[Journal]~Awen Zyn~Special Aquatic Duplex #1~

[Awen Zyn]

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[Awen Zyn]

Breakfast and Blankets

Antony, after taking the long, hidden way to the cafeteria, was now halfway through her breakfast. She didn't intend to stay long, but the tattooed woman was starving. Besides, she hadn't been sleeping well anyways.

Her neck was brused in the shape of a hand and generally 'ugly.' It would be hard not to notice, and she was on edge because of it. All in all, Antony looked like she had been run over by a truck, and THEN strangled.

Awen arrived at the cafe with the IV still trailing behind her.. She didn't pay much attention to anyone in the building as she headed straight for some breakfast. Awen grabbed some eggs and bacon. Though the manta would have preffered soemthing of the fish variety Awen was once again giving her tongue more choice. Chicken last night and bacon in the morning, she was latching onto that much of her humanity.

She turned around and finally set her eyes on Antony. Awen blinked a little bit as she could see the discolouration of her neck from there. Awen had the IV still but nothing that looked gross like that.

"Geez Antony, are you okay?" She asked walking over and sitting down across from the tattooed woman.

Antony glanced up at the noise, ready to jump out of her seat if it was Billy trying to kill her for his stash again, but she soon relaxed.

Sort of.

"Oh, just peachy... Being nearly strangled to death always makes my day," she responded dryly to the question, but sighed and attempted a smile to the fish girl.

Though the girl was trying to make light of the situation Awen frowned. Funny how many people are getting strangled these days. Tensions definately are getting high.

"Who did that? Looks nasty... but you're going to be alright, right?" Though concerned Awen began to shovel some eggs into her mouth. It didn't look like it was too serious, some bruising...but if she's up and about it couldn't be that bad. Still looked nasty.

"b*****d Billy... Held a knife to me too," she growled, frowning deeply and pushing her plate away, appetite ruined. "Sorry, happened last night and I didn't get much sleep."

Billy? That was the irish guy that Joli almost went postal on. He was a bit awkward, a little greasy but he didn't seem that bad! Had he started changing or something, emotionally and physically unsound? By the way Antony talked it couldn't have been that simple.

"Gosh I'm so sorry Antony. Why the hell would he pull a knife on you?" Not that it was too much of a stretch in imagination. With the wrong person Awen could see Antony really pissing some people off. But they seemed to be 'getting along' fairly well last time Awen saw the two together.

"Because he's a drug addict who lost his stash?" Antony explained, raising an eyebrow as if it really weren't that too far of a stretch. "He was livid, thought I took them simply because I kneed him in the cash and prizes when he compared me to the bearded lady."

Sighing irritably, the tattooed woman glanced seriously over to the fish girl, "Really, he's a skeezy a*****e... Caught him coming onto Colche at the beach once too..."

Awen frowned. So it was confirmed the guy was a druggie. Not that she was surprised at that much, it fit perfectly with how he was reacting and everything. She was surprised however at the violence that was taken on a suspision. Maybe Awen was spoiled, lucky, whatever; but she never had to deal with this kind of thing and had never known an incedent so fresh happening to someone she knew.

But coming onto Colche? That was... simply not right. Awen wasn't sure how old the cheeta was, old enough anyway, but she wasn't quite up to speed in other aspects. If he was trying to take advantage of Colche... Awen would not like that. She rolled her shoulders a little bit. But then again, if he had been on drugs at the time it... would explain enough. Maybe he wasn't that much of a skeezy guy. If he wasn't under the influence he probably wouldn't have done that. Just looking on the bright side of things, people weren't really bad inherently...right? Still she would be careful around this guy from now on....

"That's crap then... He seemed a bit of a jerk but not so bad when I was talking to him last. Got a nasty cut on his arm from Joliette and thought I should fix it up so it didn't get too infected.... Didn't know about all this crap though." She shrugged a little bit. Even knowing what she did now...Awen would probably fix his arm again. She just couldn't bare to ignore someone that was hurt, even if they were greasy scum bags.

"He's been nothing but cruel to me once I wouldn't have sex with him," Antony shrugged, locking eyes with the manta woman, "I'm not as much of a whore as you may think."

That's what all the girls usually thought of me, especially the 'other girls.'

"Anways," she interjected before a long silence could form, "If it weren't for Chert... Then he probably would have killed me." As much as she hated to admit it, this was true. The way he was shaking and how pissed off he was, it would have been inevitable.

Awen blinked and sat up a little straighter at the comment about Antony not being as much of a shore as she thought. She blushed a little bit and tried to think of what words to stumble over to excuse her reaction. Great now she knows what you were thinking.

Thankful that she continued with something else Awen shamefully looked down at her plate. "Glad Chert was around... He's a good guy, after the shock and everything then?" She smiled a little bit, glad to know he was just freaking out and not that he was mean or anything.

Awen confirmed her suspicions, and the tattooed girl simply raised her eyebrows briefly, a cocky smile showing for even less time.

"Yeah, he's just got a temper like me," she chuckled, looking up at the clock to check the time when Chert was brought up. Antony had left him in bed since it was quite early and he looked so much more at ease that way. "That reminds me, I should get back to my duplex. For all I know, Mr. Duchebag may still be after me."

Awen nodded a little bit before looking up again. "You want someone to go with ya. I mean... er... maybe not safe to be wandering alone. I can't do much...but that's what he would expect ya know? Besides this thing's heavy could just topple it onto him." Awen grinned a little bit. Yeah it was heavy..fell on Awen the other day, she would know.

But Awen looked down again for a moment and adopted a more somber-esque tone. "Sorry Antony. I'm trying not to.... I mean... just... urk... I just don't understand the appeal to that kinda lifestyle. And ya know... what one doesn't understand and all, kinda... crappy of me. So...sorry."

"That's okay," she kindly dismissed Awen's offer, "I've been going through the jungle and out of the way. Kind of paranoid, but it works. Don't think the IV will wheel well in the jungle."

And then she finally addressed the whore comment.

"I know, it's just easier to judge and blanket stereotype than to see who a person really is." There was a little bite in that comment, but her face didn't show any anger. Instead, she simply smiled before gathering a take out type box and piling up a whole entire breakfast into it. She even got the lunch lady person to give her a jug of both milk and orange juice.

She looked as if she were just stocking up so she could stay in her duplex.

As an after thought, Antony got another box and piled it with seeds and nuts. The squirrel had demanded it.

Awen chuckle from the thought of trying to wheel her IV through the jungle was cut short by the blanket statement. When Antony got up and was piling the food into a take out box Awen ate for a bit, watched for a bit. But when the nuts and seed were in the last box and it shut Awen made sure to look up again.

"See you later Antony... I'd like to start seeing who you really are..." In a sense that could be taken badly, or it could be taken for the cheesey-yet-sincere statement it was. Awen was pretty sure Antony got the drift and nodded a bit. That was it. This manta girl had been a complete a** after their talk. She was supposed to put harsh feelings behind and she realised she hadn't done that. Who was she to judge how this person was all around just because she slept with Jamal? She had forgiven Jamal all too easily, even though he had done the most wrong of the situation, so how was it fair to keep this barrier up with Antony? Really it was pety and Awen knew it. She would make an effort this time. "And um.. just yell if the skeeze finds ya on the path. I'll wheelie my way to someone that could help asap."

Antony glanced over to Awen with the cheesy statement, but simply turned and headed for the door, "Will do. Be careful."

Despite the fact that she was curt, Antony meant no ill will, but she simply wanted to get back to her duplex before Chert woke up. Hopefully he hadn't left before she could thank him properly.

It wasn't long before the tattooed girl was out of sight and the food was out of aroma range.

Awen nodded and once Antony left she looked down to her food again. She continued her meal in silence now that no one was around. Well no one but the cafeteria lady anyway, but she seemed busy and not much wanting to talk.

She thought, despite being near strangled the other day that Antony was in a rather good mood. Awen wondered if she had actually seen Jamal yet...  

[Lauren Granger]

When Awen leaves her duplex she finds 3 island flowers stuck in a simple vase sitting on the doorstep. There is no card but it's not too hard to geuss who left them there.

Especially if she were observant enough to notice the blonde fur floating on top of the water.

 

[Island of Moreau]

Just inside the door, the next time Awen wakes up, is a simple brown package.

Inside is:

Quote:

• Five assorted swim suits like the following styles
  Swimsuit 1
  Swimsuit 2
  
  
• A new-in-box XBox360
  
• DOA 4
  
• Kameo: Elements of Power
  
• Perfect Dark Zero
  
• Quake 4
  
• GUN
  
• Peter Jackson's King Kong
  
• Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion

 

[Awen Zyn]

Shattering of False Ideas

Awen sat by the riverbank swishing her feet in the water. After what seemed like a long absence from the beautiful and refreshing waters which was her home for almost a month the manta was happy to return to waters she could live in. It had been a few days since she had been in town or even sleeping in her own duplex. Even with the tank she felt somehow more at home in these waters.

With his new tentacles still tucked away underneith his shirt, uncomfortably situated around his torso and under his arms, Billy had finished a somber, quiet breakfast. For once, he felt the need for seclusion. Too much had happened in too short a period of time.

He hadn't explored the island in days. He still had no idea what his new home really had in store, although he hoped nothing could shock him after what he had already learned and seen. A nice long walk would do it.

He took a different rought he had never taken befor on a new path, just to see where it lead. After a long while, he could hear the sound of running water, and immediatly he perked up slightly. He didn't know why exactly he was so thirsty and parched feeling- he assumed it had something to do with the tentacles stuffed down his shirt. The skin of his arms and legs was feeling dry, though.

He broke free of the line of the forest, finding himself in the clearing of where the river cut through, watching it from one of the rocky banks. Damn it. He was stranded on a tropical island, for christ's sake. He was entitled to some fun.

Without even sencing the young woman just around the riverbend, Billy left his clothing on the bank, stepping into the icy water to soak his sore tentacles.

Awen hadn't heard the man coming through the forest, or even enter the river. She had been too lost with her own thoughts. Mostly were of how nice a day it seemed, some were of Jamal, others of Lauren but quite a few stemmed around Sabin and his unlikely gift. Awen wondered if she was right, if it was really him. But she could think of no one else that had access to her room or that would give her something.

Shaking her head sne slipped back into the water and started to swim away. But something caught her before she went too far. An unfamiliar scent in the water. Something that obviously was not supposed to be in the river. What was left of the girl's nose wrinkled slightly. She didn't like it when foriegn things fell into the river so she turned and started towards this new smell. It was something unusual....

Underwater Awen turned the very bend in the river which had concealed the poor Billy and when she did the man was certainly not...concealed. She rose from the water quickly with a rather loud curse, at least loud for Awen. "That is the fourth bloody time!"

She blinked her eyes slowly as they adjusted to the clear air. And soon she saw the tophalf of her friend Billy. And his new..tentacles...? "Er...oh sorry." So there was another water one on the island now...?

Billy had been sitting still in the shallows, letting the cold water sooth his surgery scar. It stung a little, but the cold felt good. At the sound of a voice, though, he gave an alarmed noise, the tentacles that had spread to float freely and comfortably in the water suddenly dodging down to hide under the surface as best he could, the lower ones coiling over his lap clumsily in an attempt to cover himself. "Ach!' After he spotted the manta-girl, though, he calmed slightly, although he did sink deeper in, for what good that would do. It wasn't so much his nudity as the obscene change in skin that bothered him.

Awen had seen the scar that he was trying to comfort in the water but that wasn't in the forefront of her mind currently. It puzzled her some, of course, but right now she had a freshly transformed islander infront of her and for the first time since she found out she was turning into a fish she saw another aquatic creature. The rubbery skin she knew all too well was not entirely unlike the flesh that graced Billy now.

The warnings and words Antony had expressed before, all of Joli's ire faded from her mind now. Sure she couldn't entirely trust this guy, but he hadn't been mean to her and she didn't know if everything the others were saying was entirely true. The man was rather abrupt but that didn't mean he was taking advantage of Colche or anything. Besides at the moment none of it all really mattered.

Everyone else had fur or scales or feathers, at least one other islander shared these suck traits with eachother. No one had yet sprouted gills or rubber along their bodies. This was the first time anyone...had been like Awen. She swam a little closer, but still keeping distance.

"You don't have to hide from me." She said softly. "It's okay really..."

Billy couldn't help the sickening feeling that gripped his stomach when she started to approach him, the tentacle subconciously tightening around what he had left and he gave a wease, crawling away from her in the water, "No, s'fine. S'fine. I'm fine. Hey. There aint cameras ou' here, is there?"

Awen knew there were cameras everywhere, how else could Sabin have monitored them during the blackout? But she didn't think that saying so would help this situation. She backed a bit away at his reaction.

"I don't know..." She shrugged a little bit. "But hey, are you okay?"

At the question, Billy gave a sharp laugh, glancing to the side to scan the trees, as though looking for the cameras himself, "Am I okay, she asks," He snickered under his breath, "Am I okay?"

Awen clenched her fists a little bit. "You know I'm getting right sick of hearing that!" She blurted out unble to stop herself this time. "I'm just trying to help, show people that I care about their well being, hope to help them in some tiny way and I get snide comments like that when I am only trying to ******** help."

The man didn't deserve it, she knew he didn't, especially with what he had gone through obviously quite recently. But that was just the last straw for her. "Billy, I know what you're goin' through, okay? I mean...not exactly... but I know what yer turning into and that's something water-bound like me. That's the first time it's happened, and I just...." She sighed a little bit. "I just want to help you cope with it as best I can. God knows I went through hell my time and I don't want you going through all of the trama. I want to help however I can.... I didn't mean anything by it.."

The man shook his head, chuckeling bitterly as he ran his suckered, altered hands through his thankfully normal, wet hair. No use in getting too self concious- this girl was freakier than he was. "An' yer jes' th'expert in pain, eh? Experienced enough in life t'really know wha' it means, huh? Yer wha', sixteen, gel?"

She huffed at the comments. "I am nineteen thank you very much. And I may not have had the hardest life before I came here, but I know what this island has to offer. I know the pain this place causes. I know what it's like to give up everything for this place, because I had a lot to give up to be sure. I know true fear since I've come to the island...." She ended quietly not mentioning directly her old phobia. Glancing up again she came strong once more. "But more importantly I know things about our bodies you do not, things that if you are not careful could likely kill you!"
She spread her webbed arms out in a open gesture. "I'm here to help."

"Blah blah blah blah," He mocked in a high voice, "Personally, I don' buy tha' crap," He shrugged, turning his back to her as he stood to head towards the bank and his clothes unabashedly, despite his grotesque suckers. Ignore them. They aren't there. "Yer jes' tryin' t'make yerself feel li' a better person. Li' y'know anythin'. I aint sayin' I got it worse. I aint sayin' Anyt'ing. Aint none o' yer business. He flipped his trousers back on, still keeping his back to her. While his rear and discolored, sucker-lined legs were hidden from view by fabric, his tattoo still flashed for a moment befor he pulled his shirt back on, tentacles tucked from view befor he turned back to her. "Maybe if ye shet' it fer a minute ye coul' learn somethin' instead o' whine an' be a pansy abou' it. s**t happens, lass. People die and people shoot at ye, an' people ******** yer life up, but y'know wha'? There's always another ball!" His speach was slightly manic sounding, although he seemed like he was trying to keep his cool, the end of it undoubtably a Freudian slip.

"Not if you keep that up there won't be." She growled at him, never taking her eyes away. "You continue treating everyone like s**t and the last one you have will likely be cut off like the first one!" Awen's usual first reaction, at least the old Awen, would to be taken aback, bowing her head and becoming complacent. Not this time. She swam forward until she was on solid footing of the bank and walked forward until the water was only swimming around her ankles.

"Don't go in the ocean, you'll drown. Maybe not at this stage but when you change again I'm guessing that will be true." Her voice was a lot calmer but a lot colder too. "I'm not complaining, I'm not trying to make myself feel better. I've sat a lot about it when I was at the stage you are now. I was ******** hydrophobic turning into a creature I hardly knew existed. I guess it's not your business, and I doubt you care, but I'm not a pansy about anything. I was trying to ******** help you. From what I'm hearing of stuff you're doing I might be the only one on the island who will help you for God's sakes."

She sighed heavily and simply shook her head. "But whatever man." She sounded very worn out. "Go on doing what you're doing, live your life how ya want here. Just stay away from the beach because the salt probably will kill you soon enough." She turned around and just sat on the bank with her back to him. Not the smartest thing to put your back to a comflict.... but she wasn't in the mood to care.

Everytime she wanted to help she always gets this responce. She wasn't about to let him see the potential-tears look on her face, or anything else. She watched the water flow by and just wanted someone to comfort her like Jamal used to. She was far too stressed over this irish man at the moment, over everything. She just wanted someone to tell her she wasn't a freak. But she wouldn't be getting that, and she knew it.

Suddenly he was dodging into the water, grabbing her arm roughly in a suckered hand, making his grip strangely like being caught by another, thicker tentacle, "How do ye know??" He snarled, his voice a low angered hiss, the rest of what she had said unheard.

She hadn't honestly expected such the violent move from the man. When he barreled forward and grabbed her Awen had half gasped half shouted and ended up with a mouthful of water which went directly to her lungs. When he finally stopped, mostly, with his tightened grip Awen was helpless for a few moments trying to cough out the water. Oh the sickeningly familiar feeling made her stomach lurch but nothing came of it.

She hacked again but tried to pull her arm away. "I can see under water, you were naked how else?" She managed out in one breath while a few more coughs made there way out.

"Wha' makes y'say they did it?" He hissed, giving her a shake to force her under for a moment again threateningly.

At least this time she was a bit more prepared for the dunk and breathed through her gills instead of her mouth. She tilted her head to him her eyes a mix of anger and fear for what he was doing. He was supposed to be a good guy. He had seemed good, kinda sleasy, but good! Damnit Awen had to work on her intuition for people.

"I said someone must've cut it off because I doubt you would willingly do it. I don't know who did it to you! I didn't say anyone did!"

By the look of Billy's crazed expression, he didn't seem to believe her, his grip on her arm trembling as a tentacle slid out from under his shirt, curiously poking at her experimentally.

"Y'coul'n' know. Y'coul'n guess unless... unless y'were there! Unless y'worked fer 'em," He snapped, a second tentacle sliding out from where he hid them to wind around her arm as well, stregnthening his weakened grip.

Awen tried harder now to pull away but those tentacles stuck. The suctions were pulling against her rubbered skin and the muscle wrapping around her was somewhat stronger than her own. Her heart raced as she trashed trying to get away.

"I'm not! I wasn't!" Her voice was higher in her state of fear, the anger having fled to someplace else for now. "Billy stop it!"

"YER GONNA FECK WIT' ME BRAIN AS WELL, THA' IT?" He suddenly snarled at her, giving her a vigerous shake. To any cameras off on the bank, it might have seemed as though they were having a heated discussion, or even simply playing in the water together, the river splashing around them.

The shake and her pulling against him made Awen's skin burn where he was holding her. Tears finally made her way up to her eyes as she cried out "NO!" She kept trying to pull away while trying at the same time to explain. "I was trying to help! I was just trying to help." She sobbed.

He stopped, panting as he watched her face. Maybe she was telling the truth? He couldn't tell. He didn't know. His grip tightened for a moment as he leaned in, "If y'tell anyone," He whispered, "Yer dead, Fishstick."

Awen knew the threat was empty. Not that he didn't meant it, not that he wouldn't try, but Aubrey, Sabin hell even Moreau wouldn't let that happen. This, however, was not the time to say such things. The fear still coursing through her, her eyes still wide she nodded.

That seemed to be enough and he let go, his face still red with anger. He frowned further, though, when it seemed his tentacles were stuck, his inexperience with the appendages combined with the suckers on Awen's slick skin proving to be a difficult change. "Ach... Er..."

Awen tried to pull away now that he seemed to want to let her go, but as she tried it just pulled her skin painfully. Even with the darker blue-brey skin on her arms big red marks were well on their way to being formed. She looked up at him and was just going to plead just to let her go but with his "er" she knew he probably couldn't.

She pulled against it again but it didn't work anymore than the first time. "Great..." She mumbled.

"Shut it," He growled, his face going red as the tentacles twitched but seemed unable to pop free. He reached forward again with an embarassed grunt, trying to pull it free manually.

One of the suckers painfully popped away from her arm as he pried it away. She winced but then began to pry the suckers on the other tentacle away seeing that it works. She all the while had a glad on her face. Not at all amused.

Every single one had hurt getting off. He had threatened her, half drowned her. Awen stood for a few moments looking up at the taller man. "And I thought you were good too. ******** I was gonna try to help you through things...." Her eyes welled with tears of pain, and hatred. "But ******** you, you're on your own!" At her last outburst she gave the man a hard shove, her large webbed foot just behind his ankle to throw him off balance.

Without anything more she scrambled into the water and dove under as soon as she could. The salty drops mingling with the fresh water around her.

Billy landed in the water with a suprised splash, the tentacles hurting from being forcefully pulled, although the cold water felt good on them. His head surfacing he glared at the glints of the other aquatic creature befor shouting, "DON' TRY T'SOUN' LIKE SOMETHIN' Y'AINT!"

She was mad? Let her be. She hadn't been helpful, even if she was trying. And now he was frazzled, frustrated, frightened still and to top it off his jeans were wet.  

[Awen Zyn]

Just a button push away

Awen ran from the moment her feet hit dry land all the way into her duplex. Tears streamed down her cheeks and her arms ached terribly from where the suckers had ttached themselves. She hadn't seen anyone en route to her duplex, and she wasn't quite sure she wanted to see anyone else. It would have had horrible results if she had run into someone like Antony with her smug attitude but Awen knew just the person to go to. After all this wasn't just Awen upset, this was dangerous man on the island someone who threatened to kill her, and almost killed Antony before...es this was a matter for staff.

She slammed her finger on the intercom. "Sabin?" She asked. "Please be Sabin...."

As it just so happened, Sabin was once again manning the video moniters. It had of late become one of his favorite pasttimes - there was so much of interest going on on the island, and many of the situations that he had set up during the lockout were still having rippling repercussions. That and the addition of a new, quite fascinating subject. Even though he hadn't changed yet, there was still more than enough to catch Sabin's attention.

Sabin looked at the blinking light and looked up on the moniter. "Miss Zyn?" Sabin queried, the intercom clicking in the full connection. There was a bit of a puzzlement in his voice. Why had she come to him? He had witnessed her getting into some sort of shuffle with Billy, but things had broken before he needed to press the button.

"Sabin! Thnk goodness..." She sniffed and wiped the tears away. "I know you all have your reasons and all...but Billy is crazy! He tried to kill me! He's going to kill me if...if I don't keep his secret he's gonna.... He thinks I'm some kind of staff spy that I was sent to mess with this head I was just trying to help him, cuz see I didn't want him to try any ocean swimming either I men since he is turning into something that will be in water a squid or something right? Well whatever he's going to try to kill me if I ever tell his damn secret he lready tried to drown me and if those suckers ever got around someones neck even if you do that..that..that sleep thing like the Doc did with the Dude at the party I mean it would still be too late Sabin!" She hardly paused for breath through that entire thing, speaking so fast her sentances all seemed to slurr together.

Sabin was blown back by the outpouring of emotion by the girl into the mouthpiece. She was talking quickly, scared and he could barely get a word in edgewise, so he took a breath and let her finish what she had to say.

Sabin had been in a very good mood for quite some time, even though Moreau returned and he was bumped back down to third in command. At least he had his project. Sabin had even been feeling somewhat generous to most of the islanders' requests that he didn't personally have issues with. Hell, from what he saw with Awen, it even appeared that she - unlike most of the Islanders - thought highly of him somehow. Not that Sabin minded being disliked... or feared. Even if they thought he was crazy, but some part of him did enjoy the notion that he had someone on the island that, even if perhaps misguidedly so, thought differently. It could be useful. He wouldn't let himself get attached, but there was no reason in screwing up what might be a perfectly good resource. But he musn't let himself sympathize. That led to sentiment, which might lead to guilt. Sabin was consciously repressing his humanity and his conscience on the island.

"Calm down, Calm down, Awen." He used her first name this time, and spoke in a gentle voice - the French accent slipping in a bit more. "You are safe in your duplex, and we are watching carefully to make sure that nothing does indeed happen. I am sure that due to Mr. Woodrow's own idiocy that his little 'secret'.." Sabin shuddered, remembering Aubrey's swift and deliberate vengence "will likely not be that secret for very long. Especially if he persists on not keeping it in his pants."

She nodded slowly though she was still shaken and clearly upset. It was nice to have someone to talk to even if it was just through a box on the wall. "I know... I know." She tried taking a deep breath to calm herself but it wasn't working as well as it should have. "But I mean he'd caught me by surprise and I got a lungful of water again and I do not, do not, want to go through that again. I mean I know all of what you guys have done for me helped but sometimes, just sometimes, the old fear surfaces and that was one of the times. I don't want to drown like that again and Billy caught me there. And he had me Sabin I mean that was pretty bad wasn't it? One swift stroke with a knife and he could have gotten me before you guys could make him stop... and I mean I don't want to be locked up in my duplex all the time in fear of this guy, that's really not fai, after everything."

She rung her hands and sighed heavily. "I'm really sorry for dumping on you Sabin but this is just... I'm sorry I just got scared."

Sabin smiled. He could tell she was frightened.

He shifted in his seat. "Well, now, of course you shoudn't have to. And believe me, Mr. Woodrow is making not a few number of enemies during his thus-far short internment here. Hence... his little secret. Though I take no credit as to that. But you might find yourself with more than a single sympathetic ear and fist... if you catch my drift. And our first order of business is keeping the lot of you healthy and alive."

She smiled finally. "Yeah... healthy, alive." They would take care of things, of course they would. They were test subjects after all, it would never do to have test subjects killing one another. Well...that might get decent data but overall not too smart. "I suppose so Sabin. Guess I just got a little panicy there... I mean you guys took care of things during the blackout...I'm sure you could handle a skeeze like Billy."

Awen leaned her back against the wall and looked across her duplex. She saw the small box laying on the floor that she had miraculously managed not to trip over when she barged in. That looked like a little bit more than a few pairs of swim suits. Awen grinned a little bit. That certainly picked up her mood. Speaking of deliveries... her eyes landed on hte flowers on hte windowsill. "Oh, by the way thanks..."

"Worry not. We won't let things get out of hand." It was the truth. It would be Sabin's neck if he allowed any of the subjects to get killed on his watch. Ditto for any of the other lab techs. Sabin wondered idly what happened to the man on camera duty when Billy nearly raped Colche. Funny string of incidents there, however, and Sabin still wasn't sure what to make of what Aubrey had said she found in his blood system.

Sabin saw her glance at the box and assumed that she was speakign of that as opposed to the flowers. "No problem. I hope you enjoy them." He said cheerfully.

Awen blushed a little bit but the colour was faint in her grey-blue skin. "I will." That proved it then, Sabin had given her the flowers. Did he really have feelings for her, or was he just being nice and hoping she recovered? Well why else would he send flowers like that really... and he didn't seem this kind of other people on the island, only Awen. That was saying something, even Lauren didn't like him much, and Lauren was so fond of the lab techs. No this was special treatment. He had to...have some kind of feeling for her.

But Awen hardly knew the guy. It was great he had feelings for her, after all he was normal- wasn't he? He was normal and human and found her, a fish girl, attractive. That was a definate boost to her confidence, she wasn't as hideous as the new islanders made her out to be after all. She definately would enjoy the special treatment and kindness and everything but really how far could they ever take this? The other islanders would hate Awen if she ever did get into anything with a lab tech, so a secret thing? But Awen was getting way too far ahead of herself here... Still it was fun to day dream.

After all no one else seemed very interested at this point besides Lauren, Jamal didn't want anything and all the other guys were either gay, taken or just not seeming interested. Awen didn't need a relationship... but it was nice to know that you're not alone. She really wondered what Sabin really felt with all of this. "And thanks too... um.. you really help me out here Sabin. I'm lucky you got the watch again, I really don't know what I would have done otherwise."

"Well, It was a pleasure speaking with you." He quirked a smile as he carefully chose his words. "And don't forget, someone will always be watching over you. We'll make sure that no deranged octopi - or tigers for that matter - bring you down." She could take the meaning of that however she liked.

"I'd suggest something warm to eat, and perhaps some rest." Sabin jotted notes onto her file about the incident. "And remember, we're always just a button push away." He quirked a bemused grin as he closed the intercom connection.

Awen's eyes brightened when he threw in the bit about the tiger. He wouldn't have mentioned Jamal getting her down unless he meant something else. She glanced at the ground a moment, boy that Sabin was such a mind reader. "Take care." She said quickly before the connection was closed.

She definately thought a hot meal was nice. Maybe some calamari, she thought with a grin. First though she moved to the box that was on the floor and picked it up. Her grin broadened because it certainly felt like more than just a couple of swimsuits. She et hte box on the table and would definately have to crack it open when she came back, knowing if she opened it now she would never leave for that food. The rest Sabin suggested probably wouldn't happen for awhile.

As she headed for the door of her duplex she glanced over at the flowers once more. He was kind of dreamy after all..... oh and that French accent could make a girl absolutely melt! She giggled as she walked out. Maybe.... just maybe...