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 Posted: Mon Sep 24, 2007 9:19 am
 Mabuhay! Welcome to the journal of the one known as Kara Dy. This is where Kara's thoughts, dreams, suspicions, ramblings and doodles will be kept. Role-play sessions, whether private or open, will also be recorded in this journal either by a link to the actual thread or compiled in a single post in the event Kara's player is feeling a little extra enthusiastic. Actual role-play may also be found in this journal at the discretion of the players.
Feel free to peruse its pages, though be forewarned that if Kara sees you reading her journal, she'll feel entitled to reading yours.
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Posted: Wed Sep 26, 2007 8:02 am
 1 - Introductory Post
2 - Table of Contents
3 - Dates of Importance
4 - The Rules
5 - About Dugongs
6 - About Kara Dy
7 - Photo Album
8 - About Huni Pi
9 - Fellow Islanders
10 - Reserved
11 - Links of Interest
12 - Disclaimers
13 - How it all Began
14 - Arrival
15 - What Now?
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Posted: Wed Sep 26, 2007 8:12 am
02 December 2007 - Kara's second transformation occurs
23 November 2007: Kara meets a new face and an additional member to the camp is found in Kai
15 October 2007: Kara's first transformation occurs. How will she cope?!
29 September 2007: Kara arrives at the Lagoon after being rescued by Wesley and meets Kate whom she shares the camp with
28 September 2007: A storm hits and Kara is thrown overboard by her own stupidity
26 September 2007: Kara goes on a cruise paid for by her parents
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Posted: Wed Sep 26, 2007 8:14 am
Please know that:
1.) Things written in this journal is all in character unless specified otherwise
2.) When posting in this journal, please turn off your signature
3.) When posting in this journal, please stay in character. It's perfectly alright to write out of character comments in brackets so long as you have something to post in character to begin with.
4.) Only the Staff members and I may post out of character in this journal.
5.) In character, Kara's hand writing is horrendously similar to chicken scratch
6.) As a Filipino Chinese, Kara can speak, read and write in more than one language. In those instances a translation will be provided at the bottom of the post.
7.) This is my journal and I have the right to edit the rules as I see fit.
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Posted: Wed Sep 26, 2007 8:17 am
  The dugong (Dugong dugon) is a large marine mammal which, together with the three species of manatee, is one of four extant members of the order Sirenia, the only fully-aquatic herbivorous mammals. It is the only living representative of the once-diverse family Dugongidae; its closest modern relative, Steller's Sea Cow (Hydrodamalis gigas) was hunted to extinction in the 18th century. It is also the only sirenian in its range, which spans the waters of at least 37 countries throughout the Indo-Pacific, though the majority of dugongs live in the northern waters of Australia between Shark Bay and Moreton Bay. In addition, the dugong is the only strictly-marine herbivorous mammal, as all species of manatee utilize fresh water to some degree.
Like all modern sirenians, the dugong has a fusiform body with no dorsal fin or hindlimbs, instead possessing paddle-like forelimbs used to maneuver itself. It is easily distinguished from the manatees by its fluked, dolphin-like tail, but also possesses a unique skull and teeth. The dugong is heavily dependent on seagrasses for subsistence and is thus restricted to the coastal habitats where they grow, with the largest dugong concentrations typically occurring in wide, shallow, protected areas such as bays, mangrove channels and the lee sides of large inshore islands. Its snout is sharply downturned, an adaptation for grazing and uprooting benthic seagrasses.
The dugong has been hunted for thousands of years, often for its meat and oil, although dugong hunting also has great cultural significance throughout its range. The dugong's current distribution is reduced and disjunct, and many populations are close to extinction. The IUCN lists the dugong as a species vulnerable to extinction, while the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species limits or bans the trade of derived products based on the population involved. Despite being legally protected in many countries throughout their range, the main causes of population decline remain anthropogenic, and include hunting, habitat degradation, and fishing-related fatalities. With its long lifespan and slow rate of reproduction, the dugong is especially vulnerable to these types of exploitation. In addition, dugongs are threatened by storms, parasites, and their natural predators, sharks, killer whales, and crocodiles.
-From Wikipedia
 Dugongs have poor eyesight but acute hearing. They find and grasp seagrass with the aid of coarse, sensitive bristles, which cover the upper lip of their large and fleshy snout. Small tusks can be seen in adult males and some old females. During the mating season, male dugongs use their tusks to fight each other.
The Dugong Totem indicates the consciousness of the sea, delving deep within, and finding new directions in life. They also represent a guide to overcoming obstacles, the advent of adventure and the spirit of personal freedom.
-From Animal Totems
Dugong people learn the strength to walk the extra mile, find wisdom in the experience, clear out old thoughts with new ideas, find supportive company in warm environments and keep an ear open to hear all that is happening. Trust your hearing whilst knowing that sometimes we do not always see everything!
Dugong inspires a peaceful process of gentleness, compassion, gracefulness and learning to achieve without rushing. Dugong leaves others to journey their journey without interference. Dugong strength is the strength of the person who is sensitive to the needs and fears of others.
-From Peace Space
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Posted: Wed Sep 26, 2007 8:23 am
  Name: Kara Dy
Nickname: N/A
Gender: Female
Eye Color: Light Green!? Dark brown
Hair Color: Dark brown (dyed orange) with streaks of green?!
Skin Tone: Mostly Pale yellowish Gray ;A;
Height: 4"11 and 2/3 5"3 3/4
Weight: I don't want to know >.< I ain't telling you! 102 lbs
Age: 22
Race: Partly Human, mostly something else...
Nationality: Filipino-Chinese
Posts in: Coral
Likes: The color orange, meat, shopping and going to the salon, being accepted
Dislikes: Being given false hope, mean and closed minded people, feeling like an outsider
Sexuality: Swings both ways
Personality: Kara is a wannabee, though that in itself isn't such a bad thing. She just tends to go overboard whenever she's trying to impress someone for one reason or another. Expressive, talkative and a little tactless, Kara tends to act before she thinks and often falls ill with verbal-diarrhea. Needless to say she's a little immature. She genuinely wants to be of help and to be liked so she goes out of her way to be nice, sometimes to the point of annoying. When not trying to impress anyone, Kara is actually okay to be with when she is able to curb her enthusiasm.
She's more of a lackey or follower than a leader but will take charge if and only if she was ordered to, otherwise Kara prefers to listen to orders rather than give them out.
While open minded about most things, Kara can be a little unforgiving. She's the sort who will bear grudges over the slightest things, but it's easy to persuade her into forgiving someone.
An unhappy Kara becomes a whine-machine and is inconsolable for days. Anyone who can put up with her rather vocal display of displeasure can easily snap Kara out of her pity-party by either giving her a stern talking to or a good smack upside the head. In most cases, her desire to be liked overrides the need to vent out her frustrations and anger. When that doesn't work, Kara usually resorts to the most basic of human nature: Random destruction of property. Whether said property is hers is another matter.
Abilities: Does being fat count?
History: Kara is a Filipino-Chinese, which means she comes from the Philippines. The Philippines is a small archipelago in the south east asian part of the world. She has always been considered part of the average crowd, average grades, average talent, average looks, Kara doesn't really stand out much. At least until she dyed her hair orange and stopped wearing glasses. She got a little more attention but not the sort she liked. Sure people tended to notice her for her hair but they quickly lose interest when they see she's not as pretty or as extreme as they thought she was.
And this frustrated Kara to no end. She does have a small group of friends whom she hangs out with when she was still studying in high school. And she stayed close these friends even after college and work. They enjoy her company and so does she, but ever the wannabee, Kara always wishes she had friends from the 'cool clique'.
Her family, a not-as-traditional-as-other-Chinese-families-but-still-somewhat-conservative, doesn't really approve of her 'transformation' from the familiar doll-like daughter they knew to the Japanophile-wannabee they see her as now. As an attempt to get her to 'turn back to normal', they sent her on a cruise in exchange for her not coloring her hair orange for three months when she gets back. It sounded like a good deal to her, and it meant saving on hair-dye for three months and root-management, she went on the cruise.
Theme Song
Castaway
by Greenday
I'm on a sentimental journey
Into sight and sound
Of no return and no looking back or down
A conscientious objector to the
War that's in my mind
While leaving in the lurch and I'm
Taking back what's mine
(refrain)
I'm on a mission
Into destination unknown
An expedition
Into desolation road
Where I'm a...
(chorus)
Castaway - goin' at it alone
Castaway - now I'm on my own
Castaway - goin' at it alone
Castaway - now I'm on my own
Lost and found, trouble bound
Castaway
I'm riding on the night train and
Driving stolen cars
Testing my nerves out of the boulevard
Spontaneous combustion in the
Corners of my mind
While leaving in the lurch
And I'm taking back what's mine
(refrain)
(chorus)
I'm on a sentimental journey
Into sight and sound
Of no return and no looking back or down
A conscientious objector to the
War that's in my mind
While leaving in the lurch and I'm
Taking back what's mine
I'm on a mission
Into destination unknown
An expedition
Into desolation road
Where I'm a...
Castaway - goin' at it alone
Castaway - now I'm on my own
Castaway - goin' at it alone
Castaway - now I'm on my own
Lost and found, trouble bound
Castaway
Castaway
Castaway (castaway)
Castaway (castaway)
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Posted: Wed Sep 26, 2007 8:27 am
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Posted: Wed Sep 26, 2007 8:28 am
Info to follow, regardless of how unimportant and ooc this post is XD
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Posted: Wed Sep 26, 2007 8:31 am
Jessie Fitzpatrick - Another British dude. He's the one Kate doesn't like, though I can sorta understand why. Kate's super friendly and Jessie's kinda, well, stand-offish. But he's British and they're not really the warmest race, yeah? I tried to make him talk about stuff but he's really tight lipped. Or tight beaked? And I am stupid forgetful person for not remember what Hailey said about him having the bedsheets. Glargle. Looks like I'm gonna have to make my way back to his camp again.
Leonard Flynn - Well, it's nice to know that he doesn't think I'm this lewd loser and that he doesn't seem to hold my freaking out in front of him against me. Even though he tried to grope me, I don't think it was because he was trying to cop a feel. I mean, duh why would anyone want to do anything like that to me of all people? Plus he warned me in advance that he can't control himself at times. Not to mention he actually ate stuff off of Wesley. He's pretty nice, gave me an entire pillow. Maybe Kate will want it, though I hope she doesn't mind if it's without its case >.>
If I see him again, it'll be too soon. I don't really know what to think of him since, uh, I was too busy freaking out. And oh gahd I asked him to take my bra off because I couldn't breathe and gyaaaa that makes me sound like such a slut. Crap crap crap crap, I really don't want to see him again anytime soon. Else I'll be the first castaway to die of sheer embarrassment.
Shelly Geirson - Have not yet met
Torian Grey - Have not yet met
Kate Madigan - We changed on the same day, weird isn't it? But in a way, I'm really glad Kate and I are friends and that we're in the same camp. I don't know how I'd cope if I had to survive all alone on this island. I think I may have tried to hang myself by now. Thank you, again to whoever showed her how to get to the camp.
I have a friend! An American friend! First a British guy and now an American gal, is it weird that I feel like I'm some kind of token racial minority character? But Kate is awesome, fun, I wouldn't say weird (hell, I'm weirder) and I am definately glad that she found the camp. And thank the unseen forces that she knows how to forage or else I'd waste away to skin and bones. Whoever gave her the directions to the camp, THANK YOU! She is a God send ;0;
Aiden D. Marlowe - Thoughts in progress
Michihi Mizuiro - Have not yet met
Skye Montgomery - Thoughts in progress
Kainalu Palau - I envy her body. GAHD I FEEL SO FAT NEXT TO HER!!!! ;A; but I don't think I envy her enough to want her to die or anything. That would be really bad. She's a little scared of us, not that I can blame her. Kate doesn't mind having her join our camp. Safety in numbers and all. She's been sleeping so I haven't really gotten to know her that well. I'd like to say I like her, I adore Kate and everything but I miss having more than one female friend. And Hailey, well, she's always in the water so that makes it hard for me to go look for her since the whole broken bra thing...
Wesley Roberts - Saw him again when I found Kai. He seemed a little bit more interested in her than in my changes since we last met. Not that I blame him, I'm no longer the "new girl" after all and Kai was in pretty rough shape so he'd be more concerned about her. Though I just wonder if he also included me when he offered the smoked meats. Not that I like smoked meats, but it would have been nice if he actually, y'know asked. I still like him but not that much anymore, though he was okay with Kate so uh, back to square one?
He's a little stiff, well he's British so I guess that comes with the territory. At least he saved my life, then again depending on what I turn into it may have been better if I drowned. Still, he was pretty civil with me and managed to put up with the beginnings of my whining. Though I just hope someone warns me when he's using his electricity thinger when he's in the water. I don't wanna get shocked!
Hailey Elizabeth Santoro - Thoughts in progress
Paul Shears - May not meet anymore
Alcine Winters - Have not yet met
Takumi "Ta" Yuudai - He comes off as shy, but maybe it's because he doesn't speak English very well? I wish I took my foreign language class more seriously, how am I to know Nihongo 101 might actually come in handy? Still, he reminds me of a younger cousin and he's a fellow Asian so I wouldn't mind coming across him again.
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Posted: Wed Sep 26, 2007 8:46 am
December 2007
21 - After a week or so of semi-starving and sleeping, Kara finally goes off to look for food and meets Aiden (It's a cough, not a mating call PRP ongoing)
15 - Kara tries to starve herself and ends up sick
02 - Kara meets Jack (Swimming Beach PRP ongoing)
- Kara transforms for the second time! (New Meaning to the term "Jiggly Butt" PRP)
November 2007
23 - Kara encounters a new face as well as re-encounters Wesley (We've Got Fun And Games 3RP)
- Kara lets Kate know of their latest addition (And That Makes Three)
- either 23-ish or 24, Kate disappears
October 2007
28 - Kara meets Jessie and breaks her glasses (Slippery PRP)
24 - Kara encounters Leonard after he's changed and Kara almost gets groped (I'll trade you one pillow for three rolls of tape PRP)
23 - Met Skye and Hailey and gets supplies that washed up (Is that a Balikbayan Box? 3RP ongoing)
22 - Kate encountered Jessie (In an Octopus' Grotto PRP)
15 - Changed in front of Leonard (I Need An Atkins Guide! Stat! PRP)
- Kate met and changed in front of Wesley (Close the door, I'm changing! PRP)
- Kate and Kara discussed their changes and whatnot (Squishy Hugs PRP)
4 - met Takumi and sees him transform (I Can Say Your Name Right PRP)
September 2007
29 - meets Kate and sets up base camp (The K's Have It! PRP)
- arrives at the island, meets Wesley (I'm Drowning! PRP)
28 - falls off ship
26 - left on cruise
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Posted: Wed Sep 26, 2007 8:51 am
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Posted: Wed Sep 26, 2007 9:00 am
 Original Lagoon Concept copyright to Nikorasu-Kun.
Official Character Art copyright to Azaiya
Fan/Commissioned Art copyright to their respective artists.
Character and Banners copyright to Huni Pi.
Steal anything and I will make you kulam!
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Posted: Wed Sep 26, 2007 9:03 am
And with Kara's social life (or rather lack thereof) she wasn't going to get married anytime soon. That meant she had to live by her parent's rules and standards.
Not a rebel by nature, Kara simply decided she wanted to do something radical without being too extreme. So, she saved up her salary (meager as it was) and went out and got her hair cut and dyed a bright cartoony orange. Needless to say the reception she got from her family was not a positive one.
Her father took one look at her and excused himself to the kitchen to brew himself an extra large pot of tea. Her mother took the initiative and began giving her the third degree.
"Don't we love you enough? What did we do to deserve this?! What will your friends say? What will the rest of the family say?! We don't want to stifle you, we just don't want people to think you're weird."
"But ma, they already do." Kara responded. And that was the end of their conversation.
*****
Over the next few months, Kara kept the orange hair and maintained her roots. Much to the dismay of her parents. Her cousins found it an interesting topic of conversation and while they never got their own hair colored so radically, Kara secretly imagined they were all envious of her and her guts to get it done.
She knew the discomfort her hair brought her parents, and she didn't mean to be a bad child. She just wanted to do something in her life and when she expressed this, they gave her a gift of sorts.
"A month-long cruise?" Kara quirked a brow as she stared at the ticket.
"Yes, you've always said you wanted more out of life. So we saved up some money and got you this cruise ticket. Maybe this'll get those crazy thoughts out of your head."
"Uh huh, and what's the catch?" Kara knew her parents would never spend this much without a good reason. After all they were comfortable but not rich, something this expensive was a rarity that they wouldn't give her out of the blue.
"When you come back, you don't dye your hair for three months. If you still feel like your hair makes you happier, then we'll let you keep-" Her father twitched "The color."
Kara mulled it over in her head. It sounded like a good deal. Kara gets to save money on hair dye, her parents get some semblance of having peace of mind. Win-Win, right?
Wrong.
*****
I should have brought more books... Kara sighed as she stared out blankly at the waves. She was standing on the deck, her back turned to the other people on the cruise. There was just nothing to do onboard, no internet, no good television shows, no personal dvd player to marathon animes and tv series, just herself and some books she brought along.
The trashy romance novels were good for a few days, a week tops. But they weren't going to last her an entire month at sea. Things wouldn't have been so bad if she found someone to talk to, someone to bond with and stuff. Not that she didn't try, but the crowd the cruise ship had was a little too... elitist for her.
They had talked about skiing in Switzerland, shopping in Spain, going up the Eiffel tower, visiting the Louvre and other exotic locations. Kara just smiled, ooh-ed and aah-ed when appropriate as the fartest place she had even been to was the mall. Hell, she hadn't even been outside the country.
Not physically anyway. She's been to sites from Japan, Spain, France, the UK, America and lots more. But that was just through the internet and to the people on the cruise, that didn't count. Kara wanted to find something she was special in, something she had or knew that they didn't. She tried to bring up the subject of anime and fantasy novels but she saw from their expressions that they thought of it as a child's past time.
She had been so wrapped up in her thoughts that she didn't even notice the sky darkening. What can I do to make myself more interesting? She sighed. Just then, the captain announced that they were going to be encountering some rough weather. As if struck by inspiration, Kara decided to sneak on deck to see the storm first hand.
When everyone was being ushered below deck, Kara followed and went to her room. Once inside, she stared out at the window to wait for the storm to hit. It wasn't long until the few drops turned into a torrent and lightning flashed in the sky. Kara felt her heart skip a beat, mostly out of fear. But she had made up her mind and quietly, carefully snuck out on deck. An umbrella in hand, the oriental girl made her way up the stairs, avoiding any of the staff.
Once she got topside, the rain immediately lashed at her. The wind snatched at her umbrella, threatening to turn it inside out. Frankly, Kara might as well not have brought it along as the water pelted at her from all sides. So this is what it's like to be in a storm at sea... She noted.
She felt she had stayed outside long enough, but before she could go back to the safety the ship, a gust of wind pulled at her umbrella. Hard enough to cause Kara to lose her footing and stumble forward. Had it not been for the railing, she would have fallen overboard. With her heart hammering in her chest, Kara released the umbrella, not caring about it any longer.
The floor was slick, and the ship rocked constantly. All it took to completely knock Kara off balance was an extra large wave that crashed against the ship's side. With that final blow, Kara found the dark sea rushing up to meet her, embrace her and drag her down to its very depths.So it's YOUR fault!
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Posted: Wed Sep 26, 2007 9:11 am
Pushing them back up, Kara started treading water as she peered at the waters for the cruise ship she had fallen out of, just realizing that the storm that had hit them so suddenly was now over. In this case, shouldn't it mean she could see the ship? So why the hell was the only thing she saw was water. Water. WATER.
"Pakshet," she swore, "This does not happen to people like me! I am ordinary and boring, I am the one who hears about people falling overboard, getting chased by sharks and ending up on some god-forsaken island. I'm not the ONE who falls overboard and ack!" She sputtered as a wave forced water into her mouth.
As if things couldn't get any worse, she began to cramp. No, it was not the sort where she bleeds and wishes she could rip her uterus right out of her body. It was the sort of cramping that occurs when she overuses a certain muscle and it now refuses to extend. She didn't have much time before her head would once again be beneath the waves. She began to thrash in the water before spotting an island in the distance.So far the experiment was a success. The braided vines Wesley had been stringing together for a day and sume were managing to keep this glasses on his head. Sure, it wasn't the most comfortable fit, and the lenses fogged a little, but it was worth it, rather than go blind. Taking Hailey's route to the ocean, he'd been practicing swimming through the several coral reefs that were apparently harbouring the island. As he had spent a good amount of time in the deep water, he had come to realize a key few things. A big deal was that he could actually breathe the water; that had come as a start. He had managed to forget about going to the surface for an hour. Eventually he simply began to breathe through his mouth like it were air, and aside from the viscosity crossing his lips, it felt like it. Also like air was sounds. While having a faint echoing sound, as he explored the reefs he found he could hear as well as he could on land, in fact, that was how he was able to hear the faint splashing. At first he had thought it was a fish out of sight, but as he moved about, he realized it was coming from the surface. Looking up, he saw the strangest sight - a dress. Well, it had legs coming from it, but a dress all the same. At first glance it was flailing wildly, but as he watched for that brief moment, it slowed and then almost stopped. Another human! Wesley started to swim up. He hoped the person, whoever she was, didn't start when she saw him. I wouldn't blame her, said a little voice in his mind.Kara was quickly losing the battle to keep afloat, her arms weren't cramping but she needed her legs to tread water. As if it wasn't hard enough to stay above the surface, her clothes were weighing her down. And though it seemed like a good idea to remove them in order to lighten herself, she didn't want to drown naked. It would be too embarassing even if she were the only one who'd know.
Slowly, she started sinking, though she struggled to move towards the island, she simply wasn't conditioned to swim great distances. If only she had thought to fall overboard with something that floated. Right, fall overboard with a life preserver, how smart. Why didn't I just stay in the god damn room like everyone else?
As her head once again fell beneath the waves, she thought she spotted something approching her from below. Oh my gahd, please don't let it be a shark!
That small instance of fear gave her enough energy to once again break through the waters and gasp for air. "SOMEONE HELP ME!" she yelled, hoping someone would hear though she highly doubted the possibility of being rescued before whatever it was swimming up towards her would eat her.Wesley could definitely tell, as he was a few meters from the bared legs and darkened dress, that this was definitely someone new, and in distress. Not wanting to fright the woman, he froze. Hi, I'm a former human in the neighbourhood, and you seemed to be having a spot of trouble. Yeah, that will go well. When she began to scream for help (air to water sound seemed to travel fine, it seemed), Wesley knew he had to act fast or she might drown. Gritting his teeth, he moved directly behind the girl. If this didn't go off without a hitch, there would be problems. He had to prove straight off that he was human, and to do that, assumptions helped. Bringing his head out of the water, he sucked a lungful of air - attempts to speak above water, with water in the lungs, ended up a gargle - and started speaking.
Using an extra-thick version of his natural British accent, he inquired. "Miss, you called for help. What can I do?" Wesley prayed she assumed he was human before she turned around.Kara thought she was imagining hearing things. It was only when she turned and saw -through heavily smudged glasses- an oddly colored face. She must have drank too much water and it was affecting her color recognition. But whoever it was, he was speaking english. With a british accent at that! The effort it took for her to turn around made her lose concentration and she fumbled a bit downwards.
Again she forced herself up, coughing and sputtering "Help me to the island! I'm cramping up here!" she half screamed. She wasn't usually this snappish, well she was, but this was different. She could very well drown!Thank you, God for giving the time to practice. A day earlier, Wesley would have struggled to even use his tail. Once he realized that worked using lateral motion instead of Hailey's up and down motion, it had been a simple learning curve. Now was the swimming test, though. She seemed almost out of energy, he'd have to hold her. That meant his arms were out of the picture. It'd be slow going to the island, but they would make it. "Grab hold, this is going to be difficult." Without hesitating, he moved up in parallel with her and reached over the bridge of her neck to grip under her arm on the other side. He prepared his left hand to help support her front, if she collapsed midway, he didn't want her to get a mouthful of water. "Hang on tight." With that, he got his 'propeller' into motion behind him, and they were slowly but steafily moving toward the island.Kara was grateful for the help and did her best to keep a firm hold on her British savior. Though she found this difficult as his skin was mighty slippery. She didn't say anything though, after all you don't try to cause a fuss with someone who is very well in the process of saving your life. Kara may have been stupid enough to go outside while there was a storm hitting their cruise ship but at least she learned from her mistakes.
Slowly, but surely, they were getting closer. And because her legs had a chance to rest and uncramp, her mood was improving. "Thanks so much." she panted, now that the adrenaline rush that had kept her afloat was ebbing she was starting to feel the exhaustion.Wesley was rather surprised how little effort it took to move the girl. Granted, she didn't seem to weigh much, but they had been several kilometers out at the start. Only water resistance and Wesley's growing need to keep the young woman tilted upwards were slowing them down. The girl gave a weak thanks partway through the journey, and Wesley commented under his breath more to himself than the girl, "Don't thank me yet." What was a girl doing in the middle of the ocean? Wesley had an inkling that that THING was to blame. More meat for the grinder.Moments like these made Kara glad she was underweight for her height. It made the journey to shore a little easier, and she could keep her head at the surface now that she didn't have to work so many muscles. "Are we near England?" she asked, though she doubted it as the island looked too tropical. Still, you never know what with the crazy weather and climate changes global warming was causing.Wesley thought it a good sign that she was asking normal questions to start, and not how a person could swim at that speed for that length of time. "I wish. No, I'm not sure, but I'd guess somewhere between the East coast of China and New Zealand, but that's just a rough guess." Maybe he could get some non-comprimising information from her. "Out for a little swim yourself?"Kara had never been the sort who enjoyed sports. Her only physical movement was walking to get a bite to eat from her office and wandering around malls. She knew she wasn't in the best of shape and therefor would not know what the average speed and stamina of a swimmer was. Besides, so long as she ends up on dry land, she didn't care about minor details.
At being asked, Kara found herself blushing out of embarrassment. "Not on purpose." was her response. "See, I was on a cruise ship and then a storm hit us. I thought it would be cool to say that I actually survived a storm but the window to my room was really small so I couldn't see much of anything. Other that the rain pelting the glass that is. So, uh, I went out of the quarters area and snuck onto the deck and a wave hit us and... well, here I am!" She rambled, speaking rather quickly as if speed would make up for her lapse in judgement.Wesley would have scratched his chin or another facial and/or cranial if his hand weren't busy keeping her afloat. It certainly it the pattern. All of the current prisoners of the island had had a poor experience with water or waves just before waking up here, though this was the first that it was so far off shore. Wesley wondered... "Did you black out, maybe?"Kara's lips pursed in thought, did she black out? She could have, but she was certain she was conscious or maybe she just dreamt the strange sensation of being dragged away? "I really don't know. Maybe? It would explain why the hell the cruise ship is no where in sight and how the storm ended so fast. Are you like some sort of distance swimmer but if you are, I don't see your trainer anywhere. That isn't safe, I mean sure you could probably swim for a really long time but better safe than sorry, yeah?"
It was only now that Kara was beginning to wonder why someone would have been so far out in the waters like her. The Britishman didn't sound tired or exhausted so he must have been used to being out there. Not only that, he must have a reason.Wesley didn't like how the conversation had turned on its own to what he didn't want to talk about just yet, and the girl had done the full three-sixty in a sentence or two. "Maybe we should focus on you getting to shore." Unfortunately, that wasn't too far away. Less than a hundred meters away would mean far too many questions than Wesley was comfortable with. "Are your legs all right?" Wesley remembered having legs, once.Kara didn't think twice about the change in subjects, she's done that plenty of times before unless she was extra passionate and focused on the original subject matter. "Okiedokie then." She nods before thinking just how pruney her fingers and toes must be. She wondered if, at this point it hit her that she didn't even know what to call her savior. "They're still a little stiff, and I'm Kara by the way. What's your name?" She asks.
So I can properly internalize my thoughts and have something to call you other than guy-who-saved-my-life or the Brit. She added mentally.Wesley saw the chance to makee himself sound normal and took it, mere moments before he knew she would freak out. "My name is Wesley Roberts, born and raised in London, England. I've worked in Foreign Affairs all of my life, or at least until I came here." He fell silent as they completed the last ew meters of their journey, and slowed until he could feel sand a couple feet below the sea level. Now came the crucible: how to get her onto dry land without suspecting?"Oh, so you're here on vacation?" Kara sounded relieved, at least she knew she wouldn't be stuck on the island forever. She could probably ask Wesley -or beg if needed- if she could use his phone to call home and tell them all about the mishap. She'd find a way to pay him back somehow but at least she wasn't as worried. A few days on an island wouldn't be so bad.
Oh the poor girl, if she only knew.Wesley decided he would choose his words carefully. "Ehhhh - ," (a no mean feat to make that sound with a contorted face, Wesley found, "In a manner of speaking, I suppose. A rather extended vacation than one usually is ready for." Here it was, in a way. He was going to have to break the news to her, so it might as well be done as gently as possible. She had all the information about the outside world, so Wesley could hardly afford to make a bad first impression. Just then, he touched bottom."Hmmm..." Kara's lips pursed slightly at the answer. She never liked it when people used "in a manner of speaking" whenever they addressed a question. It usually meant something else. She should know, she's used that phrase as well as "you could say that" countless of times whenever she couldn't or wouldn't tell the exact truth.
Kara gradually felt her her running shoes scrape against the sandy floor and breathed a sigh of relief. "Thanks so much, I think I can manage from here." She smiled and motioned to release herself from Wesley's grasp. As she gradually steadied herself, she took off her glasses to shake the moisture off them. Squinting at Wesley, it was still difficult for her to clearly make out his features. Although the color of his skin was quite apparent. "Are you wearing some kind of funky wetsuit?" She asked, if he was that would explain the slippery texture and the discoloration.They had reached the shore; it was time that the facade was dropped for drop dead honesty. Lying to her until her glasses were straightened out would only hurt her more. "No, no it's not a wetsuit in the least. In fact..." It sounded as strange to Wesley coming out as it probably did to her, "In fact, I'm not wearing anything at all." Wesley scratched the back of his head with his nailless finers. "It's rather difficult at this point."Kara paused when Wesley said he wasn't wearing anything at all. She purposely held her glasses away from her face and stared at his general direction. "Wait, you mean you're..." Her face twisted in disgust, "Augh! You're naked!? Thank god I can't see well! Ack! My eyes!" she shuddered, one hand covering her eyes as she turned away.
"I'm grateful for the save and all but ewwww, skinny dipping isn't one of the things I ever thought I'd encounter." It seemed Kara wasn't going to make things any easier for Wesley to explain.Wesley adjusted his glasses. Maybe he shouldn't have said that. Evidently the girl had been through the loop and wasn't thinking quite straight. His only hope now was to somehow back out of his previous statement without saying the opposite. So... "Madam, I did not say I was naked. I said I was not wearing clothing, because that is rather impossible. Beyond that point, only my rbcage and upwards is even out of the water. So please, miss, there is no need for hysterics."Kara quirked a brow at the "impossible" comment, "Are you saying you have some skin condition that makes wearing clothing impossible?" She sounded skeptical, though worry was slowly creeping into her voice. Things weren't making sense to the oriental girl, "Regardless of what is or isn't visible, you're still not wearing clothes. Ew. Just. EW!" she shuddered.
"Just let me use your phone at your place and I'll be out of your hair ASAP." she sighed, placing her glasses back on her nose. Now that she was slowly gathering her bearings, Kara finally noticed what Wesley really looked like.
Her jaw dropped open and she pointed, openly, at him. "You- you're- am I on tv or something? Like some sort of gag show?" She began to search the skies for a helicopter or some form of aerial contraption a camera could be attatched to.Wesley folded his arms as the next wave came in. Explanation time was here. "No televisions here, nor phones, but if you find any evidence of one, please let us know. I have the unfortunate priviledge to tell you that this is all completely real, Miss. No gag show, no backdrops... and no make up." The girl was going to freak, he knew, but he doubted she would run away at this point - he wouldn't in her place; by this point it was pretty obvious that Wesley meant her no harm. The only question he had was how she would take it - learning by experience had jaded him a little, he knew.Kara stared at him, wide-eyed and slack-jawed. This wasn't happening, this couldn't be happening. She was Kara Dy, average, plain, boring. Getting stranded was not something that happened to everyday average folk. No, it was the special ones, people who had the moxy and the gumption to survive out in the wild. Sheltered people don't get stuck on a desert island.
And normal people don't get stuck on a desert island with a-a- "What are you?" She blurted out. "I can't organize my denial-thoughts without the proper details." She explained, arms akimbo.Wesley allowed his tone to get a little arrogant to get his point across that she was talking to a human. "Didn't you ask that already? Wesley Roberts, son of James Roberts, and for a brief time the ambassadorial attache to the consulate in India. Fan of homegrown tobacco, myself, and an avid reader." Wesley raised an eyebrow in daring. "Any other questions?"
As painful as the process of breaking someone in was, Wesley still wanted to keep his dignity about himself, and he couldn't do that in a 'woe is me' manner. No, he would keep his cool.Kara was taken aback by the detail of the response, "So you're human or something human-like?" Her expression was that of disbelief and confusion. Dark brown eyes stared, and stared and stared. It was obvious that her mind wasn't processing the information as quickly as it should, or rather it didn't seem ot want to properly digest the information."Good question!" Wesley decided she needed a fuller view: she had yet to see anything below his torso, and Wesley believed she would be ready most at this moment. "I've been pondering that same question for several days now. Philisophically, metabolically, what have you." He began coming out of the water, slowly, using his hands mostly, and attempted to mimic an inchworm-type motion with his tail. "What I've always resorted to at the end of the day is that I WAS human, whatever I am now." He was now fully out of the water and moved slightly to the left to provide a profile view. "I used to have legs."
That hung in the air a little, even for him. He wasn't sure if he would ever get over that fact.Kara canted her head, curious as to what Wesley was doing. And then she saw them. The features that were distinctly aquatic, distinctly not-human and his lack of legs. "Pardon my weirdness, but this would be so cool if we were on a show. But since we're, as you've sad, not on tv and this is all real and happening, I don't really know how to react to that." And she promptly sat herself down on the beache's shore. Her own legs were outstretched as she slouched forward, head tilted to an angle as she continued to gawk at Wesley. "So like, what happened to you? Toxic chemical stuff? Secret British goverment experiments? No wait, only the Americans have that, at least on all those tv shows." Her brows furrowed as she pondered on the accuracy of her last statement.
It was a wonder she hadn't gone into a screaming fit, if she was alone she probably would have. But she was with someone, and despite the rather unusual physique he had, Kara didn't want to come off as the utter spazz that she was. At least not just yet.Considering this was the first person Wesley had spoken to besides Hailey since seeing the...thing, Wesley had yet to have had to put it to words. It was rather bizarre from any point of view. "We're not sure, but we are sure it's not human in origin. A few days ago we saw this... entity that spoke to us. It was something the likes if which I had never seen. It only showed itself after this - " he motioned to his tail, "had happened. Twice before I had mutated towards this point, but not to this extreme, not by a long shot."
He knew it had not sucken into her yet that she was trapped here, let alone at risk to the same fate. For all Wesley knew, she was just more meat for the grinder.Kara nodded as she listened to Wesley speak, whether she understood the gravity of her situation wasn't certain. She scratched her nape as she looked around the shore of the beach. "So it didn't tell you what it wants or how you became the way you are? Well that sucks. Didn't you at least have a say in the matter?"
Kara had been focusing on Wesley, and just Wesley. She knew if she turned her questions towards another subject, addressing them to herself, the oriental girl would without a doubt freak out. "And who's we?" Was there another person who shared the same fate as Wesley? Or was he merely using the royal we that the British were known for originating.Wesley shook his head. "It inferred that it was responsible. It seemed concerned for our well being at any rate, but whether as an experiment or something else I don't know. As for a say in the matter..." He spread his arms. "That answer is rather obvious, isn't it?" He glanced over at her when she mentioned, 'we'.
"As far as I know, there are ten of us, though I haven't seen a few in quite some time. Their not all like me, but some are getting there. As far as I can tell, there's no way to stop it." Hopefully she realized what that meant for her, potentially.Some are getting there. It was at this point that Kara raised her hand as if she were in class, "Excuse me for a moment, I need to go into hysteria before I am capable of any coherent thought."
She stood up calmly, walked a few feet away from Wesley and promptly started screaming. She spoke in three different languages, and as far as anyone could tell, all the words the that poured forth from her lips were expletives. Kara spent a good few minutes rambling and ranting about how none of this would have happened if her parents hadn't sent her on the cruise in the first place.
Once she calmed down, she tucked her hair behind her ears, adjusted her glasses and clothing and once again faced Wesley. "So, does this mean I'm going to turn into something like you?" Her expression was blank.As the girl continued screaming into the second or third minute, Wesley could barely think beyond the words Fair enough. When he had first arrived, the only thing that threatened him was starvation. Now, well. Now it was a Hellish freakshow, and learning that you might be getting a backstage pass would make someone do something drastic. Wesley felt a slight feeling of being impressed when the girl came walking back cool as a cucumber.
Now that Wesley thought the girl's initial shock had set in, he felt he could be a little more frank with her. "I'm going to say quite possibly, though if it happens, it'll take time. In fact, for the months I've been - " Wesley stopped, finally realizing this young madam probably knew at least something of the outside world. "What is the date today?""September 28." Was the reply. "Isn't there any way out off this place? I mean, if there was a way in then shouldn't there be a way out?" Kara was grasping at straws, obviously if there was a way out Wesley and the others (Pakshet there were others!) would have already found it and left long before they mutated.Wesley shrugged. "Your way in was suddenly finding yourself in the middle of the ocean on a sunny day. If you were really falling out of a boat during a storm, that's a bit long to tread water, isn't it?" Wesley paused, and tried to fill in the blanks. "All of us remember blank parts of our memories, usually when we got in contact with water. After that, we all ended up here." Wesley feel silent for a time. "When you're up for it, we could try and go find the others." And explain to them this whole ordeal.Kara suddenly felt as if an enormous letter "L" was branded right on her forehead. Well, she couldn't blame herself for trying right? "Are they all like you? I mean, are they all almost fish-like?" She wasn't certain if she liked the idea of being the only human on the island. Then again, did she have a choice?Wesley responded quickly as he shook his head to her question. "Heavens no. Most of them look fairly normal except for skin problems - some have it worse than others, though. And it isn't just fish - its all sort of aquatic things. Jessie..." Wesley slowed. He still had no idea what Jessie's condition was, and if he had changed first, it would be problematic. "Jessie's managed to get himself tentacles, as odd as it sounds. But some you wouldn't look twice at except for what looks like a rash or two. In fact, there's been discussion that we're being linked to real animals!" Wesley still had a hard time fathoming that himself, but for God's sake, it fit well enough.
Noticing his glasses sliding down his face again (the bridge of his nose was gone, now, only the snout remained), he slid them back up. It seemed the vines he tied them with were loosening while they dried.It was bad enough that these strange transformations began in the form of rashes and skin disease before becoming tentacles and webbings, had Kara been a hypocondriac every little discoloration would likely send her into a screaming fit. Thankfully she wasn't.
That still didn't make her feel any better about her situation. "What? You mean we're turning into animals? What is this? Some bizzaro version of that movie Dr. Moreau's island?" She frowned and made a face. Wesley's adjustment of his glasses made the fact that Kara was going to have some problems with her own eyewear.
She was near-sighted and she needed her glasses to see properly. "Crap, the least these transformations could do is fix our eyes or hearing or give us something good." She frowned, no she had not come to terms with the fact she was now stranded with ten other people who were all turning into freaks. Kara was just coping by complaining about every little thing she could.
"So do you live in the water or on land?" She continued with the questions, distracting herself from the most important one. Am I going to share the same fate?Wesley again shook his head. "H.G. Wells would probably be rolling in his grave. No, this is simply what we've speculated. For the longest time we thought it was some sort of virus or outbreak, when they did look like rashes and such. We even separated to try and slow it down. But when you start growing new nerves, that rather rules all that out.
"As for sights and sounds, no, my eyesight almost seems to have gotten worse, if possible. Without my glasses, I can't see too much beyond a few feet. But my hearing has gotten better by far - it was the reason I noticed you out there. As for something good..." Should he? It may scare her. Then again, it could give the young woman - Kara, did she say? - a little hope of some strange sort. Wesley decided to give it a shot. "Here. Take my hand," he said, offering an open, webbed palm.Kara stared at the offered limb skeptically, "This isn't one of those "Pull my finger" type shticks is it? Because it wasn't funny with a human and I doubt it'd be any more amusing with a... whatever-you're-turning-into."
She paused and shook her head, "Sorry, that was rude of me." She apologized before placing her hand into Wesley's, wondering just where he was going to take her as she assumed that was his intentions.Contrary to the young miss Kara's beliefs, Wesley wasn't leading her anywhere at all - it was only that physical contact was necessary for it to work. Wesley took his other hand and carefully sandwiched Kara's hand between his, to remove the space. Arcing could sting a little. Closing his eyes, he drummed into the generator deep within himself. He didn't want to shock her, so he brought the current up slowly, slowly...
Wesley could feel it working on himself as it probably was working on Kara: like a Vandergraph generator, his hair began to separate and lift, seemingly floating in the air like it was still in the water. More, a little more, and Wesley held it for a time, feeling the current flow through him. It was pleasant, a kind of rhythm one rarely feels. Eventually he opened his eyes and removed his hands; and all returned to normal. "This does have its perks."Again the quirk of the brow, Kara was beginning to think she should just keep them quirked as everything on this island seemed to be making her react that way. She squeaked a little at the strange sensation of electricity running through her, causing whatever dry strand of hair to rise up and away from her skin. She had never touched a Vandergraph generator before, the other kids always hogged it whenever they went to those science exhibits, at the very least she managed to experience it. Albeit through a rather unorthodox means.
When Wesley broke contact, Kara slowly drew her hand back, staring at her fingers, flexing and clenching them. Quietly, she allowed herself to consider that these transformations might not be so bad. They were different, to be sure, special almost. "It's very special." She whispers, her expression a little solemn. She couldn't deny it, as cool or as unique as what Wesley had shown her, she didn't want to change.
Her face scrunched up as she fell to her knees before wailing "I don't want to be special!"Wesley seemed to be mentally floating, in a way. The electricity in his system seemed to have a very relaxing effect. Unfortunately for Kara, this meant that she got a very straightforward asnwer. "There's nothing I can do, really, nor the rest. For all we know, nothing will happen to you at all. I learned very early on in life, though, that self pity really, really, does not improve the situation in the least. Besides, we were here for weeks before the slightest thing occured."
After a few moments, he turned to snake into the shallow water again. "I can't stay on land very long, it's uncomfortable. So, what will it be?"She sniffled, wiping the tears that managed to escape her eyes and trickle down her cheeks with the back of her hand. "I, I guess it's take me to your leader time." She responded, slowly getting back to her feet and dusting off the sand from her skirt and legs. "If it's uncomfortable, does this mean I'm going to have to go it alone from here?" Kara looked utterly panic-stricken and helpless.Wesley rolled to a more normal swimming position in the water. "We're not aliens or evil creatures; remember that. Not too long ago we had jobs and lives and places to be. As for leader, we don't really have one." Wesley waved away her fears as best he could. "Our camp is along the beach. There isn't much, but it has the best comforts that the island has to offer. Bedding and food, for the most part. I think you can have my bunk, now."Kara took a deep, calming breath, "Okay, thanks. Is, is there any thing, any place or anyone I should be careful of or sorta stay away from?" She eyed the land and squinted towards the sight of the camp forming in the distance.Wesley considered for a good long moment. "I'm going to have to say no to that. There may be a few people I would normally, but you know what? Everyone is a little on edge, so someone being a little snappy would be understandable. You need to remember that the last time most of us read a calendar, it read March. That's seven months out of the loop." Wesley didn't want to iterate to the girl exactly what that meaant to him. Everybody thinking him dead, at the bottom of the sea floor somewhere. Well, he allowed, they'd be half right, then.Kara nodded, she was sure it was all traumatizing to everyone that arrived. She just hadn't understood the extent of the effect. Despite Wesley's somewhat frank way of responding to some of her questions, he seemed perfectly civil and normal. In a manner of speaking...
They came up to the camp and found it deserted. To say that Kara was horrified was an understatement. She had grown up with airconditioning indoor plumbing and mattresses that properly supported her back. She felt like she had been forced to go camping, only this time it was a permanent trip. "So..." She chewed on her lower lip, "Which one's your bunk?" she asked, trying to keep her left eye from twitching.Wesley's heart sank a little inside. He had been mentally gearing up for meeting someone here the entire swim here. This was by far the biggest mutation that'd happened by far, and the most limiting. But no one was here! Realizing Kara had asked him a question, he mentally backtracked and found her words. "Mine is there, near the firepit. I have a bundle there of my things, though I won't take them right now." Wesley looked over at his bedding, blankets, even the rock that he rested the journal on to write. It was frightening to think of them as his past. Books are my past? Though he hadn't read anything but his own journal and some scraps from the airbase for so long, he couldn't help but feel a great loss for the future. "You... you settle in. I'll come back later on to see how you're doing. I want to see if I can find any of the others along the coast somewhere." After final partings were made, Wesley swam away. And away. Far away.How did you get to be here?
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Posted: Wed Sep 26, 2007 9:12 am
She missed her cellphone and all those messages in her inbox, what if someone read them!? Some were pretty embarrassing and slightly raunchy to boot! She crimsoned and squeezed her eyes shut, trying to block out the what-ifs that buzzed in her head.
"I'm going to miss the internet the most!" She wailed rather loudly.
It had been a few days since Kate's meeting with Leonard, the last "human" contact of any kind since her arrival on the island. "If there are nine other people here, where the crap are they? The island can't be that big can it?" Kate had, unsuccessfully, been spending the past few days searching for the camp Leonard had mentioned. She was atrocious with following directions.
"'So, if there were ten . . . that would make me the eleventh!' Well, DURR, KATE! Glad you said THAT out-loud. What a wonderful contribution to the obvious."
Kate's threshold for wild living had increased somewhat in the past five or so days that she had been living outside, but not by much. She wasn't jumping at any odd noise or touch so much as she was, and she had managed to locate a source of fresh water (though it took her a while to decide if she should drink it), but several days with minimal food had dissolved any reservations she may have had against it.
Strangely, though she wasn't eating much, she did seem to find food (mostly fruits and nuts and such) just when she needed it. It's like someone wanted her to stay alive, just not too much alive.
On the horizon, evidence of human life came into view: was this the camp Leonard had talked about? Too tired to run or call out, Kate slowly continued her trudge through the sand towards the landmark. "There probably won't be any people there anyway . . . or food . . . or water . . . or . . ."
but then she swore she saw something moving.
Kara had gotten to her feet, staring dumbly at the odds and ends that were in the camp. She didn't dare touch any of them, except for Wesley's as she had just nudged them off to one side of his bunk. She wondered how long it was going to be before any of the other ten people or half-human-half-something elses arrived.
She wasn't certain that she wanted to meet the others. But Wesley did say she wasn't the only fully human there. And then she spotted a figure off in the distance. Canting her head, Kara pondered on what the appropriate action should be.
Oh what the hell, maybe this one will be as nice as Wesley. She began to wave her arms.
"Heeeyyy . . . that fuzzy blob is waving at me." Kate remarked to herself. A mental connection was made, and a sudden burst of adrenaline shot through Kate's tired legs. "HeyyyyyYYY!!! THAT'S THE CAMP!!! FOOD!!! COMPANIONSHIP!! YESSSSS" and she took off sprinting towards the figure.
Over the past five days she'd seen many things she thought was another person: shadows, rocks, tree trunks, but this one was moving! "I don't even care if it's another fish-crab-whatever person!! It's finally another person!!" She called out and waved wildly at the stranger, "HEY!! HEY!!! WAIT FOR ME!!" like she was expecting it to suddenly disappear.
Kara blinked in surprise as the figure dashed towards the camp. She felt a little flattered, no one back home had ever greeted her with such happiness. Then again, she wasn't certain if this person didn't eat humans and suddenly felt a tingle of fear.
It was only when Kate came close enough did Kara breathe a sigh of relief to see she was still human. Like her. "Hello, are you one of the other ten castaways?" She asked with a small smile. Later realizing just how stupid that question was. Of course she's a castaway, Wesley just said there was no way out.
Kate eyed the girl standing before her from head-to-toe, once, twice, three times. It wasn't what she expected. After the shock of Hailey's full-bodied fin and scales, and Leonard's hard crustacean exterior, Kate had mentally prepared herself that every person she met to be a half-fish freak. What was in front of her instead was a skinny (oh gawd I wish I was that thin!), oddly-dressed (kinda fruity, but if that's her thing...), Asian girl.
Then her question hit Kate's brain. "One of the ten? No, no . . . I'm kind of a new arrival, you see . . . Wait. Aren't you one of the ten?"
Kara quirked a brow as Kate gave her the once over, though technically it was more of a thrice over. She wasn't offended mind you, it kind of flattered her that someone was scrutinizing her without being quite so condescending. "No, I just got here. Wait, if you're not one of the ten and I'm not one of the ten, does than mean there are a dozen of us here?"
Canting her head to do the mathematics, Kara could only conclude that there was a big chance she was right. "Oh, where are my manners? I'm Kara Dy." she introduced, offering a hand to Kate. The other girl looked quite athletic, given her attire and she wondered how she ended up here. Most likely not out of stupidity like me.
As Kara put out her hand, Kate stopped finger-counting, double-checking her own math. There are twelve? There were ten? How many are there exactly? She had only met two, after all.
Kate wasn't really used to being greeted with a hand-shake where she came from, nor the polite dialouge, but she accepted. "Uh, hey. 'Suuup. I'm Kate." As they shook hands Kate felt around for any traces of fishiness. Hailey had webbed fingers, Leonard had hands hardened into what could be pincers, but Kara felt totally natural.
After their awkward handshake had gone on for about half a minute, Kate stopped and forwardly asked, "Um, wait. I'm confused. Sooo . . . where are your fish parts?" Kara's earlier comment hadn't quite registered yet.
"Eyng? Fish parts?" Kara pursed her lips "I don't have any. Well, not yet anyway." She gave a resigned sigh, "I could ask you the same thing but as you said you're new here. And Wesley told me the changes don't happen for quite some time."
Folding her arms across her nearly non-existant chest, Kara gave the impression of being in deep thought. "How long have you been here?" she asked.
"I washed up like a week ago, maybe? Well, not exactly washed up. I guess I'd better tell you my whole story, but let's sit down, k? My legs are sooo tired." Kate motioned over to the bunks. Having something soft and man-made to lay down on was almost as good as a five-course meal. "Ah . . . Just let lay here for a minute."
"I guess we're both new arrivals, yeah? It sounds like you know the deal around here, too . . . So, I'm from California. I was out surfing one morning and this huge wave cakes me and next thing I know I'm out in the middle of the ocean. I get saved by this girl, well this, like, sort-of-mermaid-but-not-really-because-she-was-all-like-fishy-girl, but yeah, she brings me into shore and sort of gives me the 411 on this island deal, how everybody's turning into fish and stuff. Except, because I'm an idiot, I totally freaked out on her and so I'll probably never see her again. I met this other guy who was like a lobster or crab or something that same day, but after that I hadn't seen another person since." Kate breathed in and out heavily, "Okay. Your turn, Kara?"
Padding over to her bunk (formerly Wesley's) Kara sat down to listen to Kate's story. She made a mental note that she was lucky that it was Wesley who found her rather than this mermaid-fishy-girl as Kate put it. At least with Wesley he led her to the camp and officially gave her command of his bunk. There were some terms Kate used that Kare didn't quite get, namely the cake and the 411 but she could infer from the context what the girl meant.
"I'm from the Philippines, I wouldn't be surprised if you haven't heard of it, but then again we've become famous for shipping DH's, nurses, medical technitians and being outsourced call agents." It wasn't easy to keep the bitterness from her voice, but Kara didn't want to give a bad impression. Especially with someone normal and new. "Anyway, my parents sent me off on a cruise for..." She seemed hesitant "My birthday."
It wasn't a completely lie, her birthday had passed a month before she got on the cruise so she could have considered it as a gift. "Anyway, a storm hit and I was on the deck when this huge wave knocks me overboard. And then this british guy Wesley found me, I'm not sure what he's turning into but maybe an electric eel 'cuz he can send electrical charges and stuff. It was pretty cool especially with the hair-standing-on-end bit. But other than him and you, I haven't met anyone else." She finished. She had been careful not to say why she was on deck, it was just too stupid of her.
"So, a week huh? And you've only seen two of the castaways? This place must be frikkin' huge."
"The Phillipines? Oh wow. I would have just assumed you were from the US. I mean, you speak english totally great?" (Kate, you idiot! That's such a jerk comment! There are other people in the world that speak English!) "I mean, uh. Sorry . . . I don't really know too much about the world outside of where I grew up."
"But yeah, the island. Leonard—that's the lobster guy i was talking to—said that they'd hadn't even explored the whole thing yet, but there is an old American military base from, like World War II? Totally abandoned, though. I just find it strange that everyone doesn't stick together around here. Strength in numbers, right?"
Kara chuckled "No offense taken. You'd be surprised that I'm much more fluent in English than I am in my native language. Though technically as a Filipino-Chinese, my native language should be Mandarin and not Tagalog but, meh, I'm better in English. Except when I cuss." She laughs. "I completely agree with the strength in numbers thing, especially since I know next to nothing about fending for myself. I'm a city girl and I've come to rely on technology far too much." She adds with a frown.
"Pakshet I hope I don't end up starving." Her expression is worried. Though Kara was thin, it was due to her having a small appetite to begin with, but she just wondered if all that would change once she started engaging in manual labor. The island seemed to entail she'd be doing a lot of that just to survive.
"Well, I'm not survivor-girl or anything, but I've been doing okay for a kid from the suburbs. If you look around there's fruit and nuts and stuff." Kate grinned, "I can even tell you which ones made me puke and stuff! So, uh, you can avoid those."
Kate pointed to a nearby tree, "Like, see that yellow-green thing over there? Safe to eat. A little sour, but not too bad. But, that red berry that looks kinda like a giant cherry down there? Yeah man, that thing kicked me out for like a day. Ugh."
Kate scratched her hair, "Can't really do much about bathing, though. I mean, I pretty much wash off everyday in the lagoon. Not exactly a hot shower, but it's better than being all sweaty and nasty." She sighed.
Kara couldn't help but frown, sure fruits and nuts and stuff were healthy and they'd keep her alive but Kara was going to learn how to hunt and fish and especially cook if she wanted to eat meat again.
"Lagoon? So there's a fresh water source here?" She sighed in relief, she knew she could make fresh water from the ocean or sea or whatever that salty body of water was called but she didn't know how exactly. Where's the internet when you need it?
"What I wouldn't give to have been a chef so I know how to cook stuff." She found herself grumbling.
"Shhhyeah, tell me about it." Kate added. "I'm not much good in the kitchen. Hopefully there's someone here that is." She paused for a minute and appeared to be in thought, "but, you know, I wonder how long we'll need to keep eating, y'know, people food."
It hadn't occured to Kara that with the changes to their bodies, they'd also end up changing their diets. She just hoped whatever it was she was going to turn into was a carnivore and not some algae eater. She liked the sensation of her teeth grinding into meat.
"I didn't think to ask Wesley about that. Do you suppose if one of the castaway was turning into a predator-type fish and another was turning into said predator-type's prey, they'd... go at each other?"
Now that was an interesting—and disturbing—thought. "Yikes. I dunno. I mean, I would think, well, I would hope that it wouldn't happen. From the two people I met, it seemed like they hadn't changed, like, inside. I mean, they still seemed to talk and act like a human would. They definitely didn't like being what they were, that's for sure."
Kara's legs swung back and forth along the edge of the bunk as she leaned back, contemplating on that notion. "You're probably right, the guy who saved me was pretty human if you don't count what he looks like. And the electricity thing he did." she mused, her cheek resting against the back of her hand.
"Do you think we're going to turn into something scary?" It was nice, in a way, to have someone to talk to especially one who was still fully human. Truth be told she was a little wary about the other castaways, even the thought of encountering any of the people Kate met made Kara shudder.
It struck Kate that it was surreal the two of them were even having such a conversation—what sea animal do you think we're going to transform into? She wasn't sure how she felt, nor had she entertained the idea that she wouldn't get to choose what she would become, that it was entirely up to fate. Was it?
Everyone she had met was despised by their transformation. Somehow, she just couldn't imagine herself responding the same way. Being an ocean creature . . . swimming free in the water without boundaries or stress or the choices that weighted down human life. Kate had decided that this was something she would welcome, and she was hoping to find someone to sympathize, but it didn't seem like she would find anyone here, and she was far too afraid to tell Kara how she really felt.
But, at the same time, she wanted to. She wanted to tell someone.
"Well . . . scary? I dunno. I guess there is a lot of scary sea life out there. But, uh, I mean who says we're going to change anyway? I mean, I've been here a week and I'm still totally human," laying on the bunk, she wiggled her separate fingers to demonstrate her humanity, "I mean, not like I'd, uh. Not like I'd want to change. Would you?"
It was quite a wonder how Kara managed to come to terms with the fact they were all going to change. But with Kate who had been there for an entire week was still fully human made the oriental girl wonder if whatever it was that had turned the others into fishy-things had overlooked her. And in turn does that mean Kara would get overlooked too?
"True, you don't have scales or webbed digits, and a week is pretty long." She nods, "As for wanting to change, well, if it'll make living on this god-forsaken sandbar of an island easier then why not? It's like technological advancements, only biological and built in." She shrugged.
After all, there was always that chance, that one-in-a-million chance that her being there would be considered a mistake and she'd find a way out. She'd keep that hope, after all if you were stupid it was that much easier.
Kara's response was the complete opposite of what Kate had expected. She almost wanted to leap off her bunk, bend down on her knees, and confess to this stranger everything she was thinking and had ever thought about her strange obsession with the aquatic world.
Not that she'd actually do that.
(She'll think you're crazy! Will she? I've never met someone like this before! Well, I mean, I've never really had a conversation about CHANGING into a fish before. Keep it cool, don't overplay your hand . . . don't say something stupid!)
"So, you're saying, like, you'd be . . . okay with changing into a fish, or like a, uh, mermaid or something?" She tried to make it sound like she could be either opposed or enthused about the idea.
Kate's sudden display of relief surprised Kara, but not as much as when the other girl suddenly embraced her. "E-eh?" she squeaked just before Kate confessed her true feelings about the transformations. Calming down, Kara gently patted the surfer's back, "Well, it looks like you were meant to end up on this island then." she chuckled.
"But are you sure we're going to end up as mermaids and not... fish?" Kara didn't mean to dampen Kate's spirits, but Wesley didn't look like a mermaid, he was far too (for lack of a better word) fishy.
Kate frowned. She hadn't though of that, but instantly didn't like the idea.
"I dunno. I hope not. I mean, Hailey still had her full arms and stuff. She had scales all over, but she totally had like a torso and stuff of like a human. I she was turning into a fish you'd think her head and arms would totally vanish, or shrink, or something."
But the thought was worrying Kate more and more, so she just pushed it aside and changed the subject.
"This Wesley guy . . . did you ask him how long it took until he started changing? I'd like to meet him."
Kara "hmm-ed" as Kate described what Hailey looked like, "Sounds like it depends on the kind of fish they were turning into." She tilted her head, "I think he mentioned something about it being a while before rashes or something started appearing on their bodies."
She nods, "Yeah, you'd probably like Wesley, he sounds British so he's not all rainbows and sunshine but he gets the point across." She laughs.
Kate beamed. The idea of meeting someone British was quite appealing to her; she had a thing for the accent. "Sweet. I've never met anyone British! Well, I've never met a Filipino, either."
Things were looking up. She had finally found a friend on this lonely island, and it sounded like there was another mer-fish-whatever-person that she could actually talked to about all the strange happenings there. Kate felt a little sourness just for a moment reflecting on her spastic interaction with the last human- turned-mercreature she met. Whenever she met this Wesley, she knew she would have to do things differently. Still, just for a moment, after a week of isolation, near-starvation, and separation anxiety from her life in California, things felt right with the world. It was almost like the feeling from one of her dreams (which she had stopped having since she came to the island).
"So, Kara, what do we do next? That is, uh, assuming you want to stick together and stuff."
Kara looked thoughtful for a moment, she never did think about what next. She had just arrived and while the thought of sticking around Kate was tempting, she didn't want to come off as too clingy. At least not yet, anyway.
"Well, since this is the camp that Wesley told me about, maybe we can gather some provisions in the meantime? Like firewood and stuff so this way we have a place to crash and we can make it as comfy as we can." she suggested, it wouldn't do to build a fire out of the belongings of the other castaways now, would it?
"Well, I've gotten pretty good with the food thing, so I can work on gathering up that stuff. You could do the wood thing, then? Problem is, I don't know how to build a fire exactly. But, heck, if I made it this far with no survival knowledge, I'm sure I can manage making a fire." Kate grinned proud and wide. She quickly foraged around the camp site and found a small sack with a sling. "This'll do."
She also grabbed some stones and handed a few to Kara, "Here, let's use these so we can find our way back. I read this one fantasy story once about a mermaid who went on land and dropped stones she she could find her way back to the sea. We could probably do that, uh, except, y'know, not like that."
Kara nodded, relieved she wasn't tasked with food gathering. She'd have been terrible at it, but the wood thing wouldn't be a problem. Driftwood and some leaves from the jungle wouldn't be hard to gather.
"Hey, that's pretty neat! Astig." She nods, forgetting that Kate wouldn't know the meaning of astig. "Okay then, we'll meet back here, and uh, thanks for finding me. I-if you don't mind, we could stay here for the nights, I'm pretty sure it'll get cold at night. What with the sea being sorta close and all. So, uh, yeah. I'll see you in a bit!" Kara smiled before hurrying off towards the beach.Astig - the word tigas with the syllables backwards. It is slang for awesome and or cool.Kate also gave a confirmatory nod, "Sounds like a plan! We'll meet back here this evening. In the meantime we can go explore and see if we can find anybody else around here, too."
With that, Kate slung the sack around her shoulder and the pair left camp in opposite directions. Kate was smiling for what felt like the first time in a year.Starting out on a journey with you...
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