Cloudy, with a Chance of Envy
Posted on Sun Aug 30th, 2015 @ 9:00pm by Ensign Ian Bren & Cadet Senior Grade Chance Conradi & Ignatius Reilly & Cadet Senior Grade Eli Ziyad
Mission: Further Challenges
Walk faster!
"Iggs, I'm nearly trotting! We'll get there in a couple minutes," Chance admonished her, glancing at Eli with a slight grin. The spider was enormously excited to be home and heading to Sciences to see her offspring. So excited, she was bouncing against his chest with every step he took. He cradled her abdomen with one hand and held Eli's with his other. And what if the offspring are normal spiders?, he thought to Eli.
Well, they are Jerry’s, Eli reasoned. But they are hers too so they have a fifty-fifty shot as Jackson would say. He squeezed Chance’s hand and smiled. Iggy’s enthusiasm was infectious and he was curious to see them as well. “Almost there, Iggy.”
* Sciences *
Ian Bren beamed at the two males as he, walking backward, led them to where Iggy's offspring were being kept. "They've gotten huge in just a few days! And a few of them are developing colors that are unbelievable." He turned around, just in time to avoid tripping over a container.
“Colors?” Eli asked. “Is that normal or is it some new...thing? Sounds awesome though.”
"Just a natural deviation," he answered and led them through a doorway into a low-light lab. The terrariums glowed warmly along a wall. "Ignatius, I'm sorry to say that just ten survived the hatching and subsequent molts."
Ten? That is all? Her disappointment transmitted easily to the others. You have not named them, have you?
Ian gasped, "Of course not! That's up to you! Right now, we just have them numbered." He pointed to small labels under each. "Three, seven and nine are male. The rest are female."
Chance moved along the line, slowly so that Iggy and he could look at each spider. "Any sign of ...um... Iggy-ism? Did you number them by size?"
Ian winked at Eli and grinned. "I did but no, so far none show any sign of telepathy."
Iggy reached out a set of two legs towards the wall. Lemme go, she told Chance, who boosted her over to the wall. She clambered over each habitat in turn, tapping at the glass.
“The telepathy….” Eli mused as he moved along, looking into the cages. “Do you think it might develop as they get older, Ian? Like it does with Betazoids?” As he paused at cage number two, the spider there moved slowly to the glass and stopped, appearing to stare at Eli.
"Maybe?" Ian shrugged. "It's not like we've had infants of this kind before. They are just weeks old, so, yeah, maybe age will help."
From down the line, where Iggy had tapped on Nine's habitat, came a hissing, scrabbling sound. Iggy backpedaled a bit, Oops! He didn't like that! Nine had adopted a threatening fighting stance in his cage. Iggy came back to where Two was staring at Eli and paused, looking into the cage. She's pretty, with that rose hair.
Eli nodded. “She is lovely, Iggs. You did good.” He smiled as they watched Number Two. Out of curiosity, Eli focused, reaching out with his mind to see if he could pick up anything.
Two seemed to shift focus from Eli to Ignatius, then reached up with her front legs and touched when Iggy's tarsi rested on the glass. Iggy said, Her, we will call Ariadne.
Chance chuckled, "Greek mythology, Iggs? It's a good name."
I know, she tapped the glass and Ariadne tapped back. Ian, may I stay here?
"Of course! That would be a great thing. Maybe they need exposure to you to develop their own ...ah... thoughts." The scientist nodded, grinning. He put a hand on Eli's shoulder.
Chance frowned at that hand. "Funny that you're the one taking care of these guys, considering that a bite from one could kill you," he idly commented.
Ian frowned. "Well... Yes, but I use protection."
Eli had continued to watch Ariadne and suddenly he sucked in a breath. “Did you see that Iggy?”
See what? Iggy stopped tapping. That she is tapping the glass with me?
“No,” Eli whispered. “I saw….an image. Of….ewwww.” He shuddered. “Of her eating one of the little ones. Maybe they are going to take after you.”
I did not eat Jerry, she protested, missing that Eli meant telepathic. Although... I could go for a wriggly hissing cockroach about now. She turned slightly to focus on Ian.
"Cockroach? Um... I haven't any," he said.
A big belly worm, then?
"Worm? No, I have maggots?"
You have a worm.
“No, Iggy, I meant she could be telepathic like you. I saw that image in her...well..thoughts is the best word I guess.” Eli smiled and looked over at Chance. “That’s one at least.”
Looking a little irritated, Chance smiled and said, "That's great, Eli!" To Iggy, the cause of his irritation, he said, "Ian's symbiot is not for eating. Just like Norval's isn't."
Ian looked horrified. "Hey! And I don't have a big belly!" He looked down and ran a hand over his belly.
Iggy managed an approximation of a sigh and sadly said, You bipeds are so weird.
“Us?” Eli asked and laughed. He looked back to Ariadne and touched his finger to the wall of the terrarium. See you soon….
"Pot, meet kettle," Chance muttered. "Ian, Iggs, we'll see you either later or tomorrow. Call Oz if she's being trouble."
"Oz? Oh, you mean Oralia! She's off-station with Captain Hawke and the Admiral," Ian said.
"Who is with my mom and dad, then?"
"I don't know?" Ian shook his head.
Eli looked over to Chance and his eyes widened. “You think she’d leave Jackson to deal with them? If so….then you and I are not here yet. We’ll put our comm on ‘do not disturb’ or something?”
"Good plan, at least for a few more hours," Chance nodded. If we don't.... I might explode.
Eli smiled at the thought and nodded. “Ian? I’ll stop in to see you all later if you’re here?”
"Any time for you, Eli," Ian flirted, earning a growl from Chance. "Right! See you both later!"
Eli took Chance by the hand and tugged him out through the doors. Once they were in the corridor, he stopped and faced Chance. “Are you alright?”
"Just a little... off, at the moment. We haven't had a minute alone in how long?"
“That’s very true.” He took Chance’s face in his hands, then frowned. “You’re hot.”
"Thanks," Chance grinned. "Let's go put our hotness together. We have no wallsitter - actual privacy!" He kissed Eli.
Eli leaned into the kiss, then pressed his lips to Chance’s forehead. “No I meant your temperature. You feel alright?” They began walking once more, this time faster as they approached the turbolift.
"Pon farr," he said. "I think it'll quit once we have sex. So, this is a life-or-death service you're about to perform," he joked.
“Maybe….you seem to be pretty stable at the moment but that doesn’t mean I’m not going to lock you in and enjoy myself.” Eli grinned. “I looked it up on the way home and you...don’t be surprised if you lose your mind soon. And don’t worry about Ian, okay? He’s got a secret thing for Jackson, not me.”
"Mm... Lose my mind? Let's use that as an excuse to keep Iggy elsewhere. I'd hate to hurt her while out of my head. Think she'll name all ten?"
“No doubt. They’re her children, of course she will.” The lift was moving and they were alone. He turned to study Chance and reached out, touching the beads of sweat along his hairline. He touched Chance’s mind and the thoughts there were swirling in chaos. “We’ll be home soon.”
"Not a moment too soon, either," Chance pushed Eli against the lift's wall to kiss him. When it stopped on their floor, they hurried to their quarters and, once inside, Chance wasted no time divesting Eli or his clothes.
What didn’t come off easily was torn away and he turned as Chance pressed him to the wall. You know this mental bond? It’s going to get stronger and your condition…. He passed an image to Chance. “Affects me too.” His fingers dug into Chance’s shoulders, his grip growing tighter.
"At least we'll be on the same wavelength, then," Chance whispered, "Which is good, since I'd hate to force you into anything you don't want to do. That'd be bad." His thoughts degenerated from there.
******************
Ignatius J. Reilly
Madre de Dios
Cadet JC Chance Conradi
Impatience
Cadet JC Eli Ziyad
Ready For Anything
Ensign Ian Bren
Spider-Keeper
