"So what's this about everybody turning into Yeerks?"
"Andi and I could just about tolerate having each other run checks, if it were necessary, Robin says maybe Ethan and probably vice-versa, how about you?"
Trouble shrugs. "I'd let you," he says. "Or Ethan. Or Robin." With a wry smile, "You might not want to, though."
"I don't want to morph a Yeerk at all; the question is whether it's better than some appreciable risk of discovery and hostile infestation. If we're pressed for time and can't just find a way to contain you for three days."
"It's not the only way to check, though, is it?" he says thoughtfully. "I mean. You could beat me up for a while and see if the Yeerk bails. I wouldn't mind."
"I don't know how well it'd work. It depends on things we don't know about how Yeerks react to injured hosts. But yes, I thought of it."
And down he goes into the basement! That basement is having an exciting day today.
"To summarize: It doesn't make anything hurt less, but it makes you care less about it hurting," she says. "Trouble, who already likes pain, can barely tell the difference. Ethan says there's a world of difference. I'm somewhere in between."