Owner	Pose
Andi Benton	//Can we..// <<No. We are not riding the windmill. People wouldn't like that.>> //So what? Why do we care what they like or not if we like it, Andi?// <<Because, we..you know what, fine. If it will get you to stop asking, fine.>> There is the symbiote equivalent of a ^.^ sort of reaction internally as Mania looks up at the largest windmill, its blades rotating slowly. The Lisse Windmill on the short hill by Post Road stands out, with the others along with it, and before long the main one has Mania perched on it, hands and feet helping cling safely. As it turns, they turn with it, going upside down, back rightside up, and repeating.
Essix	The outside world of this Earth was an amazing and fascinating place with so much to see that if Essix had a head, it would be spinning. For the most part, humans seemed all the same in what they looked like, covered themselves in and did. They all seemed so busy going here and there that it was almost boring to try and watch them all. Instead, Essix has taken to looking at the things these humans made. At first it was the clothing they worse, then the furniture in the rooms, then it became about how the rooms were built and finally... outside. What drew her attention really depended on movement and sound. Mimicing things like the plants and fire hydrants, a plastic bag tumbling in the wind, all entertained her for a while, until she found herself looking at a squirrel, which looked right back at her. Now she was running around the area as a beautiful little squirrel and that's when she happened upon a human doing something human's don't normally do... riding the large bladed thing. /That/ got her attention.
Andi Benton	For whatever reason, Mania is greatly enjoying the whole 'ride the windmill' thing. Round and around, in a circular motion. By the time the 'thing' that has been a plant, or a bag, or another inanimate object, even a squirrel, is getting to the area, the shadows have grown longer and darker in the night, only the artificial lights responsible for any illumination. When the figure seemingly stuck to the windmill is at its lowest point, it finally releases and flips to land in an upright crouch upon the ground. Mania has a humanoid figure, but one look at her makes it clear there's something more going on. "Hope you're happy now," she says, but there's nobody else nearby. All the lookie-loos have already gone home.
Essix	Content to linger and watch this human riding the blade around and around for a while, but when she lands on the ground mental brows lift. Her education was still very much lacking on what this world had to offer, so even with the differences to this one, her thinking was still human. After all, Otto had said hew as human and he had metal tentacles attached to him. Skittering up the side of the windmill itself, she chitters once to match the sound the other squirrels had been making, then leaps over and attempts to land on this human's shoulder. The decision to test it had finally been reached. Most humans freak out over such a thing as this, though she had no idea why, so she wanted to see what this one would do.
Andi Benton	"We will be happier with some--hmmm?" Mania's thoughts are interrupted by..a squirrel landing atop a shoulder? It's a somewhat spiky shoulder, but not much compared to other areas like forearms and shins, and while the hair /looks/ spiky it's not exactly rigid. A claw-tipped hand extends to pluck at the squirrel, by the scruff of the neck, and hold it to dangle in front of her. Mouthless face, just the whites of those strangely-shaped eyes, and one of them narrows to create more of a squinting visage. "And what are you doing?" she asks, the mouth shifting slightly beneath the apparent mask.
Essix	The squirrel just dangles there looking at the faceless mask. Costume, this human was wearing a costume of some kind. It was clothing, not skin and that made it different. The squirrels eyes flicker over the woman, head tilting, body just dangling there... not at all a normal squirrel reaction. There was no way she could talk as a squirrel, they don't have that kind of vocal cord and she hasn't mastered shifting parts like that on the inside, so she'll just stare... and dangle.
Andi Benton	Mania states, in a voice that sounds like a mix of human and something else, "We could just eat you, you know. Gobble you up whole. But you are small and we would still be hungry, and you are also not chocolate." Instead, she lowers the squirrel to about knee height before letting go so it would drop the rest of the way to all four feet, then she crosses her arms over the spider symbol that dominates her torso, studying the little creature.
Essix	The minute the squirrel is let go, there is a transition from creature to human, well almost human. Essix has a lot of troubles with human faces, so she looks human with a disfigured face. When the transformation is complete, she stands wearing a simple pair of jeans, a tshirt, no shoes or coat, black hair and a smile. "Far too much to eat," she states. "Bad for your stomach."
Andi Benton	A step back is taken as Mania watches the change from animal to human. //It is a shape-changer, Andi!// <<Uh, yeah. I can see that.>> The internal conversation is a quick one as perspectives change to go from looking down to more eye to eye, though there's something off about the face. Different enough to be abnormal, but the reason isn't known at the moment. Aloud, Mania says, "You would be surprised what we can eat. But what are you? A mutant? We have not seen others like you very often. You are a curiosity."
Essix	Essix tilts her head, a move she watches scientists to when they were curious, but other wise there is no facial expression change. "I'm me," she offers, then grins, again a practiced move and it looks it. "I have no mutations, the scientist made certain of that before I went out to explore. You are a curiosity, you wear a mask to cover your face." A mask slips into place over her face, same design as Andi's, but completely white like the t-shirt. "How do you function like this? How do you see? I am lead to believe that you need your eyes to see."
Andi Benton	Mania's arms remain in the same position. There is a mixture of that curiosity along with some skepticism, like this is familiar to her but at the same time not. "What scientist? We do not like scientists all that much. Not ones that experiment and test on us, at least. And what is your name? We are Mania." She leans closer and squints further as the mask takes shape, like a mirror image of hers except for the coloration. "We can see everything around us. Like that person walking behind about fifty feet away, who is looking like he is not sure whether to come closer or run." Seemingly blindly, an arm moves so she can point toward the guy, who decides to start moving away at a faster pace.
Essix	Essix looks toward the man, for a moment completely distracted by the change in his pace, and the expression on his face, that is before he looks away and tries to pretend like he doesn't see them seeing him. One step toward him his taken, as if she might follow but then she remembers that she was just speaking to someone and looks back. "Oh no, this wasn't experiments on me. They were just trying to figure out what I am," she grins again, and this one looks more natural, even on the messed up face. "There is no word for what I am. My people don't have a spoken language and there's no way to translate into words the way we communicate. They labeled my pod S6, so that is what I am called now... Essix." She offers a slight bow, where she might have learned that though. "I am not human," she then states blunt as a bat upside the head. "Or from this planet."
Andi Benton	Mania ignores the guy, since he isn't coming any closer. No need to get all bristly and put a scare into him beyond what he's probably already felt. The one before her is infinitely more intriguing. "What you are? Not human, not from this planet..." Mania muses. //This is not a symbiote. There is no host. There should be more knowledge than this if there was a human host.// <<I'm figuring that out, but what is it, then?>> Both Mania and Andi are confused, leading to a hand coming to rest against the side of a smooth cheek, near those white eye shapes of hers. "We have not seen something like you before..Essix."
Essix	Essix starts giggling and the mask fades away, more melts back into her. In the moment of transition the area around the mask goes from the white it was to a liquid like substance of aqua blue, then to the color of skin again as she reforms the face. She needs to work on the face. "Well of course you haven't seen someONE like me," she replies matter-a-factly. "There are a lot of my people out there, but I'm the first to come aaaaaall the way to Earth. Now... what are /you/?" She steps closer to Andi now, eyes looking her offer and then it happens, she reaches out and pokes an arm, just to ensure that Andi is really there.
Andi Benton	Eyes narrow at the giggling, but clearly noticed is the change in color from the way the liquid state comes and goes during the process of reforming. "There are many, yes?" This is processed, filed away for later, but nothing specific is said about it just yet. Instead, she remarks, "As we told you, we are Mania. The rest is a secret for now." They have learned to not be so forthcoming about the whole truth with strangers. Then the probing at the arm leads to the hand coming up, intending to interrupt the gesture. What contact is made reveals a sort of organic, skin-like texture, rather than some sort of fabric or material that would make up clothing.
Essix	"Oh boy!" She nearly shrieks with joy in her tone. The batting away of the hand was enough, it was the contact, that's all she needed. She had no idea what she touched, only the knowledge of construction, an organic being over an organic being, or at least she assumes that there is an organic being under the clothing one. "You're amazing!" She adds with delight and spins on her heel like a dancer. "Like nothing else I've seen or touched. Don't worry Mania," she grins and winks, horrible wink, whole side of her face scrunches up. "I can't tell secrets."
Andi Benton	A half-step back at the expression and the apparent cheerfulness in the reaction to the contact being made comes from Mania, and the hand remains up as though in a gesture meant to keep a bit of distance up. The wink just doesn't seem natural at all, and both hands settle at her own hips. "Of course we are amazing, but that is not the point. What just happened?" There were more cases of the symbiote being confused back when the bond was still new and developing. This might be the biggest sense of it in some time.
Essix	Essix was going to try and touch Mania again, but seeing the hand up, and that Mania took a step back, she doesn't. "Well, I was going to poke your arm," she begins, stating the obvious. "Then you blocked my hand, and that touched me so now I know how you are constructed... well, how the organic skin you're wearing is constructed. That is amazing, are there any other humans who wear organic skins?" Even if she is stopping herself from touching, she is in fact looking very, very intently at the 'clothing' and how it's put together on the human form. Mimicked so well, she was almost jealous, if she even knew what jealousy was.
Andi Benton	It looks like a costume might, if this 'Essix' knew what a costume even was. Except, it is so much more. To give just a brief demonstration, the black substance curls and peels away from that hand, revealing a somewhat pale hand instead. "We do not react well to being poked at. You can ask." <<You sure wanted to pet any cat or dog type thing you saw, even when it was also a person.>> //We do not remember that.// Mania is trying to dismiss the hypocritical nature there, but Andi remembered. "There are others like us around. But we were also experimented on, and we are..touchy about that."
Essix	Essix frowns deeply, and given how quickly the reaction came upon hearing Mania's words, it looked and felt more sincere than other expressions had. "I'm sorry," she offers quietly, big eyes going soft. "I didn't mean to remind you of something bad Mania, it is just how I learn the construction of things. I promise, I couldn't experiment on you even if I wanted to, and I don't want to. I'm not a scientist, I'm an explorer. I'm meant to learn about everything on this planet, how it works, why it's here, how it being here effects everything around it and some day, a long time from now, go back and share it all with my people" she pauses there. "But not secrets," she states firmly. "I cannot share secrets, no matter what, physically impossible."
Andi Benton	Mania's hand covers back over after the skin beneath is shown, the organic coating still not clear as to exactly what it is, especially when the hand then reshapes to show off elongated fingers that are about three times their usual length. "Well, this is one thing we can do. And we..have traveled far as well, so that is something we share." It may yet leave further questions in need of answering, as she circles Essix beneath the still spinning windmill, giving her, or it, a visual inspection. "Your people, they are..all like you? Why are you unable to share secrets?"
Essix	Essix stands still, letting Manis walk around her like a vulture circling... she'd done that yesterday. Holding up her hand she literally mimics what she just witnessed, a layer peeling back from her hand into herself, but still just a hand. The process of learning was often trial and error, but the motion was exactly the same. "The Assembly is many and one," she offers, then turns her head to catch Mania as she walks back around into range of sight. "We have existed for millennia as we are, and all because we know how to keep secrets. We go and watch others, learn about them, what they can do and why they do what they do, but we don't share what we learn with others. It's become a part of who we are, I literally cannot tell a secret. If someone goes, "Hey can I tell you a secret" and can say, "You bet you can, and know I can't repeat it." cause it's the truth."
Andi Benton	Mania's form returns to full normal, in the sense of looking the way Essix first saw her. "The Assembly? That is what you are all called?" There comes a few seconds where Mania actually pauses, as if looking into the distance. The angle of her head tilts toward the skies above, and the shape of the eyes turns more slanted: a furrowing of invisible brows. "We believe we have existed for..a very long time as well, but there are things we lack answers to. Things we are still seeking. But we know we need hosts to function, to have purpose," Mania explains, a hand rubbing at an elbow. A human gesture, not alien at all. The observation of Essix mimicking the demonstration with her own hand is glanced at.
Essix	"It is not a name for what we are, it is the only word I could find to explain how we come together and function," Essix explains. "Like I said, we have no spoken words. Other words that might work are group, collection, pile, puddle, ocean... but those things imply no consciousness, and the assembly /is/ consciousness, pure and true, the minds of many formed into one together and still the many." A soft sigh sounds as she shakes her head. "I have never known that, what it is to one and many in the assembly, but I will some day." She looks around for a moment, then back to Mania. "Purpose. You speak of it, needing a host to have purpose. I have purpose, it is why the assembly created my consciousness and sent me out into the universe. To find, to explore, to learn, to see, feel and experience, then take it all back."
Andi Benton	"It is like a hivemind," Mania determines, gesturing toward Essix while saying as much. "That is what it sounds like. But what is the purpose? The reason for..taking what you learn back? Then what?" Out of sheer boredom, or rather a need to do something rather than simply stand mostly in one spot, Mania looks up toward a nearby sidewalk lamp and leaps to the top of it, perching in a crouch while continuing to watch Essix.
Essix	Looks up at Mania jumps up there. No, that was not just a human. They can't do that, so the external organic skin gave the host extra abilities, like being able to go around and around on a windmill without falling off and jumping up onto a lamp post. For a moment she just stands there looking, pondering, letting the information turn around in her mind before she offers a nod. "Imagine an ocean," she says calmly. "Shouldn't be too hard, this planet has several of them. Now, imagine that in the ocean are millions of individual swimmers... no, wrong word." She hmms softly, searching her mind. Fish she couldn't remember, that's the easier word so naturally her mind remembers. "Sharks... millions of individual sharks. Each has their own thoughts, their own desires, their own purpose." She walks over to the base of the lamp post, still looking up. "Now, imagine each of those sharks /becomes/ the water in the ocean. Together they share the way the wave move against the shore, the shifting of the tides, the movements of the currents, then they are individual sharks again. No one shark tells the other sharks what to do, or how to do it, they are one and then they are many. When the Assembly creates a new consciousness, like me, it is the entirety of the assembly... not one or two or ten or a hundred. Each consciousness has a purpose, and their own purpose." Now she walks around the base of the lamp post slowly, hand holding onto it, like the way a child would swing around but she walks. "The assembly never leaves, the whole of who we are never leaves, so some are created to go and learn and bring back. Like how you watch television for entertainment, but also to know if there is a risk to the assembly."
Andi Benton	"That is a lot of sharks," is all Mania states initially, maintaining quite a high level of balance with both feet planted at the top of the lamp, arms not even needed to be used for extra stability. Upon listening to the explanation, or trying to, there is a notable tilting of the head. Ocean. Sharks. Sharks part of ocean. Sharks are ocean. Water moving in waves. But still each shark is its own. Yet they are connected in spite of having their own purposes. "We will take your word for it that it is as you say," Mania states, shoulders rolling in a shrug, spiky elements to forearms and shins seeming to flex for a moment. "We should learn more about you, too."
Essix	"I would like to learn about /both/ of you," Essix states while still looking up. She'd need to find a better way to explain her people, the ocean and shark thing may have been too confusing, but it was difficult to find spoken words to explain something beyond the reach of human minds. "You and the host under you, or are you both there now and that's why you say we? I'll tell you anything you want to know about me, I have no reason not to. Obviously I can't tell the secrets, but I won't know if they are secrets until asked... just how it works."
Andi Benton	Mania climbs her way back down the lamppost, doing so in such a way that reveals an apparent tackiness to the hands and feet, or at least hands. The feet seem to be covered by some kind of chunky-soled shoes that still look to be a part of her. Stepping to the ground again, the windmills are given a glance before attention returns to Essix. "We are one. That is the best way we can explain it. Two sides that make us whole. We cannot imagine going back to the way we were. We found each other and saved ourselves."
Essix	Essix ahs softly with a nod. "Symbiosis! We read about it with species of this planet," she doesn't sound as excited, perhaps she is trying to keep that excitement contained this time. "I'm glad that you both have each other and saved yourselves... it is better to live then not. You have unique abilities as well," she gestures to Mania's hands and body. "Humans cannot do the things you do, the jump, the climbing down like that. This makes you special."
Andi Benton	Mania's head dips in a brief nod, hands resting at her hips next to the spiky belt there. "We are very special," is said in agreement, and the eyes reflect that same ^.^ from earlier on the windmill. Seems speaking about Mania in a positive manner is a fine way to get on their good side. "What things do you eat? We are getting hungry. We could show you what one of our meals looks like." No telling quite what that might be, but the excitement is noticed and only brings an extra bit of interest to the fore.
Essix	The idea of seeing what Mania eats seemed to delight Essix just as much as it did Mania apparently because she starts bouncing in place. "Oh yes! You threatened to eat the little skittering thing, so clearly you eat interesting things, I would /love/ to see what you eat," she offers in the way of words, then adds. "I have to eat, and haven't learned how to mimic eating without making a really big mess." She recalls attempting to 'taste' something someone threw out, it did not go well at all.
Andi Benton	Mania's head tilts, and she crosses her arms. "You would not like hearing what we often crave, but chocolate is a very good substitute. And many other things. Meat, ice cream, cookies, sushi. These are all very tasty things." At this, a line forms where a normal mouth would be, except this is wider than normal and when the mouth opens a bit, the sight of many sharp teeth along with a long, slick tongue is noted. Further proof this is something not of this world.
Essix	Essix scoots even closer, but doesn't touch, even as she looks up at Mania. "What do you mostly crave?" She asks bluntly, clearly interested. Like or dislike didn't matter, the truth is what mattered. The smile? It makes the already too big eyes go wide with surprise and glee at the same time, her mouth even opens a little and she blurts out, "You eat humans! May I watch?!"
Andi Benton	Oddly, Essix comes off as very, very curious to find out more about this. Even more oddly is Mania's reaction, because it's a contradiction, a contrast. While at the same time there is a grin that spreads, there is a grimace that fights with it. Further, the responses are in direct opposition. "Yes!" says the more alien voice. "No!" says the more human one. Then, the eyes squint. "We don't eat people!" "But we can. We can eat their brains." "That's why we eat chocolate! Because eating brains is wrong!" "We do not think it is wrong. One day you will try them and you will see." Hands dart up to where the outline of ears are, as if to shut away from the inner argument that has spilled to the outside.
Essix	Staring now, the head tilts also is genuine, as is the expression of confusion and concern. There were two distinct separate voices, and her statement with question had caused this to happen. One, she presumed the organic exterior, wanted to eat humans, while the human inside, clearly a human who doesn't want other humans eaten, does not. "I'm sorry," she offers quietly. "In my enthusiasm I seem to have started an argument. I believe," she pauses, still trying to grasp it all. "That eating humans would be considered a bad thing on a planet covered in humans. Perhaps you can show me this chocolate instead?"
Andi Benton	The mouth seals back over, but that's a prelude to more of that inky black stuff pooling together at a shoulder, forming into a small, disembodied head that has almost cartoonish features in the vein of the head and face of Mania itself. It looks between Andi and Essix, and it..huffs. "There is nothing wrong with eating brains," it insists. Andi, still looking like Mania as a whole, shakes her head. "What Essix said is how it is. People shouldn't eat other people. It's just wrong." "We are more than just people, Andi. We are much more," the little head says. "And we've talked about this more times than I can count. We'll eat all the chocolate we can handle, but no people," Andi insists. "Animals?" the head queries. "Just..stop it. Focus on the chocolate," Andi says, shaking her head. The hands have lowered by this point, and both of them look to Essix. "Chocolate /is/ very good," the little version of Mania allows. "We like it almost as much as.." "Then let's go," Andi cuts off, and before Mania completely reforms again, she's casting out a line of webbing to swing away from the windmills and the hill, en route to another part of town. Over a shoulder, she calls, "Can you follow us?"
Essix	Essix watches the web shoot out and without even thinking, because it was about following and she couldn't, she turns into a largish aqua pillar of viscus liquid that stretches out to wrap around Mania's waist and turn into a belt. There was no other way, she would have been left behind other wise.