Owner	Pose
Dick Grayson	Nightwing made his way home, opening the hidden ramp leading under the lakehouse by remote as he approached. The rumble of the big V10 on the Wingcycle reflected back from the walls until he rolled into the parking space and switched it off. Climbing off the bike he glanced in the direction of the ramp to make sure it had shut, a habit he had picked up since moving out here since the lakehouse's entrance was in a slightly more traveled area then the entrance to the actual Batcave.     He stretched, several things popping as he did, then reached up and slid off his mask as he headed into the side room where the armor and equipment racks were. Opening the armor case, he hung the mask, then started removing the rest of his armor. Gloves and bracers first, then the heavier chest and back assembly, revealing the basic black unstable molecule shirt he wears under his armor.     Next came unstrapping the belt with it's various pouches and containers, followed by the boots and pants, leaving him in just the shorts and aforementioned shirt. Each piece of armor gets hung in the case as he removes it. With everything off, he prepares to close the door to the case.
Essix	The thing about being an alien formed of a viscous liquid is that you can really go anywhere you want quite easily. Essix could be as small as a golf ball, or as large as a bus, perhaps even larger, though she had never tried. In this particular case she had chosen one of the pouches on Nightwing's belt to ride in. She hadn't meant to be an invader, the truth was she had no reference for attempting to learn how to become a hero. What she had was an accident on her part, that led to a gang war, that brought in the heroes she had watched end the war. Now she found herself in a position that humans would consider awkward, but for the tiny aqua alien there was only the hope that she could appeal to this particular heroes sense of right when she revealed herself and explained, and not just attack her out right. As the belt she is hiding in is placed in the case, she has no choice but to flow out of the pouch and onto the floor with a slight splat before the lid came down.
Dick Grayson	As the aqua colored goop starts to flow out of one of the belt pouches, Nightwing lets out a little surprised yell, drops the belt and jumps backwards. Never trust a viscous liquid, this is basic knowledge for just about any hero. At the moment, he's just not sure what the hell got into his pouch when he wasn't looking.     When it starts moving on it's own, we'll get a whole new level of WTF, along with a search for something to be used as a weapon since his batons are in their charging sockets in his armor, which is hanging in the case on the other side of the goop-thing.
Essix	The rushed appearance brought about the reaction Essix feared, a startled yelp, and she knew he was looking for a weapon... not that he could likely hurt her. Still, she didn't want that sort of situation. Once she hit the floor, the liquid flowed up into the form of a female human dressed in plain clothing... tshirt, jeans, and sneakers. As the face formed she said, "I am sorry! I am not here to harm you!" even before the rest of her face forms, well... the best that she can do with a face. "That was not how I intended to introduce myself, I panicked," she said more calmly, holding up her hands in a defensive way. "I am called Essix."
Dick Grayson	Nightwing is generally one of the calmer bats, which is probably lucky for Essix. Had she done that with Jason, he probably would have shot her repeatedly. It may not have hurt her, but he still would have done it.     As it is, the search for a weapon stops once she starts talking, and he gathers himself from the surprise and takes a breath or two before leaning against the wall beside the door out of the room.     "Ok, let's take a moment here then. Let's start with some basics... what exactly are you, and why were you hiding in my equipment?"
Essix	Now that he was no longer looking for something to clobber her with, Essix slowly lowers her hands back down to her sides. Her body language mimics a submissive human, not even showing being tense at all, though really Essix was. Separating body language from emotion was something she'd learned watching humans. "There is no name in your language for my species," she begins calmly. "I have no genetic memory of a word to define us other than 'viscous liquid' and that is rather unflattering." She cleared her throat a little, even though she had absolutely no need to. Once again she mimics a human behavior perfectly. "I am the only of my kind on this planet, I arrived here in your year 2013 to begin my observations. I emerged from my travel chamber exactly fifteen months and seventeen days ago. My purpose us not violence, or to change the way the beings of this planet go about their lives." There is a pause here and her facial expression changes. "I failed there, which is in fact why I entered your pouch after the fight."
Dick Grayson	"Ok, so you're saying you are an alien. I think I can accept that, all things considered. I mean, there are some other folks who can do your kind of thing, Clayface comes to mind for instance. But so far I don't see a reason not to accept what you're saying."     He visibly relaxes a bit now that a dialogue has started and continues, "I get most of what you're saying, but how did you fail and why would it lead you to hop into my belt pouch? That's the part that I think needs a little more explanation."
Essix	As Nightwing relaxes, Essix relaxes, or at last visibly appears to do so. After over a year of observing humans, she has mastered the body language, even if she is still having issues with making their faces correctly. "I was attempting to understand the nature of gang violence. Why it was that an invisible line constituted violence, why the color of a bandana or tattoos on their body made them hate each other." Her voice is perfectly calm now, almost analytical in how it sounds. A scientist speaking about their work would likely sound the same. "The Jade Tigers and Steel Cobras were two smaller groups, close together, with several odd vendettas," she continues, only then realizing that maybe he doesn't want or need all the details. "I... I did not realize the depth of human hatred, or just how angry a group could become over a missing item." Now there is a fidget to her body, a reluctance, a hesitance. "The Steel Cobras believe that the Jade Tigers stole the Cobra statue from their main gathering location. It is apparently very precious to them, representing their heritage..." again she stops, chews at her bottom lip and sighs. "I took the statue to see what they would do, I did not know they would blame the other gang."
Dick Grayson	Listening to her explain what she has been up to Nightwing nods, noting the detachment that indeed made her sound like a scientist conducting an experiment. He winces a little as she explains what she took to further her experiment.     "Yeah, that would tend to piss them off a lot. And it's unfortunately a rather common human trait to blame something bad that happens on people you don't like to begin with."     He pauses and then asks, "So tell me, are you just studying us to know more about us, or do you perhaps feel superior and are studying us as dangerous animals you will have to deal with, or what? There's been far too many sci-fi movies with the concept 'studying humans' that end in really bad ways. I'd prefer to avoid that if possible, kind of nip it in the bud, you might say."
Essix	Essix cants her head to one side, taking in the information he shares about the gangs and their hatred, which now all makes perfect sense as she saw it happen just as he explained. The reason for her perplexing expression however was his question. "I had thought movies regarding beings from space to be works of fiction," she states. "I did not know that people actually believed them to be possible. So I will explain in detail my purpose." Folding her hands together in front of her she stands up a little straighter before continuing. "My purpose is to observe and learn about the beings on this planet, from the humans to the amoeba, flora and fauna, and even the planet itself. I have no genetic memory of being superior, so I do not feel superior nor believe myself superior. I believe in your language you would call me an explorer."
Dick Grayson	Nightwing nods, "Well, up until recently most people on the planet didn't believe in aliens, but with more and more of them coming to Earth it is becoming common knowledge that there really are aliens. Only recently we opened our first official spaceport as a place for aliens coming to Earth to land, and for those of Earth with the proper technology to store and launch space vehicles."     He pushes off the wall and says "Follow me, we might as well be comfortable while we talk." Heading through the doorway to the main cave, he heads over to a small conference-type table set up off to one side. Going over to a small fridge he asks, "Do you eat and drink? And if yes, would you like something to drink?" He pulls a flavored water bottle out for himself, then awaits her answer."
Essix	Of course, Essix should have remembered that most humans are woefully ignorant regarding life beyond their own planet. She'd heard an argument between a small group of college students regarding Superman being an alien, some believed, some did not, and that was in spite of the hero announcing he was. "I am still adjusting to the knowledge that most human believe themselves to be the only life in the entire universe," she admits, still watching him with the blue human eyes. When he moves toward the conference like area and invites her to follow, she does so without hesitation. Perhaps it was foolish to trust him so blatantly, but she had seen him risking his own life to stop the gang war, he was trustworthy. "I do not require food or water, but thank you for the offer," she explains, moving up to one of the chairs but not willing to sit until he does... it was his hidden underground cave after all.
Dick Grayson	He closes the fridge and head over to the table, taking a seat and twisting the top off the bottle before taking a sip. "It's pretty stupid, if you ask me. I think that by now there's more than enough proof that aliens are real, but we still have people absolutely insisting that there's no way real aliens could be visiting the planet. I mean, for God's sake, we fought off a major alien invasion just a few years ago. How much proof do they need?"     Shaking his head, he takes another sip, then looks back at her. "So, with that aside, the question still facing us would be 'Why did you hide in my belt pouch? The rest makes sense, but I'm a bit unclear how this pertains to your mission. It also leads to a rather big problem - you know what I look like without all the gear on that protects my identity from the world."
Essix	Now that he has taken a seat, Essix does the same and folds her hands in her lap. Throughout her synapses the electrical signals that were her thoughts, memories, and genetic history, she was attempting to find the correct way to explain to this man why she'd done what she did. It was so much more than, 'You're so cool, I wanna be like you!'... the signals bounced around a bit longer as he sat there and finally she nodded once. "Since emerging from my travel pod, I have not only been learning about the beings of this planet, I have also been learning about myself and my species." She leans forward a little and moves her folded hands onto the table. "There is no accurate count for the number of my species in the Assembly, we are one and millions at the same time. Each of us are genetically formed with a purpose, and mine is an explorer, but at the root of what I am is a need for... justice, logic, to aid those in need with the abilities I have." She pauses there, glancing toward the case he'd almost put his belt in. His suit was already stored away, but her appearance had made him drop the belt. "I /need/ to help this planet, I /need/ to aid in serving justice... so when I saw all of you appear, each from a different direction but all with the same purpose..." she slowly looks back to him. "I knew I had to become one of you. I need your help to do that, and that is why I hide in your belt."
Dick Grayson	He nods "Well, wanting to help people is an excellent place to start, and I suppose you wouldn't know about things like secret identities or staying hidden. We tend to do this for a few reasons. One is that it's nice to be able to go places without being recognized, another that most of us have family members who could get caught in the crossfire if the bad guys find out about them."     He considers her for a minute, then seems to come to a conclusion. "Well, no use crying over spilt milk. You already know who I am, and since you want to be a hero but don't know a lot about this planet, you're going to need someone to teach you. If you'd like, I'll be your teacher. Just remember, when I'm wearing the gear, I'm Nightwing. Normal clothes, I'm Dick. Please do your best not to mess that up, it's really important."
Essix	Although Essix doesn't have a heart, she lifts her right hand to lay over her chest where the human heart usually is. Her tone grows serious though calm and she says, "I give you my word that no one will hear from me who you are. If asked, I will call you Nightwing, my mentor, and nothing else unless you tell me other wise. I cannot break this promise, the words will not form to be spoken." Bowing her head slightly toward him, she then stands up and walks back over to the base. Picking up the belt, she places it in the case where he meant to put it, then she returns to the table. "Secrets are a secret for a reason, my species has a large number of them for reasons I do not know nor understand, at least not yet. I have no desire to cause you any trouble, and if I could have thought of another way be able to find you again, I would have used that instead of stowing away in your pouch." Settling back in the chair, her hands once again fold in her lap. "Thank you. I realize you are likely a very busy human male, with many other responsibilities in your life, but so long as you are teacher, which I am very grateful for, I will do anything I can to make your life easier and I will protect you and your home from danger."
Dick Grayson	"Thank you. I'll do my best to show you how we tend to do things around here. Some of it is a bit unconventional, but it mostly works for us."     He considers her again, then asks, "The first thing I need to find out would be about your abilities. What can you do, what are your strengths and weaknesses, that sort of thing. Also, do you know how to fight at all? As you saw, that is unfortunately a big part of being a hero. The bad guys never seem to want to just give up and come along quietly, so we tend to get into a lot of fights."     He takes another drink from his water bottle while he waits for her to form a response.
Essix	Once more Essix cants her head as she listens to his question, and the explanation he offers, which all makes perfect sense. She has seen the violent, angry nature of humans, of the "bad guy". They tended to shoot first and not bother asking questions later. "My abilities," she repeats first. "You have seen my natural form, the viscous liquid, and witnessed me take this form." She gestures to the human form she took. "This is not the limit of the forms I can assume, in fact I have yet to come across something I cannot mimic, though as you can see by my face, I have troubles with making myself look human." She runs a hand over her eyes and ears, the two parts that are extremely messed up, then folds her hands again. "Living, non-living, as small as a ping-pong ball and up to... well I do not know my largest size, I have never tried. I do not require air to breathe. I have been shot, stabbed and run over and taken no permanent damage." Here she pauses. Trust, yes she had to trust him and that meant telling him the biggest secret weakness of her species. "I have two weaknesses, two things that can harm me or force me into my natural form," she steadies the electric impulses inside her form. Why it was she could speak this secret and not others, she had no idea. "Fire can destroy me. So long as even the smallest part of me escapes the flames, I will survive and recover, but fire... it is the ultimate weakness." "The other is your electricity, in stronger currents, can force me back into my natural form and... well honestly it is a level of painful I would rather not experience again. I believe that if I were trapped in an electrical current long enough, it would also kill me." There, she'd done it... she'd told this human the weaknesses of her species, or at least what she believed was the weaknesses of her species. Despite existing for a very long time, she had never actually met another of her species, perhaps it was different for each of them. "In regards to fighting, I... I know how to knock people down, protect people with my body, punch, I believe that is the term, but I have no training in any forms of fighting," she adds after another moment of silence. "And I liked your baton style, it seemed very comfortable to what sort of things I can do."
Dick Grayson	"Yeah, you do have some work to do if you want to pass for a normal human at any point. That's not the most important thing in the world though, you'll be able to help people no matter how you look." He returns to listening as she answers his questions. When she reveals her weaknesses, he nods and says, "Well, thank you for trusting me with that information. It can't be easy to decide who to trust on an alien world, but I'll do my best to hold up my end of the bargain."     Once she finishes her explanations, he says "Useful abilities, no doubt. And of you liked the baton style of fighting, I can certainly teach you that." He smiles, "We'll get you up to speed in no time. I may also contact some friends of mine who may be able to give you some pointers on fighting in different forms. For now, however, I believe I'd like to take a shower and get all the sweat off me. Do you have a place to live or anything?"
Essix	Essix was pretty certain that her ability to share the weaknesses had to do with the fact that she had taken away his right to his secret identity. It was 'pay back' to her for it, or so her 'mind' had decided. "It is likely that I would enjoy learning numerous combat styles used for heroic endeavors," she admits plainly with a nod. "I witness several styles tonight that looked interesting, though the reason that your batons look the most interesting is my, what humans call "fight or flight" reaction... it matches batons, sort of." She hmms softly, then adds, "I could show you if you would like, it might be easier than trying to explain." "As for the other question, I do not require a home. My only requirement is a storage vessel of at least 3.78541 liters, every thirty-six earth hours for a regeneration period of no less than six of those same hours."
Dick Grayson	Although outwardly he accepted what she told him, Dick was hardly inexperienced enough to take her words at face value. It wasn't at all unusual for someone to try and present themselves as something they weren't. And despite finely honed senses, he couldn't get a read on her, probably because she didn't have the little 'tells' a human would have in their face and posture while talking. So the best course of action was exactly the one he suggested - teach her, and he could both keep an eye on her and learn more about her at the same time.     "I don't think it's a good idea to have you stay with us in the house, for a couple reasons. Maybe we can keep your storage vessel in here, that gives you a place to call home that's nearby so training is convenient. Sound good?"     To her offer he replies "Sure, show me what you mean if you think that's the easiest way."
Essix	There were nuances to body language that Essix was still working on, but the fact that her face lacked perfection meant the facial expressions were often wrong, and this she was hard to read. It wasn't her intend to be unreadable, but she was working on it. "Anywhere you wish to place a vessel is acceptable, other wise I will be forced to use whatever I can find when the time comes," she explains simply, having had to use a milk carton once. She was grateful she couldn't smell. "Demonstration, that is the easiest way," she then says as she stands up and takes a step back. In a matter of seconds she goes from a human with two arms to a human with numerous tendrils, almost like some sort of octopus and each is about the thickness of the batons. She wiggles them around, this way and that since there is nothing to hit, then they slurp back to being two human arms. "Fight response is to use them to hit things, all the things, everything. Flight response?" She turns into a pigeon. The entire form of the human flows up to the head, shrinks down into a pigeon and the time is only ten or so seconds before she flies over and lands on the table in front of it. "I prefer avian forms," the pigeon says, the voice a little high pitched given the size of the bird but completely understandable. "Flying is an amazing sensation."
Dick Grayson	He nods, "I may have you spend some time training with my friend Gar. He's a shapeshifter, but limited to animal forms and he knows how best to fight as different animals. The multitentacle form looks like it might be a bit dangerous if you have any allies fighting beside you, but we'll work with that as well."     He stands up and looks around, then goes over to a wastepaper basket beside the computer console. He takes the bag out and ties it shut, then looks inside the can to make sure it's clean. "If you need something for tonight, this had a bag in it and is just paper garbage besides, so it's clean. We can find you something better tomorrow. For now, please don't mess with anything in here, especially the computer."     He walks over to the changing room and hits a button on the case that now holds all his armor, and with a hiss steam fills the case. "Steam cleaning, things get pretty messy fighting crime. Have a good night, and we'll begin your training tomorrow."
Essix	Flying up from the table Essix returns to a human form while Nightwing is talking. The waste basket is far nicer than some of the other things she's used in the past, given she's been hiding out in Gotham, Metropolis and New York City alleys, sewers and other dark places to regenerate. "That is perfectly acceptable," she states, taking the small garbage can from him. It even looked clean, definite bonus. "I will not touch your belongings, or the computer, though I will admit I enjoy learning from your internet... so much information. I learned all about humans from a computer before turning into one for the first time." It was one of her first memories. A video of a woman speaking English to teach it as a second language, in fact she was the woman Essix attempted to emulate. "I will regenerate tonight to ensure I am ready for tomorrow," she finally says, then set the basket under the table they were sitting at and flows into it like water into a bucket.