(Untitled)

[first_sixth]

There's a Tommy in the bar this afternoon, seated at a table rather than on his customary couch by the fire. He's in full uniform after some training out by the lake earlier, though the Brachio Staff and his helmet are sitting on top of the table. This is in part because he's currently eating, a large glass of Diet Coke and an entire pizza

Comments

[sweetdinoangel]

The night before she'd stayed outside in the woods. Especially seeing as this place was a bit too weird for her. Definitely not something she truly wanted to deal with. But the human body has needs. Which is why she gets up from the spot she'd slept in, grabs her bag and guitar, and heads inside.

Once inside she stops short. But someone catches her eye. Which means Tommy's book Symbiosis and Baseline+ Abilities In Metahumans gets picked up and she raises a slight brow at the title. "Some light reading, Dr. O?" She'll ask about the weird ass place or have it explained in a minute. Right now she's just happy to see a familiar face.

[first_sixth]

Kira, don't you know it's not polite to surprise a guy like that when he's stuffing his face? Tommy chokes momentarily on his mouthful of shrimp scampi pizza, but recovers quickly and swallows before opening his mouth.

"Kira!" He looks surprised. "Yeah, you could call it that, I guess. When did you get here?"

He can only assume that the Yellow Dino Ranger is a new arrival, given that he hasn't seen her here before.

[sweetdinoangel]

Oh, she knows. Maybe. But we're sure that Dr. Oliver was in need of said surprise at some point or another. Hell, she's surprised that Tommy's there. After all... it isn't like he's ever been missing to her knowledge. Though she could easily be wrong.

"Last night, actually."

She just sort of camped out in the woods.

[first_sixth]

It is a very convenient thing indeed, to be able to disappear for days at a time and never seem to be gone. It's fortunate that things work that way for the world, as well, given Tommy's duties to the planet. Plus it means that he never has to explain his absences, and he gets to see Jason without having to fly to Georgia or abuse his teleportation abilities.

"Last night? Have you been outside, or something? I've been here for... a while, and I didn't see you."

Tommy tends to forget the world around him when he's buried in his research, of course. Kira could probably have walked right by his table and he would have remained oblivious, had she not spoken up.

[tyler_marlocke]

Tyler was going to ask Dr. Oliver if he could have a slice of that pizza, it smelled good when he came in from working on the tree fort...

But he got kind of distracted by the book Symbiosis and Baseline+ Abilities In Metahumans sitting on the table. It sounded like something he'd have to read for his own classes.

"Uh.. Hi Dr. Oliver..."

[first_sixth]

Tommy grins. "Hey, Tyler." He nudges one of the chairs out with a booted foot, an invitation for the kid to sit down.

"Hungry?"

[tyler_marlocke]

"Yeh, thanks." Tyler scoots over to decide which half he's going to eat...

Well there's a point to be adventurous sometimes and he snags one of the slices of the shrimp scampi half. "Whuff rrrm yuh studehing?"

Hungry kids do tend to talk with their mouthful.

[first_sixth]

Tommy, fortunately, is pretty good at determining what people are saying even when they're talking with food in their mouth. After all, he has a teenage Ranger team that includes specimens such as Conner McKnight and Ethan James.

"Something happened to a friend of mine recently, and it got me thinking about the effects that meta-abilities might have on people. Particularly those who have gained abilities later in life after functioning on a baseline level for an extended period of time, or those who routinely go between the two. I'm particularly interested in powers that exist at a genetic level and fundamentally alter the carrier's genetic structure."

[shadowsfound]

Kevin's attention gets caught by the helmet and staff, at first. He takes a closer look. The books' titles sound almost too much like something that might've turned up at the Institute's research library, but the man isn't familiar.
"You're teaching about this?" he asks hesitantly, noting the papers with grade marks written on them. Not the smoothest approach ever, but sadly,
curiosity's gotten ahead of manners with him.

[first_sixth]

Tommy doesn't have the most refined or polished manner himself, so any rudeness has gone more or less unnoticed. In any case, he's a pretty laid-back kind of guy, when he's not on duty or acting in an official capacity at school.

"Teach it? Nah. I'd get my ass fired if I tried." He laughs at the mental picture that springs to mind, of Principal Randall's reaction if she ever got word that her new science teacher had foregone the theory of evolution in favour of metabiology.

"It's a personal research interest of mine."

[shadowsfound]

Kevin grins. "This kinda seems like the place for it. D'you mind if I ask where you got those from?" meaning the books.
The pizza's noticed but evaded, for now. He's not hungry atm.

[first_sixth]

"Definitely convenient," Tommy agrees. "I'm probably gonna have to do all of my research here, honestly. The environment back home isn't exactly conducive to it." Metahumans being the rare beings that they are, with Tommy's version of Earth possessing a grand total of five. And one of 'em is sitting at the table in front of Kevin.

"Where did I get the books? Bar gave them to me, though I'm not sure what world or reality she might have plucked them from. They do seem to be suitably relevant to my study, though, and all seem to have been generated in one version of Earth or another."

[md_donighal]

The man in the gray suit is sufficiently amused by the costumed figure's reading material to take a seat opposite him. "I assume you have a personal interest in that research?" he says by way of announcing himself. "Is it for yourself, or for somebody back home who's in the life?"

[first_sixth]

"Personal," Tommy replies as he scribbles a note on a Post-It flag. He affixes the flag to a page in one of the books before looking up at his guest.

"Though it certainly extends to others that I know, baselines and metabeings both."

[md_donighal]

"Interesting. And somewhat outwith my field of expertise, but I'm willing to learn." He holds out a hand for shaking. "Michael Donighal, at your service."

[first_sixth]

"Dr. Thomas Oliver," Tommy replies as he shakes the man's hand. "It isn't my own area of trained study, but the subject is one I feel compelled to... learn more about."

Especially after Bob's ordeal, and Tommy finding out that he's got past versions of himself inside his head.

[silentson]

"The effects of possession?" Asks one of the leading experts in the field. Never mind he's in a body that looks rather- Bizarre. (Rim shot)

[first_sixth]

"Possession, yes." Tommy gives an affirmative nod and pushes a book to one side. "It's one of those areas that makes sense to look into, as long as I'm reading up on symbiotic relationships in metahumans. Well, metabeings in general, really."

[silentson]

"I, ah, might be able to help you with that." Something resembling a smile is forced ontoa face not usually using one. "It's something I have first hand expierience in."

[first_sixth]

"Really?" Tommy looks curious. "I might take you up on that offer sometime. Not that I'm looking to be possessed myself or anything, more considering ways to counter efforts like that."

He's been evil before, and some small part of him had liked it. The knowledge that such a part may still exist, possessing even a small amount of independence, does not sit easily with the Dino Rangers' leader. He'd had a hard enough time fighting off his former selves that had been allies of good, when he'd been made to confront them inside his head. If the evil Green Ranger happens to be in there as well, some remnant of the spell Rita had used to enslave his mind...

"It is not a common phenomenon in my world, at least genuine mental or physical possession. I'm kinda forced to do the bulk of my research here, owing to that. Books like this, well... My world lacks them."

In its early stages, said research is amounting to doing one hell of a lot of reading. But it's fascinating, if a bit disturbing at times, and so Tommy doesn't mind.