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[Journal] Nita MacNeal -- Duplex 42 Goto Page: [] [<<] [<] 1 2 3 ... 14 15 16 17 18 19 ... 42 43 44 45 [>] [>>] [»|]

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Yamamoto Kikue

PostPosted: Sun Jun 25, 2006 4:45 pm


Kikue paused outside Nita's door, one arm laden with some fresh bamboo that she'd picked up at the mess hall. She knew that the time between leaving her note and Nita getting it was probably nothing, but that lingering feeling that something had gone wrong prompted her to visit again -- this time with a gift.

Hoping Nita was home, Kikue knocked politely on her door and waited for a reply.
PostPosted: Sun Jun 25, 2006 4:53 pm


Nita was indeed home, lying on her bed and reading. She was on her stomach, propped up on her fuzzy elbows with her feet up in the air, ankles crossed. Her tail waved lazily, occasionally winding itself around Nita's leg. The knock startled her. Taking note of the page number, she closed the book and got up. Peering through the peephole in the door, Nita was slightly surprised to see Kikue, but.. different. She opened the door at once, feeling a bit guilty. She had meant to go see the girl and thank her for leaving that note.

"Hey!" she said, ushering Kikue inside. "It's good to see you." Nita smiled, one brow raised as she inspected the girl's recent changes.

Nita MacNeal


Yamamoto Kikue

PostPosted: Sun Jun 25, 2006 5:03 pm


Kikue's heart jumped when the door opened suddenly, and she saw...Nita there, inviting her inside. Only Nita looked much different than Kikue remembered. She'd changed!

The girl was outfitted with much more fur than Kikue had seen on her last, as well as a face that would probably become a red panda's muzzle in her next change. The most startling change was Nita's tail, long and poofy with fur.

"Nita," Kikue breathed, coming inside with the bamboo shoots in her arm. "You changed, too." She felt a little awkward, but it passed. No doubt Nita could tell Kikue was different since they had last met, too.

Conscious mostly of her ears, Kikue forced herself not to raise a hand and touch them nervously. It was stupid to feel so self-conscious, but it was impossible not to.

"I've brought you something," Kikue said. She smiled and held out the food to Nita. "Just some food from the mess hall. But I thought you'd like some."
PostPosted: Sun Jun 25, 2006 5:16 pm


Nita grinned, an expression that was starting to look a bit odd with her partial muzzle. "Yeah, I did." She twisted around to look at her tail, which was the most obvious manifestation of her latest transformation. "You look good, though," she said. The red panda knew a predator when it saw one, but Nita firmly quashed its objections. Kikue was a friend.

She accepted the armful of bamboo gratefully, moving to place them in a bit of water to keep them fresh. "Thanks," Nita said, sitting on the edge of her bed, careful of her tail, and indicating for Kikue to take a seat wherever. "And thanks for the note, too. I meant to stop by and then.." She gestured to herself, clearing meaning her change.

Nita MacNeal


Yamamoto Kikue

PostPosted: Sun Jun 25, 2006 5:29 pm


Kikue nodded understandingly, sitting on the other side of the bed from Nita. "Don't worry about it, I was just dropping by to say hello." The feeling again reared up in her mind. She frowned, looking around Nita's room for a moment. "I came by pretty early, so I was worried when you weren't here. Was it the change?" She knew the topic could still be touchy for Nita, even though the girl had graciously invited her inside and didn't seem to be afraid to show herself. Kikue still had a soft spot for her own changed form, and with Nita's now drastic changes, there was no reason to think that it wasn't the same.

Smiling at Nita's comment on her appearance, Kikue thanked her softly, barely audible. She let her hand come up to touch one of her furred ears. They were soft. She was still getting used to their strangeness.

Putting her clawed hands in her lap, Kikue smiled a bit nervously, only then realizing Nita could probably see her teeth. "Ah," she got out, putting another hand near her mouth. "I hope I don't...scare you." Embarrassment flitted across her face. "I talked to someone else a few days ago, and she had a rabbit in her. She was awfully jumpy talking to me for a little while." Kikue tried not to let her face flush, but it felt like it was already. She hoped Nita wouldn't mind her presence.
PostPosted: Sun Jun 25, 2006 5:40 pm


"No, I was... in the labs. I changed a few days after I got back..." Nita cleared her throat. She had already told Emelyn about her medical issues, but she didn't know Kikue as well. But... she trusted the young Japanese girl, knowing that she wouldn't go around blathering. "I went into withdrawal from my Zoloft," she said simply. "It's an anti-depressant. I was pretty messed up." Nita shrugged. "I'm okay now, though. I seriously freaked my neighbor out. Apparently he thought I was about to start climbing the walls or something." Nita made kind of a lame laugh and stared down at her own clawed hands.

She was quiet for a moment before Kikue's last comment registered. "Oh no, you don't scare me." Nita deliberately didn't mention the little voice deep down that whispered, Yes you do! A rabbit? "D'you mean Fee? Fiona? She's the only rabbit girl I can think of. Um, she was a bit.. well, high-strung, I guess, even before she changed." Nita quirked a smile. High-strung was one way of putting it!

Nita MacNeal


Yamamoto Kikue

PostPosted: Sun Jun 25, 2006 5:47 pm


Kikue wasn't at all surprised to hear Nita's explanation. Although Kikue herself didn't take medication for anything, she had gotten dangerously close to the point where, inevitably, she would have had to resort to some. Her father would have barred that too, no doubt. Shaking her head to clear it, Kikue tried to fight his picture from surfacing in her mind. She didn't want to think about it right now. "I'm sorry to hear about that. Withdrawal can be horrible," Kikue said. She knew about it, but couldn't share Nita's experience with it. I hope she's okay...

"I guess the labs have something of everything here." They would have to, wouldn't they? Otherwise they wouldn't be able to support their own subjects.

It was that thought that caused a look of confusion to register on Kikue's face. "...I guess you didn't ask them for any more before it happened?" Her voice was far from accusatory. In fact, she sounded worried.

At the mention of Fiona, however, Kikue's face brightened. "Yes. That's her." ...And just as quickly, fell. "I don't know what she was doing. I think she was trying to break into the labs to get her friend out." It's crazy. She can't do it...please don't let her try it...

Kikeu forced a smile, hearing Nita admit she wasn't afraid of her. She hoped so.
PostPosted: Sun Jun 25, 2006 6:03 pm


Nita replied to the comments regarding Fiona first; it was easier. She shook her head. "It wouldn't surprise me if she tried. Or said she would try. Fee's just like that. I dunno what happened to Annie, though. I haven't seen her for a while..." The girl shrugged and sighed.

Nita's face darkened into a scowl. "Oh, I asked, alright," she said bitterly. "You learn quick not to trust all the doctors here." Nita looked up to catch Kikue's eyes with hers. "One of them, a Dr. Frost, gave me something she said was my Zoloft. I'd just run out the day before she called me to her office. Some sort of psychotherapist. Told me she wanted to help me, that she hadn't been properly prepared for what was going on here." The girl's eyes narrowed. It was obvious she'd had some time to think on all of this. "Total bull. Whatever she gave me, it damn well wasn't my Zoloft."

She crossed her arms over her chest as if literally holding herself together. "I finally figured out something was wrong. I called them up-" she jerked her chin towards the intercom innocuously attached to the wall, "- And the woman I talked to, Dr. Lockheart, said she hadn't even known I'd been given something! So they took me in," she concluded. "Flushed out my system and sent me home with a bottle of Zoloft. I never did hear what I'd actually been taking." The red panda girl sat silently for a few minutes, recovering from the flood of words and emotion.

Nita MacNeal


Yamamoto Kikue

PostPosted: Sun Jun 25, 2006 6:22 pm


Kikue was stunned. Part of her wanted to reach out to Nita, but she wasn't sure if the other would become uncomfortable. So, that was it. It hadn't been Nita's medicine at all. What were these people thinking? Kikue was nearly shaking in pent up anger, something so rare for her, yet this -- this was far beyond over the line. "That's -- that's sick." Sympathy filled her eyes; her expression was painful. "I'm so sorry. Gods I...I can't believe..." She faltered, swallowing hard. These doctors weren't afraid to mess around. How could they do this? How could someone so easily make a decision like that?

Gods she could have...could have KILLED her. What if she had reacted to it...?

Kikue didn't know nearly enough about medications or chemistry to make that call, but the fact it was merely possibly angered her all the more. "Dr. Frost. I'm going to remember that name," she nearly hissed, surprising herself with the emotion swelling in her chest over hearing Nita's explanation. What is WRONG with that woman? She could have hurt her. She could have...
PostPosted: Sun Jun 25, 2006 6:39 pm


Nita brushed away a few errant tears. "Yeah," she said a bit thickly. "It's just.. it's a good thing Rex convinced me to call them." Nita took some deep breaths to regain her composure. She had spent a lot of time fuming over what Dr. Frost had done to her and at least the same amount of time trying not to think about what could have happened. Kikue's sympathy and anger helped, as well as her conviction to remember the so-called doctor's name.

"Do that," Nita said, nodding firmly. "And if you ever have to go see her... Just.. don't take anything she gives you. God knows what it is...." The warning probably wasn't necessary, but she gave it all the same.

She pushed her hair out of her face and attempted a smile. "So that's why I wasn't in my room when you dropped by," she quipped. "But, uh, how've you been, then?" Change of subject? Oh yes, please.

Nita MacNeal


Yamamoto Kikue

PostPosted: Sun Jun 25, 2006 6:47 pm


Forcing a smile, Kikue got Nita's hint. She nodded, releasing her hands from her lap -- only then realizing they had clenched the fabric tightly enough to threaten a few holes. Pulling her hands back with some difficulty, she shook the fabric off and gave Nita a bit of bemused, albiet embarrassed, look. Leaning back a little, she sighed and moved on to the next topic. "Well, I've been...I've been alright. I only changed a few days ago...it's still hard." Holding up a hand, she examinined it with a faint curiousity, although she had done so too many times recently to look very closely.

Sighing in a way that made her white bangs flutter, she nodded at Nita. "I hope you're feeling better, now...after...all that." Anger flushed her face, but she kept herself composed. Gods if I ever see that woman, I will not let this go unsaid. "When I changed, I actually did it in front of some other Islanders...it was...very hard, afterwards."

She wanted to still seem open to Nita's suggestions of what to discuss, but knew if the panda girl didn't want to talk about what had happened Kikue would not press her. Kikue too had her share of things she would rather leave unsaid...at least until a different time.
PostPosted: Sun Jun 25, 2006 6:59 pm


Nita hid an almost-smile when she noticed Kikue had nearly punctured her clothing. Her claws were sharp as well, but much more suited to climbing trees than actually damaging anything. She watched Kikue repeat a gesture she made many times, particularly just after a change. "It is hard," she agreed readily. "And I won't tell you it gets easier, but.. I dunno. You do get used to it. Sort of." This time she really did grin. As unnerving as it was to change, Nita found it fascinating.

"I am feeling better. I've been out a bit, and talked to a few people. One of them was my neighbor, the guy I freaked out so much when I was all.. whatever." She shrugged. "Ugh, you changed in front of people? Who were they?" Tentatively Nita put one hand on Kikue's knee. "There was someone with me the first time. She really helped, though. Got me to my duplex before the changes actually started. This last time I was alone, though."

Nita MacNeal


Yamamoto Kikue

PostPosted: Sun Jun 25, 2006 7:07 pm


Somewhat surprised, yet relieved, at Nita's relative comfort with being near her, Kikue forced a nervous laugh. "Well...it was Joliette, and Alec. I don't know if you know them...I was out at the cliffs and met Joli. And right as I started to change, Alec ran into us..." Kikue's mind was suddenly awash with the memories of what had happened. Again she could see herself, hear herself talking, saying Joliette's name, and then the opressive heat that began to grip her...

She shook herself, hard, trying not to go deeply back into the change just yet. It was still too raw to do so without fear. Biting her lip carelessly -- she pulled her teeth back quickly after her lip nearly suffered what her clothes had -- Kikue sighed again. Catching Nita's eye, she went back, briefly, to her change. "The two of them had to get me back here, to the village... I...when I began changing, the heat was unbearable...I felt like I might pass out from it." Nita's changes may be different, but Kikue knew she would understand how instincts took control like that so quickly. It was still a bit unnerving to think about...
PostPosted: Sun Jun 25, 2006 7:23 pm


The name Joliette was very vaguely familar, but.. "Alec? Oh man, that's the kid who lives downstairs from me!" Nita almost said something about it being a small world, but then, with fifty people on an island, it would be a bit trite. She laughed inwardly, remembering his reaction when she told him definitively that she was not a prude. Ha! But it was good to know that he had helped Kikue, even a little bit. He really wasn't a bad kid; they just didn't quite see eye-to-eye.

Nita nodded, thinking back to how feverish she had felt before and during her changes. She gave Kikue's knee a light squeeze and a quick smile.

Nita MacNeal


Yamamoto Kikue

PostPosted: Sun Jun 25, 2006 7:35 pm


Even just a hand on her knee was something foreign to Kikue. As a child, she had not really been touched by her parents -- in the sense of being cuddled, or hugged, or anything similar. She had rarely been in any situation like that growing up, too, which made Nita's act of comfort strange. Yet Kikue forced herself not to pull away, ( although the very sharp eye might notice that she moved slightly at the touch ) because she didn't want to seem uncomfortable -- that Nita would choose to reach out to her like this was something that touched Kikue very deeply; she had never had any close friends. Still, it was different, and had it been anyone else, Kikue would definitely have pulled back from the closeness. She was a stranger in that land.

"Alec? He lives downstairs?" Kikue blinked openly at that, distracted from her thoughts. You're kidding! ...So that's where he lives... Kikue dropped her head into her hand. "Oh, I still have his bandana...he gave it to me on the day I changed!" I washed it with my sheets and clothes, but I still haven't given it back. Kikue gave Nita a guilty look. "...I really need to give it back to him...soon."

Fatigue was, suddenly, creeping up on her. Kikue blinked slowly, remembering with a jolt that she had specifically decided to try Nita's duplex at the time she did because it was the afternoon and the panda girl might be more likely to be at home. Yet she had known she would have to fight her overwhelming tendency to sleep through the middle of the day...whatever that was still from. Suddenly Kikue became nervous, and she asked, "Do you happen to know what time it is?"
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The Duplexes

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