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 Posted: Mon Feb 06, 2006 8:00 pm
The Beast Within Meets Awen Awen wandered the jungle alone. After the incedent with Jamal she took a chance on the direction she thought would lead her back to camp, or at least closer to water. She could barely stand the itching flaking skin on her once deliciously rubbery arms. Thankfully she had gotten the bleeding of both her shoulders to stop by putting pressure on them, but without water to wash it off she wrecked of blood that was all too quickly drying and attracting flies. She would hate to know what else she would attract if she didn't wash it off soon.
Stumbling over a log she cursed her flippery-feet quietly. She wanted to wash up, she wanted to swim. Everything hurt, her feet, her skin, her shoulders and the stomach where Jamal had gashed her hurt a lot. Maybe it was the wound and the fact that she hadn't eaten in awhile. She was still very upset, she wanted to cry. But she didn't even have the energy to it.Joliette, in her hunger had begun to give in to the beast, her belly growled loudly as she looked around her yellow tongue flicking out and in bringing her the scent.. the scent of blood, and she was following it, She wasn't fully upright rather crouching her fingers and claws keeping her balance as she moved through the foliage the leaves and some twigs crunching under her heavy feet, she'd slipped away while the rest of the camp was asleep . Awen was unaware of the silent stalker as she fumbled through the bush. She was in no mood or condition to fend anyoneelse off. Already today she had talked Lauren down from her crazed hunger state, only narrowly avoiding a knifing. She wished that would have spared her but when she came across Jamal she tried a similar thing... only to get tackled, punctured and slashed. She just wanted this to be overwith.
She wanted her big comfy bed back at her duplex. A nice swim in the lake first though.... or better yet a shower. Yeah she'll have to scrub off the blood. No sense in attracting sharks...
Awen blinked a little bit. "Where the heck did that come from?" She couldn't help but chuckle. Her tongue flicked as sshe got closer and closer to the source of hte scent, she couldn't distinguish exactly what kind of creature she was tracking, but the thought of food is all that ruled her mind, that and the beast. ... Can't be far, scent is close she thought to herself crunching through the underbrush Awen heard the cautious crunch of leaves underfoot. The hair on the back of her neck stood on end as her blood ran cold. Turn turned slowly to survey the junlge, not seeing anything. Could he have come back? Was the animal taking over enough to actually have him come back to finish the job...?
"Jamal...?" She tested at the darkness cautiously. Joliette's figure slowly emerges around a bush her green eyes, surveying her 'prey', hold a quality they usually didn't. The long yellow tongue flicking a couple times, she says nothing as she watches her. Awen not seeing the newfound look in Joliette's eyes she grinned broadly and stumbled a single step forward. "Oh thank god!" She felt the chill leave her as the relief flooded in. "Joli, you wouldn't believe..."
Awen paused seeing Joliette's oddly calm stance. Something..not quite right in the way she was looking. "Hey hun, you feeling okay...?" Joli's tongue flicked a couple times her eyes coming to rest on the crying blood on Awen's shoulders. Her stomach rumbles a fierce hungry determination to put food in the place of emptiness clouding her normal vegan gentle thoughts Awen groaned and backed away a couple steps. "Please don't do this Joli." She knew she couldn't outrun the part lizard on land. She had no hope of getting to water in time. And she was just so damn tired. Not another one...
"Come on girl...it's me, Awen." She closed her eyes and sighed. "I can get you fish..fish will calm the hunger please Joli..."Joli takes a step forward at Awen's backing up. Her foot crunching a twig. She still said nothing What am I doing she thought to herself though it Komodo was in control This is Awen.. come on snap to your senses Joliette Her eyes never left the blood her tongue flicked, she was hungry and there was no way she could forget that, the berries she'd found over time were just no longer sufficing for the beast... And it had been getting worse since the day she woke next to the dead boar pigletAwen couldn't stand it anylonger. Confidence and everything finally melted away for good. She simply snapped as she fell to her knees before her friend, tears bursting forth from her eyes. She couldn't take this, so many people trying to kill her in one day. She was sick..just sick and tired of it all.
"Fine!" She shouted. "If you're going to eat me just get it over with." Sobbing softly into her hands as she couldn't even bare to look at Joli at the moment. "Just make it ******** quick."Joliette's head lifted some and she backed up again... Never once had Awen yelled at her before... Sure she'd seen her yell at others but not at her. She lets her head drop closing her eyes and shaking her head, trying to take control of herself from the beast, from the one thing that was demanding food, that had driven her to hunt out the blood she'd picked up the scent of... Joliette herself didn't want to hurt her friend, it wasn't something she would have done... Awen sat on her knees shuddering. The loss of blood and all the stress had definately gotten to her. Why was everyone after her? This wasn't right, it just wasn't right. The manta must have thought so too. Nothing should be challenge the manta, these cretures, these varied beings should not be able to make her surcome all that easily. It told her to stand up, it told her to stand up proudly like the predator she is.
But Awen just didn't care anymore. She was tired of trying to negotiate for her life. She was tired of having to! She felt physically ill from the loss of blood, the heat and the lack of food. She was just giving up.Joliette took another step backwards though tripping on a root tumbling backwards only to land on her arse "Hungry" she said .. a single word, nearly a whisper as she kept her eyes closed. She kept her tongue within her mouth attempting to keep the beast under control as she sat there Awen didn't move. "Then just ******** eat me." Her tone was all at once deadly and defeated all at the same time. "I don't give a damn anymore Joliette. If you're going to do it just do it now."
The blue haired girl slowly looked up, her eyes were hollow and quite dead as she stared into Joli's. Nothing of Awen's normal self remained, just that cold shell. But before anything else could happen, before Awen found out if her life was spared or not... Everything spun.
She put a hand on the ground, the pain that seared up her shoulder was dulled by the bright whiteness she saw before her. And then once again, of what happens to be happening all too often... the world went black around her.Joliette got up and turned she'd find someone who wasn't a threat to her friend, not like her to come move her, she moved into the brush in search of.. she didn't know what anymore
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Posted: Mon Feb 06, 2006 8:32 pm
Self Mistrust Joliette wandered away from where she left Awen, how could she have done that, how could she have nearly attacked a friend... No this wasn't her, this wasn't what she was like... Her thoughts were running rampant but one thought overshadowed them all, how could she trust herself not to do that again... Especially with the village on lockdown, and the only sources of food being within the jungle...
She wandered aimlessly, she hoped to run across someone who wasn't a danger to Awen, obviously she was... But Awen needed water, she needed it and Joliette knew it. She had no idea what direcion she was going, or even if she was going the same direction as the camp on the river, and just then nothing in her mind cared.
Trust... Joliette had none for herself anymore, just mistrust, a burning hunger and the beast. The beast... a creature Joliette didn't want to give in to. The blood though, the scent of that blood had actually been appetizing... the blood... the ... She stops and throws up into the bushes, oh god, Awen's blood, no that was wrong, to want the boar piglet was one thing... but Awen was her friend!... Least she hoped so.... she didn't know if Awen would ever trust her again... How could she... Even Joliette did not trust herself...
She wandered further into the foliage, crunching leaves and twigs under her heavy feet, she didn't know what to do anymore....
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Posted: Thu Feb 09, 2006 11:32 pm
Emelyn Changes The stink reached Emelyn's nose before the feeling of it did. ...But when she realized she truly was laying in a puddle of her own vomit, she rolled back onto her knees, her stomach still twisted in nausea. She wasn't yet completely awake, and so the situation seemed oddly cruel to her, and tears ran down her face as she tried to comprehend what was happening. It was not understanding that forced her into full awareness, however- but a prickling feeling that ran over her like a rash. It was a sticking, feverish feeling that bled out as if through her pores, and she wiped at her skin furiously, wiping the vile moisture from her arms and stomach. Then... a sprout of fur came up on her left hand... and she realized what was happening. She was changing. With that realization, something switched off in Emelyn's mind. ...Something primal, and the images of the dreams floated back into her mind, pieced together in a patchwork quilt of terror. She didn't want to be near these predators- there was something wrong about the fear that gripped her- something terribly wrong. And so she stumbled from the lean-to and ran. She ran deep into the jungle, her tears being absorbed as tawny colored hair sprung out across her face and rippled down her neck.
She hadn't been back to her camp yet, she wasn't sure she was going to go back yet, her stomach still gurgled for food, and despite what berries she could find it didn't seem to satisfy. She'd been wandering aimlessly for longer then she had any inkling. Joliette didn't hear the oncoming footsteps, but then, she wasn't paying attention to them as she moved through the foliage.
Emelyn didn't realize who she was running into. In fact, she didn't realize much of anything at all- her mind was systematically clearing itself of all her memories, good and bad, and all her hopes and fears. All that remained was an almost numb understanding that the prickling along her back was exquisite pain- hundreds of sharp needles pressing through her back. They were her proto-quills, stabbing out from the newly forming muscle in her back. They were criss-crossing themselves, aching to form a grid that could support these would-be quills. Her muscles shuddered and spasmed, and her hair stiffened as she barreled through the brush- and straight into the figure who was coming at her through the foliage.
Joliette's eyes widened in shock when she was barreled over. Landing hard on that nub of a tail "Ow..." she says looking up at the trees before turning her head to see who had decided to plain train
Em collided with Joli and stumbled backwards. She might have fallen flat over on her back, but all those muscles were contracting with such a force that her mind allowed her leg to rush back- a last minute kick-stand of support to keep those infant quills from being wounded. She didn't look to see who she had maimed- her mind was still on 'off'- as something tugged at her ears, elongating them with a rip of flesh that echoed down the long path to her mind. All that was left of Emelyn's transformation was the final shudder of fur as it rippled to her fingertips and toes. Her nose shoved forth, elongating the delicate olfactory machine that was now her animal nature- and with a sudden splash of blood that poured from her leathery nostrils... her transformation was complete. Only then did the adrenaline that had rushed through her system start to fade, soaking back into the blood and allowing the girl's heartbeat to calm. Emelyn pressed her hands to her face, wiping away at the blood with her hands. The fur on her palms was stained with red when she finally remembered that she'd hit someone. ...Someone who must have seen everything that had just happened.
Joliette's eyes watched the change, she hadn't even been able to watch David's, but Emelyn had just changed before her very eyes... A flick of her yellow tongue brought back a scent that made her back away, blood, she still didn't believe she could trust herself... not after almost attacking Awen... Her eyes didn't leave the woman, she felt bad for her, she knew what change felt like, though not to quite the degree Emelyn had just experienced...
"Joli?" Emelyn hardly recognized the woman who lay there on the ground... she didn't even know where she was, after all. Her voice was raspy, and she still felt a great deal of lingering soreness- even pain- along her back and sides, and also along the bridge of her 'new' nose. But her mind was slowly piecing itself back together- and yes, it told her- that's Joli. Emelyn gasped. "Oh Joli!" She cried, almost in tears again. "I thought you were dead!"
"N-no I'm not dead, hungry, but not dead" She replies quietly and stops a few feet from her her tongue flickering again as she did her best to control the beast within her. "I'm glad you are not either"
"The helicopter," Em said, still coming into her own slowly, and wobbling on weak legs, "there were two charred bodies- I thought one of them might be you. I was so afraid Moreau found out about our talks... how we talked about... escape." She said the word in a whisper, as if there were cameras in every tree trunk. A small corner of her mind knew she must sound insane to Joli, but she had so long repressed the fears of her friend's demise that now it was hard to keep it all from rushing out. It meant that, for now at least, they were both safe- that Moreau hadn't found out. ...If he was still alive at all...
"I stayed away from the helipad... uhm wherever it is... I've never been there, I just took David's, Awen's and Jamal's words for it." she sat for a moment then used a tree to pull herself upright "As for Moreau, no idea, still haven't met him, don't want to either" she pauses "How... how did you change... I thought everything was locked down" or did everything open up while she was in the jungle... she didn't know
Emelyn wiped the last bit of blood from off her upper lip. The taste was vile to her- wrong. She didn't realize that as a hedgehog, she wouldn't include fresh meat in her diet at all- and so blood could hardly appeal to her. She stood in wonder. "I... I hadn't thought about it. I just woke up in a pile of... well, I woke up sick," she abridged, swallowing the saliva that flushed into her mouth at the memory of it. "And then the changes started. ...How could I have done it without an injection? No one could have gotten to me- I was in the middle of camp. Someone would have seen!"
"I don't know... Awen changed too, I don't know if anyone else has though" She leans against a tree digging her claws into the bark "I don't see how it's possible, everything everyone has said suggests we HAVE to have an injection..."
"Awen," she said the name slowly, forming it mostly with her lips, not letting her tongue lift from the bed of her mouth. "I hadn't seen her either. ...I'm glad to know she's okay."
"Lauren is ok too, and that... Antony woman is too " unfortunately in Joli's mind "I haven't really run into anyone else" Her yellow tongue flickers and she closes her eyes for a moment before opening them
"Lauren..." her mind grabbed at the name. "Oh I remember, she's the other one Moreau thinks is on his side. ...Or maybe she really is." Emelyn didn't know- and hadn't seen the woman since that long ago. And the other name... "Antony... I've never met anyone by that name. Oh, so many new people..." she said sadly. "Our camp started out as Ambrose, Amaya, me... and Angelina." She added the name as an afterthought, although truly the name had sprung to mind as soon as 'Ambrose' had. She'd only held it back as if by principle- not wanting the names to go side-by-side. "Greer is also there, and Vasile and Cassidy..." she paused, her dream springing to mind.
"You don't want to, she has a major attitude problem, Oh... Chana's ok too and someone named Timothy, they both have been through the camp we have, pathetic lil camp, even had a boar play party crasher the first day we were there" Joli lists the people she knows are ok "I hope Hargun is ok, and Ray, she was pretty nice too, Has anyone seen the Dude?"
"No, not for months," Em said softly. "Greer hasn't seen him forever. ..She's so worried about him. It's almost making her sick."
"Hope he's ok, last time I saw him he was doing a lot of underwater stuff... But there's a coral reef like thing a few hundred feet out now that wasn't there when I arrived in November, it's all metallic and such..." she didn't exactly elaborate how she knew it was there
"Metallic? ...Oh..." the last syllable was a breath of soreness as her back spasmed. She didn't realize that all the new muscles there would cause so much starting pain.
"Yeah, like to cut boats up if they started to come too close... Are you ok? ok that was a stupide question, change hurts... " Joli bites her lip and looks down at the dirt
Oh, metallic, she thought. That would make sense. She looked at Joli and almost smiled- she seemed so sheepish at having said what she did. "Yeah, I'm okay. And it's not a stupid question. It certainly does give a knock at you. ..." She looked at her hands. The light fur on them was almost flesh colored... and she couldn't see what her face looked like... but she could feel that her hair had gone stiff, pointed. She looked back at her friend. "Could you... tell me what I look like? I just want to know. Tell it to me straight. Do I still look like me?"
Joli looks up and at her friend her green eyes trailing over Emelyn's features "For the most part, but there's definitely a more... animal sense to you" She swallowed and did all in her power to keep her tongue in her mouth
"Oh." she said. Softly. Almost sadly. "Tell me. ...What do my eyes look like? Are they still... human?"
Joli looks to Emelyn's eyes and nods "Look pretty human to me" she smiles weakly, she hoped that would cheer her up a little
She sucked in her breath and nodded, content to hear that one of the last things she had left of her sister- eyes that mirrored Mizzie's own sweet, blue ones- were still in tact. It was only then that she looked over her friend and wondered.... did she look different? She narrowed her eyes, wondering, but then realized Joli may guess what she was trying to think, and she looked away, not wanting to stare.
"No further changes on my part. Neither David last time I saw him..." She says noticing Emelyn's brief wandering eyes. "The Komodo is fighting for control though"
"Oh," Em said, laughing that Joli realized exactly what she was thinking, "it's just that you look so tired. Are you okay? Have you been eating?"
"I am tired actually, not sure how long I've been wandering... as for food, just the berries I can find, but they aren't satisfying" her tongue flicked out and in "It took over briefly and I tracked down the scent of blood...." she wasn't sure she wanted to finish that sentence as she looked down
"Blood?" Emelyn's eyes, free of thought, wandered down to the brownish red stains on the fur of her palm. "...Why would you want blood? Aren't you... some sort of ...lizard?"
"A Varanus Komodoensis to be specific" she bites her lip with her rather sharp teeth "The git's idea of funny I would imagine"
Varanus Komodoenis. Komo... Komodo, her mind broke down. "What do Komodo's eat?" She said, almost fearing the answer.
"Everything except vegetation" she mumbled not wanting to say it "The exact opposite of what I arrived here as"
"Everything? I didn't know there were.... carnivorous lizards," she said softly, wondering what cravings were on Joli's mind.
"I think the Komodo really is the only one, it's 100% carnivore, my research says it wont even eat the herbivorous contents of the stomach and intestines of t's prey... I ... I don't want to except that, I don't want to eat what my body is demanding me to..." Joliette watched a bug crawl along the ground near her foot
"...So you really haven't eaten," she said softly.
Joli shook her head "Not really" and her stomach attested to that fact with a low gurgle "Just fruit, and a couple small pieces of smoked boar... I woke up one day next to a dead boar piglet and was horrified"
"Did you..." as soon as the words were out of her lips, she tried to pull them back. What good would it be to ask her if she had killed it in her sleep? Did it really matter? Did she even need to know?
"I guess, I don't know, it was dead, it had claw marks and bite marks, I had blood in my mouth... was enough for me" She sighs and looks up again
"I'm glad you didn't starve." Emelyn said simply, and behind it, she obviously meant for her to understand also: there is no need for judgments in this. There's nothing to be ashamed about survival.
"It was mostly whole, so I didn't really eat much of it, you? How have you been fairing?" Joli kinda wanted to change the topics of her diet before she mentioned what had happened when she hunted out the blood
"I've been... grey," Emelyn said, choosing her word carefully. "The nature part hasn't been getting to me- hedgehogs eat pretty much anything, apparently." She almost told Joli her 'grub story'... but it was hardly comparable to her experiences with the boar- so she held her tongue on it. "But it's not been easy being in camp with all the predators. ...Something about it makes me ... anxious."
"That makes sense, I guess being around me doesn't help much either." She didn't like the idea that she might be making it difficult for her friend
She smiled, ignoring the ache in what she guessed might now be called her forming 'muzzle', and put a hand out to touch her friend. "No, don't even think on it. It's not as if I'm skittish just coming into the sight of a 'predator'. Hedgehogs are actually rather brave. It's just all that time in close quarters. I think some of it may even be my own, human insecurities. ...Ambrose and Angelina are both in camp."
Joli backed slightly away from the hand more into the tree, she didn't trust herself at all. "That must be awkward" she muses after hearing Ambrosse and Angelina's names together again
...If she had felt no fear before, Emelyn suddenly did now. Not for herself- but for Joliette. Did she really fear her own self control so little that she had to back away from human touch? Em let her hand drop back to her side, and found herself floundering for something- anything- that would seem like she hadn't noted the poignant, frightening moment they'd shared, whether it be a look, a laugh, a word... "Yes," she said, her mind only half-on her words. "They're like a pair of Siamese twins fused at the hip. And when they're not together, Ambrose worries about her. ...And Angelina hates me. It's very awkward."
"Sounds like a situation I'm glad I'm not in, there's only one person here I know of besides the git who hates me" She sighs and pauses "Sorry, just... I did something... or almost did... " she wasn't certain that Emelyn had noticed but she did back away and Em did stop trying to rest her hand on her.
Em just shook her head. "Don't mention it. As far as I'm concerned, it didn't happen."
It wasn't that easy to forget, least not for Joli, but she nodded slowly anyways and looked at Emelyn again "You are the second person who has changed within feet of me, but the first I really... saw... "
"...What do you mean?"
"David and I changed at the same time, but I was so preoccupied with my own change, I didn't really ... see his. You, I saw I watched everything after the point of lifting my head after we collided" She tried to explain
"Oh." ...She still hadn't met this 'David', but from what Joli had told her about him, they were very close. Emelyn felt... not a stab of jealousy, but perhaps a pang. "I've watched only one transformation. Ambrose's. When Moreau brought me to his mansion one night to get me to be 'on his side', he showed me the tape from Ambrose's room that night he changed for the first time. ...He was the first out of any of us to change. It's not easy to watch," she said sympathetically, forcing her hands into her pockets so as to resist her natural urges to reach out to Joli.
"It's not, especially knowing there's nothing that can be done to stop it or ease it" her tongue flickered "What's his mansion like, I've seen it through my lens, but that's it"
"It's... opulent. Decadent to the point of... arrogant taste.", she said, trying to explain the rooms dripping in gilded finery. "It's like stepping into a world where money expresses rank... and Moreau wants nothing more than to let the world believe he is king."
"Or God, that is what he's playing here after all, he has the controls, we all are prisoners under his power, hell with 3 words the control over us is so much so that we fall asleep in a matter of seconds" she makes a face "I'd still like to know how the git did that"
Emelyn shook her head slowly. "I don't. I just want him to be dead. I want all these terrible things that have been happening recently to lead to some grand understanding- and I want... to be able to live my life in peace." The admission rolled from her tongue and from her heart- she didn't plan the words before she said them, she just let them be realized... and raw in their truthfulness. "I don't even think I want to go 'home' anymore. ...I don't even think I have a home anymore." She mused. "If I stay here for the rest of my life, and have my DNA fused with that of a hedgehog... so be it. I just hope... that I find some companionship, some lasting, deep friendship- and that I am peaceful and happy. ...And I don't think that can ever happen with Moreau here. I don't think that there can ever be a happy ending to this fairy tale."
"Add the git to your wish there and I fully agree, I don't think I could go home to mama and papa looking like this, and it's doubtful Moreau left space for error to allow for reversal" she sighs
"I'm assuming by the git you mean Sabin," Emelyn said. "...I suppose you could throw him in to our hypothetical weenie roast as well. ...He never did anything to me... he even saved me when I washed up on shore here. ...But he did hand me right over to Aubrey. So roast away." She leaned up against a tree and winced as soon as she did- her back ached so.
"Yes I mean Sabin, he's the one who tricked me, and then repeatedly did things to me, so yeah... who else could we toss on the hypothetical fire?" she says clawing at the bark of the tree
Emelyn's eyes narrowed. "As long as it's hypothetical, toss "Angie" on there as well. I didn't do a damn thing to the girl and she's treated me with nothing but contempt."
"And Antony, lets toss her on there too, girl tried to strangle me for asking how she was, and saying the truth that there wasn't much good about our situations" She nearly felt like growling at the thought of the woman
"She strangled you? ...I don't know if I want to meet her. What does she look like?"
"Short hair and covered in tattoos and piercing" she describes Antony in very simple terms
"Another tattooed person?" Em said as she readied to walk back in the direction of her camp. "Jamal must have been happy to find a friend." She looked back through the brush where she'd come from. "You know, I think there is still some meat back at our camp, if you'd like?" She offered gently.
Joliette pondered it for a moment and then nodded "Saves it being things I don't want to be hunting" or people she added in her mind and pushed away from the tree
"This way, then...or at least... I think." She laughed as she made her way through the foliage. "I wish hedgehogs were better trackers."
Joliette chuckles softly "And I wish Komodos were worse... Trade you"
Emelyn laughed. In her head though, as the two made their way back to her camp, she was glad that she didn't have the burden that Joli did.
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Posted: Wed Feb 22, 2006 6:09 pm
Cold & Hungry Wander away, come back, wander, away come back... Joliette couldn't seem to make up her mind, besides to know that she was still scared that she'd lose control again. Her hair drenched from the downpour her bangs matted against her face and the long curls pulled nearly straight from the wetness, and beyond that soaked to the bone she was cold, much colder then she would have expected to be in a rainstorm. She never really felt a lot from the air conditioning in the cafeteria or the duplexes, but today she felt it... and had this desire to be in the depths of a warm soily place as she slowly trudged into the large camp shivering with her arms around herself looking at the groundAmbrose had fallen comfortably asleep wrapped around Angelina. While the lean-to wasn't perfect, at least the winds were lessened in the middle of the jungle, and he wasn't quite as wet had he not been inside.
Hovever, at the sound of someone else entering the campsite, his ears pricked and his eyes snapped open. Before even fully wakening, a low, defensive growl rumbled out of his chest as he disentangled himelf from Angelina and crawled towards the opening of the small shelter.
However, the growl stopped and he shook his head. Why on earth was he growling??. He had prided himself that he HADN'T resorted to such animalistic urges like some of the others had. Speaking of.... hadn't Awen mentioend Joli tried to eat her?? That thought set the hackles on edge again, and nearly began growling again.
"Joli...?" He asked carefully. After some time Awen and Colche would emerge into the camp as Awen had promised. There was shelter around for Colche and Awen smiled brightly at this. It had been some time since Awen had been to the camp, and had only stayed briefly before flitting back to the lake.
She knew it wasn't anything like their duplexes, as Colche seemed to want, but she could do no better for the girl. Looking around though she wondered if everyone would welcome them, Ambrose and Amaya would but... she didn't remember who else was here.
"Hello?"
She glanced over to the other side of the camp when she heard Ambrose and smiled brightly. "See Colche, Ambrose" She whispered to the girl and blinked.
"Joliette." Awen moved forward into full view of the camp.
Colche wasn't long standing still as she saw Ambrose. Her big brother would make the rain stop. She virtually dived at the wolf man, glomp tackling him and sniffling quietly. She shivered still clinging tightly to the poor, wet, half squushed rabbit which she constantly held against her chest "rainrain go away" she mumbled looking up at Ambrose with huge blue eyes begging for him to make it stop. She was cold, very bedraggled and a little more than frightened by the severety of the storm.
She tried to clamber in to ambroses lap. If it wasn't bad enough she had launched her very wet self at the virtually dry wolf man she was trying to get closer, she wanted a hug, she wanted a blanket, she wanted to be dry, Ambrose would make it better he always did.Joli came to an abrupt stop hearing her name, not once but twice. She looks up and towards Ambrosse then at Awen, and then finally at the pouncing Colche "Oh... Uh... Hi" she says in a rather quiet withdrawn voice as she stood shivering not sure if she should stay or not... Then it struck her she should say the words she'd been wanting to say for a while "Awen... I'm sorry" she says before looking down at the soil below her heavy feet once more her yellow tongue flicking onceAmbrose turned to look as two new figures entered the campsite. Anxiety rolled over him until the figures' faces and scents emerged through the curtain of the storm. Why was he feeling so defensive?? He should be welcoming anyone who decided to come to the campsite - safety in numbers, right?
But he calmed as he saw the two females. Before he really could give the two a friendly greeting, he was bowled over by the wet Colche. "Colche!" He exclaimed in surprise as the feline proceeded to reunify him with the wetness. But... he was coming out into the rain anyway... He patted her gently on the head. "Aww... you got caught out in the storm, too, didn't you sweety?" He glanced over at some of the unoccupied lean-to's. "I've been worried about you, kitten. I'm glad to see that you're alright... out here in the woods." HE smiled at her. "And you - any of you, really - are welcome to join the camp.... it's not much.... and it's not exactly dry - but it's drier than most other places."
Ambrose looked back to Joli, relaxing a bit - his hackles lowering - as he heard her apology. "I can't speak for Awen.... but... I've heard you've been through some rough times, Joli. I.... wel... I'd offer you some meat.. but I fear it's been rained on.... but you're still welcome to it." HE winced, gesturing to a small shift, a bundle of leaves and some rather soggy meat. Awen nodded slowly to Joliette and moved over to the small girl. "Hey, no problem right?" She gave her a quick hug before backing away to let her at the food. "We've been through enough lately, I know you're not really liking what you're getting food wise..or at least your animal isn't liking it."
SHe grinned a little bit and simply sat herself near the long dead fire. "Actually I might be heading back to the lake soon. I'll stay for a bit though, it's nice to be able to visit without my skin flaking off." She chuckled a little bit.
She seemed to be in a rather cheerful mood, despite the stormy weather.The bedraggled colche looked up at Ambrose. She was glad to see the older guy and delighted that he had been missing her too. That didn't change the fact that she was wet and cold and not very happy though. She sneezed and buried her head in his chest as a crack of thunder and a bold of lightning streaked accross the sky "want home" she mumbled through the fur. Being out in the jungle was all well and good when it was dry and sunny, it was completely another matter when it was cold and wet and scary.
The bunny in her arms finally lifted it's head too, it was very wet but didn't seem to mind being a bit squushed, it was drier nestled between colche and Ambrose. "Want chocolate cake" she managed to squeek still sniffling quietly. She had started to miss her creature comforts out in the wild, things she had gotten so used to had been ripped away from her in an instant.
A part of ehr wanted to ask Ambrose about the black bird, though she had been told irrefutably by several people that it wasn't Aubrey, her big brother would definately know. Ambrose knew everything.Joliette would have pulled away if she had noticed Awen's approach, instead she took a step away when she was let go of. Her eyes drifted tot eh sogey meat... and her stomach let out an audible growl regardless of just how wet it was. "Yeah... Thanks Awen" she nods and thanks her quietly glad to know Awen wasn't mad.
These people hadn't really known her outside of her professional attitude of when she arrived, that gave her confidence, but she had reverted somewhat back to her quiet self in her non-professional side. "It's still meat, thanks Ambrose" she says moving slowly towards it shiveringand not really wanting to unwrap her arms from herself as she sat down beside the sogy foodAmbrose smiled to Awen. "No problem... make your self at home as long as you'd like. You're welcome here." He glanced up at the skies and back to her. "I guess for some there's a silver lining." He ineffectually brushed his hand along his fur that was quite damp again. Unfortunately for him, however, the skies promised that the rains weren't going to let up any time soon.
Ambrose's ears lowered as he looked down to Colche. "Yeah... I want to go back 'home' too... even the duplexes are a welcome change to this. Sometimes I wonder if this all isn't some sort of scheme to get us to be complacent with what we were given." HE glances to the others. "Or perhaps that is just wishful feelings... because that means we'll go back inside sometime." His eyes trailed down to the rabbit in Colche's arms, and he immediately chewed on his own lip. It's Colche's... you remember it... even if it is an easy meal.... you're not LIKE that.
"I'm sure we'll all be home and have chocolate cake eventually, Colche..." He petted her long black hair. "But... in the meantime... if you want to use one of our... erm... lean-to's. They're like tents..? But not quite as dry."
Ambrose nodded to Joliette. "Sorry it's not... fresher. I'm sure that this won't be a good ... sample of how meat should taste." He apologized.
In all, he hadn't budged much from the entrance to his lean-to, still sitting facing the outside, albeit with a colche in his lap. She looked around to the others and sighed softly. She really hated being happy when her friends were down in the dumps. She missed all of the easy comforts that she had, her PS2 and gamecube must be getting lonely. Not to mention get brand new PSP! The modifications seemed to make sense now. She grinned a little thinking about the genious. Moreau made her game water proof!
A loud crack of thunder brought her back to the current moment. She scratched a little bit behind her ear. Turning to Ambrose at his words and hopes of Moreau, Awen bit her lip.
"If we can't get back sometime soon..." She shifted her weight uncomfortably. "I've been thinking about swimming off the island for help. We can only survive for so long in the wild like this right? And with people still changing without serums... who knows what will happen. Predators and prey is what this place will become, I'm living proof of it."
Bringing her knees up to her chest she started to drum her fingers along her knee. "But I can breathe in the water. I could go find mainland or something.... get help."Colche nodded softly Listening to Ambrose, he sounded quite destracted. her nose wriggled a bit and she peered in to the darkness. Somone was inside, she didn't know who it was. Everyone had somone. It always seemed that way to her. She just, didn't entirely understand why everyone had somone and she didn't Aubrey had said it took time. She just had to be paitent.
With a final sneeze and a nod Colche smiled up at Ambrose and padded off as quickly as she could towards one of the lean toos, dissapearing in to the darkness. She was tired and she scrunched herself as close to the tree the leanto was coming off, curling in to a tight little kitty ball, her natural body heat starting to dry off her fur. She sneezed a couple of times more before her breathing became regular. It was sleep and dry off time, other things could wait. She could question Ambrose about the lady later, she could ask him about the 'big black bird' later, sleep was important now and her eyes aggreed as they closed and sent her off in to a nice little oblivious dream.Joliettte picks up the meat 'wringing' it out a lil "Don't worry, I know that meat should taste like... I haven't been vegan all my life" she says looking up in the same quiet tone her eyes watching Colche disappear and then the pair who remained and she used a clawed fingertip to push her matted bangs from her faceand bit intot he meat not chewing it rather pulling it to tear a chunk off with her teeth, the water seemed to have 'diluted' the flavor for that she was glad.
Joliette pulls her knees towards her chest shivering as the cold rain continued to land on her, she listens to the converstaion, or least what she can hear of it.Ambrose weighed Awen's suggestion. "It... sounds dangerous, Awen. Even if you can breathe under water.... there's still dangers out there. Shaks and.... other things. But... even if you could get to shore - how do you know that they would't just lock you up and study you there?" His ears flicked back. He was a freak now... his second change had killed Ambrose's hopes of ever returning to normal society. He couldn't hide what he was, and at least here.... people understood what he was going through. If only he could get back in the duplexes....
Of course, this didn't mean that Ambrose idn't miss home, or that he woudln't try to escape if given the opportunity - He had been the first to try to build the signal-fire....
Hell, who was he kidding, he was sour-grapes-ing the mainland.
"IT's your choice, Awen.... but... I don't think it's worth risking your life for it."
He turned to Colche as she got off his lap, and he stood slowly, shaking himself off instinctually, wincing afterwards. "Sorry." He mumbled. Like it was even helpful - it was still raining buckets.
"SLeep well, Colche." He waved to her.
Ambrose nodded to Joli. "Ah... I didn't realize. Hopefully it won't be too miserable.... it won't last much longer anyway. And you're welcome to use one of the lean-tos... maybe share it with Colche... you can help keep eachother warm if you like...""Sweet sleep Colche."
A shiver ran down Awen's spine at the mention of sharks. She had concidered it to be dangerous but she hadn't felt frieghtened by the sea creatures. Now that Ambrose mentioned it though...sharks hit home somewhere in the pit of her stomach. She didn't like the feeling, it made her feel that somehow the water wasn't hers anymore. But she simply shrugged.
"Well... Maybe.." She shruged slightly. "I just figured that if things got worse and we couldn't get into the duplexes. It's dangerous...but if there's no other choice..."
Still the manta in her wanted more open waters. She couldn't stand being cooped up in the rivers and lakes. The ocean was more what it wanted, a place to stretch out and call home. She thought a lot about what would happen on mainland, but... If it meant that risk or the risk of starving or tearing eachother apart. Yeah, she'd be swimming to mainland.Share... with anyone... she stared at the meat in her hands. She'd been avoiding physical contact with anyone since she had encountered Awen last. "Uhm... I uh..." she wasn't sure how to put that... She'd appologized to Awen yes, but she'd already had the piglet episode, and then coming to her senses with Awen in front of her "It's probably ...not a good idea" she finishes glad that the falling rain hid tears that were threatening to slip down her cheeks... she hated what she was becoming"Only if it comes to it, Awen..." HE could smell the spike of fear with the mention of Sharks, even above the rain. He shifted positions, edging closer to his lean-to. It wouldn't surprise him if Moreau had intentionaly popualted the waters with sharks.
He looked to Joliette with a puzzled look. "What do you mean..? Why?" Awen stood up slowly. "I'm sure once you eat some food in you it won't be so bad Joli..." Looking around though she started feeling uncomfortable. The social scene wasn't exactly what she wanted to be a part of anymore. The manta in her just wanted to go back to the lake, or better yet the ocean, and swim around on her own.
"You guys take care.... This lightning and thunder is really starting to freak me a little bit... the water will be better..." She waved and started out of the camp. Funny though, she didn't head for the river at all but was going throguh the land. Was she headed back to the lake by land..? Or maybe she intended to go somewhere else..."Bye Awen" Joliette says. She pauses for a moment before looking towards Ambrose "I've already woken up looking into the lifeless eyes of a dead boar piglet, and wound up hunting Awen... I... I don't know if I can trust myself, it's... it's like the beast inside is trying to take control ... Least thats what it feels like"Ambrose stood to give a farewell to Awen. "You take care... don't hesitate to come back if you need anything. Seriously." He waved and watched her depart before returning his worried attention to Joliette.
"But.... you've only changed once, Joli... I mean... maybe you do just need to suck it up and try to eat some more meat... honestly the only time my... instincts have flared up that I've noticed is when I'm not ... getting thing that I need..." But his ears remained flattened. "You... woke up to a dead piglet? You don't even remember..... doing anything to it..?""Maybe you're right, maybe I do have to give in and do what I swore I never would again ... " she pauses tearing off another bite of the meat "Yeah, about a good hundred or so feet away from the camp, David, Awen Lauren and I were sharing, it had claw marks, and teeth marks... and I had ... blood... in my mouth, but no, I don't know how it happened, I don't remember doing anything to it..." she shivers both from the thought of the blood but also the coldAmbrose's ear flicks back and he edges closer to the lean-to again. He was agitated, anxious. He didn't want to hear about Joli going crazy and killing something.... Angelina was inside... he couldn't risk her getting hurt.
"That.... that is strange, Joli.." His voice conveyed his anxieties. He watched her bite into the soggy piece of flesh. "I know... " she watched him edge away, she wasn't surprised, not in the least... She'd probably react the same way, "Just bad dreams and waking up" she mumbles she put hte last of hte small piece of meat she'd taken from the soggy pile of meat in her mouth and crossed her arms on her knees leaning her chin on them. Her thoughts were undecided, but remained just that... thoughtsHe nodded... slowly. He'd had his share of nightmares since coming to the island. One even ended in him waking up in the middle of the jungle afterwards. But none had ended with him actually hurting something.
Granted, a piglet was a big difference from a person.... but... it still didn't change the fact that having someone who wasn't in control - who COULD hurt one of them in his campsite made him antsy. Especially now.
But it was raining, and his good sense and compassion told him it would be damning her even more to send her away.
But if she stayed, he'd be watchful - of Colche and Amaya, and most especially Angelina.Joliette watched him her tongue flickered a couple times and then she tips her head so her forehead touches her arms hiding a yawn. The silence was something she didn't really like, only because it spoke of untrust to her, about as little trust as she had in herself too... She takes another larger piece of hte meat and then stands up "I think I should leave..." she says quietly, glad for the pouring rain hiding the tears "I am going to try and find a cave or something... where I wont put anyone at risk" she pauses before leavingAmbrose felt a wave of guilt that combatted the growling anxiety that a part of him snarled to him that he shouldn't keep a danger in the campsite.
But he took the news stoically, feeling sorry for the woman who was in a position that any of them could have fallen into. But it was a danger that - he was sure - that if she could accept and make some amends to, she could defeat.
"I... I understand, Joliette. Just, keep in mind what you need. We... we can't ignore what's happening to us. Staying human means making choices and recognizing the animal influence and metering it into your life." Ambrose had no idea how much of a hypocrite he was being.
"I wish you the best of luck with your demons, Joli. We... we'll all get out of this mess sometime...."
He turned and crawled back into the lean-to. He had bee away from her too long.
"I hope." the voice drifted back in closing.With a silent nod she watched him disappear into his leanto and trudged slowly back into the jungle ignoring her tearss since the rain was keeping her face much wetter. And she slowly went in search of a cave... and some warmth
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Posted: Sat Mar 04, 2006 3:15 pm
Wanderings in the Jungle Joliette shivered and peered through the rain and foliage "There... has to be ... somewhere... a cave... or something" she speaks aloud but to herself, her teeth chattering together. It'd been at least a good day since she'd left Ambrose's camp, she wasn't sure, maybe more but time seemed to be lost just then...
She was trying hard to find shelter, shelter where she wouldn't be a risk of danger to anyone... She'd finished the meat she'd taken from the camp and her stomach growled loudly, but it seemed most things that could be prey to the Komodo had gone into hiding from the rain, she hadn't seen anything...
Her resolve to stay vegan was crumbling quickly, no vegetation she ate seemed to quench the hunger she felt. Her tongue flicked as she stood shivering looking through the foliage looking for both food and shelter.
She turns in her wandering numberous times, so much so that like the day she met sabin in the woods, she was in fact... Quite lost. She was cold, and hungry as she trudged slowly. She was unaware of her friends' plights only that she desired meat and a cave.. or a burrow... or something... and some sunshine.
"How about..." she turns in a full circle... "This way" she doesn't know in her turning she actualy heads in the direction of the river...
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Posted: Sat Mar 04, 2006 3:16 pm
Cave Hunting with Emerwyn
Joliette didn't know north from south, east from west, all she knew was she was cold and wet, and her stomach was rumbling like ever. Fruit she found didn't quench the hunger pangs, and she'd yet to have found any prey ... stupid weather...
Teeth chattering the young woman continued to trudge through the foliage in search of food and shelter, shelter that was away from the camps... She didn't trust herself, and she didn't know if she'd lose control, and in fact was afraid she would.
Emerwyn stepped gingerly away from the water. Every nerve in her body was shaking, burning. Breathing still came as a chore to her, her chest moving labored, as though her lungs were filled with water. Pyroth had been kind, and she wasn't sure whether she was happy or sad to be taking her leave of him. She came once more into the thicker trees and the scent of water grew fainter to her senses, slightly removing the feeling of immersion that filled her still.
Joliette's tongue flicked and she looked around , was he senses playing tricks on her? She'd not run into anyone... or anything since she'd left Ambrose's camp, "H-hello?" she asks into the wind doubtful anyone would hear her with the volume of her voice which was hampered by her chattering teeth
Emerwyn's ears twitched, as she thought she heard a sound foreign from the jungles natural noises. She followed it, almost too eagerly. She couldn't be alone. No, they'd come back to her. It was all almost faded now. Almost a day had passed since they'd begun. Since she was with them... But she couldn't risk anything. Her eyes came to focus on a large moving object. It was someone she recognized. From so long ago. But had she seen her recently? Only a passing glimpse... "Joliette?"
Joliette stopped moving and turned more towards the voice, her arms wrapped around her for what little warmth it provided. "Emer..wyn" she said mostly to herself "Yeah.. it's me" she says looking at the equally soaked woman
Emerwyn's heart soared. Seeing Joli gave her more joy now than it could have ever at any other time. A familiar face, and one that didn't make her feel like her world was out to destroy everything she loved. She ran forward with an odd burst of energy and embraced her. She was a deal warmer than Joliette, even though her sparse furs had not completely dried. She stood there, simply hugging her, and Emerwyn found herself crying over her already wet face.
Joliette nearly pulled away... least until she felt the warmth, of god she wanted that warmth. She wasn't sure why Emerwyn was crying, but she didn't stop her. She did her best to keep her tongue in her mouth, she didn't want her body to be even remotely tempted to lose control, Emerwyn was her friend
She pulled away slowly. "I am sorry, Joli. It has been a long time since we've seen each other and... a lot has happened. I'm sure on both ends." She could not for a second think she was the only one suffering here. "How have you been faring?" Though, in her state, Emerwyn could only assume the worst. She hoped Joliette was doing well, for both their sakes and sanities.
"C-cold... wet.. and hungry..." she states looking at her friend as Emerwyn pulled away "I think.. my resolve... is crumbling" she shivered as the warmth left it's closeness
Another one was losing faith... losing hope. What more was left for them? "How much more can we do? How much more can we take?" She took Joli's arms in her hands and rubbed them, standing still close to her, offering what warmth she had. "It grows hard. Hard to hold on to what little hope we had. What are you holding on to?"
"My veganism... but... fruit... doesn't seem to be enough... and I've lost control... at least once.. and woke up next to a dead boar piglet already" She appreciated the warmth, she was glad though she had been stuck outside in t-shirt, vest and shorts, that she wasn't as bad off as those who were caught with next to nothing at all
Emerwyn smiled sadly, recalling when Pyroth attacked her. "At least, at least it was only the boar... and not-" Emerwyn shrugged slightly. Joli would know what she meant. "How many people have you seen? I've not seen many in my travels, and I wish to hear that everyone is alright."
"Uhm it was one of... us... the second time" she looked down "I've seen 9 or 10... Ambrose has a big camp though, so more... have to be around"
Emerwyn's stomach sank quicker than she could anticipate. She had taken what Joli said... differently than she may have meant it. "You mean.... you...... " Her hands drew back a little. She didn't think that any of them could...
Joli stayed quiet for a few still looking at the ground "Awen got hurt, and I lost control for a time... and hunted her... But... int he end I only wound up scaring her I think... came to my senses" she closed her eyes ignoring the tears that leaked ... she didn't blame Emerwyn from pulling away, she found her actions repulsive too. "I'm so scared... that I'll lose control... again"
Actually, Emerwyn found herself feeling a world of relief. "Oh, oh... No, no... I'd thought.... I thought you meant you'd actually..." She actually laughed a little, despite herself. "She's safe, that's all that matters. Many of us are losing control. I was just with some such individual." She didn't want to say anything about Pyroth. It wasn't his fault. "And it's not your fault," she said, as though vocalizing the end of her own thoughts.
She nods slowly and lifts her head "It's not fun being a predator... Ambrose thinks I need to give in to the bit of Komodo that's in me.. and I won't lose control so badly... I... the thought of meat doesn't bother me as bad as it used to... but still..." She searched Emerwyn's face for understanding of what she meant
"It's hard to change... to turn away from something that was once a part of your life. It's hard when it disappears so quickly... And it's not fair." She understood, as much as it was possible for her to.
Joliette nods slowly and shivers "Did.. did you have to turn away... from anything?" she asks pulling her arms closer around herself trying to keep any warmth she had
"I thought that it was the last thing I had to lose, my humanity. But it seems I must turn away from something else. The only other thing left for me here." She swallowed. "It seems I must turn away from the only chance I had left... at love."
"I'm sorry Emerwyn" she says softly, she didn't know if she'd be heard over the wind with how quiet her words were. She'd come tot he isle and found love, and her friend had the opposite
Emerwyn smiled softly. Perhaps it would be for the best if she never saw Ian or Julian again. Or the Jabberwock, for that matter. She changed the subject, this was a little too much, too soon. "So, Ambrose has set up a camp?" She was glad. She'd only met him once, but she knew he was a strong leader and good friend from only a few minutes with him. He'd been the one who first told her about Julian...
Joliette nods "Yeah, big one... a bunch of lean tos.. and it had a fire..." She looks around "Uhm ... not sure what direction" she was sure she'd turned a few times, she had no idea where she actually was
Emerwyn sighed. "It's alright. Right now, I wish to leave the jungle, by any means necessary. The town, the beach, anywhere is better than here. This place haunts me so, and I cannot escape it." "But you, you need a fire. You're chilled to death."
"Need shelter, so I can dry... and then a fire ya" she agrees "Was looking for a cave... or something" standing still in one place didn't really help matters either, but she'd not exactly sorted out if it was just the weather or her own body
Once again, Emerwyn cast aside her own desires. "Come," she put an arm around Joli's shoulders. "Together, we will find somewhere for you to stay."
Joliette nods and told her own desire to not be touched no. and looks around "Uhm... you pick a direction, I have.. not idea where I am" she admits
"Well, I think I've covered the area around the river, not much in the area of warmth there," only that horrible, drowning pain; she choked in her breathing a little, looking back. "Unless you are in need of water, I suggest we go the other way."
"I've had more then enough water... The rain is doing that... just have to look up and open my mouth" She can't help but give a wry smile since part of why she'd had enough of water was she was soaked from head to toe
Emerwyn smiled and nodded, and led the way away from the river. Maybe she'd be able to find a place for Joli to stay warm, and get out of the jungle.
Joliette let Emerwyn lead her, she hoped they didn't get more lost then she already was, Emerwyn obviously knew where the river was, so perhaps they wouldn't. She was thankful for the warmth the physical contact of another provided. Her tongue flicked and brought her back scents, but she still wasn't used to the scents being 'muffled' by the wetness of rain and the scents of wet foliage
Emerwyn tred carefully through the damp jungle, the scents tantalizing her; she was hungry. But, she'd better get this done first. She decided to get some information, if she could. "You were at the camp - what do they know, of our situation?"
"Probably no more then we... Everything is locked down, Ambrose and I didn't really get... to talk about that" she tells Emerwyn "last I talked to anyone... bout the lockdown, was before.. I lost control"
Emerwyn sighed. "I wish to return to the village. I feel that something will be made clear... Somehow we can understand what happened. Moreau does not seem one to be easily thwarted." She looked around, hoping to spot some sort of cave or large burrow. Nothing yet.
"I want back in my darkroom, its dark in there, I feel at home in my darkroom... not like out here" Joliette admits her eyes often following Emerwyn's gaze
"I actually found that, slowly, I was beginning to feel averted to staying indoors. But, there must be some way to get into the rooms. There is something I need, desperately." Her book. She had not seen it in so long, even before the lockdown. She found a little overgrowth that seemed to be covering something. She separated, leaning forward, digging through the brush. It was naught but a pile of rocks and dirt. She sighed. "Nothing." Slowly, she rose. "Let's continue."
"There isn't I tried a while ago" she watched the digging then kept moving
Emerwyn breathed heavy. She needed to find Joli shelter, but that also meant she'd be on her own again. Maybe this was her fate. Her breathing grew a little more labored as they walked. The humidity in the air was not being kind. This climate was not for her. She wiped the dirt from her hands as they proceeded. Some was stuck in her hoof-fingers, and it was very uncomfortable. "Maybe we're just not looking in the right place..."
"Uhm caves... I only explored a couple times... and first time I did... I got lost" she looks in various directions "near the mountain maybe?"
"The mountains are on the other side of the village. Shall we seek out the village..." Emerwyn thought hard. This was difficult, and hungry, work.
Joliette nods and lets Emerwyn pick a direction and after a few hours and a few wrong turns they'd gotten past the village and into the foliage again
Emerwyn felt a pang of regret going straight through the village, the place she'd been trying to reach for so long. And her stomach surged as she returned once more into the place that tormented her so, to help a friend. At least she knew, up north on the Island, Ian and Julian were far away, and she had no risk of seeing either of them. Towards the mountain the continued, their luck surprisingly high. Within a short while, they'd found a little cave, large enough for one person to remain relatively comfortable.
Joliette pokes her head into the mouth of he cave her tongue flickered , she didn't pick up the scent of anything that would be a threat. "Thankyou Emerwyn" she says softly turning and looking at her friend
Emerwyn smiled warmly. Finally she had been able to help someone, and it had paid off in the end. "Stay warm, and stay safe. I'm sure we'll meet again soon." Emerwyn embraced her one last time. She had dried off considerably.
"Thanks and I'll try" Joli nods "You... you stay safe and well" she says looking up at the foreboding clouds and then back
Emerwyn looked up, too. "There's an end to every storm." "We shall know, soon enough." All too soon... And, with that, she departed, heading back slowly to the village.
Joliette watched her for a moment and then disappeared into the darkness of the cave in hopes of a warm area, and to dry off
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Posted: Sat Mar 04, 2006 3:18 pm
The Village Re-Opens A buzz? A bug? Her tongue flickered and she looked towards the caves entrance some 20 or 30 feet away. She'd been out a couple times but only in hopes of finding something palitable to eat... But now a new, familiar scent reached her sensitive tastebuds that her tongue flicked against "The cafeteria?" She creeps towards the entrance not knowing power was back on in the island, only knowing she heard a buzz, and scented food... COOKED FOOD....
She reaches the cave entrance and her now-dry and once again curly haired head looked up into the sky trying to find the source of the slightly muted buzz, her eyes widened to see the lights of a helicopter... They were ... returning?!?!?!
She decides to head for the village, perhaps someone would be there, perhaps she could find food she could actually manage to keep down... She almost lost it a few times having found small rodents to eat in the back of hte cave though the rain had kept most other creatures in hiding
With a slow step she heads for the village
Joliette trudges slowly into the village, light had just illuminated the night and that alone caused her to blink, she had gotten used to no artificial lights... Her yellow tongue flickers and she moved through the village , and then she notices it... an open door... Trudging towards 21 she quietly calls out "Hello?" Avery hadn't been stuck out in the wilderness as long as Awen had been, but he was still just as relieved to see the door open. Ever since he arrived, he has seen nothing but strange things, being forced to live out in the forest; no beds or anything... and it was truely a relief for him to see regular household items and electricity. Avery didn't even pause to think about what it might mean, that the doctors might be back and now was the time for him to try and escape. He caught the bag of skittles Awen tossed to him. "Thanks," he said, smiling at her and ripping open the package, quickly shaking some of the candy out into his hand to eat. He was starving. He paused when he heard someone call out behind him, and he turned around to peer outside, seeing a woman who looked... mostly human, with brown hair. Avery stepped outside of the duplex and smiled at the other girl. "Hey there!" Awen grinned when she heard the voice but was already making her way to the intercom. "Hey Joli come on in! We've got candy!" She laughed and just was so happy to be back. Finally people could return to normal and put all of this survivor stuff left behind them. She still wondered though what made the electricity turn back on. Had someone gotten into the main compound? Were the doctors back?
She glanced a nervous eye at Avery. If the doctors were back that means him and Rex... But she sighed. Back to life as normal on the island. She couldn't let that dampen her spirits. She had chocolate!
"And hey a shower and PS2 and look heaters! God this is so....god!" She chuckled and pushed the intercom button. "Hello! Anyone in there?" She was just bursting with possitive energy now. "The power is back, like you don't already know! Whose in there then? Moreau? Chubbs hun did you break in?"Joliette peers through the illumination at the male, her long yellow tongue flicked the air as she brought his scent to her "I've not met you... " she muses quietly and moves closer looking up at him, he stood a good foot taller then her, but that was nothing new, she was certain she was the shortest person on the isle. She peers around him looking at Awen "Your door was the only one I saw open... but I've picked up the scents of hte cafeteria" she saysThankfully, the scales on the other woman prepared him enough not to be too surprised when she flicked out her yellow tongue. "Yeah, I guess I'm kind of new on the island," Avery grinned a little at her. "I got washed up on shore... been here for a few days. My name is Avery... want some Skittles?" he offered, holding the bag out to Joliette. Awen frowned when there was no responce to her call. Maybe it was just Chubbs, or another islander stumbling around trying to find everything. Maybe they hadn't heard, or didn't know how to respond to the intercom yet. Awen imagines this huge counsle with lots of flashing lights and buttons and a big screen, with Chubbs standing slack jaw looking up at the screen, hearing Awen but too confused by the mass of button to know where to start.
But wait a second.
Joliette said there was food in the cafeteria. Awen sniffed the air but she couldn't catch much. Her sense of smell had been dulle in the last change and all she could smell currently was the chocolate bar and the musty smell...and body odor, but who was counting anymore? No. If the cafe was up then there had to be staff.
She buzzed again.
"Hello? Moreau? Sabin? Err..Au-Audrey?" She had never formally met the woman so didn't quite remember her name.
She krept pressing the button again and again. "Helllooooo?"
Frowning when still there was no responce she turned back to the others. "Okay this is kind of creepy. Like...horror movie creepy." Not accounting for the fact that there were part human part creature people walking around the island and she was a mutant fish thing, of course.Her forked tongue flicked once more as she looked at hte bag "All right, thanks" she says reaching and sticking her sharpclawed fingers into the bag pulling some out onto her hand "I'm Joliette" she replied quietly, saying her distinctly french name in her thick British accent. She gave a weak smile. "Awen, I don't think they are answering, it's still pretty quiet dispite the power on"Avery watched as Awen tried using the intercom, receiving no answer from whoever those people were she was trying to contact. "So... what... the lights and stuff just came back on by themselves?" Avery wondered; should he be surprised or not? Here he was, sharing candy with two women who were part animal... would weird things like power coming back on by itself really be that strange in comparison? "Well... maybe they just stepped out to get some food, too?" he suggested. The last thing he wanted to think about was horror movies on an island like this. Awen frowned a little bit and shook her head. "I've never seen staff...besides the cafeteria lady... in the cafe before. And sure maybe the lights came back on by themselves. But food starting to cook by itself? I don't know...."
She grabbed another chunk from her chocolate bar and threw the wrapper in the garbage. She moved slowly to the door and looked out. "Well whatever... we can figure it out later.... For now I've got a comfy bed with my name on it."
She glanced between the two slowly. "I mean yay the powers back and all but comfy sheets is the best thing after all this. Besides I don't want to deal with this....horror movie right now. Course..." She laughed. "If this were a horror movie I'd probably be the first one to be bumped off." She grinned a bit then just melted it to a smile. "You guys can join me if you want? Er... in hte sleep thing not the ..dying..thing."
She blushed a little bit. "Just cuz er....Avery you don't have a bed...and Joli if you don't want to be alone..."Joli shook her head "No, I want food, and my darkroom... thanks for the offer though" she looks at Avery "I'll show you where it is if you want" her voice was still quiet "candy is nice... but I need real food"Avery felt torn... real food, or sleep? He wanted both, badly... as well as a shower. "It's a touch choice... I think I'm going to go with sleep though, I'm pretty tired..." He had only just woke up not long ago, but he actually hadn't been sleeping for that long. Having to watch Colche's transformation was very stressful and nerve wracking. He hoped he wouldn't have to watch anyone else transform, either. "Thank you for the offer, though, Joliette," he smiled at her. Awen nodded to Joli then again to Avery. "Alright then. I guess I'll see you tomorrow Joli? We can hook up and go tell the others, if they hadn't come back by then. And hey! Pancakes tomorrow! If they don't make 'em I will!" She grinned a little bit. "Sound good to you two?"Joliette nods to both "All right... Uhm you'll probably find me int he darkroom.... it's the darkest duplex here" she motioned #28 down the way and stepped away from the door "Sleep well guys" the komodo woman says with one last flick of her tongue before turning and trudging away heading towards the boarded up duplex"God, pancakes sounds like heaven," Avery sighed happily just thinking about it. He waved goodbye to Joliette when she left, and then he turned to look at Awen. "Thanks for letting me stay here tonight, I appreciate it..." he glanced around the room, wondering where he would sleep. "Do you want me to sleep on the floor, or share the bed?" Avery smiled. "I don't mind either way... it's just nice to not be outside for once."
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Posted: Sat Mar 04, 2006 7:52 pm
Joli & Em (needs better name)
Joliette spent the night in her dark room and come early morning had used up most of hte hot water in her shower... She knocked on David's door and opened it but found him not there "Maybe he's still in the jungle" she says quietly and looks towards the foliage and then heads into it
It had been hours since the others had filtered back into the village, but it was only minutes since the last time Emelyn had to brush away the unbidden tears that collected beneath her large blue eyes and made pools in her tawny fur. She'd watched the villagers make their way back into the clearing of the village, still dripping, though the rain had ceased. Her eyes followed them silently as they dragged themselves back into 'civilization'... looking more like animals to her now than they ever had before. Heading for the warmth. Right back to the hand that feeds them. Above her, some tropical bird called, grateful for the cease of the rain... and Em wrapped her arms about herself, suddenly feeling cold and alone. She hated it out here. But she'd rather die than step back into that clearing... back into the mind games. She was so confused.
Her tongue flickered and she picked the scent of a friend and turned, there some 20 feet away her friend "Hi Em" she says quietly wondering what was wrong with her as she changed her path and headed for her.
Em shook her head, not knowing entirely why she'd made the gesture. "Hi." Her voice was scratchy- hoarse, from not having used it in so long.
Joli trudges towards Emelyn "You ok?" she asks her hearing the hoarse voice, this wasn't the voice she remembered hearing Emelyn use the last time they'd run into each other.
Em sighed. "Not really." Her confusions flooded her thoughts. "It doesn't matter," she said, the sound of her voice saying otherwise. .."What are you doing in the woods again? Aren't you glad to be back in 'dry civilization'?" She said, the last two words drenched in bitterness.
"Was going to..." she chews lightly on her lip "Going to go try and find David... As for it all back... It's better then starving... and being stuck outside" she admits catching the bitterness
A twinge of guilt crept into Emelyn's self-pity and fear and anger. ...She hadn't remembered those people who were transforming into carnivores, and how hungry they must have been, foraging in an unforgiving atmosphere... under the unforgiving conditions of a madman's experiments. At least she could survive off the land, as much as she despised the wet and the warm and the insects. ...Joli couldn't. Em nodded at her friend. "I'm glad you got something to eat," she said, her words as much an apology as anything else.
"Actually I haven't yet, I wanted to try and find David, I just slept in the darkroom.. and took a long shower" she admits and her stomach confirms the words by growling audibly and she looked a lil sheepish over this fact
"When's the last time you saw David?" Em asked, trying to keep bitterness out of her voice, and steeling her mind into the choices she was making. They weren't easy ones- but they were necessary.
"Uhm... before I nearly attacked Awen actually" she says looking at the jungle floor her curls falling around her face, she felt bad for not trying to find him a lot earlier. She fidgets as she speaks her words to Emelyn.
Emelyn blinked in surprise, and processed the startling new information with that same, bitter 'grain of salt' that seemed to inflict itself upon all her thoughts these past few weeks. "Hm." she said, a little sadly. "It seems the island is getting the better of us."
"Perhaps... I just guess I haven't really trusted myself, Ambrose didn't seem to welcome me to his camp with open arms either once he knew what I've gone through over the last couple months... So I kinda left to try and find a cave" She doesn't look up as she talks
..."Has it been too hard?" Emelyn said, feeling as if a darkness was floating between them. "Has it been too hard to... resist.. the urges? Such terrible things..." she didn't say them to be judgemental, but instead, as an almost effortless whisper of her deep, haunted thoughts.
"I've been about giving up... vegetation alone doesn't satisfy my hunger" she looks up "I hate what I'm becoming" the look on her face speaking volumes of her own feelings about her situation
"So do I," she said- a whisper that somehow carried through that cloud of darkness. "I hate this. ...Not even these...changes," she said, lifting up her fur-covered hands tipped in black, curving claws. "Just.. the violations. And how I've given up. Given myself over to them. I hate how I want so much to step into that clearing, and walk into that duplex... and take a shower... and comb my..." she paused. She didn't really have 'hair' anymore. She shook her veritable mane of quills, and the tears came once more, a cavalcade of emotional pain. This time, she didn't brush them away or try to hide them, but let them fall as her voice took up a wracking sob. "I... I want to write in my journal, I want to play with the little electronic plane that b*****d left for me for Christmas... I want to sleep on a regular bed. I hate it... oh god, I hate it so much, and the only thing that's keeping me from running to it is the feeling that if I step one foot into that village, I will be betraying ever memory I ever had of my sister. ...Oh god, Joli, you would have been so happy to know her. She was such a fighter. To the very end, she never lost hope. ...She lost her battle but she won it, because she never gave up. I gave up... I gave up..."
"Your sister sounds like a wonderful person... and I suppose we all have our hopes and dreams and such.... Hopefully we can find them" She looks over her shoulder at the village again
"It doesn't matter now." Em said, not fully conscious of her words anymore. "This is all lies," she said, pointing back to the village. "I know you can't get away from it, because... you can't survive out here, in the wild. Not with what they've done to you." She tore her eyes away from the idea of comfort, the idea of 'home', and turned back to Joli. "But I can. So I think...I will. For all of us, to show that lies don't cloud us. ...There's nothing left for me in there," she said, in one fell swoop... both sacrificing her humanity... and saving it. "...Do you want help finding David?" She asked, her voice steely and resolute, the last of her salty tears falling into her fur beneath determined eyes.
"You... stay stay safe if you stay out here... I don't know what the future holds for the both of us... not totally at least... So I'm not even gonna guess... " she says softly looking back into the trees "Okay... I was going to go look near where our camp.... was" she nods
Emelyn nodded. She wasn't going to guess, either. "Lead the way," she said softly, indicating with a nod the way deeper into the jungle and away... from the mirage of 'civilization'.
She headed towards the nearest river, she wasn't moving fast. "Feels kinda... strange to be going right back... out into what I wanted to end... Question is, can I keep control of myself now I can get food easier again"
"I'm sure you can," Emelyn said, reassuring her friend. There was nothing in her voice or her countenance to suggest that the hedgehog-girl had become happier, cheerier- but somehow it was obvious that she had found strength in her decision, and she was surviving in the middle of the powerful crutch of action, decision...and also, delay. It was too painful to walk back into that village now- and so she chose a pain she knew. "I'm surprised you didn't eat anything before you left. It would have calmed you, I think."
"I'm not going to look for too long, if he's not at camp.. I don't know where he'd be... " she admits "And I've had enough of being lost in here, first time I got lost the git found me, second time Emerwyn found me" she flicks her tongue looking ahead of them
"How is Emerwyn?" Em asked, picking delicately through the underbrush. "I haven't seen her since... she was sick on the cliffs. And that was... a long time ago."
"Uhm bout as good as any of us have been I guess... She helped me find somewhere to dry off... I wasn't having luck on my own after I left... the big camp" She can see the water ahead, part of her really hoped he'd be waiting there for her with open arms.
"We're coming near the camp... I don't see anyone," Em said gently, hoping not to dash Joli's hopes too thoroughly. She herself had been hoping that David would be at the river- for she hadn't ever met the man she'd heard so much of through Joliette.
She sighs softly . "Somehow I can't say I should be surprised" she said looking at the ruined firepit and the old indications of camp which betrayed any sign of life. "I guess should go back... Where are you going to stay Em?" she looked up at the hedgehog woman
Em couldn't take her eyes out of the ashes of the firepit. They looked so soft and dark. "I don't know. Not here, though. Too many bad memories." She couldn't even force herself to stay in this camp when there were people- traveling out into the night whenever the urge to be away from everything struck her- which was often. "Maybe here or there. ...Where was that cave you told me about?"
"Yeah..." she looked back towards the village "On the other side of the village near the base of the mountain" she points a clawed finger in the direction of the mountain
Em followed the clawed 'compass' to a point through the trees and past the mountain that no eye- human or animal- could possibly see from this distance. And yet she looked anyway. "What's it like?" She asked softly, wondering aloud.
"Dry and dark with some small creatures, it's kinda hidden by the trees, It was protection from the cold cold rain, I've never been quite that cold before..." she shivered at the thought. She didn't move from her spot.
"Were you there alone?" Her eyes widened at how the memory of the cold still clung to Joli, and wondered how much harder this journey would be for her.
She nods "Except for when I ran into Emerwyn and she helped me find a place to get out of, and the short time in Ambrose's camp... Other then that it was just me"
"So you've been alone a lot of this time." It was a half question, half sad statement that wanted corroborating. "...I think you should go find David." She didn't like the idea of Joli being alone for so long- especially when she was in this deep a state of distrust with herself. Emelyn hadn't seen the things she'd done, but there was a good chance that even if she had, she wouldn't have judged her friend, and wouldn't have believed her capable of true harm. ...But it was dangerous, she thought, to leave her in such a state of self-disarray.
"Uhm I really wouldn't know where to start , besides here.. But he's not here, and I don't know how long ago he left" she sounded disheartened at the thought. She looked in multiple directions into the foliage around them
"Well, he's probably out of the woods by now. Everyone else seems to have filtered back into civilization." She'd stood for hours on the edge of the jungle watching the 'people' return- all in various stages of undress and dishevelment. "It may be the best recourse to search the more... habitable parts of the island."
"Considering what he's becoming and his appetite... perhaps I'll find him in the cafeteria... other then that I don't know, he wasn't in his duplex..." she looks back up at her friend "I wonder if anyone else will stay in the jungle like you"
Emelyn shook her head sadly. "I don't know. ...I would think some more of the predators would... it seems their instincts have taken over stronger than the omnivores or the herbivores... but it was so hard for many of them to find food, so I think maybe not."
"I would prefer cooked food over anything I've eaten in the last month, the one thing I can't say I look forward to is .. if the git decides to torment me more... but I doubt he'd change" she sighs softly "I guess we'll just have to see"
"I guess we will." ...Emelyn didn't know what else to say, so she leaned back against the trunk of that same thin, bendy stalk of a tree that she'd taken repose near... so many times in the past few weeks. She didn't know what to think about the campground except that it was perhaps some sad, decaying monument to a terrible time. Her memory let her drift back- it seemed way back- to those times that life was kind to her, and even those few, precious moments here on the island where things were sweet and lovely. She recalled the swims she had with Sean, diving under the cool blue water to view the beautiful reef life... the Halloween party, where she'd stepped in on the arm of a handsome musketeer, all eyes upon her. ...She even recalled a moment, deep into the night where she'd stood upon the hallowed clifftops and stared out at the ocean, resolved to find beauty in a terrible world. ...It had been so long ago. "That's what I'm doing out here, Joli," she said softly, as if the woman had been privy to her thought process, "I'm trying to preserve those good memories that I have. ...This place has been so ugly to me now, for too long. I want to remember those few sweet times, and the times before. Out here- when I'm not distracted by all the fears and hypocricies of that village... I think I can." She smiled for the first time in days. "...I hope you find David soon."
She nods slowly "Yeah, hopefully you find success in that" she fidgets with the edge of the shirt she wore "I hope I do too" her stomach spoke again and Joliette made a face "I have a feeling I should deal with that... it really is a fear of mine to lose control again"
"I wish I knew something to say to make you feel better." She bit her lower lip, easing her top teeth down upon it- but not enough to draw blood. She recalled all too well the last time she had come across this friend while the scent of blood clung to her.
"Just understanding is all I can expect, or rather hope for" she turns her body in the direction of the village again "I know you don't want to go back... But I should... do you want to walk with me a bit? or... no?" Joli looks from the path to Em again
"I'll walk with you anywhere you'd like... as long as it's not into the village." She said, 'kicking off' from the tree and coming closer to Joliette.
Joliette nods and heads down the path again "Ok.. then we'll part company closer... I hope you find a safe place to be..." she says looking down at the path
"I don't think anywhere on this island is 'safe' anymore." She paused in her speech, but not in her step, as she walked with Joli. "Do you..." she finally reconciled her voice to her thoughts once more. "Do you allow anyone to touch you anymore? Or would that make you too uncomfortable, too afraid of what you'd do? I just don't want to... do something in friendship, like touch your arm, and have you recoil. So I'd rather know." The tiny quills on the back of her neck pricked up. "I'm sorry to ask."
Joli faltered in her own step, she was right in Emelyn noticing her pull away that night... "Uhm last time you and I ran into each other... it was right after it happened... or least within a few days..." she says quietly "Long as I feel able to keep control.. yeah, people can touch me... Emerwyn did to help me stay warmer as we were cave-hunting" she pauses "and it's ok... I'm the one who pulled away to begin with"
"I'm glad..." Em said, placing a less tentative hand on Joli's arm as she walked. "I just didn't want to make you feel uncomfortable." They walked in silence for a while longer, and Emelyn winced at the sun that filtered down through the canopy. The luxury of pulling the blinds in her duplex and living in the quiet darkness was another luxury she was giving up, she realized. "Can I ask you a favor, Joli?"
"I guess more then anything I was scared is all...." she replies and then like Emelyn grows quiet as they walk... The warm sun beating down unlike for Em was a welcome thing, something about her, and she presumed it was the Komodo, liked basking in the sun and absorbing it's warmth. "Sure, you can ask me a favor, I don't mind"
"I don't want to step foot in the village, lest I lose my nerve. But I don't want to abandon some of the things that I have there. Could you get them for me? Just... some of my clothes, my journals- they're all in my desk drawers or on the desk... and then two other things. There's a small box on my dresser- it's got a few old barnacles on the edges- it was my grandmother's jewelry box that Sean pulled out of the wreckage of the Wilhemina for me. ...And ...beside my bed, there's a picture of Mizzie in a salt-eaten frame. It's the only picture I have in the room, you can't miss it."
"Yeah I can grab some of your stuff for you... Do you want it right away? or do you want to find a place to settle first?" That reminded her of her own stashed bag and she made a slight detour off the path closer to the village
"I'd rather have it sooner... I can always find temporary shelter and then relocate later."
Joliette nods "All right, I'll do it before getting food then... Uhmm remind me" she pauses and looks over her shoulder "What number is your duplex again?" she looked a lil sheepish but she'd completely unfocused on Duplex numbers over the previous 2 months She pushed into the bushes and reached a clawed hand into one. She frowns and pulls her hand out and then looks under the bush in the drying muddy soil "Oh god" she sighs and puts a hand to her face she picks a few things that were left off the ground along with her mangled bag "I never should have left it.. " she gets up trying to hide the fact she wanted to cry, and hoped for an answer from Em to take her mind off her own problems
"Oh Joli... what was in there? I'm so sorry..." she slowly wrapped her arms around the woman, hoping it was the right gesture to do. It was was she felt like doing... overwhelmingly. "And don't you dare worry about my things before you get food in you. You look half haggard."
"My camera and my laptop were in it, I put them there after the laptop died, so I didn't have to haul it around" she sighs and rests her forehead on Emelyn's shoulder "All right... " she replied to Em's final words
"It'll be alright," Em said soothingly, rubbing Joli's scaled arm. "Maybe you can get them repaired? Moreau seems to be pretty good about getting people what they want here." Except freedom, she thought bitterly.
"They'll have to be replaced, they are in a zillion pieces... that plus the weather... they are toast... I have some of it on CDs in my bag, but I lost a lot" she sighs "I sure as hell aren't asking that gormless arse for it though..." she takes a breath and lifts her head again
"I'm sorry. It was a lot to lose. ...but don't blame yourself for leaving it. I'm sure no matter what you did with it, something would have happened to them. These rains- all the things we've been through out here. They would have been destroyed. It's just another thing that's Moreau and his flunkies fault. Not yours."
"Yeah, I suppose you are right on that one... I'll sort it out... Anyways, nothing I can do about it now.... " she looks up at the woman "One of these days.... I hope they get what they deserve for what they are doing to all of us"
"I want a happy ending, too." Em said, her heart pouring out in those six words. "And please... don't worry about it until after you've eaten, or I'll worry- but my duplex number is number eight. Way up there." She gave a small smile.
Joliette nods "Uhm, when and where should I meet up with you to get your stuff to you?" she asks, she doubted Em would stay i one place forever
Do you know that spot just outside the woods near the cafeteria? There is a good-sized boulder there, about ten-fifteen feet into the jungle. You could just leave it there, wrapped up in a bedsheet or something. I don't think I have a backpack to keep anything in that you could use. So you could just wrap it up. I'll get it from there. ...Thank you, Joli. This means a great deal to me."
"No problem Em, I don't mind helping you at all..." she smiles softly for a moment "Perhaps I could find a large garbage bag in the town hall, would keep it safer"
"That would be wonderful. ...You could get it on your way to food, hint hint. You really do need to eat something. ...I'm assuming the cafeteria is open again?"
"I think it is, I picked up the scent of cooked food last night... " she nods "Well uhm.. I should go get food in me"
They were nearing the edge of the jungle. Just beyond, Em knew was the village. "Well, take care of yourself, okay? I'll be roaming around. I may not be at the rock when you drop off my things- but I'll definitely see you around, okay?" She wrapped her arms around the woman. "Don't be a stranger."
She hesitated a moment but then returned the hug "You as well Emelyn.. I'll see you around at some point" she pulls away and after a moment turns and heads into the village
Emelyn watched her go- disappearing through the threshold of the animal world... and the human one with one push through the foliage. She stood a moment, her eyes lingering on the light coming through the leaves... then she was gone- back into the depths of the trees.
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Posted: Tue Mar 07, 2006 11:56 pm
In the Mini Golf Course Again Joliette had dropped the bundle off behind the rock for Emelyn, she'd included a parcel of food within it that wouldn't attract animals.. hopefully at least since it was wrapped in both a plastic garbage bag and Emelyn's bedsheet.
Now she sat looking up at the mini eifel tower in the mini golf course, she tried to find David... but no luck, not that she tried really hard... she didn't want to get lost... again. So now she sat at the place that was a gift from him. She had a full belly, she'd had a salad, but it was generously buried in ham chunks... and now she had a piece of jerky with her just in case...Chubbs looked for hours, no luck to be found on either of them. Every now and then, someone ran by in the wilderness, obviously hurrying to get back to civilization and food. It took a lot of Chubbs' will power not to do the same, but he did draw nearer to the village on his search. He left the jungle line eventually, near the beach and close to the golf course. The silly thing, he was stupid to build such a thing. He walked slowly towards it, hoping to see how bad off the place may have been because of the weather. With his hands behind his back, he stared up at the sign, noticing a few broken bulbs. All in all, the place held up great. Chubbs looked down into the course and noticed a figure sitting there, he had to blink, thinking he might have been seeing things. But there was Joliette, sitting there, watching the tower he had made. He sighed, thankful to know she was alright, and thought he'd let her know where he was. " Next time you go walk about, leave a note" Joliette nearly jumps and turns in her sitting position looking up at hte even more towering male. "Sorry David" she says quietly, quiet much like when she first came to the isle, and certainly nothing like the last he'd seen her "Kinda... went hunting"
She watches him glad that he looked like he was doing all right, she'd missed him, a lot.Chubbs walked over and grunted as he sat down, his body ached all over, he was way out of shape and tired. He leaned against her slightly with a sigh, feeling at ease in her presence. " Just lemme know next time hey? .. haven't seen Amaya have you, she went galavanting off somewhere too" Chubbs rubbed his eye and rolled his neck and looked down at Joliette. Joliette shakes her head looking towards the tower again "No, I haven't seen amaya since... well before this whole power out thing started." She says, "I've heard she's ok, just haven't seen her" her voice remained quiet and reserved. "I'm glad you are okay though"Chubbs gave he a hug about her middle and held her to him. He was really glad to see her again. " The snake and the cold were the worst of it, I don't go down easy" He smiled and kissed the top of her head and rested his cheek to her head. He could have easily gon to sleep there and then, he felt very content. Everyone was safe, they had food and a home now. But in Chubbs' mind, he planned a possible new life. "I'm glad that was the worst of it for you David" she smiles weakly and tipped her head towards him more. "The cold was too much" she shivers involuntarily at the thought "I've never felt cold like that before" Chubbs sniffed at Joliette, she smelled rather good and he mmm'd at it. He smiled and gave her a big bear hug. " Okay, before I ruin ya nice smell I'm going to go have a wash. maybe a sleep, i'll worry bout food tomorrow." HE stood up and brushed himself down and stretched lightly. Joliette stood after he did "All right David.. I think I may join you back to the duplex... if you dont mind that is" she says quietly, she felt a better sense of control with having food inside her bellyChubbs smiled and took her hand, kissing the back of it softly and walking with her towards the so called home of his. He stroked her hand with his thumb and smiled. " Alright, but don't expect a lot of sleep then love" He smirked lightly and winked at her "I slept last night, in the darkroom, I could use the warmth anyways, I still feel the shivers I got from the rain" she starts trudging from the minigolf course intending to head back towards the village
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Posted: Tue Mar 07, 2006 11:57 pm
The One Armed Man Joliette closed the darkroom door and walked down the steps away from the boarded up duplex, her heavy repilian feet thumping on the stairs as she decended. She was sorting through a small pile of pictures she'd developed trying not to puncture their corners with her claws.
She didn't notice the one armed man as she stopped at the bottom of the stepsZach heard footsteps on stairs. Was that Antony girl not already finished humiliating him?
A look over his shoulder confirmed it was someone new. A short brunette with a greenish glimmer to her, as well as somewhat large feet. She was delicately doing something with her hands as she made it to the ground floor.
He ran his fingers through his brown hair a moment before wondering what he could do. She, too, appeared to have a hasty, scaly costume. Maybe he'd humor her and prove once and for all that it was just a little prank for the newcomers to this 'village'.
"Another islander, are you?" he called out to her. He'd be less friendly with them, from now on.
Joliette looks up from her photos her long yellow forked tongue flicked once "Hello, yes, unfortunately... I've never seen you before" she spoke with a strong British accent "I'm Joliette, are you new?" her name discintly very frenchFrench name, he noted.
All seemed normal with her... 'till the tongue flicked out of her mouth.
That couldn't be faked. Was he seeing things? Or was this girl really tuning into some kind of reptile? Either way, his strength deteriorated at the sight that yellow tongue.
Gulp. "Y-yes..."
"I'd welcome ya... but I honestly cannot wish this place on my worst enemy." She gave him a wry smile and pushed her curly hair over an ear with a clawed finger. "You seem a lil nervous, are you ok?"Strange thing to say about a harmless island, even as a joke.
"Oh... Thanks, but... yes... I'm just not used to the... choices of costume here." He picked a little at his loose sleeve with his right hand, trying as hard as he could to keep from displaying his nervousness.
Please, please, please let that tongue be a fake.
"Oh lord, please don't tell me that gormless arse Sabin gave you the 'this is a movie set' that I got when I arrived here" she rolled her eyes and held a hand palm up towards him "This isn't a costume, believe me if you want or don't, you wouldn't be the first... nor I'm sure you'd be last" she sighs"...What?"
Not a few hours on this island and already something was seriously wrong. Why would Sabin tell this girl something totally different? There was no movie set here, to be sure. Reality TV show, perhaps. But it still didn't add up.
This Sabin Duvert was shadier than he'd seemed. The thought that Antony was telling the truth made him both guilty and sick. If she was sprouting fur and tails, then what would happen to himself?
Zach chose the best option available - panic.
"This is not happening!"
"I'd love it not be" she sighs.. "Sorry" her tongue flickered and she felt bad for the guy. He made her curious what kinda lifestyle the man had left behind.
She reached and touched his arm "Hey, you need to sit down?" she asked him there was a tone of concern in her voiceThe quiet of the morning was certainly betraying the emotions he felt right then. Not a single sound but the chirping of birds. What he'd thought would be a nice getaway for a while was starting to seem nightmarish.
"But... it's impossible. It can't be. Humans can't become animals. I don't want to believe this." The tongue flick scared him back into silence.
This girl already resigned herself to becoming some kind of scaly monster. He didn't want to end up the same, but he could tell, with all honesty, that it would be the same for him. He was weak. He would never be able to stand his ground against an operation as widespread as this one supposedly was. If, indeed, as Antony said, the whole island was an experiment, then he would be lost to it forever, just a number and some kind of animal.
Go, run, get out of here! his mind screamed at him. He would have, gladly, and not given it a second thought. But this time he had nowhere to flee to. He nodded to Joliette. He didn't trust his voice to answer her with.
She led him to sit on the stairs that led up to #28, the unit she herself had just come out of "One sec I'll get you a drink of water" she says and lets herself into #27 returning after a moment with plain old cold water in a glass "I would have thought the same thing , actually I did, but everyone here is turning into something, I know a bat, a wolf, a skunk, a lizard, a snake, and more others then I'd rather admit. I'm becoming a Komodo, the gormless arse's idea of a joke since I arrived here a vegan, and a Komodo is the exact opposite" she sits on the stair beside him "What's your name by the way, I don't think I caught it"He gratefully downed the water from the supposed Komodo Dragon. Again, her calmness was unnerving, however positive it was supposed to be.
He listened to her rattle off the list. So many different animals, he doubted they used any twice. And the reason for her own animal seemed sinister. Not only was it odd to toy with people so personally, but to go through all this trouble seemed unnecessary. Why not just gather up some willing volunteers and be done with it. He was getting a headache just from trying to piece it together, and still failing.
"My name's Zachary Bloodstone..." He frowned, holding the cup carefully in the one hand.
He couldn't believe it. Not just yet. It would take something astonishing and absolute to make him certain that there was no underlying joke. He'd take the humiliations in stride. Let them laugh. He'd feel better if he just knew for certain that it wasn't a horror movie he'd stumbled into. He had too much anxiety to handle such a trick well.
"Why... do you think that's what's going on? I just don't really think I can believe all of this. I'm a man of science, I just recently got out of college, and what you're telling me is impossible." The headache was getting worse. It was that Dengue Fever vaccination, or WHATEVER these islanders wanted to call that shot.
"Nice to meet you Zachary, Joliette Rigiel is my whole name. Well I've felt enough pain to believe it, and these dont come off. Did you get the shot?... thats the start of this mess for any of us, the git tried to convince me I needed it, I refused and soon passed out. " she points at the scales adorning her arm.
"As for why... Well I think that All those doctors are simply insane... I can't stand any of them, especially after getting locked outside for two months." She looks up in thought"Pleased to meet you as well." He gave her a weary smile. Finally, someone who wasn't out for his blood. Her story, in however few details, sounded sad. He toyed with the cup some more.
"Yes, they gave me a shot. Hurt like hell, too." He wasn't afraid to swear about these things. He hated shots. "So this is the end for me as well?"
He looked interested and a little confused at the mention of counting in months. "There's a lot of things I need to hear about this place, I take it," he grimaced.
"I don't remember the shot, found out later that I had it... Not the ... end... persay, but definetaly the rest of your life, I've been here since November, I followed a rumor and went looking for Vasile and wound up here... I was told that he was here shooting an ultra top secret movie and I was offered an exclusive if I came ashore... And started getting info for my scoop from the git... And started getting sick and passed out, next thing I knew I woke up in number 27 here" She pauses and looks at him "I can answer anything I know, I won't say I know it all"He began to formulate a question when the pain of his headache became too much. It was like a knife through the eyes. Wincing, he placed the water cup down and used it for balance to get to his feet.
"I'm sorry, Miss Rigiel... I'm not feeling that well. I think it's the innoculation - I got warned about this. Tylenol isn't doing a thing. I'll just find my way back to my duplex... ow, my head... which way did I come from?"
"I'm not certain, I wasn't watching, what number are you in Zachary?" she asks and stands up looking in teh direction of the higher numbers, he was new, it was doubtful he came from the other direction"Dr. Duvert said it was #38..." He winced again. It was getting terrible quickly.
He followed the direction of her gaze. Yes, that area did seem to look familiar.
"38? That direction about 5 buildings down. And upstairs, all the even numbers are upstairs... Warning, the nitemares are horific... I hope you have better luck... I live in 27, often stay in 25 or you can find me in the darkroom on 28" She says with a nod And offered him a hand to stand up againBrand-new experiment or no, he really needed to lie down. This whole day was too much for him. He grabbed her hand and used the leverage to get all the way to his feet. Did he have to rely on others so much?
Oh wonderful, a nightmare. Just what he needed to complete this day. Though he did have to admit it would be hard not to have one after a day like this. He mentally slapped himself whenever his thoughts traveled too close to what he'd seen with Antony, though. He wasn't a pervert!
"Well, Miss Rigiel, be seeing you." He tipped his hat to her slightly as we walked toward the high-number duplexes. "Thank you for the water and the information."
... I think.
"Just call me Joliette, or Joli, and you are welcome, good night" And I hope you don't have as bad a dream as I did the first night she thought to herself and then wandered into #27
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Posted: Thu Mar 09, 2006 8:59 pm
Joli's Request After having developed again a large number of the negatives she had yet to have developed into photographs before the island incident, Joliette wanted more... She wanted to be able to take photos again... And write... So she finally got up the nerve and sat down at the desk in her darkroom with a paper and a pen and started to write a note, her handwriting did leave a little to be desired but it was plainly legible... Quote: To whom it might concern (hopefully not Duvert) ..... I am writing to see if I can't get two items replaced that were destroyed in the 2 or so months we were locked out. I need them both in order to continue with my life's work... First item is my camera, while most of my lenses and odd equipment were locked inside my darkroom or duplex, my camera itself was not. It was a Canon EOS 20D. It had it's default lense on it at the time it was destroyed... Second item was my laptop, a Sony Vaio U3 If you can accomidate this request I'd truly appreciate it... ~Joli And with that she headed to where she always dropped off the requests since she refused to use the intercom.
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Posted: Thu Mar 09, 2006 9:47 pm
Cafeteria Talk Joliette Rigiel Joliette trudged into the shade of the townhall and then into the cafeteria. She hoped to god the git didn't pull another stunt with her newest request to the Feral people. But now she couldn't focus on that, she'd been doing her best to keep full so she had little chance of loosing control again... least any time soon...
She headed for the salad bar and got a green salad... and then a minute later piled it high with chunks of ham and grabbed the ranch dressing, a glass of water and a fork sitting at a nearby table to eat Zachary Bloodstone Zach hadn't left his duplex once since the intercom call he'd made. He felt incredibly stupid, but the next morning he found a map lying on the porch outside his room. Despicable or no, that Duvert was efficient.
He was still studying it carefully when he walked into the cafeteria. He was starving. He tossed some spinach leaves into a bowl and took a fork to go with them. There was some water nearby; he could use that as well. He had barely noticed the time going by. But he had an unusual craving for meat... eew. Normally he avoided it whenever possible.
He turned around to find the same short brunette he'd met not a day or two ago. What were the odds? His pace increased when he went to go sit down with her, but he suddenly stopped halfway. His mind buzzed with the realizations he'd made recently. He didn't want to have to keep seeing... them. These desperate, changed people.
He sighed audibly, then put his cup and bowl down next to hers and took a seat. "Miss Rigiel..."
Joliette Rigiel Joliette seemed to be proding at the ham when he sat "Hello Zachary, and please... call me Joliette or Joli, noone has called me miss Rigiel since I first got here" she gave him a weak smile looking towards his salad and then her own meat covered one, she put hte fork down and opened the dressing and started to liberally pour it over the entire ham salad Zachary Bloodstone "Oh - oh sorry." He turned a little red. "It's a habit... hard to break."
He tried keeping his eyes on his salad, stabbing at a leaf with the fork. He couldn't concentrate. He had been feeling guilty ever since he'd finally stopped denying the island's secret.
"Listen, uh Joli... I'm... I'm sorry about the other day."
Joliette Rigiel "Don't worry Zachary, I took no offence, it seems to be par and partial of this island." she grabs her own fork pushing aside some ham to go after the ranch-dripping greens that were under them "I'm going to miss greens" she admits before taking her bite. She looks towards him chewing a few times with her sharp pointy teeth before swallowing. Zachary Bloodstone He took a bite, chewing slowly. He didn't like the sound of that comment she made about the greens. It hinted heavily at "predator". So did those teeth. Almost unconsciously, he leaned backward a bit from her.
"Well, I understand now about the island. I guess it didn't take more than really getting a close look at someone." What sense was there in repeating what was pretty much known? He shied away from the topic. "I really just want out of here, but that can't happen. I was going to ask, but that Duvert is so slimy..."
There was something he could ask without much fear. It was better to have no hope than false hope, at least in his opinion. "Have there been any successful escapes?"
Joliette Rigiel "Escapes? None that I've been aware of" she looked towards the ceiling of the cafeteria, her tongue flicked again and she picked up a chunk of ham between two claws and brought to her mouth before looking at him, he was leaning away a bit "Uhm... so no, I wish there was, perhaps we'd have rescue, but I'm pretty sure noone has gotten away from here" she says and pulls the ranch covered meat from between her claws with her sharp teeth to eat it without paying much attention to it Zachary Bloodstone It was a feeling he'd had all along. He should just stop doubting everything. There were absolutes on this island. He would absolutely go the way of all those he'd met, transforming into a creature right before his own eyes. And there was another absolute - no escape. He would be trapped here the rest of his life.
Still, why wasn't she fighting back? Why weren't any of these islanders he'd met fighting back? Had they given up all hope so soon, or was there something they knew that he didn't?
He didn't even want to know. Ugh, the salad tasted terrible for some reason. He put his fork down.
"Everyone's trapped... forever." He didn't cry this time, luckily. He'd grown slightly used to the idea, even if he feared it beyond almost anything else.
Joliette Rigiel "Unfortunately" she paused and swallowed "And they have a lot of control, I punched that gormless arse Sabin once... Right in the solar plexus" she looked at her hand forming a small fist "Next thing I know I wake up in the meat cooler, I'd really like to know how he did that... " she paused and leaned closer and whispered despite the fact they were alone "Mind you, I'd never hesitate to run away from here if I could" Zachary Bloodstone It was beyond unfortunate.
"He definitely deserved a couple more of those." He smiled maliciously at her story, noting her fist. "But... you went out, just like that? It couldn't have been a coincidence."
That detail definitely had to be part of why no one was making any moves to fight their way to freedom. Joli seemed tough. At the very least she would be able to take down a good number of regular people, armed with those claws and that attitude. But that lost time meant nothing good.
"We may not be able to do it right away, but someday... there has to be an opportunity."
Preferrably before he himself started sprouting fur, feathers, or scales.
Joliette Rigiel "Subject Rigiel Sleep... Just hope you never hear those words with your name... or you wont be awake to remember a portion of hte day, thhats what I heard before waking up in the meat locker..." she loosed her fist and rubbed her hands together. "I would have loved to get a few more punches, perhaps a kick in, make my belt worth all those years of practice, but I doubt he'd take any chances near me again..." She pauses and looks towards him again
"Perhaps some day, you are right about that... What did you do before coming here, was it related to what brought you here?" she asks him curiously Zachary Bloodstone So that was the doctors' little secret - and an explanation for why the island was still populated. He frowned a little at it. But he didn't even want to doubt anything he heard here. His whole reality was backwards now.
"The next time you see him, give him one for me." Much as he would do so himself, he didn't have the spine to even consider it.
"I sure hope so. I... was tricked, I guess. It seemed to be a simple spelunking job for the laboratory here, to investigate their cave systems and such. It sounded good to me. I know I don't look like much, and that's what usually puts people off from hiring me. So this seemed like quite a change in my luck." His face fell further. "Turns out it was the opposite."
"What about you? I'm sure there's more to your story than what you told me before..." Couldn't hurt to know more about these people, since they would be the only ones he'd ever see from now on.
Joliette Rigiel She leans an elbow ont eh table and listen to his story nodding "Sorry to hear that, you seem capable enough to me, you could still spelunk if you wanted to, they dont seem to stop us from doing things we want to activity wise..." she pauses a moment "What brought me here... I"m a photographic journalist, one who loves to follow leads, I heard a rumor that the death of the star Vasile DiRossi was fake and that he faked his own death and was somewhere in this vacinity. Sooo I rented a yacht for a month or so packed all my camera and laptop stuff and headed out to see. Three weeks later I found him, and when I came closer he ran telling me I had to save him and Ambrose, and while he was gone, the Git and another doctor came to the beach and fooled me into believing Vasile was taping a movie here, and I could have an exclusive on it if I came ashore... So stupide me did, was talking with the git in his office and felt sick, I'd turned down his 'vaccine, I was vegan after all, and soon passed out next thing I knew I woke up in a duplex.. and it just goes on from there..." she takes a breath "Sorry, didn't mean to be long winded" Zachary Bloodstone "After my fall all those years ago, I've found myself a lot better at working in the darkness of caves... so I know I won't be losing the other to a cave incident as well. It's one of the few things I have any confidence in, I'm afraid."
"Vasile DiRossi?" The name rang a bell, vaguely. Zach was obviously not into pop culture. "Huh, I guess someone here wanted to add an actor to their collection." It was amazing how quickly you could accept doom for others when it was right there in front of you.
"Sounds despicable. I'm so sorry for you... they violated your beliefs and everything. Nothing long-winded about it. It's a story, after all. You can tell it any way you want." He was now idly playing around with his fork.
Rex Vadnais His stomach was groaning and his mind still a little fuddled from meeing with Antony in her room. Maybe some food would settle him, a late breakfast. Rex made his way into the cafeteria and spied two more faces he'd yet to meet. Well who do we have here..?
Rex got a plate piled high with breakfast sausages and bacon along with a side of maple syrup for good measure, then made his way over to where the two were sitting. "Y'mind if I join yeh?" He smiled friendly and looked at the new faces, a man and a woman. The girl seemed to have changed, scales briding her nose and claws for hands, but the other seemed normal.. apart from his odd choice of clothes. Joliette Rigiel Joliette looked up "Oh my... another new islander, no, go ahead, you are welcome to join us... " she says quietly, she was a bit more withdrawn around multiple people, least now she was. "I'm Joliette" she introduces herself before plucking another ranch-dressing-covered ham chunk off the top of her salade and putting it into her mouth Zachary Bloodstone To actually see the face of the guy who'd just come in, Zach had to look up. Way up. Ulp, tall people, always intimidating just by sight. He sounded friendly, but Zach didn't dare say anything. All the conversation in him had been neatly disposed of.
However, the man didn't appear to have any animal qualities to him, of any kind. He was th first one Zach had seen here not to already be somewhat changed. Still, he felt wary. If Joliette didn't know the guy, then he'd just be apprehensive.
He was still a little hungry, but he knew the salad would disagree with him. He took a big drink of water instead. That would buy him some time away from having to talk. Silently, he waited for the question he figured he would be asked again, just as he had when he'd first come. People had a natural curiosity about the fate of his left arm.
Rex Vadnais "J.. Joliette?" He confirmed, repeating the name to make sure he'd pronounced it correctly. "Please to meet you, I'm Rex." He sat his massive plate down on the table and pulled up a chair across the table from the two. Rex shifted his gave to the other man who sat in silence. "And you name is..? You'll have to excuse me. I don't know many of the people around here and I want to make sure that I get the names down the first time."
He smiled and munched a piece of bacon. Sweet flavorful goodness... Joliette Rigiel Joliette nods "Yes thats right, nice to meet you Rex" she looks towards Zachary, was he nervous again? he certainly seemed like it to her... Well oh well, it was up to him to introduce himself, her yellow tongue flicked as she looked back at her salad popping another piece of meat in her mouth Zachary Bloodstone Carefully, he placed the cup down. He gave his name without looking up, his voice a little wavering. "I'm Zachary..."
He'd begun to turn toward Joliette, but looked back at his salad bowl as soon as the yellow tongue came. He'd forgotten about that little detail. Didn't help his comfort level, but he had to remember that she couldn't help it.
In a way, he couldn't help feeling nervous randomly all the time. He just had to keep himself calm, and above all, NOT get frightened by something until his anxiety passed.
Rex Vadnais "Joliette and Zachary, all right, I can do that." He beamed, glad that he'd pronounced the exquisite french name correctly still. Rex had such an odd way of speaking he often found it hard to do accents correctly. He'd yet to notice Zach's oddly quiet state or lack of a limb.
Rex finished his piece of bacon and decided to mix things up by popping a sausage in there. Nothing better than a mix of flavors. He watched the woman eat her ham in ranch, an odd mix but he'd have to try it. His eyes narrowed in thought when her tounge flicked like lightning from her mouth, "So Joliette, do you know what kind of lizard you've got." Rex inquired, hoping to start a conversation to break the silence. Joliette Rigiel Well that was a silence breaker, and it shocked Joliette, she certainly hadn't been expecting that question, most newcomers seemed to avoid questioning that particular direction.
She looks up and swallows the meat before speaking "Varanus Komodoensis, the largest lizard, and I believe the only one who eats no vegetation whatsoever... not even that of it's prey's diet"
She sighs looks down at her salad again Zachary Bloodstone Aha, this guy was not a newcomer to the island. Wasn't anyone around here newer than himself? He felt like an idiot sometimes, simply being out of the loop.
"You're... you're a komodo dragon?" he stuttered. Those lizards were humongous predators. Her sharp teeth and meat eating were unsurprising now, in conjunction with the lizard they came from. So they did this to her for a simple stab at her dignity...
His eyes darted back to the new guy, Rex. There was not much he could gather about the guy from sight alone. Knowing this place, the man would no doubt be transforming into something equally ironic.
Ugh. There was one question Zach would never, EVER ask himself. That question, of course, being which animal he was fated to become. It was simply beyond him to imagine it.
Rex Vadnais The scientific name rolled around Rex's head a bit, komodoensis. Unfortunately, Zach figured it out before Rex had the chance to make it out for himself. "Oh, a komodo dragon... Y'know, you're the second lizard I've met here. Amaya, the poor girl, I watched her change and helped her through it the night before the labs and such opened." Maybe I should stop, this wasn't exactly eating conversation. So instead of finishing off his statement, he paused by taking another bite out of his sausage.
He swtiched back to the other topic, "But yeah, komodo dragons are pretty gnarly buggers. Mighty cool though.." he spoke about it laxly as though it weren't a bit deal she was changing into an animal and she couldn't stop it. Being relaxed about it simply helped made him feel better about the ordeal, however stern is was. Joliette Rigiel "Amaya's a nice girl, I've met her, she's the one who told me the truth... as for the Komodo... Mighty cool..." she raises her brows her forked tongue flicked again as she watched him trying to figure out if he was being straight. She decides to come back to that and looks at Zachary. "Thats what my research tells me Zachary" she pauses looking back at the table and then back to Rex again deciding to reply to it. "Not sure I totally agree with you, this strikes me as the git's idea of a cruel joke. He didn't seem to like the fact that I was one hundred percent vegan when he first met me" Zachary Bloodstone Zach looked from one to the other. A dropped name, Amaya. He tried to remain focused on their conversation.
But he had a terrible feeling he wasn't welcome among those who had had the true island experience. It was a sort of rift he had noticed, a way he was looked down upon as hopeless, even to those who had no hope.
With his right hand alone, he picked up the tray he'd had and went to clear it all away. He hadn't forgotten to leave his coat sleeve down, so at the very least he'd keep an illusion going. He'd be able to see these people again. He had all the time in the world.
"I... have to run," he said quickly, "Maybe I'll see you later. Good-bye, Joli. Rex," he seemed to add as an afterthought. There was something ominous about how this guy talked so lightly about the transformation process.
He'd take a little walk. It wouldn't soothe him any, but the more used to the island he was... the better.
Rex Vadnais "Indeed, Amaya's a very sweet girl, but she's so young. Do you now how she ended up here?" Rex watched the other man continue to stare down, avoiding eye contact. Was this guy okay? He figured it was nothing and turned his attention back to Joli, who'd continued with her first thought, "Oh a vegan? Gosh, then that's just plain twisted. I may not have met many of the doctors or scientists that work here, but I know enough to have formed an opinion." He paused dramatically, then ensued with, "...they're jerks. Complete and total, unexplained, unreasonable bastards."
Before he cold complete his thoughts about the labtechs, Zach got up abruptly, cleared his dishes and came back awkwardly. He seemed to be searching for something to say, an alibi for leaving, yet came up short. But Rex forgave, the fellow didn't seem to be doing okay, "Sure thing, bud. See y'round." And with that he was off. Rex turned to joli and whispered, "Is he okay? He seemed like there was something wrong." Joliette Rigiel Joli nodded listening to Rex, distracted by Zachary when he returned "Keep well Zachary, and see you around then" she says watching him go and then turning back to Rex "If memory serves me right, Amaya was an orphan and brought here for a youth camp or something like that. As for twisted, That gormless arse is twisted to the bone, he hasn't yet done one nice thing to me, but he seems to love to torment me." she pauses looking towards where Zachary had gone "I think this whole experience has been a lil overwhelming for him" Rex Vadnais "Oh my gosh, I had no idea..." Rex muttered quietly. Heck, he barely knew a thing about the girl or her past, but he did feel a bond with her. Just staying in the shelter at Ambrose's camp had helped him feel as though he knew her better. He popped one of the last pieces of meat into his mouth and chewed it over like he did his thoughts.
Her opinions of the labtechs were from the heart, but her thick accent caused a grin to slip through his lips. A gormless arse, I'll have to remember that.
And then about Zach, "Well yeah, I think the island is alot to take in for anyone! I didn't have an emotional breakdown, but more when numb.. like into shock. It's not an easy thing to get used to." Soon, he'd have to see Awen off into the ocean, so he wasn't fully sure if they'd be here for long. He also was iffy about telling people what she was planning to do, instead he kept his mouth shut. Only opening for the last piece of breakfast. Joliette Rigiel "Yeah, we all come here for many reasons, my friend Hargun is being turned into a bat, she was an artist, and now she can't hold a pencil." She pops another piece of ranch ham in her mouth and watched him wondering what he was thinking of. Rex Vadnais "Hrm.. they like to be cruelly ironic? Further proof that the people that work here are sadistic sickos." What was there that was ironic about Rex? he was a pretty big guy, maybe they'd try to make him an ant or something like that. Though ants are known to carry things several times their own weight. Maybe they'd make him something helpless and unprotected... like.. a goldfish or something weird. At least that way he'd be able to still go swimming. Well, he'd have to go swimming. Things were just plain confusing around here.
"Hmm," he finished, coming to his feet, "I think that I'm going to go take a shower then explore a bit, this island still has alot left to be adventured for me." He picked up his plate laced with maple syrup and cleared it to the kitchen, then returned to the table. "It was nice having breakfast with you Joliette. I'll see you around sometime!" He waved and headed back to his duplex to stand in the hot water. the steam clensed his thoughts... Joliette Rigiel Joliette watched her eatting companion leave "Have a nice day Rex" She says and finishes some more of her food before clearing the table and then retreating back into the darkness of her darkroom
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Posted: Sat Mar 11, 2006 11:18 am
Talks Cause Thoughts Lily, dressed as comfortably as her wardrobe had premitted in a sweater and jeans despite the warm weather, had decided it was time to get up and get something to eat. The cold she developed in their last days in the wild had gotten slightly worse rather than going away. Clearing her throat to prevent a cough, she walks into the cafeteria with the intent of finding something to eat or drink, juice sounding particularly nice.
Focussed on getting something to drink, she heads directly to where she can. She doesn't take a good look around the room since she's become less worried about running into people after running into so many in the jungles.Sitting near the door where it indeed felt warmer to her Joliette was picking at yet another ranch doused ham salad. She looks up hearing movement and sees someone she'd not seen since a whlie before the lockout... Name... name... oh yes... Lily, the one Joliette thought was interesting...
"Hello Lily" she says quietly though knowing in the quiet cafeteria it would carry far enough for the woman to hear her. She herself was wearing hte bottoms to her black Gi and the top as well loosely tied around her, her hair was tied back in a ponytail Lily isn't so much startled by the sound of the voice as she is by the fact her name is used, and it didn't come from a voice she recognizes right away. She turns around and spots Joliette.
"Hello," she says with a smile, though her voice is a bit scratchy, and then turns to quickly get her drink. Her mind quickly runs over what she remembers of the person, she's the one who explained the Island. The first transformed peson she'd seen.. the only one she'd outright lied to about how she got here. Joliette, her name- the name being so unique helps Lily to remember it.
She clears her throat again, taking her juice and walking over to the table were Joli is sitting.
"I haven't seen you in a long time," she says.."Nor I you, I suppose your vacation hasn't been so hot with the lockout aye?" she says remembering the reason Lily said she'd been on the isle. "Not that anything of this place is a true vacation for any of us..." her voice was quiet, almost withdrawn, the voice of someone who would tend to keep to themselves, reserved, like she had been before coming tot he isle, but unlike last Lily had seen her...
"Did you get a cold from that horrible rain?" she asks noting Lily's scratchy voice Lily is immediately thankful that she remembered quickly that she'd lied to Joliette about why's she's here, she's not sure how well she could recover from the mention of vacationing if she didn't remember.
"Not really," she agrees, sitting down and taking a sip of her juice. She does notice the change in Joliette's voice, she doesn't sound much like a person who would outright warn a newcomer of what's going on on the Island right now.
"I did, I'm glad the doors all unlocked after the rain stopped though," she says with a slow nod, knowing it'd be dreadful being stuck outside with a cold. "You managed alright during the rain?" she asks, thinking about how the rain had affected Amaya even though Joliette doesn't look quite as scaly as she had."I survived the lockout I suppose, but at the same time... It wasn't a good experience, especially losing control" she admits and looks down at her salad pushing it waround a bit with her fork. "The rain was cold, but I guess I can thank not being fully coldblooded yet... " she smiles weakly about that "I'm glad everything opened again too..." Lily looks at Joli, nodding carefully along with what she says until she mentions loosing control- where she winces slightly. After the experience with Colche, control was her major worry- she has no idea what she's changing into or what she'll have to worry about controlling when the time comes that she changes as well.
"The rain was pretty cold," she agrees, not sure what else to say about the coldblooded comment because of the word 'yet,' though she's glad it's not exactly the same idea as loss of control.
"Any ideas why we were locked out?" she asks quietly, remembering how someone had mentioned the explosion. It was odd to be kicked out and then suddenly be allowed back in without an explanation, though she didn't worry so much about it, happy to be back inside. For all she knows, she'd missed an explanation.Joliette shakes her head "No ideas, though I haven't run into any of hte long time islanders save David and Awen to get their thoughts about it, though if it's a cruel joke theres only one gormless arse I know of who is THAT cruel" she scowls which in turn reveals her very sharp row of teeth.
"Were you alone during the lockout?" she asks quietly wondering just how many of the group were alone in the jungle Lily frowns, "If it was a joke it was awfully extreme, and risky- people could really have gotten hurt. It is weird that we all ended up outside, though. I woke up on a roof, what about you?"
She hasn't really thought through it all, but a joke of some kind seems likely. If something happened, how had she been moved to a roof? How had it been assured that everyone had been put outside? If the Island just shut down, why would everyone be locked out? She eyes Joli's sharp teeth briefly, before looking back up and shaking her head to the next question.
"I was alone for quite some time, but then I ran into Colche," she explains, stopping to cough and clear her throat before continuing, "I didn't find a camp until after the rain started, and I wouldn't have found it if I hadn't run into some people."
She pauses, "I think someone mentioned you had a camp with some other people, so you weren't alone, right?""I was on a piece of my yacht several hundred feet out from shore, but not so far that the current didn't bring me back... That on it's own seems like a cruel joke to me." She sighs and picks up a chunk of ham and pops it in her mouth chewing a couple times before swallowing the ranch-dressing covered meat. "As for camp, I had one for the first half, and then I left camp to go... hunting... and didn't return to it, was in Ambrose's camp for a very very short time several days later, and then wandered again until Emerwyn found me and she helped me find a cave shortly before the power came back on..." Lily frowns, "That does seem mean just by itself.." she trails off, thinking about it. She clears her throat again, but it doesn't prevent a cough this time. Taking another drink, she listens to the explanation of camp.
"Ambrose's camp is where I was before the power came on," she says, "And everyone I ran into in the jungle mentioned Ambrose, I think you mentioned him when we first met- didn't you? He's mentioned so often, but I've never actually seen him." "He spends a lot of time with his girlfirend I think... He's a pretty nice guy" she says "You can't miss him if you see him, he's a wolfman, one might think he's farther along then he is, I think he's 50% or least he was last I saw him..." She was quiet for a moment "I would have stayed at that camp... but I didn't trust myself around others at the time" she added even more quietly "Oh. I'd imagined he's a nice guy, if everyone seems to like him," she says with a small smile, listening to the description. A wolfman at atleast 50%- it sounds almost interesting, especially with the fact he's mentioned so often.
Her thoughts are pushed in another direction when Joliette continues, "What do you mean?" Her voice is quiet, and she only asks in hopes it not something to do with the change."I lost control of myself out in the jungle and almost attacked one of hte others... Got control again before I did... but it terrified me... I was scared to lose control again.. Scared to be around others, waking up next to a dead boar piglet with blood in my mouth, and then nearly attacking someone..." she closes her eyes and pulls her hands into her lap "I was sure if I was around others it'd happen again... so I stayed away" Lily's hazel eyes widen when Joliette explains, regretting that she asked almost at once. She'd almost attacked someone! More than once. But she'd gotten control back, she didn't actually hurt anyone.
Except the boar piglet..?
How could this conversation connect so much to what had happened with Colche? Of course, she doesn't realize just how much it's related. She takes her hand from her glass. How far into the change is Joliette that she's attacking things?
How long does it take before you lose control?
"A boar piglet?" she murmurs, finally, "How many o-" she stops, thinking about it. When Colche killed the piglet, it hadn't taken long for it's mother to show up and attack them.
"Did the mother boar show up?" she asks, speaking from her own experience and the common knowledge that many mothers are protective she would guess one would have. Joliette shrugs, "I guess not, I don't know, I kinda did it like in my sleep, I don't even remember leaving camp, but I was a good hundred feet downriver from camp when I woke... " she sighs and lifts her head and leans on the table
"That sight will haunt me for a long time I think, opening my eyes and looking into the lifeless ones of an animal. Blood on my claws, blood in my mouth, and teeth and claw marks on the piglet making it obvious it was ... dead" Her voice never raised in volume as she spoke Lily looked a little more calm as she thought about it. Why would a mother boar attack her and Colche, but leave Joliette alone? This woman doesn't look much more threatening than Colche, taking down a piglet in your sleep seems much more likely than killing it and injuring a furious mother enough to make it back off.
"That's odd, do you think yo-" she hesitates, Joli seems so upset about the piglet, would asking about injuring the mother in her sleep make her feel worse? She pauses while trying to reword her phrase.
"Were you injured when you woke up?" She asks, if the mother hadn't shown up it's odd, but if she was asleep and didn't know that for sure surely she couldn't take on one without getting injured, even if she doesn't realize it.
She doesn't say anything to Joli's comment about the piglet, it hadn't been a pleasant experience with her but it was because it had proven the control the animal side of them could take. It's better just not to comment on it, in her opinion. Joliette didn't reply right away, she was thinking about the question as she ate another piece of ranch covered ham "No... Other then needing to throw up I was physically fine" she admits, she'd never previously put much thought into the event, she'd been glad it was over... and that it never happened again Lily looks at the table, thinking about what Joli says. Colche'd gotten hurt just getting them out of the jungle, if Joli had no control she may not have just run away. It only makes sense, then, that the mother didn't show up. But why?
"It's not your fault," she says, finally- taking the same approach she had with Colche, "I- if you can't control it. But it's really strange that a mother didn't come, we were attacked by a boar after killing a piglet."
Saying it out loud, something sounded strange about it all. She'd never gone back to that part of the jungle after they got to the beach, what did mothers boars do with their dead children?
"Maybe you just found ours," she says suddenly.
If the boar stayed there, it was possible depending on how far away the camp was. If the mother moved it, it was possible depending on where it was moved to. No matter how unlikely it was, or even if it wasn't true, maybe it was something Joliette would prefer to think. "It is my fault, I only lost control cause I was hungry...I still wasn't eatting what my body was demanding I eat... I was right near the river, on it's bank actually when I woke..." she thought about that possibility, that it'd been their piglet
"Maybe I did, I don't know, all I remember is really vivid dreams and then waking up" she pops another piece of ham in her mouth, she'd been eatting more of the meat then the greens that were swimming in dressing on her plate She frowns, not eating when your body demanded it is not a good idea, but in the end it's not her fault she's being turned into an animal so she shouldn't be so hard on herself.
The river, as far as she knew, was no where near where they'd been. But it still sounds like a good idea to make it sound like she hadn't done anything.
"I don't know my way around very well, we could have been near a river," she says, taking a hold of her glass of juice again and swirling it around a bit, "If you don't remember exactly what happened, you could have taken it to the river."She thinks about this idea and nods "Well I much prefer that idea over me having killed it... not great to have woken next to it... but... well yeah..." she looks at the girl "If everyone who works here wasn't gone, I would have easily blamed it in that arse Sabin... but.. well David told me there was noone here but us"
Her split yellow tongue flicked, she'd come to pretty much ignore her tongue, even if brought to her scents of meat and prey. As well as much to her relief, she'd stopped throwing up so much, even if she still couldn't stand the fact that she was no longer vegan "I'm sorry that happened," she says quietly, truly feeling sorry about it. No one seemed to have a great deal of control over the situation, in the jungle the animal seemed stronger. Of course, she'd survived and she hadn't changed, but everyone she'd run into aside from Rex had.
"No one but us?" she questions, "That doesn't sound very easy, there are so many people working in the labs it'd be-" she pauses, and starts coughing. She really, really didn't mean to say it like that. The coughing doesn't stop as quickly this time, but when it does she breathes in and tries to resume her comment.
"Wouldn't it be hard getting everyone working here out without us noticing?"Joliette looked at her, she frowns, the journalist wheels in her mind squeeking to life, even she had no idea just how many worked there, how could someone who was just there on vacation know. "We never see... most of the people here..." she says slowly as if digesting Lily's words as she spoke "I only know of the Git, Moreau, Aubrey, the gal who deals with the town hall... and the cook here..." Lily hesitates, working hard to keep her face calm even though inside she's panicking. Her insides twist in ways that really don't make her feel any healthy, like she's going to be sick.
Why didn't she think before she said that?
"Well," she says, trying not to hesitate in fear of making herself sound even more suspicious, "T-the building is pretty big, and it can't be so easy to do what they're doing here..."
She lets go of her glass and instead holds her stomach, wanting to just go back to her duplex but concerned about making everything worse.Joliette slowly nods "With Moreaus' high opinion of himself, I wouldn't be shocked if the size of the building is for looks, Em says the mansion is overly decorated.. opulent, a world where money speaks rank" she says trying to remember exactly how Emelyn worded it.
Her tongue flicks bringing back to her a sense of nervousness from the room, she says nothing about that, but watches Lily with a sense of journalistic curiousity, the same curiousity that brought her out in search of Vasile to begin with. Lily gives a faint frown, and then shrugs.
"I guess that could be it," she says, "Some people do that. Maybe he likes bossing people around, too? He has a lot of control over the people around here, why not there?"
She doesn't sound as confident in this remark as she had been saying there were lots of people, but she relaxes a little bit having a valid possibility, and reason that she could think there are a lot of people in the labs.Joliette nods and taps a claw lightly on her chin in thought "I suppose perhaps it might be true, Floor 2 seemed to be offices and such..., and then Floor 8..." she didn't look towards Lily directly, her wheels were thinking, she wondered if Lily knew actually more then she was actually telling Lily nods fervently to show she agrees with what Joli is saying. She glances at her juice, then toward the door, thinking about how much she'd like to just go back to her duplex.
"I'm not feeling very good, I think I should head back to my duplex," she says finally, her voice is low but she certainly looks a little worse than she did when she first arrived in the cafeteria. She grabs her nearly empty glass and moves to stand up."All right Lily, I don't want to impede your getting well... Do have soup broth and plenty of vitamin C, being sick is no fun, it was nice to chat with you" She says as she looks up at the girl for a moment and then looked towards the ceiling and spoke very quietly, she was musing to herself.
"Parts of me wish this was just a vacation so Lily could go home, and truly a movie set for me, so I could be selling my scoop, oh well, thats dreaming.. I feel bad for all of us, but nothing we can do... " she picks at her ham once more, her mind was still thinking, but that was something it was bound to do till she'd sorted out the thoughts that were floating around in it."I'll do that, thank you," she says, standing up, "It was nice to see you again." Taking her glass with her to go put where any dishes go, she almost doesn't notice Joli's low speech- still slightly nervous about what happened, she doesn't move and holds her breath to try to hear what is being said. She doesn't hear what she says entirely, catching bits and pieces- though she doesn't know what to think of 'scoop' and 'dreaming,' or even if she heard it right.
She decides to just take her chance and leave now, putting her glass in it's appropriate spot and heading for the door.
"Bye," she murmurs on her way back by.Joliette looks towards her and gives a small wave "Talk to you again Lily" she says not moving to get up as she waved. "Get well" she watched the woman leave and then turned back to her food
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Posted: Sun Mar 12, 2006 1:16 am
Might as well let her have her fun... Sabin thinks to himself as he sees the note of request. after all... it is only a greater loss when she will eventually no longer be able to use these items that help her cope with the island.
****
The items, precisely as requested, are left packaged in a crate outside of Joli's duplex. No note, no nothing.
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Sabin Duvert Vice Captain
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Posted: Sun Mar 12, 2006 10:15 am
The Parcel At The Door Joliette wandered to her duplex in the early hours of the morning. She spots the unmarked crate near her door and stop looking warily down at it. Without touching she looks it over, it seems harmless enough, but she'd been wrong before. After several look-overs she carefully pries the top off, still looked innocent enough...
To look deeper or not that is the question she muses to herself, and then taking a risk she does. One item... then the next... and after inspection she discovers both to be fully functioning, and un-tampered with. "Amazing, well.... merci whomever" she muses aloud, she knows the cameras exist, and where theres cameras likely exist microphones...
With a small smile she takes her new items inside and promptly pulls out the one bag she wasn't sure she was going to be able to, which had a few backup discs, and started to install the few things she could, she still hated that she lost so much data... but she knew there was nothing she could do about that...........
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