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Natsumi: After rushing out of the cafeteria, worried that she left Thom waiting for too long, she had jogged all the way back to the shared duplex. She slowed upon getting closer, catching sight of the familiar naga-man and giving a small smile. Her hands were covered in mostly pie, along with some mashed patatoes and salad dressing, some of it had moved to her clothing where she had whiped it off without noticing, and the biggest mess was the slight purpleish color of candied yams sticking in her hair, and some on her face, complete with sprinkles sticking to both. It must have been an interesting sight.

Thomas: Thom...was bored. There was no way he was about to stay in the duplex alone while Natsumi went to get drinks and so forth, but she could make the trip much more quickly if he just waited outside. So there he sat, carefully avoiding looking anywhere near his old duplex and distracting himself with a yo-yo that had been salvaged from said duplex by Natsumi. At the sound of someone approaching, he glanced up, sending the girl a smile in greeting and returning her wave before she grew near enough for him to notice the mess. Once he did, he let his hand fall, raising a brow curiously at the gecko girl. "What the 'ell 'appened to you?"

Natsumi: She was partially just releived he hadn't wandered off into the forest, though he hadn't done so yet... And really, that was his choice, she still felt a tad worried he might just up and dissapere one day. But he was still there this day, and that was good.

However, his hand fell, and she was abruptly reminded of the mess that happend to be her. "Eh?" She smiled sheepishly, reaching a hand up to try and whipe away seom of the remaining food, only to smear more on. "A... ano... Fight of food?" she offered, glancing to the ground like a child that just got caught drawing on the walls. "The cafeteria is a big mess... And.." She paused to remember his name, "Miller, he asked me to be in a fort?" She explained, looking back to Thom.

Thomas: She had been in a food fight? ...Well, it was fairly obvious, now that he thought about it. How else would Natsumi, of all people, get drenched in God knew what? Though, the thought of Natsumi in a food fight was somewhat surprising... He shook his head in dismay, but laughed, grin returning as he listened. "If you say so. Can't very well 'ave you stompin' about th' duplex like that, though." He wasn't about to clean it. He knew Natsumi would, but...she cleaned too much already. Hell, she did his laundry. He was a tad spoiled. "Whatsay we 'ead to th' beach an' you can clean up there? We'll make a day of it."

Natsumi: She gave another sheepish grin, no she'd definatly get the duplex a complete mess, and she was a tad suprised she'd done it herself... But it had been fun, and everyone else was doing it, so... really, it couldn't have been that odd... Least that's what she'd told herself. No worse than playing football like she had that day that seemed so long ago.

She was about to offer that it'd be fine, she could clean it up, when he offered a day at the beach. "Beach?" She echoed, a bit of excitment showing through her expression. All this time she'd been there she hadn't gone swimming... First the baby, then the paranoia, then Annie... But now those weren't really issues, atleast not ones that interferied with swimming. "You mean, we will go swimming?" She double-checked trying to hold back that hopeful and excited look, but Natsumi was among the worst of the liars, and among the worst at hiding her emotions, you'd have to be blind (or Gaius) to miss them.

Thomas: Swimming? "Of course," he replied, slightly confused. What was a day at the beach without swimming? Perhaps before, when he would go for his runs, but nowadays the cobra demanded a good swim after being out in the sun for any length of time. So why was Natsumi so thrilled at the idea? "You 'aven't been swimmin' at th' beach before?"

Natsumi: Right, duh Natsumi. Everyone swam at the beach but her... Which you know wasn't that hard to think about. Really when you said "beach" you thought "Swimming" for the most part. The only thing that related to the word swimming more was "swimming pool." But even so, she couldn't help but grin like a 5 year old when he said yes. She vaugly thought about the fact she'd need a swimsuit, but that would just be redundant since she'd have to go inside and change. Not like her clothes weren't already messed up.

At the next part though, she blushed alittle, shaking her head. "No..." she bit her lip, that really was strange, wasn't it? But she had good reasons... Or maybe mroeso just reasons, but still.

Thomas: Well, that was...Natsumi for you. Really, knowing the girl, he probably should have expected as much, just because it was such a Natsumi-ish thing to happen. If that made any sense. Still smiling, he again shook his head, but reached for his cane and climbed to his feet. "Well, we'll just 'ave to make up for lost time. D'you think we'll need anythin' from th' duplex? It's already a bit late in th' day, don't know 'ow long we'll be out."

Natsumi: She perked up again when he stood, since he hadn't seemed to find it too odd or look at her like she was crazy or anything, and then he was saying they'd get to swim alot, atleast if she'd understood that right, which was exciting in itself. Swimming in a pool at school was okay, good exercise, but not much more... The beach though, it had such cool things.

Need anything? She paused to think, then shook her head no "I can swim in these, yes?" she gestured to her food splattered clothing, people swam in their clothes all the time right?

Thomas: "I do," he replied with a grin, then sent a nod towards the jungle for her to lead the way and started after her. It would get them cleaner than they were at present, anyway. There wasn't much more that could hurt the clothes after being coated in food. And if she didn't want a suit, there was no point in wasting daylight digging around the duplex for supplies. If they needed anything, odds were if could be found in the beach bar once they got there. He wouldn't worry about it for now. "'Ow'd you get in a food fight?"

Natsumi: She nodded in return, turning towards the jungle that he had nodded to, there was a pause, before she seemed to hold her breath, hunch her shoulders and move forward. Ah, good old fashion therapy, just jump right into it and you'll come out fine... Atleast as long as no wolves jump out of the brush. Then they wouldn't be so fine. Unfortunutly, this time around they didn't have a crazy squirrel woman with a torch.

Atleast the trip wouldn't be too long, and just as the slight rustle of the green around her was starting to get to her head, Thom started speaking. "Eh?" She looked back, before the words fully regestered "Oh. Miller-san was there... I had just walked in and he came to me with a tray," She held out her hands as though she were holding one. "Then asked me and another woman to push over a table and help him." She gave a small smile, blushing some apon recalling such a childish act.

Thomas: Talking was his therapy when indoors. As long as someone was talking, he could focus on the voice and not the walls, not the door, and specifically not the lock on the door. If someone was speaking he could forget his imprisonment for a time and simply relax as he had before. It worked for him, it made sense that it would have the same effect for Natsumi in her situation. While they were outside, while there were hiding spots for her imagination to run wild with, he would distract her with conversation.

"Did he now?" He raised a brow, mildly surprised. It sounded like a big affair, if Natsumi had actually teamed up with people for the fight. He was glad he had waited near the duplex. Despite all the time he had lived in the jungle and not had a real shower and generally had a tendancy to be filthy, he did not envy her the food covering her. Food was sticky. It wasn't comfortable like, say, mud. "Must've been a pretty big group then, eh? Doesn't seem like you'd be able to 'ide be'ind a table an' get food from th' buffet at th' same time."

Natsumi: Weren't they just meant to be? Just ignor the age difference, and the whole 'my DNA would so eat you for breakfast' thing. Yep. Totally worked. Or not... But still, Natsumi found Thom to be one of her favorite people on the island. Best friend, sort of thing, she just found it odd that her best friend was a guy. That was certiantly a first coming from a life of highschool cliques and girly gossip. Beyond best friend she still wasn't sure, but she had chosen not to think that way while he was living with her.

Natsumi nodded, moving her hands away from the invisi-tray to try and pick some of the sticky food off. Most of it hadn't been too bad, the bread roll had been hard, and the sprinkles were just there, but the candied yams and pie-hands were now becoming very very bothersome. Almost there though. To warmth, and clean, and no shadowy jungle. "Yes, it was." She nodded, almost giggling "I think the table we made into a fort might have been the buffet table..." She admited, thinking back on it. "There was food everywhere." She vaugly wondered how that was going by now, but she forgot all about it when her more sensitive eyes were met with sunlight, giving a breif flinch and a smile towards the inviting sand.

Thomas: Mmm, that gecko DNA did look fairly tasty from time to time. The exactly connotation of 'tasty' could be determined later. The relationship was a bit bizarre when one considered their respective pasts, to be sure. Thom's closest friend on the island was a tiny, japanese, younger than he should have been anywhere near girl. He hadn't had a close female friend in... Well, no, he really couldn't recall anyone. He hadn't really ever been motivated enough to create and sustain a close relationship with anyone of the opposite gender.

Why should he? He had had no intention of getting married for a good while, sex was easy enough to find without all the sticky commitment ties, and what was he supposed to talk with a women about for that long anyway? Thom was not a skilled conversationalist. But Natsumi didn't quite count. He could talk to Natsumi, he was perfectly comfortable around Natsumi...and for those reasons, he hadn't pursued anything more than the friendly relationship they had going. Thom had never had a successful, lasting relationship with a woman. He didn't want this relationship to end if intimacy botched things up. But, well...six months was a long time, and he could not hold out forever.

He laughed aloud as she recounted the scene, imagining the possible reactions to such an event. "I doubt th' labs'll be pleased to 'ave to clean up that mess. Though, I'm surprised it 'asn't 'appened before with th' buffet there. Well done," he added, sending her a grin as they emerged on the sand. Sand made for difficult walking, but the sight of the water was enough to keep him moving without complaint, and it wasn't long before they reached the waves. Discarding his cane on the beach out of reach of the surf, he waded into the water, gesturing for her to follow.

Natsumi: Ah, poor Natsumi, completely oblivious to any sexual thoughts Thom, or any man for that matter, might have had. She wasn't dumb really, she knew guys liked sex.. Just... How much had been lost on her. Even with Taro, she simply thought he was above average. Afterall, none of the girls in highschool really heard just how much the boys thought about sex, simply let themselves be strung along by a handful of sweet words, and lies, much like Thom probably pulled on the girls before the island. But who cared, they were content at the moment, and off for a fun-filled day at the beach.

Natsumi shook her head no, to agree in the fact the labs would probably be displeased... She vaugly wondered if Newton would have to clean it up, he was the janitor afterall... Hopefully not, poor guy seemed to have enough troubles as it was. Her smile widened at the 'well done', holding back a nervious giggle. It was a strange mixture of embaressment and amusement at the same time. She followed him out onto the sand, a big smile simply plastered onto her face, in contrast to her the sand was easy to walk on. Perhaps easier than the dirt and other such things, it was softer and curved to her feet more, and she barely sunk into it at all now that she was used to the webbing between her toes, you fan it out more the less you sink... Pretty simple, though still hard to accept as actually being a part of her.

She paused at the waters edge though, looking at it hesitantly, Bobby had almost drowned in it. Just how high were her chances? Her eyes moved back to Thom, relaxing again and taking the first few steps into the blue. Not too bad, a tad colder than the lake but still... Good enough. She then moved forward comfortably, catching up with the snake-man in a trusting fashion. Afterall... If she did happen to drown, which she doubted, he'd promised to protect her, that meant from the evils of the ocean too, right?

Thomas Ahhh, water. Though the beach was a tad open for the cobra's tastes, the combination of sand, sun, and water never failed to tempt him. When swimming at the beach, the cobra could get the sun it so desired while the water kept the man from overheating. A perfect compromise. Add to that the fact that Thom wasn't nearly so ungainly in the water with one leg as he was on land, and he couldn't think of a place (on the island, mind) where he would rather spend the afternoon.

And now Natsumi was here to enjoy it with him. He absently noted the girl sticking close to his side as he waded further into the ocean. He still found it hard to believe that she hadn't actually been swimming at the beach before, but her nervous excitement made it clear that she wasn't lying. He would just have to see to it that she enjoyed herself, that way she wouldn't be too scared to come swim on her own if he wasn't around. He tossed her a grin, then dove into an approaching wave just as it crested, resurfacing a short distance away and sending a splash towards Natsumi with the flat of his hand. "Clean off!"

Natsumi The gecko probably wasn't as pleased with the water solution, yes it was prone to overheating, but a bit of shade fixed that... Maybe a burrow. Nice cool cozy burrow~ Except that Natsumi had rejected the whole burrow idea, silly girl. So swimming was the next best thing, even if the gecko was arguing that she shouldn't be doing it around a much more water-agile predator. Another problem was that she found her feet to be a tad troublesome in walking through the liquid, especially as waves swept past and tried to trip her. It took a delicate balance of curling her toes together, and then spreading them back out just to walk. Even so, she was enjoying it, it was muuuuch different than a pool. A pool wasn't trying to trip you, afterall, nor was it splashing against your stomach then slipping back to your thighs. She found herself sticking close as she could to Thom, tryign to keep an eye on him, but she couldn't help but keep looking back to the saltwater. The glare of the sun wasn't pleasing to her already dry eyes, but a bit of excess blinking fixed all that.

As she looked from the waves, then back to Thom, she was met with a grin just as he dove into a wave, causing her to give a slight jump. Breifly the gecko in the back of her mind was sure it was going to die, yep this was it. She pushed that away, floating with the wave, only to have Thom pop up and splash her in the face with water. Immediatly her hands went up to block as she gave a soft squeal, dropping her hands to give him a playful glare-pout. How dare he! Maybe it was the fact she'd just come from a food-fight, or maybe it was just because it was Thom whom she felt comfortable around. Whatever it was, she decided two could play at that game. She paused to try and get the few wet strands of hair out of her face, before giving a weak splash back, which came out larger than she thought it would have thanks to her webbed hands. Apparently the gecko was just made for water and food fights.

Thomas "Oh come now, don't look at me like that," he countered in response to the mock-pout, laughing nonetheless. Both arms jumped up to shelter his face from her return attack, not that there was much point to it, as he was drenched anyway from his dive beneath the waves and he only managed to splash himself by moving his arms so quickly. But it was part of the game. Everyone had played the flirty little water fight at some point in their life. It couldn't be helped, really. And when she had returned fire, she had accepted the challenge, and now they had no choice but to see the water fight to it's end. Catching his footing, he skirted around her in the water and sent another, larger splash her way. "You can't 'onestly want t' be covered in food."

Natsumi Her expression tried to break when he spoke, but she managed to hold it just a bit longer, that weird expression where it clearly said 'i want to laugh really bad right now', which then turned into a giggle when he blocked the water she sent his way, lifting a hand to her mouth to try and stifle it, which failed. But still, laughing aloud so directly would have been unladylike... As if throwing food and water wasn't. It was jsut a habit, really. "You deserve it." She teased, after her laughter subsided.

Ah but yes, challenge had been accepted, making her stomach twist alittle in nerviousness, that feeling you got when your parents could pop up at any moment and scold you. While she liked these sorts of things, her mind still tried to nag her about it. But her parents weren't here, and Thom was, and thus the feeling was ignored. She gave another squeal as more water splooshed over her, flinching and arms going up again, even if she was expecting that one it had been bigger, and thus still caught her offguard. She was about to say something in return, but then a wave did the same thing, just as she'd opened her eyes after Thom's attack a wave came out of nowhere and swooped over her head, tripping her under the water with her already poor footing. She poped back up, thrououghly drenched, giving a squeak and bearing that open mouthed look the person at the fair got when they came back up after their first time being submerged in the dunktank.

Thomas Haha, success would be his! He had won a squeal, and Natsumi was hiding under her arms, which would give him plenty of time to avoid any return splash or send another splash her way. Unfortunately, the unspoken rules of water fights demanded that he give her a chance to retaliate...but the ocean seemed to agree that he should triumph, and there went Natsumi beneath the waves. He experienced a brief moment of apprehension at the thought of how she might react to the spill, but when she resurfaced looking thoroughly shocked by the dunking, not to mention soaked to the skin, he couldn't help but laugh. Abandoning his attack for the moment, he sunk down into a crouch in the water, both feet able to touch bottom and allow him to stand while each passing wave set him treading for the second until it passed.

Natsumi Ohh it was cold. Maybe before her transformation it wouldn't have been that bad, but at the moment the sudden change of warm and relaxed to wet and chilly was feeling alot more 'holycrap' than before. And ofcourse he was laughing! Guh. Giving a light huff, she pulled messy wet hair out of her face to give him the return of the pout-glare. Eck. Even though her hair was thinner than it used to be it still managed to tangle.

She jumped the next wave, breifly fighting against it only to wind up in the same spot she had before. Stupid ocean was just against her. But really, she was new to it, and the sea was merciless as many people knew. She would have splashed him, maybe even twice, but he had ducked down! Sheilding water with water, so unfair. So, acting like she was going to splash him again, she promptly put a hand on the top of his head and jumped up, and under he went! She quickly let go and backed up with a wide grin of vengance.

Thomas She was completely overreacting. The water wasn't the cold. It was a tropical island, for God's sake, even if it was late in the year. Chilly, but the sun made up for that, and here she was acting as if the ocean had paid her some horrible offense by daring to knock her underwater. He half expected her to slap the next wave that passed and storm off to sulk on the sand. How could he not laugh?

Still chuckling lazily, he watched as she struggled with the wave, half lifting a hand to fend off the expected splash only to topple beneath the wave when she shoved him down instead. From beneath the water he retaliated, both hands moving beneath her arms to literally lift her off her feet with the aid of the water as, sputtering, he resurfaced. He shook his head to clear the water from his face, making a point to aim the resulting mini-shower her way, then tossed her a grin, lifting her a touch higher as if beginning to throw her into the waves. "Three seconds t' convince me not to."

Natsumi Well fine, it wasn't that cold, but it was colder than her nice warm showers. The girl was used to indoor heated pools and hotsprings, even public baths, all of which were definatly warmer than mr.ocean. It wasn't her fault she was overreacting. Tsh. And the water tasted bad too... Course really she should have seen that one coming. Saltwater. Yea. Though she'd probably laugh too if she were in his shoes... or scales, whatever it was now.

But hah! Victory, she had sucessfully dunked him, which was prideful in itself since he was generally bigger and stronger than him. She was starting to get out of shape after the whole pregnant, then paranoid thing. There wasn't much exercise from walking from duplexes to the cafeteria. But wait, victory was short lived as suddenlly she was beign attacked from under the water, ground was gone, and she was giving the billionth squeal that day as she suddenlly found herself captured, and suddenlyl the gecko in her head was giving her a "i told ya so." She automatically squirmed, flinching as water sprayed her, and being lifted again. Oh dear, she was goign to be thrown. "Nonono!" She squeaked out in a nervious giggle, squirming a bit more, unable to come up with any better reason not to be thrown than a plea of no. Now really, it wasn't that big a deal, and if it was she could have probably broken free with more forceful struggling, but where was the fun in that? It was just another one of those unwritten rules.

Thomas The upper hand was his, she hadn't managed any excuse as to why he shouldn't throw her, the unwritten rules said--. ...What? There was no clear rule for his situation. The rules said that a friend would send her flying despite her pleas, the rules said that the more-than-friend would set her down and use the close moment as an excuse to steal a kiss. But the rules were unclear. Where did he stand? Thom honestly wasn't sure what to do with himself. And so he set her down, not pulling her close as the more-than-friend would have, but designating a definite space between them. His hands slids down to settle on her hips, but he frowned faintly, looking her square in the eyes. "...Where do we stand? With each other?"
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Natsumi Natsumi flinched, shutting her eyes and holding her breath. The three seconds were up, she hadn't come up with anything, surely she'd be meeting the water any second now. Any second... And she did meet the water, but differently than she'd expected, eyes poped back open as she was being lowered, losing her smile to a curious look. Her eyes moved to his hands as they hit her hips, then snapped back to Thom as he caught her gaze.

Oh dear. She choked, aquiring a deer in headlights look. Where did they stand? On the sand in the ocean was the obvious answere, but even with language barriers she could figure out that wasn't what he meant. He was thinking the same thing she'd wondered for a little bit now. They were living together but... Newt, and then...ech. It was all so undefined, more confusing than any other relationship, and she'd had the whole Tarobabymess thing. So she swallowed, and gave a meek little shrug, feeling thouroughly awkward. "...I do not know." She admited after another pause, looking to him as if to say 'Where do we stand?' One of them had to know, right?

Thomas Excellent, he had successfully terrified her. Well done, idiot. But really, what was he supposed to do? The subject had to be addressed sooner or later. They couldn't live together and have gone through everything they had an not wonder exactly where that left them--because, judging by her response, she had been pondering the same thing he had. But how was he supposed to reply to that? The rules had abandoned him, and he was left feeling about ten years younger and more awkward than he had ever been since that age. Finally he sighed, letting his shoulders relax as he exhaled and drawing his hands back to sink in the water as he had been before she had dunked him. There was no reason this had to be awkward. This was Natsumi. He could talk to Natsumi. ...Unfortunately, he seemed to have temporarily lost the ability to speak.

Natsumi Well not terrified, just alittle on the spot... Or something. Actually she didn't even know what she was feeling at the moment, some werid jumble of emotions she couldn't even begin to describe. It was weird, it was Thom, they'd gone through just about every status a relationship could have except for a full fledged relationship. He'd been a friend, then a brother, almost a child at certain points, and now... Now what? What was he? She had settled with 'he was Thom' but that was failing her now. Now she needed an answere she couldn't get.

And he didn't say it, he didn't answere her... It'd been silly to think that, afterall if he knew why ask? But... Still, she'd hoped he'd come up with the answere for her. her heart clenched as he pulled back, and there was that jumble of emotions. On one side, he was like a brother... But on the other hand, he wasn't her brother, he was living with her, and he was great... And there were alot of unbrotherly things she could pick out at the moment. And on yet another hand, there was Newt, she owed Newt in a way... But she didn't like newt like that, and like Bobby had said she should follow her heart. That memory alone eased her alittle bit, erasing poor Newt from the picture. Which just left her and Thom. None of those other people on the island. Just them, and the awkward silence that currently surrounded them.

"I..." she choked out, forced to make some noise by a will not to let that end there. Not to just fall back into silence and ignor it. "We..." She tried again, but only fell into another dead end. "You..." She bit her lip. Nope, that didn't work either. Now out of pronouns, she fell into silence, floating over another wave as it passed by them. Follow your heart... Right, she should just say whatever her heart was feeling, and that was... "I like.. Thomas-kun..." she mumbled out all too softly, getting a wave of nerviousness as the words left her lips. Natsumi wasn't the sort to make a first move, but thats what her heart was feeling, so she had to say it... Right? It wasn't love, but it wasn't a just friends.. and... Ugh. She sunk into the water as well, so that just her nose stayed above, trying to get as close to hiding as she could.

Thomas: Natsumi was speaking? Natsumi was attacking the subject before he had a chance to? That came as something of a surprise, but...it didn't, really. After all, this was Natsumi, and this was himself, and they had always been able to talk since just about their first meeting. Natsumi had the same freedom to talk to him as he did to her. And for the moment, he was glad that she was brave enough to speak her mind, even if he was unable to.

Her response, when it came, wasn't surprising so much as utterly refreshing. With her response, his lungs unlocked and he managed a breath, only to chuckle softly as he exhaled. The moment was absolutely without a doubt the most absurd situation he had found himself in since arriving on the island. He had stayed with Natsumi for a number of weeks now, been a close friend with her since long before, been more relaxed around her than almost everyone prior to the island and certainly anyone since, and here they both were up and scared to death that a single word from the other put a wedge of awkwardness between them for the rest of their stay. And, to cap it off, a silly, school girl confession brought it to an end and sealed the relationship between them.

I like you. When was the last time he had heard those words in that way? I like you was quite easily one of the most awkward lead ins to a relationship one could possibly offer. But there it was and, from Natsumi, it was fitting. Nonetheless, the childish tone of the words provoked a laugh from him before he could help it, though he smiled to soften the laugh. Now, what did the rules say to do from here? More importantly, why did he care? His and Natsumi's relationship hadn't exactly fit the rules, as her quiet words had made him realize, so why should either of their actions try to fit the rules either?

Reaching out, he took her arm and gave her a light tug towards him, free hand sneaking back under her arm to bid her stand. Without further ado, he drew her into a kiss, effectively sealing their 'new' relationship--but, for Natsumi's benefit, kept it short and chaste, drawing back a moment later to sneak his hand on her arm to her side inside. And the moment was over, and he grinned, raising a brow and repeating for the second time that day, "Three seconds t'convince me not t' throw you."

Natsumi:She was feeling about the same at the moment, she had suprised herself when the words had left her mouth first, but at the same time it just fit. Thom was just... Thom. He wasn't expecting her to be obedient and perfect house wife, or to fall into his arms like a romance novel, he wasn't expecting anything at all. Perhaps that was partially the attraction between them, all the expectations and whatever else had been shoved aside for a genuine friendship, which seemed to now be moving into a genuine more-than-friendship.

But that was where their simmalar feelings ended, because where he had found releif in her words, she only found a nervious knot in her stomach that got tighter and tighter with each second he didn't say it back. What if he really had meant something else? What if she had completely goofed up... It wouldn't be the first time she got confused with the english language, and this was likely the worst situation she could think of for language barriers to interferre with. And ofcourse how she had said it was now catching up with her, all rushign forth in a jumble of 'oh god i messed it up!' Really now.. I like Thomaskun. First, she should have said you, but the nerviousness made her revert back to old language habits, but moreso was the fact it had been so... So... young. Like she was back in middleschool making her crush a valentines day gift. She was convinced she blew it.

And oh great, he was laughing at her, for the breif moment that seemed like eternity she was definatly ready to go hide somewhere. And her face had become so red she thought the ocean might vaporize from it. However everything was suddenlly fixed, not by more silly words, but by a simple yet complicated action. She stood like he urged her to, staring up in a mixture of hopefulness and confusion just before his lip met hers. Her heart flopped, and she was met with the same releif Thom had gotten moments ago, somewhat cautiously returning the sealing kiss. Then it broke, leaving her flushed and smiling, so that was it then? For the most complicated thing in the world, it seemed so simple. And then-- "Eh?!" She was lifted, again, damnit. She'd been caught off guard. "No!" She whined, curling her tail to give a pitiful retaliation splash. "That is not fair!" She squirmed some, holding back a laugh.

Thomas: It was as if the moment had never happened. Something had changed between them, but why should they act any differently than before because of it? It hadn't changed so much as been acknowledge, and all it had really done was open them both to a few more liberties with each other than before, perhaps. Nerves were out the window, tension was out the window, and the rules were just a nod and a wink behind. They were free to be themselves.

Which meant, of course, that he was perfectly justified in tightening his grip and lifting her from the water when her tail sent a splash his way. Still grinning, he shook his head, shifting his arms as if to throw her, but keeping hold of her and lowering her back down slightly instead. "Not fair? You dunked me!" The water was deep enough to be safe, and she was so light, it would be easy to have his revenge. However, instead of tossing her immediately, he quickly set her down and dipped an arm beneath her legs, scooping her into his arms. Again he acted as if he was going to throw her, but instead he tucked in his legs and dropped down beneath the water, pulling her beneath the surface with him and only then releasing her.

Natsumi: It was nice, the fact that nothing seemed to change, one of the biggest concerns in something like that was that you could ruin your friendship... But at the moment, there was nothing of that nature, and it felt so nice to have that little extra something in life. Especially a life like this one... There wasn't much else to do but find some sort of companionship. No jobs to pursue, just a "carefree" lifestyle. And for the first time in a very long while, she was feeling relaxed, various fluttery emotions stuffing the gecko in her into a hole to ignor it. Ofcourse that would change when the fact that there were other people back on that island reoccured to her, but for now why not enjoyt the moment?

And she was, even as she gave a little yelp as she was pulled up out of the water, her squirming ceasing for the most part since if she was dropped now she'd splash anyways. She gave an "Ah!" and a flinch when he moved to throw her, only to realize she was still in his hands for the second time in the past few minutes, and to promptly pout at him for tricking her twice. "Well..." She trailed off, Okay she had dunked him, but still "But I did not throw you." Not that she really could, which made it even less fair... or something. her hands found their way on the outside of his, uselessly tryign to pry him off lest she really get tossed. And then, for a third time, she thought she was going under as her legs were swooped out from underneith her. Elicting another "Ah!" and a nervious giggle, arms wrapping around his neck automatically for balance and to try and keep from being tossed. Which didn't really help much, as they both were suddenlly dropping, causing her to breath in and manage to hold it as they went under, automatically dropping her hold on him, then moving backwards as she was released, trying to get out of arms reach this time.

Thomas: Natsumi was escaping, but that was to be expected. The important thing was that she had been dunked, even if he had to dunk himself to accomplish such a thing. Voluntary dunking on his own part, he decided, did not count against him in the battle of who was the most soaked. He resurfaced and rose to his feet, shaking his head to clear the water from his face, then glanced towards Natsumi and raised a brow. Suddenly turning, he started through the water towards the beach, waving dismissively over his shoulder at her. Haha, she was fleeing and the water battle was his. "I win."

Natsumi: She stopped after she made it out of harms way, only to watch him start heading out of the water, and declaying his win. Hey now! She hadn't back up that far... "Eh?" Her tone came up teasing, as though her next words might suggest that she hadn't lost but really he was giving up, while she turned to trail after him not wanting to get stuck out in the ocean without being used to it. Which only showed itself as a wave nearly sent her under again on their way back. Nearly. An awkward flail had saved her from going completely under.

Though as they got closer to shore, the fact that it was getting later into the afternoon became more apparent. She'd left to the cafeteria around noon, so it wasn't really a suprise, it probably gave them just enough time to get dried off in the nice warm sun before they headed back and the sun set. Speakin gof which, the sun was feeling wonderful. And hey, the evidence of the food fight had been swept back into the ocean.

Thomas: Her tone was not lost to him, and, indeed, he had expected such a challenge. A water fight couldn't just up and end, even if he had won. However, as he glanced back at her, debating sending another slash her way, the wave nearly knocked her over and so he settled for merely laughing at her ungainly attempt to remain standing. Deciding against renewing the fight, he remained where he was until she caught up, then continued up towards the beach, pace slowing considerably once he reached shallower water to accomodate for his odd walk.

Gathering up his cane from where he had left it, he proceeded onto the sand but dropped to sit once clear of the water, gesturing for her to join him. "Whatsay we stay out 'ere tonight? It'll be a nice night. We can make a fire. No point in hikin' all th' way back."

Natsumi:She wouldn't have been so bad if she'd gone simming in more than a pool before, she'd had waterfights before but none where the water was fighting you back. Ofcourse Thom was sitll laughing at her, she might have too if she were in his position but all the same, she couldn't help but pout at him childishly as she tried to keep up. Keeping up soon became easy as they got out of the water and Thom started to slow, letting her walk beside him and turn that pout into a small satisfied smile.

While he gathered his cane and such, she fussed at her tussled wet hair, trying to get what remained of it to untagle before it started to dry. As he moved to sit, she followed again, sitting as well when he gestured for her to, but her smile faded when he suggested sleeping outside. "But.. Annie?" Was all she needed to ask, uncontiously burrying her feet into the sand.

Thomas: "Annie won't come near a fire," he assured her even as he flopped back to lay on the sand, setting his cane aside and folding his hands behind his head. "Not after me an' Antony torched 'er. She's probably avoidin' th' beach, t' be 'onest." Most likely, anyway. And he had slept on the beach before with Annie out and about and hadn't been hurt. As far as Thom was concerned, the subject was not open for debate. He had been good, he had stayed in the duplex night after night, but even with Natsumi there he was easily unnerved and nightmares were frequent. He wanted one sleep free from worry, then he would go back to the duplex again. "I wouldn't ask you t' stay if I thought it was dangerous."
Natsumi: She'd come near the last one, her mind argued, but then that was quickly negated before she could even say it aloud. He definatly had a point. So she fell silent momentairly, looking towards the water as her brain mulled it over... Their agreement had been that they slept inside, and she went out during the day... It was good, it was safe, though it wasn't as if she didn't notice the nightmares and such. She didn't ask, instead tried her best to keep an upbeat attitude.

Then he came up with another point, one that made her feel slightly bad. She didn't really think he would, just... Neh. He'd won, she couldn't really argue... And he'd sleep peacefully, that was a good encouragement to ignor the twist in her stomach that came with the thought of being defenceless. She wouldn't sleep well, but he could. "Okay..." She agreed, fussing with her hair a moment more, before leaning back to mimic his action, flinching breifly to keep out the sun, then opening them as she rolled to her side to face Thom, mostly to avoid looking at the light that hurt her sensitive eyes.
Thomas: He released a breath he hadn't realized he was holding when she agreed, offering her a smile of thanks. He knew she was uncomfortable being outside for too long, but perhaps this stay would be as beneficial for her as it was for him. She needed to be outside more often. Sleeping a night outside without incident should help her confidence a bit.

"Little nap in th' sun," he began, rolling onto his side to mimic her action and keep the sun from his eyes. "Wake up once we're dry, an' we'll 'ave plenty of time t' start a fire before th' sun sets." Shifting somewhat where he lay, he leaped forward to press a kiss to her forehead, soon drawing back and closing his eyes to attempt to sleep.

Natsumi: It probably would help, and wether she knew that or not she didn't seem to be taking it into account, letting herself curl up some, tail laying over her legs, she tried to relax but found it to be of no use, especially with her back out like that... But it was better than not seeing at all thanks to sunlight.

Thom then rolled over, elicting a tiny smile from the girl as he spoke, giving him a nod in return. "Okay." She again agreed, simply tryign to go with the flow now, too submissive and out of her element to bother with debating anything, not that she could think of anything to debate, Thom was rather convincing... Ofcourse, her smile widened into an almost shy grin as he poped forward with affection. It felt more like that sibling state of relation they'd been at before, but even so it was nice and reassuring. She watched his eyes close, settling to glance around for a few moments, before the relaxing sounds of the beach managed to fend off her paranoid thoughts and lull her to sleep.

The itching is always the first sign. You wake up feeling extremely itchy, what's mostly left of your unscaled skin feeling dry and thick. Unlike most of the changes, this one is slow, full of a constant, throbbing pain. Over the course of nearly a weak, most of your skin is now covered in scales, most noticeably your entire front-side. Your face begins to grow, just a few centimeters a day, until it points into a very reptilian snout. Your right foot slowly absorbs completely, leaving on a small black spur where the leg used to be. Your left leg shrinks and becomes completely unusable, as your body stretches and thickens, making the only feasible method of transportation slithering.

In your skull, the Jacob's organ is completely developed, making your world come alive in a way never before possible. With every flick of your tongue you get a rush of sensory overload - you can "smell" with your tongue, things way beyond normal human senses, including pheromones that other produce with strong emotions such as fear, lust, or joy.

The only drastic, and overly painful part of your transformation (though it begs you to wonder which is worse- a few hours of intense agony or a week of slow, never-ending chronic sensation) is when, quit suddenly, your digestive system undergoes a quick reroute, no longer leading to its end from your rear, but towards your fronts, tucked away under the shingle-like scales of your belly, between where your legs used to be.

Day Three? Four? xD

RP w/ Zach (Possibly Natsu and Emelyn)

http://www.gaiaonline.com/guilds/viewtopic.php?t=6873559

Natsu's change

Snakes On A Tree

Miller becomes dinner.

Miller shuffled along the jungle grounds making his way once more to his tree, he'd spent a lot of time there lately hoping Emerwyn would once again happen by for another talk, he found her words one of the few things that could cheer him up lately. Finally arriving to his tree he started to reach up for the first branch hardly aware of anything around him.

The tree was his now. The matter was not up for debate. Thom had found the tree earlier the previous evening, and had been pleased enough with it that he'd curled up and gone to sleep then and there. The tree was in easy reach of the river, and the branches formed enough of a bed that he wouldn't go toppling out onto the ground. Admittedly, there was the somewhat irritating stench of birds and humans lingering in the area, but that would wash out with the next rainstorm. He could cope in the meantime.

The cobra had looped around thrice to stabilize himself on the thick perch, and was dozing, eyes wide open, with his arms beneath him and chin propped on his tail. He had commandeered the tree, and Miller was mad if he thought he would get it back without a fight.

It wasn't till Miller reached to his perch grabbing on to the middle of Thom's tail did he realize that he was in trouble, he was already half way in to climbing in to the perch he had made out when he fully became aware of Thom curled up in it. Why was he here? There were plenty of tree's why this one? He froze on the spot pondering if he should tell the man to leave his tree or simply climb back down. "First meh duplexz nowz me ownz damn tree..."

The pressure on his tail woke Thom instantly, though, aside from a slight twitch, he gave no sign that he was awake. There didn't seem to be an immediate threat, and this something might just prove to be his next meal. His tongue flickered out, and again the irritating smells of bird and human attacked his senses. Neither of which seemed particularly appetizing, and now the something was speaking... That was the last thing he wanted to hear. Without lifting his head, the cobra hissed a warning, hood flaring as he shot a glare in Miller's general direction. "Bugger off."

Miller scowled and shook his head in defiance, the last thing he should have done. "Bugger offz? I've been cominz too this treez for almost a monthz I ain't leavinz at all." He shifted so he was sitting on a smaller branch, it still held the boy but it just wasn't the same as his normal spot which Thom had seemed to believe was his own.

Frowning, he lifted his head just enough to peek Miller's way, fangs bared as he repeated the warning hiss. "If I have t' move an inch further, you will regret it." He was quite comfortable, and if he had to move, he was going to make Miller pay severely for said movement.

Miller glared back at Thom frowning, why was it that things never worked out for him? Why did it seem every other person he met on this god forsaken island was on less then friendly terms with him? "Youz just taking mah treez? Whatz next then? Gona bust openz mah duplex andz take thatz over for yer zelf too?" He shifted in his branch, if Thom moved he could jump down easily, but then again, the man was half snake or rather very snake, could Miller even hope to move enough to get away from that?

He could have said something in reply, he could have kept his word and just attacked Miller. But he was still rather tired, and the perch was surprisingly comfortable, and as long as he could avoid moving, he would. He was quite positive Miller wouldn't have the nerve to try and move him, and if the chatter didn't stop, which is probably would if he didn't reply, Thom would just startle him into falling out of the tree. For the time, he simply ignored the budgy, though his hood remained flared as his head fell back to his 'pillow'.

Miller scowled at Thom as he continued to rest in his tree, no not his it was Miller's tree, not Thom's. He tilted to the side again scowling. "Youz even listeningz to me any more?" He shifted leaning closer trying to judge if the snake man had litterly just fallen asleep. "Come on I justz wantz my tree back iz that so hardz? It'z all I gotz right now."

Nope, he wasn't even listening. Well, maybe slightly, but mostly to be sure Miller wasn't going to attempt to take back the perch. He was half tempted to start humming to prove his point, but decided feigning sleep was the better option for the time. Maybe if the bird thing shut up, Thom really would fall asleep again.

Miller frowned, he wouldn't give this up, never. It was the only way he could hope to find Emerwyn unless he happened to wander in on what ever place she called home. It was his home right now and he would not give this up as well. He made his way down the tree stalking in to the woods again, when he returned he wielded a decent sized branch almost as long as his arm and a bit thicker towards one end.

He slipped it up between two branches right near the perch the one being the same that Miller had been sitting on. Moments latter he joined it aiming the branch were Thom was most centered on the perch and edged it closer before poking, he took a chance and pushed trying to fit it under Thom before pushing his weight down on the branch trying to shove him out.

Thom allowed himself a smirk when he realized Miller had abandoned the tree, shifting to make himself a bit more comfortable and settling back down for his nap. He was almost asleep when the unmistakable sounds of someone approaching reaching him. The poke from the stick that followed only provoked a low hiss, but Thom grit his teeth and let it be.

And then, as the branch was shoved beneath him, it registered that Miller was trying to wedge him off, and Thom's patience snapped. Propelled by the motion of the branch, the cobra rose up, fixing on Miller's position in a split second and striking towards the budgy. He realized there was a very real threat that he could send both falling from the tree, and looped to tail around a branch to prevent such from falling, both arms making a grab for Miller as he struck.

Miller's eyes went wide as Thom lurched up and aimed towards him, he looked a lot bigger now that he wasn't curled up any more. And this was about the only realization Miller could get through his mind as Thom snapped forward, he pulled an arm up to try and bat Thom away only to find his arm and shoulder burst with pain as Thom struck out at him. Those teeth sure as hell as small as the labs needles and the shock of it all stunned the poor boy as he started to slip backwards from his branch. His mouth forming a little o as he gave a cry of pain and confusion when the world started to tilt backwards. But it wasn't over that easy as Thom still managed to grab hold of him, was he just catching him so that they both wouldn't be sent falling from the strike?

Now that he'd struck, the cobra wasn't about to let go. Thom was hungry, and he had given Miller plenty of warning. If the budgy was too stupid to listen, then Darwin said he deserved to be a meal. Instinct told the cobra to react quickly if it wanted to keep such large prey, and the moment Thom's arms encircled the budgy, he wrenched him back towards the perch, sinuous black coils looping about Miller the moment he drew near. There was no venom to speak of, unfortunately (or fortunately, for Miller), but the cobra kept his fangs well embedded into the budgy's shoulder, attempting to keep him still in any way possible while the coils went to work suffocating his prey.

The world stopped, at least it did for a moment, and suddenly he was moving up again back towards the tree and realized Thom was reeling him in like a fish. Adrenaline poured through his blood dampening enough of the shock for Miller to move his good arm trying to struggle out of Thom's grasp and make a pathetic grab at his face hoping to try and push him off. All the while blood ran along his arm. He continued to groan and moan and gave another cry as the coils of Thom's body started to wrap around him he started to thrash about now, desperately so, the only thing keeping the shocked boy conscious was the adrenaline and the instinct that told him to get away and quickly.

Keeping a hold of something as large as Miller was really a good deal easier than Thom had expected it to be. Oh, it was proving somewhat difficult, certainly, what with all the squirming and writhing and whining and so on, but once he had a good grip on Miller's arms and coiled about his legs, the budgy didn't have much chance of escape. Still, suffocation was a difficult process for a cobra that was half relying on venom that wouldn't come. With each breath Miller released, the coils tightened, holding him firmly in place and preventing him from drawing a fresh breath.

However, as with his botched attempt at strangling Zach, almost immediately after Miller's vitals dropped beneath a safe level, a shock ran down Thom's neck and spine, knocking him out cold. Surprisingly, neither would fall; Thom was still partially coiled around a branch from before, and Miller was stuck in the now-limp coils.

Each passing second things became worse for Miller, he could feel pressure building around him and each whine and moan let out a bit more air that he could no longer get back. He could feel the coils pressing in hard against his ribs and a new pain joined that of his arm as one of his ribs cracked ever so slightly in Thom's ever growing grip.

The pressure died quickly though, as did most of his other problems when Thom suddenly went limp from the buzzing, slowly Miller slipped down a bit getting tangled in the coil that was now just barely holding him up.

Slowly and carefully, Miller took Thom by the mouth and lifted him slowly and painfully up so that the fangs would finally be out of him, the process of course was less then pleasant. He started to shift to get out when suddenly a sharp yet shorter buzz brought him down to rest as if in a nest among Thom's deadly coils.

Neither of the two would hear the jeeps pull up along the river bed, or the guards commenting about the whole thing. As quickly as the whole event took place the guards had it cleaned up.

In one jeep lay a stunned Thom, the guards made well to keep an eye on him incase he wake up again ready at any minute to buzz him again. He would be dumped at his duplex locked inside for a few hours as a brief scolding for the attack till the labs decided what should be done.

Miller mean while was taken directly to the labs, a quick job of wrapping the wound was done to keep the blood from flowing to easily on the way, but just to be safe the labs had called him in for a closer examination.

RP w/ Natsumi