pouring one out for mr tidwell + illim tonight tbh like. damn ik they only got like one book but like. the way that tidwell kinda jokes about him being a klutz, or brings up his thoughts on jake as a student, at a time when both he and cassie are really nervous. him fully accepting the fact that cassie is more experienced and effective, and, to that end, readily pushing aside the "im the adult and youre the child and therefore you should follow behind me and avoid trouble" crap that certain other adults in the series might have thrown, in favor of putting his trust in Cassie because, fuck, this is a crisis, she's been doing this for a while now, he's a middle school(?) spanish teacher, and they need to make it work. all this coming from the "strictest teacher in the school" (which i find a funny description from cassie considering he later mentions she actually does well in his class)
I agree! Those two are so great. I love how sweet and awkward and deeply disturbing that sequence where Cassie infests Mr. Tidwell becomes. Like, they're both trying so hard to make this work, and it's still super-invasive and weird no matter what they do. Thank goodness it's Cassie with the yeerk morph; the implications of Marco or Rachel having that kind of power are horrifying.