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 Posted: Fri Nov 11, 2005 8:20 pm
The hawk had had enough. Being inside all the time made it jittery and snappish, which in turn grated on Greer's nerves as well. It wanted to hunt, to feed, to fly, and all it got was some warmed over steak and a lot of sitting and feeling the breeze. It was in a foul mood, and the last thing it wanted was to be locked inside miss sweetness and light. Didn't Greer know what anger was? She'd had her hopes crushed, been essential kidnapped, and she was okay with all of this? Where was the outrage? The passion? Didn't she have any fire in her at all? Was she just some stupid, cowering prey animal that didn't even know enough to recognize the reality of her own fate? Kicking her in the gut until the woman gave into the hunger pains and made her way to the cafeteria, the hawk sulked. God, even her doped up hippie boyfriend had more spark that this! Why was it saddled with such a useless lump of flesh?
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Posted: Fri Nov 11, 2005 11:35 pm
Greer Cassenwari Taking a moment to be indoors for food, Greer sat at one of the cafeteria tables wolfing down cubes of steak. Having only her lower set of teeth she couldn't really chew, and so was forced to eat her meat the way she prepared it for the Dude's cat. This would have made her self-concious, but luckily no one else was in the room at the moment. Jamal_Reedy She apparently spoke too soon. Jamal sauntered into the cafeteria looking somewhat sullen and moody, dressed in baggy jeans and an oversized black t-shirt with what looked to be the front view of a gun with the barrel pointed at the viewer...below that was some sort of graffiti-style writing that read something along the lines of "Dare me" in white lettering. His jewelry was all there in full force, but his doo-rag was gone, exposing his somewhat frizzy braids. He went to browse the selection of food and grimaced. Dammit...never anything he wanted. After a bit of an argument with one of the cooks, the black man settled for some kind of meat sandwich and a plate of chips. Greer Cassenwari Glancing up from her food, Greer froze for a moment when she saw the man come in. ...she'd met him at the Halloween party briefly, hadn't she? God, what was his name... bah, she had no idea. He hadn't freaked out on her back then, which could be chalked up to plenty of things that didn't mean he wouldn't freak out now. Meep! Her human fears mixed with her hawkish testiness, and adreneline was soon pumping into her system. Tugging nervously at the side lacings of the black halter top Emelyn had made her, Greer did her best to smile around the beak and waved to the new arrival. Please let this go well! Jamal_Reedy Jamal turned to look for a place to sit, half-hoping Awen was around so he could avoid the rest of the island population (well, the males anyway). However, he was greeted instead by a wave from a vaguely familiar face. What was her name...Gren or Gwen or something like that... And...why was she still wearing her halloween costume? The feathers and beak were eyed with mild apprehension, but he decided to ignore it. Maybe the woman really liked halloween.... "Yo," he said, picking up step to approach her table, giving her a stiff nod and trying his damnest to not outright ask why she was still in costume. "Mind if I sit herr?" Greer Cassenwari So far, so good. Greer wanted to hope this meant the fellow knew about the island's dirty little secret and was dealing with it, but prepared herself for the worst just in case. "Not at all. Please!" She continued to smile, gesturing at the open seats. "I'm sorry, I've forgotten your name, Mr.-?" Jamal_Reedy "Thanks," he practically grunted and slipped into a vacant seat, his plate more or less haphazardly tossed onto the table in front of him. "Da name be Jamal...it a'ight you ain't 'memberin'. Can't say I 'member yo's otha' than it beginnin' wit' a G. You was at the hall'ween deal, righ?" The black man picked at the top of his sandwich hesitantly. After halloween, he'd been leary to eat much of anything thanks to the bug-snacks that had been put out with the regular food during the party. Greer Cassenwari She nodded, tossing a few more bites of meat in her mouth and taking a sip of water. "I'm Greer. How have you been?" Jamal_Reedy "Yeah, dat be it...Greer." He smirked, proud to have remembered at least some close version of her proper name, and peeled a bit of crust off his sandwich. "I be a'ight...but dis island be givin' me da creeps allova sudden. How long yous been at dis place?" Greer Cassenwari "Yeah, this place can be a bit unsettling at times." She rolled her eyes, chuckling a little. "How long have I been here? Hmm... almost three months now, I think. Wow. I hadn't realied it had been that long." Frowning, Greer stared past Jamal's shoulder lost in thought. Three months... her mother probably thought she was dead by now. Mummy. Jamal_Reedy "Oh...I guess dat be a long time. I heard that dis place ain't dat old...so you onna da older peeps then." Older as in not age, but as in how long they'd been on the island...hopefully she understood. "So...uh...yous must be likin' hall'ween," he said before finally picking his sandwich up and taking an experimental bite. Greer Cassenwari She blinked, jotling back to the present. "What? Older? Um yes, I'm one of the original islanders, as it were. I believe Ambrose beats me out for the title of numero uno, but it's pretty close." She was babbling, which meant she was getting nervous. Eating a little more, she winced at Jamal's last comment. Ah. Crap. For once Greer wished she had less of a need to tell the truth. "You mean the beak and feathers? They're... they're not a halloween costume." Jamal_Reedy He arched a brow over his food, pausing before he took another bite. "Yous had 'em at the party. I figgered they be part of the party. Yous just like dressin' up like dat then?" Man...and people thought HE was weird. A nervousness rose in his chest though. An uneasiness that reminded him vaguely of Awen's repeated insistance that there was something fishy going on here at the island. He sort of glanced at the long feathers draping from her arms, straining to see them better and prove to himself they were fake. Greer Cassenwari She shook her head, running a nervous hand through her hair and supressing the urge to hiss or flee. "No, they're not a costume. They're attached. Part of me." Extending an arm, she put her hand in front of him and pointed at the feathers on the back of it with her other hand. "Feel. They're growing out of my skin." Jamal_Reedy Jamal lifted his brow so far that it was liable to disappear into his cornrows. As the rustling feathers were put in front of him, he stared. They....did....look like they were attached to her skin. He didn't see any glue, any tape, any staples. "No ********' way," he said, a tone of disbelief coloring his tone as he hesitantly reached out to touch a few of the dark feathers. As they moved under his touch, yet remained firm to her skin, he suddenly recoiled, then gave her an accusatory look. "This ain't real...no way." Ambrose Maurlias Ambrose really didn't have much reason to spend much time in the entertainment room. Admittedly, he had wanted to go back and check to make sure that there weren't any other nature books that might be useful to him before he really sat down to read. He had finally made the vow to himself that he would read up on wolves, it finally having sunk in just how in for it he was. Finding nothing, he traveled to the cafeteria, now thorougly hungry. As he entered, however, he saw Greer and... that new strange person who had been in the ghost costume at the party. He gave a nod to the man and a wave to Greer, picking up a big stack of meat from the lunch line before wandering over hesitantly, eying the .... black individual's reactions. He had barely spoken to him at the party - and he had seemed rather drunk then. But he had been here long enough... so he had to know the rundown... right? Some part of Ambrose's upbringing also still gave him apprehensions. As much as he would deny being a racist, he just quite simply never really interacted much with black people where he was from... Putting on a smile, he set his tray down with a nervous laugh. "This seat isn't taken... is it?" Greer Cassenwari Greer took her hand back, taking in a shaky breath to fight back the human tears in her throat and the prideful hawk rage boiling in her chest. "I wish I were lying to you, but I'm afraid I'm not. Whatever you were told about this island was a lie. We're all experiments here, and we're all being turned into animals." Hearing a familiar voice, it was all Greer could do not to jump out of her seat. "Ambrose! Come sit." Joliette Rigiel Joliette capped her camera not figuring on using it in the cafeteria. She had waited for Hargun to get far enough away that it was doubtful the batgirl wanted to add anything to their conversation and then walked into the cafeteria... Her eyes were on her camera as she reset it's settings after being reloaded. Jamal_Reedy Jamal ignored Ambrose when he came in...ignored him when he got his food...but couldn't ignore him as he spoke up and grabbed the disbelieving black man's attention. The man's reaction was immediate. His eyes were thrown wider than he ever thought possible and he nearly jumped backwards over the table behind them at the site of Ambrose. What. The. ********. He barely heard Greer's explaination. "You...you...." he said in complete stammering gibberish, his mouth working like a goldfish. "Dis ain't funny. AIN'T FUNNY." Ambrose Maurlias Ambrose's tail immediately went from wagging to Greer's enthusiastic invitation to Jamal's extreme reaction. But, biting the inside of his cheek (and afterwards realizing that was probably a bad idea), Ambrose seated himself. Today, if nothing else, was certainly proving to be a test. If he could make it through all of this.... he'd be okay... right? Or perhaps it would break him... no... no, he had enough support here... enough strength of personality. He'd persevere, some hurt feelings aside. Maybe Moreau was right, though.... if he ever went home again, though, Ambrose didn't think he'd be able to live with this sort of reaction from everyone he ever encountered. The only other option would be holing up somewhere... and how was that preferable to here... where at least there were people who could be his friend... and who could honestly understand what he was going through and not just feel awkward and - at best- treat him like some sort of cripple. Ambrose swallowed again, organizing his thoughts as he turned to Jamal dead-serious. "It isn't intended on being so.... J.... Jamal, was it?" He reached back in his mind for the name. He started slicing the steaks before him. "I'm.... not sure if you remember me - you seemed to be somewhat drunk at the time... or even if you do if you recognize me... but we met at the Halloween party last week." He said, looking over to Greer. At least, he thought, he was saving Greer from doing this alone. Jamal was, apparently, not quite informed. And he'd been here for some time already. Vasile DiRossi After taking a long shower, and changing into actual clothes, Vasile realized he was hungry, and a bit lonely. He was slowly getting over his aversion to cafeteria food, so he let Brutus out for a short walk, then headed over, hoping Ambrose, Cass, or Amaya were there. Greer Cassenwari Taking one of Ambrose's hands hostage, Greer tried to put down the feathers that were fluffing defensively at the back of her neck. "No, it isn't, but it's the life Doctor Moreau has given all of us. I'm sorry you had to be here." Engrossed in the conversation, she didn't notice the entry of a girl she had yet to meet into the cafeteria. Joliette Rigiel Joliette looked up "Oh.. theres people here" she said quietly, she really only did recognize one of them even if their previous introduction was a brief one. "Hello" she said working up her confidence and heading towards the group Jamal_Reedy Jamal stared at Ambrose none too discretely, his face paling considerably. "You...yous dat sword carryin' guy...? No ********' way. Yous ain't lookin' like dat at dat party...I knows I musta been a lil lit-up....but ******** no." He almost glared at both Ambrose and Greer in succession, but the appearance of a normal human caused him to pause and sigh a breath of relief. He did not like this joke and he'd be damned if he didn't knock a b***h out if they kept this up and it didn't seem like the new girl was privy to the joke. The appearance of Vasile, however, was hardly comforting. He had a tail for christsake and Jamal could see it from where he stood, hands crossed defensively over his chest as he stared down the group of half animal people. "I ain't findin' dis funny. Who put yous up to it...so help me if it been Awen, brotha gonna have some words..." Hands balled into fists as he spoke, a dangerous glint taking hold in his eyes. Ambrose Maurlias Ambrose squeezed Greer's hand back in reassurance, giving her a sidelong apologetic glance for having to deal with this over a meal before turning back to Jamal. "I... I'm sorry, Jamal. No... I wasn't like this at the party... well, not fully at least." He said, putting his free hand to his temple. "But honestly. THis isn't a joke. I wish it were. I wish that these were just costumes that we could take off as we wished, and that we could return home when we wanted. But it's not. And it's going to happen to all of us." He drove the point in. "I'm turning into a wolf... Greer a hawk." His eyes caught two figures emerging through the door and he smiled to Vasile. Excellent! Another friend in the know who might be able to help, especially seeing as how he had been in the dark for so long as well. And the young boat woman as well who, at least, seemed to be taking all of this quite well. Ambrose picked up his fork, and took a large bite of steak, flashing his long, curved canines as he opened wide for the large bite. Greer Cassenwari Greer was an inately calm and peaceful soul, but when agitated found the hawk's vicious, predatory nature hard to control. Rocketing to her feet she knocked her chair back, hissing and practically spitting. "This isn't a ******** joke, you a**! This is real! That shot you got when you first arrived wasn't a vaccine, it was a serum praparing you to change! You're mutating, just like the rest of us, so you better pull your head from your rear and goddamn realize it!" She wanted to tear something living to pieces, but Ambrose's hand in hers pulled her back to herself. Righting her chair Greer resumed her seat, quietly fuming as she swallowed her food. Self-centered b*****d! Did he think this crap was all about him? Joliette Rigiel Joliette slowed near the table... Had she walked in on another arguement, it seemed like it. She bit her lip and closed her eyes for a brief moment taking a deep breath. She was only a few feet away but didn't want to interrupt for lack of a desire to get her own head bitten off... She didn't think that would be literal but still...
On another note she had only focused on what was ahead of her, she had not heard the star enter the cafeteria behind her. Vasile DiRossi Vasile seemed to have walked right into the middle of an argument, and while he didn't know what was going on, he certainly didn't appreciate the attitude the Greer-person was taking with this other guys he had yet to meet.
"HEY!" he said, rushing forward past Ambrose and Joiliette, coming up to Greer. "Don't talk to him like that! If you hadn't noticed this is all pretty hard to swallow, okay? And some of us had a LOT of bullshit shoved down our throats to deal with!" He gave her a stern look, knowing all too well what it felt like for people to get mad at you for not believing what SHOULD be impossible to beleive.
But then he took a deep breath and something seeemd to click. He spun around abck to Joliette. "YOU! You're the paparatzi chick with the boat!" he said pointing. "How they hell did you find us! They took your boat, the bastards!" Vasile was still pretty tightly wound up from this morning, and his frustration was showing. Jamal_Reedy "No. No no no NO NO. Dis is BULLSHIT. I ain't playin' dis ********' game. I AIN'T GONNA DO IT YOU ********' GOT ME. Dis ain't real!" Jamal wanted nothing more than to run over to Greer and yank all her feathers from her 'costume' or to tear off Ambrose's 'fake' ears or to pull out his fur....but instead he settled for a violent kick at the chair he recently left. The chair didn't go far; it left the ground for a few seconds before crashing loudly into another table with a metallic clang. When Greer leapt from her chair, he turned his attention to her and his hands flexed back into tight fists, eyes narrowing dangerously into a fine icy glare. He wanted to sock her in her loudmouth face and it showed by the tension in his body language. A sick panic started to swirl in his stomach despite his best intentions. He could NOT let them get to him like this. This was not real. Ambrose Maurlias Ambrose looked back and forth as suddenly three people began yelling. He knew it was hard to deal with, but he could smell the tension rising. In a moment, Ambrose was on his feet as well. trying to separate Greer from the large, and violent-looking black man. Vasile wasn't helping things by yelling at Greer as well. "Whoawhoawhoawhoa!" Ambrose said loudly. "Calm down! Everyone!" His hackles were bristled, his ears pressed flat. "We're not enemies here!" Ambrose remembered the Dude's argument with him that was now a long time ago. His eyes went from Greer to Jamal. Vasile appeared to have been diverted by the short woman. Papparatzi-? But he pushed the thought from his mind at the moment. "Yes, this situation SUCKS. Yes, this is real. Yes, it's hard to sink in." Ambrose looked to Vasile. "Vasile wouldn't believe it until it happened to him. Somewhere, I think he did believe, but he wouldn't dwell on it until it was too late. I don't know if that was a better way or not. But the fact of the matter is we're all in this together. Jamal. You are welcome to put me to the test. Tug on my tail, whatever. Or wait until it happens to you and let that shatter your worldview." Ambrose took a few deep breaths, trying to keep the emotions that started to fire under the surface down where they belonged. Greer Cassenwari Finishing her food, Greer glared at Vasile through slitted eyes and only barely registered his change. "This isn't your battle, pretty boy. Go do what you're good at and kiss the girls, hmm?" Turning back to Jamal, she slowly stood again and pushed her chair to the side, giving herself space to kick and move. In back of her head Greer could hear her human self trying to persuade her to be calm and rational about all of this, but the hawk would have none of it. For the first time since her change the animal was in full control, and as much as the angry confidence and potential for violence scared her it intregued her as well. It was a strange situation, finding yourself protesting and rubber necking at your own actions, completely unable to stop them. "Back off Ambrose, I can take care of myself. The big man is afraid and wants to take it out on us." She sneered at Jamal, adjusting her balance unconsciously as her sharp vision read the nuances of his body language. "Well? What're you going to do?" Joliette Rigiel Joliette was now completely distrcted away from the main arguement, she narrowed her eyes at Vasile "I Mr. DiRossi am NOT a paparazzi!" she said firmly and with a touch of distaste as if she were going to spit the word out "I AM a photo journalist who happened to follow a rumor that disappearances in this area were NOT what the seemed to be, and what did I find? You, but in case you haven't noticed I'm now in the same boat as you are, and that's not the Princess!" she hated that term and hated it even more when it was applied to her. Vasile DiRossi Vasile looked with distaste at Joliette. "Photojournalist? You've got to be kidding me? Call it what you like, but a rose by any other name, my dear."
He just shook his head then looked back to Greer. "You got an egg stuck up your a** or something, Greer?" Jamal_Reedy Greer was pretty right. He -was- scared. ******** terrified. But his answer to fear had always been one thing: violence. And now this mismatched mess of a human being/hawk had peaked and shattered the delicate dam he had put on his temper. "Oh, so yous wanna throw down? FINE. Bring it," he snarled gutterly, setting his jaw while wishing he had a knife on him. He did not normally challenge woman and he didn't normally fight them physically either....but if she wanted to start writing checks her a** couldn't pay, then fine. He'd been yearning for a good brawl anyway and if the twig thought she could bring it, then fine. Jamal had a feeling it wouldn't get that far though; there were too many bystanders. He ignored Ambrose for the most part, though at the tail-tugging he smirked sarcastically. "Then get yo' a** ova herr and let me yank," he said without any sort of politeness to it. "********' prove to me dis ain't just a bad drug trip." Ambrose Maurlias Ambrose had been more worried about Jamal being the threat since he saw him ball his fists, but as Greer stood up, bitched at Jamal and then Vasile for just trying to explain that they were all having a hard time, Ambrose did a double-take, turning to stare at Greer. This wasn't the sweet, meek, friendly Greer he knew. What the hell was going on? Ambrose admittedly hadn't seen her much since her transformation, but when he did he had never glimpsed THIS. The snarl (and growl) was becoming more evident in his voice as the conflict was rising all around him. Ambrose may be many things, but he was not a coward. Perhaps a bit too overconfident in many situations. Albeit his chivalric nature was confused as Greer appeard to be trying to start the fight. "Greer... what in the hell has gotten into yo-" He was cut off at Vasile's snide remark. " Vasile!" He snapped, aghast at the vulgar insult to her avian nature. HIs blood was pumping with the yelling, and he was feeling his temper boiling dangerously high. But he took some breaths, determined not to lose it... not to lose. He wasn't an animal!.... really.... He turned to Jamal, after giving Greer a warning glance, his respect for the man actually going up a few notches at apparently at least being willing to step up to the challenge non-violently. Even if it was laced with expletives. "Fine." Ambrose said, and walked closer to Jamal, facing him. Feeling awkward turning his a** towards him, he settled for turning sideways, giving everyone in the room an "I'm watching you" look. "Knock yourself out." Greer Cassenwari She hissed at Jamal through her beak and teeth, seeing red and ignoring Ambrose. No one challenged her in her territory, which this was since as they'd discussed earlier she'd clearly gotten here first! She'd tear his eyes out with her feet- Talons at the ready, she paused for a moment to respond to the movie star. "Just a little tired of being a nice, quiet little mother figure who holds every one's hand and tells them it'll be okay while the doctor's injection mangles my face. I haven't been angry about any of this for a full three damn months, so you'll have to forgive me if I think I'm a little entitled." Greer snarled venomously back at Vasile, envisioning her hand breaking his nose with a well-thrown punch. Imagine the rain of blood that would rush down his face... Horrified, Greer grabbed fragile control of herself. What was she doing? She didn't hurt people! Shaking her head in an attempt to clear it, the woman frowned and tried to stuff her murderous intentions back into their box. Joliette Rigiel Joliette fumed, she hated it she really did, but lashing out at someone when it was not self defense was not her style. Certainly she could if she wanted she had the training, but for now she bit her toungue in anger. Her eyes left the 'star' and moved to the others and watched Ambrose move closer she hoped for some calm soon... Vasile DiRossi "Look here, Birdbitch," he said to Greer, crossing his arms. "You have a right to angry, but don't be angry at... him." Yeah, good going, Vasile. Pick a fight defending a guy you've never even seen before. But oh had Greer hit a sore spot. All the time people got angry at him- yelled at him fo rnot believeing. And how stupid that made him feel. And how.. used. "Blame that limey excuse for a doctor who runs the place! That b*****d almost gave me a concussion today!" Jamal_Reedy When Greer didn't try to punch him or whatever, Jamal's hotblooded, raring and ready to fight disposition lessened somewhat. If anything, the woman looked conflicted; either she was scared to fight now or she decided against it for other reasons. Well, whatever. Ambrose snared his attention again for the most part and Jamal gave the wolfman a look boardering on disgust that slowly morphed into an expression of impending meltdown as the blonde boy got closer. He didn't even have to tug on his tail. Jamal could see the fur rippling with his movements, held fast at the roots...the fangs that were firmly embedded in the man's jaws when he spoke with a canine-like growl to his syllables...and the tail that flicked and twisted without any outside forces. The black man's eyes searched Ambrose's face for a moment, struggling to see anything there he might even remember from their brief meeting at the party. "My ********' gawd...jesus christa'pher christ...." he whispered after a pregnant pause, hands unfisting and now splaying over his face as he fought the urge to scream. Jamal understood what Awen meant now and understood why she had the urge to yell the other night on the beach. "G...get away from me. Jus' go. Jus' go ova' wit' dem." He turned his back on the group and dropped his hands to brace himself against one of the tables, leaning over it and breathing heavily as a wave of nausea swept his body. Ambrose Maurlias "Greer! You have every right to be angry! Hell, I'm tired of feeling guilty for saying that my problems matter too! But for God's sake direct your anger to the right party! This isn't Jamal's fault! This isn't Vasile's fault! Vasile's right! It's the Doctor's. And I know as well as anyone that he's untouchable as far as we can discern. But taking it out on your friends isn't the answer. It's letting him, and the damn Animal DNA that's coursing through your veins win." Ambrose barked. "I came dangerously close to getting into a fight with the Dude months ago. ANd I wasn't even as far 'developed' as either of us are now. But it scared the s**t out of me. And the last thing I want to see happening is us - ANY of us - giving into these impulses! The Greer I knew would never say things like this!" And it was true. The Greer he knew was nothing like the woman before him. A small part of him, that Ambrose immediately felt guilty for even thinking, was almost glad that things hadn't cemented between them. No - that was horrible! This WASN'T her. This was what Moreau had done to her... he just hoped... desperately hoped... that animal instincts wouldn't take over Emelyn.... or... him. Breathing, he turned back to Jamal, finally sensing that the tension might be begining to break. Jamal's critical eye was passing over his fur, his features... and the angered smell took on the acrid smell of fear as Jamal backed up. But... with Jamal's fear and, furthermore, cry to send him back with the other 'freaks' in not so many words, Ambrose felt like he had been kicked. Glancing backwards, but not moving, he took another steadying breath of his own. "Jamal..." He said more softly... "I'm sorry.... I ... I hate being the one to have to break this to people. I truly am. Just... just know that you're not alone here." Ambrose almost reached out to put a comforting hand on his back, but he paused, his hand frozen midway between them, looking at the contrast of fur and claws against the smooth skin of the fully human man before him. He was a freak. Even if he was among others like him... there was no escaping that thought that became painfully obvious as he stood there, seeing the contrast between the two of them. Greer Cassenwari "I wasn't blaming Jamal, I was just-" Greer made a frustrated sound and tried to cover her face with her hands, jerking back from her own touch when her fingers brushed her beak. What had happened to her? This wasn't her body, this wasn't her temperment... Eyes showing too much white as they flicked from Jamal to Vasile to Ambrose, she backed up skittishly, nearly falling over a chair. "I'm sorry, so so sorry! I didn't mean to- I would never- I-" She cut herself off, unable to finish a sentence and let them know the terrible things she'd been thinking. Wincing at Ambrose's chastizement, she held up her hands to ward the others off as she continued to retreat. "Jamal, Vasile, please forgive me. I'm so sorry I said those things! Ambrose, I- don't hate me, please? Please?" Her voice was small and nervous as she bowed an apology to the female she didn't know. "I need to go. I'm sorry. Excuse me!" Greer turned and ran, bolting from the communal area and back into her room. She couldn't stay any longer- for every word she'd said the hawk had snarled and shown her what these stupid challengers would look like mangled underneath her talons. Yelling was one thing, but if she ever hurt another person she could never forgive herself, animal thoughts or no.
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Posted: Sat Nov 12, 2005 12:01 am
Back in her room Greer locked her front door for the first time in months, dragging herself to the bathroom. What was wrong with her? How did she lose control of the hawk like that? She'd barely ever gotten angry before coming to island, and now pictures of mauling people were dancing behind her eyes! Granted this place was hard to take sometimes, but she'd never thought or done anything like that... Splashing cold water on her face from the tap, she raised her head and looked at her reflection in the mirror. An alien, vicious creatured stared back at her, snarling that she was weak and useless. Couldn't even stand up for herself inside her own head! What kind of a person put up with that sort of thing anyway? She was a doormat, a stupid victim who was better off dead if she was just going to smile and dole hugs all the time- "No!" Greer yelled at herself, shaking her head. No, no, she was a good person, a kind person, who's greatest crime in this world was a penchant for killing jars and bug collection. She made friends, who she listened to and took care of in their time of need, and in general tried to make life a little more bearable for everyone she could on this island. Life was twisted enough without her wanting to tear people apart! She only had friends because the hawk had made her palatable. The old Greer was an outcast, remember? A social pariah who's only company were the insects, who she killed half the time! Before the injections she hadn't know what to say or how to care, and now it was time to pay the price of gaining that ability to socialize. This is what happened when you ate meat. Violence infected everything. This is what happened when you grew a backbone, girly! When you became the sort of person who wasn't completely alone when partically thirty. This is what happened when you left home. When you were selfish and abandoned what little family you had left... This is what happened when you were selfish and stupid and gave up everything for the promise of a dream. If you were that foolish, you deserved what you got when the dream was a lie and everything fell apart- The mirror shattered around her fist, glass shards showering her and cutting her hand. Greer retrieved her arm slowly, staring at the injuries to her flesh and the shiny mess on the floor. She'd never broken anything intentionally before, and this act of violence against an inanimate object had been borne out of desperation to make that voice in her head be quiet. It had worked, but she suspected it was only temporary and now her hand hurt. She needed bandages. Where were there bandages? Probably in the village center- no. She couldn't go back there. She needed to get away. Escape. Go somewhere she wouldn't do anything she'd regret. Sean had been right. It wasn't safe in the duplexes anymore. Pressing a towel to her wounds, Greer staggered to the front door and fought it open. "Take care of my pets." she told the room before she departed, mindful to shut the door behind her so no one would go in and see the mess. Moving quickly and blindly towards the cliffs, it was all the entomologist could do not to break into tears. If she was lucky, she'd be a mindless animal when all this was through. She couldn't bear the thought of hurting people with a conscience for the rest of her life.
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Posted: Sat Nov 12, 2005 8:59 pm
Greer White towel going pink from the blood wrapped around her right hand, Greer curled in the branches of her favorite cliffside tree, staring blankly out at the sky. What was happening with her? She was supposed to be the calm one, the strong one, who could control herself and knew better than to try and run away from her problems. Now it was all she could do to keep from trying to jump into the air and fly away, in the hopes she'd never have to face those who had seen her crack ever again. No, no, if she was going to live here she'd have to swallow her pride and make her apologies, but right now seeing another islander was the last thing she wanted. If she'd had the courage to hunt her own food, she'd have gone feral and moved permanently into the jungle. The Dude The Dude was tired. He had walked the perimeter of the island up and down, then SWAM around the entire island. And nothing! Not even a trace of the yacht ... How did Moreau do it, anyway!? How could on make an entire yacht just disappear!?? Deep in those thoughts and miserable from all the fruitless searching, he was walking down the trail leading to the cliffs, just looking for a good place to sulk. Without the alcohol, the weed and the cigarettes, there really wasn't much of another outlet for pent up frustration but sulking. And the nicotine cravings were beginning to really catch up with the Dude. Right about now he'd probably would give his cat for a cigarette. GARGH ... Greer Gingerly removing the towel, Greer took a moment to inspect her lacerations. They were long and angry looking, but shallow enough not to be too serious. Good. Serious would mean she'd have to seek someone out for medical aid. A sudden gust of wind whipped past her, tugging the bloodstained towel out of her grip and tossing it down to the ground. "Hey! Erg, damn it!" she shouted, leaning out over a branch to try and see where her makeshift bandage had escaped to. The Dude The towel landed on the stones and the same gust of wind picked it up again and carried a few feet further from the tree and onto the opening of the path. It was there where it came into the view of the Dude. Surprised, he bent over and picked up the terry cloth. What's that? BLOOD?! Surprised, he walked out into the opening and looked around to see where the towel might have flown from. The thoughts in his mind have not yet formulated a scenario, but clearly nothing good had happened if there was a blood drenched towel flying around. But the cliffs seemed empty except for the cluster of windswept low pines to the right. There, among the branches, a familiar shape was reaching for the ground and the damn towel. Their eyes met. "Greer! Are you okey, hon?" - he hurried up to the tree, clenching the towel in his left fist. Her hand ... it looked lacerated. "Did something attack you?" - was the Dude's next logical question. Greer "Go away!" Greer scooted back, slamming into the trunk behind her and knocking the air out of her lungs. Coughing, she shook her head and pressed her injured hand to her chest. "I'm fine, I'm fine, please Sean, go! I don't want you to see me like this." The Dude "See you like what?" - he curiously took a second look at Greer. Did ... did she got another injection? Something inside his heart dropped again. No ... why her. Why her AGAIN? Why not him ... He clumsily attempted to climb the tree she was hiding in but failed. It was hard to climb if you didn't have much of a hand to climb with. "What happened? Did Moreau inject you again? Why is your hand bleeding?" he sounded so very very worried, and frustrated at his failure to get up the pine. Greer She didn't want him to touch her, didn't want him to be here, but her need to make someone she cared about not sound so hurt won out over her own fears. Slowly, Greer pushed herself away from the tree's trunk and lowered herself out of the branches to the ground. Staying close to the tree, she shook her head again. "No, no new injections just... bad times. Very bad times. I... I said.... I wanted to..." She couldn't bring herself to say it. She closed her eyes, not wanting to cry. The Dude Now that Greer was on the ground, he could see her hand much better. The cuts were not deep, but long and straight. As if cut with a knife or a razor. They were still bleeding a little and must have stung. Greer herself seemed to be in a state of shock, so shaken that her narrow shoulders were trembling a little. Like a frightened bird, she was clenching the pine's bark, ready to bolt. What in the world had happened? If Moreau didn't do it, then who? Who would have cut her like that? Did she cut herself like that? A suicide attempt? No ... not Greer ... It was when she closed her eyes and dropped her guard for a moment that the Dude scooped up the hawk into his arms, mindful of the feathers and the wound and hold on tight so she couldn't escape. "It's okey ... you don't need to explain what happened if you don't want to ..." - he assured her. "Just don't run off on me here ..." Greer "Hey!" The hawk tried to get her to free herself by striking out at him, but Greer had been running on adreneline for too long. Instead of trying to escape Sean's grasp she just curled in on herself, teeth chattering. "I punched my mirror." She said, laughing darkly. "I guess I didn't like what I saw." The Dude "Ah, so it's the glass shards that made those lacerations?" - he kissed her hair. "Do you want me to put the towel around them again? It's kinda ... dirty ..." - he looked at the blood stained thing in his free hand. She punched the mirror? s**t, was this the beak thing? Did he precipitate this with his whining? Oh ******** ... She was shaking so badly now he could hear her teeth chatter. Which only made him hold her closer, to stop her body from trembling. Leaning against the tree trunk, Greer in his arms, Sean looked up at the sky. Of all the questions that were now swirling in his mind, none were gonna make the situation better. Poor grasshopper ... "Do you wanna go get a bandage?" - he finally offered. Greer Greer shook her head, leaning into his warmth and cursing herself for being so weak as to need it. "No people. Anything is fine as long as there are no people." The Dude "Okey, no people." - Sean nodded, totally agreeing with the notion. "How about water? We'll wash your hand out with some sea water and it'll disinfect pretty well ... just gonna sting a little ..." Well, at least she wasn't running away any longer. That was good. But what on earth happened?!! Greer She nodded, unable to stop the tears from flowing and working on crying as quietly as possible. Sniveling child! What was wrong with her? One little show of kindness and she fell to pieces... "I'm so sorry." she whispered. The Dude Ah, there we go ... tears. YEY. Tears were good. In Sean's experience a nervous break down usually went like that: fury, hiding, cracking, tears, talking. So tears usually meant that talking wasn't too far away. He could wait. Whatever happened, it couldn't be that bad. Unless she killed somebody and he couldn't imagine Greer being capable of that. "It's okey ... it's okey ... "- he petted her cheek and the fluffy feathers around her face. "Come, hide in there and stay a while." - he pointed at his shoulder. "Then we'll sort things out, okey?" Greer Greer laughed despite herself, punching him lightly in the indicated shoulder. "Dork. I may be a mess, but I can walk." The Dude "Heh ... well, let's walk then." - he set her down on the ground. "Or rather, climb." Down below the water was crashing against the basalt cliffs, and a couple of seagulls circled overhead. It would be a hard climb, but not impossible. In fact, it looked like a narrow path has been coiling along the cliffs towards the blue ocean. "Hey, since we not gonna talk about what happened to you ... wanna know what happened to me?" - he asked her, leading the way. Greer Greer followed him slowly, her muscles shaky enough she didn't really trust them. God damn it, why had she fallen apart in front of him like that? Wincing as she pulled the cuts on her hand, she nodded. "Sure. And I'll tell my story... it's just going to take me a little bit to work up the courage to get it out." The Dude "Okey, it's a deal" - he smiled up at her. "Hey you want a hand?" - he stretched out on of his flippers. Greer The hawk had enough stupid pride to not want to take it, but Greer had had quite enough of the bird for one day. She smiled as she extended her uninjured hand and accepted his offer of help. "Thanks." The Dude Now leading his lady down the trail towards the ocean, Sean began his tale: "So anyway, I ran into this chick yesterday, a redhead with a british accent. Her name is Joliette, she is a photographer, I think, and she is Moreau's newest addition. She came to the island on her own in a yacht, while investigating the dissappearance of Vasile. I am not sure when, but couldn't have been more then a day ago, right? Well, I have been looking for the ship up and down the coast since yesterday and nothing. Not even traces in the sand. Can you believe it? It's just ... gone. How can Moreau make an entire ship just vanish, I don't know, but at least it's somewhat comforting to know that people are looking for Vasile. Maybe sooner or later somebody else will get lucky ... " Greer Greer shook her head in disbelief. "Not that I'm a boat person, but aren't yachts huge? I swear, the Doctor's apparent god powers seem to grow by the day. Scarier and scarier." At the suggestion that Vasile might be their salvation, she gave sobbing laugh. "Oh good! Now I'm even more glad I didn't actually punch the movie star today." The Dude "Heh, you almost punched Vasile? Oh, join the club, Greer. I almost punched him as well. Is that what all this is about?" - he asked curiosly. They were very near the ocean now. A few more winding turns left ... Greer "That was part of it. The main story is that I was talking to Jamal in the cafeteria and kind of lost it while trying to explain that my feathers and such were not a costume. The hawk got a bit testy and I was this close to trying to tear the poor man apart with my talons! He didn't deserve it, but I couldn't help myself. Vasile just stuck his nose in to that." As the memories of potential violence washed over her, a slight shake moved through her muscles again. She couldn't believe she'd done that... "I wanted to cause pain, Sean. Wanted another person's blood on my hands so badly I could taste it! It was horrible..." The Dude The Dude was listening, rather impressed. "So wait ... you wanted to smack around the big black gangsta dude with the bling and all?" This sounded too improbable to fathom. The mental picture of little Greer against Jamal was just too much for words. Greer She nodded self consciously, hating to admit she'd had such terrible thoughts. "Yes. With my feet mainly, since that's where most of muscles and claws are. I wasn't really thinking clearly at the time." The Dude "WOW. Oh wow ... go hawk." - he patted her on the shoulder then added, hastily: "Not that I condone violence, far from it ... but I'm impressed the hawk even fathomed to try that. I mean ..." - he cleared his throat: "Erm ... I'm sorry, it must have been traumatic." Wow, Greer was now developing a killer instinct, too. That was an interesting thought to deal with. Ambrose wasn't developing one, was he? "You ... you've never wanted to punch anybody before, did you? This is all really new and scary?" - he asked. Greer Greer shook her head, answering his last question first. "I've been upset before, but never angry to the point of violence. I just don't get those thoughts- well, didn't get those thoughts, I suppose. And as for the hawk, well, for Harris Hawks the females are always larger and more aggresive, so it's not too suprising it picked said fight - I was pretty much surrounded by guys at the time. The one girl there I didn't actually meet." The Dude They had reached the water and Sean motioned Greer to come and sit down. Usually the waves were crashing against the large chunks of basalt and filling the air with salty spray. But today was a very calm day, and the Atlantic was still. At the horizon, a tower of clouds was gathering. "And is that why you punched the mirror, too?" - he asked. "Here, put your arm into the water, so that the blood washed away at least ..." Greer Doing as she was told, she sucked in a breath as the salt steralized her cuts. The burn meant it was working... "I punched the mirror because I was upset. Because I was filled with feelings I didn't like and could barely control. The hawk may be a social creature, but when angry it's a vicious thing." Withdrawing her hand from the water, Greer pressed her other hand to the wounds to encourage them to reclot. "I owe the beast so much and at the same time just want it to go away." The Dude "Man, I wish I had a shirt or something to bandage you with" - he looked at the cuts, scratching his head. "Let's just sit and let it dry up, it doesn't look too bad at all. Considering..." He sighed. "I'm sorry. Erm ... I actually do not have any good suggestions for anger managment, but... what I do want to say is that you shouldn't be afraid to be angry at people. Jamal will survive the fact that you growled at him, and so will Vasile. We all loose it once in a while. You just actually have something to blame in your case." Greer Greer shook her head, holding her hand up to help slow the bleeding. "No, no blaming. I was the one who lost control, avian influences or no. It's my life and I need to take responsibility for my actions. It's not the anger that bthered me really, but more the potential for violence that I don't think I've ever really had before. I don't hurt people Sean, not just because I don't like to and there are better ways to solve problems than violence, but because I just don't think that way. Getting angry, wanting punch someone, these things don't- didn't- really occur to me before now." She sighed, looking away. "It scares the hell out of me that that's changed." The Dude Greer had a point. Sean also had noticed the sudden violent urges rise up in him. While he wasn't a violent guy himself either, it was easier to explain the wish to clobber somebody to testosterone. Sean had been in fights before, Greer probably never even saw a fight. Wishing to attack somebody must have been horrifying to her, who hasn't even eaten meat before. He sat down next to her and put his floppy feet into the water: "I'd suggest a drink, but no alcohol left. You can hide out in the cliffs for a few days, pretend nothing bed happened, let the hawk be free and happy for a bit. Maybe she just lost it because you spent too much time inside recently, you know? Maybe if one makes some bits of the hawk happy the other bits will play nice? I dunno. And in the meantime the dust will settle in the Village as well ... did you actually hurt anyone? I mean, do I need to worry that Jamal finds you in a dark alley one day for pay back?" Greer Greer smiled a little, shaking her head. "No, just a lot of stupid yelling. My mirror was the only casualty. If I'd actually hurt someone I probably would have jumped off the cliff in guilt." Leaning towards him, Greer let her head fall on his shoulder. "I just wish I hadn't lost it right then. Me going crazy was the last thing Jamal needed, since the news about the island was being officially broken to him and all. God, I'm a bad person!" The Dude "Nah nah nah ... you are not. You are only human. Despite the feathers and talons, you are still only human." - he turned around to nuzzle her feathery hair. "And having the news broken to one is never pretty. And you are not the only one who's been loosingit recently. Awen totally went off on me and Hargun yesterday about how we help Moreau yadda yadda yadda." Greer "But I never! I mean, I-" Greer bit her lip, taking a deep breath and trying to order her thoughts. "That may be, but this scares me more than the physical changes, to be honest. It's one thing to change your shape, but entirely another to act like a completely different person." The Dude "Yeah ... it scares me as well. But ... I'm not sure what to do about it ..." - he sighed and splashed the water with his flippers a little. The ocean was bottle green and the waves made the water level raise and fall, as if the ocean was breathing. "Maybe if you want to hurt somebody again you force yourself to leave instead. Doesn't matter if it looks odd. Just leave. And hurt some inanimate object instead. Guys do that a lot. We punch things when we are angry..." - he chuckled to himself. Greer Greer raised her head, giving him a skeptical look. "I don't know if my knuckles can take any more disagreements with mirrors, but the leaving idea is definitely a good one." The Dude "Well, pick something softer next time" - he grinned wide. "Hey ... so ... fencing doesn't get your bottled up agression out a lot, huh?" Greer She shrugged. "It does, but I've only fenced twice since I've been on the island, and now that I have the partial wings I can't wear the protective jacket anymore. If my feet will let me I could jog more." The Dude "Yeah, jogging is a good idea. Anything to make you too damn tired to attack somebody." - he fluffed up the raven black hair. "How's your arm?" Greer Greer hissed quietly, shaking her head to put her hair back in place. "Done bleeding, although it's throbbing something awful." She lowered said appendage, examining the cuts. The Dude "You must have been livid to have punched a mirror like that." - he observed philosophically. Greer "No, actually. I was afraid." She flexed her had experiementally, suprised it didn't hurt more. Greer turned her head, forcing herself to admit this. "I was afraid that the person looking back at me wasn't really me anymore." The Dude "Yeah, mirrors suck in that way. I tend not to look too much in one nowdays either. I rather think of myself the way I used to be. Too much trouble to alter one's inner image of self. Lazy ..." - he stretched out and leaned back on the sun heated rocks, starring up. The soft white clouds were floating slowly across the blue. "I wish I could take you away from here ... but yeah ... Moreau makes even yachts dissappear ..." Greer She smiled softly, shaking her head. "Sean... stop saying that. I know you mean well, but saying you 'want to take me away' isn't going to help anything." Slipping under his arm, Greer commandeered his shoulder for use as a pillow. "Now, being all warm and comphy, on the other hand..." The Dude "Well, happy to serve ..." - he cuddled her up in his arms, still mindful of the plumage. "Man, you scared me up there, girl. You were shaking, sitting up in that tree. All the bird's instincts clicked at once, huh?" Greer "Apparently." She shuddered at the memory, nuzzling his neck. "I'm sorry I worried you. Thank you for putting up with me." The Dude "Aha ..." - he grunted, distracted by all the body contact. Ah ... he was supposed to talk to her about some stuff, wasn't he. About other instincts hawks had. But ... maybe it was too much trouble to drag it up now. Sean was actually much more happy the hawk was punching other men as opposed to trying to mate with them. He wasn't too sure about this other option any more.
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Posted: Tue Nov 22, 2005 7:49 pm
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Posted: Tue Nov 22, 2005 7:50 pm
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Posted: Tue Nov 22, 2005 7:51 pm
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Posted: Tue Nov 22, 2005 10:02 pm
Stewart_Young Once again Stewart was out exploring the village, he didn't dare venture out into the jungle again without Colche. But it was a nice day, so he didn't have much to complain about. He hadn't seen any demons lately either, mabye it had only been his imagination. It must of been, it was very late and he had been very tired. That "demon" was probably just a very harry islander, or some strange jungle creature that had wandered into the village. Liking this new idea Stewart hummed a random tune while enjoying the island. Hargun Aikason Hargun had found herself having fallen asleep outside her duplex where she had been relaxing the night before. Or.. was it that morning? Whatever. It was dark. Nomatter. She got up and stretched, yawning then went inside to change, comming back out with her pair of sunglasses on, her tummy rumbling. "Ack.. should go get something to eat.." she muttered, and headed out of the duplex area. It hadnt been very long when her ears picked up the sound of a man humming. Rather curious as to who could be so merry right now, she fallowed it until she was a few yards behind teh Father. Wait.. isnt that the guy who freaked out.. earlier? she thought, and quickly tried to hide behind some bushes before being spotted. Amaya Vaughan Ah, laundrey day. One of the most boring days in all of MAHKIND. Amaya sat ontop of the washer while her clothes spun around inside it. Today she was looking particularly gothy, wearing her torn off black tank with the fishnets from the Halloween party along with the thick black belt and torn black pants. Afterall, it was dirty but it was the least dirty thing she had. As the washer shook under her she read through her 7th JTHM comic.
Hearing someone humming outside, she looked up from her reading material and leaned to try and see outside the door without moving. Grumbling, she scooted farther to the side to see and leaned farther.
And farther.
And fa-OHSHIT!
Amaya tumbled off the washer, limbs flailing as she toppled out of the laundrey room and landing halfway out the doorway, seeing stars. Greer Cassenwari Having returned to her room two days ago to a whole mirror and hungry pets, Greer had decided to act her age, suck it up, and go out into the village in daylight. If little Amaya could take all this so well, she could at the very least live up to the maturity level her 'adopted' daughter thought she had. Walking down towards the cafeteria, she managed to turn the corner just as said lizard girl crashed out of the doorway to the laundry room. "Amaya! Sweetie! Are you okay?" Greer ran to her friend's side, not noticing anyone else. Stewart_Young Stewart thought he heard something moving around in the bushes behind him, but after not seeing anything. He blamed the sound on his nerves. He was about to continue on with his nice walk when he heard, and saw, some poor girl come crashing out of the doorway. He was about to go after her when he saw another go help her... Something was very wrong here. Both of the women did not look exactly human. Did he not imagine the demon the first time, and there was more than one? Still in shock he just stood there staring at the scene adhead of him. Hargun Aikason Hargun had heard Amaya and Greer making a bit of noise up ahead. She wanted to jump out and shout to them, but instead crept out from the bushes and followed after Father. She looked at Greer and Amaya and sheepishly waved a hand then made several gestures to the figure in fron of her, trying her hardest to point out he was new, and exceptionally not easy towards her changes. Instead she looked like some babbling goose, trying to spread its wings and scare a little kid on the side of a lake. Amaya Vaughan "I... leaned too far." Amaya rubbed the back of her head with a large hand and winced. She was dazed, but alright. "But yeah, I'm good." She gave a smirk and reached for her fallen comic to make sure it was alright, obviously in a much, much better mood then she had been ever since her second change.
As she stood, she noticed the preist staring and froze while brushing her comic off to stare back at him... then at Hargun, who looked like she was trying to mimmick a swan having a seizure. Raising a brow, she stood up straight but didn't say anything which... probably didn't help since her new feet looked rather dangerous and added a whole 4 inches to her height. Greer Cassenwari Greer tsked, eyeing Amaya for wounds and taking in her outfit. "I'd ask you if you hurt your head, but it seems you did that before getting dressed this morining. Or you got attacked by a masked scissor-wielding bandit." Crossing her arms under her chest, she fluffed her wing feathers and turned to follow the girl's gaze. Random priest, Hargun jumping around like she was being electrocuted- Eeep! Greer had been raised vaguely Catholic, and so had some fuzzy, murky memories of men in a lot of black from when she was very little. How the hell had they gotten a priest here?! Stewart_Young After looking around he finally noticed the demon from first time. She seemed to be using some sort of strange sign lanuage to communicate with the other two. But the odd bird one and lizard girl were speaking english. He would not freak out this time. No he would not show fear in the face of the enemy. He quickly crossed himself and said "Why are you demons here? Are thee slaves of Lucifer, or have you wandered out of hell? What it is you seek here on the island? Human blood? Souls?" Yes, he would stand strong in front of the enemy this time, even if he felt like shatting his pants on the inside. Hargun Aikason Hargun stopped flailing abou as the man turned around, and backed up just a tad bit. She raised a brow, and began to speak rather nervously. "..demons?" She was moments away now though from laughing so hard, her stomache began to ache as she tried to hold it in. "Eh... we.. we arent demons sir. Im not sure what in the freaking world YOUVE been told but.." Hold it IN. Be serious.. this isnt THAT funny! Moreau's got this man completely BLINDED in a lie! she shouted at herself in her head. "Amaya, Greer and I are not demons, not slaves to Lucifer, and we did not wander out of hell.." We're IN hell..Amaya Vaughan "Yeah and he w-Hey!" Amaya retorted, being in too much of a good mood to really stare at the preist very long. "I'll have you know it's laundrey day so..." She looked up at Greer and stuck out her large, pink tongue.
Then upon hearing the preist she almost facefaulted and turned back to look at him. "Uhhh... yeah, what?" She raised a brow and stared at him like he was the demon while listening to Hargun, completely lost and looking between him, Hargun, and Greer. Greer Cassenwari Greer chuckled at Amaya's response to her teasing. "Be that as it may, even on laundry day I don't wear fishnets. Just as well: you pull them off better than I could have-" Demons? The hawk woman's mouth fell open at the priest's assertion, the shock staving off the urge to laugh. Blinking, she spoke, letting her confused mind wander. "We're not demons... heck, I can still say the Lord's Prayer and probably a Hail Mary if you pushed me. I'm not sure though, since I haven't been inside a church since my confirmation." Stewart_Young He paused for a moment looking once again at all three of the women. The hawk, she could stand to speak the lord's name... How? We was becoming even more confused, and even a bit more scared. "A-Are you saying that it is true what the girl told me about the shots changing us? No tool of man could cause such changes. Obvisouly Satan is on this island, you all have fallen for his trap. May God save your souls" He said shaking his head, even though the truth had been explained to him, we was not leaving his little reality he had created. Hargun Aikason Hargun raised eyebrow again, yet even higher. "Whatever she said, if it had anything to do with a b*****d named Moreau, an injection, and us mutating into animals, then yes, its true." she grumbled, starting to get a bit tired of Moreau's name, and this man's impudence. "Satan equals Moreau if you want us to put it that way, but again.. we're not demons.." she explained, trying to come up with a way to proove it. She wasnt in teh least bit religious and it would be hard for her to think of something that would defy what he believed. Amaya Vaughan Amaya slumped while watching the preist and Hargun try to explain it to him.
"She's right, and everyone on this island that's gotten a shot when they arrived is sealed into the same fate. And were not demons." Her brow furrowed and she looked around, wondering how to prove that they weren't. She wasn't one bit religious, really so she didn't know HOW someone could believe that much but... "Oh!" Reaching under her fishnet shirt, she pulled up her silver locket and slowly approached the black-clad man. "See? This was me when I was younger." Clicking it open with a claw, she let it dangle from the chain off two of her long fingers. She would let him see it while holding her hand out to him, not wanting to scare him off if she got too close.
Inside the locket was a picture of a couple on one side and a elderly woman with a rather young Amaya on the other. Greer Cassenwari At his insistance about demons, Greer wondered idly if he'd seen or heard about her blow up. She definitely would have pegged herself as a demon after that little show... "I'm a scientist, and while I would never have thought science could go this far, I'm afraid it is possible. Although if you'd like to have us gave on some holy objects or get doused with some holy water to prove the whole not demon thing, go for it. But you know, just to be sure: Hail Mary, Full of Grace, The Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now, and at the hour of death. Amen." She was suprised she still remembered that. Stewart_Young Stewart could lie to himself no longer, everything Moreau had told him was a lie. Would he change into some horrible beast too? She had just recited the Lord's Prayer, no demon or posessed person was able to do that! They had just destoryed any hope he had left in his fantasy world. But he would pove this first, an exorcism mabye? Yes, that was the only way to prove what was really going on here. If it was successful, then we would have his work cut out for him... But if nothing was there, would he have to trust in science? He said something along the lines of "I need to go think this over" and started walking towards his house. Later he would get his exorcism equiptment together. But now he really needed get his thoughts together. Hargun Aikason Hargun hadnt a clue what some of what Greer was saying but nodded along to it anyways. She looked rather suprised at Stewart before he left and scratched the top of her head. "Oookay then. I guess youve guys got him convinved?" she asked, feeling kinda weak not being able to think of anything quick enough. In fact she mightve made things worse if she tried something. Amaya Vaughan Amaya sighed and watched him go, flipping her locket up into her palm and shutting it before carefully putting it back over her neck. "Heck if I know." She shrugged and looked back at Greer before going back into the laudrey room.
"Whys he think were demons? He's a preist or something, right? I mean... I can kinda understand it, but..." The iguana huffed, leaving it at that while opening the washer and moving her wet clothing to the dryer. "Poor guy. Why would he bring a friggin' priest here?" Greer Cassenwari Greer watched him go sadly, mentally berating herself for chasing another person of. She needed to stop doing that! "Heck if I know, but I could see where he'd rather see us as demons than think he was going to turn into an animal. We all have our own delusions our brains use to protect us." Sighing, the hawk woman ruffled Amya's hair affectionately and then turned to go. "I need food and lots of time outdoors to keep the hawk happy. I'll probably be sketching at the cliffs again if you need me. Have fun with your laundry and your interesting clothing." Waving to Hargun, Greer trotted towards food.
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Posted: Fri Dec 23, 2005 6:21 pm
Joliette looked through her pile of envelopes she went through them as carefully as possible having already poked holes in the corners of many of them by accident with her new claws.
She found the one she was looking for and slid it under the door of her friend.
Note Enclosed with Merry Christmas Greer I couldn't think of anything else to give my friends so I holed up in the darkroom for a few hours pouring through my Photographic work and thought you might like this one... ~Joliette
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Posted: Fri Dec 23, 2005 9:29 pm
Gathering up all the plushies she had time to make for the holidays, Amaya set to delivering each one. She wasn't sure if anyone would like them since... well, they were stuffed animals afterall... save for this one, but since she had no money and was an ocean away from any store, she did the only thing she knew how.
Approaching Greer's door, she set down a tiny ragdoll with wadded up, magenta pieces of fabric for hair, a patched up green dress and dark blue buttons for eyes. A small slip of paper was tied around one of it's arms with black thread. When it's opened up it reads in rather scraggly handwriting (holding a pen has become rather hard with her new hands): Quote: Dear Greer, I know the holidays are the least one our minds, but I don't think we should let the staff get our spirits down. I just want you to know that despite the situation were all in, I could never express how glad I am that I met you... though I just wish it was under better circumstances. I hope you have a happy holiday, regardless of how things are. Love, Amaya <3
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Posted: Sat Dec 24, 2005 4:31 pm
Sometime in the middle of the night, a grey-furred figure quietly makes a stop on your doorstop to deposit a cloth-wrapped package. The cloth is cut from a scrap piece of blue tarp from the looks of things, and tied shut with a length of rope.
Pinned to it is a note on Feral Labs stationary (much like the pad found in all of your duplexes in the desk drawer), penned in an elegant, confident hand.
Quote: Greer, I have not had the pleasure of seeing you again in some time.... and I hope that the trials of this Island has not killed your indomniable spirit and your fierce curiousity. Don't let the instincts that are not your own rob you of who you want to be. I hope to see you again soon, and that you and the Dude are doing well and keeping eachother happy ~ Ambrose Maurlias
And once the rope is cut or untied, inside the package is a carved figure of a bug from a piece of driftwood. The uncarved (but polished) base is of the same piece of the insect, and detailwork has been burned in.
On the bottom of the base is a small inscription carved, "Never forget the things you love, ~Ambrose"
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Posted: Sat Dec 24, 2005 6:53 pm
Hargun made her way out of her duplex quickly, irritated with herself for not doing this sooner. In one of her arms was a few pieces of paper with scribbly writing, and several, tiny little clay figures, each wrapped in a makeshift red ribbon for a tag. Each also had a label to whom it was for. Most of them were hearts, but a few were animal shapes. She pulled out one shaped like a little bird.  Then she placed it down near the door, on top of a letter that read (In terrible handwritting): Quote: Dear Greer, Im sorry- that is if I got this to you too late. I was just reminded what day it was and I thought Itd be good if I gave everyone something. Sorry if you cant even READ any of this. Hopefully you'll understand. Anyways, Ive got a bunch more letters to write... hope you have a happy holiday! Love, Hargun
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Posted: Sun Dec 25, 2005 12:45 am
When you awaken on Christmas morning, you find that the room seems to have a lot of large packages on the counters.
If you attempt to lift them, you will find they are heavy.
When you unwrap them, and notice the air holes in the wrapping paper, you find rare insects from all over the world.
Hard to find, and all alive.
(I'll leave it to you what exactly you get)
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Posted: Sun Dec 25, 2005 8:50 am
She'd planned to be social and see people months ago, but after having to explain reality for the umpteenth time to that poor, misguided priest, something in Greer's heart had given up, and her perpetual cheer had faded. To sombre to fight the hawk's demands, she'd spent more and more time outside, watching life pass around her. She'd hoped Sean would come find her and shake her out of this, but he never appeared and it was probably just as well. This was her own trial, and she wouldn't be herself again if she didn't conquer it for herself.
The trouble with being a scientist and watching the world pass with super spiffy hawk eyes, is that before a week is out you find yourself profoundly interested in everything you see. Realizing she'd had the bleary sense to drag her notebook out into the jungle with her, the feathered entomologist began sketching everything - untill nearly every inch of every page of the little book was filled with drawings and hastily scrawled notes. The activity got her moving again, running to chase down fast moving birds that tried to escape before she finished their tails, and scrambling up every branch that was even vaguely safe to find new and interesting plants. When she grabbed food it was quickly and at night, so it was doubtful she was really eating as much as she needed. Runner lithe was beginning to give way to needs more food scrawny, but she was nowhere near starving and had never been in better spirits. One day, as Greer was heading back into the wilderness, swallowing food cheerfully, she decided to swing past her duplex in hopes she could find more paper there. That's when she discovered it was Christmas.
Packages and notes waited patiently for her on her doorstep, looking cheerful and reminding her she had friends. Greer stared at them for a moment, thunderstruck, before gathering them all up and heading inside. There the room was filled with official-looking boxes, which she avoided in favor of sitting on the bed and seeing what the people she'd run away from had given her.
It was getting hard to read the notes because the tears were ruining her vision and then dropping on to the pages, but Greer soldiered on. Amaya's adorable patchwork doll found an honored place on her desk, along with the artiste's lovely little stuffed bird and the lovely ocean-view photo from that kind girl who had seen her at her worst. The desk was cleaned for the occassion so they could all be seen, and the heartbreakingly sweet ladybug carving was laid behind them so the other gifts had something to lean back on. Smiling, she taped the notes that had come with the gifts on the wall above her desk, so that if anything ever got too much she'd have these kind words to cheer her up.
Wrapped in a blanket and the care of others, Greer cast a skeptical eye on the boxes, and decided to open them in the morning. They were surely from Moreau, and whether they contained exquisite gifts or a pound of meat there was nothing in them as wonderful as what her friends had left her. As rich and as powerful as he was, the good doctor could never give any of them the one thing they really needed to survive, the thing that without they would simply fade and die.
Her friends had left her love. Caring. Companionship. But most of all, they had left her hope.
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Posted: Sun Dec 25, 2005 7:17 pm
Rustling her feathers, Greer stretched and sat up, squinting happily at her rooms in the morning light. Christmas morning, to be exact. And she still had unopened gifts...
Stepping out of bed, she walked over to the first large box and examined it carefully, just in case it held the ultimate evil. No, looked pretty safe. Maybe Moreau didn't leave them? But he had to, since they'd been left in[/] her duplex, and not on her doorstep. Well, they could have been from Aubrey, but Moreau probably had the final say about their contents... oh, stop waffling! Mmm, waffles... gah! Open the damn boxes woman!
Grabbing the brightly colored paper on one of the packages and tearing it off like she had she was a child, Greer took a moment to revel in the delicious tearing sound the wrapping made and so missed what the paper's demise revealed. Hearing an irate hiss, she glanced up sharply and then had to cover her beak-mouth with her hands to stop herself from squealing with glee. A mole cricket! The doctor had given her a mole cricket! Had the man himself been there, she would have kissed him.
When all the insects had been revealed, Greer sat in a sea of wrapping paper and grinned until her face hurt. There were ten living, breathing beauties in total, all in perfect health and amazingly rare. So many new insects! It was a good thing she spent so little time indoors these days - all the new terrariums made her modest rooms seem positively cramped and tiny. The extra chair would have to live on the patio, and to get any real floorspace to move around in and tend all the insects the bed really should go. Maybe this could become a a bug room instead of hers? Still, she liked a bed to sleep in now and then... making a mental note to ask about new accomodations for either her or her bevy of insects, Greer bustled about, arranging and tending. They all even came with top of the line terrariums! The things were climate controled!
Humming to herself, the entomologist wiggled her tailfeathers happily as she basked in the glory of her invertabrate gift.
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