Owner	Pose
Kian	Kian was able to address Mike's involuntary lack of clothing, as best as possible under the circumstances.  House sensors took the Earthman's measurements, and produced some clothing for him -- predictably, a few kilts and sleeveless shirts.  Which, depending on one's point of view, is preferable to going *completely* native.     Well, whatever it is that's so irresistable about Mike's clothing, they can figure that out later.  The first thing they have to do is *find* his clothes, which are probably scattered throughout the canopy hosting Kian's home.     "They build clusters of nests," Kian explains, "maybe four or five in a group, little dome shaped affairs."  He's still wearing the translator to counteract the degradation of his accent, and his sister is wearing another.  Because of course Shiri would want to help out on a job like this!  "Honestly, I don't really have a good idea where they are, I try to leave them alone other than feeding them.  Try not to disturb them too much, please.  They're perfectly harmless, but if they start climbing out of their dens with drums, torches and spears, we might be in trouble."     He tries to sound completely serious, and manages it for a whole three seconds before the gigglefit takes over.
Nick Drago	Of all the words Mike could porbably use to describe his visit to Kian's home, 'boring' was not one of them. It has indeed been full of new experiences. New foods, new doors, new sports... Heck, he even got to feel what it's like to fly with his senses all intact without having the assistance of a Super holding him in the porcess. And then there's this. Clothing stolen by ordents. Stripped of all of his clothes save for some socks, Mike has ended up wearing something quite different. Instead of his usual solid colored jeans and tee combination, often times sourced form a nearby Goodwill. Mike is instead sporting a black utility kilt that was supplied by Kian. With it ending just above the knees, it actually covers a tad more than his board shorts so he's reasonably covered form the waist down. The sleeveless shirt, while made after taking the measurements seems to be left back at the home in the guest room. With the windows closed. Just in case they find a way to take the kilt too. The musician listens to the explanation. "So, are the nests like, half spheres but just perfectly rounded, or full spheres with a hole for entrance?"
Terry O'Neil	"You say that now," Human Terry says, arms crossed and a smirk on his face, "But remember: I am the student of a sentient ninja turtle. Never underestimate the potential for life to evolve in surprising ways." Agatha shakes her head, "Terry, that doesn't count." "Why not, mom? They've got even more advanced science. Who knows what oozes are oozing around here?" The woman gives a slight, exasperated sight, and then smiles a little. "I have a theory. Entertain me, if you will-" the private investigator says, brushing her hair back off a side of her face, "There is something about Mister Drago that these creatures find fascinating. Pheromone. A particular scent in his sweat. Something that becomes permeated in his clothing..." "So we use Nick as bait!" Terry says. "Terry, no-"
Madison Evans	Madison already has a set of wings strapped on, and is peering oveer the edge of the balcony, turning this way and that in search of the rascally critters. "Bait sounds like a great idea!" she declares brightly. "But like - maybe we use food as bait? What do they like? Or- ummm... hrm. I could try to use my Jedi Mind Tricks on them - I've gotten those to work on an animal once before! And a Queen once! Or... hrm. ....they're not sentient, are they?" she asks curiously, looking between the gathered bird people.     "This is going to be like a treasure hunt or scavenger hunt of something! It'll be fun!" Sure. So long as it's not her //own// stuff that's missing.
Kian	"They ignored food in the presence of Mike's pants," Kian says, somehow with a completely straight face, "so I don't know that *that* is going to work."     Shiri nods.  "Your pants must be something special," she says to Mike.  "I've never known /rut'yw/ to ignore free food."     "Anyway," Kian continues, "they're little half-dome dens, usually tucked into where two large branches meet, there'll be a cluster of them.  I wouldn't call them perfect spheres, just rounded."  He steps into the air, without bothering to look down.  "The main problem is that they're going to be trunkwards, which is going to make them awkward to get to.  The little critters have an easier time getting deep into the tree than we will."     He turns to Agatha.  "We're pretty sure it's something in his clothes from Earth.  They not only ignored him, given a choice between him and his pants, but also stole clothes direct from his room while he was out here with me."
Nick Drago	Hearing the suggestion to use him as bait, Mike turns his head to look over to Terry. Considering the experiment that led to him having NO clothes beyond the socks, he shakes his head. With a pause, he takes off his shoe and proceeds to take off a sock. "They also went after stuff I hadn't even worn yet." He points out, "Although they did leave me my shoes." He holds up the sock as an offering for said 'bait'. He'll keep the other one.
Terry O'Neil	Terry ponders this information, seemingly trying to puzzle things out. "Well, they haven't gone after /my/ clothes or anyone else's..." He hmmms, "Okay, can you think of anything, anything at all that would set your clothes apart from ours? Outside of, you know, you being a rock star and therefore buying all of your clothes from the most recherche and exquisite tailors, of course." This last bit is said with a wink, as the Cheshire teases Nick. "The sock will probably work. But we should have some form of concealment," Agatha points out, "In order to set up the perfect bait. As I understand it, Madison can become invisible. But that will not keep us hidden from whatever acute senses they posses." "Not necessary, mom!" Terry pipes up. "If I turn into the Cheshire, I can make the rest of us invisible... and I could mask our scents with illusion... that way we could make a bait and lure them out..." He frowns. "How does that sound?"
Madison Evans	"Ooo! Oh! Do you want to //see// me go invisible?!" Madison asks immediately, and eagerly. Then she pauses a beat as she seems to realize- "You know what I mean," she adds sheepishly.     She concentrates for a moment and then- poof. Simply vanishes in place. She does a little twirl - that no one can see - which unbalances her on the edge of the balcony, and sends her tumbling over with a startled squeak, followed by, "It's okay! I have wings!"     She flies herself the few feet back to the edge of the balcony, before her voice comes out of nowhere to ask, "So - we put out the bait and then- what? Try to follow it back? Do we wanna put like- a tracker or something in the sock? In case we lose them?"
Kian	"I don't think we need to hide from them," Shiri remarks, flitting upwards, "and we've got an idea where they are, it's just a matter of finding the dens and seeing which ones have his clothing.  The hard part is going to be finding them.  Even if we coax one out with his sock, it might not be a /rut/ that has any of his other stuff."     Kian nods.  "Chances are they're going to be the ones nearer this balcony.  It looked like his pants were awkward to fly with, so they probably didn't go far."  He glances to his right, where a couple /rut'yw/ can be seen gliding.  "I know there's a bunch over there, so it's as good a place to start as any."     You know the drill: effortless wingflick, and he and his sister are on their way.
Nick Drago	"Oh yes. The fine tailors of Gudhwhill." Mike agrees, giving a tilt of the nose upwards. The musician gives a smile, shaking his head, "Uh, Yeah the stage persona does tend to use name brand but I packed my usuals. Other than where I bought them, the only thing I can think of is that they were packed in the same bag on the way over and since I'm not exactly sharing a place with any of you that I probably use different products to do laundry with." Mike turns his head to Madison's suggestion of a tracker. "...I like that idea. I'm running out of the clothes I brought. Do we have a tracker?" Do we have a tracker. HAHAHAHA! It's the Titans! Of cours- -Oh right vacation. Do they? So, it appears that the bait option's getting shot down anyways. Making use of the pockets on the kilt, Mike shoves the sock into one. "Orrrr we just look for nests. Got it." With a hop, Mike flies up as well to have a look.
Terry O'Neil	"That's very impressive, Madison," Agatha says, "Just make sure you don't-" and Madison plunges, invisibly. And then she flies up. "That." "Well, then, nest-hunting it is. Off we go!" Terry says, maneuvering to follow after the rest, "It's just the second star to the right-" "And straight on 'til morning, Terry, but that is the wrong storybook," Agatha observes. She has taken to wings with incredible ease, almost as if she has done this before, which is something that mystifies Terry to no end. "You know, for all we know, Neverland actually exists somewhere," the red-headed boy says. Agatha frowns as she flies behind her son, and then says quietly, "... Heaven help us."
Madison Evans	"Oh, I'm fine, Ms. O'Neil, no need to worry about me! I'm a //Titan.//" Yes. She's still slipping that fact into conversation whenever possible. It'd be insufferable if she weren't so difficult to be annoyed with.     "If we ever go to Neverland I am //definitely// going!" Madison's voice replies. She leaps off the balcony with the others, searching around her for some of the creatures though - she belatedly realizes she's not sure which of the planet's wildlife they're looking for.     "Is that one of the culprits?" she asks. She points - without seeming to realize that no one can see the gestures. Oh, Madison.
Kian	"I don't think you still need to be invisible, Maddie," Kian suggests.  "Especially because that means none of us can see you if we need to avoid running into you.  And the /rut'yw/ are used to us.  They're not tame, but they're pretty well socialized."     Shiri has gone higher up and landed on a branch, peering into the depths of the tree.  "They're... uh... I don't know an Eart' animal to compare them to."     "Raccoony, with a gliding membrane.  And not quite as big as an Earth raccoon.  And cute enough to get away with stealing things," Kian explains, finding a lower branch to perch on, looking for signs of their dens.
Terry O'Neil	Terry and Agatha take to orbiting carefully, while Mike follows Shiri's lead. "Well, then," Terry asks, frowning, "How /do/ we find out the right nest? Look for the Rut'wy who look like they're about to go on a photoshoot?" "I don't think they have photoshoots here, Terry, your reference isn't universal enough," Agatha says blithely, but her eyes are paying attention as she varies her angle for better viewing. "Okay, like they're going to go put on a concert." Terry pauses. "... you /do/ have concerts here, right? You don't just link minds and /think/ music at each other?" That would be terrible. He would have the hardest time with his stream of thought not getting interrupted by commercial jingles and, eventually, returning to Leslie Hall's 'Body Rolls' song.
Madison Evans	"Oh. Right! I forgot, sorry!" A moment later, Madison is back - carefully trying to glide through the branches with a look of concentration on her features. That is until Kian describes the culprits. "OH! Space raccoons! I met a space raccoon at Coney Island, once. I fed him funnel cake! He liked it. He traded the guy a mechanical eye for the funnel cakes."     She ends up landing on a thick bough, deep inside the tree, looking around for the critters before suggesting, "We could think Tom Lehrer at them, Terry. Spring is here, spring is here, life is skittles and life is beer! I think the loveliest time of the year is the spring, I do. Don't you? Of //course// you do..."
Kian	"Oh, no.  Although we do have instruments that are mentally controlled.  Outside of ritual, we avoid having that many minds in sync.  It's disconcerting.  Dis-concert-ing?  Anyway, no, concerts are listened to for the most part, because the other problem is you can't help but feel if several others don't like a particular piece, and that makes it hard to enjoy it yourself."     "If 'photo shoot' means what I think it does," Shiri says, addressing Agatha, "we have those.  In three dimensions.  You should see some of the trimensionals Kian has of /qihar/ stars.  Especially--"     Perhaps not entirely coincidentally, Kian cuts her off: "Found a nest!  Nnh.  That's in there deep.  But I think I see fabric dangling out of one of the openings."
Terry O'Neil	"I understand," Agatha says to Shiri with a smile, "Terry had similar pictures of Ga-" "MOM!" Terry says, a /little/ too loud. And then becomes intensely interested in the bit of fabric dangling out. "Look! There's a clue. So how do we- will they bite if we try to get the cloth ourselves?" he asks. And then he snaps his fingers. "Wait... Maddie could Force Fetch it, right?"
Madison Evans	"It isn't called Force Fetch!" Madison protests with a giggle.     At least it stops her from finishing the song.     She creeps along the bough, looking for a better vantage point on the bit of cloth. "Okay. Looks like a shirt. Uhhh - was it one of those shirts with 'stylish' holes in it, or have they been gnawing at it?" She asks.     Without pausing for a response, the little Jedi holds a hand out towards it, concentrating as she closes her hands into a fist as if grabbing it, and starts to pull it out, and towards herself.
Kian	Kian shakes his head.  "I've never known them to bite anyone, but Maddie extracting it will be the easiest way, if she can.  It gets pretty thick in there."  It does, too -- and while perhaps not as impressive as the redwoods Kian saw on their interrupted drive back from California a year ago, these are impressive old trees.     The shirt responds, appearing to extract itself from the den only fitfully.  When it does come free, there are two /rut'yw/ clinging to it, chittering with some annoyance.  Since they can only glide and not fly, they're not so much engaged in a tug-of-war with Maddie as they are along for the ride.
Terry O'Neil	Nick recognizes his shirt, and Terry laughs, "Well, the little thieves..." the redhead glides to intercept the shirt and, potentially, catch one of the rut'yw, but gently. "Terry, how many times have I told you /not/ to reach out for wild animals?" Agatha calls out after him. "Hello, have you seen who I'm dating?" is the answer. His mother shakes her head and confides to Nick, "It would do him well to get bitten for that. To teach him a lesson." And then she wonders, "They wouldn't have rabies, would they? Or a similar disease on this world-"
Madison Evans	"SPACE rabies!" Madison declares dramatically. "DUN DUN DUUUUUUUN!" Still, there's a grin on her features as she continues to lift the shirt with a gesture - relinquishing her control of it once Terry has hold.     "Oh hey! I think some underoos! Are those Spongebob Squarepants?" she asks - teasing Nick lightly. It seems some boxers were pulled out - or maybe just revealed - when she lifted the shirt. She transfers her attention to that next, giving another tug with a gesture, concentrating on the bit of cloth.
Kian	"They don't bite," Kian says confidently.  "And they shouldn't have any diseases.  Oh, that shirt is pretty ruined, yeah."     "I see another one up here," Shiri calls down.  "I think I can get to it!"  And she disappears into the foliage.     "I'm not sure any of these will be wearable again, are we just looking for them on principle?" Kian asks reasonably.     A couple of branches crack from above.  "I'm okay!" Shiri yells, knowing that she's surrounded by professional rescuing types and an alpha mom and wishing to head off an overhelpful incursion.  "And I see two pairs of pants and a shirt and an awfully smug-looking /rut/ sitting on them."
Terry O'Neil	"I am sure we could do a patch job of them," Agatha says, "Not me. I never learned to do that, but-" "But you learned to fly somehow at some point?" Terry finally says, succumbing to curiosity. The red-headed woman glances at her son and gives him a smile, "I spent a few years as a hang-gliding instructor in Maui. It's not too dissimilar. Except, of cours-" "Wait," Terry stops her, "You lived in MAUI? We could have lived in MAUI? You- you moved to /Brooklyn/ after living in MAUI?" "Not now, Terry. We've got to get Nick's clothes back," Agatha says, and off she goes towards Shiri's voice. The redhead just stares, and says rather miserably, "I would've liked living by the beach, you know..."
Madison Evans	"I grew up in Southern California," Madison remarks - before adding more quietly, "Still miss it, you know?" But - now she lives in Happy Harbor. And she's a //Titan// - so the move was worth it. Even if she does still miss her home.     "OH!" she adds, as she frees the piece of fabric, and floats it into her hands. "I get it! It's //swim trunks!// No wonder they're so colorful. Gosh, he really was ready for anything on this trip, huh?"     Peering at the nest she adds, "I don't see anymore in this one! Unless it's deeper in." She then starts crawling along the bough, looking for a better vantage point to find more clothes.
Kian	"Hang gliding?" Kian asks mildly.  "And we do live near a beach, Terry, it's right outside the Tower!  You can't tell me you've never noticed it."     "I've seen inside his head," Shiri calls down.  "You can't tell me it's impossible for him to miss it."     "Good point."  Kian throws a big innocent grin at Terry.     Another small crack from above.  "I'm okay!  This thing doesn't want to give up any of these -- I'm going to haul him out of here, someone get Mike's stuff while I'm distracting fuzzy here."  She emerges from the treetops holding a pair of jeans by one leg, while a /rut/ dangles from the other, obviously unwilling to surrender its prize.
Terry O'Neil	"I am feeling incredibly attacked at the moment," Terry says, crossing his arms with a smirk, "And so I will have to be convinced to take part of this recovery operation." Agatha, on the other hand, zooms towards Mike's stuff while the Rut is being tangled with. "This isn't too different from cleaning Terry's room back in high school. Of course, this time I don't have to dig through the pockets to make sure there aren't any drawings of -" "NEVERMIND I'M COMING TO HELP RIGHT NOW YOU DON'T HAVE TO TIRE YOURSELF OUT MOM," Terry says, suddenly zooming away to help with the recovery operation this time.
Madison Evans	"I draw wookiees and mon calamari and such in the margins of my notes at school," Madison supplies helpfully for Terry. "And an evil duck with vampire fangs and a cloak, who only ever says 'QUACK.'" She tries to make it sound as sinister as possible but- com'on. It's 'Quack.' It's a heavy lift. "And sometimes I try to draw Darth Vader taking an AT-AT out for a walk. You really don't need to be ashamed of your drawings."     She leaps across to another branch - and that's when she spots another of the nests. "Got come more! Gosh. It looks like they really packed it all in there..."
Kian	"They're clever little things," Kian says, giggling as Terry goes rocketing by.     "Aw, no!"  Shiri's unhappy passenger seems to have noticed that there's a raid going on at its den and releases the pants leg, catches a favorable breeze, and heads back upwards to defend its ill-gotten property.  "Kii?"     "I'm on it."  He flits up to cut off the returning /rut/, which chitters crankily at him.  "You probably want to be quick in there, if he gets into the tree I won't be able to block him."     "Just think of it as /qihar/ practice.  And did someone say Terry can draw?"
Terry O'Neil	"Oh yes," Agatha immediately starts piling Nick's clothing articles into her arms, ready to beat a hasty retreat out of there with the plundered and re-possessed garments, "He practiced a lot and he got quite good. It was more involved than doodles on his notes, Madison, these were fully detailed drawings. He seemed to particularly enjoy drawing-" "FOR THE HORDE!" That's Terry, trying to run interference and distraction on two different fronts- away from his mother's revelation, and towards the Rut- he is honest-to-goodness going for a tackle-grab, going full Elmyra Fudd on the Rut. He will do his best to hold on to it and might even let the wings stop supporting him for a second so that his weight pulls the Rut out of his favorable breeze and forces him to hold on to Terry, who will then try to hold on to it. And try to soothe it a bit. After all, they're just trying to get the things back, not hurt the little guys. And Terry is totally /not/ thinking about potentially acquiring a new pet. No siree. It would be an absolutely terrible idea for him to bring a pet that has the propensity for stealing people's clothes. That would be a disaster. Absolutely disastrous. "What do these guys eat, anyways?" he says, asking for a friend.
Madison Evans	"I wanna see Terry's drawings!" Madison says brighty - seemingly oblivious to Terry's distress. What could really be that embarassing about //art,// anyways?     Even while she's egging the situation on - she's pulling a massibe plug of pilfered clothes out of the one of the nests - with several of the strange raccoon-ish creatures holding on for dear life.     "You know. My mom was very specific about how I wasn't allowed to bring any alien life home with me. Man. Such a //drag,// huh?"
Kian	"Leaves, berries, anything they can pilfer, and you can't bring one back with us, they're social animals, that's why they build their dens in clusters."     Kian adds after a moment, "And you shouldn't bring back a dozen either.  They have no natural predators on Earth, they'd be uncontrolled and quit looking at me like you think that's a reason *to* bring them back!"     The /rut/ squirms and struggles -- but like Kian has said repeatedly, it does not bite.  Its clawing can charitably be described as half-assed, like it's only trying to make its displeasure known, not actually be a danger.     Shiri has tied the pants legs around her waist so she doesn't have to carry them, and swoops down to help Terry with the /rut/.  "I think I recognize this one.  He acts like you should be honored to give him treats.  He's noisy but harmless."  The /rut/ paws ineffectively at the pants just out of its reach.  "Artist, huh?  Brother-by-choice, you and I need to talk...."
Terry O'Neil	"No- it was a phase. I haven't drawn for *years*, I'm way too rusty, and it was just- yeah- no you don't want to see my drawings. And by this point they're probably all-" "In the fourth drawer of your old dresser, Terry," Agatha says, helpfully. "MOM- This is patently unfair. Kate gets a land shark for her troubles but I can't have my own cadre of flying thieving raccoons. There is no justice in this world," he says, and looks at the Rut pawing at him "None whatsoever, eh little guy? You don't get Nick's pants, and I don't get you, although, come to think of it, I at least have gotten int-" he pauses, realizing where his wandering mind is taking him, and amends, "-to enough trouble already. Alright, let's grab the things and get back. Before we find another awesome thing I am /not/ supposed to do."