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 Posted: Tue Jul 04, 2006 6:03 pm
Lauren saw that Nita wasn't horribly convinced. "Come on, who WOULDN'T like you?" She nudged the girl a bit, "I mean, you're incredible! Intellegent, cute, sexy, snugallable, beautiful, sexy, and all too loveable not to like!" Lauren gave Nita a squish hopeing to cheer her up more.
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Posted: Tue Jul 04, 2006 6:10 pm
Nita smiled and hugged Lauren tightly. "Thanks. But you said 'sexy' twice." She curled closer and rested her head on the mongoose girl's shoulder. Remembering her last conversation with Alec, Nita laughed.
"Alec doesn't like me. The kid downstairs? Or at least, he was always calling me a prude." Nita rolled her eyes. "But the last time I saw him, he said it again, and I yelled after him that I had a girlfriend." She grinned. "The expression on his face was priceless."
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Posted: Tue Jul 04, 2006 6:13 pm
"Oh I did now?" Lauren feigned innocence. That was one thing she couldn't fake very well.
"Alec? I've met him once. He seems like a bonehead. I bet he picks on you because he wants you." Lauren teased. "Hah, it's hilarious that you told him that though, I would PAY to see that."
And if she really wanted to, she could ask to see that. Lauren thought it over a bit, but decided it probably wasn't worth the trouble. Besides looking at past video tapes of your girlfriend seemed controlling and a bit stalkerish.
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Posted: Tue Jul 04, 2006 6:23 pm
"Yes, you did," Nita said, mock-seriously. "But I forgive you."
She snickered. "Eh, he's not a bad kid, really. Kinda loud, mostly, and maybe not the sharpest tool in the shed." Nita barked a laugh at the thought of Alec having a crush or something on her. "Yeah, right! Oh my god, though, it was entirely too funny. He tripped over a root!" Nita sat up and pulled her hair back with one of the ever-present elastics on her wrist.
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Posted: Tue Jul 04, 2006 6:33 pm
"I didn't say he was bad... I just said he was a bone head." Lauren corrected. "And he tripped over a root! Hah we should find him sometime and kiss in front of him or something just to see the look on his face. Or maybe not because I don't want to be in the poor guys wet dreams."
Lauren looked over to Nita, "So, here we are... on a HUGE bed dressed like movie stars or models alone... in your room." She came in close to Nita, nuzzling her face softly against the fur of her newly revealed neck. Lauren licked and nibbled at it a bit. "What do we do now?" She asked playfully.
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Posted: Tue Jul 04, 2006 6:45 pm
"I stand corrected. Or.. lie corrected. Because I don't feel like getting up. But ack, no, we definitely don't want that!" Nita giggled. Even though she usually wasn't a giggler (or whatever), something about Lauren made her feel like a giddy schoolgirl. Which was kind of a shock for the normally reserved and sardonic Nita.
Nita wiggled closer, enjoying Lauren's ministrations. "Oh, I dunno. Watch a movie or something?"
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Posted: Tue Jul 04, 2006 6:48 pm
Lauren looked at Nita, that wasn't what she had in mind but it would do, "Alriiight, let's watch a movie in your new mini theater of a room!" She hopped up to grab a random dvd and put it in.
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Posted: Tue Jul 04, 2006 7:03 pm
Nita laughed, admiring Lauren's form as she scooted across the room. "I was joking!" she protested. But then, just because there was a movie on, it didn't mean they particularly had to watch it! "So what are we watching, then?"
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Posted: Tue Jul 04, 2006 7:08 pm
Lauren blinked at Nita, "Joking huh? Well your stuck with it now!" She looked down at the movie, "I geuss Mirrormask. Never heard of it, but I suppose there are tons of things back in America going on that I havn't heard of."
And yeah, just because there was a movie on didn't mean they HAD to watch it. Lauren snuggled close to Nita.
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Posted: Tue Jul 04, 2006 7:16 pm
"Stuck with it?" Nita repeated. "I'll show you 'stuck with it!'" She laughed again, knowing her threat was hardly a serious one. "Huh, I never heard of it either. Oh well."
Nita flicked off the bedside lamp and curled up happily.
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Posted: Tue Jul 04, 2006 10:04 pm
Uneventful Cafeteria Chat Nita MacNeal It was early evening. Nita had woken up from her afternoon nap with her stomach growling. After a cursory examination of her mini-fridge, the red panda girl decided it was time for an expedition to the cafeteria. She wore one of the new pairs of jeans provided by the doctor, conveniently low-cut so as to be comfortable for her tail, as well as one of the replacement tanktops. It was a quick trip to the cafeteria and Nita made her way through the line, grabbing her now-customary bamboo shoots as well as some assorted fruits and nuts. Alec Derring Awaking from a rough night's sleep much past a normal person's rising hour, Alec managed to groggily lift his head enough to see though the window that it was getting dark once more. He groaned upon realizing he'd slept the entire day away.
"Fookin 'ell n' earth." The teen sighed heavily, his stomach chiming in only to add another chorus of sound that only made him feel worse. He'd told Amaya he'd visit today. That idea went out the window. Were iguanas nocturnal?
Managing to slip out of bed, the punky youngster threw on whatever clothes he could find no matter how mismatched before trudging out of his duplex towards the caf. He could only pray that he wouldn't see anyone there, not being in the mood to talk. His ordeal with Amaya was starting to take a heavy toll on his sleep-deprived body. Entering the caf, he stumbled like a zombie and grabbed a tray to pile on some sustinence. Chana Cohen Chana was not too happy about having run out of food in her duplex, and had resigned herself to the necessity of a run to the cafeteria.
She was surprised to see two people there already. A vaguely familiar woman, and a strange guy who looked either asleep or stoned.
"Um, hi there!" she called out, happy to see other people, who were not still human. She moved quickly down the salad bar adding her accustomed twigs to the leafy greens and snagging a few bagels for later. RidleyMarlow Definitely... not mexican food this time. The thought of zing and spice put a lurch in his stomach. Instead, Marlow wheeled past the meatier section of the buffet and settled on some milder choices. Some potatoes, a little broccolli. A salad perhaps? He raised an eyebrow as he had a sudden moment of insight. Oh ho ho they weren't going to get him that easy. He quite purposefully snagged a pork chop and plopped it in the center of his plate. Not that easy at all. Joliette Rigiel Joliette's stomach spoke to her, that meant something important, least in her eyes... it meant get food or lose control, the later option was not an option if she had anything to say about it.. Fidgetting with a strip of film she'd developed and had been looking at in the sun she wandered intot he cafeteria.. her claws clicked as she walked. She peered around, she knew at least 2 of hte faces... but no more then that Nita MacNeal Nita had just sat down when a veritable stream of people entered the cafeteria, some familiar, and the others only passing acquaintances. She waved at Alec and Chana, indicating around a mouthful of bamboo that they could join her. "Hey, Chana, right?" she said, swallowing quickly. Nita glanced over at the man in the wheelchair, knowing she'd met him before but unable to remember his name. The scaley woman was very vaguely familiar, but she smiled a sort of welcome to her, too. Alec Derring Alec's worst nightmare seemed to come into effect as nearly everyone on the island (at least it seemed like it at the time) had apparently decided to take their supper at the particular moment he'd chosen to venture out. He saw the familair form of the komodo woman next to him in line and nodded only slightly, not feeling up to any extravagant motions. "Aye Jo'." Was muttered in a low and lifeless monotone as he continued serving himself food.
Quickly finishing his method of sloppily scooping gravy onto his mashers, he turned and spotted Nita's wave from her table. "Aye." Inwardly sighing, he went over and slumped into a chair beside her without much more of a hello. Chana Cohen Chana sat down on Nita's other side as she tried to remember the voice. "Yeah. It's...ah...Nita, right?" she asked.
Her tail slapped against her chair a bit nervously...there were a lot of people in here all of a sudden! She looked back at the people still serving themselves.
"Joli!," she called, "why don't you come sit with us? And you too," she added to Marlow. She wasn't sure who he was...but he'd been here a while (duh), and she hadn't been out in a while. RidleyMarlow Marlow nodded to the small congregation of people. There was a face he recognized, the red furred girl from his run in with Billy... though he didn't remember her being quite so furry. If she remembered him at all, it was likely she didn't remember him being so... whatever adjective could be used to describe his state. With his plate settled in his lap he began to wheel over to the table. "Thanks for the invite." He pulled a chair out of the circle and parked in its place. He immediately gave a wave to Nita. "It's good to see you again, Nita... especially in this less inclimate atmosphere." Gawking at a squid as he gathered his strewm possesions of his former lawn hadn't been the best setting for an introduction. Joliette Rigiel Joliette, with her plate of meat nodded a hello back to Alec "Salut Alec" she replied and then looked towards the other calling voice, one she'd not seen in a while. With a small smile she crossed the room and took a seat at hte table adjusting herself to be comfortable. "Salut Chana, and everyone else" she said quietly taking in the appearnces of everyone there, wow had had all those she'd known for a while changed. "How is everyone" the short female asked as she put the negatives in a loose pocket. Nita MacNeal Nita quirked a brow at Alec. He looked.. less than great. "You okay?" she asked him. She nodded an affirmative at Chana, suddenly noticing Marlow's changes and having no idea what he could be turning into. And of course he remembered her name. "Yeah, you too," she said with a smile. Dinner was much more pleasant than watching Billy pitch a fit in front of his duplex and storm off (as much as an octopus-man can) to the lake. Nita held out a hand to Joli. "I'm Nita. Nice to meet you." Alec Derring Alec rubbed at his face and slumped over his food as if at any moment he was about to fall face-first into it. He could hear the idle chat between the others at the table but the fogginess in his head made him feel like he was dreaming, and he could barely interpret any of what they were saying.
"Hm?" He blinked and looked up when Nita's voice broke through, giving an unenthusiastic shrug. "Ye." Was his simple answer though he was beginning to feel guilty about how he was ostracizing himself from the table's occupants. "Am ekay, 'ow are ye fairin'?" He responded to Joli's inquiry before giving a short nod to the two people, Chana and Marlow, whom he didn't recognize. Chana Cohen "I'm good enough," Chana replied evasively to Joli's question. She noticed that even Joli had changed since the last time they'd met. Oy. She really had to start getting out more.
So she leaned forward. "I don't know about you guys, but there's a couple people here I don't know. I'm Chana," she added, for Alec and Marlow.
Meet the neighbors, right? RidleyMarlow Marlow looked up, his fork half raised to his open mouth as Chana gestured to him and eyes naturally followed. "Ah..." He set down his flourette of brocolli and smiled to all present. "My name is Marlow. I'm new... ish." Who was he kidding? It had been well over a month since he had arrived and it showed. There was no reason he shouldn't have met all these people before. Joliette Rigiel Joliette paused, she had been about to take a bite of her meat, but felt it more polite to accept hte intro and intro herself "Nice to meet you Nita and Marlow.. I'm Joliette" she said in her thick british accent. "I'm not new, been here since last year" she gave a wry smile and then looked at chana and Alec "Good to hear you are doing ok Alec and you too Chana" Nita MacNeal Aha, Marlow, that was his name, Nita thought. Thank goodness for (re)introductions. She shook Joli's clawed hand and eyed Alec speculatively. Her neighbor certainly didn't look very well. "It's been just about exactly three months for me," Nita offered. "Him too." She pointed a furry elbow in Alec's direction. "Flew in on the helicopter at the same time." It occurred to Nita that she had now changed twice, whereas Alec still looked relatively normal. Alec Derring Alec nodded again at the intorductions, slow in the conversation but managing to keep up while attempting to drown his attention in his food at the same while without making a fool of himself. "Alec." He stated simply after Nita's comment, reaching for a napkin he'd taken in order to keep the sharkish boy from spitting on people.
As he did this, he glanced at Chana and Marlow, taking note of their unique appearances. In truth, he hadn't noticed Marlow's disability even after he'd wheeled himself over to the table. I guess no one's really safe anymore. Nothing's sacred. He thought glumly to himself, figuring the good doctor was one of the few on earth who was truly souless.
He would've made a comment about the vegetarian selection the majority of the group was dining on until he remembered Joli saying she was partial to greens, but had to eat meat from now on. Not wanting to stir up anything, he chose not to say it. Chana Cohen Chana was intrigued when Nita mentioned she and Alec had arrived together. They were definitely not as far...along...as each other. Which was odd. Whereas she and Joli had arrived around the same time, and she thought they might be around the same amount...changed.
"Nice to meet you all," she said politely, before shoveling a forkfull of lettuce and twigs into her mouth. At least she wasn't the only one with an odd salad, she noted. Nita had bamboo in hers. RidleyMarlow There was a silent tension in the air as people made their introductions. It was to be expected but they really needed to come up with better icebreakers, ones that didn't sound like prison banter. He was appreciating more and more the notion of a beach party or some other gathering that Ambrose had mentioned. Something with distractions and pizazz... some liquor wouldn't hurt either. Where was a party planner when you really needed them? Marlow chewed his food pensively and swallowed. "It's nice to make some more acquaintences." Joliette Rigiel "Defenitaly is nice to know those we are stuck with, and tehre are certainly some rather nice people here too, which I can't help but be glad about" she nods and picks up a chunk of meat between two claws and pops it in her mouth Nita MacNeal "Most of the people I've met so far have been pretty pleasant," Nita agreed. She cast a sardonic look at Marlow, referring to their mutual acquaintance, who was, by the general concensus, not particularly pleasant. Pushing her hair out of her face, Nita nibbled at her bamboo shoots, rather surprised at how quiet they all were. Alec Derring The silence within the group was hard to ignore as all of them seemed to have little to say. What was there to talk about besides the old 'Where were you from, how'd you get here, what are you turning into now' chatter?
As the quiet continued, the teen couldn't help but notice how deafening the sound of chewing was when no one had any dinner conversation to add. It didn't help that they were all eating somesort of foliage either. "Was wi' all th'salad, ay?" He decided to finally comment, reeaching his form over towards Nita's area and flicking a single bamboo shoot onto the table to hopefully get a rise out of her or something. The sleep-deprived teen was getting drowsy. Chana Cohen "Salad? It's good," Chana replied off-hand to Alec. "And I didn't get out to fish today." She'd forgotten, momentarily, that she'd just met the guy and that he wouldn't know a thing about her...habits.
The beaver scarfed down the rest of her mess and stood up. "Hope to see you guys around," she said by way of farewell. It was the work of moments to drop off her used dishes and make a hasty retreat.
She really needed to get out more. But not right now. Right now was a time to go home, reinforce the structure...
...or just go home and try not to think like a beaver. Always a good thing. RidleyMarlow Marlow watched the girl stand up and leave. That was a rather brief... encounter. This only made him appreciate more the fact that he had managed to find someone he could carry a conversation with for more than 5 minutes on his first jaunt out of his room. "Just haven't gotten to my porkchop yet. The conversation is too riveting" he joked lightly, taking a stab at the portion of meat until a little chunk broke free. Joliette Rigiel Joliette blinked and then laughed "Well, come on then, tell about yourself, what do you like to do and all that, I"m a photographer and journalist.. you too Nita..." she waved at Chana as she left and leaned on the table her tongue flickering as she waited for a reply Nita MacNeal Nita reached for the bamboo shoot and flicked it at Alec. "Hey now, you try changing into something that practically only eats bamboo!" She waved as Chana left. "I'll see you, I'm sure," she said. She snickered at Marlow's comment. "Oh yes, so thrilling," she drawled. "But, well, I was a student. Ohio State, English major." Alec Derring Alec snorted amusedly at Marlow's comment, having to nod in agreement to his sarcastic jab at the lack of excitement at that table. He stuck out his tongue at Nita as she attempted the counter-attack, digging in to his mashed potatoes with a little more energy this time.
"Uh.." He blinked, not knowing what to add in response to Joli's question. He wasn't much into... anything really, in his time spent back home. "Lived n' ma Pop's basem'nt an' went out t'pubs?" The teen snickered at his summation before quickly adding. "A' play drums n' fook aroun' all day." RidleyMarlow Marlow gave a some thought to his reply as he waited for the circle to come around to him. "Businessman, or at least headed that way. I tended to distract myself from that as much as I could with travel, toys... the usual excitments." He paused for a bite of meat, relieved to find that it was still paletable. Something about what Joliette said about herself sounded familar, but he'd be damned if he couldn't place it. Instead he moved on to the only prior acquaintance present "So a college student?" He gestured to Nita "I was headed for graduate school. You strike me as the sort that enjoyed it more than I" Joliette Rigiel "Student and musician and businessman to be and journalist... we make an interesting group" she muses aloud biting more meat off and swallowing it. "what did you guys study?" Nita MacNeal "It's true, he really does play his drums all day," Nita quipped. Turning to Marlow, she continued, "I probably would have gone on to grad school, although I'm not sure for what exactly." She raised a brow. "Am I really that obviously the sort though? Don't answer that," she said in a hurry, mock-glaring at Alec. Nita finished what was on her plate and glanced around apologetically. "Sorry to eat and run, but I really ought to get going. It was nice meeting you, Joli, and seeing you again, Marlow." She got up and disposed of her tray, messing up Alec's hair as she passed him. "And I see you all the time." Nita spent a few minutes gathering up a fresh supply of bamboo and other treats, and, with a wave, left the cafeteria. Alec Derring Alec inwardly groaned as the subject of the conversation was turned towards education, that particular area being less than a prevalent attribute of his life. Being a drop-out meant exclusion from some chats it seemed. The teen smirked just as Nita threw her last comment to save herself from an inevitable remark from himself, though he chose to keep his mouth shut for the duration of that topic nonetheless.
As the panda girl made to leave, he flailed his arms behind him and grunted in irritation as she attacked his mohawk. He made somesort of grumpy retort along the lines of 'good riddens' before gathering up his own things. "Sorreh, 'am fallen asleep 'ere. See ye 'round Joli. Bye Mawlow." Soon after, he left the caf for a quick trip back to his duplex.
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Posted: Sun Jul 09, 2006 5:51 pm
Looking For Dolphins Nita MacNeal Nita had spent several days in her newly improved duplex, watching movies, reading, and spending time with Lauren. For the most part she had avoided the other islanders, still confused regarding her 'loyalty' to Moreau. What had she really promised him? Too many of these thoughts crowded her mind. Nita was in dire need of a distraction, preferably away from her duplex. The beach, perhaps? It was getting late enough (and therefore cool enough) to be outside comfortably... Cody! Nita had promised to take the boy to the beach. Feeling just a bit guilty for forgetting so completely, Nita pulled on her swimsuit and jeans, and padded down the path towards Cody's duplex. Knocking lightly on the door, Nita called, "Cody? You home? It's Nita." Cody Archer Cody had spent most of his day trying to reorganize the mess he made during his change. It wasn't easy considering that bending his back made the newly formed muscles complain
But he quickly stoped what he was doing when he heard the knock on the door
"Hi Nita" he said as he opened it Nita MacNeal Nita stepped into the room, at first noticing the mess as well as Cody's effort to clean it up. She smiled. He really was a good kid. Turning to look at him, she began, "I thought I'd stop by and see if you wanted to go to the beach, like I promised we would. Maybe look for--" Nita stopped abruptly as she caught a glimpse of the particularly delphinic tail. "I think I found my dolphin," she said, hiding a grin. Cody Archer Cody took a minute to process what Nita was looking at. But then he realised it was his tail
"Ah ah! Very funny. This thing is a pain in the butt. Literally!"
He still was upset by how much it hurted, specially when he bumped into anything or forgotten it was there. Not to mention all the trouble he was having in getting used to put on his shorts
"But you think we can really find them? I've been to the beach twice and haven't seen any yet!" Nita MacNeal Nita giggled and swished her own long fluffy tail. "Tell me about it!" she exclaimed. By this time, Nita had become perfectly used to her tail, although she had had to make some alterations to her pants. Some were low-cut enough that the tail could just stick out of the top, but most of them had ended up with a slit in the back of the waist-band. "I bet we could," she told him. "It's about the right time of night, I think. D'you want to go?" Cody Archer "Sure. Just gimme a second to get ready"
Cody dashed along the room to pick up some clothes and went to change himself in the bathroom. In a minute he had his swimtruncks on (with a half decent whole cut for his tail, right below the elastic) and the sandals on his feet
"Ready. Lets go" Nita MacNeal Nita waited for Cody to change, realizing she had forgotten a towel. Ah, well. She needed to do laundry anyway, so a little more sand in her jeans wouldn't hurt. When he was ready, she walked with him down the path from the village and towards the beach. It was a lovely evening, as many of the island's evenings were, and finally cool enough for Nita to be comfortably out and about. "So," she said after a few minutes only filled with the soft sounds of feet on sand, "How was it?" Cody Archer Cody decided not to take his bike this time. Likely his tail would get bent at that would hurt like hell
The freshness of the evening seemed to be doing some good to him as well, specially around the new skin. It even seemed it was taking the soreness away
"It hurted a lot. I never though it could hurt so much. And it wasn't just the tail, my feet and my ears changed too. Did it hurt that much to you too?" Nita MacNeal Nita looked, not having previously noticed the minor changes to his ears, and the slightly more drastic changes to his feet. Would that mean Cody was going to lose his legs, like Cass? "It did hurt," she replied honestly, picking her way over the still-warm sand, heading closer to the damp, packed stuff at the water's edge. "Especially the tail, and when my ears stretched. Fur is really itchy. But tylenol helps, and it's fine after a couple days." A few feet from the water, Nita shucked her jeans and padded into the surf. The coolness was really nice on her fuzzy feet. She dug her toes into the watery sand and peered out over the horizon. Cody Archer "And there was more" he showed Nita his left arm "Remember my bandage? I had a catheter under it and now it's gone. I can't even find a mark!"
The sight of that great mass of water made Cody want just go into it and swim. But he first had to remove his t-shirt and sandals. It would feel horrible if he had to return to his room with them wet Nita MacNeal Oh yes, Cody's MS. The reason for him being here. Had the doctors actually fixed it? Or at least made progress? Nita peered at Cody's arm, turning it over and carefully looking for the mark. "That's amazing," she whispered. Maybe they really could do good here, and not just in really exceptional cases like Colche's, which seemed to be more a matter of kindness and education than the physical changes themselves. "Does that mean you haven't needed the catheter since you changed, then?" she asked, hoping her question wouldn't embarrass the boy too much. Nita stepped further away from the shore, rocking gently back and forth to the rhythm of the waves. Cody Archer "No... the last time it was used was when I got an injection when I arrived. I'm not allowed to do it myself and no one came to give more"
Now free from the extra clothing, Cody could follow Nita into the water. It was a great sensation that hit his skin, the water rushing along his body and along his tail. The new skin specially appreciated it, as it washed away the soreness and the heat
But he was having a bit of trouble coordinating his movements. He was kicking his feet to move in the water, but the tail was doing it too and it kept hitting his legs
"Stupid tail" Nita MacNeal "That's really great, Cody." Nita watched him as he joined her in the water. Did he actually know how to swim already? It seemed he was having problems with his tail. "Try not to think about your tail too much," she suggested. "Thinking like a human only gets in the way at times like this. Like when I zoomed up that tree!" Nita dunked herself all over and came back up, shaking salt water out of her braids. The red panda wasn't terribly happy in the ocean, but it just seemed so right to Nita herself. All those years in the Midwest, and this was what it took to finally get to an ocean. Cody Archer "It's not that easy. I can't really control my tail"
He pouted as he stoped swimming. Even when just using his arms to stay afloat, the tail seemed to want to keep moving, though it wasn't moving as fast now Nita MacNeal "Hmm..." Nita wiped a drop of water away from her eye and placed one hand on her hip. "Can you try floating on your stomach and holding your legs still? Just to see what your tail can do if you're deliberately not trying to control it?" She held her arms out towards the boy. "I can grab you if you start to sink." Cody Archer Cody did as she told him, grabbing her wet furry arms for balance
His tail kept moving as trying to help him to keep his balance in the water, but slowly stoped once he was steadily kept afloat Nita MacNeal "Good," she said, her legs spread firmly under her and her fluffy tail (looking rather sad and bedraggled in the water) waving behind her for balance. "Now, can you kick gently with your legs and keep your tail still like that? Try getting a sense for how the muscles feel right now." Privately, Nita thought it would be more useful to learn to swim with his tail, since that was what real dolphins did, but it was also important for Cody to learn to control his tail independently. Cody Archer "I'll try"
Cody started to kick the legs, but apparently the tail didn't seem to agree with the orders. It tried to swin on its own, though not as much as before
"I can't get it to work. It moves a bit like when I'm walking but it keeps kicking up and down. How do you control yours?" Nita MacNeal Nita watched as his tail continued to swish about. Maybe they really were going about this the wrong way. "I don't really control mine," she admitted, "but it doesn't really move a whole lot. It helps me keep my balance in the trees and stuff, but it's not all muscular like yours is." Nita paused for a moment, hrm'ing softly. "If you watch a dolphin swim," she said thoughtfully, "they use their tails a lot. Maybe what you need to do, in the water at least, is let your tail take over. Forget about your legs for a while." Cody Archer "Like this?"
He kicked his legs up and down at the same time, pretty much like dolphins did. And apparently he was doing it right now, because after a few seconds he managed to coordinate both tail and leg movements Nita MacNeal "There you go!" Nita cheered, letting go of Cody's arms. "How was that?" She shifted again, ready to support Cody if the dolphin's insticts weren't quite enough to keep him above the water. "You wanna try actually swimming like that?" Cody Archer Cody didn't seem to be having any trouble swimming. Back at home he used to go to the river lots of times during summer and this style wasn't exactly hard to control
"It's a bit weird, but it really works. And yes" Nita MacNeal "Great! We can go out a bit further, then. I'm not a great swimmer, but I'm a lot better than I used to be. Watch the under-tow, it's pretty strong." With that warning, Nita dove forward against the waves, swimming with muscles made strong from climbing trees. Cody Archer "Ok"
He started swimming dolphin like and followed Nita. The tail was still too short to offer proper impulse but it was enough to keep up a good rythm
"Where can we find the dolphins?" Nita MacNeal Not too much farther out, Nita paused and began treading water. Her toes just barely touched the bottom and every few minutes she would bob down and push off with her toes to help keep her head above the choppy water. It would be well over Cody's head, but he was doing pretty well now that he wasn't fighting so much with his tail. "They're usually pretty far out, towards the horizon. They always look like they're having so much fun out there." Nita used one slender hand as a visor over her eyes and looked out across the water. The sun was just setting, turning the sky pink and orange, with hints of purple farther up. The perfect time to be out, watching for a pod of dolphins. Cody Archer Cody kept himself from going too far in the water, no matter how inviting it looked. The tail was complaining again, sore still but mostly because the new muscles weren't accustomed to move around so much
Even his excitment (or was the dolphin's) to be in the water could make him ignore it
"Will they show up soon? I'm getting tired" Nita MacNeal No sooner had Cody spoken when Nita pointed with her free hand. "Cody, look!" A half-dozen dolphins were only about 30 meters away, leaping and diving through the waves. Nita treaded water furiously, watching the pod frolicking in the distance. Cody Archer "WOW! This is so cool!"
He tried to follow Nita into the deeper waters, but it was getting harder and harder for him to keep his head above the water Nita MacNeal The red panda girl noticed Cody having a bit of trouble and swam backwards into slightly shallower water. She kept watching the dolphins, playing and occasionally sending up sprays of water. Nita sighed, almost wishing that she were turning into a dolphin... It would be so amazing to be able to join them. "Maybe you'll be able to swim like that some day, Cody." Cody Archer Cody grabbed Nita's shoulder for support. Neiher his tail or legs could keep him afloat for now
"You really think so?" Nita MacNeal Nita slipped her arm under Cody's, holding him up. They would have to get back to shore soon; she was getting tired too. "Maybe," she said. "It looks fun, doesn't it?" Cody Archer "It does. I wonder if they would let me play with them. You think they would?" Nita MacNeal Nita grinned, imagining Cody diving about with the dolphins. "Well, dolphins always seem so friendly, they just might. After you change some more, though; it wouldn't really be safe to try it now." She could tell Cody was getting tired, but she didn't want to embarrass him by drawing attention to it. "Hey, we should go back, okay? Red pandas aren't meant for swimming." Nita dunked herself again and swam arm over arm towards the shore, watching Cody carefully to make sure he was able to keep up with her. Cody Archer Cody simply nodded. It made sense. He wasn't able to keep up with them yet
"Okay"
He tried to will the tail to move, just to test it out, but it kept motionless. So he used his arms to swim back to shore, the legs kicking weakly and the tail simply following the movement Nita MacNeal Once the water was lower than her waist, Nita stopped swimming and walked the rest of the way, offering an arm to tow Cody, should he need it. On the beach, she brushed as much of the water out of her fur as she could, wringing it out of her long braids. Nita paused for a moment and then gave in, shaking herself and watching droplets of water fling themselves away from her body. "Well..." Nita said. "Did you have fun?" She grinned and worked on smoothing out her fluffed-up fur. Cody Archer Cody didn't took her arm for support, he could manage himself now that he had his feet back touching the ground
He realised it was a good thing he wasn't growing any fur, considering how much trouble Nita seemed to have to dry it up. In his case the water simply slided over the new skin, which was good when she sprinkled him water
"Yeah" he was trying not to laught at her figure, the fur all standing and with sand caught around her feet and lower legs. She looked funny Nita MacNeal "Whoops! Sorry," she said, realizing she'd sprayed water on the boy. Nita grinned, a little embarrassed, and ran her clawed fingers through the top part of her hair. It would frizz up if she didn't wash it soon. A yawn split Nita's face as she stood in the damp sand, backlit by the setting sun. The swim and the excitement of the evening was definitely getting to her. "We should probably go back to the village. I think the dolphins are gone, anyway." Nita peered out across the water again, just in time to watch the pod slip out of sight. Cody Archer Cody put his t-shirt and sandals back on, before shaking the rest of the sand off. His eyes couldn't follow the dolphins movements with this light, but he was starting to grow tired anyway
"It was fun" he tugged her tail slightly, just out of curiosity Nita MacNeal Nita squeaked involuntarily. "Hey!" Her tail flicked, sprinkling Cody again with water and some sand. "That's attached!" Nita giggled; she wasn't angry, just surprised. She started walking along the beach in the general direction of the village. Cody Archer Cody laughted in reply, covering his face with his hands when sprinkled him again
"You could use it as a mop. You got me wet all over"
He kept grabbing her tail on the way back every now and then. It was funny to feel it move on his hand Nita MacNeal Nita snorted. Cody was lucky he was just a little kid, or else he would have been smacked for his impertinance. Back in the village, Nita walked Cody to his duplex. She ruffled his hair and tugged his tail gently. Turnabout is only fair-play. "I'll see you later, kid," she said. "Come see me sometime if you want to go the beach again, 'kay?" Cody Archer "Hey"
He quickly started to unruffle his salt covered hair. Why did people always like to make it messier than it already was?
"Okay" he half stuck his tongue out at her playfully as he said goodbye Nita MacNeal Nita stuck her tongue out at Cody in response. The hair-ruffling was in return for the tail-pulling! "Good night," she called, padding down the path to her duplex. Covered in sand and salt as she was, Nita was more than ready for a nice warm shower.
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Posted: Sun Jul 09, 2006 10:43 pm
Shh. You see nothing! Natsumi Tanaka Natsumi slipped into the familair cafeteria, glancing around before moving foreward. Her hands protectivly settled over her larger-than-average stomach, as though that and the sweaters she had donned would hide it. Though the sweaters worked for the most part... The fact the island was a jungle, and it was summer time meant a horrible time for her. She'd even taken to wearing her shorter skirts to try and dim the added heat.
Atleast the cafeteria was cooler... She smiled some as she reached the food, grabbing a plate and starting to fill it. Just about everything looked good at the moment, and so by the time she finished filling her plate she had a big pile of assorted foods that didn't look like they'd go well together. Despite that, she was pleased with it.. and with the last thing needed; a glass of water, she was headed to grab a table and eat up. Nita MacNeal Nita padded into the cafeteria and acquired her now-typical plate of bamboo salad and a couple of hard-boiled eggs. Looking around with her tray, she spotted Natsumi. At first not realizing anything strange about her appearance (with people changing all the time, "strange" was practically an irrelevant term on the island), the red-head waved slightly as she took a seat at the same table. "You mind if I sit here?" she asked. Natsumi Tanaka Natsumi looked up from her mess of food, taking but a breif second to reconize Nita through the added fur since the last time she'd seen her. "Nita!" she smiled upon realizing this, "Of course I do not mind, please sit. How've you been?" Natsumi took a bite of food as she waited for the answere, apparently the first item on her menu had been carrots dipped in ketchup. Nita MacNeal Nita's white brow raised at the ketchup-covered carrot. Perhaps it was some weird Japanese appropriation of American foods. Or just a dietary change from a transformation... Nita looked more closely at Natsumi and spotted the minor changes in the girl's face. "I've been.. alright," she said, digging into her salad. "Mostly sticking to my duplex and hanging out with a couple of people. How about you?" Natsumi Tanaka Natsmi nodded, listning as she finished the first carrot. "That is good. I have met a few people. And I played football with Thomas." She grinned some at that part, not having been able to play many sports back home. "It was fun. So.. I have been doing well." She gave a nod, leaving out the not-so-fun parts such as being tricked by Sabin, or the fact she was gaining several pounds in one area. Nita MacNeal "I've met Thom a couple of times," Nita said. "There was a big game of football a few weeks ago, with a bunch of the islanders. I didn't play, but it was fun to watch." She picked a few of the larger bamboo shoots out of her bowl, not bothering with a fork. It was actually the leaves that tasted the best to her, and made up the greatest portion of her salad, but the shoots were nice and crunchy as well. Nita leaned back in her chair, noting Natsumi's multiple layers. "Is the air-conditioning getting to you?" Natsumi Tanaka "Really? I would have liked to have seen that." Natsumi hadn't quite noticed just how many swigs of water she'd been taking, only now noticing as she went to grab another only to be met with very little liquid left. "Air conditioning..?" she blinked, looking a bit lost from the statement before remembering the sweaters. "Oh. Y-yes." She looked a bit uncomfrotable, not liking the fact she'd just lied to her friend. But what else could she do...? Certiantly not tell her. "I am going to get some more water, would you like anything?" She offered a smile as she scooted out of her seat, taking the cup with her. Nita MacNeal Nita took a sip from her own glass, which still had plenty of soda in it. "No thanks, I'm fine." She flashed a smile at Natsumi, idly watching her walk across the cafeteria. It seemed Natsumi had grown a tail, as well as maybe putting on a bit of weight around her middle. Almost as if she were... Pregnant. Ridiculous, Nita scolded herself. But still. It all made sense. The bizarre food, the bulky clothing to hide her figure... She tried not to stare at the girl, but with the idea in her head, she kept having to sneak little glances at her. Natsumi Tanaka Natsumi smiled and nodded, heading off to fetch the water. It didn't take long for her to fill the glass up and move back to the table. She did take a bit more time than she could have to try and think of something that would distract her friend from the sweaters.. Some interesting subject to replace it.
She sat down, taking another gulp of water as she did. "I never knew just how complicated a tail could be..." she mused as she tried to reposition the little appendage to sit better, figuring Nita could sympathize with that. Nita MacNeal Nita nodded as she returned, working quickly to crack the shell and peel it off of a hard-boiled egg. She sprinkled a bit of salt on the top and bit into it happily. "It's true, they can be awfully trying at times," Nita agreed, a hint of laughter in her voice. "Good for balance though, even if it's hard to wear regular pants." Natsumi Tanaka Natsumi nodded, laughign lightly as well at Nita's comments as she finished off a few more ketchup-carrots. Then moved onto her next oddity, a hamburger with pickles and what seemed to be peanutbutter. Natsumi eyed it momentarily, not sure if it was still going ot be as good as she had originally thought. But after the first bite she lost that thought, continuing to eat it as cleanly as one could eating a peanutbutter and pickle hamburger.
"So..." she trailed off, eyes going wide for some invisible reason. After a second or two she shook it off. "S-So... Who won the football game?" Nita MacNeal Alright. A hamburger with peanut-butter was just disgusting. No way could that be chalked up to some strange animal's dietary habits. The red panda girl noted Natsumi's momentary facial change. Was she going to be sick? Nita fervently hoped not. Carrots and ketchup were gross enough going down; she didn't even want to think what they'd be like coming back up. "The team Thom wasn't on, actually. Ambrose, Rex, and Amaya were on the team. Don't know if you've met any of them. Amaya made an impressive goalie." Natsumi Tanaka "Really? That is too bad..." she pondered, Thom had seemed rather good when she played with him. She figured it must have been a rather impressive game. "No, i have not met any of them..." Natsumi gave a curious look, vaugly wondering just how many people she hadn't met yet.
She paused as she took another drink of water, regestering the odd look the hamburger had gotten. She smiled sheepishly, setting the glass down "It's not that bad, actually..." she took another bite, before letting out a soft "oh." and looking down. There it was again... Definatly not the whole morning sickness issue. But she wasn't really sure what it was... Maybe there was somethign wrong with eating carrots and ketchup? Nita MacNeal "They're all nice, although I've talked to Rex the most. Big guy, turning into a lion. You'd know him if you saw him. Amaya is an iguana, I think, and Ambrose is a wolf." Funny how easy it was to refer to other islanders by 'their' animal. Nita worked on peeling and eating the second egg, her salad finished. She just caught Natsumi's soft exclamation and looked at her warily. Please don't throw up! she begged mentally. "Are you okay?" she asked, clearly concerned. "Should you go lie down or something?" Natsumi Tanaka Nope, she definatly hadn't met any of those.. Though she might have seen one or two around, she wasn't exactly sure.
Natsumi shook her head smiling somewhat at Nita's worry, finding it nice in a way. It meant she cared. "No, I'm fine.. It's nothing. Just..." she frowned, tryign to find a word for the tingly fluttering feeling. Only managing to come up with waving her hand some. "..A srange feeling." She was quite clueless that it would relate to her baby when she said that, though slowly she seemed to be catching up to that as she spoke. Something she'd never felt before... The baby was bigger... She'd read somethign about kicking. So it was either the carrots.. or the baby. The latter seemed more likely. Upon realizing that she flushed some. Nita MacNeal If it had been almost any other young woman on the island, Nita might have asked her outright about her pregnancy. But Natsumi was such a quiet, private girl who actually reminded Nita quite a bit of herself. Particularly how reserved she was when she was still new to the island. "Queasy?" Nita suggested. "Fluttery?" She fiddled with her fork, growing increasingly more sure of her theory. Natsumi Tanaka Natsumi shifted uncomfortably, blushign slightly. She was being far too obvious.. If Nita caught on to that one thing she was surely to be caught. And then what would she think of her? She took a nervious bite of the food, fidgeting some. "Oh." she almost jumped the word fluttery, but then held back when she remembered she was trying to change the subject, not make it more obvious.
"Not queasy." she admited, smiling some... In the back of her mind, part of her was happy at the feeling. She wanted so much to put her hand over her stomach to doublecheck the sensation.. but she withheld, just hoping it would happen again in privacy. Nita MacNeal "Well, at least you're not queasy," Nita said doubtfully, still messing with her fork. She bit her lip lightly and looked Natsumi right in the eyes. "I'm so sorry to intrude, but... Are you pregnant, Natsumi?" she asked softly, her voice full of concern. Hopefully the Japanese girl wouldn't take the question badly. Nita knew it was awfully personal. Natsumi Tanaka Natsumi immediatly flinched, color rising to her cheeks as she held up her hands to block it, clapping them over her face as though it would turn her invisible. "I.. Yes... I am.. Horrible." She squeaked out, muffled. Not only was the initial shame of the whole thing suddenlly hitting her, but also the fact she had lied, or tried to lie. Perhaps it looked like she was overreacting to the American girl, but Natsumi had no idea exactly how common such a thing was.
After a second or two Natsumi meekly peered out from behind her hands to see just how upset her friend was at her. Nita MacNeal "Oh, Natsumi," Nita said helplessly, immediately scooting her chair closer to the girl. "Not horrible at all," she said, giving her a sympathetic look. She couldn't even think right then what might happen to the baby: Would it be changed as well? Would it even survive? The present moment was for Natsumi. Nita reached out to take Natsumi's hands, giving them a reassuring squeeze. She wasn't at all upset, but worried for her health. It didn't really occur to her than Natsumi had lied. She had withheld that particular information, but people were allowed their secrets. Natsumi Tanaka "Not horrible?" she echoed, looking both confused and releived. "You are... not ashamed of me? Not mad?" a cautious smile tugged at Natsumi's mouth as she allowed her hands to be moved away. Nita MacNeal "Not horrible," Nita repeated. "Why would I be angry or ashamed? It's your own business." She smiled and patted Natsumi's hands again. "When are you due?" It was actually kind of exciting to have a friend expecting a baby. Nita liked babies, although she had never really thought of having one herself. Natsumi Tanaka Natsumi gave a light shrug, smile only widening.. though still a bit cautious to get too happy. She wasn't really sure as to why Nita would be mad... It just was. Afterall... Natsumi was single and pregnant, that was shameful enough in itself, then throw in your age...
Her thoughts were shooken at the question, "December." She nodded, it seemed so far away in a sense... Yet all too close at the same time. "Oh.." she jumped some, smile breaking through now that she could freely investigate the odd sensation that was happening again in her stomach. She averted her eyes from Nita, biting her lower lip and moving one hand out of her friends grasp, then sliping it under the bulky sweater curiously. "Aa....I think..." she trailed off, not sure if she was right or not. Nita MacNeal December. So... Nita did some mental math, figuring about how far along Natsumi must be. If she were about four months pregnant, she would just be starting to 'show.' She gave Natsumi an odd look. "Is.. Is the baby kicking?" she asked. That would explain the 'fluttery' feeling Natsumi mentioned. Natsumi Tanaka Natsumi looked up a bit sheepishly, giving a tiny nod as she felt a little bump against her hand. "I think so." she couldn't help but get excited, sure there had been swelling and nausia and all sorts of things that flat out said you were pregnant... but, this was different. This was cool, those other things were.. well. Not cool.
Natsumi moved her hand, holding up the sweater some, normally she would have been opposed to showing off skin like that.. but this was different, there was a baby under all that skin. Which meant it was hardly skin at all now. "Would.. you like to...?" she wasn't exactly sure how to up and ask if someone wanted to feel her baby kicking... Seemed like an awkward question, but at the same time she wanted to share it. Nita MacNeal A tiny grin crossed Nita's face. She reached out one furred hand tentatively and gently laid it on Natsumi's belly. The little swell was much more obvious now that it was not covered by the lumpy sweater. There was a tiny fluttering movement under her palm. "Oh!" Nita exclaimed, excited. "I felt it!" Natsumi Tanaka Natsumi let out a soft giggle, both excited herself and happy that Nita had responded so well... Perhaps it wasn't as bad a 'sin' as she had originally thought? Or.. atleast it wasn't one here. If her family had found out she felt it would be much less accepting.
"I am a little excited..." Natsumi admitted, pausing to nab that last bite of odd-hamburger that she had left and plop it in her mouth, rather happy that the annoying feeling of hunger was starting to subside. Nita MacNeal Nita grinned, showing her sharp, white teeth. "It's very exciting," she said nodding. "I'd never felt a baby kick like that before." She finished up her glass of soda. "Do you know if it's a boy or a girl?" Natsumi Tanaka "No.. I don't." she blinked, curious to the answere now. She sat back some, letting her sweater drop back over the exposed flesh, taking another swig of water and letting her thoughts wander. "I should also think of a name, shouldn't I?" That would be tricky... Maybe she would name it after someone she left back home.. Or should she think of a whole new name? Nita MacNeal "That would be a good idea," Nita said, amused. She probably would have been thinking of names as soon as she'd found out she was pregnant. Not that getting pregnant was likely for her. Unless of course that was something else Moreau could do? She pushed the thought aside. Natsumi Tanaka Natsumi sipped at her water, pondering over various names.. ones for boys and ones for girls. Her food had been finished, leaving a slightly messy plate of remaining ketchup and a few bits of peanutbutter that had slipped free of the hamburger buns. "Any ideas...?" She took another sip of her water, suddenlly realizing both of them were practically done. Nita MacNeal "Hm.. Not really. I don't know very many Japanese names. It would help to know the gender, too." Nita poked at her empty plate. "I should probably get going. I always seem to need a nap after I eat." She leaned over and gave Natsumi a quick hug. "If you ever need anything, you're always welcome to stop by my duplex, okay?" Natsumi Tanaka Natsumi shrugged, not sure if she should even give the child a Japanese name since she was on an america Island... For a breif moment the Island hit her, what exactly would they do to her child...? Turn it into some sort of animal as well? Or...
Her thoughts were deterred by Nita's voice. Natsumi smiled and nodded, returning the hug happily. "Okay... And I as well," she paused, realizing her speech hadn't come out quite right. "That is... If you need anything, you can come to me, too." she gave a nod as she finished, finding that one to be more correct as she took a last drink of water and started to pick up her dirty dishes. Nita MacNeal Nita put up her dirty dishes and went through the buffet line again, gathering up more bamboo, fruit, and some hard-boiled eggs. She returned to the table, but didn't sit, resting her hand on Natsumi's shoulder. "You take care of yourself, okay? And if anything else exciting happens, let me know." She grinned, happy to share such a secret with a friend. "I'll see you around." That said, Nita left the cafeteria with her food supplies, ready to take a nice nap in her large, comfortable bed. Natsumi Tanaka "Okay." Natsumi promised, smiling some as she went to do the same with her dirty dishes. She'd pause to grab a few snacks as well, chips and the like... and some more water. She seemed to be having a love of water everytime she noticed it lately...
Either way, her duplex seemed inviting. And she was more than curious to read up on the new developments of the unborn child.
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Posted: Thu Jul 13, 2006 6:04 pm
Two Girls Converged on a Duplex, and I... Yamamoto Kikue Kikue forced herself to stay calm. She'd retreated to her duplex room for the past two weeks, going outside at dusk and dawn. She met almost no one, yet made no effort to. For some reason she felt even more than usual the need to be alone. She had considered inviting Nita over, but again, the sudden dislike of the idea of someone staying in her room took over. She had no idea why. But this morning she'd decided to return Alec's banadana. It had been washed and dried with her clothes and sheets. She'd folded it carefully, and stepped outside under the darkening sky to cross to his duplex. If only it wasn't so hot outside...if only she didn't feel like being by herself so much. Maybe this would be easier... Keeping up with my studies is some distraction, at least, she muttered to herself mentally. She knew it was a poor excuse. But it was something. Her sandals flapping, she stopped when she'd reached what she remembered as Alec's door. It's underneath Nita's, right?Hesitantly, Kikue tucked the bandana into her yukata folds. With a clawed hand she was extremely aware of, she knocked softly on Alec's door. Hopefully he would be home... Alec Derring "S'oveh 'ere." Alec mentioned as he walked beside Natsumi past the few duplexes that seperated theirs from each other. He motioned his arm towards the door just as he caught sight of a figure standing outside the building.
His first thought was obviously bad, the teen's paranoia towards the island's staff rising into some extravaggant story in his mind that ended in him being dragged off to be experimented on. He then realized that there was only one figure, contrary to the hordes of jeeps he vividly remembered from that encounter with the red man. Squinting his grey eyes, he attempted to recognize the person as a bit of his courage came back to him. "Kikue?" Natsumi Tanaka Natsumi's face was still a bit flushed from the earlier issues, her hands clasped together infront of her. "Mn." Natsumi nodded, following his gesture to the building... Wasn't Nita's around here somewhere? It was a passing though that was quickly dropped when she spotted the figure outside Alec's door. Kikue was it? She glanced to Alec, inwardly hoping she wasn't about to be in the way of something... She thought about leaving right then but.. she needed that towel he had. Nita MacNeal Nita had been sitting out on her balcony, reading with the last of the fading light. As the sun set, she stretched and put her book back inside before returning to enjoy the cool night air. Moments later, she caught a glimpse of white approaching the duplex downstairs. Kikue, perhaps? No sooner had the thought crossed her mind, when she heard the unmistakable sound of Alec's voice. Curious, she leaned over the rail and waved. "Evening, guys." Yamamoto Kikue Surprised to hear her name, Kikue turned to see Alec approaching with someone she didn't recognize. Barely a minute after that, Nita popped her head over the balcony, too. Oh! ...This might be karma getting back at me for avoiding people for over a week...Kikue felt nervous for some reason; she guessed maybe it was the other person, since she didn't know them. Putting her hand into the folds of her yukata, she pulled out Alec's bandana and held it in her hands. She gave Nita a friendly wave. "Hello...I didn't think so many people...would be out." She turned back to Alec and the girl -- woman? -- with him. Getting a good look at her, Kikue was surprised to note her features. ...This girl. Is she the other Japanese here on the Island?Alec Derring Alec smirked, pleased to see the young woman again. It'd been an eternity since that day on the cliffside and he had been wondering how she was doing, especially since the freshest memory in his mind regarding the matter was the rather tattered state she was in when he left her in her duplex. "Aye, 'ow are ye?" He waved to the felinesque girl just as a certain nosey red-head popped over the side of her balcony upstairs. In the dark, it still managed to startle him a tad.
"EY! .... ya buggah." He muttered amusedly, waving to Nita as well. "Ye, a' bit o' a crowd 'appenin?" The teen chuckled and before he could think to ask Kikue why she'd been lurking about his duplex, he walked over and unlocked his door. "Ye comin' in th'lot o' ya?" Natsumi Tanaka Natsumi shifted uncomfortably, equally noticing Kikue's Asian-like features... That seemed both inviting and at the same time uninviting. The fact she was pregnant was being more and more hard to conceal, not nessicarily because of the size.. but because of her general inability to keep secrets. And if Kikue was Japanese, Natsumi doubted it would be taken as well as Nita had taken it. She would undoubtably be seen as... well. Dishonorable.
Speaking of Nita... Natsumi's smile returned as she spotted the familiar woman, giving a small wave, more mindful of her sweater's limitations now. "Coming in...?" she echoed, turning back to Alec "But.. I.. I do not want to be a trouble..." she fidgeted. Nita MacNeal Nita grinned at Kikue and Natsumi and clattered down the stairs. "Sure, may as well," she said. "I wasn't doing much of anything anyway." Down on the 'street,' Nita gave Kikue a quick hug. It was good to see the girl was still doing well. She followed the group into Alec's duplex, mindful of the debris on the floor. Yamamoto Kikue Kikue was surprised at Nita's hug, yet somehow, she appreciated it. Following the panda girl into Alec's duplex, Kikue cast an eye on the other Asian girl with them. Again, she still didn't know her. Who was she? She looked Japanese; surely this was the girl that had been mentioned to her before? Giving Nita a smile for the hug, Kikue glanced quickly at Alec before addressing the other girl. "I don't believe we've met," Kikue said, with a soft smile. The other girl looked somewhat worried; Kikue felt the smile might help. Maybe...my claws and all...make her nervous.She tried not to worry about it herself. She was really there to give Alec back his bandana, after all. Alec Derring Alec went inside, kicking a wide path clear of all his discarded clothes and items that were occupying the floor of his duplex. Making sure there were some chairs that were free of clutter, he stumbled over to his minifridge to grab a soda. If anyone else needed a seat they could clear some space off of his bed.
"Ah, thas' Kikue." He interjected, pointing towards the clawed woman in the yukata. "Kikue, meet Natsumi." Tossing a hoodie into a pile in the corner, he went and sat down on his bed. "Oh... an' thas Nita." Somewhat of a mumbled afterthought. Natsumi Tanaka Natsumi blinked as she suddenlly seemed to have no choice in the matter of entering the man's room, oh well.. It'd be rude to run off now. She offered Kikue a smile in return, bowing her head as she spoke "I do not beleive so either... I am Natsumi Tanaka." she breifly wondered if she should have went back to the old way of saying her name.. It was hard to tell.
She blinked as they seemed to be being left outside, quickly following the group into the mess. Only to be met with the sudden urge to offer to clean the man's room... She kept those thoughts to herself.
"Kikue.." she repeated the name, nodding to the other asian-woman. "It is nice to meet you..." she turned to Nita "And I know Nita." she offered a slightly wider smile towards her friend, releived that she was there too. It ebbed the nervious awkwardness. Nita MacNeal Nita resisted the urge to start compulsively picking up dirty clothing and throwing away old food. Instead, she picked her way through the mess to an unoccupied chair. She sat quietly through the introductions, since she knew everyone in the room. "Thanks for the mention," she said wryly. "But how're you all doing?" Yamamoto Kikue Kikue bowed to Natsumi in return, pleased to see that this was indeed who she thought it was -- the other Japanese on the Island. "I am Yamamoto Kikue," she said, offering her name Japanese-style, as it was how she commonly said it. Kikue's furry ears flicked as she watched Alec shove things around in his room to make space. Saying it was a mess in here would be an understatement. It didn't bother her too much though -- it wasn't her own room... "I guess we all know Nita," Kikue said cheerfully, breaking into a smile. She nodded. "...I've been...alright..." Instinctively Kikue bit her lip, only to regret it immediately. The large canines were still hard to remember when it came to expressions... "I've been alone for a few weeks...I've been trying to keep studying." Her eyes glanced to the messy floor, and she idly pushed a soda can with the tip of her sandal. The claws had left holes in the soles. "It's hard though..." She sighed. She was sure they knew how it felt, too. Alec Derring Oddly enough, Alec didn't think it was strange to have a gaggle of woman in his duplex at once. As long as they didn't start talking about girl crap. Then he'd be sure to kick them all out.
For now, he simply let them introduce each other at their own leisure as he shuffled over to the minifridge again to grab some drinks for everyone. Forgetting to grab any alcohol to stock for any sort of occasion that demanded it, he figured they'd have to settle for cola. He wasn't educated on the formalities of entertaining so it was a miracle he even thought to offer anything in the first place. "Soda?" He interrupted momentarily, wiggling the can he'd been holding and stacking a few more ontop for them before returning to his seat.
"Are ye feelin aneh betteh now?" He asked this to Kikue, lack of manners preventing him from feeling awkward about butting into the conversation again. Natsumi Tanaka Natsumi was both excited and nervious at the confirmation of the girl's origins. She wasn't alone.. but at the same time, the idea of her pregnancy wouldn't be taken as well as Nita had done.. Or even Alec.
Either way, she ignored that for the moment, finding herself a seat amonghst the mess... She gave it a look over once more, hardly able to help being a bit of a neat-freak. Back at hom she constantly cleaned others messes. Family, mostly her brothers.. and then at work.
The look around had been quick though, before landing back on the Japanese girl as she spoke. Hard.. She wasn't exactly sure what that had meant, at first she thought of the homework.. But something about that assumption didn't seem right. But the idea of the transformation hadn't quite hit her yet, she had practically ignored her own, and done the same with pretty much everyone elses. That was, ignoring her mental guessing game at what they were. Speaking of which, Kikue's few features threw her for a loop.
Before she could ponder on it further she was distracted by Alec, smiling some at the offer. "Yes please..." Then taking the soda as it was passed to her, poping the top, she fell back into silence. She was more than happy to give away attention at the moment, she'd had far too much that night already. Nita MacNeal "Thanks, Alec," Nita said, accepting the drink and attempting to hide her surprise at the gesture. She could give him at least a little credit.. right? She sat back in her chair, making a face at the dirty sock she'd missed in her quick clearing-off of the furniture. She smiled at the girls, wondering if they would take comfort in finding each other. Of course Nita had met several other Americans, but she thought it would be nice to find someone else from Ohio, or even from the Midwest in general. Not that they would necessarily be instant friends, but it would still be nice... Nita realized her thoughts were rambling. Turning her attention back to her soda and the others in the room, she said, "Well, I'm glad you're all doing okay, considering. I know it gets a little tedious, but I try to keep myself busy." Yamamoto Kikue Kikue politely declined Alec's offer of soda before answering his question. "I'm feeling a little better, yes, thank you...I've been trying to work on my studies, and not think about it..." Quickly, while the thought was on her mind, she pulled out his bandana from her yukata folds. It was washed and folded carefully. "Speaking of that time...I need to return this to you..." Beginning to bit her lip -- which she stopped soon enough -- she held out the bandana too him. "Thank for your help back then," she said quietly, giving him a small smile. She felt emabarrased, remembering her transformation in front of him...and Joliette. Instinctively, one of her furred ears flicked at the sound of Natsumi's can of soda hissing open. ...Alec Derring Alec blinked, having forgotten all about the bandanna he's lent to Kikue that time on the cliffs. He stared at her for a moment before suddenly recalling the item she was holding and quickly made an effort to take it so she wouldn't have to hold out her arm for so long or anything like that. "Uh, ah ye. Neh probl'm."
He smiled a bit shyly and looked down at the item in his hands. She'd washed it and everything. It didn't even smell like his anymore, though he didn't exactly mind; it made him feel a little weird though. Leaning to the side, he neatly placed most likely the cleanest piece of clothing in his entire room on a pile of laundry by his bed.
"'Am doin' alrigh'." Since the question had made its rounds, he figured he'd volunteer an answer as well. "Lil' ti'ed. 'elping Amaya ou' an' all. She's a lil' skittish still." The teen rubbed his flattened nose and casually reclined. Natsumi Tanaka Natsumi watched them a moment, before looking away... It was rude to stare right? But now she was staring at Alec's unholy mess... Which was rude as well. Again she tried to find a new subject to look at, only finding Nita. She offered the friend an awkward smile, trying not to let her general nerviousness of the whole situation get to her... Normally, she would have been overjoyed to see someone from Japan... Normally, she was somewhat of a people person... But right now she felt like hiding until the baby was born.
She returned her attention to her host and his friend, giving a sip of her soda. For a moment she missed her water, but it was quickly dismissed by the fact she was just thankful to have a drink to focus her attention on.
She waited a moment more, mentally working up her courage to when the conversation would hit a slope. When the conversation seemed to die for a moment, she took the opportunity. "Aa... Kikue...San." she almost flinched when the girls first name came out, she'd been on the Island so long that she'd picked up a new habit... Bad start. "You are.. from Japan, yes?" she hoped so... How embaressing it had been when she mistook a korean girl for a Japanese once. Nita MacNeal Nita turned to Alec, letting the two other girls talk. "What happened to Amaya?" she asked. She hadn't seen the iguana-girl for a few weeks, but she'd seemed alright then. Nita sipped her drink, absently thinking that some fresh bamboo really would hit the spot. Yamamoto Kikue Kikue was generally relieved once Alec took his cloth back. Offering him a smile, she had only just realized that she was still standing while others were sitting -- when Alec mentioned Amaya. Who is that? I must not have met her yet... Trying to be casual in looking for a place to sit, it was Natsumi that then caught her attention. Blinking for a moment, Kikue broke into a genuine smile this time. "Yes, I am Japanese," Kikue said, remembering only then how much she missed hearing Japanese spoken around her. Natsumi's added "-san" made the homesickness well up in Kikue's chest, but she controlled it. This was no time to get emotional again; she'd been doing more than enough of that in public. "Are you, too, Natsumi-san?" Kikue questioned. The girl's name was definitely Japanese, but she might not be such. It was hard to know these days. But she looked it, which made Kikue feel somewhat comforted. There was a brief, wistful look on her face, before she looked at Natsumi again. Alec Derring Alec had thought his comment had slid past the attention of everyone in the room and was tehrefore a little surprised when Nita inquired about Amaya. He took a long sip of his soda, not really wanting to talk about it. Why the hell did he have to say that anyways?
"She changed." He nodded and kicked at a running shoe that was laying amongst the mess around his feet until it tumbled towards the nearest wall. It was almost as if he was choosing his words carefully for once. "A big woon. She's all iguana now." He spoke mainly to Nita, assuming she was the only one listening. Natsumi Tanaka Natsumi seemed releived when she answere yes, not to mention she was smiling. That was always good. "Aa. Yes. I am.. From the Kyoto area." She smiled now, getting the same feeling of homesickness but keeping it aside for now.. Simply enjoying the fact someone would knew what she meant by Kyoto or anything else she decided to mention.
For the moment, she kept out of the conversation about someone she didn't really know... Besides, it didn't seen Alec wanted to talk about it juding from his short responce. Nita MacNeal Nita's whitened brows knitted together at the news. Amaya had been so.. reptilian.. already. How much more 'iguana' could she get? "Wow," she said softly. "Is she done, then?" Nita didn't particularly mind her own changes, but she knew perfectly well that very few of her fellow islanders were as nonplussed. Yamamoto Kikue Kikue's furry ears flicked. Iguana. She could hear Alec and Nita perfectly, and she registered the information fast. A girl named Amaya. She had finished transforming? And her animal was an iguana? I haven't met her yet...but maybe I should soon...It was Natsumi that brought Kikue out of her reviere. Suddenly excited, she clasped her clawed hands together without thinking. "The Kyoto area? Oh! My mother was also from Kyoto..." She gave a slight, painful pause, but recovered. Lowering her hands, she forced a smile. "My father is from Kobe, but we lived in Tokyo. Have you visited there?" Secretly, Kikue almost wished she could speak to Natsumi freely in Japanese. To hear someone else speak it...how much she wanted to hear the other girl talk to her in it. But not here. It would hardly be polite. Kikue nodded her head slowly at Alec, whether he noticed or not. Amaya. Kikue resolved to learn more about the girl, soon. She already knew what needed to be added to her database. Alec Derring Alec wrinkled his nose in distaste of the topic but continued on with little hesitation. It was about time he'd gotten the opportunity to vent to someone of all the pent-up feelings he'd been unable to show the past week. "'ell if a' know." The teen looked irritated, already pondering fleeting thoughts like if Amaya got back to her duplex ok after that one chat in the cafeteria with Cody. So much stress. Since when was he so stressed out like this?
After a moment he visibly calmed down, mentally cursing the ordeal that had occurred recently which obviously left him acting and feeling a little strange. He hadn't realized how much it had really disturbed him. "A' d'n realleh... know... wha' a' iguana looks like anehways. Bu' a' think it's oveh. Fo' 'er." What exactly was 'over' wasn't very clear by the way he put it, and it wasn't even clear to himself. The big question was, what did happen to someone who can't be changed any further from being human? Natsumi Tanaka "Really?" Natsumi grinned, "We lived just outside an Inari shrine, my parents worked there... And me and my brothers helped often." she sighed a bit, still smiling though. She really did miss them, talking about it both made her homesick.. and yet it also cheered her up. "Tokyo? We had gone once when i was very little." Her tone sounded as though she were impressed that Kikue had lived in Tokyo.
Natsumi mentally frowned at the conversation next to them... She didn't really want to think about what would happen when she changed next. Just ignor it. Nita MacNeal In spite of her promises to herself that she wouldn't think that way, Nita couldn't help but feel like she really was one of the 'lucky' ones. At least she still had her hair... Nita gave herself a mental smack. Poor Amaya, she thought. How was she supposed to help people see the good of the Island when teenaged girls were being turned into giant lizards? Nita shook her head. She would have to think about that later. In the meanwhile, she would do her best to look out for Kikue and Natsumi; both for their youth, and Natsumi for her pregnancy. Even Alec. As much as he annoyed her, Nita sort of thought of him as a younger brother. Exasperating, but not too bad overall. Again, there was time that kind of pondering later. Aware of Alec's wish to drop the subject, Nita simply nodded and turned her attention back to Kikue and Natsumi. "I'd always wanted to visit Japan," she offered. "I took a little bit of Japanese in middle school, but I've forgotten most of it." Yamamoto Kikue "...Bu' a' think it's oveh. Fo' 'er." The words were distracting. Immediately Kikue thought of Pyroth, wondering if he was okay. Had he changed, too? In a way that made Kikue chide herself, she wondered worriedly what Amaya looked like. What "over" meant. Perhaps she shouldn't think about it... Forcing herself to focus on Natsumi, Kikue found herself swept back up into memories at the mention of Natsumi's own past. Her eyes nearly shone. So rarely did she let emotions take control, but that was all that seemed to be happening recently. "A shrine! Natsumi-san, that must have been amazing. I love the old shrines; my mother was so interested in them, too. We visisted Kyoto shrines often." Conversation swelled in her chest. She had so much to say! Memories were churning in her mind, and Kikue had to stop herself from bursting onto a myriad of topics, like how she had packed a few god idols with her and ended up with them here, how she had visisted various shrines in Tokyo, to talk of Kyoto or Kobe's good food... Kikue controlled herself, but it was hard. She wanted to say so many things, and more, to ask Natsumi them, too. Where had she gone to school? What were her favorite Japanese foods? Did she like any singing idols, anime, or manga? What was living in a shrine like? All of Kikue's thoughts came to the tip of her tongue and died. Forcing out a nervous laugh, she pushed her whitened bangs out of her face. "Please excuse me, it's been a long time since I was able to talk about home, it's very exciting..." Hearing Nita, however, caused her again to fall back into the tumult of emotion. "Really, Nita-chan?" Kikue laughed. "You should visit! It's a beautiful country. I love it there. Maybe you still remember some Japanese." A bit of a teasing smile crossed Kikue's expression. I do wish all of you knew it, so that we could all talk together freely..."What about Alec-san, too? Have you ever been to Japan?" Kikue clasped her clawed hands together again hopefully. Alec Derring Alec watched Nita turn away, having not heard her reaction to what he'd said -if there had been one at all. He didn't expect them to care. Hell, he'd give anything not to care at this moment, but it just wasn't so.
Taking another sip from his soda can, he momentarily allowed himself to fall into the background as the girls spoke about home. It was fun to listen to people talk about exotic places he'd never even heard of like i twas nothing at all. It was good distraction too.
At Kikue's question, he couldn't help but snicker a little. Her enthusiasm was uplifting. "Neh, neh." The teen smirked and changed the position of his legs as they hung off the side of the bed. "A' d'neh a lo' abou' Japan o' anehthin'. Joost th' lil place a' come fr'm." Little was an understatement. Natsumi Tanaka Natsumi was taken by suprise at the responce to the shrine... It had always seemed so common since she lived there, but she guessed that her excitment to Tokyo seemed the same.
Still, she sucked up that bit of admiration like a sponge, she was still a teenager, a reserved one, but one none the less. "Aa really? I love our shrine... It was small, but it got buisness still... I wonder if you ever came to ours..."
She turned as Nita spoke, smiling still as she listened to the two say a few words. Though Alecs words were hard to understand... She caught enough to make due. Just smile and nod, right? "I do wish you could both see it..." She let her mind wander on just how fun it would be to take her new friends back to Japan and show them around... How her parents would react to someone like Alec...
Then reality followed those thoughts, how mad her parents would be at her, the changes, and ofcourse the fact they were stuck here... Her smile practically fell off her face, leaving only a small fake one, which she covered up by taking a sip of ehr soda. Nita MacNeal It wasn't that Nita didn't care about Amaya... She cared a lot. She just couldn't think about that just then. Much better to listen to Kikue and Natsumi, even if it brought up some uncomfortable thoughts as well. Nita shook her head. "I hardly knew anything to begin with. Just like, 'hello, goodbye, please, thank you, my name is...' Numbers. That kind of thing. I would love to visit, though." Even if it is highly unlikely that we're ever leaving. And if I did, I'd be a red panda randomly walking around Tokyo. The mental image was almost funny. Yamamoto Kikue Kikue noticed the dropped expressions and forced smiles. Of course. It was so easy to stand here and tell them everything, and to invite them to come with her, but where would she go? Undoubtably that fact was weighing on them, too. The conversation lulled, cold now, and Kikue shuffled her feet openly, rubbing the back of one of her legs with one idly. She was careful to avoid the claws. After a moment, Kikue looked around the room, trying to distract herself by looking at Alec's plethora of...belongings. Even after Nita's wish to visit Japan, the only sound was the sipping of soda. I know what they're all thinking, who am I fooling? She just didn't want to say it out loud. While glancing about the room, her stomach rumbled faintly. Staring down at herself, she would swear she might be blushing as she quickly covered herself. "I guess I'm hungry," she got out nervously, plainly embarrassed. It was true. She hadn't eaten for a while, and with that realization came the intense hunger for what she had stashed back at her dorm : sushi, of course, but various kinds...and the speciality from home, raw deer. "I should probably get back to my duplex," she said quietly, avoiding the eyes of the others. Immediately she chided herself; why was she letting her feelings control her like this? But either way, she felt the need to get back to her own space and eat alone. She didn't know why, but that feeling burned in her chest. It just felt right. Alec Derring Alec also noticed the blanket of quiet that'd fallen over the four of them, positive that they'd had noticed it as well. He felt bad for not having anything to say, having too much on his mind and not even wanting to talk about it. Wha twas the use of bumming out people with his problems? There was enough sadness on the island.
Still, having nothing to say to four perfectly good people was tragic enough. What a shitty host he was.
"Ekay." He solemnly acknowledged Kikue as she took her leave, glancing out at the window to see how dark it was. "Ye wan' a walk back?" It had become almost customary to ask that to people. It wasn't as if he expected anything bad to happen on their ways back -assuming he would be of any use anyways in such a situation-, but the idea of offering one's company almost came second nature. After all, it never hurt to ask.
Remembering that he still had Natsumi's towel, the punk teen quickly retrieved it from where he'd left it. "Ye too?" He asked to Natsumi as he reached out to offer the linen back. Natsumi Tanaka Awkward. That was the word for it.
Natsumi found the bottum of her soda can, pausing to glance around for a trashcan with no such luck. Defeated, she simply held it deciding to take it back to her duplex and throw it away there.
She was distracted by a stomach growl in the silence, glancing to Kikue with a tiny smile, then to Alec as her towel was being returned to her. The slightest blush appeared as she took it, still a bit nervious from having to hug him ealier. "Aa.. Yes... It is late." she noted, pushing herself to a stand, looking to Kikue with a bit of a hopeful look. She really did want to find a moment to talk with the woman freely in her own language... "I could.. walk with you, atleast part of the walk." Her smile widened some, "If.. that is all right?" She turned to Alec as well, since he had offered first.. she didn't want to intrude. Nita MacNeal Nita resisted grinning or rolling her eyes. Apparently Alec's hospitable nature only went so far. She considered sticking around purely to bug him, but she was supposed to be an adult. Just because he was rude (or.. whatever) to her, it was no excuse to be obnoxious back. She stood, glancing around momentarily for a wastebasket. Lots of waste... no basket. Ah well. "I guess I'll go back upstairs then, if you're all leaving." Alec Derring Alec nodded to Natsumi, agreeing with whatever terms she'd stated since he pretty much had nothing more important to do anyways. Turning back to Nita, he gave a wide and toothy grin when he realized what he'd done. Was it possible to tease and make fun without even trying? Now that's talent. "G'nigh' Fuzz." The teen smirked and waited by his door for Natsumi and Kikue with a cocky look on his face. "Don't steal anehthin while a'm ou'."
Kikue bowed to the group as she said her goodbyes, waiting for Natsumi with a cheerful look once she'd heard the other asian girl was coming along. Natsumi Tanaka Natsumi smiled and followed the two, pausing to turn and give a wave to Nita "Goodnight. Pleasent sleep." and so, after mushing pleasent dreams and sleep well into one sentance, she was headed out as well. Even though she was a bit of a people person, she couldn't help but want to retreat back to the solitude of her duplex after the series of awkward moments the night had brung. Nita MacNeal "As if I would!" Nita protested, aiming a (mostly) playful kick at Alec's shins. She left the duplex along with the others, calling, "Good night, and sleep well." Letting herself into her own upstairs unit, Nita tossed her soda can into the trash and got ready for bed.
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Posted: Wed Jul 19, 2006 10:46 am
Impromptu Snackage on the Beach Pyroth Ignatius
It was a beautiful day weather-wise on the island, but really, when wasn’t it? Today the sun beat down upon the duplexes, the jungle and, around the edges of the island, the beach. However, today it also highlighted a small plume of smoke rising up from the strip of beach nearest the village. On closer inspection it was apparent someone was having a barbeque of sorts, that someone was Pyroth. After quite a significant number of failed attempts, he had managed to set up a fire, over which hung a piglet on a spit, rotisserie style. The wounds on said piglet were almost all tooth marks, making pretty obvious the manner in which it had been dispatched. The entire beach for quite a stretch smelled like cooking bacon and charcoal.
Meanwhile Pyroth sat casually on the trunk of a toppled palm tree, his hind legs crossed, tail swishing contentedly behind him, his eyes on his homemade cooker, rotating the piglet with one paw. Why he had decided to cook the pig rather than just eat it was anyone’s guess, even he wasn’t sure. In some way it made him feel human to cook food first rather than eat it raw, even if part of him thought cooking food killed it’s taste.
He’d also managed to grab himself a glass of Jack Daniels from the bar and furnished it with coke and some ice. Of course there was always a catch, wasn’t there? He had it in a bowl, out of which he could contentedly lap the liquid rather than spill it all over himself by attempting to drink it.
Like this, he almost felt civilised.
Almost.
It was a change to his near-feral lifestyle of late, one which had really begun to irk the human side of him, the coyote wanted nothing more than basic survival, Pyroth wanted some degree of refinement. He’d probably go home to his duplex later, have a pleasant shower, find some way to occupy his time and then sleep in a bed. Like normal people.
Still, it was nice to have a choice.
Nita MacNeal Nita emerged from the jungle, having spent much of the morning dozing between two branches of one of the many enormous old trees. The sun warmed her fur as she stepped out onto the beach. She really should take a quick dip in the ocean before going back to her duplex or else she would end up a bit too warm. Nita's sensitive nose twitched and her eyes watered as they sensed the smoke on the breeze. Smoke and something that smelled awfully good. A moment later, the lone figure of an islander sitting next to a campfire of sorts came into view. A predator, she decided, and not just because of the boar roasting beside him. The red panda was nervous, but Nita quelled her own fears by asserting that whoever-it-was had obviously just hunted, and probably wasn't interested in skinny girl, fluffy tail or no. Nita approached him, making just enough noise so as not to sneak up on him-- she had learned that lesson well enough. "Er, hi," she said, trying not to stare. This man -for surely he was a man under all the fur and decidedly canine features- was more changed than anyone she'd seen, even more than Cassidy. Was this how Amaya looked? So awkward and.. animal. Pyroth Ignatius Pyroth had been preoccupied with tossing some more sticks on the fire when Nita first emerged from the jungle and as such, he didn't spot her. Nor did he catch her scent thanks to the nose-numbing qualities of the scents that washed around him. It was only when Nita came close enough to be within earshot and, therefore to be hard to miss visually with her vibrant fur did he look up, ears perked.
"Oh!" he said, surprised but not necissarily negatively so. "Hello there. Sorry, didn't spot you, got to keep turning this damn pig before it ends up unevenly cooked." as if to illustrate his point, he reached out a paw and with some degree of effort thanks to the non-opposable nature of his digits, turned the beast that cooked over the fire.
He glanced back at her with a canine grin. It was surprising how much the prospect of a good meal could brighten him up. "Name's Pyroth." he said matter of factly, ignoring Nita's surprised expression, he was used to odd looks by now, aware that he had passed a point of transformation that most in the island didn't want to, ever.
Sitting back further on his branch (though very carefully so, his back muscles and shoulder muscles were ill-aligned in their in between stage and hurt like hell at the wrong angle) he looked her over once, having to concentrate on vision over anything else. Normally smell was his primary sense. She looked quite far along in her transformation, a fact that made him smile apologetically. "No need to ask if you yourself are an inmate here, eh?" Nita MacNeal "I'm Nita," she said, offering a hand to shake (and hopefully not getting the pig-covered hand in return). "Nice to meet you, I suppose." She grinned, the unspoken sentiment, ' under the circumstances,' hanging in the air. Nita realized, in spite of her best efforts, that she was staring. Feeling a bit guilty (although her inspection of Pyroth was purely curiosity and not particularly horrified), she perched herself on another fallen branch. Her tail stretched itself out behind her for balance. "So," Nita asked, "Did you catch that yourself?" She jerked her head at the roasting pig. She wasn't really nervous anymore, cheered by Pyroth's forthright manner. Pyroth Ignatius Pyroth nodded, taking the profferred hand and giving it a shake with the paw he had been reserving for holding his drink rather than turning the pig. "Pleasure's all mine." he said with a grin "It's been quite a bit since I met someone else from the island, I've been keeping to myself a bit more of late." Pyroth really wasn't sure if his seclusion was a result of instinct or simply his choice of location being so far out of the way, either way, he didn't mind meeting anyone today, if he'd been so bothered, he wouldn't have set up a barbequeue in the first place.
As Nita took a seat, he glanced over and replied somewhat proudly. "Yep, caught it out in the jungle. Sheer luck though, those pigs are speedy little gits and the big ones can kick a pretty nasty hole in you if they get half a chance." he gestured to the scar on his shoulder where the fur hadn't grown back, just above the knife wound he sustained during the Aubrey attack -still visible as a scar even after this amount of time- "Got that by letting one of the big ones get too much breathing space, and I was lucky."
He turned the pig again, eying it hungrily. "Taste fantastic though, nothing like that cheap prepacked stuff they serve in the cafeteria, these pigs are pork with /attitude/" he laughed "Well worth the dangers." Nita MacNeal Nita looked suitably impressed. By the toothmarks on the carcass, it was pretty obvious how Pyroth had brought down the attitudinal porcine. She whistled at the scar on his shoulder. "I bet that hurt like hell," she commented drily. "I keep to myself somewhat, but there were a couple weeks where it seemed like I ran into new people every time I turned around. Got to give that 'Welcome to the Island' speech a couple of times." Nita rolled her eyes, remembering the varied reactions she'd recieved. She inhaled deeply. The pig did smell good, even to someone whose primary source of nutrition was bamboo. Pyroth Ignatius Pyroth nodded "It did at the time. Probably wouldn't have a scar if I'd gotten it seen to, but at the time..well let's just say that the idea of having to explain that I'd gotten it hunting wild pigs didn't appeal in the least." nowadays things like that didn't even phase him, but then it had seemed like a horrible and taboo action. "I didn't want any funny looks from that medical woman." he frowned "I mean, I'm 43, not 10 years old, I don't much like being dissaproved at or patronised."
He picked up the bowl of JD and casually took one or two laps of it before placing it back down again with a roll of his eyes. "Oh gods, I can't deal with giving that speech out to people, I always end up getting snappish at them and making it harder than it should be. There are more huggable people than me out there who can break it to them lightly. Besides, the news can become very real all to quickly when it's being dished out by a hunched coyote man. Nah, it's not for me."
He waved a paw "I mainly end up solo just because I spend a lot of my time in the jungle."
Rummaging momentarily in the bag he'd brought with him from the cafeteria with a plate or two and some cutlery, he fished out a packet of cigarettes and the lighter he'd used to start the fire.
"Mind if I smoke?" It'd be a bit till the pig was ready anyway. Nita MacNeal Nita chuckled slightly. That would be an odd excuse to give.. although considering their location, the medical staff had surely heard worse. Pyroth's age surprised her-- as far as she could tell, the oldest islanders she had met were maybe in their late 20s, except for Josh. Not that it was particularly easy to ascertain someone's age once they'd gone through some changes. "I don't think anyone particularly enjoys being talked-down to. I know I don't. "One guy thought I was off my rocker or something. Of course, I'd only changed once back then, so I was just a little fuzzy, and the tail hadn't showed up yet. At least people would probably believe you right away," she pointed out. She shook her head at his question. Cigarette smoke did bother her, but they were outside by a smoky fire anyway. "Go right ahead." Pyroth Ignatius He nodded in agreement "Yeah, it's made worse by being here I think, being talked down to is one thing but being talked down to by someone who is turning you into an animal is something quite different." he smirked.
"Yep, disbelief is one way people seem to deal with it, they won't beleive that anything's going to happen to them, that is until, well, it does. I suppose it was better in some ways for me, I didn't have anyone to compare myself to, didn't even know the nature of the island at first. The only thing that was rough was the first transformation, at least with some of the newer islanders they know what to expect, that something's inevitably going to happen. With me it was just one very very interrupted nap." he shrugged "But yeah, I'd say that they'd have to be crazy not to believe me, I've never seen makeup or prostetics this real looking and with a detectable pulse."
In response to her agreement that he could get away with a smoke, he, with some difficulty, took out a cig and through some complex balancing act with his paws, managed to light it and get it to his mouth. Quite happy at managing to do it without setting fire to himself he beamed proudly before stating. "These damn paws are a nightmare."
Sliding off the branch, he got to his hind paws, his posture as usual falling somewhere between upright and quadrupedal, and trotting awkwardly over to the fire, he turned the pig again and shoved another branch on the fire.
"Looks almost ready I'd say. Fancy a slice when it is?" Nita MacNeal "The guy who thought I was crazy, he's probably changed by now. I did run into him later, and he apologized, sort of. So there was a little bit of vindication, at least." Nita laughed. "We really should make pamphlets or something to stick in the newer duplexes. 'Yes, You're Turning Into An Animal.'" She looked Pyroth up and down again, taking in the true extent of his changes. "So.. I guess you were one of the first, then?" Nita asked quietly. She almost offered to help him with the lighter, but figured he might want to keep what dignity he had left. "Hm? Oh, sure, I'll have a bite, thanks." Nita smiled. She knew from her reading that while red pandas mostly ate bamboo, their digestive systems were actually suited for meat. Just one more way that the natural world was easily as weird as the Island. Maybe. Pyroth Ignatius Pyroth nodded and chuckled "That or they could hire official island "greeters" people who stand at the labs, shake someone's hand and say "welcome to the island, from here on out you will mutate into some sort of animal or hybrid thereof. Have a nice day." It'd save us watching that heartache all over again."
Not wanting to get caught up in depressing thoughts like that though, he went on. "I think so. My duplex is number five, so I'd assume that I must have been fifth on the island, though it wasn't intentional, I was shipwrecked and ended up getting helicoptered here to "safety", yeah, right." he rolled his eyes "That was in August last year. So almost a year I think. Feels longer."
Heading over to the bag he'd brought, he took out a knife and promply tested the pig to make sure it had cooked right the way through. It had thanks to him remembering to remove the entrails prior and cook it hollow. Taking the bowl he'd had his drink in he headed down to the sea, filled it with water and trotted back up the beach to toss it on the fire and douse the flames.
Next he produced a two plates and cutting the boar up, procured some of the more choice ham, placed it onto the plate using a fork - and some acrobatic paw skills not to touch the meat at all- and handed it over to Nita with the fork still in it. "There's another knife in the bag over there if you need it."
For himself he just cut off a forlimb and chewed on that, he figured it didn't look as bad when you were practically all canine. Nita MacNeal "It would interesting, just to see peoples' reactions." Nita thought about that for a moment before adding, "Or maybe not. I'd hate to think someone actually thought it was funny to scare the new people." Nita wasn't that mean or jaded yet.. was she? She shook her head as if that would get those thoughts out, or at least shove them to the back of her mind. "Wow, Number 5. I'm in 42, and I know there are people at least in 51 and 52." Nita shook her head again, this time in disbelief. Could there really be that many people 'acquired,' in just under a year? Accepting the plate with one hand, she stood briefly to rummage in the bag for the other knife. Reclaiming her spot, she said, "It's the middle of July now..." Nita was quiet for a few minutes, balancing the plate on her fuzzy knees and cutting the meat into manageable pieces. "It's kind of nice to eat something other than bamboo." Pyroth Ignatius Pyroth nodded "Yeah, it'd be cruel, it just seems to fit with the island's almost metholodical procuring of subjects." he frowned "I can't believe the rate that people have been arriving, almost every week I meet someone new."
But even Pyroth was stunned at the number of duplexes currently on the island "Fifty-two!? Wow. I'd never have guessed there were so many inhabited duplexes, guess this thing is now officially a mass experiment as opposed to a test."
Chewing thoughtfully on the foreleg, he pondered this sheer scale, noting that he'd have to do some major hobnobbing to get to know that many people. He glanced back over at Nita as she spoke, raising a brow.
"Bamboo? Nice. That's a pretty rare plant isn't it?" he continued "I haven't been able to stomach many greens lately, all meat. You'd think it'd get boring but it's not /too/ bad. Same for you I guess?" Nita MacNeal Nita chewed thoughtfully. "Yeah... It's a little kid living in #51. He's about ten years old, I think. I know several people have kind of taken him under their wing... or whatever." She grinned in spite of herself. "Red panda," she explained, fingering her long ringed tail. "Diet is like, 80% bamboo or something like that. Plus some other fruits and vegetables, nuts, eggs, and sometimes meat. So we, er, they can eat other things, but mostly just don't." Nita realized she was probably giving a bit more information than Pyroth had expected, but whatever. She had done her research. Pyroth Ignatius
Pyroth blinked. He'd thought that the staff could sink no lower, but a child? "Ten years old? They brought a kid here? No wonder people are sheltering him, the poor little guy is probably traumatised." He didn't mention that in all liklihood the boy'd probably end up one of the least traumatised by the ordeal, kids seemed to learn to cope with what they were dealt. Even Colche had bounced back from the changes. But he smiled anyway "Still I suppose it's one hell of an extended family."
He himself hadn't been able to do much reasearch finding reading difficult before but now it was even harder, his nose kept wanting to do something else. "Nice. See you'll have no problem keeping healthy then. Coyotes would probably eat anything if they are hungry, I just like meat better than some other things I could be eating."
Finished the leg he was eating, he proceeded to cut up the pig into ribs, loins and such, stacking them on a plate before putting them into a plastic container he'd managed to get from the cafeteria lady, they'd be good for reheating later on as a snack.
"Though what I know about coyotes is limited to what I seen them do around where I used to live. Always assumed they were mangy idiots. Maybe I wasn't one hundred percent right."Nita MacNeal "He's turning into a dolphin, which is actually pretty cool, when you think about it. And he has MS... They're supposed to fix it. Beats me how turning into a dolphin would cure MS, but apparently it's working. He's changed once, and he told me he hadn't needed to use his catheter anymore." Nita grinned. "We went swimming and saw that pod of dolphins that hangs out around here sometimes." With her free hand, she pointed out across the water. She and Cody had both been pretty excited about that. Nita shifted on the branch, being poked uncomfortably by something underneath her. "I actually asked the labs what I was turning into, before I changed. I wanted to know... I'm glad I did, really. They do have a lot of good animal books in the entertainment room, so the least we can do is be informed." She shrugged. Maybe it was a strange way of looking at things, but Nita had always stressed the importance of knowledge. Plus, knowing a little about the animal had helped her with her changes, especially when it came to instincts. Pyroth Ignatius "Ah, I suppose I can understand taking in a kid with a disease like that, see if the change can fix the stuff that was malfunctioning in their body or something. He won't be able to walk anymore though will he?" he shrugged "I suppose giving up the ability to walk is better than giving up other more important abilities." He couldn't help but smile though at the thought of the boy getting a chance to meet the animals he'd soon be similar to. "Did he like them?"
Pyroth shook his head "That would have freaked me out more, I always think the anticipation would be worse than the actual change, my mind would make up all kinds of worst case scenarios and I'd probably have a panic attack or somethig before the transformation rather than after it as usual." he looked slightly embarrassed at divulging this tendency he had but dove onwards anyway.
"I'm a bit put off by those books, the last time I looked at one, I changed the next day." It certainly had been better than any aversion therapy he'd ever heard of.
Putting the container in the bag, he put away the cutlery that wasn't in use, offering to take the plate and cutlery Nita was using back up to the cafeteria too, if she was finished.
"But yeah, I'd better head back to my duplex, make sure they haven't cleared it out of my stuff I've been out and about that long. Not to mention a shower will take ages with all this fur." he gave Nita a nod and a grin "Again it's been a pleasure to meet you Nita, hope to see you around the island." Nita MacNeal Nita quickly finished up her portion and handed the plate and silverware over. "Yeah, I guess he won't be able to walk, but at least he'll still be able to like.. breathe air. And he was really excited to see the dolphins. He wondered if he'd maybe even be able to talk to them later on." She grinned. Personally, she thought that was a bit unlikely, but then... if someone had told her just a few months ago that she'd be turned into a red panda, she probably would't have believed that either. She stood and wiped a bit of sand and moss from her shorts (which had once been her favorite jeans with the holes in the knees). "I'd thought I was going to change during that huge storm a couple months back... There was an injection mark and everything. But then a few days later, an escort of armed guards showed up at the cafeteria. As if I could really do anyone much damage!" Nita gave a self-deprecating laugh at the thought of herself seriously hurting anyone. Sure, she had claws now but they were much better for climbing than anything else. "Well, I originally made my way over here to dunk myself a couple times before going home, so I think I'll do just that. And I'll probably take a proper shower myself; I know what you mean about having to wash a ton of fur!" Nita chuckled. "It was nice meeting you, too, Pyroth."
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