It was Bound to happen Eventually.
Billy and Jamal meet for the first time... and trouble ensues.
Billy and Jamal meet for the first time... and trouble ensues.
Jamal had spent several hours in the jungle earlier in the day, trying to spur up enough courage (and stupidity) to try and sharpen his hunting skills on another boar like the one he and Pyroth had taken down the other day. However, Jamal was left to instead take his frustration out on more small rodent-like animals since the larger prey was no where to be found, and had given up his search about early afternoon. He was in a crappy mood, thanks to the fact that he STILL was on rocky terms with Antony, but it only showed in the slight scowl of his face as he tromped towards the village.
Today he was clad in torn-up jeans and a stained wifebeater that bore flecks of blood spotting here and there from his hunting and he was shoeless, having grown accustomed to walking around in the jungle barefoot thanks to the lockdown. That and he didn't want to ruin his basketball shoes any worse than they already were.
He wasn't paying too much attention to his surroundings as he passed the river and continued into the deeper part of the jungle, weaving over fallen logs and whatnot as he went.
Billy was on his way for another swim. He liked going to the water. When he was young he had enjoyed swimming, and he supposed it was an easy way to appease his inner octopus. Hah. He was still frustrated with his situation, despite Antoyn's... cheering attempt. Hah. Pity ******** by a giant rodent. He was being harsh, yes, but he was bitter and felt he had every right to be. Afterall, they weren't the ones with tentacles tucked descreatly down the front of his shirt. He could hear the river nearby, and faintly taste water in the air. Human sences that were still effective, even if he wasn't turning into a bloody doggy or kitty.
Jamal grumbled and swatted at a swarm of insects that had been drawn to the metallic tang of blood and sweat as he went, cursing under his breath about something or other. Even if his anger was under control via the doctor's sedatives, he was still capable of feeling the slighter emotions of annoyance that seemed to hover over his thoughts as of late. He was tired of this island and tired of the people on it...he couldn't even act out properly to show it.
As he stepped over another log, he heard noises of someone or something approaching. Great...he had half a mind to try and cut a path in the other direction so he'd miss whomever this was that was tromping about in 'his' jungle, but it seemed like too much effort at the time. Well whatever. If they gave him any trouble, he'd just act unpleasant and they'd go away. He had such a talent for that, apparently. He couldn't surpress a growl from escaping his throat out of reflex though; damn territorial instincts!
Billy heard a noise as well, pausing in his tracks. If it was that psychotic little dink of a preist, he'd have no choice but to break his nose. "Hoy!"
The black man groaned inwardly. Dammit...way to blow your cover with a stupid growl, dumbass.
Jamal stopped walking and flicked his whiskers irritably as he crossed his arms and peered into the underbrush. Maybe if he didn't say anything, the speaker might think they heard something. He was hardly the stealthiest thing in the jungle; he managed to upset a great number of twigs and leaves before he stopped, so it made enough noise to give him away.
Billy glanced around. He had heard someone. He knew it. He had had a lot of practice learning when people hwere watching him or following him, and this case was not a hard one. They were in the woods, clearly... but from where? "Wha' y'go' a problem wit' me too, then? Jes' gonna stare?" He called out in his implacable accent.
"Oh ******** you," Jamal snapped irritably in retort before thinking better of it. It looked like his sour mood was ruling over common sense today. "I kin't even ********' see ya wit' all these ********' tree in da way, let alone stare." The accent didn't ring a bell with him at all. "I didn't get no goddamn supa' powers wit' dis transfo'mation bullshit."
He sneered into the darkness in case the stranger could see him, just to confirm the fact he wasn't feeling charitable today. Go awaaaaaaay.....
"So we jes' gonna' shou' through th'woods a' eachother? Is tha' th'plan, then?"
That idea did heavily appeal to him....but with all likelyhood, Jamal would run into this guy again later at some point so it was pointless to avoid an inevitable meeting. At the least, Jamal could make it clear to not mess with him later.
He didn't answer, but did start to move towards the voice, assuming a stalking-like position as he weaved through the trees, the sneer fading to a mere cast of annoyance. When he got close enough to see a figure, he snorted.
"I don't like ta yell...don't like ta ruin ma voice onna stranger," he replied icily as he leaned against a tree, eyes narrowed but vision as sharp as ever thanks to his tiger eyes.
At the sound of the voice being closer, Billy turned to spot the black man leaning nearby. Judging by the man's large ears and the discoloration of his arms, he had changed. Into what, Billy wasn't quite sure."Ah, there y'are, then."
"Yeah, here I be," he said curtly, not moving from where he was leaning. "-Now- you kin stare at me 'n' I kin stare at you."
As he stared at the man, something nagged at the back of his mind. What, he wasn't sure, but it'd come with time. Maybe he did know this guy. Maybe it was a drunken meeting, hence his forgetfulness....
"How many times y'change so far?" Billy gave a grin, tossing his towl over his shoulder amiably.
The black man bristled slightly at the question, but it was a fair enough one to ask, he supposed. It was obvious he had changed. "Once. 'N' if I had it my way, I'da killed all them ********' docs 'n' dat'd be the last time of it," grunted Jamal flatly. "You don't look dat ******** up...why da hell would I waste ma time starin' at you?" He couldn't really see the tentacles as they were tucked away and the odd purply color of his limbs and whatnot he passed off as shadows.
Billy gave a laugh, "Ach, they're right basards, aint they? I whole heartedly share yer feelin's there, brother." Already, he thoguth he liked this man. He reached up a discolored hand, using one of the remaining fingers to point at the blue on his cheaks, "No' tha' fecked up, eh?"
"'n' if I had been able ta finish off Aubrey, dat'd be one step closer ta shuttin' dis ********' place down." They could keep him from going into a rage if they wanted, but they couldn't change his feelings on the staff. It was doubtful that would EVER change.
"I figgered it was shadows o' sumthin," Jamal said dismissively at the man's question, though it irritated him to be corrected in any manner. "Colored skin ain't bad. s**t, I'm turnin white." The way he said it made it sound like it was the worst thing in the world, but he didn't mean it in a racist manner...he was just very proud to be a big black man. "Jus' changin' skin ain't s**t."
"Oh, there's these a'well," He shrugged, unbuttoning his top button for a tentacle to slip out and wave at him playfully. At least he was getting better control of them. "Tried t'cut one o' 'em off bu' it jes' grew-" He paused, brows furrowing as his expression suddenly dripped with hatred, "Aubrey?"
Jamal eyed the tentacle with a neutral expression, though he was sure his skin tinged a faint green. Okay, that was sort of gross. Tails were one thing, but a rubbery looking arm?
"Yeah, Aubrey. ********' b***h," he spat. "I 'spose ya know 'er then. Ain't no surprise...she likes da ******** wit' ev'ryone."
The nagging at the back of his mind continued, but still he couldn't place this man with anything major yet. He seemed, for all purposes, a decent enough guy, though he seemed sort of skeezy and dirty. At least he hated the staff...Jamal wouldn't bother to keep talking to this guy if he liked any of them.
"Aye, I know 'er," He growled, unbuttoning his shirt the rest of the way. The damn things were feeling cramped anyway. His hands were shaking as he did so though, the tentacles wriggling downward in a preditorial fashion.
"Too bad fo' you then fo' knowin' 'er. Stupid b***h. I'll get 'er soon enough."
He hissed and curled a lip over a fang as he watched the tenacles with a sort of morbid curiousity, caring little if the guy got offended or not at his staring. God that was ******** up s**t.
"I'm surprised I ain't run inta you b'fo since it look like you been herr fo' awhile..."
"Been here a couple months," Billy said lowly, frowning at the path as a lower tentacle slid into his pocket for a cigarette as an upper one pulled his matches from his shirt pocket, both distributing their goods into his hands. "An' y'aint touchin' her wit'out me there. I go' me own score t'settle."
"I think you ain't gonna tell me what ta do when it comes ta killin' staff," Jamal said, his tone adopting it's icy overtone again as he pulled away from his leaning tree. "If ya beat me to it, then fine, but I ain't throwin' off a chance ta knock 'er off jus' cause some random ********' in da jungle said I kin't." This tentacled man obviously didn't know who he was talking to.
"I'm jes' sayin' save a... piece... o' her fer me," He snorted, giving a bitter little chuckle.
"If I got it my way, there'll be lotta lil' pieces fo' ev'ryone," he drawled, his tone full of dark humor.
Funnily enough, Billy laughed. "I like y'lad. Wha's yer name?" He struck a match, lighting his smoke, "f**?"
Jamal eye quirked. Did...he...just call him a f**? What? Surely this guy wasn't THAT stupid to call a big black guy with claws and teeth such a nasty, offensive term. Jamal most certainly was NOT gay.
"Jamal," he said, his tone clipped due to his brain trying to work out this guy's comment among trying to figure out the reason why this guy was familiar some way or another.
Billy raised an eyebrow at Jamal's expression, "Well I aint puttin' mine out, even if yer a not into it, *Jamal*," He attempted to say the name with Jamal's accent, but only ended up sounding rather silly.
Jamal stared hard at Billy. What the fuc...oh, he's talking about a SMOKE. Okay. ******** foriegners and their wierdass words.
"Oh, s**t," he said, feeling a little stupid, but passed it off with a wave, slightly bemused at the way the grungy man slaughtered his name. "I got some of ma own...jus' had a smoke b'fo I walked inta you...you got a name 'o you onna them peeps dat like ta pretend like they got secrets when da truth be dat nuthin' is a secret out herr?"
"Oh, there's plenty o' secrets, brother, I'm sure," He snickered, waving out the match befor taking a happy puff. "Th'names William. Friends call me Billy."
Jamal would have rolled his eyes somewhere at that point, but instead his gaze grew sharper and he gave Billy a very calculating stare. Billy...billy...where the ******** had he heard that name...It was clear Jamal was sizing him up for some reason or another.
The octopus man frowned, htough, his brows furrowing, "Somethin' th'matter?"
Jamal kept staring at him as he was rapidly trying to remember why his name was familiar. "You know many peeps herr yet?" he inquired in a ploy to perhaps dig some information out of Billy. Maybe that'd help. Jamal had heard of Billy before, he was sure of it, but from who?
"Aye..." He frowned, "Friends wit' ah... Th'squirrel lass Antony... an'... th'dark skinned gel, Kav.. Kuv... Feck I kin' ne'er get it!" He laughed, "Ah... aye, Pyroth tha' coyote-man... y'know him?"
"Kaveri," Jamal supplied, since that was the only name that sounded remotely like the nonsense that Billy had muttered. "I know all three of 'em."
Wait. Antony...Jamal closed his eyes momentarily to focus on a past memory. He and Antony were talking about something or other...she had marks on her neck...something about a grungy, hairy, sleezy white man that went after her and tried to strangle her.
It suddenly all made sense.
"Your da ********' a*****e dat went after Antony!" shouted the tiger man into the silence that'd fallen, eyes flying open into an accusing glare as his lips parted over his white, partially formed fangs. "I ********' KNEW I hearda you b'fo!"
As he spoke, he shoved through the shorter brush and fallen logs with a sudden urgency in his motions that did not bode well. Jamal looked displeased, to put it mildly. Nevermind Billy had said he was a friend of Antony. He didn't care.
"Ye..w ha'?" Billy laughed weakly, taking a step away, "In all techni'cality, she went after *me*, brother!"
"Ya ********' tried ta choke 'er! She told me all 'bout it!" retorted the black man with a great deal of venom in his voice. "Tried ta KILL her!"
When Billy took a step away, it only seemed to make Jamal even more displeased and he moved faster with bigger steps until he was closing in on the smaller man at what could have been classified as a charge. God dammit, where was the outright anger that he had promised Antony he'd use on this worthless sack of s**t? He promised he'd tear this guy apart, but right now all he felt was a sort of incredulous disbelief and irritation.
Billy staggered, tripping over a rock as he began coughing and sputtering, grabbing at his throat. That inignorable feeling had swept over him to take use of an octopussian defence mechanism he simply didn't possess, managing to mearly spittle a bit of siliva down his beard nad practically choke himself. After a few clensing gasps of air and many leaping steps, he managed to cry, "Tha' was a bloody month ago!!"
"'N' it's a ********' shame it took me so long ta find ya, ya dirty ******** lashed out with aim to grab the man by the trailing button edge of his shirt, brows furrowed heavily over his narrowed glare.
Usually, Billy would have faught back. Sniff a buzz and the world is in sharp, video-game focus. You have extra lives. Your playing the boxing game in the pub. Only it's a person and you don't feel pain. Just go and go and go. But he was clean now, appeased by the mellowing pot, and despite what his criminal record might have lead people like Bobby to believe, Billy was a coward. He sputtered, coughing and gagging as the octopus used this to it's advantage, his tetnacles flailing as though they could help him run faster, trying to break out of the tiger-man's grasp.
Jamal yanked Billy forward so the men were practically nose to nose, only jamal's whiskers breeched the open air between them both where they brushed faintly against the smaller man's cheeks. His eyes were mere slivers of icy blue underneath Jamal's heavy brow as he attempted to hold the man steady and ignore the slapping tentacles.
"Don't think yer gonna jus' run off when I been keepin' ma eye fo' you fo' so long!" Jamal hissed, wrinkles showing above his nose as he sneered directly into Billy's face. "Ya messed wit' da wrong lady...even if she 'n' I ain't talkin' right now, I made a promise. Those sorta promises I like ta keep."
That was when the Billy instincts overtook the octopus, his leg jutting up into the taller man's gut like a man experienced with his common irish bar fight.
Jamal made a strained grunting yelp as he released his hold on Billy, the kick connecting well enough to where it stung a great deal. If Jamal wasn't sufficiently mad beforehand, he was definately moreso now. "Son of a b***h," Jamal managed between gritted teeth as he tried to resist the urge to doubleover. A hand groped blindly at his waistband where his stolen kitchen knife lay concealed in a makeshift sheath of old shoe leather.
Billy took this moment to get a head start, darting off down the path. He'd loose him! Somehow... have to loose him... what the HELL was his problem?? Had he not talked with her lately? (At least on the topic of Billy) What was with people jumping to conclusions about him?? Murder! Rape! Attempted murder! He wondered just what he would find himself up to next!
Jamal panted and tried to shove the pain away, his gaze lifting long enough to catch sight of Billy hauling a** down the path. Ooooh no. Octopus man was NOT going to just run away now. Not after that knee to the gut....
He started to lope after Billy, giving up on trying to find his knife right now. If worse came to worse, he could use claws. Oddly enough, he still wasn't exactly infuriated...he simply had a sense of duty to fulfill his promise...and the sedatives were still in effect. DAMN THEM.
"Ya know if ya run, I'm jus' gonna get more pissed," he yelled, even if it was probably a bluff. Jamal wasn't sure what he'd do to the guy if he got his hands on him again. Scare the piss out of him, at the very least, seemed to be the best option, but maybe a little scratch or two would get the point across better.
Billy was gasping for air by the time he reached the river, throwing off his shirt as he ran befor diving into the water, praying upon steriotypes to come to his aid as he let the current speed his swimming.
Jamal came up to the riverbank not long after Billy entered the current and hardly paused...if Billy was hoping that Mr. Kitty didn't like water, he picked the wrong cat. Tigers LOVE water.
The black man sloshed into the water, clothes and all, and started to paddle after Billy at a fairly decent pace.
Billy actually thanked his slighter frame and the changes in his bones the transformation had left him, able to ride the river much faster, but at the rate of his persuer, he would only be able to keep a distance between them, unless the current picked up down the bend. "Wha' th'feckin' hell is wrong wit' ye??" Billy shouted over his shoulder, but iddn't stop his swimming.
"I told ya. Ya messed wit' da wrong lady. I don't break ma promises."
Jamal continued to swim after the other man, making no ground on him but not losing any either. Long hours at the beach had really helped his swimming abilities, that was sure, otherwise he would have tired out awhile ago.
"Ya don't mess wit' ma women. I wanna make sure ya got it straight." He growled and tried to swim a little faster, but it was hard for him to go any faster than he was already. Jamal was a large man with a great deal of bulk to him...definately not water-friendly.
"I jes' slept wit' her! We went t'a party t'gether! We made up!" Billy cried, starting to wear out himself, but far more equipt for the water, even if his changes were only minor. A fisherman's blood ran through his ancestory.
Jamal's bravado sort of fizzled there for a second. "Wait...WHAT?" he snapped, eyes flashing. Slept with him? As in, had sex? Or as in sharing a bed. Either way, it didn't make sense. Antony -hated- Billy as far as Jamal knew. The black man resumed his strong paddle, but now he was confused.
"Bullshit. I don't believe it."
"GO BLOODY ASK HER!!"
"How 'bout I beat yo a**, THEN I ask?"
Jamal was getting tired now...both physically and of this stupid banter. He wanted to give Billy a good a**-whomping and get on with his life. He was only doing it because he felt obligated due to the promise he made Antony and because the man irked him in various ways.
Billy was definatly glad he had choosen the river over running. He could at least manage to float occasionally to catch his breath and still move with the current. Lately he'd been a lot more winded than usual, and he wasn't about to blame his cigarettes and new found pot-smoking. "THA'S JES' STUPID!"
Jamal didn't respond. Now Billy was making him mad because he kept GOING. God dammit, STOP SWIMMING ALREADY.
He wasn't sure how much longer he could swim for. His arms were starting to burn quite a bit and his lungs were also complaining.
Billy turned over to backstroke for a while, giving some of his muscles a break and also to let him watch his persuer. He was going to escape! This was it! Brilliant! He beamed, "No' smart, are ye?" He called back, "Thinkin' y'can outswima damn OCTOPUS!" He gave a cackle befor frowning. The river had widened- no- it had....? The current slowed, untill he found himself nearing the middle of the lake, treading water frantically, "Ah... bloody hell..." He turned, diving under to swim away wihtout the benifit of the current.
As the river widened, an evil leer crossed his face. He knew what they were coming up on. As Billy headed for the middle, Jamal veered and went for the shore. His arms might be tired, but his legs weren't. He was soon up on the sand, dripping wet and winded, but now Billy was stuck in the water and would have a HELL of a time swimming against the current if he wanted to go back into the river portion.
Antony had just experienced a rather pleasant meal at the dining hall, and was on her way back to her duplex when she heard the angry yells of two familiar men. s**t. No wait... ********. Against her better judgement, the squirrel woman turned towards the direction of the noise and made her way to the lake, using her sense of smell when the noises eventually died out.
"What the ********?!" She immediately exclaimed, eyes wide at the situation as her brain processed it all. What in the world was Jamal doing?
Billy was starting to get tired, sinking lower. Tentitively, he tried to swim in a little closwer, keeping low in hopes Jamal wouldn't notice him. Get to shallow water so he could at least stand.*
Jamal was too busy staring off into the lake with a predatory gleam to his eye to notice Antony's arrival, not wanting to lose sight of Billy in the water.
He knew the man had an affinity for water and wasn't sure what he was capable of, but he was certain the man wasn't going to escape without a fight. It was his duty to carry this through, at any rate.*
When neither men noticed her, Antony threw her arms up in the air and made a sort of 'what the ********' noise. The squirrel inside her saw the look in the black man's eyes and demanded an immediate retreat. It was not about to become the tiger's lunch. After further examination of the situation, a sinking feeling of guilt washed over her, but she had to be sure. "What... What's going on?" She finally asked.
Tentitively, Billy crept up into the shallower water, indeed giving his body a break as he panted, hoping he wasn't spotted.*
Jamal snapped his head around at the voice, caught off guard by Antony's appearance, and immediately lost his amused, devious scheming mannerisms to an icy one instead.
"Jus' takin' care of a promise," he said flatly, offering little in explaination as he turned his attention back towards the water, searching for Billy who seemed to have disappeared for the moment.*
The change in his eyes caused her jaw to tense, but his next comment made her simply blink at him and then stare long after he had started ignoring her.
It all suddenly made sense what promise he had been talking about: the promise to her. The one he had made when he had been shoved in the public cage. Now that she knew what was going on, it was hard to even think through the guilt. "I'm sorry about the other day..." She mumbled, running a hand nervously through her hair before continuing, "I had just changed... My self-esteem... I really didn't have any, and all the senses hit me at once..."
Someone was on eht beach, and at this distance, he couldn't see who. But he was creeping close enough to the shore that he had to swim and crawl along on his stomach through the moss in hopes of not being seen. Just a few more meters and he could loose him through the trees...
Jamal pointedly kept his gaze on the lake, frustration growing more evident as he couldn't seem to locate Octo-boy. Dammit to hell... And of course Antony had to show up.
He wanted to get this over with, simply because it was a promise he made, but she was distracting him. Her apology did little to satisfy the deep-seeded hurt she'd unintentionally sprouted in him.
For all he knew, she might just be trying to keep him from hurting Billy now...after what Billy alledged, how could he know? "Well don't worry, ya ain't gonna have ta worry 'bout snappin' at me no more, a'ight? Jus' let me do what I promised 'n' I'll go find my 'replacement." Bitter? Maybe a little.
Maybe she had been wrong thinking Kaveri hadn't actually been a replacement, but his next comment stung, causing her tails to thrash behind her. "Well considering he's been the only one to be nice to me after..."
She motioned vividly to her new additions, "All this... I may have to keep you from completing your promise... Oh, and obviously I was right in the case of you ******** Kaveri." She seethed, eyes flicking to where the water was no longer still, and where Billy was hiding.
This was it. They were talking. Go for it. He suddenly jumped up to make a break for the tree line.
