[video | Week 23, day 6 | backdated]

[mightstealyrcar]

[Mail Matt is his normal age again, but someone else obviously isn't; Matt appears to have a sleeping blue puffball curled up next to him. There are branches around them, slanted up in a triangle, a kids' version of a homemade fort. The ceiling's a bit low for someone who's suddenly grownup-sized, and Matt's slouching, and keeping his voice down

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[action]

[hirac_utzum]

[Elfangor is drifting between sleep and wakefulness, when a quiet voice tugs him toward the latter. Oh, right, he and Mail had built a fort yesterday, they must've fallen asleep. He stretches, blinking four eyes blearily--but a second later all four are focused on the adult sitting so close to him.]

< What-! > [He flails, somehow managing to fall over when he'd already been laying down.]

[action]

[mightstealyrcar]

Hey, it's okay!

[Matt backs off the little bit he can in the close quarters, holding his hands up: not a threat, not gonna hurt you.]

It's me, um. Mail. [It feels weird to say his own name aloud.] I grew up, and you didn't. I dunno why.

[action]

[hirac_utzum]

< Mail?? >

[Elfangor stares at him. He certainly looks like what he thinks Mail might look like when they grow up, but can't help but be a little bit suspicious.

But he knows Mail wouldn't lie to him, and if this is Mail, then he must be telling the truth. He peers up at him, and after a moment of indecisiveness reaches up to grab his goggles and pulls them over his own eyes.]

< That's not fair! I should have gotten big, too! > [He knows he's whining, but he doesn't care, he's allowed to.]

[action]

[mightstealyrcar]

[Matt laughs, blinking against the light, filtered by the branches but still bright.]

You do that when we're grown up, too.

[He knows Elfangor's going to ask him questions, some of which are bound to be awkward; Matt's already flushing faintly.]

And this place kinda specializes in not fair. But I'll look out for you 'til you get back to normal. If that's okay with you, I mean. [This is mostly for form's sake. Elfangor's got a guardian whether he wants one or not.]

[action]

[hirac_utzum]

[That Mail even has to ask leaves a distinctly unsettled feeling in his mind. He lifts the goggles off, not thinking of how it would let the worry in his eyes show.]

< Of course! You... You're still my shorm, right? > [He asks tentatively, scared that the answer might not be the one he's looking for, and presses on,] < What are we like when we're grown-ups? We join the Fleet and fight Yeerks and become big heroes, right? >

[action]

[mightstealyrcar]

Of course I am!

[Now Matt feels bad for making Elfangor worry, and reaches out to pat his shoulder. He's still allowed to, right?

The last question isn't so easy to answer. Matt doesn't want to lie, but the whole truth would be distressing.]

We're from different worlds. There's no Fleet in mine. But you're a hero.

[action]

[hirac_utzum]

[He's relieved to hear that, even if his fur fluffs up when Mail touches him--but when he explains that they couldn't have gone on together, he feels himself shaking, guts twisting up in knots, and he lunges forward to wrap his skinny arms around Mail's middle.

He cries,] < No! You were supposed to come with me, we were supposed to join together! >

[action]

[mightstealyrcar]

Oh, hey--

[Matt puts his arms around Elfangor's shoulders, and resolves not to tell him anything else that might be remotely upsetting.]

I really, really wish I could have. But we end up together here, so it's okay.

[action]

[hirac_utzum]

[Elfangor sniffles a bit and burrows closer, clinging determinedly to Mail, embarrassed and fluffing like crazy but just not caring about that right now, still not willing to accept that being from different worlds could have possibly kept them apart for any duration.

But Mail did say that they end up together here, so... maybe it's okay. Not completely okay, but acceptable for now.

Eventually he pulls back, fluffing even worse now that he's not so thoroughly upset, and gives a half-hearted sorry, because he's not really sorry for causing such a scene.]

< What is here? How did we get here? >

[action]

[mightstealyrcar]

[Matt knows what the fluffing means now, having done it himself, and... that might be something he shouldn't mention. In fact, the thinks the whole human-who-can-morph thing might kinda blow Elfangor's mind at this age.

Matt also knows now just how weird Andalites can be about the touching thing, and he feels kind of... honoured, in a bittersweet sort of way, that even though he's still a kid, Elfangor wants to be close to him. So he lets him back out of the hug, but pats his shoulder reassuringly one last time.]

It's called Kannagara, and it's sort of a, um. Place where people from lots of different worlds show up. I dunno how they get us here. Maybe magic.

[action]

[hirac_utzum]

[He positively beams when Mail mentions magic. When he was little he'd said this place was magic--if he was saying the same thing now, even as a grown-up (and everyone knows grown-ups forget how to believe in magic), then it really must be some kind of magical place.]

< Yes, magic! Can we go exploring? Do we know other people here when we're grown-ups? Are they around? > [He gets a bit excited with his rapid-fire questions and tries to stand up, completely forgetting the fort for a moment... until his head banging against the roof sends the whole structure toppling around them, and he lets out a mental squeak and ducks, trying to hide under Mail. He peers up at him bashfully after the noise stops, rubbing one bruised stalk eye.]

< I'm sorry! > [This time, the apology is sincere.]

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[mightstealyrcar]

[Matt instinctively leans over to keep branches off Elfangor, and pushes them all away when the impromptu implosion is over.] It's okay! You're not hurt, are you?

[Is that what Matt was like when he was a kid? So many questions. He knows he totally asked a billion things whenever he found someone interesting, which didn't happen much in his world (he does remember giving Mr. Wammy the third degree about the House), but happened a lot yesterday.]

Yeah, we can explore, and yeah, we know other people. We live with this really sweet girl named Jessica, but I call her J.

[He gets up, and holds out a hand to help Elfangor.]

I don't know if you still believe in magic when you're a grownup. Heh, I stopped, but then I kind of started again.

[action]

[hirac_utzum]

[He's used to getting a bit banged up for his clumsiness, so he thinks little of the stalk eye that is well on its way to swelling itself shut. That's what other eyes are good for, anyway! Still, he doesn't want to outright lie, so he admits,] < Not too much. >

[Elfangor's fur is already fluffed up from both embarrassment and Mail's protective proximity, so any additional fluffing from accepting a hand up is negligible. And he's not exactly willing to let go just yet, so he keeps a hold on Mail's hand once he's up and starts tugging him in one direction, hoping it's the right direction for wherever it is that they live in this place.]

< J? Is she nice? Can we go play with her? >

[He gives Mail a knowing look.] < Grown-ups always forget how to believe in magic. But I'm glad you remembered how! >

[action]

[mightstealyrcar]

She's really nice, but. This way.

[He corrects their course toward Mizusato, resisting the instinct that tells him to thread their fingers together. That would just be weird.

Just like telling Elfangor he's a big reason Matt believes in magic again would be.]

We should get some ice on that eye. It's gotta hurt. Can you morph out? Or are you too little? Young, I mean too young.

[He knows from that barrage of memories that Andalites need to be a certain age before they're given the morphing ability, but he doesn't remember what that age is.]

[action]

[hirac_utzum]

[He laughs.] < Of course I can't morph yet! You only get to do that when you're training to be an aristh. I bet they give us something dumb to practice on, though. > [He makes a face, as best one can without a mouth.] < But I want to morph something cool-- like a kafit! They're the best kind of bird, you know. >

[He doesn't even really notice that he's swinging his arm as he lets Mail guide him along, but he does duck his head a bit at the mention of his eye.] < Um. It only hurts a little. But I'm okay, really! > [He's not a baby, after all; he's not going to complain over every bump and bruise. But it is awful nice that Mail is so concerned over him, and he doesn't even mind that he fluffs up a bit more at that.]

[action]

[mightstealyrcar]

I know. [Matt grins, remembering the dream he had.

Oh, he really wants to tell Elfangor they can both morph as grownups. Will it freak him out or not? Maybe not. He does still believe in magic, and it's almost as good as Matt being from the same world.

And he's probably already as fluffy as he can get, Matt thinks, with an inward, fond laugh.]

Know what the most fun is? Being a dolphin.