Sudden Changes (Modern Sci-Fi RP)(In Need of guys)

[Zaydin]

The year 2021, life had gone on as usual around the world, until one day, a mad scientist in an unknown location released a virus the likes of which the world had never seen before. It was a mutagenic virus, designed specifically to affect only women, and transform the infected women into an anthropomorphic animal. Not every woman was affected, but a majority were affected by the virus. This has lead to the debate among people on whether or not the transformed women should still be considered human and have the same rights as humans. Indeed, some men took the situation as an excuse to eject their significant others from their lives or to keep them as little more than pets. The debate will rage over these sudden changes, and many pray that a cure can be found for the affected. It could very well be years before a cure is found, however, and society will be rocked by these events.

A year has passed since the initial outbreak, and things have settled down now, but opinion is still split on the position of the transformed women. Worse, have been whispers that the virus has evolved, starting to transform a small percentage of men, and that worse still, a select few men were not only transformed into an anthromorphic animal, but their gender was also reversed by the virus. Whether those stories are true or not, however, no one is certain. Several bills to establish the rights of transformed women are being drafted in the various legislative offices around the world. In the meantime, in a small, out of the way town nestled in the Poconos Mountains of Pennsylvania, one man set up a womans retreat and shelter for women who needed a place to relax, or get away from an abusive relationship, or were thrown out of their home or ran away. Once there, the women are given a room to stay at until they can get their lives back on track. The retreat itself is located in an old hotel that the owner and operator purchased and renovated for its new purpose. In order to ensure the retreat stays properly staffed, the residents of the shelter, if they are in good shape, are approached and offered a job working at the retreat to help ensure the retreat runs smoothly.

There are always rooms available at the Poconos Womens Retreat and Shelter!

The OOC thread can be found here: Sudden Changes OOC

[Zaydin]

Rules
1. No God-Moding
2. Be original! I really don't want to see dozens of foxes, wolves, or the like running around. On a related note, not every woman is transformed by the virus, so untransformed female characters are acceptable. There just won't be very many of them. And not every woman needs a tragic backstory, either. Transformed men are allowed, as well, but in smaller numbers.
3. Be literate! If you don't meet my standard of literacy, I reserve the right to kick you. For a point of reference for literacy, length wise, I generally expect posts of a paragraph, minimum, with 4-5 sentences
4. Romance is allowed, but keep it PG-13
5. No killing another person's character w/o that persons permission
6. PM your profile to me with the title "I'm still me". Also, a roleplaying sample is welcome; a paragraph will do, and it can be from a previous roleplay you have done.

Oh yes, one last rule. The most important one of them all:

7. MY WORD IS LAW! If you don't like it, you don't have to join. Don't argue with me

[Zaydin]

Characters
Username:
Name:
Age:
Gender:
Species turned into: (Note: female characters primarily, select male characters)
Appearance:
Bio:
Position: (If character takes up a job at the Womens Retreat)
Other:

Profiles

Username: Zaydin
Name: Vincent Clarke
Age: 32
Gender: Male
Appearance: Vincent Clarke
Bio: Vincent lived a fairly ordinary life before the virus, a lawyer working out of Philadelphia, and was living in an apartment with his fiance. Then the virus struck, and his girlfriend was among the many women infected. Though Vincent did his best to comfort her, it was not enough, and tragically, she killed herself. In the months since then, Vincent abandoned much of his life in Philadelphia, managing to scrape together the money and investors to purchase an old resort and hotel located in the Poconos in Northeastern Pennsylvania, and set about renovating it into a retreat for women in need of a place to stay, determined to make life better for other women and turn their lives around, to make up for his failure to help his fiance. While his life is far more busy than it used to be, Vincent has no regrets, feeling that he is actually doing something worth his time now. He might not earn as much running the retreat, but he does his best to support some of the more distraught women who come to the retreat.
Position: Owner and operator of the Poconos Womens Retreat and shelter.
Other: Vincent has a sister who is also works at the womans retreat, several years younger than he is. Has also been neglecting his own health in his focus on running the retreat.

Username: Zaydin
Name: Jonas Weber
Age: 28
Gender: Male
Appearance: Jonas Weber/Clothed
Bio: Jonas is a private contractor for the security firm Highwater Security, and was hired on after Jonas was honorably discharged from the US military due to injuries he had received in the line of duty. Part of his contract upon signing up with Highwater was to be augmented with cybernetic implants; to use the slang term for it, Jonas became a mech, robot, or using the 'slur, a hanzer (short for enhanced human). Before the viral outbreak a year ago, the ethical ramifications of human augmentations were beginning to be brought up, but the outbreak shoved that out of the spotlight, especially since more and more of the uninfected women started turning to genetic engineering and augmentations to ensure they remained uninfected. Jonas was sent to the Poconos Womens retreat by Highwater when contacted by Vincent Clarke to see about setting up a security system at the retreat, along with heading up a security team for the location.
Position: Head of Security
Other: Physically augmented with an array of cybernetic implants

Username: Xx Sweetie Bell xX
Name: Mariah Mae Reynolds
Age: Twenty-three
Gender: Female
Species turned into: Feline
Appearance: Mariah
Bio: Mariah lead a fairly standard life up until the virus - as a child, she was happy, outgoing, and the girl everyone on the block knew. In school she was popular and always surrounded by friends... Her grades ranging from just passing to average in everything aside from gym, where she seemed to excel. She enrolled into cheer leading in high school (having participated in both dance and gymnastic in after school activities for much of her life), and eventually got a job with a professional cheer squad while juggling her work as a barrista at a small cafe. And then the virus hit - she was changed immediately and much of her life fell apart. Her boyfriend left her, and she (as well as many other girls affected) lost their position on the squad. She's been struggling to keep her job at the cafe since, and has been forced to move out of her appartment into a dingy excuse of a room. Recently, her mother, still a human woman, sent her a pamphlet for Poconos Womens Retreat and Shelter and applied for a job, not entirely certain of what she was hoping for. Luckily, she got hired on as a chef and nutrition specialist to keep the women well fed and healthy.
Position: Cook and Nutritionist
Other: Mariah is incredible active and in shape. She's always been one to watch what she puts into her body.

Username: Xx Sweetie Bell xX
Name: Lorna McCormak
Age: Twenty-six
Gender: Female
Species turned into: Black Tip Reef Shark
Appearance: Lor is the one with a gun and mechanical legs. The other is Coralie.
Bio: Lor and her younger sister Coralie were born into an abusive home. Luckily, they were eventually taken away; seized by the state when Lorna was ten and Cora was eight, the girls were put into foster care with many other children of varying ages. It wasn't the best life, but it was better then what they had before. Their grades picked up, and life started to get back on track, and when Lorna turned eighteen, she and her sister moved out on their own. Straight out of high school, she started part time courses in Criminal Justice, completing the Associates degree in two and a half years. She then went on to join the local police force at twenty-three. It was hard to come by the money required to pay off her loans, but Lorna managed as well as helping to pay for Cora's own tuition at a local University for a degree in Biology... Unfortunately, their life, which was finally getting back on track, took a turn for the worst when the virus struck. Cora was the first to change, soon followed by Lor. They struggled to get by for a while, but every time they finally started to feel they were getting back on their feet, something else knocked them down. The final blow being an attack on the two girls when they decided to go on a food run rather late at night. Lorna doesn't remember the attack, in fact, her next memory is of waking up in the hospital. Slowly, she was fed information about what had happened; Cora had been beaten so bad she's now in a coma, and Lor's legs, from the knees down had been damaged beyond repair and had to be amputated.

She was eventually given cybernetic legs, and sent off to the women's retreat by the female doctor who had heard of it. Since arriving, she's done little accept sit in her room, and maybe walk the grounds. She receives updates about her sister frequently, but since the shelter isn't eqquiped to deal with a patient in a coma, she has to stay at the hospital until she wakes up... If she wakes up.
Other: Lorna has always loved swimming, but since the change and Cora's coma, she hasn't been to a pool or beach. Also, like all sharks, she has two rows of jagged teeth.

Username: HaloKat
Name: Luna Fitzgerald
Age: 27
Gender: Female
Species turned into: White Somali/Snow Leopard
Appearance: Luna
Bio: When the virus hit, Luna Fitzgerald had just finished her residency at a local hospital. She remembered working on the initial day of the outbreak. The hospital staff thought it was all some kind of twisted joke at first. They thought everyone was in makeup and pulling a giant prank. Luna was the only doctor taking things seriously, trying to run scans on the women that had come in. At that time, there were only a few cases.
Her daughter was one of the first people that Luna knew to change. When Luna’s husband suggested that they give their daughter up for adoption, Luna immediately left him and filed for divorce. At the time she still could because she hadn’t been transformed yet. A couple months after filing the papers, the divorce was finalized. Luna had showed up to court, signed the papers and left as a human. She knew she had left the court house as a human but by the time she reached the car she had sprouted ears. Her now ex-husband caught sight of the start of the transformation. He saw it as an opportunity to overturn the ruling on the divorce. It was confusing to Luna why he would want to do that considering he had wanted to get rid of their daughter after she had changed. And she didn’t stick around to find out.
Luna had been doing research about a place where her and her daughter could live where no one would judge the girl. She had found one that was opening soon, and was planning on taking her daughter there. But now that Luna was transformed as well, she had no questions in her mind about going there now. Luna left with Emily as soon as she could and they have been there ever since.
Luna quickly because the doctor at the resort and made an agreement with the owner that he didn’t have to pay her a salary in exchange for room and board for herself and her daughter, and if he would buy medical supplies.

Position: Doctor.
Other: Luna is Emily's mother. Also, she does have a garden on the grounds that she takes care of. Everyone is allowed to take food from there, as long as it is not beyond their needs, and it provides fresh vegetables for the kitchen. She also grows herbs for her medical practice since some of the tradition medicine doesn’t work on the changed.

Username: HaloKat
Name: Emily Fitzgerald
Age: 3
Gender: Female
Species turned into: Maine Coon/Leopard
Appearance: Emily, except she is not as old
Bio: Emily Fitzgerald was two years old when she transformed. Her father wanted to give her up for adoption after she changed. But her mother didn’t allow that and her mother filed for divorce. Her mother didn’t transform until about seven months after she did. When her mother changed, they left the city and came to live at the resort.
Position: N/A She helps her mother when she can.
Other: Emily is Luna's daughter.

Username: Dea and #Teddy#
Name: Sophia 'Willows' (husband's last name)
Age: 26
Gender: female
Species turned into: Fox
Appearance: Sophia
Bio: Sophia had a typical childhood, her parents the usual warm and loving sort of people. She has a twin brother and two younger siblings, so she was used to being surrounded by love. Her parents are the ones that introduced her to her husband, the two playing together when they were little. She got really good grades in school, so good in fact, that she graduated valedictorian of her high school graduating class. She started dating her husband when she turned sixteen, after her best friend at the time decided to ask her out. Then they got married when she turned twenty-one and it was thought they would have their happily ever after. Unfortunately, Sophia contracted the virus when she turned 25 and her husband soon after that. Now the two help at the women's retreat, trying to help those who need their help.
Position: She runs the library of books that she set up when she saw the need.
Other: She is married and together with her husband, they have one little one and Sophia is currently six months pregnant.

Username: Teryn180
Name: Elaan Willows
Age: 27
Gender: Male
Species turned into: Otter
Appearance: Elaan
Bio: Elaan grew up in a house of do-it-yourselfers and computer techs, who were friends with Sophia's parents. Where Sophia was an excellent student though, he wasn't nearly as good. He knew the answers, but he often neglected his homework for some project or another he was tinkering with. He was overjoyed when he finally started dating his later-wife, as he had liked her as long as he could remember. It had been his idea to wait to get married until he had gotten a degree from the local community college, so that he could hold down a job. Though when he caught the virus, it turned out to not matter, as most places wouldn't hire a person who had caught it. Finding a place at the woman's retreat was a blessing though, because now there was a place for him, and his family.
Position: Tech/Handyman
Other: Married to Sophia

Username: darkqueenie
Name: Claire Conway
Age: 25
Gender: Female
Species turned into: Australian Fruit Bat
Appearance: Claire
Bio: Born in Sydney, Australia, Claire was in her last year of college studying zoology when the virus hit. She has grown sensitive to light but after dealing with her new faults and perks, she finished school, despite persecution of the male students. She was one of the few affected by the virus that graduated, the other girls had dropped out after being affected. After graduation Claire couldn't find a job anywhere, not even at the zoo. She heard about the retreat and decided it would be a good place to start and maybe find a job. And since airlines still freak out and won't let her fly, she flew every night over the seas, through many countries. Getting through the eastern hemisphere was the hardest since she had to constantly be on the move so no one tried to shoot her an eat her. It wasn't until she was more bat like to realize that many people ate bats and being her size made some consider her as a delicacy. She had to get out of there before she was eaten. Claire had started her journey when she had first heard of the place being opened three months ago.
Position: Maybe as a window washer or delivery service or something to utilize flying
Other: I'm a vegetarian, put meat near me and I feel sick.

Username: Kira_kinen
Name: Sahara "Sarah" Wilson
Age: Nineteen
Gender: Female
Species turned into: Panda
Appearance: Sarah
Bio: Sahara didn't really have a chance at a good life; born to her trailor trash parents, who already had three other kids, and quite a few dogs and cats, there was little room for another living creature inside their 'home.' He mother worked a dead end job at a gas station walking distance from their home, and her father seemed to be constantly loosing and getting new jobs... Being at home was never really something she enjoyed. And then she started going to school; Sahara may not have been a genius or prodigy child, but she enjoyed learning, and it gave he a reason to be out of the house for most of the day. Then, after school was done, she spent as much time as possible in the library... She soon developped a love reading. Her life continued on in a similar manner up until graduation, and the day the virus infected her. It was about a month till she was supposed to walk the stage when she and many of her class mates were changed. It caused chaos and ruined much of the planned festivities (not that she intended on going - she wasn't really the popular type). School was ended short that year in hopes that the situation would be fixed before the new school year started, but it wasn't.

And thing only got worse at home. At that point, she was the oldest child at home, her mother having had two more sons after her birth. Her older siblings were long gone, and she was the only one you in the house who suffered the change. Her father grew verbally abusive, and her mother wasn't much better, but fresh out of school as she was, she had no money to afford a place of her own... And then she heard about the retreat. She is just arriving at the retreat herself, uncertain as to what will happen to her.
Position: N/A
Other: She worked as a secretary for a few months after graduating, and saved up what little she had earned there in case of an emergency. It's not like her parents would just give her money.

Username: Psycho Scarecrow
Name: Samantha Jamison (Used to be Samuel Jamison.)
Age: 23
Gender: Used to be male, not so much now.
Species turned into: Red panda
Appearance: Jamie or Sam, whatever you wanna call her.
Bio: AS TOLD BY JAMIE: I was born a boy. A normal kid until the age of five he began to wear his mother's clothing for fun. Was it a phase? Nope, precursor to my future. I, for the most part, was normal... except for the fact I would wear girls clothes. My dad understood, or not, at the very least he accepted they way I dressed. Mom... not so much. She would throw out the clothes and replace them with guy clothes. Dad began going behind her back. She found out and they got divorced when I was eight. I lived with dad. I continued to dress this way into and through school, but more to the middle of the Manly/Girly scale. While life didn't feel right for me as a guy I didn't see myself as someone who could date another guy as a woman. That made high school a b***h to get trough. When the virus hit the world it was one of the only times I was glad to be a guy. Didn't last long though. Turns out I was one of the rare few men to get the virus. First I became a woman, while that wasn't bad I ran from home because I was scared shitless at the time. On the run I started to change further. once I learned about Poconos Womens Retreat and Shelter, I decided I could at least head there. It looked like the only port in the storm.
Position: I'm just pulling up to the gate! Calm your balls.
Other: She's a musician, an artist, a drunk, and has a loaded .45 on her.

Username:Crisissoul
Name: Kris Knight
Age: 24
Gender: Male
Appearance:Kris Knight
Bio: "So you must be my employer, it sure is great to finally meet you! I'm Kris Knight, but no need to be formal just call me Kris... A bit of my back-story? Well I was raised in the drenched state of Washington for most of my life till college. In college I got my Bachelors in both sociology and psychology... My previous job? Well... I'm legally bound by contract still and I can't give you all of the details but I can tell you I worked for various medical corporations....What happened to my old job? Well that's an odd question but lets just say I got myself into a little trouble. Not with the law but..." Kris grips his left shoulder tightly, as if he was trying to give some kind of hint. " I'm still bound by contract not to tell you....Now what else do you want to know about me? Personality? Well I guess that is very important for a job like this. I'm very optimistic and energetic. I'm sure I can keep up with the occupants at your shelterish thing you run. Also I'm great with kids, just throwing that out there. So any final questions?.... Good I'll be waiting for your decision. And thank you for your time.
Position: Therapist
Other: Kris Knight can often be seen with a USB hanging from his neck. The contents of it are unknown and Kris won't even allow anyone to touch it. Perhaps it holds some sort of secret?

Username: HaloKat
Name: Kyle Fitzgerald
Age: 24
Gender: Male
Species turned into: Will change into a Lion
Appearance: Now
After the change
Bio: Kyle was always a little bit of a slacker. It didn’t help that he knew he could never live up to his parents’ expectations, especially since the adored his older sister. She was done with college and medical school by the time she was 25. He messed around and finished a program that should have taken 4 years at most in 6 years. His sister was married and pregnant by the time she was 24. He could never hold onto a relationship for more than a year. To say the least, he always felt his parents always thought of his sister more highly. He’s not so sure they feel the same way now though...
Kyle had just gotten a job out of state when the virus hit. He remembered how frantic his sister was when her daughter, his niece, had been infected. The call he got was one of panic. And the call about his sister also being infected was heartbreaking to him. He felt bad that he couldn’t do anything for her, but he couldn’t leave his job. He had signed a year contract with the company. Once his contract with the company was up, he quit and contacted the owner of the retreat where his sister and niece were staying, and took any position he could. But he hasn’t told his sister yet.
Position: Accountant/Financial Analyst
Other: He is Luna’s brother, and Emily’s uncle. Kyle has not changed...yet.

Username:Crisissoul
Name: Ada Emery
Age: 35
Gender: Female
Species turned into: Still human
Appearance: Ada
Bio:
Ada was born and raised in Hamburg Germany and her accent proves it. She was a child prodigy in her school, being able to memorize practically everything she was taught. Ada enrolled into a Gymnasium(think of a large German high school for the advanced) by the age of 7 and soon joined a university by the age of 15. After her Mother was murdered, Ada moved to the U.S in hopes of escaping the pain. Fortunately she met became friends with Kris’s Fiancé and soon met up with Kris… Under awkward circumstances. And ever since then, the two have been close friends, despite their violent(yet comical) behavior towards each other. And just like Kris, there a re a few holes in her past that she would rather cover than expose.
Position: Doesn’t work at the retreat but is a doctor that lives in a nearby town.
Other: Ada keeps her studies a secret, not letting most people into her house even. Kris is the only one who seems to know what she’s cooking up behind closed doors.

Username: Dea and #Teddy#
Name: Melinda Willows
Age: 21
Gender: female
Species turned into: Wolf
Appearance: Melinda
Bio: Melinda is the younger sister of Sophia, so grew up in the same loving home that Sophia did. She loved tagging along anytime Sophia and her friends were doing anything, always thinking Sophia's friends were the coolest. She got really good grades in school, since she wanted to make her family proud of her. She had been working her way through college to become a businesswoman, but sadly that all changed when the virus hit. She was changed into a wolf and most of the time she is afraid of going outside. Every now and then she will go outside, so that she can get things she needs. When she heard about the retreat, she decided to venture out again, especially when she heard that Sophia was there.
Position: She hasn't gotten there yet, but will be the person to run the front desk.
Other: She has always had a huge crush on Kyle.

Username: darkqueenie
Name: Gwen Sullivan
Age: 4
Gender: Female
Species turned into: Rabbit
Appearance: Little Gwen
Bio: Gwen lived with her mother and father, a happy child though her parents had a dark secret. They didn't want a little girl, they didn't want a child at all. Eventually, they came up with a plan to get rid of her. One night, they packed their things and took Gwen out into the mountains, leaving her there as they disappeared off the face of the Earth. When Gwen woke up, she didn't know where she was or how to get home. She didn't know how youse a phone or even know their number, and she didn't know which way to go to get home. She was completely and utterly alone. After a couple days, she figured out how to make a shelter and found out what food were okay to eat and which made her sick. When the virus hit, she thought she had eaten the wrong berry. Once Gwen found herself to be a rabbit, she started living with a family of rabbits that took her in, showing her where to find food though because of how much she ate, food was becoming a little scarce. That was when she wandered into the retreat's garden...
Position: none
Other: Gwen hasn't been with humans for months, she is acting more animal than human. And no piercings and only about three feet tall.


Username: Disney Gets Me Sexual
Name: Calder Rohan
Age: 21
Gender: Male
Appearance:[Here][Here]
Bio: Born and raised in Northern Ireland (and suited with the accent) Calder was always socially awkward and avoided people. His father died at a young age, leaving his mother to care for him on her own until she met her new husband, Charles whom hated him. Calder had always been interested in animals, and since his social stigma made him shy away from people, animals were his main source of interaction. As he entered university, clearly the only choice in a major was human biology. His sophomore year the virus broke out, and his professor urged him to take up studies on the transformed, so he did. He then was sent out on an internship at the shelter here so that he could further his studies and become more aware of not only the biological traits of the infected, but the social changes in them as well.
Position: A student of biology, on an internship at the shelter to study and immerse himself in the lifestyle of the transformed.

Username: scoundrel_may
Name: Aya Willows
Age: 4
Gender: Female
Appearance: Aya
Bio: Aya is a loving, friendly little handful. She likes to laugh and run around, make friends and play. She's a tough little trooper and very curious. She's also taught well by her parents to be respectful of others. Being the daughter of an otter and a fox and being surrounded by people who underwent changes due to virus made her think that that was the norm.
Position: Elaan and Sophia Willows' daughter
Other: Sometimes, Aya would wish she was not normal since some kids wont play with her because she's different. Also, if she was to catch the virus, then she would be like her parents as well.

Username: Hitokiri_Shingetsu
Name: Ivy Woods
Age: 24
Gender: Female
Species turned into: Unknown species of fish
Appearance:Ivy of the Sea
Bio: Life by the sea was tranquil. But very expensive. Her small apartment by the beach was stretching her budget. But there was little the starving artist could do other than grit her teeth and keep painting. After all, the sea had inspired some of the world's greatest artists. So what better place to be then by the ocean? Even if she was a terrible swimmer who would drown in a kiddie pool.
One day word of a pandemic came to her ears. But she paid it little mind. Since she didn't even own a tv much less a computer she had no way of confirming the rumors that buzzed about the city.
One day after work her head began to feel a bit fuzzy. She went straight home, but found that her legs began to feel very heavy. By the time she reached the stairs that led to her second floor apartment, it began to feel like she was wading through quicksand. Almost to the top, her knees began to buckle. She tried to grip the handrail firmly, but her palms suddenly became strangely slippery. Helplessly she fell. Fumbling to the floor with a harsh thud. It happened so fast she hadn't even time to scream. The last thing she remembered was a group of deep voices beginning to huddle around her.
She awoke days later, feeling like she was warm and floating. Like a child in the womb. To her dismay she found herself surrounded by water. She didn't know how to swim. Making a mad dash for the surface, she was terrified to find that there was a firm lid blocking her escape. She banged as hard as she could while holding her breath. Hoping that she could muster enough strength to break free before she needed to breathe again. It all seemed hopeless. That was until she opened her mouth to found that her lungs filling with liquid actually felt quite natural. Surprised, Ivy looked her her surroundings for answers. What she found was a man. Staring at her intently from behind the glass. At first she was confused. But then, as the man smiled, she knew what his intentions were. A chill ran down her spine. And for several months that feeling of fear never left her.
He used her. As a business tool. Come one...come all. See the legendary creature. Half woman. Half fish. Come see. Come touch. And for the right price, you can do so much more...
Ivy wanted to die. Unspeakable things were done to her. And no one, no matter how much she cried or begged, came to her aid. She had all but given up. Until the day a certain man came to see her. Right away, she could tell he was different. It was his eyes. For the first time in what seemed like an eternity she was looked at with those kind of eyes. The kind that see her as a human being. He brought with him a duffle bag. And after a brief word with her keeper, he threw the bag at his feet. She didn't know what was inside, but apparently it was just the right thing. That very day the mysterious man hauled away her dingy old tank to a place far away. A place where others like her were kept safe and treated as equals.
That was how a mermaid came to Poconos Womens Retreat and Shelter.
Position: Pool cleaner, lifeguard
Other: Since she is limited to the pool area, she can do little more than keep her space tidy and save anyone who happens to fall in. Her room is a small chamber below the pool that only she is allowed into.

[Zaydin]

Vincent Clarke paced in the lobby of the main hotel that made up the main building of the womens retreat, glancing up at the clock mounted on the wall periodically. The retreat and shelter had been open for a few months now, and there had a slowly increasing stream of people coming in, usually lone women, trying to find a safe place to recover, though there were occasional couples or families that came, just for a chance to get away from their lives, much like Vincent himself had started the retreat to get away from his old life. At the moment, he was waiting on the man he had contacted about organizing a small security force to ensure the retreat was kept safe from anyone who tried to sneak onto the property and harm any of the people living there. Vincent hadn't bothered at first, since the place wasn't 'famous' enough to warrant any significant attention, but word was starting to spread, and more importantly, the retreat was starting to attract media attention, which would also bring with it other, less desirable attention.

And so Vincent had started contacting various security firms for estimates as to how much it would cost to get a working security system set up and to have a security force stationed on the property. It wasn't a move Vincent was thrilled to make, but it was a necessary one; at least one news story was preparing to do a report on the past year and the plight of women, and the retreat had gotten enough attention to be featured, and that would end up bringing the bastards causing trouble around the country to his doorstep. The ones who said that women deserved what happened to them, and were eager to treat women like the animals they now resembled. Vincent sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose, glancing at the front doors of the lobby. "I need a smoke soon..." he grumbled, sitting down on a chair in the lobby. He had quit smoking a few years ago, but with the death of his fiance, he had ended up starting up again, and the stress of running the shelter had added to his habit. It was about seven AM, and the sun was finally starting to peak over the horizon, and the residents of the retreat would be waking soon enough. "I need to get more staff..." he murmured, glancing at his appearance in the mirror.

Vincent had looked better before all this started, but that was to be expected: A lot of people had been better off before all this started. His eyes had bags beneath them from a lack of sleep, and he was a bit haggard he wasn't conducting interviews, and he had lost a quite a bit of weight, and his hair was usually unkempt. Vincent had been too caught up in getting everything organized for the retreat to take as good care of himself as he should have, but Vincent had just ignored it. He could relax once he was sure everything was stable, as far as he was concerned, and put all his energy into his work. Perhaps once he was able to hire enough people to work at the retreat and delegate management duties, he'd be able to start taking better care of himself again. Until then, though, Vincent was satisfied with his work. He had had quite a few of the women who had come and gone thank him for his work, and that was enough to keep him going for now, knowing he was doing something worthwhile.

[Zaydin]

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[Zaydin]

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[Zaydin]

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[Dea and #Teddy#]

Sophia let out a yawn as her eyes fluttered open and she sleepily looked over at the clock. It read about 7am and she sighed softly, deciding she probably wouldn't be getting anymore sleep, so she crawled out of the bed she shared with her husband. She quickly changed out of her nightgown and into a black skirt and white sweater. Then she ran a brush through her hair, before leaving her room and heading downstairs.

When she got down the stairs, Sophia walked into lobby and saw Vincent sitting there, a concerned look appeared on her gentle face. She wondered what could possibly be troubling her friend this time, so she decided she should ask.

"Vince, are you okay in here? You look deep in thought and I have learned that's never a good thing. Did something happen while I was resting?"Sophia asked as calmly as she could. She could see the bags under his eyes and knew he probably wasn't getting enough sleep. She knew he had taken a lot onto his shoulders and she wasn't sure what she could do. She placed a gentle hand on her stomach and caressed it, feeling movement within.

[Xx Love-in-Idleness xX]

m a r i a h xxx m a e xxx r e y n o l d s

Mariah was very rarely in bed past six in the morning.

That day, like any other day, she had woken up a few minutes before her alarm went off at five thirty, pulled on her jogging gear and gone for her typical morning run around the Ponocos retreat. It was still a bit odd to wake up in her room here, but she didn't regret her decision to come out to Pennsylvania- so far, the last three months had provided her with something she had been missing since the virus struck and she just generally felt happier about her life. Sure, it didn't fix the fact that she was no longer Mariah, the tanned brunnette with legs to die for, but it made her new form a little more bearable. It definitely helped that she pretty much had the same body type as she had before...

As her morning run came to an end, she returned to her room for a quick shower to wash off the smell of sleep out of her red fur, as well as the sweat from a good run. Mariah did find it odd that she did still sweat, but there was nothing normal about this situation, so she didn't bother thinking on it to hard...

... By the time her morning routine was through, it was almost seven.

Cleans and garbed in a simple pair of jeans and a white top with her hair pulled back in a pony tail, Mariah Reynolds started down the hall of the staff rooms for the third time that morning, her steps soft and near silent as she headed for the kitchen. It was fairly spacious, meant for feeding a good deal of people, but so far there were so few people here that she could handle feeding them all herself. And breakfast was always the easiest.

She set bacon to cooking, eggs to boiling, and started slicing up fruits in no time. Toast came soon after, and before long the sounds of cooking filled the kitchen. Soon enough, people would be waking up, looking for something to eat... And then she would have to see to those who so often refused to eat for whatever reason...

Vincent, the owner of the retreat, would be one. It seemed to Mariah that she was constantly getting after the man to eat, and she hadn't really been successful as of yet. But she was determined.

[HaloKat]

Luna sighed, hearing her alarm clock finally go off. She had been up for the past hour and a half just staring at the ceiling waiting for the clock to tell her it was time to get up. Once the beeping sound was off, the woman stretched and sat up in bed. Tossing her feet over the edge, she slowly pulled herself out of the nice warm bed and into the cold air. The shock of doing this wasn’t as bad as it had been when she was human, considering that she now had a fur coat that covered her body.

Luna shuffled over to her and her daughter’s closet. She grabbed a simple blue t-shirt and some jogging pants that had a hole for her bushy tail. After she slipped her outfit on, she grabbed a purple dress for her daughter. “Morning, sweetie.” She whispered as she pulled her daughter’s night gown off and slipped the dress over her mostly asleep head. Once her arms were through the sleeves, Luna picked up her sleeping child, straightening her skirt as she walk, and left the room. After locking the door, the woman headed down the stairs to open her clinic. Vincent had made one of the old social rooms into a good sized clinic, which she now used.

Luna walked into the lobby. A frown formed on her face when she saw how awful Vincent looked. Yawning, exposing her sharp teeth, she walked towards Vincent and Sophia. “I’m sorry to interrupt,” She started with an apology to Sophia, giving her a smile and a light pat on the shoulder, glancing at her growing belly. Turning to the man, Luna gave him a concerned and disappointed look. “Vincent, you didn’t sleep again.” It was supposed to be a question, but it did not come out as one. “Please let me give you something. You can’t keep going on like this.” Luna shook her head and walked past the pair, heading for the kitchen. “Oh Sophia! Would you mind stopping by the clinic later, I’d like to check you and the baby.” She gave her a smile and turned back towards the kitchen.

As she entered the kitchen, Luna felt her daughter’s head lift and her nose begin to twitch from the smells. “Well you know someone likes your cooking, Mariah.” She smiled setting the sleepy girl on a chair. “Do you need any help?”

[Zaydin]

Vincent was snapped out of his brooding when he heard someone come into the lobby and speak up, seeing Sophia standing not too far. Smoothing out his hair, Vincent forced a smile, waving his hand dismissively. "It's nothing you need to worry about, Sophia" he said, leaning back in the seat, letting out a ragged sigh. "A representative from one of the security firms I contacted should be arriving later today, so I was figuring I'd wait out here and maybe try to catch a nap on the couch" Vincent explained a little awkwardly, blinking sleepily. "And avoid Mariah and Luna; I really don't need those two hounding me again about my health" he said, glancing out the windows that flanked the front door. He knew the women had their heart in the right place, but he didn't have anyone to delegate his some of his responsibilities to yet, and so he was the only person on staff right now who had the training to handle all the tasks he oversaw.

Vincent knew he would have to delegate eventually, but for now, the management of the retreat was his duty, and he'd carry on as long as he could until either someone applied with the right qualifications to take over some of his duties, or his body gave out and he passed out from a mixture of exhaustion and malnutrition, whichever one came first. Vincent sighed, glancing towards the small staff room behind the front desk, which he had converted into his bedroom; that way he was by the lobby if someone arrived and needed help getting settled in or if he had to meet with them, depending on their situation. Vincent had long since moved a coffee maker into the room so he could at the very least get a cup without having to go into the kitchen and have Mariah tie him to a chair and force feed him some breakfast. Oh, Vincent ate enough so that he didn't pass out from hunger, but no where near as much as he should have been eating; the same with his sleep schedule. Vincent was usually lucky if he got four hours of sleep in a day, not that he could sleep much, anyways.

Sure enough, much to Vincents chagrin, Luna came into the lobby with her daughter in her arms. And, as Vincent had expected, she chastised him for his lack of sleep, and he bit his tongue so he wouldn't say anything stupid and upset Luna. The last thing he needed was the retreats doctor mad at him, considering her importance to the operation; without her, the women who came here in need of help wouldn't be able to get proper medical help, since Luna was licensed to order the medication needed for some of the residents. Vincent doubted she would be so petty, though, and put the well-being of her patients at risk over something like that, but that she would find some way to make him miserable. Probably by conspiring with Mariah to drug his food with sleeping pills or something to that effect. Vincent grumbled something under his breath after Luna went into the kitchen, rubbing his forehead. "Ugh... I'm going to go make myself a cup of coffee..." he said, glancing up at Sophia. "From the smell of it, Mariah is starting on breakfast, so you should go and see about getting something to eat for yourself" he suggested, getting to his feet and patting Sophia on the shoulder gently.

[Xx Love-in-Idleness xX]

m a r i a h xxx m a e xxx r e y n o l d s

The bacon popped and sizzled as she added more to the hot surface of the pan, careful to not splatter to much grease on her hands and arms. The eggs, all hard boiled, were set aside now in a large dish next to the platters of fruits she had prepared. Toast, whole grain, was stacked neatly on a few plates, and boxes of cereal lined the counter as well. All in all, breakfast was almost ready when Luna and her young daughter arrived in the kitchen. Smiling at the doctor, she waved as she flipped the bacon, her small smile broadening a bit as she watched Emily start to wake up to the smell of breakfast. The girl certainly was cute, even if she, like many of the women, no longer looked human.

"I wouldn't mind some help carrying the trays out to the dinning hall," she commented, swishing her tail. "Just need to finish the bacon then we should be good to go. Feel free to get a plate ready for Emily if you want. Might as well let her eat now," She motioned to the counter with the arrangement of food and turned her attention back on the task at hand. It didn't take long after that for her to flick the bacon off of the hot pan and onto a plate with the rest of the strips of meat.

"So, how are you this morning?" She asked Luna, carefully picking up the plate of bacon and grabbing one of the fruit trays in her other hand. She moved across the kitchen to the door, bumping it open with her hip and holding it ajar for the doctor. She knew the doctor spent much of her time worrying about the people here, and sometimes Mariah couldn't help but wonder how many people actually bothered to make sure the doctor was feeling alright. After all, she had been changed as well...

[Zaydin]

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[Zaydin]

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[Zaydin]

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