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 Posted: Mon Jun 26, 2006 2:42 pm
((For Gaius and myself only, please, unless invited. ^^))
The Village seemed so peaceful that day...perhaps it was just the nice weather. Seeing as how it seemed to be empty, Sophie felt comfortable in her choice of clothing, which showed quite a bit of fur. The beginnings of her muzzle twitched as she sniffed the air, not quite able to distinguish scents but able to smell most of the mix: it seemed Billy had been by recently from the acrid ink odor that lingered in her nose. She shook her head to get rid of the smell, then began walking (as awkward as that was) on the tips of her toes, which made it easier, even if it was easier to trip on her own feet as well.
She sat down under the shade of a tree, her tail curling up beside her as she rubbed the soft tawny fur on her arms, which her tank-top readily showed. She then brushed a paw-like hand through her hair: if anything, at least that part of her still looked human. As she looked up, she sighed, content for at least this moment.
But, unfortunate for her, not for long.
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Posted: Mon Jun 26, 2006 2:57 pm
The island was so beautiful! After living for so long in the city, Gaius was almost stunned to think he'd be living in such surroundings while he worked. He'd just been dropped off at his duplex that morning after getting a check up and vaccination from that white-haired fellow, and after a quick unpacking which mainly involved tossing his bags into the room, Gaius was out and about to explore the village. He noted the layout with a critical eye, wondering at the duplexes that seemed to be built partly in the water, or the large ones that took up nearly two floors. They likely had special theme-rooms that visiting families could choose while they stayed at the resort. Yes, that must be it!
The scenery was lovely, but Gaius couldn't help but wonder where some of the park 'staff' were. At least, until he spotted someone resting under a tree at the edge of the village. Gaius stared, noting the funny looking ears and shoes she was wearing. A broad grin spread across his face. This must be one of the character players! Quickly walking her direction, he waved a hand and called out a greeting. "Hey! Hi!"
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Posted: Mon Jun 26, 2006 3:09 pm
Sophie had been quietly thinking, when a shouted greeting shook her from her musings. She looked up, expecting to see a familiar face, but was instead met with a pair of new, blue eyes, and in her surprise, she jumped, which inadvertently caused her to fall backwards, as bad as her balance was. In a quick attempt to redeem what little dignity she had, she pulled herself up by means of the tree, then looked at the new person, still surprised, and rather confused that he wasn't scared of her.
Perhaps he knew about the Island, then?
"Um, hello..." Sophie replied shakily, hands still on the tree for support as her tail lolled back and forth anxiously. "I, uh, haven't seen you here before...who are you? New person, eh?"
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Posted: Mon Jun 26, 2006 3:21 pm
"Yeah, I'm the new architect!" Gaius puffed his chest proudly. He looked her over, admiring the realism of the costume. That fur looked so REAL! It was movie-quality, for sure!
"Sorry for startling you. Those shoes probably make it pretty hard for walking, huh?" Her tail twitch caught his eyes and he couldn't help but grab it, exclaiming in excitement. "Holy cow! It actually moves! Even when you're standing still? What, is it like on a timer or something? I couldn't even hear any motors working!" He inadvertently gave the tail a tug, feeling the warm pliable material of the tip in his hands. It even felt real, not like rubber with fur over it!
He rambled on, his blue eyes open and curious, his expression full of boyish excitement. It was like meeting Mickey Mouse as a kid, or an actor in a film. He didn't realize just what he was doing to the poor girl. "What do you guys use to make these, anyways? Some kind of latex material? Or is it a fabric of sorts? Man, the kids are going to love this place! So what are you then? I'd guess a kangaroo from the tail and mask, huh?"
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Posted: Mon Jun 26, 2006 7:19 pm
"Architect, eh? Well, my name's Sophie," she replied, her expression turning sour as she realized that he probably didn't know a thing. It got even worse as he fondled her tail, and she jumped back, nearly getting two feet of air before landing on her feet soundly. No one on the Island had dared touch her like that. No one.
She listened to him ramble on, and her ears twitched in irritation. What, he thought she could take this off? Like it was makeup or something??? Normally, she wouldn't be so upset, but she hadn't appreciated the tail pull in the slightest bit, and even now was rubbing her backside to ease away the throb.
"Yes, I'm a kangaroo. Red kangaroo, to be exact. And no, I don't think any kid would really like me much at all. Let's see...to answer your other questions, they used gene therapy, which to my knowledge didn't involve latex, since this wasn't a plastic surgery. My tail is not on any timer, and I'm not wearing any shoes."
She looked down at her feet, then up to him with a fragile stare as she surveyed his reaction. She remembered her little 'talk': it hadn't been pretty. Thinking back on her word choice, she wished she hadn't been quite so blunt, but that was the nature of the beast (as bad a pun that was), and the man would have to face it one way or the other.
She just prayed he wouldn't scream.
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Posted: Mon Jun 26, 2006 8:45 pm
"Name's Gaius," he offered with a friendly smile.
When she jumped away, he whistled appreciatively, wondering if there was some kind of spring work in the mechanics of her feet. Then, the rant came. Quick and blunt. Too bad half of it went over his head. Gaius held up his hands, trying to stop her for a moment. "Wait. Wait... what in the world are you talking about?" The tall man looked utterly confused. Gene therapy? "Just exactly what are you saying? I'm here to work on building housing for the people working at this island resort park. I-I just thought... you were one of the mascots?"
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Posted: Mon Jun 26, 2006 8:59 pm
Sophie bit her lip, then shook her head, turning away: she didn't want to see his expression anymore. "I'm not a mascot for anything, Gaius, and I wish you didn't have to hear this from me." She gulped, her tail rocking back and forth.
"This whole Island is basically a science project. Me, and a bunch of other people here? None of us are wearing costumes, and I didn't look like this six months ago." Finally gaining some strength of heart, she turned to face him, her eyes apologetic. "There's no resort: just a bunch of guinea pigs like me...they're using genetics to make me this way."
She tried to offer a weak smile. "But, hey, if you're working for them, then chances are you're not a subject. It's a good thing for you, but you're gonna have to get used to people...well, people like me."
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Posted: Mon Jun 26, 2006 9:28 pm
Gaius caught himself on the tree Sophie'd been leaning against, unsure if his legs would support him. "I... wow..." He looked shell-shocked, the sudden news hitting him like a hammer.
"So... the staff... they're really changing people into animals? Like mutants?" His head shook slightly, but not in denial. He was just trying to get his mind around the whole situation. "I... didn't even think that was possible, except in movies..."
"I-I dunno... I was hired until 'the job gets done'. Been vaccinated and all." He held out his arm, showing off the fresh red lump where he'd been injected.
Suddenly realizing just what he'd done by grabbing Sophie's tail, Gaius flushed a bright pink and ducked his head in shame. "I-I'm s-sorry..." he stammered. "I didn't realize... geeze, I must've come across as a terrible jerk, huh? I didn't mean to grab your tail, er, I mean!" Augh, dangit! Shut up before you make it worse, Gaius!
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Posted: Tue Jun 27, 2006 3:44 pm
Sophie blinked, looking at the bump on his arm. So, he wasn't staff after all...he was a subject, too? She shook her head, attempting to look him straight in the eyes but finding herself unable to. "It's okay...I mean, you didn't know...though I'd like to think that mutant wouldn't be the word to describe it..." She tried offering a smile, stepping forward on the tips of her toes.
"Just, erm, please don't do it again. I don't think my tail could take it."
Although she tried to be encouraging, her glance went down to his injection, fur rippling from the goosebumps it caused. "I just hope that isn't what I think it is..."
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Posted: Tue Jun 27, 2006 5:41 pm
"Still feel dumb for reacting like that... I mean, how could I have thought something so realistic was a costume?" Gaius chewed his lip, not meeting her eyes. "First person I meet, and I go and blow it. Doesn't look like a good start to my stay, huh?" The realization of just how long he was really going to be there had yet to hit the guy.
He looked back at his injection mark at her comment, confused. "Huh? What do you think it is? It's just a vaccination... I mean, don't want to get sick and all, right?" Gaius looked back up at the oddly furred girl, eyes innocently open and clear. The poor boy had yet to realize the depth of the lies woven for him, as they had been for all the other islanders.
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Posted: Tue Jun 27, 2006 5:49 pm
Sophie rubbed her arm, anxious as to how she was going to make it much clearer to the man. Subtleties went right over his head, didn't they? However, first thing was first: she had to get him to stop apologizing. For God's sakes, it made her feel like she'd done something wrong.
"Don't worry. I mean, you didn't blow it or anything...you didn't know. How were you supposed to know, anyway? Just trust me: you didn't blow it at all. I did much worse when I found out," she admitted, placing a hand on his shoulder in the hopes that the similarities to paws wouldn't make him uneasy.
"But, I've gotta be truthful: there's no disease to catch on this Island, except the one the doctors put in your veins. Most of the people who start out with injections only stay normal for about a month..."
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Posted: Tue Jun 27, 2006 6:03 pm
He blushed slightly at her touch, tensing a bit, but it had nothing to do with her animal-like appearance - far from it, his squirming was because a girl was being friendly and coming in such close contact with the lady-shy man.
"Th-this?" He pointed at the red spot. Slowly, the pieces fell into place. "You mean... then the injection is what does this?!" Gaius glanced down at himself, half expecting to start sprouting fur right there on the spot. "A-A month? But then it's over, right? I mean, judging by you... uh, er..." He chewed his lip, looking away with a distinctly bashful expression. "Er, you don't... really look that bad at all... a little fuzzy, but still... you're human."
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Posted: Tue Jun 27, 2006 6:11 pm
Sophie withdrew her hand, thinking it was the pawlike features, and looked away, shaking her head. "No...I wish that were it, but no...after the first month, I hadn't really changed...a little fur here and there, sure, but no big change." She paused, looking him the eyes. "From what I know, there's four different changes, each one changing you little by little. Me? I'm only on my second change. I'm not done yet, and by the time I am...well, I won't look much like a human at all, that much is assured."
She hung her head again, putting a hand through her hair. "I don't mean to scare you, or anything, but no one on this island stays normal for very long, and you don't even get used to the first change before the next one's on you. But you'll be fine for now: nothing happens to newcomers for at least a month. If they're stopped now...well, you'd be able to go home. Fat chance of the Island getting discovered, but if it did...well, let's just say I wouldn't want to show up in my hometown looking like this." She shrugged, her fur making the point she wanted.
"But it's not that bad, really...you'll be alright. We all are, eventually."
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Posted: Tue Jun 27, 2006 6:22 pm
"Four changes..." Gaius echoed. "So... it takes longer than just a month..." His eyes drifted back toward Sophie, and his heart went out to the dejected girl. He wanted to offer her a measure of comfort, but he'd already barged in on her boundaries and was hesitant to put a foot out of line again. Instead, he forced a small smile, clinging to the small hope she offered.
"Well, maybe our luck will change? Maybe... they'll find a way to reverse this? To make you not fuzzy again? I mean, if they can turn people into animals, then there's probably a way to turn them back?"
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Posted: Tue Jun 27, 2006 6:32 pm
Sophie's ears twitched at the idea, but she still would not meet his eyes. Her tail flopped back and forth, and she sighed, leaning against the tree. "I'm sure they could, but the question is, would they? I don't have the money to bribe them into an antidote, and I don't have anything else of value, except maybe learning the trade myself. But, that's the reason I'm furry in the first place: they offered me a place in their labs, and I turned down for moral reasons. They didn't take kindly to the 'no', I suppose."
She laughed, then looked up, deciding that it was best not to act gloomy anymore: he knew, after all, so why bother being morbid about what was already set in motion. "But, anyways...they never gave you a tour of the place, did they? I could, um, show you around, y'know...I could tell you which of the other 'mascots' to avoid..." She smiled, showing that she didn't use the word in a spiteful way.
"They might even have something good in the cafeteria today: you never know."
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