Welcome to Gaia! ::

((Sorry that took me so long - just got back!))

Ambrose shook his head and waved off Greer. "Don't worry about it" he tried to laugh it off - it really was rather amusing when thought about it. "I'm glad you got your butterfly. And... to be honest, a butterfly net knocking me on the head is preferable to a lot of the recent events" He winced, that probably meaning a lot more to her than Hargun.

"And Hargun, is it?" He smiled, saying the nae carefully. "Where are you from if you don't mind me asking. That's a rather unique name"

He couldn't help ut snicker at the query to Greer, knowing just how true that his assumption was. He looked over her sketchbook with lifted eyebrows and an approving "Hmm!" "Those are quite good, Hargun." He scratched his head, still rather uncomfortable. "SO... the scholarship... Dr. Moreau offered? For college credit..?" He tried to puzzle together the excuse she had been given, eying the familiar welt on her arm.

Hargun smiled and rubbed her head blushing. "You think theyre great?" she asked and eyed them. An artist is always their worst critic and she often found herself disliking her pictures. Then she looked to Ambrose again, very confused.

"Dr. Moreau? Whose.. that? The guy that's in charge of the art community thing?" she asked and kinda shrugged. "I guess.. if thats him. Yea for college credit. I still have a little bit of highschool left ahead of me, but a good handful of artists are allowed to get slightly early starts." she nodded to herself excitedly. "Oh Im from Oregon. Well, born their but we move around from time to time so I just say Im from there. Eh.. dunno why my parent's named me it. It's strange but its a really cool name I think."

She never really did worry about her name. It was one of those things everyone tended to gte used to after a while. What really seemed to intrigue her was that the two -possibly- knew who the big man was. But Dr. Moreau didn't sound like an artist's name.. just didn't to her at least. Maybe he just goes by it because he's rich. she thought, then kind of shook it out of her mind.

Turning back to Greer Hargun smiled. "Well its good to hear that. I'm not the biggest fan of bugs, but I think they're important too.. just as much as any other larger or more powerful animal that walks on the earth. And I dunno why but when theyre on those walls theyre just.. ugh."

Listening to the two of them talk, Greer unconsciously shook her head. They were in college. Why did the doctor have to run experiments on kids so young?

"Your drawings are wonderful. You're a very talented artist."

She smiled sadly. Poor thing.

"We all came here for different reasons."

Ambrose shuffled his feet in the sand a bit. "Greer's right... she's was here supposedly competing for a research position collecting insect.... I was here for a medical study. The reason they told me seems to be the most accurate." Ambrose gritted his teeth.

"They told me they were paying 5 Grand for a two week study to test out some experimental therapy drugs. I arrived here a few days past two weeks ago. They're not letting me go. They're not letting any of us go." Ambrose said sternly, his eyes saying that he wasn't joking in the least.

"And I'm willing to bet you, that in a few weeks, Moreau won't be one of your favorite people either."

As hard as she may have attempted, she couldnt exactly smile as much anymore, and just looked.. out there. She was still trying to tell herself they were here for the samereason she was until she shook her head out of realizing Greer's question.

"Oh.. uhm. Well she was acting wierd and stuff about changing us into animals. Obviously she was joking with her little growling act but eh.. she sounded more serious when she said we were getting injections for preventing diseases here on the island." she said, and looked at the apot on her arm, rubbing it just out of the mental feeling of it being pinched.

Greer visibly flinched at Hargun's account of her introduction to the island. Ms. Aubrey was a ballsy little...something, wasn't she?

"She wasn't joking." she spoke quietly, letting the quality of the girl's hearing determine whether or not she heard her.

"Hargun - Wait~!" He called futilely after her. Great.... just great.... His shoulders slumped and his eyes once more returned to the sand that was clinging to the fur on his feet. "Perfect. Bloody perfect. I... I wish I had more tact when it came to this. I... I know how she feels... and I wish someone had warned me before I woke up to ... this!" He gestured vaguely. "But... it's never goign to be easy, is it..?" He turned to Greer seriously.

"I... " he shook his head. "It hurts... to see all of us... seeing the lives that he's pulling us away from... "

He fell to a squat, his elbows resting on his knees. "I hope she'll be alright... not that I'm one to talk..." He looked back up to Greer. "How... how about yourself...? They haven't given you your second shot yet, have they? And... have you had any luck with the staff...? I... I've spoken a little to Aubrey myself..." He shook his head, his expression conveying his success. "She.... She's not immoral.... but... She doesn't run the Island either."

"Right." Ambrose said dishearteningly. What he didn't say was that he was sincerely questioning either her motivations or the level of seriousness she was taking this. Still catching butterflies? What did it matter anymore if she'd never be able to take them off the Island? Maybe she hadn't completely settled into her fate yet - still more eager to live the lie than accept the fact that she was stuck, her career over, and likely to be sprouting fur and a tail soon herself.

"Good luck" was all he managed to say sullenly with a wave.

Who was he to criticize? Everyone had their ways of dealing with stress... denial was one of them. And besides, just because he was stuck on the Island he wasn't giving up fencing he thought, settling into a stance - it always helped clear his thoughts.