair of white sweat pants with plain white sneakers on her feet, she offers him a smile. Her lips are perfect, she nailed the formation of them, soft and pouty. "Animals are my favorite," she admits, then settles herself down on the ground to sit with him. "But they are only one of the things I can imitate. I have yet to find something I am unable to copy really... chairs, tables, clothing, bushes, flowers, plants, the ground, even walls. I think perhaps water is one that would be difficult, but I have never truly tried."

Gar Logan has posed:
Gar Logan's own handshake is fairly neutral, if a little on the energetic side. He seems like someone prone to enjoying life and what it it has to offer, though some people put up a front when it comes to their outward demeanor. It can be a mask, hiding something else on the inside. One may never know the truth until it's right there in front of them.

He keeps a spot facing her, unless she chooses a different angle to view him from. "Chairs, clothing, plants, all that? Wow, that's a lot. And I thought /I/ was pretty versatile!" He laughs as he says this, though he still keeps a more hushed tone than not. "What are some of your favorite things to be? Here's one of mine."

Moments later, a very green tiger is seated before her, his clothing having somehow gone away with the rapid change. It's faster than hers, no pooling that reshapes. It's more a quick flow from one body to another.

Essix has posed:
Essix stares in amazement, never blinking as the reality was, she didn't need to. The change for him was so quick and there he was, a green tiger. No hesitation, no pause, no fear, she reaches out to pet down his side to determine if he feels like a real tiger... check, he does.

"Favorites? You mean those that I like the most," she tilts her head a little, finally blinking as she considers this. No one has ever asked. "Well, I love being animals, but birds are my favorite. I am very fond of Chihuahua and Rottweilers, so I would suppose those are my favorite."

As she talks she continues to pet him, long strokes down his side, as if to her he /is/ a tiger and not a green human pretending to be a tiger, perhaps it is all part of helping him be the tiger, it's hard to tell with her as the facial expressions are slightly marred by the deformities she suffers.

"I can only be the larger animals at night, and then I have to avoid the cameras that keep watch on them. I have been a bear once, an elephant which I really enjoyed, and water creatures like fish and octopus, those... those are challenging, but I do like the feel of the water."

Gar Logan has posed:
There is a bit of a surprised look from the tiger, and in this case Gar proves an animal can be quite expressive. This is from the petting along his flank, though it's met with a sort of rumbling sound from within. Not a purr, not a growl, but also not bad.

"Oh, I can be any of those, easy," he chuffs, the tip of his large, striped tail flicking. "Birds for sure, gorillas, elephants, dolphins, things big and small. But..yeah, I wouldn't be something much bigger right here." His voice is mostly his own, in spite of the different body, different physiology.

Then, he's mostly grinning at the feel of the hand up and down his side.

Essix has posed:
Gar may not realize, but everything about him is being studied. There is a pattern to the way in which Essix categorizes the information she obtains, but given that her mind is a series of electrical pulses moving faster than the human mind can comprehend, it would be difficult to explain it.

The petting continues, he seems to enjoy it and why not help out what could become a friend? "When it comes to things that cannot breath, what humans call inanimate objects, my favorites so far have been benches, couches, a seat on the bus, a leather jacket, a silk dress, and a mechanics overalls that he forgot to wash, which was a unique sensation.

"Gorilla?" she then says out of no where, a questioning to her tone. "They do not have those here, what is it?"

Gar Logan has posed:
The tail flicks again, and even a paw curls as if kneading at the ground. Yes, even big cats make biscuits.

Gar lifts his head up slightly, better room for the contact to continue. "Mmm..I'll have to show you later, not here. But..like a chimpanzee, just bigger and stronger. Why do you..mm..like being benches, or seats? A jacket isn't bad, especially if it looks cool."

He maybe ought to go back to his normal, but there's no urgent need to quite yet.

Essix has posed:
The petting seems to have become an after thought, as if this being sits and pets large felines while talking to said feline all the time. Either that, or she's testing just how long she can keep petting him before he either stops her, starts purring, or some other reaction that she can take note of.

"When you are bench in the park, both animals and human pause to rest on you," she explains as if this is something everyone should be doing, there is a tone to her voice that indicates just how much she enjoys it. "For a brief moment in time I am their comfort, a respite from walking, skating or biking around. For some, like mother's with small children, I am a haven for a moment where she can change a diaper while resting her weary legs, and they always seem so weary."

A slight frown touches her lips, before she tilts her head the other way, clearly this is an act that she has seen humans do when they are thinking. "Clothing of any kind can be entertaining, as you hear everything and experience entire moments in a human's life while being worn, I merely prefer the feel of leather and assume it a pleasurable somatosensation."

Gar Logan has posed:
"That's not a bad point, but I wouldn't have the patience for that, to just be in one place for that long and not do anything." No, his need to move around, to act, to talk..it'd get in the way quickly. "And I don't think I'd want someone changing a diaper on me."

He adds, front paws still curling a bit, "Leather can feel good. So can some other things." And then he's back in his normal form, with the petting hand up amid his hair. Surprise! And a cheeky look.

Essix has posed:
The speed with which he shifts amazes the frick out Essix, if she were try to put into words what she felt, that experience, she would likely not be able to find correct words. Finding herself petting his head, one deformed brow lifts, again clearly mimicking a facial expression she has seen.

"Well then," she says with a slight laugh. "I was not expecting that." Oddly, she keeps petting for a minute, then realizes what she is doing as she utters out, "Oh... my apologies," and removes her hand to fold with her other in her lap.

Gar Logan has posed:
Gar Logan winks at her. "Gotcha. And you don't have to be sorry. I'm a bit of a trickster. I love jokes and laughter." She might have noticed this earlier.

Remaining seated with his hair its usual disheveled state, he points at her. "Now it's your turn to be something you want to share with me. If that's cool with you, I mean." Show and tell, essentially.

Essix has posed:
His jovial nature now fully revealed, the smile on Essix features spreads broad, and really is quite lovely. She may not have mastered the eyes and nose completely, but the sips and chin she seems to have gotten right.

"A trickster and jokester, that is truly wonderful!" she chimes brightly. "So rare, humans always seem so serious, as if every moment in time, every little thing they do, could change the course of their lives. No, the color of a female's lip paint does not effect the course of her life, unless you consider the chaos theory..." she stops there suddenly, realizing she was about to go into a long winded ramble that was actually just her thinking out loud.

Instead of further words, she turns herself into a small wooden stool with four feet. The texture of the wood matches the appearance of mahogany, hard and smooth with a slight varnish... it is perfect in every way.

Gar Logan has posed:
Laughter beats being down. That's something Gar has definitely learned over time. "Laugh, and the world laughs with you!" he exclaims, then remembers to lower his voice again. Off the beaten path though they are, it's not so far away that they couldn't be overheard if someone was passing nearby.

When she becomes the stool, he leans closer to touch the seat of it, raising a brow. "Can you still talk like that?"

Following the answer, whether it requires going back to her normal again first or not, he samples through a few more forms that include a meerkat, a warthog, a golden retriever (well, green retriever), a falcon, and a wolf.

Essix has posed:
Beneath the seat of the stool a set of unseen lips appears and Essix replies, sounding exactly like she did in her human form. "Yes, though it requires an ability to conceal human lips."

And now the games are one. Gar moves through several animals, allowing her a moment to observe and touch each before she offers another form to him for the same. After the stool is a lemur, then a broom laying down on the ground. Next some a silken shirt with sparkling emerald buttons, then a stack of books not two in the stack looking the same and each has a readable title, and finally she selects a water creature, an octopus. The creature looks and feels exactly like it should, but clearly it is not dying from lack of water.

Gar Logan has posed:
These are more varied forms, and by the time Gar's finished taking mental notes of his own he duplicates the octopus with a similar-looking one. He, however, probably can't do it for long without water, though he jokes, "Stay away from the buffets! No calamari on the menu!"

Going normal again, he asks, "So how's your jacket? One size fits all?"

Essix has posed:
The octopus laughs, which is really a completely unheard type of sound at first, but she melts into a sitting human form again while still laughing out, "Calamari."

The giggle passing she smooths the tunic once more, she tilts her head, "I can be a jacket that is worn by an elephant, or a baby human," she answers before looking up at his eyes. "Size is not an issue."

Gar Logan has posed:
Gar Logan sits with his knees up, arms wrapped around them. "That's cool. I've never seen an elephant in a jacket." Perhaps feeling more adventurous by this point, after a glance around again he peers at her. "Go ahead. If you want, surprise me with something else."

Essix has posed:
Whether it was the talk about the jacket or just his complete openness, Essix decided to try something she didn't usually do... with someone who was aware that is. Melting into the puddle of her true form, broad tendril stretch up to wrap around his arms first. The tendril spreads into sleeves down to his wrist then up to his shoulders, over his back and down to his waist. The last part to form, the total time taken about ten seconds, was the front of the leather jacket with a metal zipper. There were pockets on the side, a collar that could stand up, but the style was clearly what fashion educated people would call blouson.

Gar Logan has posed:
Gar Logan repositions himself to sit up a little more fully, sensing it will make things easier. The manner in which the jacket takes shape is foreign to him initially, leading to an arched brow of wonder before it becomes more apparent what it's developing into. "..neat," he remarks, and a cursory sniff of it reveals what the scent is - authentic or not. From there he tests the fit by moving his arms and turning one way then the other, remarking, "Cool.."

Afterward, he shares a few more types of animals with her, before any need to depart comes. And there is a point where one of the zoo employees takes the path nearby toward another section of the place.

Essix has posed:
The scent is fresh leather, as if he just purchased the jacket. The feel is leather, soft with a water treatment that would keep it from damage in the rain. The fit is perfect for his body, loose enough to move, tight enough to feel comfortable and almost hugged by the jacket... the way a leather blouson should fit.

After the jacket, she chooses a pigeon to watch his next form, then for her is it literally a necklace resting on a small table. No he can't pick up the necklace but the detail is still amazing, both necklace and table. The final form she presents is a full black garbage bag that has been tied shut at the top.

For Essix, the zoo keeper was entirely too close and in the blink of an eye she is back into her natural form and into the bushes nearby with a flow of a tendril stretched and the rest of her shrinking down as she 'pours' into the foliage.

Gar Logan has posed:
Gar Logan 'hides' by turning into an ant colony. Yes, multiple ants, more than could easily be seen or counted. It's at the end of the second round of 'demonstrating,' and leaves him to speak in a voice that sounds like many all at once, "Maybe we'd better get on our way, but we should talk more soon! I don't see a lot out there like me at all. But, I don't want to get kicked out of here either."

Essix has posed:
Once in the bush Essix is once again a small mouse. She can feel the stomping foot falls of the zoo keeper, but she is more interested in the fact that this human turned into numerous ants, and that all of them were still connected. This was a completely new concept and something she would have to ask him about another time.

"I am here every Sunday," she squeaky whispers so very quietly toward the ants. "I arrive before opening, so I can sneak in more easily. Would you like to meet next Sunday?"

Gar Logan has posed:
"Sounds good to me!" the marching ants reply in unison. "We'll make it into a contest to see who finds who first!" Of course, she has the advantage of being able to look like anything while he's all green, but that doesn't take into account the fact he can be something tiny like this.

There's one more surprise he has for her on the way out, as he turns into a bird-like being, human in shape and features, though a bit on the small side in comparison to most. There are three fingers instead of four, a full pair of wings at the back, and the typical Akiar clothing - which is to say barely more than a kilt and in his case, a loose top that leaves the wings free. "Until next time!" He darts off into the sky.

Essix has posed:
Essix was in awe at how openly he revealed himself and his abilities to the world about him. The few times she had accidently revealed herself to humans, they had screamed and or freaked out. Perhaps humans were used to him because he was one.

Watching him take that final form and fly away, all she could do was stare. Not once had she thought of mingling forms like that, but if he was in fact imitating something or someone he had seen, then there was A LOT more about this planet that she needed to learn.

He couldn't seen the little mousey wave as he flew off, nor did he see her go from a white mouse to a black rat. From there it was slinking along the buildings to the sewer and away, but the whole time she was considering what she would be next Sunday for him to find.