Trouble is asleep again.

Bella sits at the kitchen table and writes inscrutably.

Andi unearths popsicles from under frozen pesto cubes and broccoli, and takes a blue one and gives Bella a red one and waves an orange one questioningly in Ethan's direction.

"Ooh. Yes, please and thank you."

He gets an orange popscicle. Andi flops into an armchair with her blue. "I'm tiiiired."

"So is Trouble," says Ethan, gesturing down at his lapful of same.

"Yeah. I'm not sleepy, though, I don't think I could just take a nap right now. I feel like I ran a marathon though."

"I suppose that makes sense. The energy has to come from somewhere."

"Yeah, I guess. Bella's pretending she's not tired even though she morphed almost as many times as I did."

"Only almost, and more of mine were just to you and back," Bella says.

"Yes, morphing another member of the same species does seem to be less taxing," says Ethan, petting the sleeping Trouble.

"Yep. I wonder when Robin will be here, do you know?"

"Not a clue. She was reportedly already buried in books when Trouble found her."

"Sounds productive."

"It will be."

"...What are you doing?"

"Thinking. At the moment, about easily-obtained substances, especially anything likely to be effective in dense and solid form, that could be slipped into Yeerk pools we might find and disagree with the inhabitants. Might have to send Robin on a run for chemistry research after she's back with the verdict on birds."

"I like the sound of that," says Ethan.

"I thought you might."

"Robin won't, she'll get squeamish. I should go with her to keep her on track."

"I didn't know she was the type to be squeamish about killing invading slug parasites."

"Well, not if you handed her one to step on." He considers. "Maybe if you handed her one to step on. Chemical weapons, though, that's a different beast entirely in her eyes."

"Why?"

"Harder to be sure of your aim. Probably less pleasant for the Yeerks. Definitely less pleasant for Robin to think about."