Welcome to Gaia! ::

Ambrose moved from a squat to an awkward sitting position beside her.

His mouth actually started to turn up as she lifted her face to the rivulets of black mascara that coated her cheeks - especially seeing the humour in her eyes as opposed to the anguish he was scared he might see.

Admittedly, the laughter did catch him off-guard, but he was familiar enough with those who used it as a defense mechanism to not be that surprised.

He nodded. "I... know how you feel, honestly." He said after listening. "I... I came here for a 'medical study.' I was between semesters at college, and I was... well... I was broke. My scholarships were starting to run out, and while I still had tuition paid for another year, I couldn't afford housing. So I read about a study that offered Five grand for a 'two week' series of tests. I ... I didn't have enough work experience to get a job other than fast food... or Wal Mart or something in this economy... and, well, a whole summer of work wouldn't pay that even...." His ear flicked. "So I took the easy route. ANd this is were it landed me." His ears drooped. "I.... while I was in financial trouble... I was pursuing what I loved. I ... I stood against what my parents wanted me to do in college and went somewhere on a fencing scholarship." He gave a small smile. "I... just didn't think ahead enough."

Ambrose nodded quietly. "Y.. yes. yes it was very difficult. " He gave her a ghost of a smile. "It still is to be honest. I ... I don't want to be cut off from the rest of the world. But... well.. it's not exactly like I have a choice in the matter. But yes. At least everyone here is... well... supportive of eachother. No one is going to see you as a freak..." He hesitated.. "Well... unless you're new" He gestured to her with his chin. "But the more of us that arrive, the less liklihood that you're going to run into someone who hasn't heard yet. Then again... it's hard for us even... to see others change... become less recognisable. More...." He swallowed. "More like animals."

He sighed. "I'd reccomend you speak with Joliette again, though... she... she's got a camera and is setting up a darkroom. If you don't have a photo of yourself with you. It... it's nice to have something to remember what you looked like by." He looked uncomfortable again. "I... I'm sorry - you probably didn't want to think about that."

Ambrose stiffened in surprise before relaxing and returning the hug, wrapping his arms around her and rubbing his hand on her black-clad back. His tail thumped on the ground behind him a few times. He had begun to become a very touchy-feely person.

He spoke quietly over her shoulder. "No one knows... all they've said is that it is a series of injections... frighteningly enough I believe I'm only about halfway through the process after my second transformation. And no.... not everyone is going to become the same thing. I haven't seen another wolf...They.... they can tell you... if you ask. The intercom - press zero to talk to one of them. Though a warning - it might be more frustrating than helpful sometimes. Most people I know haven't had the courage to ask ahead of time."

Ambrose squeezed her back as well, giving her a few patts on the back before they parted. At least... after the shock, and the denial and the breakdown... she seemed to be recovering from the shock. Much, MUCH better than Jamal had handled it thank, God. Enough, that Ambrose was actually starting to feel a bit better as well - he had braved the response of yet another new 'victim' - at the very least, he could say that he had experience telling people, for better or worse - and he had saved people like Amaya or Hargun from having to tell her the bad news.

"That's brave of you... and I hope, for your sake, that they tell you something that you can live with." He gave her a soft smile. "I ... I think I woudl agree with you - the suspense can be maddening... "

He smiled at the final introduction. "Rayanya... it is nice to meet you. Honestly. And I'm easy to remember, Ambrose in Duplex number 1." He gave her a lop-sided smile. "And no problem. I promise to not eat you any day." He actually chuckled.

Ambrose gave her a half-bow as she said her farewells.

"And feel free to stop by at any time. I'll be here." He said with a note of irony.

As she left, Ambrose looked around again to the trees, alone once again save for the sounds of distant jungle animals.

He sat down on a fallen tree with a sigh, leaning against the trunk of another.

Now what... He thought to himself.

With Rayanya gone, it presented the same initial dilemma.... but... at least, he was feeling a little better. After the confrontation he had actually parted having done something. In a strange, roundabout way, helped someone. But should he feel guilty for feeling better? After all... Ambrose was almost certain that a certain someone was very unlikely to be feeling better.

He rested his elbows on his knees, and just closed his eyes, breathing in the scents of the jungle and listening to the sounds for a good few hours before finally picking himself up and finding his way out of the jungle and back to his duplex.

Sabin had indeed gotten quite the hearty laugh at seeing his little plan come to fruit when Joliette had taken the bait and used the swimsuit. IN the presence of one of the other islanders no less. Things were going quite ... swimmingly, he thought. However, most regretably, things were nearing the end at keeping Joliette guessing as to whether or not he was being malicious or benefitial. He could see the anger and the frustration, and had kept that little image to himself as he had been relieved of his shift duty.

In fact, he had wandered back by the monitering room to check up on things... to find Joliette on the moniters - pretty close to the middle of the jungle, looking around quite frightened.

A devious smile crept its way onto his lips and he stole out of the room wordlessly, leaving the technician looking after him with unanswered questions.

Something had been changing with Sabin the longer he was here... the longer he was able to indulge himself without listening to the morals that he did have, the conscience that was being swept along in this foul exeperiment. While Sabin did undoubtedly get a delight from the idea - and hadn't slowed in his research to perfect the serum that he had always been intersted in... the appeal of the island was slowly shifting from that of wonder and amazement at the concept of melding a human with animal features - something that in his youth he would have frankly been envious of.... to something more sinister.

He hardly ever saw Moreau anymore, they were both doing their own things, and without any other verbal reprimands - which when they did come, Sabin was even less intimidated. He had barely gotten a slap on the wrist for mixing in the bird DNA with Cassidy's serum.

As he walked, alone, out of the laboratory building and towards the jungle, he wasnt' clothed in the frivolous gaudy islandwear that Sabin secretly DID indeed have some inkling as to its garishness but delighted in it nonetheless. Now he was clothed in dark clothes. The only white aside from his hair the undershirt that rested below a vest, and over dark slacks and shoes. A tophat shaded his white hair before the dense foliage of the jungle's shadows covered that.

He took sure steps, knowing the jungles from the moniters and maps... and his own independent forays into the "wild" on a few occasions prior.

As he neared his 'prey', he slowed, his steps becoming silent. A toothy smile crept its way onto his face, and his eyes narrowed.

He could tell she was close... and frightened, he saw through the gaps in the foliage, her eyes closed against the tree.

A deep, gloating chuckle carried itself into Joliette's ears. The jungle, in its lovely disorienting status that her frenzied run had led her to, made it difficult to immediately pinpoint the source.

"You seem to have succeeded in getting yourself quite lost, my dear." A voice spoke with a predatory smile that could be heard in the mocking, velvety words.

A figure seemed to step out of the shadows of the trees, the brim of the tophat shading his eyes, leaving only the smirking smile on his face visable. His arms were crossed, and his steps quiet.