[ooc: hey, absolutely happy to jump over and keep going!! Also hello, it is I, Arid-mun :D I haven't tried getting Telrim out much in a while but I couldn't resist giving poor Kostya more alien parasites to deal with! I am also with you in getting eaten by work stuff so of course no worries about slowthreading as needed! <3]
[One moment she's chuckling along with him, a little ruefully, and the next- there's a pause, a flash of surprise that might be genuine; then another uncertain smile. It's all very natural, save for the fact that she's otherwise gone very still, the alien within putting a hard stop to any other reaction she might have.
It can't be coincidence, she thinks in turn- for entirely opposite reasons. Safer to assume it isn't, anyway. But then what? An escaped host? An entirely random human who's stumbled onto evidence of them somehow? Or - the worst case - is he a hated enemy in human shape, just toying with her?
Probably not that. She really hopes not. An Andalite would really ruin her week, to say the least.]
Oh, um- just the Earth kind. As far as they've told me, anyway. [Another chuckle. It's not enough to deflect: she needs more information. She shifts tone to awkwardly interested, as if trying to politely feel out whether she is, in fact, dealing with a crazy person.] Is that something to do with lizard people, or...? I don't really know much about UFOs, sorry.
[ ooc — omg hello it's so good to bump into you again to indulge in some more Sci-fi Shenanigans!! You have the coolest character taste, it's definitely my pleasure to toss this dumbass your way any time ♥ ]
[ Konstantin's careful to make sure his own interest stays curious and not desperate, though it's often a difficult line for him to toe, these days. ....Some days, harder than others. He likes to think he's still pretty good at it, at maintaining a certain control of his expressions, his reactions. Of everything around him. Never mind the persistent knowledge that so little actually is in his control, anymore...!
He focuses on watching the woman carefully, but not too carefully — still with that casual conversation, still with that playful little spark in his eye. He makes sure not to stare, to blink the appropriate amount of times, to not look at her as though hanging onto her words with bated breath and the discomforting nudge up inside of himself that he might be talking to an enemy, to someone who's recording everything he says, that any moment now he'll be caught—
He laughs at that, brightly, though there's no genuine relief. She could be lying to him as much as he's lying to her, after all. Or— not lying. Just not revealing everything. He'll reveal it in bits and pieces, careful. Keep seeing what she says in response. ]
No lizard people, at least none that I know of! [ Yes, it's all very amusing! Hahaha! ] No, please forgive me, my brain is always thinking about space things. I'm a cosmonaut, it's all we talk about.
[ His eyes crinkle at the corners, warm, friendly. Deliberating exactly how much to say. ]
We've bumped into some strange things up there, so— I can't help but wonder if some of them have ended up in labs back on Earth.
[ooc: aaa thank you! playing with you and Konstantin is so much fun, the pleasure is definitely mine! I'm always down for more Shenanigans with you. Plus, bonus Disillusioned Space Explorer CR potentially. :D]
[For a minute, he makes her doubt her own judgment. If he's lying, he's very good- much better than she's come to expect from humans. Better than an Andalite, probably. True, any Andalite who's been concealing himself on Earth long-term would have to be an excellent actor.But it's increasingly hard to believe an Andalite could feign this kind of... well. Charm. Certainly not if he suspected her true nature.
His explanation derails her speculations once more. She looks genuinely surprised, though perhaps there's a faint edge of something else. Concern. Or vindication.]
What, really? [She's half smiling as she searches his face, an expression that shifts to wide-eyed intrigue when she realizes he's serious.] ...Wow. Then maybe I should ask the lab techs what kind of samples they're really keeping in those fridges.
[Another joke! What light-hearted fun they're having... but she can't just brush off his interest. She needs to draw out more information. She lets her smile fade, her hesitation clear.]
...What... kind of strange things, though? I mean- I guess you're not talking about meeting any little grey men up there, right? I'm not a biologist, but I'm sure I'd have noticed one of those in the labs.
[She's watching his reaction to that especially carefully. The Yeerk is running down a mental list of her associates at this point, trying to get a sense of who or what might have provoked suspicion.]
[ ooc — Disillusioned Space Explorer things sounds like a party just waiting to happen!! Sometimes all that's needed for a fun time is two humans and a pair of ooky slugs living rent-free inside them...... ]
[ If she's lying, then Konstantin has to marvel at the fact that she's very good at it. Of course, there's still every possibility that she truly isn't, that there really is no nefarious purpose behind bumping into this stranger — that it really is just that. Coincidence.
That the topics of conversation, the word choices, are coincidence, too.
He still needs more evidence, still needs something to put his thumb on, as unlikely as it may be that such a thing will come easily. So for now: continue the conversation, push a little bit here and there, keep taking those risks. All the while his body language stays casual: arms folded across chest, shoulder tilted just slightly towards the wall as though resting against it. ]
No little grey men from my experience, yet. I was hoping for that, though. [ He gives another laugh, light-hearted. ] No, what we've seen so far are less... developed. Beings that suit their environment in the most base and resilient ways. Somehow both simplistic and incredibly complex.
...Much like insects, I could say. Insect-like. Parasites. That sort of thing.
[Parasites. Impossible not to react to that. Even if she masks her full reaction, there's a sharp look of interest... but not surprise. She frowns a little then: it doesn't sound quite right, but what other species could he be talking about?
No, he has to mean her kind. Which is only making her more certain that it's her duty to bring him in, one way or another. Granted, her superiors would have wanted him just for being a cosmonaut, but now...]
Like space bugs... that live inside other creatures? [And now she's careful to pause, feigning a disturbed realization.] Could they infect humans?
[Abruptly she's no longer pretending to question if he's serious. Another shift in this game, one which grows more serious by the second.]
[ Konstantin watches the woman carefully, still trying his damndest not to scrutinise, at least not in a way that visibly betrays the fact he's locked onto her every word and breath.
The slowburn, unnerved reaction to such a concept as humans infected by parasitic alien life does seem suiting, seems very real, it's a horrible disgusting upsetting thought (if he actively, in any moment, thinks about what's happened to him for a second too long he'll scream, but even now he can feel the fucking thing there inside of his body like a second pulse at his peripheral, giving subtle movements to certain stimuli, reacting to how he reacts to her; and sometimes the smiles he gives are more nauseated than anything—)
Konstantin eyes her as though unsure, and he isn't masking that now, lets it through as he adjusts to and matches the stranger's disposition again. No more pretending about the severity of this. Slowly, he stands up straight from where he was tilted to the wall, and folds his arms over his chest. ]
I'm really not supposed to talk about this. But..... we've found evidence suggesting such a thing, yes.
[ It's still not really a full truth, but it opens a certain door. This time when he smiles, it's grimly. ] Classified, of course. You can imagine the sort of panic that people would fall to if they thought something from up there could tangibly infect their bodies.
[She pretends to let it sink in, this expected revelation; then she widens her eyes, draws in a sharper breath. The word 'classified' jumps out to the Yeerk, much more than it would to her sheltered host. She takes note, but pretends obliviousness to any danger in the moment. The more honest he gets, the more she has to up her own acting game.]
Of... of course. I mean, that's terrifying. And... you said 'evidence'. That means... it's happened to someone?
[She asks as if dismayed, as if she almost doesn't want to know; doesn't want to imagine it. As if she's not just spacing out the questions she's very eager to slip in there, probing and testing at just what he knows.]
But there must be some way to expel them- some kind of cure. Right?
[She's clearly hoping for reassurance; inviting him to spill what he knows of their vulnerabilities - to tell her exactly how bad this security breach is.]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
[One moment she's chuckling along with him, a little ruefully, and the next- there's a pause, a flash of surprise that might be genuine; then another uncertain smile. It's all very natural, save for the fact that she's otherwise gone very still, the alien within putting a hard stop to any other reaction she might have.
It can't be coincidence, she thinks in turn- for entirely opposite reasons. Safer to assume it isn't, anyway. But then what? An escaped host? An entirely random human who's stumbled onto evidence of them somehow? Or - the worst case - is he a hated enemy in human shape, just toying with her?
Probably not that. She really hopes not. An Andalite would really ruin her week, to say the least.]
Oh, um- just the Earth kind. As far as they've told me, anyway. [Another chuckle. It's not enough to deflect: she needs more information. She shifts tone to awkwardly interested, as if trying to politely feel out whether she is, in fact, dealing with a crazy person.] Is that something to do with lizard people, or...? I don't really know much about UFOs, sorry.
[Ha. Ha. Ha.]
no subject
[ Konstantin's careful to make sure his own interest stays curious and not desperate, though it's often a difficult line for him to toe, these days. ....Some days, harder than others. He likes to think he's still pretty good at it, at maintaining a certain control of his expressions, his reactions. Of everything around him. Never mind the persistent knowledge that so little actually is in his control, anymore...!
He focuses on watching the woman carefully, but not too carefully — still with that casual conversation, still with that playful little spark in his eye. He makes sure not to stare, to blink the appropriate amount of times, to not look at her as though hanging onto her words with bated breath and the discomforting nudge up inside of himself that he might be talking to an enemy, to someone who's recording everything he says, that any moment now he'll be caught—
He laughs at that, brightly, though there's no genuine relief. She could be lying to him as much as he's lying to her, after all. Or— not lying. Just not revealing everything. He'll reveal it in bits and pieces, careful. Keep seeing what she says in response. ]
No lizard people, at least none that I know of! [ Yes, it's all very amusing! Hahaha! ] No, please forgive me, my brain is always thinking about space things. I'm a cosmonaut, it's all we talk about.
[ His eyes crinkle at the corners, warm, friendly. Deliberating exactly how much to say. ]
We've bumped into some strange things up there, so— I can't help but wonder if some of them have ended up in labs back on Earth.
no subject
[For a minute, he makes her doubt her own judgment. If he's lying, he's very good- much better than she's come to expect from humans. Better than an Andalite, probably. True, any Andalite who's been concealing himself on Earth long-term would have to be an excellent actor.But it's increasingly hard to believe an Andalite could feign this kind of... well. Charm. Certainly not if he suspected her true nature.
His explanation derails her speculations once more. She looks genuinely surprised, though perhaps there's a faint edge of something else. Concern. Or vindication.]
What, really? [She's half smiling as she searches his face, an expression that shifts to wide-eyed intrigue when she realizes he's serious.] ...Wow. Then maybe I should ask the lab techs what kind of samples they're really keeping in those fridges.
[Another joke! What light-hearted fun they're having... but she can't just brush off his interest. She needs to draw out more information. She lets her smile fade, her hesitation clear.]
...What... kind of strange things, though? I mean- I guess you're not talking about meeting any little grey men up there, right? I'm not a biologist, but I'm sure I'd have noticed one of those in the labs.
[She's watching his reaction to that especially carefully. The Yeerk is running down a mental list of her associates at this point, trying to get a sense of who or what might have provoked suspicion.]
no subject
[ If she's lying, then Konstantin has to marvel at the fact that she's very good at it. Of course, there's still every possibility that she truly isn't, that there really is no nefarious purpose behind bumping into this stranger — that it really is just that. Coincidence.
That the topics of conversation, the word choices, are coincidence, too.
He still needs more evidence, still needs something to put his thumb on, as unlikely as it may be that such a thing will come easily. So for now: continue the conversation, push a little bit here and there, keep taking those risks. All the while his body language stays casual: arms folded across chest, shoulder tilted just slightly towards the wall as though resting against it. ]
No little grey men from my experience, yet. I was hoping for that, though. [ He gives another laugh, light-hearted. ] No, what we've seen so far are less... developed. Beings that suit their environment in the most base and resilient ways. Somehow both simplistic and incredibly complex.
...Much like insects, I could say. Insect-like. Parasites. That sort of thing.
no subject
No, he has to mean her kind. Which is only making her more certain that it's her duty to bring him in, one way or another. Granted, her superiors would have wanted him just for being a cosmonaut, but now...]
Like space bugs... that live inside other creatures? [And now she's careful to pause, feigning a disturbed realization.] Could they infect humans?
[Abruptly she's no longer pretending to question if he's serious. Another shift in this game, one which grows more serious by the second.]
no subject
The slowburn, unnerved reaction to such a concept as humans infected by parasitic alien life does seem suiting, seems very real, it's a horrible disgusting upsetting thought (if he actively, in any moment, thinks about what's happened to him for a second too long he'll scream, but even now he can feel the fucking thing there inside of his body like a second pulse at his peripheral, giving subtle movements to certain stimuli, reacting to how he reacts to her; and sometimes the smiles he gives are more nauseated than anything—)
Konstantin eyes her as though unsure, and he isn't masking that now, lets it through as he adjusts to and matches the stranger's disposition again. No more pretending about the severity of this. Slowly, he stands up straight from where he was tilted to the wall, and folds his arms over his chest. ]
I'm really not supposed to talk about this. But..... we've found evidence suggesting such a thing, yes.
[ It's still not really a full truth, but it opens a certain door. This time when he smiles, it's grimly. ] Classified, of course. You can imagine the sort of panic that people would fall to if they thought something from up there could tangibly infect their bodies.
no subject
Of... of course. I mean, that's terrifying. And... you said 'evidence'. That means... it's happened to someone?
[She asks as if dismayed, as if she almost doesn't want to know; doesn't want to imagine it. As if she's not just spacing out the questions she's very eager to slip in there, probing and testing at just what he knows.]
But there must be some way to expel them- some kind of cure. Right?
[She's clearly hoping for reassurance; inviting him to spill what he knows of their vulnerabilities - to tell her exactly how bad this security breach is.]