Welcome to Gaia! ::

Tommy's own final deadline was fast approaching...only a month or so left as well as he could figure it. And to be perfectly honest, the bat-man couldn't wait. For three long months he had been stuck in his current form, not quite comfortable walking on two legs or four. His odd hip placement didn't help matters, nor did his weakened thighs. His calves though, were stronger than they had ever been, which he found out to his surprise after being able to hang upside down all day with nothing but his feet.

In order to celebrate his first restful nights sleep in a long time, he had taken the liberty of detaining a few glasses of his favorite bourbon mixed with blood and interrogated them until they gave him the information he wanted at the bottom of the glass. So, slightly tipsy in the waning light, he crutched himself on his fists down the beach. His knuckles had developed nice callouses by this time, having been wrapped in what was left of his BDU pants.

He hummed an AC/DC tune, wondering idly if anybody had an ipod charger he could borrow. He missed his music. Off in the distance, he caught sight of a form sitting in the sand. His eyesight had never gotten better since his changes...and since he could no longer put in contacts he had to rely on his echolocation in order make out objects far away. A few burst later, and he got the outline of...a distinctly human shape in his mind. A jolt of fear spread through him...his heartbeat raised...

He took a moment to calm himself, muttering a low mantra over and over again before gathering the courage to crutch himself toward her.

Tommy crutches closer and closer, letting out periodic bursts of echolocation. At first he frowns, now noticing that the outline that he receives now has flippers for feet. Maybe not a complete human he thinks to himself, slightly relieved. He still hadn't gotten over that one time when a complete human saw him and pretty much just passed out. Normally though, he'd be afraid of meeting a new islander...buuuut...with a couple of drinks in him, he felt emboldened to go talk to her/him/it.

As he got closer though, and she began to sing, he actually had to force himself not to cover up his large ears. On a normal human that would have been terrible, but for his sensitive ears...he could hear every wrong tone and misplaced pitch. He couldn't help chuckling to himself. "You should be on Broadway," he said with a friendly grin.

Tommy cringes back, not expecting that kind of reaction...suddenly very much regretting opening his mouth. The look on her face sobered him up somewhat, and he wished he was anywhere else. She must be fairly new, his eyes told him as he could now see her properly. No changes yet...hasn't freaked the hell out, so has seen other islanders before...just not used to it yet I suppose. Hell, I'm not even used to it. He forced his own grin to come back. He wondered what she must think of him...another monstrosity on the island? Something worse? Hell...he didn't much look like a bat...just a human with distended fingers and mashed face, and weird hips.

"Heh...sorry, I um...shouldn't of sneaked up on you like that," he said sheepishly. "I heard you singing from all the way over at the beach bar...these ears don't miss much... and I just had to come by and say hi."

Tommy was somewhat used to that gaze by now. He knew well enough not to take it personally. Hell, he rememberd when he was human...Christ, never thought I'd think something like that. But...I suppose I'm not anymore...only in mind, and even that sometimes slips. He keeps his grin on, trying his best not to show off his fangs. "Name's Tommy...Tommy Christian, and nah, heheh, I've heard worse...which usually involves myself in a karaoke bar after about four or five shots," he says, jokingly. In all honesty, he thought of himself as a decent singer, but putting oneself down lightly usually helps takes the edge off of any conversation.

"I take it you're pretty new here though...huh?" he said with a sad smile.

"Over three weeks...?" He said with a slight frown creasing his battish features. He let the thought drop though as he seemed to be making her more an more uncomfortable. "But yeah...that tends to happen when a bunch of people go through stressful situations together. Hell, some of my best friends um...back home I guess...were the ones I went through Basic Training with," he said with a few nods of his head, grinning at the memory. Sure, it'd been hell to go through...but he wouldn't trade that time for the world.

"Oh...? I haven't been in the water much, myself really..." he looked over the equipment she had laying about. "You a um...scientist or something?" He said with a bit of a nervous twinge in his voice. Could she be one of the lab techs? It'd be balsy for one of them to walk around in the open like that...but it wasn't completely unheard of. Hell, it happened during halloween.

Tommy notes the hint of sadness, but isn't quite sure what to make of it. Guilt for being a lab tech? Or was he way off the marker with this one? He honestly didn't know what he'd do if he found out for sure she was one...he was already on the labs s**t list and did not want to go in any deeper. That...and what'd Lauren think of it? He's still dreading the day she finds out about his attempted murder on Moreau and his fiancee.

"Freelance naturalist?" he said, a bit lost... but then it clicked. "Oh! Wow, yeah, that sounds like a sweet job...and you know how to fly, too? That's sick," he said with a grin and a nod. "I was in the Air Force before coming here...well...a cadet at the Air Force Academy anyway. I'm not PQ, but they still let me fly the gliders and a T-38 one time when I was visiting a base." He grins at the memory of that...every now and then his mind would take away the plane around him...he invisioned himself flying with his own power...and it was glorious.

Tommy grinned, "Heh...well...the pilot took off with his afterburners going full thrust...and goddamn I could never look at a rollercoaster the same way again. Once we were over the training ground though, he gave showed me a few acrobatic maneuvers and let me try 'em out. I actually pulled off a damn decent barrel roll and loop...I ended up getting sick though." He laughed at that, "Yeah...the maintenance guy forgot to hook up my G-suit correctly so my stomach couldn't take too much of it," He smiled once more with a faraway look in his eyes.

"Really? Now that'd be something to have...goddamn I miss that feeling..." he said with a sigh. "But yeah...where're ya from? Originally, that is."