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 Posted: Mon Jan 01, 2007 7:22 am
Seth made himself busy as Gaius showed him the wood piles waiting and ready to be turned into the sections of the stage walls. He glanced at the plans and made careful note of them, then began finding and arranging pieces of cut wood parts for the section of the plans he was looking at. He found himself a nice sturdy hammer and began hammering away, deciding that this was actually fun and interesting. He kept himself occupied with the task for a small period of time, at least until his attention was turned elsewhere.
As the large grey man began to scream and yell in torment, Seth stopped what he was doing and immediately turned his head to watch, the animal within him going stiff and tense, tail raised, highly alert. He vaguely remembered the man... somewhat. He looked different than when they had met. Instinct told him 'Run, run! Threat! Danger!', but he himself knew almost instantly what was happening. The poor guy was changing. He watched the man's pain from afar, staring wide eyed at him, horrified by the experience, remembering all too well that he had gone through the same experience twice already. Each one had hurt like wildfire, leaving him sore and achy for perhaps up to a week. While he had felt and experienced it twice, he had never actually got to see another go through the same thing.
Although he had experienced it himself, it was a totally different experience seeing it from the other side. And nothing prepared him for this. As Oz collapsed, he stumbled backwards even though he was quite out of the way, standing on the balls of his hinds, the instinctive desire to run becoming much stronger. He dropped his whiskey bottle, gripped the hammer he was holding quite hard, and turned to run.
At first his steps were usual human strides but as he went faster, his dasyurid-like back legs began to bound. The man bounded away, kangaroo-like, falling over after about seven strides. But that did not stop him. He quickly rose to his feet and continued to bound away, hammer in hand, his animal's frightened-ness having completely taken over. He ran into the jungle, making loud frightened guttural noises as he went.
"Urrr... urr rrrr rrr!"
He would come back later to finish what he had started, but for now... the animal had taken his mind over for the time being, its fear completely clouding everything else. Where it would end up, he did not know.
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Posted: Wed Jan 03, 2007 5:09 pm
What a time it had been... After the incident with Oz, Gaius had left the site, unable to focus. And he hadn't returned except for brief check-ins over the past couple days.
The site was practically left as it was at the time of Oz's change, the wooden beam lying in the stage pit, some of the dirt erroded with the island's frequent rain fall. A couple beams stood up from the foundation here and there, and the first row of seats had been dug, but the logs weren't moved yet... The wood Richard had given Gaius lay in a pile to the side.
Gaius returned today, having visited Oz a short while ago. A mild headache plagued him as the after-effect of his drinking. Vixen bounced around his feet, a new-found stick held in her teeth, and looking up eagerly at her friend with hopes of a game of fetch. She'd been his almost constant companion lately... Gaius couldn't put his finger on it, but having been around everyone working on the theater, and suddenly being alone again left him feeling frightened and exposed. So he'd hardly left the dog at his duplex, preferring her nearby. He was eternally thankful with how obedient she was, because it meant he didn't have to keep her leashed all the time. Just as long as she didn't go chasing some animal into the jungle...
Sitting down on one of the piles of wood, Gaius slumped forward slightly, trying to decide just what he could get done today...
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Posted: Wed Jan 03, 2007 5:26 pm
For the first time in perhaps weeks Richard was in a positive mood. The newletter was finally begining to take shape on his desk. The editorial that had plagued drove him deep into the more negative aspects of his personality was done. Although he viewed it as something of a cop out it was done and it was time to move on. Next up was a bit about current events in the community and the only real happening he knew of was billy's little project. So Richard dutifully set out in search of the construction site, hoping to gain enough material to balance out the bad news he was also reporting on. Maybe with a photo or two.
As he approached he spotted Gaius sitting on the pile of wood and waved to him. From the distance the project didn't seem very far along unless Gaius was just building flag pole. And was that... A dog?
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Posted: Wed Jan 03, 2007 5:36 pm
Vixen was the one to spot Richard first, turning on her heels and bounding excitedly towards the new arrival. Tail wagging, she skidded to a stop at his feet and jumped up to plant her front paws on his legs, mis-matched eyes looking up at him hopefully, stick ready in her mouth. If she could speak, it'd probably be something like "Playplayplay?"
Gaius looked up at the sudden disappearance of his dog, spotting her and the old man... looking stranger than ever. Was that the work of the changes? he wondered, catching a glimpse of the little limbs folded beside the guy's gut. He didn't recall them being quite so long.
He got to his feet and waved back, starting to walk over to greet the guy, and called out to Vixen. "Hoy! Vix! Stop that!"
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Posted: Wed Jan 03, 2007 6:03 pm
As the dog raced toward himRichard felt the black hairs on his neck and back prickle, straining againist the dark button down shirt he wore. The tentacles rose up behind him and a warning growl escaped his throat before he knew what he was doing. When the dog skidded to a stop in front of him, stick in mouth with that innocent look that only a dog could master, Richard blinked. His entire body felt on edge because of that?
Richard took a deep breath forcing the tension from his back and tentacles, which seem to deflate and retreat behind him. His long tail a gave a single, pointed lash back and forth as he did so.
Opening his eyes he smirked and snorted at the dog as he reached for the stick with a clawed hand. "Hey Gaius. Some crew you got here." He tugged on the stick.
Richard's little arms hugged a notebook to his midsection. He was trying to make them somewhat useful and unconisiously hide the increased size of his pectoral region. Said region was bound with ace bandages but it was still noticable if one stared.
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Posted: Wed Jan 03, 2007 6:21 pm
Gaius frowned a bit as Richard's tentacles seemed poised, but Vixen wasn't scared, so he relaxed, running a hand back over his neck and mane, a sheepish smirk crossing his face. "Yeah... it's been a bit slow since the holidays..."
Vixen let go of the stick, glad to see that someone knew what she wanted, and hopped back off of Richard, though she continued to watch expectantly, tail wagging.
"That helper there is named Vixen," Gaius smirked, watching the dog more than the man or his many new features. "What brings you around to our neck of the wood anyways?"
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Posted: Wed Jan 03, 2007 6:33 pm
Richard waggled the stick at the dog before tossing it some distance away. "Vixen! Fetch!" He smiled back at Gaius hoping to strike up a conversation before the dog returned, although he doubted it would be long. "
"Just figured I'd stop by and see how its coming along. Curiousity and cats you know." He grinned his toothy smile and approach Gaius, surveying the site around him.
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Posted: Wed Jan 03, 2007 6:45 pm
Gaius smiled, though one of his eyebrows remained quirked, unsure what Richard meant about cats... But hey, any chance to discuss his work was welcomed!
Vixen, in the meantime, had dashed off to find the stick amongst the bushes, quite happy to have something to do.
"You've heard about our little project then?" he asked. "Read the notice or something? It's not much right now... Mostly getting the foundations set up."
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Posted: Wed Jan 03, 2007 6:55 pm
It was appearent to Richard that Gaius had either forgotten about their previous meeting or was avoiding mention of it. It didn't matter much at the moment, his logs where here and that was an encouraging sign. Richard made a mental note to stop by again later to make sure they were being properly ultizied.
"Had a brief shout with Billy about it. Says he's only got one act so far." He tried not to think about that conversation, it wasn't exactly his best moment, He reached back and scratched the base of his neck. "Why don't you show me around anyway?"
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Posted: Wed Jan 03, 2007 7:06 pm
"Sure thing, I'll give you the tour of the place." Turning away, he walked along at Richard's side. It hadn't been that he'd forgotten... but his mind wasn't on the nature of the logs at the moment. They'd be used, yes, or perhaps hidden away in the storage...
Leading him to a table near the work site, Gaius pointed out several written-up and wrinkled sheets of paper. "These are the blue prints over here... pretty basic, but we're working on a pretty good size stage... got the rigging in the works and figuring out the seating." And a lot of storage room, Gaius thought to himself with a smirk. At Billy's insistence, of course.
"And over there are the tools and supplies," he gestured to the wood piles nearby, with the dirt piled behind them near the jungle edge. Vixen caught up with the two as they walked, proudly carrying the stick. The horse-man led him to the edge of where the stage foundation had been dug out. "This is where the storage and stuff'll be, underneath the stage... and hopefully some tricks like a trap door in the stage someday. Just depends on what Newt comes up with!"
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Posted: Wed Jan 03, 2007 7:25 pm
Nods genially as Gaius explains the goals of the construction. He takes the notebook from his lower limbs which not having anything further to do, fold across his greatly dimished belly. He opens it and write notes as Gaius talks and moves. He interjects with questions as Gaius talks.
"So how big is the stage exactly? You just shooting for a raised platform for now? Our you looking to do curtians, maybe a roof in the intial construction?"
He peers at the area where the foundation has been dug. "So the foundation digging is finished? Trying to drop in the support now?" He eyes the lone support beam. "Who's the crew so far? Newt and?"
All the questions flow from him as Gaius talks, he doesn't wait for Gaius to answer before asking the next, letting them pile on top of one another and the conversation.
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Posted: Wed Jan 03, 2007 7:34 pm
Gaius answered as best he could, though the barrage of questions began to make Gaius feel a bit pressured, especially as he stumbled over some facts. "It's ah, 30 by 40 feet, I believe? Yes, we'll have curtains... roof? Ah, I don't know... maybe?" His ears flattened back and he lowered his neck a bit defensively. "We were trying to put in the foundation, but... er... there was an accident that put that on hold. I had Oz and Marshall helping out too at once point, but they're both out of commission... There's Lucas and Newt, but at this point, I'm desperately short on good, strong hands to get things done."
He sighed, shaking his head, turning back towards the blueprint table. "I was hoping to have this thing by mid-January, but at this rate it won't be until sometime in February..."
Glancing back at Richard and his notebook, Gaius' expression was questioning. "What... is this for a report or something?"
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Posted: Wed Jan 03, 2007 7:47 pm
While Richard was really trying to focus on good news at the moment both the reporter and the predator within him found the mention of an accident fascinating. He titled his head at the mention of the accident, his face struggling to look concerned while his eyes reflected an almost predatory interest. He didn't know Oz or Marshall personally, they were only characters in a story at the moment. "An accident? What happened?"
The predator behind his eyes retreated as Gaius called attention to his own intentions as he sudden found himself on the defensive. "Oh this? A report? Nah, more like blurb for the newsletter. Just trying to get a general idea for the project you know."
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Posted: Wed Jan 03, 2007 7:55 pm
Something in Richard's manner unnerved a part of Gaius, his uneasiness coming out in the flicking of his ears and the twitching of his tail. Richard's look was... intense. However, Gaius didn't back down, but tightened his mouth and frowned. "It was an accident... not my place to say, but I think the labs want to interfere, if you ask me."
As the other fellow relaxed, Gaius felt more at ease as well, his scowl disappearing like a passing cloud, replaced by an interested smile. "A newsletter? Really? Like something everyone can read? Is there anything else you need for the article...?" The prospect of having someone writing about his work made the man more than willing to put up with whatever questions the guy could barrage him with.
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Posted: Wed Jan 03, 2007 8:09 pm
Well everyone except Billy maybe, Richard had seen Billy original post for auditions beneath Sid's scratched out edits. Richard caught off guard by Gaius' sudden enthusiasm for the article, his usual brand of journalism meant that info had to pried out, rarely was it volunteered.
"Umm, well lets see. If you could give me a little a sketch of what it will look like when finished I think Joli's got a scanner." He hrrms for a moment a surveyed the site as he produced a small digital camera from his pants pocket. "I had sort of hoped that more folks would be a about but I guess the forman would do in a pinch." He half grinned/half smirked at Gaius.
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