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Reserved for ToD

Thomas: Thom had slept like a rock. Even after regaining consciousness some time in the early hours of the morning, he had hardly cracked an eye before slipping into a more natural sleep. He hadn't slept indoors for well over a month, and though his mind hadn't registered that he was indoors, the couch was comfortable, the blanket was warm, and Thom was more than happy to sleep as long as they would let him.

Antoinette: The squirrel woman had eventually fallen asleep in the chair by the couch, having been out there to smoke away from Natsumi in case it bothered her. The dawn woke the rodent up, and she grunted while rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. Looking down at the ashtray in her lap, she was startled to find herself covered in dried blood. Only it wasn't hers. At least, it didn't smell like hers... Out of reflex, she jumped to her feet, knocking the ashtray onto the floor with a loud thud.

Natsumi: Natsumi's sleep had only gotten lighter and lighter with her changes, though the morning's light wouldn't wake her like it used to, noises sure did. Even the sound of a heater kicking on caused the gecko to startle awake So the loud thunk of an ashtray make the girl give a light jerk, eyes poping open, to move towards the source, and then relaxing as soon as her brain regestered what had happend. Nothing to worry about. She gave a lazy glance around the room, debating actually getting up or just staying there... But it wasn't her bed, so her mind argued she should forcer herself awake. And so she rose to a sit, giving a small yawn into her palm.

Thomas: The thud of the ashtray as it hit the floor was enough to rouse Thom from his sleep, at least to an extent. Muttering a protest, he tugged the blanket up to his chin and cracked an eye, peeking around for the source of the sound. Almost immediately he froze, both eyes opening and widening in horror at the duplex that greeted him. Nevermind the fact that it was light, nevermind that Antony and Natsumi were there, both of these factors went completely unnoticed. The cobra was swept back in time by a wave of memories, pupils dilating and unfocusing as he receeded into the 'safety' of his thoughts, visibly quivering where he lay on the couch.

Antoinette: The mutter startled her, and Antony watched as the man woke up and act as if he were entering a nightmare himself. "Thom?" She warbled uneasily, taking a step or so closer to him. "Are you okay?"

Natsumi: Natsumi blinked as Antony moved, following her gaze to Thom, and then noticing the slight movement of shaking... "Thomas?" She echoed Antony, rising to her feet as well. His face looked familiar, like the time she caught him outside their duplexes.

Thomas: He was trapped. He was trapped. How had he gotten here? What was on him? Just a blanket, his mind reassured him, fighting to return to rational thought. His eyes slid down towards the blanket, then up, focusing unblinkingly on first Antony, then Natsumi. He...wasn't alone? Immediately relief swept through his system, and he relaxed, closing his eyes with a shakey sigh. However, a split second later he was sliding off the couch, diving for the nearest person (who happened to be Antony) and looping his arms around her waist, ducking his head to hide from the walls.

Antoinette: At first, Antony believed him to be attacking her, and immediately let out a surprised and fearful noise. However, when he burrowed himself into her like a small child, the squirrel woman's eyes widened in confusion. Her arms soon moved around him, pulling him closer as her tails attempted to wrap around the two of them. "It's okay," she murmured in as comforting a voice as she could muster. After all, the squirrel inside her was screaming to flee from the snake before he ate her whole.

Natsumi: Natsumi gave yet another little jerk as Thom jumped forward and Antony gave a noise, little red flags and sirens going of fin her head. Luckally, humanity argued it and moved her forward to Thom and Ant's side, looking at Thom with a bit of confusion. Was it the whole Annie thing? It didn't seem like it would be.. So then what? Her mind worked, trying to get everything to click, and in the meantime cautiously placing a comforting hand on Thom's back.

Thomas: Thom wasn't even entirely sure who he was clinging to for a long moment. Quite frankly, he didn't care, and was just happy that the person hadn't kicked him or something. He couldn't be alone indoors. He couldn't be in a duplex. He wanted out. The cobra jumped visibly as Natsumi set her hand on his shoulder, only risking a glance up a good pause later, and then pointedly avoiding looking anywhere but at Natsumi. "My, ah.. th' cane... D'you... out? Please?"

Antoinette: Antony was down right confused, and she looked to Natsumi for help, pleading up at her with her eyes for a moment before looking down at Thom. "Hey, it's okay... Annie's gone. You're in my duplex. You're okay." The woman didn't know what else to do but to hold him and run a hand through his hair in a petting motion.

Natsumi: Natsumi blinked, his cane, oh right yea... They had grabbed that right? The night was mostly blurry, just a big rush of emotions as they all tried to safely get back to town. But a quick glance back around the room revelied someone had thought ahead and retreived the object, luckally for Thom. "It is over there..." She gave a gesture to it in the corner, Out? She gave a puzzled expression while Antony offered comforting words. Then it clicked, two and two managed to make four, as she remembered the strange reaciton he had and the dissaperance... That must have been it. But outside meant danger, inside was better. "We are safe inside, though..." She tried to protest, glancing to the door nerviously.

Thomas: Safe inside? Were they insane?! They were trapped, they were imprisoned, every moment they were indoors was another moment they could be stuck there for the rest of their lives. Admittedly, it wouldn't have been as bad as before with Antony and Natsumi there, but still! He wasn't going to relive the darkness, the roaches, the rats, the faces... With a bit of effort on his own part, he released Antony and awkwardly climbed to his feet, fixing his eyes on the cane in the corner as he slowly walked towards it. Don't look around. If he didn't look, the roaches wouldn't be there, the faces wouldn't be there, the shadow wouldn't be there. He could get the cane, and he could leave.

Antoinette: Dumbfounded, Antony climbed after him, forgetting that she was covered in splotches of dried blood herself. "Annie's ******** loose man..." It was the best she could muster given the fact that she had just woken up.

Natsumi: "Thomas..." She practically whined, her tone begging him to stay. She didn't want to go outside, but if he went there was no way in hell she was letting him go alone. She didn't need another death on her conciance, not to mention she just plain out didn't want Thom dead. She nodded to what Antony said, that was pretty much it. Trailing after Thom's steps like a whiney shadow. "Don't.." She urged again, with no idea how to make him stay.

Thomas: Annie? Was Annie the wolf? Tch, she was on fire, she wouldn't bother him. Besides, he would keep to the jungle, keep to the trees and avoid her. He had managed this long, he certainly wasn't scared to go back out. However...he was afraid to box himself in a corner. He paused in step a few feet from his cane, staring down at it and attempting to ignore the walls cornering behind it, all the while reminding himself that it was open behind him. He could turn around and be just fine. Just fine. But he couldn't go any closer to the wall.

Antoinette: "Okay, what the hell is going on?" She finally gasped in frustration, looking from Natsumi to Thom and back again. Really, last night was stressful enough!

Natsumi: Well, that had stopped him atleast... Though it still made her just as uncomfrotable. "Thomas-san does not like being indoors..." She stated the all too obvious, "But I do not know why." She fidgeted some.

Thomas: He didn't want to have to explain this to Antony, especially not indoors. He just wanted to get his cane and get out. But the walls were closing in, and he quickly abandoned the cane, turning and starting instead for the door. Moving at his awkward slow walk, he stepped past the two women, trying the door knob and immediately snatching his hand back when it was locked. He hadn't thought to try unlocking it. It was locked. He was trapped. He paled even through the scales, taking a step back and sinking to sit on the floor, both hands rising to hold his head.

Antoinette: Antony watched him stupidly after Natsumi explained the situation until he took a seat. While she didn't rush, the squirrel woman did make her way over to him and onto her knees next to him. Quietly and carefully, she eased a hand onto his back, glancing over towards Natsumi for advice. "Hey... We're both here okay?"

Natsumi: Natsumi's heart failed, or felt like it did. That was even worse, going out without his cane.. he'd be slow, picked off. Her imagination went wild and she quickly snatched the abandoned object to follow after Thom. She could feel her heartrate jump just as she neared the door after Thom, "Thomas." She tried to make noise, keep talking to let him know she was there while knelt as well, tail curling around her legs nerviously. She was at a complete loss as to what she could do... Just going outside wasn't the answere. She passed a confused look back to antony, then looked back to Thom, nodding some.

Thomas: Antony and Natsumi's kind words completely failed to register. The locked door had been the final touch. The room was fading into darkness, and Antony's voice had become the ghostly echos of his teammates. Thom didn't look up, simply held his head, staring blankly forward at the shadow only he could see.

Antoinette: Her lips pursed into a line when being nice didn't seem to work, and after not much thought, Antony smacked him clean across the cheek, careful of her claws. "God damnit Thom! Wake the ******** up!" It worked on drunks sometimes, why not crazy snake man? Of course, the squirrel inside her was throwing it's own personal s**t fit.

Natsumi: It didn't take a genious to connect the noise of the door lock to the sudden crumble infront of it, but Natsumi could not bring herself to touch that knob. She wasn't that strong, weakhearted, even if she felt a tad selfish that Thom was suffering because of it. She flinched as Antony's hand hit his face, maybe it would work, maybe it wouldn't, but as her imagination went wild she found tears suddenlly dripping down her face. Again, she was weak hearted.Next thing she knew she had latched hold of Thom in a hug, choking on a few sobs, and having the exact oposite reaction of Ant's in the stressful situation. "Don't..." She pleaded, "Do not go. You could die.. and.." She choked again.

Thomas: Thom's head jerked up as Antony's hand connected with his face, eyes narrowing in a glare at the squirrel woman as she snapped him from his daze. However, before he could call her on it he became aware of a clinging, crying Natsumi, and drew the girl into a hug, briefly forgetting his earlier predicament. "Die? I'm not goin' t' die," he assured her, freeing a hand to rub his temples and glancing around the room. He grimaced, but remained focused on the situation at hand. He wasn't alone. This wasn't his duplex. No need to fret. "Where are we, exactly?"

Antoinette: "In my duplex," she said softly, eyeing him carefully. "Sorry about the smack, you were ******** gone..." Antony made dazed face that was much like the one he had on earlier. A"Anyways," the squirrel woman continued, "People were getting buzzed out left and right last night. I wasn't, so I helped people get back to the village. You ended up here with the help of... I never caught your name, sorry..." An apologetic smile came across her muzzle and was offered to the young girl.

Natsumi: Natsumi could be rather childish at times, now was one of those, she peered up at Thom as he tried to assure her. She didn't beleive him, but it was enough to quiet her into a simple pout, letting Antony answere as she simply clung to Thom, keeping a tight hold with a small fear that if she let go he'd walk out and go die somewhere. She ignored the thoughts of 'improper.' They almost got eaten by a freaking wolf-girl, right now she didn't give a crap about being proper. Her eyes moved up to Antony, name? Oh yea... Names. "Natsumi Tanaka." She gave a small nod and weak smile, waiting for a return introduction.

Thomas: Duplex. Thom shivered involuntarily at the brief explanation, but simply tightened his arms around Natsumi. Now that he was focused, there wasn't so much threat.. It was daylight, it wasn't his duplex, and there were others with him. He had simply been...startled to wake up indoors. "No worries," he assured her, nodding. "Thanks f' draggin' me back. Both of you," he added, forcing a smile for Natsumi's benefit.

Antoinette: "Antony," she reciprocated, turning her attention back to Thom, nodding in response to the thanks. "All the injured were taken to the labs... Do you want anything to drink, smoke, or whatever?" Whatever happened, Antony was definitely sure she needed to shower as soon as possible.

Natsumi: Thom was okay now, phew... And safe. Safe inside the duplex, they all were. Reason argued she'd have to leave sometime, they all needed food and the like, and she needed to be in her own duplex. But she didn't have to do that any time soon. She could let go now though. Any time now... Just let go. Okay you can do it... The gecko blinked as her body seemed to refuse to let go... Okay, she could cling just a little longer "Nice to meet you." She offered in return, managing to loosen her grip on Thom some without letting go completely, tail twitching anxiously, tears stopped, anxiety was leaving... Much better.

Thomas: "I'm fine." He had never smoked, and he had had more to drink in the past couple of week than perhaps the rest of his life. He preferred to not make a habit of either. He didn't seem to mind Natsumi's death grip, more amused by the clinging than anything, and, given the far-too-familiar sight of another duplex, rather thankful for it. Antony could, conceivably, be an illusion, but Natsumi was solid, Natsumi was real, and Thom wasn't alone. "What 'appened last night, then? Did th' fire work? Was anyone 'urt seriously?"

Antoinette: "The fire worked, and Jamal was shot with a dart while running into the jungle. I couldn't find him." Standing up, she offered a hand to the both of them in case they wanted to stand up. "Couch is comfier."

Natsumi: Natsumi had no idea, luckally he was asking Antony and not her. So she listened for the answere as well, Jamal was... the teapot tiger man, she'd heard his name spoken enough to pick it up. She gave a light flinch as the night before's memories reentered her mind, shoving them out she nodded, uncurling her tail and with one hand on Thom, she took Antony's hand and got herself to her feet, waiting for Thom to lead the way, wherever that way was.

Thomas: The fire had worked and, from the sound of things, no one was badly injured. "Brilliant." With Natsumi's help, Thom climbed to his feet, accepting his cane from her to walk back to the couch. As long as the light was on, he would be fine inside. Taking a seat on the couch, he gestured for Natsumi to sit beside him, offering her a smile before glancing back to Antony. "Jamal... Is that th' tiger? He doesn't 'ave 'is chip... Do you know 'ow it was removed?"

Antoinette: "He doesn't have a chip?" She asked, widening her eyes to look as if this was certainly news to her. After all, the cameras -were- working in her duplex, and if they knew she had anything to do with his first escape, it wouldn't take them long to figure out she may have orchastrated the second one too. "So that's why he wasn't buzzed down?" A thoughtful expression came over her features and she ran a hand through her hair, "Well... Maybe he ripped it out or cut it out like that crazy guy in Saw II?"

Natsumi: She let him have his cane, a bit worried that he might run off with it's aid, but he didn't, so all was good. She gave a small smile as they made it back to the couch, setting herself down beside Thom as he gestured. Chip? Natsumi was still left clueless to the ways of the island, the chips, the cameras. So instead of paying much attention, she allowed her eyes to move about the room, tail giving a light twitch before curling up around her.

Thomas: "That's what 'e told me at th' party," Thom replied with a shrug, a bit disappointed that Antony hadn't already known. "Makes sense that they went after 'im with a date, too, if that's th' case. Pros an' cons to 'avin' it gone, I suppose." He paused to give Antony a long stare at her suggested removal process, then shook his head. "'Aven't seen it. There's probably an easier way, wouldn't you think?"

Antoinette: "Oh... Does make sense though..." Antony tapped her chin a couple times before raising her eyebrows at Thom as if he were crazy. "An -easier- way?! It's in our spinal cord... What other ways would you suggest?"

Natsumi: Once having looked around the room she looked between Thom and Antony as they spoke. Chips, spinal dords,, saws... and what was that pole over there? She kept floating thoughts to herself.

Thomas: He shrugged, risking a glance around the room to pick out the communication panel on one wall. "Th' labs put them in easily enough, right? Stands t' reason we could take them out th' same way."

Antoinette: "You forget that they're also highly skilled doctors, as much as most people here would hate to admit," she pointed out, shaking her head and sighing openly. "Unless there's a doctor on this side... With working hands..." The last part was added as an afterthought.

Thomas: Cutting open a neck was cutting open a neck, doctors just might do a safer job of it. However... "Bia's a doctor," Thom announced after a moment, thinking back to his first meeting with the woman. "She told me what I was turnin' in to. I'm not sure why she's out 'ere, but... Maybe she could do it." Neglect the fact that he wasn't exactly on the best of terms with Bia, and the idea just might work.

Antoinette: "See, now there's a more logical idea," Antony agreed, smiling slightly, "But there's still the problem with the cameras. Her tails twitched ominously behind her.

Natsumi: Nope. No idea what was going on. But rather than look like an idiot and ask what were they talking about, she just sat in silence, pretending to know what was going on while she lightly clung to Thom's arm, gaze drifting back to that mysterious pole in Antony's room. Oh, poor naive Natsumi, if only she knew... She wouldn't have been staring at it then.

Thomas: "They don't 'ave cameras everywhere," he assured her, smirking faintly. Else, perhaps, he wouldn't have nearly killed Zach. "I'll bring it up with Bia." Ending the discussion, he glanced down to Natsumi, wondering what had kept her silent for so long. He followed her stare towards the pole and, as recognition dawned, had to choke back a laugh, instead nudging the girl's side. "Found somethin' interestin'?"

Antoinette: Antony's eyes too were pulled in the direction that the two were staring, and she laughed. "I wanted to see if the labs would put it in if I requested it..." Obviously, they had accomadated that request quite well.

Natsumi: Natsumi jumped alittle as Thom nudged her, looking back to the group only to find them both looking to where she had been. Whoops, had she been staring? That got her into trouble more often than not... Still she was befuddled by the way Antony had laughed and Thom's tone and comment. "Eh?" She blinked, looking between them in a 'did i miss something?' fashion.

Thomas: "They certainly are...accomodatin'," Thom replied, somewhat bitterly. At Natsumi's expression, he snickered, sinking down in his seat and nodding towards the squirrel woman. "I'll let Antony explain, I think."

Antoinette: "Explain, or demonstrate?" Her brows scooched upwards as she asked the question, "It's good exercise." She shrugged, taking a few steps to it and placing her right hand on the pole.

Natsumi: Natsumi looked between them. It was just a pole... Nothing special right? She gave another look of confusion, not sure what to say other than "What is it?" Well obviously it was a pole, but how was that good exercise.

Thomas: "Whichever you prefer." Hopefully the later. Grinning, he looped an arm around Natsumi's waist, watching for her reaction to the pending demonstration out of the corner of his eye. "Just watch."

Antoinette: "You sure your girlfriend wants to see this?" She asked when she saw him put his arm around her waist, a slight smirk growing on her muzzle. The hand on the pole moved up and down in a sort of stroking motion. The movement wasn't overly sexual, but Thom would probably get the subtle reference.

Natsumi: Natsumi raised a brow, watching as she was told too but she couldn't help but feel impending doom with the way they were acting. And the girlfriend comment only made her blush under those red tinted scales. She wasn't sure if she wanted to see this, but alas... she was going to, wasn't she? So she slumped alittle, watching to see if it was really as bad as they seemed to be making it out to be.

Thomas: He brushed aside the girlfriend comment, not bothering to acknowledge the remark. Natsumi hadn't said anything, and neither would he. He wasn't entirely sure where they stood with each other right now. It was probably safer this way. "If it bothers her, you can stop," he offered instead, a slightly teasing note in his voice as he glanced towards Natsumi.

Antoinette: "Okay then, a show for the couple?" Regardless of their answer, Antony stripped off her t-shirt and shorts before actually taking hold of the pole. Given that she couldn't go outside thanks to the sun, the squirrel woman had taken to teaching herself many pole tricks as a workout. It really did keep her in shape, and her little 'show' continued until Natsumi said stop, or five minutes were over... Whichever came first.

Natsumi: More feelings of doom, the gecko shifted uncomfortably. As for where her and Thom stood... Who knew anymore, they had so many titles to their relationship now that it was just a big pile of words. Friends, siblings, couple, parts of the foodchain... Oh well, atleast she could stop whatever doom was coming with a simple word. Minus the fact all words left her mind once antony plucked off her shirt. Her eyes went wide, gave a small squeak tensed up, blushed a neon red. So thats what the pole was for... Learn something new everyday right? She wasn't sure what to feel about Antony, it was a strange mixture of repulsion and respect.

Thomas: He hadn't expected her to strip, even if it wasn't everything, but certainly wasn't about to complain. He simply made himself comfortable to watch the little show. Natsumi hadn't called a stop to things, Thom noted once Antony had paused, which was slightly surprising. He couldn't see that she had enjoyed it for exactly the same reasons he had, so perhaps... A glance sideways reassured him, and he laughed aloud at the burning blush and the expression on Natsumi's face. There, that made more sense. "Well?"

Antoinette: Antony caught Thom's eyes a couple times during the 'show' and couldn't help but smirk to herself at the boost in esteem the snake man's approval brought her. A little curtesy was added at the end to promote laughter for Natsumi. At least try to. "Do that for an hour and damn... The tails do help of course," she explained, leaning against the pole and not bothering to pick up her clothes quite yet.

Natsumi: It had stopped soon enough, luckally for her. And as it did, she was met with Thom's laughter, glancing to him, then back to Antony's bow, she cracked a smile, giving a nervious giggle and nodding some, with mental encouragement that she was an adult now, and that such things shouldn't bother her. Right. "I.." She swallowed, choking imaturely, so much for adulthood "I see. Heh..."

Thomas: "Now, aren't you glad you asked?" he teased, ending his laughter to send a grin Antony's way. "Exercise, of course. Well done."

Antoinette: "Now that that's explained. I'm going to get naked and take a shower. You all are free to make yourselves at home, just holler if you want to leave though." She grinned and then bent over to gather her clothes. Once straightened up, she made her way to the bathroom.

Natsumi: The girl gave a soft noise of air at that, as though it was going to be a hah yea right, but she kept it to herself, only making a tiny grunt so she could avoid any real answere. Atleast they were nice though, all laughing and teasing about it, rather than some serious and uncomfortable thing. Even so, Natsumi found a nice spot on the floor to stare at while she calmed her nerves, nodding at Antony's instructions. "Alright."

Thomas: "We'll just be goin', then," he spoke after her as she retreated to the bathroom. Winding his arm free of Natsumi's waist, he retrieved his cane and stood, pausing. "At least, I will..." Glancing back to Natsumi, he flashed her a hopeful smile, nodding towards the door and offering a hand. "It's safe enough. We won't go into th' jungle. Come with me?"

Natsumi: Natsumi looked up at Thom nerviously as he stated his leave, okay she had to leave sometime but but... She didn't even notice her breathing and heartrate jump up. She gave a nervious noise, almost a whine, as she stood reluctantly. He couldn't go alone, that was simple enough, and she couldn't stay at Antony's forever, and she couldn't leave alone. This was the best time to go. "Alright." She hunched as she neared the door again, sticking close to Thom's side.

Thomas: "You'll be fine," he promised following her whine, helping her to her feet and walking with her back towards the door. This time he remembered to unlock it, breathing a sigh of relief when it actually opened, then stepping out and closing it behind them both. "So, where to?"

Natsumi: That's what she'd thought yesterday, before they went to the beach, and before they almost got eaten by something out of a freaking movie. Things like this just weren't supposed to happen. She wasn't supposed to have scales, she wasn't supposed to be stuck on an island with a psycho doctor, and she wasn't supposed to be nearly getting eaten by wild wolf-women. But she was. She followed Thom outside, not so fast! Her mind urged, as she gave glances every which way. The area was ofcourse clear, but that didn't seem to calm her like it should have. Where to? "Home?" she offered, or moreso anywhere they could hide again... but that sounded crazy.

Thomas: His smile faltered at the suggestion, and he paused in step, sending a wary glance down the line of duplexes. Almost immediately he looked away, closing his eyes briefly before reopening them and fixing a half-hearted smile on his face. "Ah, I'll just 'ead back to th' lake, then. D' you mind if I don't walk you back?"

Natsumi: Natsumi frowned, he wouldn't go with her... ? Crap. Inner conflict struck the girl's expression, the gecko argued the cobra would be fine adn that she should save her own skin, but the human argued that Thom's leg could lead to trouble, and that all those shows and whatever people got killed as soon as they left their group. Now, that was just a movie, but the rest of their wold seemed to be like a movie, it made sense to follow the same logic. Her mouth opened once, promptly closing as the wind picked up and gave a very light rustle to the nearby jungle, causing her to flinch and glue herself to Thom's arm. She was scared, irrationally so, and part of her knew that. "But what if she is at the lake, and you go there and then..." She frowned up at him, pausing for a second to look behind her, then back to Thom.

Thomas: And there was the frown. He had expected it, but it didn't make his escape any easier, especially when Natsumi glued herself to his arm. "If she's at the lake...which I doubt," he added, giving her a pointed stare, "I'll climb a tree an' wait until she's gone. I can climb well, an' she can't climb at all. I'll be perfectly safe. Savvy?"

Natsumi: Oh damn the logic, it made sense yea... Odds were she wasn't there. If he said he could climb, then he probably could but... Still. That didn't make her feel comfortable. She gave a sigh, "But I..." she trailed off, locking her eyes to the ground. Just what was the end of that sentance? I don't want you to go? Or I don't want to be alone? Something like that. But that all sounded weird, and embaressing, so she debated just keeping everything to herself and letting him go his way while she went hers.

Thomas: Sighing, he gently pried her off his arm, but offered a smile for her benefit, attempting to catch her eyes. "Look, why don't you come with me. You can't 'ide forever. We'll find somewhere t' stay where we'll both be safe, an' you won't 'ave to worry."

Natsumi: She let him pry her off, dropping her hands infront of her with a tinge of embaressment. She looked back up as he spoke, can't hide forever... Oh sure you can, the gecko argued in the back of her mind. It had food, water, everything in that nice little safety box that she called a duplex. But Natsumi, her humanity atleast, longed for people to be around, fun to be had, those sorts of things she certiantly wasn't getting locked away like she was. "I do not know..." She shifted, glancing away for a second. Her mind worked the idea for a moment or two more, it actually sounded pretty nice, and not even thinking about Thom in a boyfriend way, just a person, and a safe place, and just the fact she might be forced to live alittle like that. "Okay... I mean.. If it is safe." The nervious air about her seemed to thicken, but at the same time she looked hopeful.

Thomas: She had agreed? Thom blinked. He hadn't expected that. Natsumi had seemed so set against going anywhere the jungle... And now here she was, agreeing to come stay there with him? He slept in trees, he bathed in the lake, he....really couldn't see Natsumi living the same life. But she had agreed to, because he had asked her to. After a moment, he came to a decision and grinned, straightening up. "Better idea. We'll stay th' nights in your duplex, an' th' days outdoors. Therapy for th' both of us." If she could come outside, he could go inside.

Natsumi: The jungle was not a place for the girl, but it was better than alone... Or so she was thinking when she had agreed. While he thought, she waited, giving various glances here and there like she felt the urge to or whenever a noise was made. It made her feel strange, but there was no reason not to be safe... She snapped her attention back as he straightened, looking confused as he explained his new idea. her face light up alittle, oh much better. Much much better. "Okay." She gave a little nod, atleast this meant she could sleep peacefully.

Thomas: "Lovely," he grinned, looping an arm around her shoulders to steer her away from Antony's doorstep. "But th' day is still young, so for now it's off to th' lake."

Gaius & Natsumi's RP

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Thom's change p1

Thomas: It had been just under a week since his change had begun: almost of full week of agonizing pain, no food, very little water, and sleep only when his body had given him no other option. It was his stay in the labs all over again. The ordeal hadn't been made any easier for him by his transfer to Natsumi's duplex. After the first half a week of bone-shattering pain from his legs, tail, and skull, simply moving to a bed wasn't going to numb anything. It had given his mind a bit more time, however.

Some time on the evening of the fifth day of his transformation, he had lost all coherence. The various assaults on his body had finally worn him down to the point that he couldn't consciously bear them any longer. He fell in and out of sleep by the minute, and when he was awake he was completely unaware of any of the goings on around him, staring feverishly around the room with eyes that had long since lost the ability to blink, and muttering unintelligibly past still-changing lips. The world, both asleep and awake, was a nightmare, and he could no longer distinguish dream from reality.

For the next day and a half he remained in this state, but, unfortunately, the worst was yet to come. Towards noon on the seventh day of his change, with tail and head nearing the end of their changes and one leg gone all together, the transformation reached a furious climax. Without any forwarning, his organs began to shift to accomodate for the tail, spurring a vicious burst of white-hot pain from his stomach which quickly spread throughout his torso and lower abdomen. Shocked from his dazed state, Thom screamed--and hadn't stopped for longer than he needed to take a breath. For over two hours it continued had, leaving him tangled in the sheets and hoarse from shouting, with a good portion of his much-longer tail hanging off the bed, lashing back and forth to twine around anything that came within reach.

Natsumi: Natsumi hadn't slept much for the most part, she was constantly paniced every second they were outside, but he was in no position to be left alone, what if annie came? Thom could defend himself normally but... Not now. She did her best to take care of him, winding up with little food and water herself until her body absolutly demanded it. And even then she'd only pick out what bugs had managed to catch themselves in her bugtrap, which was good for one or two meals but hardly enough to keep her energy up. Between all that, there was moments where Thom fell asleep, in which she'd drift off as breifly as he would. She was more than thankful when they had finally gotten him back into the duplex, it'd been a horrible trip up there mind you... But atleast they weren't sitting ducks. She didn't have to mull through fifty different schenerios of something trying to eat them and how she could fend it off without dieing. Which, turned out to be very obscure things, she had no fire no sticks no nothing. Her only option was to suddenlly master kung fu, or pull one of those anime magical girl transformations. Which, to her knowlage, wasn't happening any time soon.

So yes, inside was good. She had gotten Thom on the bed, settling in at the side, where she'd often drift off with her head tucked into her arms on the side. Occassionally startling awake when he'd start saying something or another... She'd given up tryign to figure out what it was, moreso act like a mother might with a frantic infant, making sure everything was fine with him.. Water if she could, if he was too hot too cold, the joys of being cold blooded, and there didn't seem to be any food to offer. If all that was fine, she'd simply content herself to talking softly and comfortingly, wether it was in english or Japanese, she doubted it mattered in his current state, just anything to let him know she was still there. It was scary though... The eyes, the face, it made her stomach turn to wake up and notice just a little bit more change, alittle bit less of the human Thom. She'd never tell him that, ofcourse... It wasn't his fault.

Today was a bit different, she'd been sleeping, only to have a loud scream for an alarm clock. She scrambled back, eyes wide, looking for whatever had snuck into the duplex and was surely eating Thom alive. But there was nothing there. With her chest heaving and fight or flight instincts kicking on she fought herself to her feet, looking over the poor man that just seemed to scream and scream. But no matter how much she looked she couldn't figure out how to help. Without a clue as to what to do, she stood there for that eternity of two hours, dodging a crazed tail as many times as she could, and getting coiled eventually. Her hands stayed nerviously clutched together at her chest, watching in horror with slightly tear-glossed eyes. The only thing in her mind was the word Yameru. Meaning, stop. She just wanted everything to stop. Stop hurting, stop changing, stop screaming, stop everything.

Thomas: And finally, it did. His tail, which had kept a tight hold on the girl from the moment it had managed to catch her, went slack as the pain dulled exponentially, leaving only a throbbing soreness in its wake. In the same moment Thom fell silent and lay still across the bed, completely drained after the past few hours and the preceding week. It was difficult to tell whether he was even awake or not; his eyes remained fixed on the ceiling, wide open and oblivious to anything around them. Thom himself wasn't entirely sure he was awake. He must have died, he decided, because he hardly hurt anymore and he couldn't seem to move. That was okay. There were worst fates. After all, it wasn't the first time. At least he didn't hurt anymore.

Natsumi: Natsumi held her breath when it finally stopped, the tail going limp and Thom suddenlly silent and still... She stared for a moment, swallowing hard then finally taking a breath when her lungs reminded her she had forgotten to. She leaned closer to the bed, trying to figure something out from his eyes but.. Without the eyelids it was really hard to tell. He hadn't.. died had it? Maybe she should have called the labs earlier, this obviously wasn't normal. Crap. "Thomas?" She pried for a sign of life softly, "Are you alright?" Well, as alright as he could be.

Thomas: He was still breathing, he realized after a short while. Heavily, at that: deep, ragged breaths thanks to the treatment his throat had endured. Breathing meant he was stil alive, right? Dead people didn't breathe. But he was so tired, and his limbs felt like metal, and he really just wanted to go to sleep...

And Natsumi spoke, startling him back to the present. She was still here? He had forgotten she was here. How long had it been? He was hungry. Yet another sign that he was alive. The cobra's forked tongue slipped free of his mouth, giving a quick flick in the air before darting back out of sight. Thom shifted slightly, grunting at the faint remnants of pain from the change that the movement cost him and opening his mouth to reply. And freezing. His throat hurt badly, his face....he didn't know how far the changes had gone, but he knew it different. His teeth were different. His tongue was different. Could he still speak? He cleared his throat, falling still and craning his eyes towards her, risking an attempt. "...Natssu?"

Natsumi: Well he was breathing, that meant life, still his eyes looked so.. eh. But he seemed to move when she spoke, she relaxed then, giving a soft breath of releif. Everything died too easy. She'd realized that here, just how fragile life was and how fast it could nearly end-Or would end... Which left her scared that anyone could slip away at any given moment. But that was a given by now.

She tensed again when the tongue flicked out... Just how much had he changed? Her eyes moved across him again, it seemed everything had gotten taken with this one. His face, arms, legs, his tongue, eyes, hair... God. She held back a shudder, looking to him when she heard what she thought was her name, giving a worried smile. "Do you want anything? Drink? Advil?" She spoke a tad slower than she was used to doing that week, instead of paniced and fretting she had fallen into a tired and worried state, thoughts muddling her head too much to think clearly.

Thomas: Drink? Advil? What he really wanted was to sleep, but he wasn't entirely sure that was the best option just yet. He was hungry, but he would have to sleep before he ate. He had gone--how long had it been?--without eating, he could go another evening. Instead of replying aloud, he risked a slight nod in response. Both sounded wonderful, as did anything else she might care to bring him. A half dozen lizards, for example, or perhaps something small and fuzzy from the forest. Chuckling inwardly and managing a tired smile at the thought of Natsumi's expression if he were to ask for such a thing, he let himself genuinely relax, absently pulling his tail back onto the bed to coil beneath the blanket.

Natsumi: What a look that would have been too, afterall she was a lizard. A gecko, actually, but she didn't know the difference. Heck she barely knew if she was a lizard. Ofcourse she probably would have complied, but then he would have missed out on the wonderful sight of a Japanese Gecko trying to capture squirrels and lizards, and more than likely failing. Horribly. But thank goodness that wasn't the case, and a simple bit of water and Advil would suffice.

She gave a return nod to his, turning to fetch the offered items. Two Advil, one cup of water, easy enough. She returned with that, biting her lower lip, now for the hard part.. How did he drink now? Ugh. She shouldn'thave to be thinking about this. But no, fate had decided to curse them both by giving Thom a strange new muzzle. But she couldn't just ask, that'd be bad, so instead she ignored the issue like always, and set the little pills and water down on the nightstand, "It is here when you are ready." Then busying herself with helping him fix the blanket over the tail... Not that it really helped with the cold anymore, but it was the thought that counted right?

Thomas: Drinking wasn't as difficult as either of them might have expected, once Thom got around to it. The hardest part was sitting up after the long ordeal to take the medicine without spilling water all over the bed. With some effort he pulled himself so that he was leaning back against the headboard of the bed, head immediately lolling back against the headboard to take a brief rest after the task that was much more difficult than it should have been. He allowed Natsumi to tuck the blankets around him, thankful for her attention and not about to examine the extent of the changes just yet. He could feel the differences, certainly...but as long as he didn't see them, perhaps he would be imagining things.

Lifting his head, he reached a hand to pluck the pills off the nightstand, dropping both into his mouth before reaching for the glass. His hand shook slightly with the effort of not spilling the water, but he kept a stubborn hold on the glass, lifting the glass to his mouth and drinking the lot with more ease than he had anticipated. Apparently, for all its visible changes, his face was still flexible enough that he could manuver a glass without difficulty.

After draining the glass, he set it aside and slipped back down to lay on the bed. He yawned, mouth parting much farther than rationality argued it should to reveal two long, curved fangs, along with much smaller, fang-like teeth where his humans ones should have been. There was an almost imperceptable pop as his jaws aligned themselves, and his mouth fell closed. After a pause, he turned his gaze back to Natsumi, cracking a smile and patting a spot on the bed beside him for her to join him. "'Ow--" His voice broke, and he paused, clearing his throat before trying again. "'Ow bad'sit?"

Natsumi: She woul dhave helped him, but he seemed to have it... and there was that delicate balance of supporting the male ego. Most guys liked to do things themselves, and so since the screaming had stopped he was looking alot better than he had been. Not good by any means, but not like he was about to die any second. Which meant it was about time to try and let him do whatever he could by himself, like sitting up. Or atleast that was how it was when her brothers had gotten sick. Surely a flue could be related to transformin ginto a cobra... Yea.

And there, all tucked in. She would have done it for anyone, but atleast with Thom she felt like she was finally paying back some of the help he'd shown her all this time. She looked up just in time to catch the yawn, a slight chill running down her spine as both the girl and the gecko cringed at just how snake like he'd become. Ignor it, she ordered herself, it was still Thom... It was still Thom. His broken voice helped that thought, and she nodded and moved to his side, curling her tail into her lap as she took a seat, facing him with a small concerned smile in return.

But how bad was it? She really didn't want to answere that, so he was met with a pause, while her eyes travled back alone the blanket that covered everything up, then moving back to his face, to give a nother awkward pause. She couldn't lie, it was.. pretty bed... If he'd thought the last one was bad, and he had if she remembered correctly, she'd rather go break every mirror on the island than tell him. "Well..." She tried to fill the silence, giving him an awkward smile, "Not.. Too bad... It could be worse." Okay, she could lie to him, but with the way she paused and shifted it was almost too obvious she was trying ot sugar coat it. "You are still Thomas-kun." She added as an afterthought, as just telling him it could be worse wasn't settling well with her mind.

Thomas: Natsumi's brief moment of fear did not go unnoticed. The cobra's tongue was like every sence amplified by ten and compiled into one. He couldn't possibly begin to explain how he knew half the things the tongue was now telling him, he just knew. And even during the length pauses between flickers, the forked tips of his tongue had a tendancy to peek between his altered lips, altering him to all the goings on in the immediate vicinty without him having to look to note them.

Despite this, he chose not to comment. Natsumi couldn't have been that scared, or she would have said something, he was sure. However, her reply as to his appearance left much to be desired. Her words told him everything he needed to know without even bothering with a mirror. He probably should have expected it, as long as the change had taken and what with the...very different feeling from his waist down, but that didn't make it easier to accept. He just wouldn't look. If he didn't look, maybe he could ignore it.

Her final words hinted at such and reassured him slightly, but only served to give him the nudge he needed to face the changes, starting with the most substantial. Shifting to sit up slightly once more, he reached down to the blanket she had only just finished settling and pulled it aside, immediately tensing. His torso had lengthened slightly from his ribs to his waist and was completely covered in scales, from what he could see. But from there the minor changes ended.

His left leg had shrunken just enough to make it unusable; his right leg was gone completely. Gone. Gone. Instead, his left leg jutted out at an odd angle near his hip, and his waist melded smoothly into the long, muscled body of the cobra. The appendage was at least ten feet long, moreso from what little he could tell by its coiled appearance, and for the better part of that length was nearly as thick as his torso, dwindling slowly in girth as it neared his tailtip. His legs were gone--and so, he realized wih growing horror, was anything that remotely marked him as a man, for what he could see. With a sharp tug he pulled the blanket back over what should have been his legs, managing not to vomit only by the fact that his stomach was completely empty, and made to close his eyes, only to curse loudly and fall back onto his pillow when he remember they would not be closing again.

Natsumi: She bit her lip after she spoke, letting herself go silent and trying to watch his expression. Which, was actually kinda hard... His face was so different, but there were still emotions there, she could see them. It'd just take some getting used to. Figuring out subtle differences between borderlining emotions. She nearly flinched when he went for the blanket, but made no moves, continuing to watch.

The expression that arrived on his face was unmistakable, a horrified expression she'd rather expected, stomach twisting into a knot. Anyone would act like that, but how could she make him feel better? She could barely think of anything to make herself feel better, let alone him... Ugh. She sucked at this. Maybe everyone sucked at dealing with these transformations, but even that thought didn't make her feel better about her lack of ideas.

She watched him lean back, tensing alittle when the loud curse suddenlly broke the silence. Swallowing, she placed a comforting hand on his scaley shoulder, tryign ot give a reassuring smile. "You should sleep." She reccomented, Thom's lack of sleep over the change hadn't gone unnoticed. And hopefully the advil would be kicking in soon, maybe he could sleep right for once.

Thomas: "So should you," he croaked sharply, and immediately regretted it. But why should he? She did need to sleep after all. She looked like she hadn't slept in days, poor thing. Perhaps he could have put it a bit more nicely, but he wasn't exactly in the mood for niceties. He was tired, and sore, and hungry, and his legs were gone, and his d**k was gone, and who knew what the rest of his face and body looked like. He was perfectly within his rights to be a grumpy b*****d for the evening. Nonetheless, he managed a mumbled apology before shifting awkwardly to make himself more comfortable--his tail argued that the bed was far too small for both it and Natsumi, if he was going to sleep there--and gesturing for her to lay beside him. "I'll...worry about thiss t'morrow. Resst with me."

Natsumi: She wanted to shrink back at the seemingly sudden snap, but her mind reasoned it wasn't him snapping at her, he was just tired... and.. Well. He didn't look too happy with his changes. Which was obvious, really, not like anyone here jumped for joy at their next change. It was a horrible horrible thing, something that took away things that you held dearly. Natsumi was unaware this meant Thom's bits and bobs as well, which was something he surely held dear, like all men.

She smiled alittle when she got a bit of an apology, she wasn't sure, but it was a nice thought so she took whatever he said as something like that. Stomach twisting again as he gestured for her to sleep in the bed, she'd gotten used to beside, but the idea of being huddled up against ten feet of Cobra tail just didn't settle with her well. But, shoving that aside for Thom's sake, she moved to try and lay beside him. It took a bit of positioning, and she wound up having to face him so her tail could hang off the edge and make more room.

She disrupted that situation again, to pull the blanket off the floor so she could cover herself as well, they still used seperate blanets ofcourse, and she'd rather seperate beds just for modesty's sake, but she didn't complain. Thom was safe, afterall, and that meant more than her own nervious schoolgirl feelings. But now that the blanket was safely around her, she settled in, almost immediatly starting to drift off. She hadn't realized just how tired she was until she hit the pillow... "Sleep well." She mumbled softly, ignoring the gecko's pleas that she find a new place to sleep. Atleast it was still ignorable.

Thomas: Thom wasn't terribly thrilled with the reappearance of the second blanket, but didn't protest. He would debate the subject with her some other time. He was tired. It could wait.

Sleep for Thom was surprisingly long in coming. As exhausted as he was, now that he had a chance to relax and think for the first time in a week, his brain didn't seem to want to settle. Images of his newly grown tail haunted his thoughts, often punctuated by strange imaginings of shadows in the room. He couldn't close his eyes to sleep. There was always something to distract him. Finally, however, exhaustion had the better of him, and he was swept off to sleep, curled up beneath his own blanket beside Natsumi.

Nightmares are not an uncommon side effect of pregnancy. A woman's hormones are turbulent, and even though modern medical science has the process down to an art, the whole procedure still leaves many ambiguous problems that could arise unpredictably to a pregnant mother or her unborn child. Dreams of losing the child, dreams of being a victim of violence, dreams of problems with the birth... all of these things are not uncommon.

And while it was months ago that you lost your child, those dreams came back full force overnight. In fact, when you check a calendar, the significance of the date cannot escape you. Today would have been the day that you would have become a mother. Perhaps it is that psychosomatic association, but all day you feel achy. Your body feels as if it is preparing for something - a pressure in your joints, your heart flittering, and a low fever make you feel achy and uncomfortable. On top of it, your room has been feelng uncomfortably cool.

When the smooth, colorful skin patterns begin spreading to the areas of your body yet untouched, however, you realize the full meaning of the portentous feelings. THe skin, like before, is such an odd texture - pebbly in places, but smooth and soft.

Your tail aches as it stretches longer, vertebra by vertebrae. While not nearly the ordeal you know Thom experienced, it is far from pleasant. Finally, your face aches as the transformation spreads to the the part that most associate the most with humanity. Your nose and mouth crunch as your jaw and maxila pushes forward, as you feel a tingling sensation on your scalp. Your hair had already been thinning, but now patches fall off as your jaw finishes reshaping into a delicate, tapering muzzle.

While today did not signify the birth of a new child.... it is the birthing of a very new, very different Natsumi.