[Day: Tuesday, June 7th. Time: 1:00 a.m.] [After dealing with a buncha ghosts, Rei goes to visit Makoto astrally. Makoto's asleep.] [Mini start!] * SpiritRei goes right through the door and peers at Makoto. She hops up to sit on his bed and taps him on the forehead. ~Makoto o/~ Wakey wakey.~ * Makoto frowns and furrows his brow in his sleep, but he doesn't stir beyond that. His black sheets, pulled up almost to his chin, make his body almost invisible in the darkness. Mmph. ~Yeah, you heard me! Wake up! We've got lots of stuff to do and less time to do it in!~ * SpiritRei pokes Makoto in the side. Nnk. * Makoto opens one eye. Do I need to get out of bed for this? ~Yup!~ * Makoto nods, slowly. Then would you do me a favor? ~No. Well, maybe. What?~ Leave the room, or at least turn around, for about two minutes. I'm going to have to put some clothes on. * SpiritRei snickers. ~Like you'd even know if I'm actually turning around anyway. Okay! It's a done deal; I'll be right out the door. Don't have X-ray vision or anything, really honest.~ * SpiritRei zips out the door. * Makoto grins and sits up, rubbing his face. As proof of the fact that he's not yet fully awake, the doppelganger doesn't really bother to check to see whether Rei did what she said. He simply shuffles around his room and pulls on various articles of clothing. Since they're all black, white, or gray, he doesn't have to worry about whether they match. Anyway, he's too tired to care. * Makoto opens the door partway to show he's ready. Come back in. Don't wanna wake my aunt 'n uncle. * SpiritRei opens the door a bit more to show that she's wandering back in. ~Well, yeah, that's why I didn't call like a more sensible person. Not like I'm sensible or anything, nooooo. Nice place, by the way.~ * Makoto chuckles quietly, and resists the urge to flick on the light. It wouldn't really make much difference at this point. What's up? I tried to call you earlier, but your phone was off. * SpiritRei perches on Makoto's desk, right on/through his stuff. Doesn't make any difference to her. ~Yeah, well, we were being beset by an evil skeleton thing that kept bugging us about something he paid for approximately twenty years ago and somehow he got all of our phone numbers and tried to sue my pants off, literally. While I wouldn't mind wearing skirts that much, I'm kinda fond of my pants. Aren't you?~ * Makoto smiles a little. Fond of my pants, or fond of your pants? ~Yes! I'm glad you agree!~ ~So where were ya? You missed the haunted mansion of moderate DOOM and legal problems.~ * Makoto grins more crookedly now. I was helping my aunt with some things around the house. COuldn't get out of it. ~Wow. Not even by telling her that you have an urgent job meeting thing and the future of the world is at stake?~ Not this time, no. One of the neighborhood cats got stuck in the ventilation, and she's allergic to cat dander. ~Gah. Really? Poor cat. You saved it, right?~ * Makoto nods. Yeah. And my aunt didn't suffocate, so I saved a very small world at least. Since we're all still alive, I guess you did a pretty good job too. ~Yeah, well, I don't think that was the end of the world or anything. But it was the end of a considerable amount of annoyance. ... I got an inflatable cow out of it!~ Woah, cool! Life sized? ~Yup! It tried to eat Chie, so she kinda put a sword-sized hole in it, but other than the gaping puncture wound it's just fine! Some duct tape'll fix it right up, I bet.~ Yeah, duct tape will fix any-- wait, it tried to eat Chie? But isn't it made out of plastic? Or rubber? ~She didn't seem hurt, just annoyed. No blood or whatever. Anyway, we took care of all that, then opened a mysterious envelope given to Maria and Chie by a mysterious stranger while they were at the not so mysterious vending machines while I was trying to roll things with dice and stuff, and inside it had a note from BOX saying that the poor things being held hostage and that's why I need your help.~ * Makoto drops lazily onto his bed and laces his fingers together behind his head. He stares at the bands of light on the ceiling where the streetlight outside shines between the blinds. Lemme see if I follow you, cutie. Somebody delivered a letter that was supposed to be from Box, and it had directions. So, we know it's a trap. Which is why you need my help. Which means... I'm going to be bait? * SpiritRei folds her legs. ~Maybe. I'm... okay, I'm really nervous about this. Like, *really* nervous. This is Asahara we're talking about.~ Asahara. Wait, haven't we already been to their place? I thought it was a ruin. ( A ruin with a clockwork demon, but yeah. ) ( Hehe. ) ~Well, kindasorta. This is another Asahara building. They're still alive and kicking, even though I wish they weren't.~ In ten words or less, Rei, what do these guys -do-? And, in another ten words, how do you know them so well? ~Uh... ten words or less? That's really tough. I dunno if I can manage... okay. Um. Word economy, activate!~ * Makoto grins in the darkness. Twenty words, if you really need 'em. ~Okay. Asahara makes... everyday electronics. Heck, I bet your aunt's hairdryer is made by Asahara.~ Wow. * Makoto blinks, and tilts his head a bit to get a better look at his desk, where he knows Rei sits. So, why are you so involved with them? Or they with you? ~Um. How do I put this.~ ( Sore wa... ) ~Okay.~ * SpiritRei takes a deep breath. ~Asahara funded and researched Project S, which made my dad.~ * Makoto sits up halfway very quickly, then eases himself back onto the bed again and resumes staring at the ceiling. That leads me to so many more questions that I know we don't have time for tonight. So I'll just cut to the end for now. What do you need me to do? * SpiritRei continues, ~If you don't wanna double for me, that's okay, it'll probably be really dangerous and, uh, I'm just afraid of them getting ahold of me and stuff 'cause- um.~ No, you don't have to explain any more. I can already think of a dozen reasons they'd want you. But even if they -do- catch me, thinking I'm you, we'd really throw them for a loop. ~Oh yeah? I bet I can think of a dozen more! But I really don't wanna go down that line of thought 'cause it's gloomy and scary and we need happy butterflies instead, so let's just teach you how to be me, right?~ ~Yup.~ Right. Happy butterflies. * Makoto tries not to imagine what they would DO to him, if they caught him and then realized they were duped. So. Learning to be you. ~Happy happy butterflies! Almost as happy as bumblebees and tuna. Yeah!~ ~Learning to be me. Y'gotta drive like me, which might be the hard part.~ Granted. I'm a bit more comfortable with acting parts that don't call for stunt driving. Since your body isn't here, though, let's see if I can pull off looking like you. Let me know if I need to make minor improvements. ~Bah. You think that's stunt driving? You ain't seen nothin'!~ ~Well, we could go to my place, if you wanted. You'd probably wanna get a hang of the bike, too.~ ~And you'd need clothes. Hey, we could test it out on the group! If they can't tell the difference, the baddies really won't.~ * Makoto chuckles, and closes his eyes. His face and body seem to run and smear like wet clay, slowly taking new shape--Rei's shape. He then sits up with a bright smile on his--or her--face. Let's get a'larnin' then, me! * SpiritRei giggles. ~Okay, me! I'll be right with ya. Um, do you think maybe we should leave a note for your aunt and uncle and stuff so they don't freak like the freakable people they are?~ Three steps ahead of you, and maybe one off to the side. ~Like square dancing?~ * Makoto walks over to his door, opens it, and then flips over a sign that hangs from the knob. It says "Gone Shifting. Don't hide the leftovers." Exactly! I'm ready! ~... Cool! I need to get me one of those, only I live by myself, so it'd be kinda pointless. To the shiftermobile!~ Yes! * SpiritRei powerposes, then gives 'herself' a slight nudge. * Makoto throws a few things into a duffel bag, grabs the bag, and avaunts to his car. He closes and locks all then appropriate doors behind him on the way out. * SpiritRei goes right through the locked doors. Wheee! * Makoto waits until the last moment, right before he's about to get into the car, and powerposes dramatically! The car! ~Nono, you need more feeling to it. The car! might work sometimes, but it's really too short. Even though I don't think it needs to exceed ten words, really.~ * SpiritRei zips into the car and settles on the passanger seat. * Makoto starts the car and proceeds to drive to Rei's place. ( The dopplemobile! ) Fantabulous point, me. I need to work on my vocabulary. But not with a hammer, because there needs to be something left when I'm finished with it, or else I wouldn't be able to talk anymore and I'd just be a mime and then nobody would believe I'm you! ( Wow, he's getting good at this! ) ~Absolutely. And we can't have that, because then we'll be all confused and who'd believe in a mime Rei anyway? You wouldn't exist! It'd be something truly terrible, though maybe if you died and a Christmas bell rang, you'd get your wings. Unless you went to hell, in which case Christmas bells are moot.~ Yeah, but if you think about it, there has to be some kind of opposite to Christmas bells. Maybe every time somebody listens to music from the American 80's on purpose, a demon gets his horns. ~While I admit that the 1980's were a dark age of music, at least in America, some of that stuff is evilly fun. Perhaps you have a point or five there. Fascinating. We shall have to do further research on it.~ * Makoto nods as he pulls in to the lot outside Rei's place. Should we use mice, monkeys, or lawyers for our nefarious experiments? ~Okay! Um, give me one sec while I go and unlock and maybe return to my body. And lawyers are *too* evil. We don't want to open the gates to Hell prematurely here.~ ~You move up to my apartment, yeah? I've gotta find some clothes for ya.~ * SpiritRei vanishes. Oh! Rei! (Too slow!) * Makoto gets out of the car and locks it, looking up at Rei's apartment nervously. He climbs the stairs slowly, calling out to her through the door when he gets there. Rei, you're going to have to help me out with something. Yeah, I'm here and awake and- * Rei falls over with a thud. "Ow. I forgot I put that there. Help you with what?" See, doppelgangers usually take the form of somebody they're about to kill. It's like an instinct. Even though I take other people's shapes all the time, it's safe because the person I'm mimicking isn't around. But if you're here and I'm you... I want you to get something big and heavy, in case you have to hit me on the head. Uh, that's kinda an issue, isn't it? So, what, do I need to smack you around if you go all psycho slobbery on me and stuff? Yes. I've never been around somebody I've copied. At least, not that I can remember. So I don't know how I'll react. Just... be careful, okay? Sure! Careful as something that's really careful! Don't worry so much, Makoto, I know you're a good guy, and I'll know even if I have to give you a bump the size of a wax bowling ball. Ever go candlestick bowling? That's really fun. Hard to get outside of Maine in the States, though. * Rei grabs her biggest wrench and unlocks the door with a click. * Makoto pushes the door open and walks in with his--or Rei's, since he's copying her--eyes closed. Candlestick bowling? I've never even heard of it. And that was really nice of you to say about me, Rei. Thanks. Sure! 'S usually called candlepin, though, I just like candlestick more. It's like normal bowling, only with smaller, skinnier pins. And the bowling balls are smaller, too. And wooden. And you get three balls a frame instead of two. * Rei waves her hand in front of Makoto's face. "Sure y'don't wanna open your eyes?" That's weird. But then, bowling's weird in the first place, so I guess it all works out. * Makoto opens his right eye and looks at Rei. Almost immediately, his jaw clenches and his hands curl into tight fists. Effryting iss under contchrol. * Makoto tries loosening his jaw a little. I mean, everything is under control. Don't put the wrench down. * Rei grins nervously and glances down at Makoto's hands. She takes a step back, nearly tripping over the ancient VCR behind her. "Sure it is. Yeah. Um, I'll get you some clothes, okay?" * Makoto nods quickly. Sounds good. * Makoto doesn't take his eye off of Rei, though he has managed to relax his jaw and neck enough to actually turn his head. * Rei turns and runs over to a dresser by her bed, pulling it open and tossing out randomish, mismatched clothes. She keeps an eye on Makoto, though. "Don't tell me you need underwear, too." Well, I -am- you. But boxers are surprisingly comfortable in any body. Really? I should try that. It's not like anybody'd know, anyway. * Makoto grins at that. Exactly. Well, I would, now. Even if you don't, I'll just imagine that you do, since you said something about it. * Makoto grins crookedly, though it's an expression Rei herself probably wouldn't wear. * Rei gets a better look at Makoto. Despite having the chance to, she never did change out of her pajamas, which consist of dark blue and bright yellow flannels. "Suuuure, other me." She grins. "This is so trippy. Catch!" She grabs the clothes that ended up on her bed and tosses them to Makoto. * Makoto opens his other eye and relaxes a hand enough to catch the clothes. His left hand stays clenched, though, and he fumbles some of the garments. When he kneels to pick them up, his eyes leave Rei and he relaxes visibly. * Rei sits on her bed, which creaks slightly. She watches Makoto with a mild amount of fascination. "Wow, you weren't kidding. That's gotta suck." Yeah, but so far nothing terrible's happened, so we're okay. And I imagine you've seen yourself shirtless, so I guess it makes no difference whether I change in front of you. I'll make sure to keep my eyes off the mirrors, though, if it helps. Well, so far we're okay. I've got a wrench and I'm not afraid to use it, mister! I'd really rather not have to try to knock you out, though. So you still get those stabby urges? * Rei shrugs. "Yeah, well. If you ever wanted to see me naked, it's not like you couldn't have shifted and then looked in a mirror before." * Makoto grins a little and starts changing into the clothes Rei provided. ( ...what makes you think he hasn't? ^_~ ) (Bah. He would have shifted into Maria, then. She's cuter. *ducks*) * Rei grabs a pair of balled socks and tosses them at Makoto's head. A few stabby urges. And as for the other thing, I did that with the body of a girl I had a crush on in high school... but ultimately I ended up freaking myself out. ( ...this is true. Better built, too. ^_~ ) * Rei laughs. "I bet! You didn't faint and then get The Talk from the resident adults, didja?" (Agreed. ;P) ( ... This is just freaky now @_@ ) ( *cracks up* ) (It's a Makoto/Rei mini with Yu listening in. What did you expect? >.>) * Makoto grabs the socks and pulls them on. Concentrating on other things helps him avoid the stabby urges. Nah, I didn't faint. But I did initiate The Talk with the resident adults after that. They were very confused, and told me that I wasn't supposed to ask them first. * Rei takes her favorite pair of BRIGHT GREEN! sneakers and tosses those to Makoto, too. The socks, while kinda sorta matching in shade, don't match in color: one's dark green, and one's dark blue. * Makoto dons the sneakers too, and when he's fully dressed in Rei clothing, he spreads his arms and turns around. So, how do you look? ... You weren't? That's messed up. My parents did the whole pre-emptive strike thing. I think that's what most parents do, even though I haven't asked around and really, our group isn't exactly the best people to ask, I think. * Rei taps her chin, then grins. " Y'look like me! Adjust the hair some, though. It's too neat. * Rei nods. ( They did? ) (If Shig didn't, and he probably wouldn't, Mei-Yin would.) ( I figured Mei would've said "Go for it, Rei! I'll disown you if you don't!" ) (Well, yes. But she'd also give her The Talk while she's at it. ;P) * Makoto give his hair a vigorous messing up, with both hands. You're right. Our little group is anything but typical. * Rei eyes 'her' hair critically, then gives a cheery thumbs up. "Well, yeah! That's what makes us so fun and loveable and cuddly. Except Lazar, unfortunately, but I'm sure he can be degolemfied someday. Um, assuming he wants to be degolemfied." Yeah, he might get used to it. Well, I dunno. He said he chose to become a golem, but then he seems to really miss being human, so... uh, I dunno. Yeah, that's true. But it must not be easy to change back. Otherwise he'd have done it already. So, me, know any good roads for practice? I can ride a motorcyle, but probably not the same way you can. * Rei nods, looking oddly thoughtful. "Well, we'll just have to find a way to change him back, but then not use it unless he wants to, so- uh? Oh! Any road's a good road!" She scrambles for another pair of sneakers: orange and red this time. * Rei pulls them on as she chatters. "And it's really late, so nobody'll notice if you bust up a few mailboxes. An empty parking lot might work better, though. Yeah. Wanna go to one of the faculty lots?" * Makoto nods. Sounds good to us! Me! You! Whatever! Great! You get to drive us. Y'need to get a hang of the bike, anyway. C'mon. * Rei hops off her bed and runs over to the door, stopping only to grab her keys on the way out. * Makoto hurries after her, still very tense, but proud of himself for not having done anything homocidal. [Mini end]