9933/Burger Time

Burger Time
Date of Scene:	01 February 2022
Location:	Big Belly Burger's
Synopsis:	Essix met Mania. Now she meets Andi. Learning continues on both sides. (Continues from scene 9796)
Cast of Characters:	Andi Benton, Essix

---

Andi Benton has posed:
As Mania swung away from the windmills in Happy Harbor, she found herself with an unexpected tag-along: Essix, in the form of a belt that was somewhat overlaid against her own. "What are you doing..?" she asks, no facial movement aside from the eyes squinting.

Meanwhile, she swings along where she can, gaining momentum en route to a place to go eat at.

//The burger place, Andi. They have good chocolate desserts.//
<<And burgers, you know.>>
//And burgers, yes.//

"We are getting burgers," she says aloud, for the benefit of her new accessory. Before much longer, they're in another part of the town and they land behind the place first.

Essix has posed:
Flying through the air with the greatest of ease, Essix is overly thrilled by the sensation of flight. She's been a bird at least once, and taken to the air, but that was different. This time she was a passenger, and one who couldn't answer the question while being a belt, a stylish leather belt, but a belt all the same. Belts don't have mouths.

Once they land behind the Big Belly Burger however, she shifts into that semi-liquid form of blue and forms back into a person standing there. "I couldn't have kept up," she finally answers. "I'm still learning the art of flying as a bird, and likely would have fallen behind, so I took the wisest route to keep up. What is this place?"

Andi Benton has posed:
Just by the way Mania moves and swings thanks to the webs, with the momentum that's felt as she gains speed before moving in arcs and repeating, it's clear that this is something she is used to. It wasn't that way from the start, but it wouldn't be evident by now.

Once they've arrived, hands slide apart from the body about a foot in both directions as the form turns liquid then more solid again, hands then settling at her hips. "It's called a fast food place. We can't go in like this without getting too much attention, so we are going to..change. This is one of those secrets we need you to keep. Understand?"

Essix has posed:
Essix tilts her head a moment, staring at Mania intently. A proclaimed secret, this meant that no matter what, Essix could not repeat it. She offers a nod.

"No one will hear it from me, ever," she offers, extremely curious but trying to conceal it. "Even if I could, I have no need to tell your secrets, but I assure you, or as your small progeny are fond of saying, 'I cross the location where my heart should be, and hope to stop existing. Stick a needle in the area where an eye should be.' that I won't tell a sole."

Andi Benton has posed:
"Good," Mania states after a few seconds of close, long consideration of Essix and her vow. Its vow? It identifies as female, or at least feminine, but is it anything like the way it is for a symbiote that takes on traits of its host?

The form shifts, flowing seemingly away from the body, crawling and moving in a more liquid state until it all appears to simply disappear within the body of the host, and it leaves behind a young woman with a very punk, goth style to her in the cut of her purple-dyed hair, the black and purple she wears, and various accessories. "I'm Andi, and my father doesn't know the truth about us yet. I haven't figured out a good way to tell him. Uh, we can go in like this, but you need to stay looking like that. And try not to ask any questions that will get people staring at you. Now let's go." She walks around to open the front door in order to enter.

Essix has posed:
"Oooooh!" Essix chimes softly as she looks at Andi, eyes searching over the girl quickly but thoroughly. "You are a very lovely human! But don't worry, we will not tell. We can't tell."

Why would being stared at be a problem? Essix is perplexed by that, and it shows on her face as she follows around the building. Before entering she does ask, "Why is people staring bad?" because she really needs to know. Is it common to conceal the truth from others? Should she be being more careful? What is the reason for this worry? So many questions and now she can't ask any of them, so they will wait.

Inside she immediately starts looking around at the lay out. She's never been in a food place like this before. She can 'smell' the food, though it means nothing and does nothing for her, it has a pleasant enough aroma. The statur of the big man holding the burger grabs her attention, and she walks over to it to stare up at it. Did people see themselves like this, or was this a caricature of some kind?

Andi Benton has posed:
Andi Benton explains, "Because sometimes there are bad people who want to do bad things, and sometimes not giving them an excuse is easier than dealing with them. We want to have food, not have to take care of a problem because someone won't leave us alone."

A glance toward Essix follows as they both move in, with Andi motioning for her to follow over to where the counter is along with the menu board. There, she begins an order, a pretty normal one except for the fact she's getting three meals.

"What do you want?" she asks. "I don't know if you have any money, so I'll get it this time."

Essix has posed:
The statue becomes boring, mostly because it doesn't move, even when Essix pokes it, so she moves back over by Andi.

"Want? Money?" She blinks. "I do not need anything, I merely enjoy learning about the kinds of foods hu..." she stops suddenly, looking around then back to Andi. "Uh... that get eaten." Did that work? She has no idea. "What is money?"

Andi Benton has posed:
Shaking her head, Andi lowers her voice. "Nevermind. I'll tell you later." Withdrawing a piece of plastic, she holds it against a small screen for a few seconds before a beep can be heard, then she tucks it away again, gets her soda cup - she only asked for one - and motions toward a table as she goes over to fill the cup up with a cola drink.

After that, she sits down and waits. "It's gonna be a few minutes. So you don't need to eat or drink?" she wonders, and this time as she squints, it's a lot easier to make out the rest of her expression.

Essix has posed:
When the table is gestured to, Essix goes right over to it. First she touches the table, then the chair, and only then does she sit down in one of the chairs. This was a really good learning expedition, so many new things to hear, see, smell, and why was that woman staring at her? Huh, Andi was right. People do stare. Probably her face, she was told it wasn't right yet, but human faces were /so/ hard.

Once Andi joins her she turns her attention back to the purple haired human. "No, no food or water," she says quietly. She got the hint, quiet conversation here was better. "I am still trying to figure out if I can mimic eating, so far not. What kinds of foods, other than chocolate, do you like? What do they serve here? Is that what that is?" She points at the menu on the wall, she'd read it, but without context it was just words.

Andi Benton has posed:
Yes, there are other people sitting in the seats that face the tables. A few do take a glance both Andi and Essix's way, but most stick to their own business. She just assumes Essix will have no trouble figuring out the sitting down part. It hardly crosses her mind otherwise, even if she had to teach Mania some basic things back in the day.

"Huh. We..ah, my 'friend' has to eat, so it's different there. They have burgers, mostly. Fries and other sides, drinks, desserts like chocolate chip cookies and chocolate cake.." She trails off, for just the word 'chocolate' being said appears to stir Mania within, a brief sighting of something black crossing over her eyes. "Soon," she almost hisses under her breath.

"Anyway, everything costs money. Some of it is on my card, but some of it is like this, too." She pulls out a few dollar bills with a bit of loose change.

Essix has posed:
Essix listens intently to both explanations. Taste buds were something she figured out, she could /taste/ things, but she couldn't swallow as there was no where for the food to go. More and more though, chocolate was sounding like the reason to master a way to swallow.

"How do you get money?" She then asks, looking at the paper bills and coins. Reaching out she touches the bill, then blinks. "It's not paper, it looks like paper, but it's actually more like cloth."

Andi Benton has posed:
Andi Benton keeps an eye on those around her, just in case anyone tries any funny business. Yes, the chocolate will be greatly enjoyed, no doubt about that.

"Usually by having a job and working. That's the normal way. You do work, you get paid for it." It's the observation of the money that gets her to look at Essix a little differently, then a half-smile crosses her features. "Funny. You could ask a hundred people what that's made out of and almost all of them would probably say paper. But you're right. It's not."

Essix has posed:
Essix smiles brightly, then tucks her hands back into her lap.

"Once I learn what all the words are for things, I could probably tell you exactly what it is made of," she says quietly. "But there are still a lot of words missing. I spend a lot of time looking things up on the internet to learn the right words. I wonder what sort of job I could do, if any. I also wonder if I should ask for some money from my benefactor. Normally I don't have much need for things, but I wouldn't mind learning about how money works."

Andi Benton has posed:
Andi Benton pushes some of her hair to the side and plays with the tongue piercing she's got, running it along her teeth. "I don't really know anything about that. Do whatever you want, though. Just try to watch people and make sure you don't do anything that seems, I guess, out of the ordinary. Like what we were doing on the windmill. Most people can't do that."

The number on her receipt is called and she adds, "Hold on. That's my stuff." Getting up to fetch the tray, loaded with a few burgers, sides of fries and onion rings, and some of the desserts, she sets it back down on the table. It's a lot of food, much more than one person of her size and stature should be able to eat in one sitting.

What was she just saying about drawing attention?

Essix has posed:
While Andi is getting her food, Essix looks around again at the people present. So many different faces, each one unique in shape and structure, that's what made it so difficult to mimic. Eventually she would figure it out, but each person present is memorized just by her looking at them.

As Andi returns with her tray, Essix is still watching the people. A couple looked surprised at the amount of food on the tray but realizing they are being looked at, quickly look away. The rest don't seem to give a dame one way or the other.

"And being careful is because some people might want to do something bad," she asks softly, making certain her voice doesn't carry. The amount of food means nothing to her, though she does seem to note the amount. She's not seen anyone eat that much before.

Andi Benton has posed:
People have their food. They're getting full on high-calorie, salty, yummy things. They don't pay a whole lot of attention to others.

With the food set back down, Andi reaches for a burger first and a strand of black tries to lash out toward one of the slices of cake before a sharp and audible hiss is heard, but not much beyond the table itself. "Wait!" she whispers, and there's a frown before it disappears again.

"That's the kind of thing I'm talking about," she mentions to Essix, a hint of disapproval in her tone. "Mania wants to eat dessert first." But it's the burger that starts getting healthy bites taken out of, little time wasted.

Essix has posed:
Now that was interesting. Mania listened to Andi, even though it wanted the desserts, but this just sent a few hundred more questions through Essix's head. How does Mania eat if it can't use the black tendrils?

For now however, she remains silent and let's Andi eat. She doesn't want Mania to have to wait too long for the desserts and her questions aren't something to ask right now. She has no idea if anyone else saw the tendrils. If they did there wasn't a reaction, so she's assuming it went by unnoticed, which apparently was a good thing. She didn't fully get why, but she'd takes Andi's word for it.

Andi Benton has posed:
There may be more answers to follow, but after all this. Mania does not make any reappearances, but it is a hint that there may be more cases of this going on where Andi has to chide.

Within a couple minutes, the first burger is just..gone. If Essix has seen anyone else eat, this is pretty rapid. A few fries are dipped in ketchup and finished off, then another tendril sneaks out, close to a cookie, and it shapes into a tiny blade to quickly slice a piece off with a big chunk of chocolate before it engulfs it and all of that disappears back within. At least where they sit, in a corner booth, it isn't visible.

"You're being pushy today. You know you don't have to eat that way. I'd almost think you were trying to show off," Andi says aloud, but there is a faint 'mmm' from the back of the throat. Or somewhere within. Hard to say.

Essix has posed:
Essix has seen a few people eat, but no where near like how Andi eats. She not exactly staring, but she is watching how quickly the food disappears. A part of her is wondering where the little human puts it all, and if that means Mania is actually fully a part of her. It isn't exactly obvious, though she can deduce from what she's seen that that is the case.

She can't help but giggle slightly at this at the 'arguement'. It seemed to her that perhaps Mania was showing off, but why it would do that she doesn't know. The show of deftly stealing a piece of cookie and Andi's comment makes it all the more clear that this wasn't how it always went.

"She really likes chocolate," Essix whispers with a grin. "I swear, I saw nothing at all though."

Andi Benton has posed:
"We both like it," Andi remarks between bites, at least having the decency not to speak with her mouth full of food. There's a sip of soda, then the second burger is started on. "So you don't have to..consume anything to function? Or, like, absorb water to keep from drying out?" she asks quietly.

For the moment, Mania remains hidden.

"And yeah, that was showing off. It../we/ are curious about you," she adds.

Essix has posed:
Essix scoots into the booth a little more, leaning a little so she can see if there is a place Mania comes from or if it completely hidden.

"I'm very curious about both of you," she whispers, still making certain not be heard beyond the booth. In fact, it might be hard for Andi to hear her, that's how careful she is being.

"I don't require any form of outside sustenance to maintain myself," she explains. "Everything that I require, I was created with. I do however, have to return to my natural state every..." she pauses to do the math. "... thirty-six to forty earth hours."

Andi Benton has posed:
To the observer, there is no discernable spot to tell where Mania comes from. When the symbiote withdrew back into Andi, it appeared to go everywhere at once. As she is, there is no sign, no way of telling.

"You seem to be like a symbiote, except different. It doesn't sound like you bond to anyone, but you can be different things. Like that belt," she says, making quick work of the second burger.

There's a faint grunt of acknowledgement, then. "Your natural state is..not anything like this, right?" A hand gesture to the current form, then the same hand closes around the cookie Mania had started on, and Andi eats it.

Essix has posed:
Finding nothing obvious, Essix sits back in the booth and folds her hands in her lap. She looks like a picture of a person sitting there, no extra movements at all, no twitches or flicks, no blinking until she remembers that she has do that. In fact, close observation would see that she also doesn't breath.

"I can mimic almost anything, possibly everything, though I am still learning," she replies, canting her head. "I am only one, and I cannot join others other than the assembly, my own people."

Now to explain the natural state, which requires careful observation of how close others are and if they are paying attention. "This is a mimicked form," she then whispers. "I'm not good at it as you can see, but I'm not that old. My natural form is... runnier."

Andi Benton has posed:
Continuing with her meal, it would appear Andi is eating not just for one, but two. Andi and Mania, and that appetite is voracious.

"We'll have to see what else you can be. We want to see. After we leave here, though," she explains, head angling slightly toward one side as she says this.

Before long, that chocolate cake is being worked on, and she staves the urges off long enough to actually use a fork for one..bite..at..a..time. It must be torture for the symbiote, but as Mania enjoys it, there's a little flutter to even Andi's eyes, an 'mmm' again heard. "We should get going."

Essix has posed:
Every aspect of the meal is memorized. If someone were to ask Essix about what Andi ate she could tell them exactly how much food was consumed, but the reasons for why that much would never pass her lips. Mania was the secret, she understood that now, and no one would ever hear anything related to Mania from her.

Watching the cake disappear, she risks taking a little of the icing onto her finger to sniff more directly, then her 'tongue' tastes just the tiniest amount. She could tell you now what went into making that icing, and with the taste she began to understand the reason for why it was liked, but she still had so much to work on. Picking up a napkin, she licks the icing onto it but makes it look like she was merely wiping her lips, then the napkin is carefully folded and set down.

"I understand now," she offers with a grin. "Chocolate is sweet, and soothing, it has as deep and rich flavor that lingers even when it has moved past the tongue."

Once Andi is ready, she stands up to move with her. "Pick something, anything, and I will attempt to be it," she offers as she rises, then on that topic falls quiet so no one else can hear it.

Andi Benton has posed:
Andi Benton lifts an eyebrow, the one with a piercing through it at the corner, as it's now her turn to watch Essix sample a bit of the icing. Amusement registers. "Yes. Sweet. Soothing. Tasty." Some would even say it's addicting.

Studying is taking place on both sides of this whole thing as she gets up to dump the remainder of wrappings and such into a bin, leaving the tray nearby before stepping back outside. This time, she walks along normally, peering in the direction of a few shops as they pass.

"Anything?" she questions.

Essix has posed:
Essix manages to keep up with the walking pace, though her stride is a bit odd. She is still learning this whole walking thing after all, and how the body works, but the longer the walk the better she gets.

"Yes, anything," she finally says. "As small as a ... uh... ball, hit it with a stick?" She can't remember the word. "And as large as... that." she points to a bus as it goes by. "Perhaps larger, I don't know yet."

Andi Benton has posed:
"It's called a baseball," Andi says. The night is on the chilly side, but she doesn't seem too bothered by it even if she has no coat on.

As they pass a clothing store, she takes a closer look at Essix again, tracking her gait, her pace. In a way it's coltish, like a newborn horse learning its first steps. Not exactly like that, but in a similar vein.

Glancing back over a shoulder, she thumbs in the direction of a leather jacket. "How about that? But you can't talk then, can you?"

Essix has posed:
Essix looks in the window at the clothing, the different choices offered, then to the leather jacket. The style was different then what she had seen before but it looked like a material she had touched before.

"Technically, no..." she replies. "Coats don't have mouths normally, but I have never tried giving a mouth and vocal cords to something that normally doesn't." She looks back to Andi. "I could try it, on the inside. It would be muffled, and you'd look like you were talking to yourself, but it might be possible."

Andi Benton has posed:
Andi Benton mulls over this, looking around. "There aren't many people around. It sounds like something you could try to see if it works or not. Do you have to touch that to know what it's made of?" she asks, moving a few steps back toward the window. By now, some of the shops are closed up for the night.

"It wouldn't be the first time it sounded like we were talking to ourselves," she admits, giving Essix a sidelong glance.

Essix has posed:
Essix looks back at the coat, pressing herself against the glass a little. "That is cow hide, known as leather, treated and dyed black. The zipper is made of a mixture of metals, with a silver finish." She steps back now and looks to Andi.

"I have touched leather, it is a wonderful material. I look forward to touching a cow to compare it to living and dead." Then with that said, not caring who might see, her entire form begins to shimmer into that same aqua colored liquid before she wraps herself around Andi. It only takes a moment before she takes on the qualities of the jacket, the style almost perfectly matching the one in the window. The differences wouldn't be known by the naked eye, a person would have to wear both jackets to note them. Inside the back collar, below the neck, she forms a very small mouth. She's going to sound like a mouse speaking, but she can still say.

"How's that?" Yep, mouse.

Andi Benton has posed:
Andi Benton crosses her arms at the assessment of the material. "So you know what it is," she remarks, and there's a sort of sniff of amusement that follows the desire to see what the difference is between cows. "Well, another part of the cow went into those burgers back there."

Then, she needs to loosen up her arms as the jacket takes shape and settles around her arms, torso, and back. She looks down over it, turning her arms this way and that, reaching behind to feel up around the collar of it, checking the straps at the wrists and waist as well.

Then, the sound of that voice from the faintly muffled mouth, close enough to her ears that speaking up isn't really necessary. "That's pretty wild," she says, pausing before adding, "We've..well, Mania has learned how to 'be' clothes, and we've practiced a little with that too." She begins walking back in the direction of the apartment complex that makes up home, still checking at parts of the jacket.

Essix has posed:
Essix is comfortable, not too tight, not too loose. The inside is softer than the outside, though that might not be the style she felt it was needed. No sense in something rough against the skin, and being stylish was important when you were clothing. Pleased with herself for having managed it in one try, she settles in to be worn as Andi walks.

"Being clothing is quite fun," she offers, still sounding like a mouse... she'd have to work on that because every time she spoke she wanted to giggle and a giggling jacket was not acceptable. "You can observe a great many things as someone wears you places, though the hour in the coat check was very boring."

Andi Benton has posed:
Andi Benton checks the fit a few more times, and she realizes something else.

//You know we can be a leather jacket too, Andi.//
<<Someone sounds jealous. I'm just helping her..or, I guess, it learn more. Remember when we learned things like this?>>
//Of course we remember. We would never forget anything we do together.//
<<Aww, don't be like that.>>

"You're warm," she says, getting back to the thought that had been interrupted. Getting home this way takes longer, of course, but her father did text to say he was out getting some food and would be home soon. Swinging in while he was pulling up was too risky.

"How fun? I figured being objects would be pretty boring, even if you can watch what's going on," Andi states.

Essix has posed:
"You learn a great deal about how the human body moves when you are a piece of clothing," Essix offers. "I could feel their heart beat, the way they breath, the hair as it moved on me. Not to mention everything happening around them that they seemed to ignore. People talking, the sunlight on their back, natural wildlife moving around them. Everything has a purpose, everything is new and to be learned about. I've been a coat before, but that's it. People wear them for warmth, but some wear them for style."

She was starting to get used to sounding like a mouse, but a part of her still wanted to giggle. "Boring is a state when there is nothing of interest happening, for me... everything is interesting." She pauses. "I'm warm? Hmmm... more so than a jacket would be?"

Andi Benton has posed:
Silence follows for a block or so, Andi checking her phone again and sending a text out.

//The jacket is correct.//
<<You sound like you don't want to admit that.>>
//We feel everything around us. It makes everything more interesting.//

Andi takes this for the truth it is, subconsciously bobbing her head in a nod. "I think Mania is feeling strange that all of this is coming from a different, uh, perspective. It's kind of weird, but kind of neat. We know what you're saying. And yes, a little warmer than I expected. This isn't boring, no."

Essix has posed:
It was Essix turn to be silent for a short time, as she tries to determine how she is warmer. To mimic a thing was more than taking on it's shape, or making herself appear like it. To mimic a thing meant /being/ that thing utterly. Jackets were warm because they were an extra layer, not because it was actually made of her instead of leather. This was something she would have to work on, and she wondered now if being a coat before had been the same but the person didn't notice.

"I'll have to figure out how to not be warmer than I should," she finally comments. "But not tonight. I'm being warmer for you."

Andi Benton has posed:
Andi Benton lifts a brow again at the part the mousy voice says, then she answers with a bit of a shrug and finds she doesn't have anything she can think of to say about it.

Hands stuffed into the pockets of the jacket, they remain there for the rest of the walk. Upon reaching the apartment building, she lets herself in and checks around. Lights are on, but she misses her father being home until his voice carries out from the kitchen area.

"Andi, is that you?" he asks.

"Who else would it be?" she answers brusquely, abruptly.

"Were you out with your friends again? I'm glad you're being more social again," he replies.

"Something like that," comes a very similar answer.

"Oh, when did you get that?" By now, his head has appeared by the doorway leading to the kitchen.

"It's..a friend's. I was a little cold. I'm giving it back to her tomorrow. I'll see you later, okay?" Then she hustles off to her room, closing the door behind her and locking it.

"Well, I'm sleeping soon. Work comes early as always. Got to make that money," he finishes.