Disclaimer: "Heart attacks: God's revenge for people eating his animal friends."
(An: Ok... here we go again... as for the bit with Warlock... I'm kind of going from stuff that gets inferred in the comics- they explain crap about as well as a Japanese translation. And as for Morph's new job... don't ask. There's actually a position like that in our town. Except it's for a flower shop.)
THE NEXT DAY...
If things were normal, Morph never would've taken the job. That was for certain.
But things weren't normal, and Morph was desperate. He'd went through the want ads twice, just to be sure, but there was still only one job that fit his requirements: a no-commitments, quick-cash, only-for-a-few-hours deal.
That didn't make it any less humiliating, though.
"Edith's Easter Emporium," Morph mumbled, holding out fliers. I can't believe I'm doing this!
He was used to wearing weird things, but a giant bunny suit was stretching it. Way stretching it.
The only consolation was that he only had to wear it until he'd passed out all the flyers. He was already halfway through the stack. We do what we have to. We do what we have to. Just keep telling yourself that...
What made him almost drop his flyers was when he spotted the Brotherhood. They wouldn't recognize him- he was out of his normal form and in a giant bunny suit, for crying out loud- but that didn't mean he didn't recognize them. He made a funny little squeaking gasp and grabbed at the papers, which were slipping out of his hands. He quickly straightened up, keeping his head down even though he didn't really need to.
Tabitha was arguing with Lance about who had to pay for the gas for the jeep.
"You're the one who uses it all!" Lance yelled.
"Yeah, hon," Tabitha replied, "but it's your jeep, as you're constantly reminding me."
Lance's eye twitched.
Morph sighed as they walked off. He'd never really gotten to know the Brotherhood, but they didn't seem as bad as Logan and Scott portrayed them. Tabitha, the only one he'd really talked with, seemed all right enough... Guilt trippin' and it feels so bad, Morph thought. Focus, Sidney, you're this close to being out of here. (1)
It was a little trickier getting people to take his fliers, though; after seeing the bunny be all angsty people weren't as eager, it turned out.
WITH WARLOCK...
Warlock was completely out of it that afternoon. All day he'd been staring off into space with a worried expression.
"Hellooo, Earth to Warlock," said Forge, waving a hand in front of his face.
Warlock blinked.
"That's the third time I called you," said Forge. "Are you sick or something?"
Warlock shook his head. "No," he replied. "Self was simply thinking."
"About what? You looked like you thought the world might end."
Self is certain that Self-Friend Forge would be pleased to hear that it just might, Warlock thought dryly. "Self was thinking about Self's father," he replied, which wasn't a lie.
Forge blinked and then cocked his head. "I thought that there weren't parents in your race..."
"Self's father is simply the easy way of saying the one who provided part of Self's genetic code." Warlock shrugged, clearly uncomfortable. "Self did not like his father very much."
"I'm guessing your dad was always more for the whole 'war' thing, huh," said Forge. "I get it."
Warlock nodded.
There was a knock at the door. "Why do you even bother?" Forge yelled in response. "I'm always down here!"
"Ah'll take that as 'it's open'," came a familiar Southern voice. Rogue and Kurt came in.
"Why do you want to find Morph so bad, anyway?" Forge asks. "Seems to me like it's his prerogative."
Rogue stared at him, eyebrow raised, for a moment, then said, "'Cause Ah haven't finished kickin' the verbal shit outta him for lyin' to us yet."
"Ah. Gotcha."
Rogue rolled her eyes at him and turned to Warlock. "Ok, can you find him?"
Warlock frowned. "Self thinks Self-Friend Morph may still be out of range. Self does not think Self-Friend Morph has left the city, though."
"Why don't we go out to the park, then?" said Kurt. "It's pretty much in the middle of Bayville."
"Seems logical," said Forge. "If you don't mind, I'd rather stay here, though. I'm the 'recluse' type, in case you haven't picked up on that yet."
"Righto," said Kurt, saluting him. He, Rogue, and Warlock headed out.
WITH MORPH...
Morph was quite pleased with himself. He'd actually.finished with those damn fliers and was out of the suit. The manager handed him an envelope with his pay in it. Ah, meager restitution, he thought, walking out. Now, to finally get out of here...
(Yeah, yeah, short and late... the next chapters will be longer. I promise. Because we're getting to the end.)
(1) Sidney is, of course, Morph's last name.