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Newt had brought his tools outside that day. It had been raining before, but now the sky was clear and blue with only a handful of twisted clouds. The village traffic was quiet, and Newt was compelled to throw the muddy blanket from his bed down over the grass with his toolbox and various little craft tools the labs had granted him all spread out in front of his comfortable crouch. With the success (after many failed attempts that lead to bleeding fingers and a disheartening hole now in the webbing between his left hand's finger and thumb) of his first wind chime, he had settled down to try his hand at mass production. He was running out of sea glass, and it was very difficult to attach to the strings, and so he had combed through his collection for a few other things to try. He had already bound the sticks and reeds to make the top hangers, and punching holes with a scribe and a rock into the strips of aluminum cans, and had moved onto the tedious task of trying to drill little holes in a few thin bits of drift wood with a rather problematic hand drill. He had been forbidden any electric tools, but he had been clever enough to ask for more traditional alternatives instead, but now was wondering why he had bothered.

Maryke was quite proud of herself. After what seemed like an eternity (though in reality it was just a few days) she finally was getting used to her new feet. So much so that wearing shoes didn't seem to be needed anymore. The soles of her blackened feet were rough, not extremely so, but to where walking on rocks and such didn't hurt. It was a good feeling and she'd taken to walks around the village, ever mindful not to venture too far. She was compelled to visit Billy, but she didn't want to. She was still confused about the whole ordeal. The pain of her last change had just waned off for god's sake. So no, she'd rather think on her walks then get into that mess again. But this time as she walked she saw a rather familar form. She wrinkled her lemur nose at the sight of Newt, noting he looked more frog like then he did on their last meeting. "Keeping busy?" she called out, eyes darting to what he was doing.

At the sudden sound of her voice, he gave a little jump, the drill sliding from it's hole to leave an ugly scratch across the wood, "Ah, b-blast!"

"Oh s**t..." she muttered, a furred hand going over her mouth. "Sorry about that..." She probably shouldn't be disturbing him, but she walked forward anyway. Just something about the frogman made her linger.

"Ah... it... it w-wasn't... I was j-just star-startled," He shook his hand, throat wobbling nervously as he huddled back down over his work.*

"I getcha," she said looking down at his work. She watched him work a few more times and her eyes fixated on the piece of driftwood, she let out a soft wayward sigh as she thought...once more, of Billy. That seemed to be a slowly losing battle with her. She remember the octopus had made her bite that instead of her own lip, funny..she'd never been one to remember little details like that. She turned to Newt, thinking him someone who wouldn't talk or even HAVE anyone to gossip to she said offhandedly, "Hey...can I ask you something?"

"Ah... if.. .if it's about th-these, y-you'll j-just have to wait for me to f-fin-fin-finish, like all the others," He clutched the driftwood to examine the hole before pushing the unbent paper clip through and used a small pair of needle nose pliers to bend it into a spiraling silver loop over the wood.

"What......?" she said stupidly. She didn't even know what it was he was trying to do. Nor did she care. Maryke..was Maryke, and the only thing she cared about, like usual, was herself. "It's about.......a guy...."

He sagged a bit, looking disappointed, "Ah... oh."

She ignored the blatant disappointment. Surely the lemur wasn't looking for advice or sympathy....maybe just to vent. She needed an outlet and felt frogger here would provide her one. "Yeah," she continued. "I mean...you live your whole life with these...these walls up , then one day you find yourself on your back with..." she stopped, "So anyway, back to my question. What would you do if you thought you had feelings for someone, but that guy was like....the equivalent of a leper here?"

Newt gave her a bug-eyed froggy stare, blinking once after he realized the question had been asked, "Er... wh-what?"

Her maw shifted into a frown. Okay so she was going to have to explain this one better then that. "A guy...I think I might like him but...." she sighed, "I dont want to like him.....he's dirty."

"Y-you... um... if... you... d-dont' want to like him, th-then d-don't?" It wasn't the best advice, but it was the best the confused frog-man could come up with. Why was she telling him this? What business was it of his? "KrrKIT!" He added just to emphasize his anxiety towards the situation.

"It's not that simple! " she said quickly, ignoring the frog croak. Her long black silky tail flipped about wildly behind her, clearly showing all her frustration. "I mean, I can't help it....but Billy, he's....I don't even know WHAT his deal is," she continued, not realizing she'd let his name slip.

At that, his eyes widened impossibly large, wide froggish mouth agape, "Y-you... y-you're... y-you're t-talking about.. M-muh-mister W-woodrow?" His voice wavered and actually broke in surprise.

Oh s**t.... That had been a slip up Maryke most definitely did not want to do. "Don't tell anyone," she said quickly, furrowing her brow and letting her maw curl back in what was as close as a snarl as she could get. Though her new canines were quite impressive. Lemur muzzles were shapes and suited just like a fox's. "Yes....Billy....he...we...." she sighed and asked the air, "What am I supposed to do?"

Newt clutched his bit of wood and tools to his chest, leaning back with a semi inflated throat, "I... I d-don't... ah... f-fuh-fuh-follow y-your heart, I sup-suppose?" He squeaked uselessly.

"How can I!" She asked, the tail swishing harder, faster now. "He's the lake monster for crying out loud! No one can know about this, you hear me! No one...I'm not...I do not have feelings like this, I'm not built for....relationships. Besides," her maw slipped into a defeated pout, "He's probably screwing the next thing that chances in his lake right about now..."

Newt's eyes widened even further and he gave a terrified ribbit, "I... I... cer-cer-certainly hope not!"

"Me to!" she shouted, making herself more riled up. Her teeth gnashed against her maw, and the fur was on edge. not as bad as when she caught scared, but it was still on end. "But what if he is...?"

"I... er..." He coughed, trying to think of what he could possibly say, "I.... th-think um...." Anything at all that might be of some use to the lemur woman, "He.. er... th-that is... Muh-muh-Mr. W-woodrow... ah..." But nothing came to him. "W-well... he's... he's an octopus. KrrKIT."

"Yes, I know he's an octopus," she said darkly, narrowing her eyes at him. "Maybe I should just forget the whole thing....push it as far out of my head as I can. but...." another wayward sigh, "That's why I've BEEN trying to do.."

"Er... s-so... wh-what... er... exactly... um... is th-the p-problem, again?" He tried. She had come to him for advise, and he would try his hardest to give it! Even if.. he really had no idea what to say.

I finger went to her mouth. Did she even know herself? No. No, she didn't know anything anymore. Finally her eyes ticked to the ground and a wounded breath escaped her maw. "I like him.... " she whispered.

"Y-you... l-like... M-mr. W-woodrow?"

Hadn't he been listening? "Yes," she said, eyes still melted to the ground. "I think I do," but quickly they shot up with a dark intensity. "But don't tell anyone! I just don't....know what the hell I'm supposed to do about it."

"Umm... I sup-suppose... er... w-well... I g-guess... s-someone's g-got to like him...." From Newt's experience, not many people did, "Er... I ah.. w-wish you... um... huh-happiness, I g-guess." At that, he gave her an unsure smile, round bulbous eyes quivering, hoping he had said the right thing.

"So what you're saying is.....I should just talk to him about it?" she asked, taking it upon herself to read that statement however the hell she wanted. "Is that what you're saying?"

"Er... I... um... sup-sup.... er... sss'spose so?" He smiled encouragingly.

"Right...." she said nodding her head. "I just walk up to him, and just say 'Hey Billy, we had sex, and you may not even remember it...but will you be mine?' She frowned at that. But on the same token the moments they shared together, that day with him was the only good day she had on the island. Finally she nodded again, "Newt......you're a life saver."

He looked surprised, but wasn't about to argue, even as he stared at the mussle she most certain hadn't had the last time they had spoken. Granted he had still had his hair and had been several pounds lighter too. "I... uh... H-hope it all w-works out for you." He gave a trembling smile.

"Thanks...." she said, grinning her maw widely and downright ignoring his trembling. With that she gave the frogman a big hug, ignoring how disgusting she usually found him. Maybe because bugs were a part of a lemur's diet, not that she would eat them, but the thought that he did didn't bother her as much, or maybe it was because of this newfound advice.

Either way, at the sudden embrace, the frog man's greenish skin paled and he went rigid, sputtering and trembling on the spot before finally being able to spring away in a hefty, impressive leap. He landed heavily, hopping once more to hide behind the closest tree, trembling as he peered back at her from his new hiding place, "Ah! KrrKIT!"

She jumped back rather quickly at the sharp movement. She seemed to be always on edge, but instead of shouting at him or yelling she gave one more grin before she headed off, pondering over when was the best time to admit how she felt to the resident lake monster.

Once he saw her go, he figured it was safe to crawl back out again and hurry back to his blanket and his work. Strange, crazy monkey woman. Thankfully she hadn't seemed offended by his skittish nature. He hoped everything worked out just like she hoped they would.

It was evening when Newt sat in his flooded, muddy, bug infested duplex, staring sullenly at his intercom. What ifs and possibilities and probabilities all counteracted and argued against one another in his scraggly-haired
head, making his ears ring and his stomach hurt. There was nothing more to do but ask.

When a receptionist picked up, it only took him four tries before he managed to ask for an available superior. To his luck, this particular employee hadn't known him, and cared very little about speaking to him further. He was left with a nerve-wracking silence, his breath held as he waited for someone to answer, his toolbox clutched to his chest like a comforting doll.

When Sabin got the message that one N. Filinas was requesting a supervisor, he grinned with a morbid delight and claimed the message. However, Sabin did not pick up the line immediately. Instead, he waited a good three minutes after syncing his desktop in his office up with the camera in Newt's duplex. There was just something about the slimy-skinned ex-Janitor. He made tormenting him so EASY. Almost too easy. But, who was Sabin to turn down an easy game?

So finally, Sabin patched his voice through the receiver. "NEWT!" He shouted suddenly, grinning from ear to ear. A short pause... and then, "What do you want?"

There was a crash and a loud, terrified croaking yelp and a blurr across the screens before Newt landed in a muddy heap of limbs, scrambling to get upright. The crash had been the toolbox flying from his grip and arching through the air only to slam sideways against the corner of his workbench and pop it's lid open, spraying bits of wire, pliers and wire cutters and hot glue sticks and string flying through the air to scatter around him. "I... I...!" He babbled, gripping his chest as he gasped for breath.

Sabin had to mute the intercom again for a moment to hide his raucous laughter at the predictably clumsy janitor. Priceless. There was certainly a reason that he had volunteered to take this call despite the work that still needed to be done for the afternoon.

He clicked the mute off again. "You, you you? I don't believe I can help much with that."

Newt clenched his eyes shut, pulling himself into a crouch. Deep breaths, just take deep breaths, alright, just ask him, "N-nuh-no... no I..." He inhaled and exhailed, and lept back closer to the intercom again. As though trying to rally himself, he used the edge of his workbench to pull himself up onto his feet to look a bit more presentable, "I had a q-quh-question about... s-something... someone s-said to me...!" He managed to croak.

"Did you now?" Sabin mused aloud, leaning forward and watching the man squirm. "What is your question? My time is precious, you know. I can only answer so many questions per islander per month."

His eyes widened and his mouth opened and closed a few times uselessly befor he babbled, "It w-was th-this dog man juh-juh-Jordan and he.. he w-was... he s-said I had... b-breached com-company p-po-policy, b-but I d-didn't th-think... b-because A-aubrey s-said... b-but I d-don't w-want to be eaten b-by the wolf!" He ended with a ribbit, eyes wobbling wetly as he clasped his hands together.

Sabin just sat for a moment, trying to extricate some sort of linear meaning out of the string of only vaguely-related words that Newt had just uttered. Regardless, it was something Jordan had said- that islander who had been one of hte few that Moreau had personally escorted onto the island lately and had been given a special residence. The file mentioned a brief background on the man- part of a scam at a feral labs subsidiary, and becoming some sort of canid-taur. But as to why he had been given a private residence... there was nothing. He was also reacting very quickly to the mental effects of the serum... perhaps some inverse of the psychological stabilization experiments.... But more importantly, he was panicked, and scared of Annie, and it has something to do with thinking he did something wrong.

"Well, Newt... You have been a thorn in our sides... mistake after mistake..." He decided to let Newt worry some first

That made Newt's heartrate leap and his breathing quicken, "I... I had... I had f-figured I h-had b-been... y-you know... f-fired!! I.... I th-thought... w-well, w-with the whole... t-turning into a - krrKIT! Ah... " He swallowed dryly, "f-frog and all... b-but... he s-said... I w-was... w-was he really s-sent to warn me?" He hoped not, he prayed no, his eyes trembled as did his swelling and deflating throat with every nervious breath.

He still didn't quite get what Newt was particularly scared of, or why he thought that they were going to feed him to Annie, but whatever the cause, Sabin wasn't going to discourage it. If Jordan was playing at being a labtech, that was a different matter. And perhaps an interesting one.

"Well, did you ever get a pink slip?" Sabin asked in a stern voice. "And would you rather I have come down there myself to deliver a message, Newt? I'm a busy man, and I can't come making social calls when other lab workers are there to do the menial tasks. And believe me, Newt - if you need me to come down there and make it personal, you WILL regret it."

The world seemed to slow down around him, his heart thudding painfully, his insides twisting in his stomach and he pursed his lips to supress the urge to empty out his lunch of bugs and a few small rodent-like creatures he had caught out in the jungle. That would not have been a good idea at that moment. "I....." He managed, voice wavering as he physically wobbled on his feet before slowly slinking back into his froggish crouch, "I... I s-see... I... I... I'm s-so... so sorry I... I d-didn't m-mean to... to s-stop my d-duties like... like I have... " Jordan's words rang in his ears, The Labs are your Family, You Owe Them Everything... He wasn't ungrateful. He wasn't angry! He hadn't mean to be subordinative! "I... P-please d-don't... d-don't p-punish me, if... if I c-could get a new c-cart I c-could start again, j-just p-please... I c-couldn't s-survive out th-there!"

So THAT'S what he had been talking about! Stopping his duties! Sabin chuckled to himself. Oh this should prove delightful.

Sabin intentionally heaved a belabored sigh "I.... well, fine. You were on thin ice, but we will give you one LAST chance, Newt. I'll have a cart out there by mid afternoon."

"And... if... I s-sort of... w-well.. I had th-thought..." He cringed, glancing to the corner of the room where his mop had been plucked of it's yarny bottom to make string for one of his little artistic en devours, "I... w-wouldn't n-need my... my m-mop anymore and... er... adapted it." He braced himself, throat swelling with horrified anticipation.

Sabin grumbled, though there was a smile on his face invisible to Newt. "And a new mop. Fine. But don't expect us to be granting many frivolous requests - these items are going to come out of your paycheck, Newt, if you keep turning them into useless crap."

He flinched at that, his lower lip trembling as he fought back the tears of worry, but one question still burned in his mind. Jordan hadn't been clear on this matter, and he had to know for sure, "And... and... wh-what... what if I w-wuh-wan-wan-wan-wanted to... to quit being a janitor?"

There was an intentional pause. "Do you really want to go down that road, Newton?"

"KrrKIT!" He supposed not. "Wh-what... wh-what about the other c-cleaning s-staff?" He added quickly to change the subject, "Is th-there sh-shifts or...?"

"Of course. But you have the singular priviledge of being on your own schedule, Newt. But apparently even that hasn't been good enough for you." Sabin said, his voice clipped. "When you see somethings awry, you can fix it. Most of the other staff has to work around the islanders being on location. You don't."

"Y-yes, s-s-sir," Not thinking about being on screen anywhere, Newt had sagged down into a miserable lump, his knees tucked tight against him with his round soft chin and throat resting on the dirty, mud-encrusted carpet.

Sabin smiled, reveling momentarily in his simple victory over the meek Janitor. He was so simple to confuse, to deceive and to frighten. And this time, most of the work had even been done for him - he just had to confirm it. Sabin clicked off the intercom from his end and returned to his pile of work with a grin and a whistle.

Newt stayed crouched for a long time, nearly an hour befor he hopped to one of his drawers of organized litter he had been collecting, reaching in to dig through it for something. Maybe he could continue his crafts... he could clean and do maintenance rounds all day, and maybe stash any findings somewhere to collect and tinker with later! Surely they wouldn't be mad if he did both? He tried to be optimistic about this sudden realization. It had been his own fault for thinking he was on the same level as the real subjects. He found what he had been looking for, a plastic laminated ID tag connected to it's old silver clip. He had thought the skinny, pale-faced greasy gangly no-body in the digitized photo was dead and gone, but he supposed one never could escape who they really were.

Fixing the Pinball Machines
Gaius confronts Newt in the arcade
http://www.gaiaonline.com/guilds/viewtopic.php?t=2844316&page=12

It had taken Newt days, but he finally had come to the only resolution he could stand living with. It all came down to the fact that staying a janitor would have meant far more torture than they would deal out to him as punishment. He had tried to be responsible. He had tried to be committed. It just wasn't in him. He wanted to invent, to play with wire and string and make things. He wanted to create, he didn't want to clean up. Well, he would clean up after he was done creating, but his own messes! Or, perhaps the messes of a few close friends! Or someone who asked very politely! But not for the labs, not any longer. He was done being controlled by them. He wasn't ungrateful for their kindness over the past nearly six years of his life, but he just couldn't take it any longer! He was ready to retire. He said as much in the long letter he had scribbled out in his semi legible spidery handwriting, as well as six pages of all of his thoughts on the subject in as nice a way as he could have possibly phrased it. Thank goodness he was more articulate with a pen than his mouth. He then slowly stripped down out of his jumper, changing into his swim trunks which still were the only clothing that still fit him.

The evening before in the dead of night he had slipped out to follow the river down towards the caves, leaping deeper than he knew there'd be cameras to hide a few things just in case. He had cut out the photo of his human face from his plastic ID badge, ruining it to save this little reminder of who he had been. His toolbox filled with jewelers equipment, needle nosed pliers and his nice wire and a few bags of his nicer trash-pickings and some of his recent projects as well as a bug trap and a few jars of the smelly concoctions sealed tightly and stowed away behind some rocks. If something went wrong, at least these things would be safe. His records he would have to sacrifice- those would be too obviously missing. The toolbox and things at least were usually put away out of sight.

The rest of any Feral Labs property, he loaded up on his cart to push all the way up the hill bright and early the next morning after he had put the finishing touches on his letter. His heart in his throat, he huddled in front of the gate, trying to keep himself from changing his mind and running back down the hill and far away. This was it. He had to do it. He had to do it to be a man. TO do the right thing. To be happy. He was allowed to be happy, wasn't he?

Sabin had been notified of Newt's slow march towards the labs, and so by the time the frog-man arrived at the gate, Sabin was there and waiting for him on just the other side of the fence with his arms crossed and a dour expression on his face. The fact that the man was pushing his cart, and the grim expression on his bloated green face spelled the most likely reason for the frogman's trek, and Sabin was not pleased.

With a snap of his fingers, the guards opened the gate for Newt, and without a word, Sabin waved his fingers indicating that Newt should enter the gates. The guards watched him with a snort, one elbowing the other one in the side as if confirming some private joke. But the whole time, their guns were trained on Newt.... just in case.

He stayed in a low crouch, hopping along as he pushed that cart along and tried to avoid looking at the terrifying weapons. He wasn't there. He was somewhere else. He wasn't hopping into the mouth of the beast and kick it in the uvula. His heart was still racing despite his better effort to take deep calming breaths. He could hear the whispers, hear the rattle of weapons in harnesses. He wished it hadn't been quite such a long a trek, or that he had taken a bathroom break befor the last turn. His stomach had thoughts of being a bit sick. Sabin had been waiting for him! What did that mean?? What did his expression mean?? What did-? Don't think about it. What's teh worst? He didn't know the worst. Don't think about it! Just do it! Be brave! Think of Gaius! Gaius wouldn't have been afraid! He would have stood tall and brave and told that terrifying albino just what was on his mind! He wouldn't be huddled in a green quivering ball of terrified frog! But he also remembered that in all technicality, his belly was yellow. Literally.

Sabin waited until Newt had cleared the pathway of the fence before striding with an air of determination towards him and looking down the bridge of his nose with a glower.

"Did you come here to tell me something, Newton?" He said grimly, eyes darting to the piece of paper clutched in Newt's hand. Sabin seemed to radiate a seething anger, as if he knew that Newt was here to proverbially spit in his eye.

The frog huddled back between his knees, clutching the paper-clipped wad of lined paper tightly to his chest, his throat inflating in it's balloonish manner as the edges of an anxiety attack gripped his lungs, "I... I... I... woo-woo... er.. s-ss-suh... s-sir, I... ah..."

"GET IT OUT, MAN!" Sabin snapped, having no patience for Newt's stuttering.

"I... I...." He stammered a few more times before squeaking, "q-q-q-quit, s-sir!"

"You what....?" Sabin growled, daring Newt to repeat himself.

If Newt had still been able to, he would have been drenched in sweat. Instead, he quivered and trembled and looked ready to spring away and into the underbrush. They can't hurt him anymore than making him a frog. They can't hurt him anymore than he already had been. He'll be free. He'd be free and he could do what he wanted and not be afraid anymore. He was hyperventilating. Trying to get his breathing under control with a few anxious gulps, he thrust the bundle of papers at the taller man pointedly.

Sabin snatched the papers from newt in a quick motion, shaking them once with a crisp snap before his eyes skimmed over the words... quickly. It was plain that Sabin wasn't reading every word, especially as he flipped through the pages progressively faster.

Sabin was already in a vaguely frustrated mood with the decision that was weighing on his shoulders. His... entertainment with Joli had helped, but still, Sabin did NOT like to be disobeyed, especially by some lowly islander.

It wasn't so much that Newt didn't want to work for the labs that rankled Sabin. That he could certainly understand. he had even found it humorous that Newt had thought that he still HAD to. It was the fact that he was going against what HE told him.

It was obvious that Newt expected a punishment for quitting. And, in a way, what happened to Newt would be a sign to other islanders who might decide to go against the labs, even in small ways. If Newt of everyone could get the courage to stand up for himself and ignore an order from the labs, then things were going to take a drastic decline.

If Sabin gave him a simple punishment, then Newt would take it as his "payment" for quitting. He'd deal with it, and move on, feeling freed by the process. He expected to be locked out of his duplex, Sabin was pretty certain. But considering Newt's state, and the state of his duplex, that wasn't much of a punishment. He was far enough along now that he could feed himself and find comfortable living accommodations with what the island itself could provide. His species was pretty well suited to the climate. He would be off the hook. Mildly uncomfortable perhaps, but free.

So he needed something better. Something that Newt would HATE, and yet give him the option of changing his mind. If Sabin could make a loyal employee out of him - be it through honest desire to work or sheer fear of the consequences, then that would be another islander on "their" side.

Well, that just left what to do to the fellow. Jordan was the one who put the fear of the labs back into him... it could be entertaining to effectively "give" him to Jordan.... but that could prove difficult. He couldn't force Newt to work for him if he couldn't force him to do maintenance work to begin with.

Well... he was terrified of Annie... as well he should be.... what if...

A devious smile slid across Sabin's face. Annie thus far had limited her attacks primarily to the guards... not without exception.... but the past few weeks she hadn't been spotted. Unfortunately, where one problem had been quiet, the other had reared its head. There had been another murder - but this one pinned on Jamal. Efforts thus far had been concentrated on the wolf, as she was the bigger threat. But Jamal wouldn't attack an islander either, right?

So Sabin could send Newt along with one of the patrol parties. Tell him that he was "bait". He'd probably be in no real danger, but it would scare the piss out of him. Not only would Newt be terrified of every little bump in the woods, every snapped twig, BUT he'd be tied up with the guards - who certainly wouldn't hesitate to torment the fat janitor.

Finally, Sabin broke the steely silence, looking up sharply to Newt. In a deathly serious voice, Sabin began, "The labs have been good to you, Newt. We've looked after you as one of our own. We've provided you food, shelter, and anything that a man needs to live and thrive. It is your own fault that you have pushed yourself as hard as you did. And I think that you are making a terrible, terrible mistake. I myself have warned you to not take this route. And it is ME that you have chosen to disobey." Sabin stressed this point emphatically.

"And so, you have two options, Newt. You can return to work like a good boy..... or you can be useful in OTHER ways. Ways that I do not think that you will like. As you certainly are aware, we have had little successes in capturing Annie or Jamal. And it has been proposed by some that perhaps we are not using the... proper tactics. You will accompany a group of guards on their search parties..... I'm sure you remember Mitchell and Daniels...." Sabin said, pausing with a wry smile as he remembered two of the guards whose personnel files named specifically for their aggressive tendencies and bullying. "with their rounds. Perhaps some prey species will lure out the beasts." Sabin's tone did not suggest a joke in any sense of the word.

"I... aaah..." Newt wobbled, gaping at Sabin's face for just a moment as he swayed back and forth, his head swimming, "Y-you... y-you'd use m-me as... as b-bait?" He squeeked in horror. No, no, they wouldn't kill him, would they?? They couldn't! Well, they very well could but... "I... I j-juh-juh... I d-duh.. I duh..." He tried, glancing over to the two guards who were as painfully familiar as Freddie had been. He just didn't want to sweep anymore! He didn't want the responsibilities! "I... I j-just w-want... want to be a nor-nor-nor-normal subject!" He managed to croak out, hopping backwards away from Sabin and away from his cart a good several feet, but stumbled as he caught himself.

Sabin's face remained steely as he stared Newt down. "Well, Newt, THAT is not an option. I am sure that everyone here has things they want. 'To go free...'" He mimicked in a high, mocking voice. "And whatnot. But when you chose to disobey ME, you were asking for my ire. And congratulations, Newton, you have gotten it!"

He took swift steps towards him, closing the distance and pulling Newt up by the slimy shoulders as he stared into his face with a burning intensity. "You were all ready to face the punishment?? Well here you are, Newt. The punishment. I am being generous in allowing you to rethink your decision."

"B-b-but I d-don't want to d-d-die..!" Newt gasped, quivering and pulling back against Sabin's grip, his throat trembling and eyes wobbling in terror, "I d-don't... I d-don't w-want to be eaten!!"

In all likelihood, Newt wouldn't be eaten - if Annie or Jamal even happened to show their faces, which with how things had been going was already unlikely, then it was unlikely that either of them would go for Newt. And even IF they did, if it meant an opportunity for the guards to catch them... then they might be able to fall them before they did any severe damage. And that would be worth an injury to a subject, Sabin was certain of that. The two of them were becoming a very poignant thorn in the labs' side.

Of course, Sabin would never reassure Newt with this information. He merely lifted an eyebrow, sympathy not crossing the man's face. "The guards go out there every day, Newt. They're risking their lives for the wellbeing of us all. You want to be brave and stand up for yourself. Fine. Take your punishment. Or you can stop pretending to be someone you're not. Stop pretending that you are anything more valuable than a meek, frog-eyed janitor. It's all you ever were, and it's all you're good for. You've let delusions of grandeur go to your head."

Newt's eyes twitched over Sabin's face before dipping down , his mouth pursed shut as his trembling legs tried to support his girthy form. He was worthless. "I j-just... d-don't... d-don't want to... to b-be a jan-janitor anymore..." He managed to murmur, "I... I'm n-not ungrateful... I... I'm r-really n-not...!" He begged for what good it would do. Fat tears dribbled down his face like a leaky faucet, despite his constant attempt to hold them in. He owed the labs everything, yes.... if it weren't for them, he probably would have been living out of a shopping cart in a cold alley somewhere, or even worse off... just like his father had said. His voice was overcome by a frantic, mournful croak, though, his throat inflating outward against Sabin's hands and then back into shape again.

Newt's terror and blubbering only encouraged Sabin, giving him a heady rush of power.

"If you are not a janitor, then your only worth IS as bait." Sabin snarled in his face. "And you are the definition of ungrateful!" Sabin's nails dug into Newt's thin skin. "You have those TWO options. Quit your sniveling and CHOOSE or I shall choose for you!"

"If... if I'm... If I go...!" Newt cried out in pain and terror, his voice high and fast between his hyperventilating, "And... if.. .if I survive...??"

The wicked smile spread further across his face. "Then you'll go again the next day."

He couldn't speak now, the tremors too terrible. He clenched his eyes shut since Sabin's face wouldn't stop spinning. Too much oxygen to his brain, or too much something, the frog suddenly went slack in Sabin's grip, caught dead in a swoon.

Sabin snorted as the frog went limp in his grasp, dropping him to the ground in an unceremonious heap. Wiping his hands off on a towel that hung from Newt's abandoned cart, he signaled to the guards to tie him up. After some brief instructions, Sabin returned to the lab buildings, leaving Newt tied up outside the fence with the two grinning, sniggering guards.

His wrists would be tied behind his back, and his ankles. And there would be a rope tied from from the rope around his wrists to the belt of one of the guards

It wasn't long before Newt fidgeted, shifting to glance up blearily from where he lay face down on the road. His head was still swimming and his ears ringing, but he was getting the feeling back in his hands and feet. His eyes narrowed and mouth drooped into a frown as he gave his wrists a tug. He tugged again, but to his horror, they, like his ankles had been tightly bound in rope behind his back. He gave a croaking whimper, shifting to try to sit up on his knees but to no avail. "Ah...!"

The the guard whose belt he was tied to, Daniels, smiled sourly down at Newt. "Froggy can't jump verry well with his feet tied, huh?" He sniggered as if this was the most wonderful joke in the world, and from Mitchell's reaction, he apparently thought so too.

"Duvert says that you're to sit tight with us till we switch off with Byers' group." More sniggering. "Less you wanna go run back home to the freak house and get back to yer damn job."

"L-let m-me go!" Newt cried desperately, thrashing and struggling in a sad attempt to wriggle free, "Th-this is m-mad!! Th-this is ter-ter-terrible!! I... I c-could be y-you! I c-could b-be you!!" He managed, the terror gushing forth to push his mouth faster than he could even think about what he was saying, "Th-think about F-Fredrick!!"

"shyiit. You aint' us. We ain't that stupid!" The guard sneered. "Freddie got hisself in s**t. Hell, this will be Fun. You get to come with us and the wolf will go for you instead!"

He tried to crawl away from the guards, worming along on his stomach and knees, "N-not g-going to be eaten... n-not... n-not..." He panted in terror.

The guard gave a hard jerk back on the rope. "Ah ah ah! No worming away from us!"

Newt whimpered as he was dragged back, sobbing silently into the dirt.

The guards showed no remorse, only kept laughing at the poor fate of their ex-fellow staff member. They exchanged lewd jokes, Newt being the but of more than a few, and theorized out loud how long he would make it out there in the jungle.

Maybe she wouldn't come? Newt cried uselessly for a good long while, trying to ignore their taunting, but each word was like an adition slap to the face. What if she didn't come? What if everything was alright? Maybe she didn't like to eat frogs? Apparently, though, they tasted a bit like chicken, or so he had heard. His already green face seemed paler and greener somehow, his sobs ebbing away as he went silent. His stomach was twisting and flopping, hopping where he couldn't.

After being sick and then being kicked a few times for being sick and promptly being sick again and then dragged far away from the messy area, Newt was starting to feel a little better. It was that euphoria that came from after a real good cry and the adrenalin of terror has worn off and one is left strangely numb and... kinda happy. He admired the jungle and it's various pretty plant life as the guards took turns reminding him what a stupid decision he had made along the way of his career, to be not only a frog, but to be reassigned as bait to lure a pair of vicious hungry predators out into the open. That much was painfully obvious. He watched the birds flutter along above them as he was dragged behind the guards like a fishing lure. Any moment, black and white stripes or a rush of brown furr would come surging out at him to rip his legs from his torso and do a lot more terrible and regrettable things.

Several hours had gone by, and Newt was still nervous and wary, but beginning to be a bit more hopeful. Maybe she really wouldn't! Maybe she was gone, somewhere else to eat someone else! In a brief moment of bravery, he asked the guards if they thought Sabin might offer him another job, different from janitorial work, but not quite as dangerous as being bait. He didn't get a chance to finish, though, as they grew impatient with his stutter, and annoyed by his flat ugly green face. They shouted cruel things, laughing and mocking, telling him he should have been happy where he had once been. This was all his own fault for being cheeky. When he had tried to protest, he had received a swift kick and was told that if he had any problems with his new assignment, he should take it up with Sabin himself once his patrol was over.

Newt kept his mouth shut, waiting for either Annie to come to rip his throat out or the end of the shift to come, which ever came first. Either way, life was looking depressingly dismal.

To his relief, the end of the shift did come without a single wolf siting, an outcome he had not expected, but was happy to have had happen that way. He thought about it all, as he stared down at his swim trunks, still tied up as they were driving him back to the village.

They only untied him once they had dropped him off in the center of the village, and then left him there without any sort of aknowlagement. As though he were simply cargo. With a miserable, timid sigh, he took a little while sitting there to try to sort out what had happened. When he was still confused, he knew there was no other choice but to be brave once again. No harm in it, right? He hopped sorely home to his duplex, relieved to find it still open and untouched. He drew in a nervous breath before pressing the appropriate code into his intercom, and requested for a certain Doctor Duvert.

A few minutes later, Dr. Duvert's voice came through loud and clear over the speakers. "Newton... how was your afternoon?" came the cruel mirthful voice.

"I... er..." He swallowed, rubbing the sore spots form being dragged. Cut to the chase. "I... I w-was... w-was w-won-wondering, s-sir..." his voice still trembled, although it was surprising and almost pathetically impressive that he kept his voice at a calm tone. At least as calm as Newt ever managed.

Sabin wasn't surprised that Newt had survived his expedition. But he was a little disappointed that he was left so unrankled as to actually call him the moment he got back. From the brief report he had gotten from the guards over the radio after they had dropped him off, Newt had been relatively compliant. Perhaps not in their words, but from Sabin's interpretation.

"You were wondering..?" Came the flat, annoyed response.

"If... if... m-maybe th-there w-was... a d-different j-job... I m-mean... if... if I c-can't... c-can't quit..." He tried to look serious, polite, whatever expression might get on Doctor Duvert's good side. Just stay calm. Just breath normal. In... and... out....

The characteristic tapping of Sabin's nail on the desk was heard as the only response for a good few moments. "A different job..?" Sabin replied sardonically. "What, the Janitor duty too complicated for you? And I'm not surprised that you didn't enjoy your punishment, Newt."

"N-no it's... it's n-not t-too... too com-com-complicated, s-sir... I've j-just... I've b-been d-doing it for almost s-six years, sir..." He managed, voice picking up pace until he caught himself and fell silent. In... and... out...

"And a job that requires a good deal of diversity. It is far from monotonous - there's cleaning, repair work, even some basic electronics..... dear God why do I need to spell this out for you Newt?! What else are you good for!"

He hung his head, eyes half lidded as he frowned at his feet, "B-bait, I sup-suppose..." He said softly.

"Right. Bait." Sabin confirmed loftily.

Newt fell silent, thinking things through. "I.." He shifted uncomfortably on his bruises, "I g-guess... I'll... I'll n-need my b-bucket and... and t-tools back..." he finally responded quietly. "And I ah... I... I destroyed my ID b-badge... it... it c-caught fire by m-mistake..."

Sabin paused, leaning back in his chair and smiling with triumph. It felt good. Deliciously so. Perhaps Newt's spirit was defeated, and perhaps he hated his job, but he was doing it. And he was scared to go against the labs again.

"Excellent. I think that you will find that you made a wise decision. I will see to it that your supplies are returned to you by daybreak. And I will have a new badge made for you." Sabin was pretty certain that there was no accidental fire that had just targeted Newt's badge, but he didn't particularly care, either.

"Th-thank you, s-sir," Newt replied simply, still staring down at his feet. He felt sick again, but had nothing else left in him. It was for the best.

The next morning, as promised, Newt's cart sat on his porch again for him to lug down the stairs. there was also a new badge. But the photo is more... representative of his current look. Not the best photo either - snapped from one of the surveillance cameras during Newt's jungle trip showing just how miserable he was. A pointed reminder of his alternative.

Liamh strolled through the familiar doorway of the Arcade room, whistling sort of raggedly. He was just re-learning how to make a proper whistle, since part of his face was long gone, and it wasn't going so well. Practice made perfect, though, didn't it? He glanced around. Looked like the place was deserted. Good. A chance to burn off some steam... He moved across the room, dodging the foosball table and making his way around the edge of the billiards table.

Not too far away, laying huddled up in a blue jumpered ball of frog was Newt, fast asleep beneath the rows of pinball machines. He was tucked back against the wall, not easily noticeable, which was probably why he had fallen asleep there to begin with. He would have been perfectly hidden, had he not forgotten he left the bottle of glass cleaner out in the middle of the isle, along with his dingy red rag and a roll of paper towels.

Walking over, Liamh surveyed the machines, breathing in the comforting hum and thrum, the friendly winking lights. He smiled - then paused, his attention drawn inexorably to the machine on the end that had been dark for the last few weeks. No longer. It glowed merrily with the rest, the "Back to the Future" sign lighting up a flaming trail behind an 80's airbrushed Delorean. He beamed. They'd fixed it! He shambled over and leaned his twiggy frame on it, the machine giving a nearly imperceptible mechanic groan. Maybe he'd be the first to play it. He wondered if anyone else had been down here yet to see it.

Something caught his eye in the reflection of the pinball machine's backboard. Liamh wrinkled his forehead and glanced to the side. A bucket? A bucket and rags. He turned around, glancing around. Spooky. "Hello?" he called softly. His foot turned - and caught something. Something clammy, and slightly cool in the air conditioning. Liamh yelped, jumping slightly, and bent down slowly stared wide-eyed beneath the machine. A long..... green.... foot? He boggled.

Once kicked, Newt jumped slightly with a sleepy, "KrrKIT!" before he seemed to settle back down again.

Liamh slowly crouched down in front of the machine. Okay, wait... the froggy janitor guy... What was his name? Some kind of lizard? Amphibian? No no.... It was... "Newt!" Liamh crowed, his brain grinding the information out like a raspy paper shredder. He winced slightly. Perhaps he shouldn't be so loud.... but then, that couldn't be a good place to sleep. He raised an eyebrow. Was the guy all right? Maybe he should check. "Hey... hey, are you okay?" He reached out a vine tendril-finger and prodded at the amphibious, jump suited creature before him.

At the sudden shout of his name, all Newt could imagine was a ferocious, angry white face glaring down at him with cold, enraged eyes and he made as though to straighten with a startled cry. This only resulted in the smashing of his nearly bald head against the bottom of the machine with a loud painful crack just as Liamh's arm reached out to get him. He only had time to groan for a moment, freezing with a hand over the back of his head as his eyes went wide at the peeling hairless face. "I D-D-DON'T W-WANT TO BE EATEN!" He shrieked, scrambling backward away from him under the machine frantically. Annie had been here! The wolf had been there and had ripped this man up first and now she would come back for him! he scrambled to grope about for whatever ropes might have been attached to him, but found only his ID badge and zipper.

Liamh let out a squawk and jerked his arm back, toppling over backward onto his rear. His left eye twitched and his glasses were a bit askew. "Agh! Crap!" He stared at the frog for a moment, then raised his viney hand in what he hoped was a calming gesture. Maybe. "Hey now.... take it easy..."

His back up against the wall, and one webbed hand clutching his squishy chest as though to still his heart, Newt panted in an attempt to calm himself down. Where was he? His head was hurting- he had hit it, but on what? The bottom of the... what was...? His expression slowly drooped as the details came back to him. He had woken early with the bucket out front with the fresh uniforms and other cleaning supplies left out on his doorstep. He had repeated his trick with the ropes to get it back down again, this time lowering it down over the side of the porch instead of down the stairs. Quietly, diligently, he had gone about his duties, speaking to no one and looking at no one the entire time. By the time he had reached the game room to see if anyone had noticed the machine he had fixed, the previous evening's lack of sleep and abundance of unpleasant nightmares had caught up with him. If he could have blushed still, he would have been crimson.

His eyes drooped down to his large flat feet, though, his mouth closing as he gripped his bruised side instead.

Liamh straightened his glasses reflexively and leaned his head sideways a bit. The guy was on some kind of freaky trip, perhaps.... too many fumes? He passed out under there? Somehow he doubted it, but he couldn't quite figure why anyone would be.... SLEEPING... under a pinball machine. He paused and rewound that thought in his head. Well.... perhaps that WOULD be kinda cool... he shook his head mentally. Nerd fantasies aside, the skittish fellow before him seemed to have calmed a bit. "Hey, uh, Newt, right?" Liamh offered a grin, though it came out as a sort of ghoulish grimace. A friendly one. He rolled himself to his knees awkwardly, wincing where he crushed a small sprig that had decided to sprout from his shin that morning. "You okay under there? You working? On the machines, I mean... i think it's fixed now...."

"Ah... y-yes," He murmured weakly as though only half paying attenion. He groped along the ground blindly befor flopping back down into his crouch to figure out which way to go. He tried not to look over at Liamh, not only because he still wasn't fond of the manifestation of his changes and still hadn't become used to them despite their time together on the construction site, but also because he didn't particularly wish to talk to anyone just then. "I... I sh-should... " He glanced to his forgotten rags and windex and tried to remember where he had left his cart.

Liamh scooted backward a bit. "Hit your head pretty hard there, man... " a skeptical trace filtered into his voice. "You sure you're okay?" He got up into a crouch, hanging on the end of the pinball machine. "I mean, my skull's pretty thick, but i wouldn't assume everybody else's head is full of rocks..." He held his good hand out toward Newt. At least it still had fingers, right? Despite the vegetation poking out here and there... he fought back a slight shudder. Maybe he wasn't exactly the most reassuring sight to wake up to.

"N-no... no, I'm alright..." He mumbled, carefully crawling out from under the game himself, taking a quick hop towards his forgotten things to quickly gather them up in his arms.

"Okay... if you're sure..." Liamh watched the strange fellow reaching out for his tools and supplies. He glanced back to the machines and then at Newt, jerking his thumb at the electronic altar to the 80's cult classic. "Hey, did you see they fixed that one? Lab monkeys did something right for once. We could, uh, go a few rounds if you want?" He tilted his head again. "I could use the competition."

"S-sorry I d-didn't... g-get to it sooner," He murmured dryly. The invitation seemed to slip over him like water off a duck's back. He piled everything under an arm, tucking the rag into his back pocket, hopping past him in a single, prominently arched bound.

"Hey now, that's not what i meant!" Liamh exclaimed in exasperation. "I just..... wait..." The gears popped into place. "You fixed that?" he glanced curiously at the amphibious janitor with a surprised, wondering tone in his voice. "Really? You know how to fix pinball machines?"

He landed heavily, pausing to catch his breath and wince. The guards hadn't been very lenient with their kicking, and frogs apparently weren't made very well for being kicked. He wondered if he would be better off walking, as clumsy as he was... "W-well... s-suh-sort of..." He fidgeted distractedly, "Th-there w-was j-just.... ch-chewing g-gum s-stuck in and a wuh-woo-wire that came free." He found his cart parked behind the pool table and pulled himself up to put away the windex.

"Huh. Cool. I would have had to take the whole thing apart to find that." Liamh shrugged, "Then again, i've always had the perverse desire to take apart a pinball machine, so maybe i'm just hoping." he pushed himself to his feet, brushing himself off and testing his mutant hand again. "You know. The Pandora's box of every electronics geek. After a while, they start hiding the appliances from you..." he chuckled, trailing off as he saw the frog favoring his side gingerly.

Newt fidgeted, glancing over nervously for a moment befor he seemed to come to some sort of resolution. "I d-don't... r-really know that m-much about... electronics, r-really... j-just enough to... er... f-figure things out and... er... sh-sh-shock myself g-gen-gen-generally..." He crouched back down into his safety crouch, still trying to wake himself up. He felt drained in all aspects, and hungry on top of it. And he hurt. And he was a janitor still. All of these things added up to a great amount of displeasure.

Liamh shrugged, leaning against the pinball machine. "Well, it's good enough for me. I'm kinda glad to know it WASN"T the labs fixing the machine. Test subject pride, you know?" He grinned. He had no idea of Newt's occupational distress, though if he'd given it thought he would have had to figure the frog's janitorial status connected him to the labs, a vocational umbilical of windex and WD40.

"Er... I... w-well," He was back to the same problem he had had when he had still been human. Somehow this time, though, it wasn't as easy to be proud about it. He decided to dance around it, "Th-they... h-haven't g-given me any k-keys... I h-had to... to j-jimmy it open w-with... with a b-bit of w-wire and a t-tool."

"Heh. I can see the headline now," Liamh raised both hands before him as if depicting a marquis in lights. " 'Frogman Hijacks Arcade Machine: Crime wave On the Rise'. Remind me to call you if i lock myself out of my duplex." He paused, mulling that over. "Not... that i've really been locking it for quite a while. I guess there ceased to be a point. I don't think any of the other islanders would want my crap or want to brave the mess. And the.... wild... islanders.." he chewed on that one. "That wolf girl and the tiger. I don't think they come close to the village, at least i hope not. Right?" he glanced over at Newton.

At that, Newt went very quiet, hidden down along the floor. He leaned his shoulder against his cart, gripping the carpet tightly as he concentrated on breathing in and out. Don't think about it. Don't think about it. They won't come. They wouldn't have gotten his scent, would they? They wouldn't have... no, no, they didn't come to the village. There were cameras in the village, and they'd avoid the cameras. Unfortunatly, Newt wanted to avoid the cameras as well.

Liamh shot the shrinking frog a worried look. Partially about Newton.... and partially... "Err...... right? I mean... they wouldn't... if they're all feral and whatnot - er, i guess everything's 'Feral' here, no pun - they'd stay away from people, wouldn't they? All... instincty?" He crossed his arms and sort of hunched over before catching himself. Darnit. He was shrinking up like the frogman.

"I... I... I d-don't know," He managed to croak, suddenly hopping around his cart to push it towards the door. They couldn't have smelled him there! He had to get back to his duplex. He'd leave his cart under the stairs and hope Cody didn't come across it. He didn't care, he'd get another one.

Liamh boggled. "Well, we're safe HERE, at least. I mean, they might slink around the duplexes, but i don't think they'd come into these big buildings." He had always been comforted by machines. The sound of them. The lights. The presence they seemed to have. Surely, if anything, the machines - the very *civilization* of them - would drive back the 'monsters' of the jungle, of instinct, of the outside.... "I can't imagine Jamal swinging by to rack up some foosball time, you know?" He laughed a bit nervously, fingering the pinball flipper button next to him.

"I... I d-don't...." He paused, breathing deeply as he clung to the cart, "I.. I... y-you... you th-think?" He managed, large bulbous eyes peeking up over the edge of his trashcan to blink at him in quiet terror.

Liamh reached up and scratched at his bald - if a bit leafy - head. "Oh yeah, if anything, this is the BEST place..." He let one side of his face curl up a bit into a half grin at the frogman. "And anyway, i'm totally a ninja with these pool cues," he said, gesturing at them. "If ninja you mean flailing idiot." He pushed off the pinball machine and walked over to the cart, looking over it and the odds and ends it held. "Say..... why DO you lug this stuff around? Isn't there something more interesting to do?" He scrunched up the other half of his face.

"I... ah..." In and out and just say it, "It's.. it's m-my er... j-job." He cleared his throat, giving an embarrassed ribbit before turning back to it, "And.. and I sh-should... sh-should p-probably... p-probably go.. ah..."

Liamh raised an eyebrow. Or, an eye-ridge.... thing, for lack of eyebrow hair. Perhaps, in truth, a brow was still a brow for lack of hair? He brushed the deep philosophies of facial features aside. "Your job? You have a job here? What on earth for?" That DID make sense, after all.... why would anyone spend their time cleaning if they didn't have to? "I mean, you're a test subject.... they can't possibly be paying for it or something..." he was leaning heavily on the cart, nonplussed.

He opened his mouth, ready to explain everything as though to excuse himself, but in the long run he really didn't see the point. He frowned again, "It's... ah... com-complicated." Maybe it would be alright... they had said he could make his own hours... what did that entail? If he stay and talked with the... the vine man, would he wake up on a hook being dragged through the jungle? Next time Sabin would probably roll him in some sort of wolf attracting pheromone before hand, and stuff his jumper full of catnip.

"Complicated...." Liamh leaned forward toward Newt a bit. "What's so complicated? They don't make any of the rest of us work. Hell, we're pampered, if we choose to be. Really burns my twinkies, that. We're like some kind of stupid zoo for this madman." he shook his head, mulling things over. "But you.... they've got you worse, somehow.... something worse than all this? What could they..." he was muttering mostly to himself now, trying to draw his brain around the puzzle like an amoeba feasting on.... he blinked. Whatever the hell amoebas ate.

To be continued...

Reserved for Joli spotting

A Dinner for One
Newt comes across Jordan in a predicament, and has a man to man with Thomas
http://www.gaiaonline.com/guilds/viewtopic.php?t=7705037&page=1

Oh what a wonderful morning, or at least as wonderful as it could possibly get in Moreau's twisted little island. But the sun was shining, there was distant birdsong in the air, and the crisp clean air was enough for Maryke to think this would be one of the better days. A great cry from the usual mess she woke up to. Naturally with a morning such as this she wanted to share it with someone. And her eye was pinpointed on Billy. She figured an unannounced visit would do well. As she headed towards his new digs she spotted a.....lump of something. As she neared closer and closer, maw upturned in confusion and disgust thinking it might be a dead something, she suddenly realized it was none other then Newt.

He was still cuddled up in the squishy mud by the bank of the lake, dozing peacefully curled up in his froggish posture. His bright green and yellow skin wasn't very good camoflogue for the brown and gray of the dirt and rocks around him, but he didn't seem to care. His swim trunks were coated with mud covering him to his shoulders and nostrils like a squishy, slimy pillow and blanket. It was almost disconcerting to see the usually terrified janitor so at peace.

Maryke stared at him a bit longer. Now that she knew WHO he was she was at least relieved. She wasn't sure what she'd do if this was actually a dead islander. Probably turn around and run.......or oh yes the wonderful trees. She shook her head quickly, not wanting to think about that. Seeing Newt looking so peaceful and serene was, well she wouldn't call it 'cute' but it surely was a sight to see. She couldn't help but giggle at the sight, though. Maybe a joke wouldn't hurt too badly. After all it would be done in jest. So picking up and a stick she crouched and crept closer, keeping her body away. Then without warning she slid the stick into one leg of the shorts, thinking to startle him.

He fidgeted, legs shifting as he rolled over onto his side on top of the stick in response to the tickling touch with a little sigh, "M's-s-sorry, Da..." He mumbled under his breath, punctuating it with a sleepy, "krrKIT".

She frowned at that, wondering what the 'da' was meant to finish off into. She had an idea, but quickly forced the thought out of her head. She crept closer, her tail slowly swishing back and forth as her hazels stared intensely at the frog's form, letting a small giggle out as he croaked. She stuck the stick further before grabbing it with her foot to hold it there while both hands began to edge closer to his body, her face peering at his own.

He gave a little sleeping whimper, a webbed hand moving out to wave away something she couldn't see. "N-no.. m'sorry... m'suh-ss-sssuh-sorry, D-da.. p-please d-don't...!" when the tickling continued, those wide round eyes finally popped open with a look of terror befor he flinched back from her with a terrified look and a pointed croak.

Oops....... well she hadn't mean to scare him. And she finally understood what all that moaning and groaning meant. Instantly she removed the stick, falling on her butt as she did with the small fast motion and was quick to apologize. "Geez.....relax I was just having a little fun," she said putting up both hands as a means to calm him down.

"Y-y-you-you-you s-startled m-me!" He managed, keeping himself rooted to the spot as he tried to get his heart rate down. It wasn't his father. It wouldn't be his father ever again. It was just that monkey woman. Nothing to be alarmed about. Nothing to flee. He shifted in the mud to sit upright, filth dribbling off his dappled amphibious skin as he sat back as well.

Well what could she saw to that? Yes she really HAD meant to startle him...she just didn't expect him to have a memory fritz and spaz out. "It was just a joke," she repeated, shifting her body so that she was now squatting. "No need to get your shorts in a twist...." she lifted a brow and asked off handly, "You.......okay?"

He frowned for a moment, glancing to the side as he tried to think about it. Was he okay? He'd had a nice relaxing morning, hadn't he? Not a peep from the labs so far, and he hadn't been in trouble just yet... but it was difficult to ignore the general sense of impending doom about the situation. Sooner or later, the labs *would* react in one way or another. The stress induced dreams from his nap had already begun to drift from his memory. Most of his dreams were about his father, after all, this was nothing unusual. He pushed the corners of his mouth up into a trembling smile, "I... er... w-well... re-re-relatively sp-sp..." He paused, opening his mouth and closing it before tapping a hand against his knee while talking like Thom had shown him, "R.... relatively s.... speaking."

"yes............?" she asked, both brows now raised as she waited for him to say what he was intending to say. Maryke was slowly learning the value of patience. Before she had none and demanded the world to fall and kiss her feet, but now...well even monsters could change.

He nodded, trying to keep his expression calm and kind. This woman had been fairly nice to him over the months. She wasn't anyone to be scared of. "W-w-what..." Tap tap tap, "What.... a... about..." It took several false starts before he managed to blurt out, "You and... " Tap tap tap, "Mister Woo...." He swallowed, brows knitting as he tried again, "M-mister Woo-woo-woo-woodrow?" He deflated, looking dissapointed in himself.

"Oh....." She said quickly as he got all his words out. And she did inwardly note that whatever new tick he was doing, the tapping, seemed to be working. He was becoming easier to understand. But...oh Billy. She let a coy little smile slip to her maw. She didn't want anyone to know about her new found relationship, but Newt did know. So she felt like it would lesson the burden to talk about it. "I'm on my way to see him actually. I took you're advice and.....it worked," she couldn't help but beam at that, funny considering this was a woman who was quite used to having a man or two to cart around like some prized pony.

"My-my-my-my advice?" He blinked at her, not remembering giving any advice, and certainly not advice that was *good* advice.

"Oh you know," she said with the wave of your hand, "You told me to tell him how I feel and I did."

"Ah... krrKIT! Oh...." He nodded, pulling up a wad of mud in a hand in a nervous gesture just to keep the hand that wasn't trying to keep some sort of rhythm to his talking busy. "And... and w-woo... what did.... w-wuh-wuh-wuh-what did he say?"

Maryke's eyes ticked to the mud and back to the frog as she spoke. The mud was a bit....gross, but she kept herself in check remembering all those spa days she'd had where mud baths were a common occurance. She chuckled at the frogman's words. "He wanted to milk for compliments now. But..." she grinned, "I think the feeling is mutual." Of course she also left out the part where he warned that a crazy tiger might want to severely hurt her. She was still in shock over that little factor.

"W-woo-well, that's g-good, isn't it?" His anxious smile returned, "Y-you're... ver-ver-very lucky to... to have f-found someone here..." His own luck had been dismal.

"Yeah....I guess it is good," she said softly, as if just now realizing the statement was true. She wasn't about to say that she was 'so terribly in love with Billy, deeply and madly' like some brainless schoolgirl. But what she felt for him was very strong. Her eyes ticked up at his next comment and she shrugged. "Yeah...luck, really. If I was really lucky I wouldn't be on this damn island in the first place, but it sure beats being lonely.....hey what about you? How's that girl of yours?" Maryke remembered the necklace incident, and also remembered how she thought it might be for a female.

He frowned further at that, looking down at the mud quietly, "I... I d-don't think I'm her t-t-t-tuh-type." He had given up trying to count the rhythm of his speech.

She wasn't sure what to say to that. It was an ackward feeling to revel in your own happiness when someone else lacked it entirely. "Well...there's always someone for everyone," she said with a small smile to her frown, the first real sympathy she'd shown since being on the island. And it was true, Maryke had the firm believe that if she had found someone then by default anyone else could too.

He sighed and shrugged. "I'll p-p-p-pro-pro-probably d-die w-without even a k-kuh-kiss." He wasn't about to admit out loud that he was twenty five and still a virgin either. Becoming a giant frog undoubtedly only made his chances worse.

Oh she tried so hard not to laugh at that, feeling as sorry for him as she did. But without wanting to a few small giggles escaped her maw, hiding by one blackened hand. Finally when she had managed to get over the giggle fit she said very simply. "Closer your eyes." As cold hearted as she was, or rather what everyone thought she was, even she could do charity work now and then.

"P-p-p-pardon?" Newt's brows raised, throat poufing slightly. When people told him to close his eyes, usually when he opened them again he had been shoved upside down into a trashcan with the sleeves of his jumper tied in a knot behind his back.

Oh come on, just close your eyes," she repeated again, inching closer in her squat. "I promise I won't hurt you," she added quickly, holding up two hands in defense

He swallowed, not quite sure what she was playing at, but closed his eyes all the same, mouth drawn into a wide anxious, buck-toothed frown.

Her maw grew into an amused smirk. Newt reminded her so much of a little kicked puppy that you just didn't have the hurt to get rid of...except in frog form. She leaned forward and gentle gave him a small lemur pack just above his froggish mouth before she pulled away. "See...now you can say you've been kissed by a girl!"

If Newt would have been able to blush, he would have, jerking his head back with a sudden, anxious, "KrrKIT! KrrKIT! KrrKIT!" his throat expanding like a frog in spring. "I... I... I... th-th-thuh-th-th-!"

Maryke was not only amused, but quite pleased without herself with doing such a good deed. Kudos for her, of course she didn't pay attention to his embarrassment. And as anyone could say there wasn't a wholly altruistic person in the world. But it was a nice feeling. "Thought.....? thought what?"

He glanced away, thoroughly flustered and embarrassed, "I... I d-d-d-duh-duh-don't know if th-that c-cuh-cou-cou-cou-counts..." so much for tapping out his rhythms.

"Of course it does," she said quickly, "I AM a girl you know...despite..." she frowned at that, her tail flicking back and forth irritably, "Why wouldn't it count?"

"B-b-because... b-buh-buh-because you... you l-like m-mr. W-woo-woo-woo-"

Well......okay, fine it doesn't count then." What else could she say? She had tried and failed to lift his spirits. Another big rejection in the world of Maryke. "At least you know what it feels like," she shrugged, hoping that was at least something. Maybe it would even boost his confidence a bit. After all it wasn't like Maryke was easy, she didn't just go around making out with islanders on a whim.

He looked down at his feet again, throat trembling in that embarrassed way he had, "Th-th-thank you... F-for... f-for ah..."

"Anytime," she said quietly and with a soft sigh. It was best that they just forget this even happened to begin with. She did feel sorry for the guy, but her idea apparently hadn't worked and it was awkward for the both of them, especially since she was still working through her own relationship issues.

His mouth did move into a smile again as he glanced up, "I... I.. h-hope everything w-woo-woo-works out... w-with m-muh-mister W-woo-woodrow, I m-mean... I... I'd heard he... ah... y-you know... w-with... wi-with D-duh-duh-doctor L-luh-lockheart I mean..."

Her eyes suddenly widened at that, her maw twisting to show a few of those sharp pointy lemur teeth. It was just that name alone that did it. And weren't all women catty on some level. "Oh that," she said bitterly, "That was...a long time ago." And it was, wasn't it? It had to be. As far as she knew Aubrey, this doctor had ditched Billy for what he was. So that was just old hat.

W-well... I j-just... I s-saw her g-go into th-that.... d-du-du-duplex over th-there with him th-the other day..." He gestured to where Billy had relocated, "I w-was across the v-v-village over th-there ch-changing those b-broken l-light bulbs on the p-p-path lamp..."

".............What?!" The reply was much harsher, then even she had been expecting. Her ruffed fur was on end, her tail was thrashing about. Don't jump to conclusions Maryke....don't do it But now she wanted answers and Billy had better give them to her.

Newt gave a squeak, wondering if he had said something wrong. "I... ah... w-w-woo-well, I... er... Th-that is t-to say..."

"It's fine," she said quickly, too quickly. Barely even letting him get the words out. With that she stood. She certainly looked poised and collected, but the animal in her told a different story. Her tail was still jerking and twitching, her ruffed ears were flat against her skull, and her fur was almost on end.

Newt swallowed, crawling backward through the mud to sit waist deep in the water and huddle down untill only his eyes showed over the surface, "I... I... w-well... er... Th-thank you and... um..."

"Your welcome," she said with that same abrasiveness, before she began to stulk off, determined to see Billy now more then ever.

Newt watched her go, the skinny human inside the big fat frog blushing like mad. His first kiss! His first real kiss! He had to tell Liamh and Gaius and the boys all about it.