video; a work in progress

[whatsupcroc]

( Audio picks up the sound of industrial construction, either things familiar in woodshop, car garages, or anywhere of a similar sort. When the feed goes live, Collette is framed to one side, looking forward and away from the camera.  She's clearly resting on her arms, and given the angle of the ground on the screen, she's probably lying on her stomach in order to do this.  She glances over her shoulder, eyes going to something behind the tablet being used for recording, then smiles as her eyes drop down to the tablet itself.  For all intents and purposes, the camera is positioned to make the viewing audience seem like they're side by side with Collette, wherever it is she is, keeping a low profile in this industrialized looking area.  Concrete floor that she's resting on, packing boxes ahead of her, bundles of cables and chains glimpsed somewhere past her head. )

Guys!  ( She keeps her voice low, not a whisper (they carry further, and can't be heard about the ambient noise), but low to avoid excessive attention. )  Anyone else catch where they dragged the ship off to with that giant crane after the crash? I wondered about that. But I've got news!

( She makes a waving motion at the camera, and it shifts, jarringly, to leave Collette off screen and show something covered in plastic and wiring and cables, a few Initiative workers using welding guns, others wheeling parts away or calling out shouts of questions over the sounds of construction. )

They say the spaceship's salvageable!

Comments

[whatsupcroc]

Have you been to the sub-basement level warehouses before? They're about a block away from the main training gyms.

[aceordisgraced]

I haven't been there, but this is a good time to start going there. I think I will join you in a few minutes.

[whatsupcroc]

Meet you on paw by the door, okay?

( It gives her time to let Oz decide if he's escaping or sticking around, too. )

[aceordisgraced]

Paw?

Well, okay. Be there in a few.

[He wonders if it's some kind of teenager thing. He will spend his entire walk wondering what this is about.]

[whatsupcroc]

( Collette sits by the hall door into the warehouse, prim and proper as any retriever can appear to be. She has her stopwatch hung around her neck, and her ears perked, listening to the bouts of words through the inustrial noises littering the atmosphere.

When she sees Phoenix, she stands. Her tail wags once as she calls out to him in Thought Speak. )

< Glad you could make it, Big Bird! >

[aceordisgraced]

... What?

[Phoenix likes dogs (when they don't attack or bite him). He doesn't know why a dog is coming at him accompanied by Collette's voice (he recognizes it, especially with the nickname), but he likes dogs enough that he crouches and holds out his hand to it and smiles.]

Heya. Why're you talking with Collette's voice? She got some speaker on you or something?

[whatsupcroc]

( Laughter echoes from no one discernable source. The dog in front of him pushes its nose into his hand. )

< Speakers? No way! You're looking at Collette. Doggie style! >

[aceordisgraced]

... Collette?

[Really?

For reals?

Phoenix scratches the dog behind its ears and eyes it curiously.]

I didn't know you could do something like this. You're really Collette?

[whatsupcroc]

< In the fur! >

( She tilts her head his way, giving him even greater access to behind her ears. )

< Man, you think it's a joke with all the behind the ears scratching dogs do, but it really does feel great! >

[aceordisgraced]

... Aah, wouldn't "flesh" still work with dogs too?

[Wait wait that's not as important. Scratching? What? Collette.]

So, uh, is this normal? Do you do this all the time?

[whatsupcroc]

< Me? Oh yeah. Practically always run around in feathers, fur, scales... you name it, I've probably tried it! >

( That sounds nothing like how shape shifting should work, but her mental voice is carrying a sense of laughter right along with it. )

< It's called morphing. >

[aceordisgraced]

Morphing? That's new! Wow, you're pretty cute aren't you?

[He doesn't get it but if the dog says it is Collette he'll go along with it and give it all the scratches it might want.]

[whatsupcroc]

( She laughs, dancing around his legs and giving her head a shake. Both ears flop along with the movement of her head. )

< You mean the dog's cute! I forget who knows or who doesn't. Marco said it on network once! >

[aceordisgraced]

Aaah I might've missed it. Or if I heard it I didn't realize what it meant. But wow.

[Don't mind him, he's just ruffling your fur now.]

[whatsupcroc]

( She leans in to the ruffles. Feels nice, man! )

< Pretty neat, huh? Can't do this longer than two hours at a time, though. >

[aceordisgraced]

[He's never had pets, but a dog that doesn't bite him is a dog he likes. He grins.]

Even for two hours, this is pretty cool. Can you turn into other things too?

[whatsupcroc]

< Anything I've touched! Well, touched and acquired. It's not like magic, you know, I can't think of something and then presto! That is what I am! Oh how cool would that be, though? >

[aceordisgraced]

Sooo, in other words. It's not like if I asked you to become a velociraptor right now, you can. But while I'm not sure what you mean by acquired, if it's a common animal or something that you could've had contact with pretty easily, it's mostly fair game?

[whatsupcroc]

< Basically, yep! Or if I don't have it, I can see about running into one and adding them to my, um... what's a good word for that? Arsenal? >

( She tilts her head to the side as she asks. )

[aceordisgraced]

Arsenal makes it sound cool, why not?

So, what is the likelihood that I've seen you around when you're doing one of these things anyway? From now on I've gotta start wondering if the birds I see are you or not.

[whatsupcroc]

< Oh, it's pretty likely! I'm not much of a stalker, though, so you don't have to worry about pigeons on your windowsill or anything. >

( She laughs again, tail wagging once more in her amusement. She would, actually: she'd stalk him if she had a reason to, but casually, she doesn't keep quiet when looking after her friends. )

[aceordisgraced]

Good to know! We don't get enough sun in the first place, so it would suck if I had to close my curtains you know?

[whatsupcroc]

< Now you make me wonder what you're doing at home, Big Bird! But yeah, don't worry. You're not on my stalk list. >

( She dances forward toward the ship. )

< Did you ever want to be an astronaut? >

[aceordisgraced]

Nope. Scared of heights since I was a kid. I know a guy who said he wanted to be a wizard, though.

[whatsupcroc]

Haha, a wizard? Why?