[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.]
[ The woman's reactions certainly seem real and true, and Konstantin does have to wonder if he's made the right decision here in pushing things a smidgen too far. But again — if she is someone he needs to watch out for, then he'd assume she already knows about him, was sent to retrieve him or to gather information about him while he's allowed to evade re-capture. (Some part of him wonders if that isn't the case, if perhaps he's simply being allowed to run, that they know where he is no matter what he does. Maybe they're observing how the creature adapts outside of the confinements of their facility walls.)
And if she isn't someone he needs to watch out for, well, the only harm done is that he's said a little too much to someone he shouldn't have.
Best case scenario? She really is an innocent working at this establishment of hers, and he asks her out for dinner before he has to rush off to the next motel in a new city, forever on the run. (Konstantin you have a big storm coming) ]
I shouldn't confirm or deny it, [ he cocks another grin, teasing a little. ] But I will say that I'm not sure I want to take any trips back to space any time soon, until they can guarantee protection from this kind of thing.
[ Imagine being infected by something like that! Horrible! He wouldn't know! The next question draws a more serious pause again though, mouth pursing thoughtfully for a moment. Then, with a slight grimace— ]
I don't think so. Not yet. Entities like that... for how rudimentary they might seem, I believe are actually extremely hardy. It might even be that removing one could kill or damage its host.
[ Of course, he hasn't mentioned the word symbiotic, which is a bit of a different ballgame than just parasitism. Truthfully, he's still not sure exactly which better describes his unwanted passenger; it exhibits behaviours of both. He does know that removal of the thing is, currently for him at least, impossible. ]
[She lets her feigned unease soften a bit, smiling slightly in response to his grin; nodding sheepishly, because right, of course he's not supposed to actually say one way or another. His warmth in spite of the topic is something her host would find reassuring, and playing along with that suits her. It's easier, not having to juggle interrogation with acting out horror and fright and so on.]
Mmh, I bet. You have to be a very brave man to go up there in the first place, but if something like that is waiting for you...
[She grimaces herself, folding her arms loosely, unconsciously self-protective at the thought. (At least, her host did it unconsciously; Telrim's quite aware of such mannerisms.) Privately, she's relieved to hear he hasn't figured out their vulnerabilities - nor, it seems, has he any idea how far the 'infestation' goes.
Her unease turns to a thoughtful frown, however, her gaze dropping away from him as she ponders.]
Hardy... right, that's one of the things about parasites, isn't it? They have to survive in such different environments, inside and outside their hosts... and I guess it's hard to poison them without poisoning the- the poor person too. But there has to be some way. Something to disrupt their life cycle, or trigger them to move on, I know we talked about that...
[She looks back up at him, quirks a rueful smile.]
Sorry, that probably isn't much help. I just feel like this is the kind of problem we should be able to figure out... well, I say 'we'. Maybe my friend at the lab is the one you should be... not-talking to.
[A small joke, to lighten a viscerally disturbing subject. And dangling the possibility of useful information before him; planting the idea too that he might come along and talk to the nice scientist of his own free will... but if he'd rather just deal with her, Telrim can work with that too. A scout has to be adaptable.]
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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.]
no subject
And if she isn't someone he needs to watch out for, well, the only harm done is that he's said a little too much to someone he shouldn't have.
Best case scenario? She really is an innocent working at this establishment of hers, and he asks her out for dinner before he has to rush off to the next motel in a new city, forever on the run. (Konstantin you have a big storm coming) ]
I shouldn't confirm or deny it, [ he cocks another grin, teasing a little. ] But I will say that I'm not sure I want to take any trips back to space any time soon, until they can guarantee protection from this kind of thing.
[ Imagine being infected by something like that! Horrible! He wouldn't know! The next question draws a more serious pause again though, mouth pursing thoughtfully for a moment. Then, with a slight grimace— ]
I don't think so. Not yet. Entities like that... for how rudimentary they might seem, I believe are actually extremely hardy. It might even be that removing one could kill or damage its host.
[ Of course, he hasn't mentioned the word symbiotic, which is a bit of a different ballgame than just parasitism. Truthfully, he's still not sure exactly which better describes his unwanted passenger; it exhibits behaviours of both. He does know that removal of the thing is, currently for him at least, impossible. ]
no subject
Mmh, I bet. You have to be a very brave man to go up there in the first place, but if something like that is waiting for you...
[She grimaces herself, folding her arms loosely, unconsciously self-protective at the thought. (At least, her host did it unconsciously; Telrim's quite aware of such mannerisms.) Privately, she's relieved to hear he hasn't figured out their vulnerabilities - nor, it seems, has he any idea how far the 'infestation' goes.
Her unease turns to a thoughtful frown, however, her gaze dropping away from him as she ponders.]
Hardy... right, that's one of the things about parasites, isn't it? They have to survive in such different environments, inside and outside their hosts... and I guess it's hard to poison them without poisoning the- the poor person too. But there has to be some way. Something to disrupt their life cycle, or trigger them to move on, I know we talked about that...
[She looks back up at him, quirks a rueful smile.]
Sorry, that probably isn't much help. I just feel like this is the kind of problem we should be able to figure out... well, I say 'we'. Maybe my friend at the lab is the one you should be... not-talking to.
[A small joke, to lighten a viscerally disturbing subject. And dangling the possibility of useful information before him; planting the idea too that he might come along and talk to the nice scientist of his own free will... but if he'd rather just deal with her, Telrim can work with that too. A scout has to be adaptable.]