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 Posted: Sat Aug 16, 2008 7:08 pm
It'd taken a while, but Samantha had finally made her decision.
She was going to have dinner in the cafeteria today.
Normally, that would sound like a silly thing to call a major decision, but when you were only recently and suddenly sporting things like claws and pointed ears, it made you think twice about dining out in public.
Anyway, she'd already discovered she wasn't the only one experiencing odd changes and her primary fear in the matter had been dealt with. Plus, if she was going to get any useful information, the best method would be to confront the problem head-on. Nothing like flaunting something like this in public to seek out reactions.
Samantha wasn't normally one to draw attention to herself, at least on purpose, though it happened enough on its own. However, this was one time she wanted some answers and she was going to get them, no matter what she had to do to get them.
And so, the young woman shoved the doors to the cafeteria open, striding in boldly as if not caring who stared. She did care...but she acted like she didn't. She needed to get out, see how others reacted, and get some real information.
Heading for the line, she grabbed a tray and set out for some food. She could really use a steak for some reason...
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Posted: Sun Sep 21, 2008 6:28 pm
There were only a few others in the cafeteria at this time of day. They were mostly scattered around, a few small groups here and there. Not out of the ordinary, really. What was out of the ordinary, however, was the boy leaning over the table in the corner.
For one, he was sitting all by himself -and if one took a good look at him, it'd be easy to tell why. Certain aspects of his features were out of the ordinary, ranging from claws on his hands to sharpened teeth, both on display as he lay there. The second reason, though much less odd to someone who didn't know him, was that he was sound asleep.
Azriel made it a point never to fall asleep in public. He knew what happened when you left yourself vulnerable like that, especially with others nearby. Yet there he was, arms strewn across the table, mouth open, with a little bit of drool dribbling down his face. Had he been awake, he would have defended that he hadn't had a good night's sleep for a while, instead spending his nights planning his escape, trying to figure out what was happening, and praying that a good dentist could fix his teeth.
As it was, not even Sam's outburst on the other side of the cafeteria woke him. Not unless you count one red eye peeking open to see who was making a racket, only to clench tight again upon realizing that it didn't matter. His food sitting untouched by his side, Azriel continued to get however much rest he could before he had to go back to thinking.
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Posted: Sat Oct 04, 2008 12:55 pm
Sighing, Samantha took a good portion of steak. This wasn't working so well, as no one was really reacting much to her presence. Glancing down at her tray, she continued musing to herself. Yeah, the teeth were a clue...but seriously, why was she craving THIS much protein? It was bordering on absurd.
Whatever.
She turned, eyes scanning the cafeteria and still finding no reactions that stood out. Maybe not reactions...but something else caught her eye.
Sadly, it was the silver hair first....then the claws. Ah well. Odd how these things worked out. Either way, that hair looked familiar.
"Odd place for a nap," she commented, setting her tray down without bothering with silly things like waiting for an invitation. There was plenty of room and it was a free countr--
Well, there was plenty of room.
Hungry as she really was, her attention was tied up elsewhere for the moment. Curious, she watched the other and drummed her 'claws' on the table before leaning in and muttering, "The thief, right? Looks like I'm not the only one they were messing with."
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Posted: Thu Oct 09, 2008 10:03 am
At first he thought he'd been dreaming when the woman spoke to him. But apparently, he was dreaming about weird clawed chicks sitting down with him. What a weird subconscious he had. He finally snapped out of his sleepy daze when the tray hit the table, realizing that it was not, in fact, a dream, but stupid, stupid reality come to haunt him again. He couldn't have three minutes of peace, could he?
Azriel did not like people getting close to him without him realizing it. It was an uncomfortable feeling, like he was losing his edge. It didn't happen often, even less so than sleeping in public. But he managed to hide it this time, however, instead adopting a look of boredom. "Don't blame me." He mutter back to her. "I've been up for a few nights straight." He was still slightly groggy from his nap, but made an effort to stay awake regardless.
"Lady, they've been messing with me since day one. They just stepped it up a notch, s'all it is." He sighed in annoyance. Maybe the claws were good for something; maybe he could pick locks with them. He'd have to try it. His eyes squinted to try to recognize the person who'd sat down with him. "Oh, right, you're the kid's friend, aren't you?"
A short noise escaped him, something like a small, bitter laugh. "At least it's not just me."
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Posted: Tue Oct 21, 2008 2:34 pm
"No...not just you."
Samantha sighed, leaning back slightly in her chair, seeming tired all of a sudden. Granted, this was one of the things she had been looking for; confirmation that this was a situation spread out over the other 'guests' as well. But at the same time, she'd sort of wished that she'd been wrong. That the problem was isolated to just her...and Shawn. Awful as that sounded.
"They've been messing with all of us; just using different methods for everyone. That much is painfully obvious at this point." She poked at her steak with a fork. Yeah, she was hungry, but the conversation was affecting her appetite.
She looked the thief over for a moment, a look of concern crossing her face. "You don't look so well. You should really try to get some sleep if you can. Making yourself sick with this isn't going to help anyone, let alone yourself. Trust me; I know." She'd already been through that stage, back when she'd found out the truth about her operation. Maybe that's why she was handling this all so well. She was pissed, yes, but she wasn't willing to go through the depressed, moping stage again. That hadn't helped anyone then and it wasn't going to now.
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Posted: Sat Oct 25, 2008 10:43 am
Samantha's mention of 'different methods' peeked his interest. He looked up briefly, a curious expression on his face, but thought better of outwardly asking just what they'd been doing to her. "Sorry if I don't really trust them enough to sleep. If I sleep in public, it's less likely they'll hit me with their space-ray or whatever they're using to do this. So I guess I'm stuck resting when I'm supposed to be eating, at least until I figure out a better plan." His own food still lay untouched, but he decided to stare at it for a little while to keep his eyes from focusing on her too long.
"So, did you meet the kid here, or do you two have history?" He proceeded with some small talk, in hopes that it would get his mind off the more serious matters. "He oka..." He trailed off as realization hit him. "Hey, this- this whatever it is didn't get him, too, did it?" He tried not to sound worried, he really did, but considering how close to snapping the street-kid had been before, he couldn't exactly help it.
"My feet hurt." He muttered, letting his chin rest on the table.
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Posted: Sat Oct 25, 2008 6:08 pm
Samantha sighed, pushing away her plate for the time being; conversation was taking priority. "Well, I wouldn't worry about it too much. I'm pretty sure that whatever it is has already been done to us. Even if I don't know exactly how yet...or even what it is. See...with me, it could have been anything they did while I was in surgery..." She knew she'd explained that much before. The thief had been there for her explanation of that discovery.
"Other people mentioned getting some kind of shot when they first got here. Shawn...said they gassed him after trapping him in some room."
She fell silent, and while she didn't want to talk about Shawn much right now, she had no good reason not to answer Azriel's questions. "No, we met here. Out in the exercise yard, actually. Never saw him before that." Quiet again...then softer... "Yeah. Him too. In fact, I thought it was just me until I found out about Shawn. That's why I decided to hit the cafeteria to try and stir up some reactions and find out if it was just us or not. Guess the answer is no."
Changing the subject quickly, she arched a brow at the comment. "Err...I'm sorry? If you're looking for a foot massage, sorry, but I'm not offering." She smirked slightly, trying to lighten the mood, despite the fangy grin that resulted.
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Posted: Sat Oct 25, 2008 6:43 pm
Azriel's eyes stayed on his plate, finally realizing that he had in fact brought some food with him. "After this, I'm not exactly keen on giving them another chance. Even if they're not going to do anything, I don't want to give them that chance." He nodded at her explanation. "Between you, me, and the kid, it doesn't look like there's any connections. Wish I could tell you what happened to me, but I don't think I was awake for whatever it was."
"As for me, a bunch of guards ambushed me while I was talking to a guy who worked here. ...For Ho-oh's sake, Steven better not have gotten himself into trouble." He groaned and shook his head. That guy did not know when to shut his mouth.
Though it wasn't full-blown astonishment, a bit of surprise crossed his face. "Huh. He seems pretty close to you, for someone you just met." He bit his lip slightly. "Damn it, kid..." He murmured.
"Trust me. Even if you were offering a massage, I wouldn't take one." He motioned to her claws. Even if his feet did seem tougher than before, they weren't that tough.
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Posted: Sat Nov 01, 2008 3:19 pm
Samantha sighed softly. "And as I said, pretty sure they did whatever while I was out, under the knife." She poked at her steak again with her fork. "And I understand the distrust. Just saying it's a good idea to keep yourself healthy is all. Ready for anything, just in case."
She hesitated as the conversation turned back to Shawn. "Err...does he? I guess..." she trailed off, glancing aside at the floor in thought. "Maybe," she started again after a moment, "rough times really do bring people together. Especially lonely ones..." She stopped, realizing she was saying much more than she meant to, and coughed into her hand. "He ever tell you about the time that Gyarados broke loose in the hallway and tried to eat us?" She smiled, a bit uneasy, though it was still easier now to laugh at the memory, considering they'd survived.
Hadn't been so sure they would then.
Oh good, another subject change... "Heh...yeah yeah, maybe not," she quipped, hiding a blush that she'd even forgotten about the claws for a moment. "Fine, no massage," she smirked, "but I bet I could be a hell of an acupuncturist with these darn things..." She chuckled, holding up a hand in front of her eyes.
"Ah well, more talk of future careers later. You mentioned a 'Steven?' Can't say I've met anyone by that name that I remember, but...doesn't mean he's not still around here somewhere. Don't suppose he could help us much though, eh?"
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