A few times a week, for a few hours each time, a Mansion staffer would borrow Tobias and leave Chase to his own devices. Sure, Chase had been alone plenty of times before Tobias had been brought to this dimension, but now that Chase had constant company, it was something he had grown to enjoy. As such, he kind-of dreaded these few hours he sometimes spent alone.

"You really aren't missing anything," Toby had assured his brother, "They're just teaching me how... a normal person our age acts... or... something."

Chase had loudly proclaimed how stupid he thought that was, how Toby had seemed just fine to him. But still, the adults insisted. And Toby was more than happy to oblige.

"I wanna fit-in, Chase."

Chase exhaled sharply, brandishing a large stick at invisible foes as he marched through the woods. The woods had been his favorite spot on-campus since he first came to the Mansion years prior. Not a lot of other kids ventured this way and, if they did, they were usually up to no good. It was the perfect place to play-pretend and wile away the hours.

Right now, he was pretending to be a wild child, pretending that he'd been abandoned by human society and had become feral. (He'd read about feral children in a library book.) It was pouring rain outside, but the thick canopy of trees managed to keep most of it out. Chase sprinted, leapt, and with both feet lunged into a puddle, which exploded around him and soaked his pants up past the knees. An absurd laugh broke out of him.

The sound of footfalls in the trees snagged his attention, and Chase brought his large stick up in front of him, as if it were a sword.

"Who's there?"

If it helped, Luke was surprised to hear someone else too. Well, okay, that was a lie, but he hadn't expected the kid would notice him hanging around. Stealthy he was not, but he'd thought he was pretty quiet. Hard to tell, though, when nothing was 'quiet' for you.

It was a boring afternoon without much going on and Luke was feeling a buildup of restless energy. It was getting hot, and his fur coat was shedding, which meant lots of hair everywhere. It was gross, embarrassing, and unsightly, not to mention made his fur a less resilient defense. The first (and only prior to now) time this happened he'd been caught off-guard, not knowing it was a thing, and he'd been horribly on-edge for a month until it stopped.

With summer approaching once more, he'd actually talked to some of the professors about it, and with their advice intended to spent a lot more time outside where he didn't make a mess. Also, another fun anatomical quirk; wolves don't sweat. They pant. That's how they cool down, by radiating heat from the greater surface area of their mouths. Luke apparently didn't sweat either. Good news, he didn't need antiperspirant (applying it would suck too), but it also had some unfortunate social effects. It did help cool down, but he did it unconsciously and reflexively, so sometimes he didn't even notice. Other people did, though. It was kind of awkward.

All that basically added up to less time on-campus, more in the surrounding wooded area. He was planning to suggest some kind of semi-permanent lodging there for him (and others who might like the sort of thing too), but that wasn't a sure thing yet. Still, it was nice to be out in the greenery. He could bring some reading if he wanted, but mostly he just did some running and exploring. Sometimes on all fours; it was a little clunky and made him self-conscious, but he could go fast. That was cool and actually kind of fun, sprinting all-out like that.

Right now it was drizzling lightly, which wasn't bad because it kept the air cooler which he liked. There was also the benefit of changing his environment's smells. Luke wouldn't say people smelled bad, but they definitely had a strong scent, and since most everyone smelled different, it got a little draining. Like a concert; it might be fun, but it was also fatigue-inducing for the constant sensory input. He usually habituated to it, but being away from people was a nice change for his nose.

Of course, that meant Luke definitely noticed the distinct smell of a human where it was definitely commonplace. It was upwind, which was one of those things that sounded weird when you read about it but was totally true somehow, and he couldn't quite place them but it was someone...vaguely familiar? Crouched down and creeping, Luke had traced his way towards the person. It was a guy, younger than him, but beyond that, nothing. Scent on someone was like, you can know what someone sounds like on the phone without seeing their face.

He was pretty close when he heard the kid call out. He flinched, slightly. Being covert wasn't his thing, definitely. Luke stood straight and cleared his throat before calling out, "Hey, sorry. Didn't think anyone else was out here." He peered around at the kid, who looked about the age of a tween, twelve or so? He definitely smelled familiar, but Luke couldn't remember ever seeing him before. Hmm.

"Hi there." Luke crossed his arms and glanced around. Well he figured out who was hanging out in the woods, but now begged another question. "I'm Luke. Uh...whatcha doing out here?"

It took Chase a moment to register the mutant who stood in front of him. He looked like a werewolf... or, at least, how Chase imagined a werewolf to look. They were super tall, and looked liek a wolf, but they stood on their hinds legs. It was about then that Chase realized the alarm on his face.

>> "Hey, sorry. Didn't think anyone else was out here."

Chase's mouth formed a hard line, and his expression became scrutinizing. He knew this guy. This guy was one of the fun-suckers who got him and Toby in trouble over the water balloons. He'd been in his natural face then, though. Now he was in his human-face...

>> "Hi there. I'm Luke. Uh...whatcha doing out here?"

... and it seemed like the wolf-guy, Luke, didn't recognize him.

"I'm adventuring," Chase said plainly. He did not add the part about pretending to be a feral child, because thirteen was a little too old for playing pretend. Up above, the torrential downpour did not let up, "My brother is busy, so I'm doing stuff 'til he isn't busy."

He surveyed the taller, lupine boy, sizing him up.

"...do you have a tail?" Chase demanded suddenly, his attention turning on a dime. If there was one thing that one couldn't outgrow, it was a shapeshifter's delight in other physical mutants. It also wasn't something Chase had made note of in their first meeting, and was thus imperative to ask.

Oh, okay, he was just hangin' out. Wasn't like Luke could judge him on that. Poor kid, probably felt left out, if he was anything like Luke's brother back home. His expression got gloomy for a moment. He hadn't been in touch with Ethan for a while, and it was was a little depressing that Luke wasn't around to support his little brother.

Well, okay.

Admittedly that was a question he had heard before, though rarely from people actually asking him. He stepped up towards the kid, and out of the foliage and shade it was easy to see it slowly wave behind him. He crossed his arms and said, "Yeah." Truth be told, it was a little self-conscious for him. Like, of all the things that his mutation did, having an extra appendage was probably the least familiar thing. Like, normal human brain can't even comprehend the sensation or muscle movement. Took a long time to get used to, frankly.

Anyway, that aside, Luke found himself looking down at the kid. "What's your name?" He really did feel like he recognized him somehow, or at least his smell in particular, but it was hard to place. Trying to picture where he'd been was like, foggy?

Oh. Ohhh. Luke's tail stopped and he furrowed his brow. "Wait, aren't you the water balloon kid?" Man, that was a rough day for him. His ears had been ringing all day from poor Skye's explosion flash-thing. Technically that wasn't his fault, but it was hard not to hold it against him at all, honestly.

Luke put a his palm over his face and shook his head slowly. "You're lucky I don't hold grudges." He smirked a little as he returned to a normal posture.

The wolfman drew closer, confirming that he did indeed have a tail. Chase's eyes became dominated by a curious pink, and a grin broke out on his face, "Neat!!”

The next, obvious step was to ask for a personal belonging of Luke's and to go traipsing around the woods as a wolfman, but Luke was quicker with his line of questioning.

>>  "What's your name? ... Wait, aren't you the water balloon kid?"

Hmph. Chase puffed his cheeks out at the question. So Luke the Fun-Sucker did remember. So much for that possible avenue of friendship. He'd probably never lend anything to Chase now.

"M-Maybe..." Chase said vaguely, squinting his eyes again. With that, the child turned away, and began marching back off into the trees. Any inkling of the intrigued pink in his eyes had been replaced by a churlish orange, here-and-there flecked an aloof yellow-orange. He was thirteen and didn't have time to let people judge him.

>> "You're lucky I don't hold grudges."

--Luke said to Chase's back.

"Not my fault that the explode-y girl sat in the dropzone," Chase called back. He was a little sh**, unapologetically so, that much was certain. He was an absolutely waterlogged little sh**, though, with a hoodie, t-shirt, and cargo shorts that clung to his miserable frame from being saturated with rain. He was much too stubborn to go inside, though.

”I'm Chase, by the way," the troublemaker remarked as they slipped out of sight through the trees.

Oh, he didn't seem so thrilled about him bringing it up. Was it a--wait what?

"Hey, wait!" Luke said in surprise as Chase ran off into the woods. He could here him walking off, and having placed a face to the scent he could track that too. He could follow him if he went too far or something.

That said, it wasn't like the problem was Chase getting lost, if he'd been here before. Luke maybe hadn't handled it right, as he scratched the back of his head (behind his ears) sheepishly with an awkward expression. Like, getting flashbanged had sucked, but he really didn't hold a grudge--he didn't have anything against the kid or anything.

"Hey!" Chase was now totally out of sight. Luke could hear him moving around, though. He could at least apologize to the kid, right? Straighten this out. He started moving through the foliage and trying to step over watery ground, and called more loudly, "Hey, I'm not mad! Honest!"

Man, way to ruin it, Luke.

Chase grinned when he heard footfalls behind him, and his pace quickened. He always loved a game of tag, or hide-and-seek, or whatever you called this. Being a brat to big kids? That was probably a more fitting name, but it was a little too long. Chase put his "sword" in his mouth, and quickly shimmied up a tree. It was no easy task, being that Chase was soaked and rain was still falling up above, but he managed to retreat a few branches up before Luke the Wolf-Man came into the clearing.

>> "Hey! Hey, I'm not mad! Honest!"

"Your Mom's not mad!" Chase retorted from the branch, in classic, thirteen-year-old form. From his spot on the branch, Chase was taller than Luke. He grinned at the older boy, leaning forward with an impish look in his eyes.

"I'm Chase," the human shifter repeated, "And my brother's Toby, but he's not here. He's in class."

Chase stood up on the branch, grabbing the next branch up to steady himself.

"You must really wanna talk to me, running after me like that," the human-shifter observed, walking carefully towards the thinner part of the branch. He kept his arm folded over the next branch up, lest he accidentally slip. He turned, and began walking back.

"Why do ya wanna talk to me?" the boy continued, looking down at Luke, "Most of the older kids won't give me the time of day. Unless you're not an older kid."

He sank back down into a sitting position, kicking his legs.

"How old are ya?"

Man, what a punk. 'Your mom' jokes? And Luke was worried about hurting his feelings.

Luke stopped and crossed his arms, glaring up into the tree. He was perfectly fine on the ground, thank you. Chase looked pretty stable up there, but Luke would feel a lot better if there was someone to catch him if he fell.

"I'm seventeen." Was that 'older'? That felt weird. He still kind of felt like a younger kid, even though he was living here and went out on his own and all. Age's relative, or something. "I dunno man, I'm just wondering what you're up to out here."

Luke shifted on his feet. "And then you went running off into the woods. I thought you might get lost or something, y'know?" He rolled his eyes.

Now, he might as well ask about what kind of trick the kid had pulled. "You and, uh, Toby, is it? Are you like, do you disguise yourselves? Like the other day. How'd you look like the girls?"

"I'm adventuring," Chase answered simply, "It's raining, so no one's really out here. Perfect for adventuring."

Luke asked the golden question, and Chase's smirk stretched into an all-out grin. If there was anything he loved more than mischief, it was showing-off. He stuck-out a calloused hand, palm-up towards Luke.

"I can show ya," Chase said simply, "It's my power. Got a personal item I could borrow?"

Chase could still show-off even if Luke refused... but Chase liked the "wow" factor that object-based shifting had. People tended to react more strongly to staring down their doppelganger, than to changing-color hair or shifting voices. His hand remained outstretched, waiting.

Aw, that was kind of cute actually. Luke remembered the adventuring of his youth. Well, relative youth. Regardless, at least there wasn't something to be worried about now.

...Well, maybe. Chase offered a demonstration of his method, which involved...a personal item? That was kind of worrisome, but he assumed Chase wasn't going to like, run off with his phone or anything. Not for long, at least.

"Uh, sure." Luke started digging into his shorts pocket, pulling out his phone and held it up to the kid in the tree. As soon as the phone exchanged hands, it occurred to him that this might get weird, but it was a little wait. He put his hands on his hips and watched with apprehension.

Chase gladly took the cell phone into his hand, the device stinging in his palm. The tendrils of his hand swelled around the phone, course grey furs surging out like timelapsed blades of growing grass. His limbs lengthened, face shifted-- belatedly, Chase realized he should hop out of the tree. Luke was big and he might break the branch. But the shift (which occupied all of a few seconds), left him discombobulated, and Luke's doppelganger landed on his butt. The doppelganger looked up at the original with amused, green eyes.

"I'm you!" the duplicate announced, smiling from ear-to-ear. One pointed ear flicked, and faux-Luke ran a padded hand over a pointed ear. A twitch of delight crept into his tail. His head had stopped reeling, so faux-Luke got carefully to his feet, steadying himself with a hand upon the tree-trunk. More hesitant tail wags ensued.

"You're tall," faux-Luke observed.

...Okay, yep. That was extremely weird.

"Uh, six and a half feet, last I checked." It wasn't exactly a mirror image, at least not to him; they looked the same, but Chase still smelled like Chase, just...also himself. It was kind of jarring to be made aware of his own scent, given he normally didn't like, notice.

At least, Chase's excitement was reassuring...sort of. Actually it kind of made him self-conscious, and he crossed his arms in unconscious insecurity. "So uh, what else do you copy?"

Luke tentatively gave Chase an investigative look. "Like, from me." It occurred to him that Chase's transformation had been accompanied by a weird, stretching noise. "I assume it doesn't hurt, does it?"

If Chase was going to be studying him or whatever, he could ask about stuff back. Only fair, right?

The wagging tail did not settle when the questions arose. Chase loved questions, and he loved being tall! The doppelganger paced experimentally, a little wobbily on their canid legs and feet. He didn't show any indication of listening, for he was too busy watching his steps to make eye contact with Luke. Luke's doppelganger did, however, respond.

"I don't know," they said unhelpfully, "Other people, I guess. No animals. No inanimate objects. I guess I copy memories, too. Or maybe I read them? I dunno."

Wag, wag, wag.

"It doesn't hurt," the doppelganger confirmed, finally looking at their original, "My skin is made of... I dunno. Things that like stretch. Like ropes? Snakes? It doesn't hurt."

Luke seemed to be weirded-out, and they couldn't have that, could they? Luke's doppelganger held-out the smartphone, the trigger for the shift.

The poor guy looked a little unsteady, honestly. Getting around right after his mutation came up had been a little weird for Luke, but it was also like, built into his brain or something, so it had been okay after a little bit. Plus he'd not been as short as Chase was--well, normally was--before his mutation.

Once he was confident that Chase wasn't going to faceplant, Luke quickly parsed the younger boy's words. He was a bit distracted by his clone's very enthusiastic tail-wagging. He kinda figured that's probably why Chase was curious about him having one. Dang, had he planned this all along? Tricky.

"Oh, so you're like, made of rubber bands? Awesome." Luke grinned. That actually sounded cool. Chase had a twin, didn't he? He couldn't remember much about him though, having never really chatted with either boy.

"Wait, hold up." Luke paused, suddenly startled as he comprehended one of Chase's words. "You copy memories, you said? Like, what do you mean?" That put him on edge, as the slight puffing out of his fur and posturing of his ears showed. Physical stuff, sure, shapeshifting, being a wolfman? Whatever.

Stealing stuff from his mind? That was messed up. He put his hands on his temples. "Did you read my mind?"

The doppelganger beamed at the praise and attention, but the abrupt, "Wait, hold on," brought a halt to the wagging tail.

>> "You copy memories, you said? Like, what do you mean?"

"Uh... yeah..." the doppelganger confirmed, hesitance clear in their tone. One day, they'd learn not to spill the beans like that. Luke!prime was puffing up like he'd touched one of those zap-y balls at a science museum, like he was all full of static, and his ears were perked.

>> "Did you read my mind?"

"N-no," the doppelganger replied, haltingly.

"It's more like... uh... everything has its secrets," the doppelganger said quickly, "And I can ask things their secrets, and then they tell me. I only know what the things do. Does that make sense?"

This was starting to get awkward. He didn't see why it was such a big deal, especially when just a moment ago, Luke!prime was praising his doppelganger. Now he was acting like it was a bad thing.

"Look, if you're gonna be weird about it, you can just have this back," the doppelganger said churlishly, holding the phone out to the original, "Take this back and I'll go back to normal."

People could be so dumb sometimes.