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Maryke was never one to pry thus she didn't bother questioning further, afterall who didn't have things that were too personal to mention. She took a long drag off the cigarette and let out the smoke through her nose and mouth, half closing her eyes as she let her nerves calm some.

At Nita's reply she grinned showing off her dimples and raised an eyebrow, "How do you know I'm not?" Bad jokes and nervousness usually went hand in hand, for her or anyone. But she was quickly settling into this new enviroment. She was going to ask if there WAS people like Nita who would very well eat her, but she thought better of it. She didn't want to give herself more things to worry about.

"You know," she said raising her head slightly and looking up to the stars before slowly looking back down towards Nita. "Just four hours ago I was worried about whether or not this place was going to have a closet big enough for all my clothes I brought...but now?" she shook her head, "Un ******** believable....was it this hard for you when you first learned?"

"Yeah, no kiddin'," she nodded, holding the stick between two fingers as it rested next to her lips. "I'm still a total spacecadet over it," she said waving her free hand to her head, "But....I guess....it doesn't really matter now." She hadn't meant to let her voice trail off into weaker tones. It sounded like she was weak herself, and showing any sign that things might be effecting her was just something she didn't do. She decided it was best not to dwell on it.

"I mean, I don't even know what he injected me with," she said, hazel eyes regaining some of the fire she usually had. She took another long drag and then put out the cigarette, giving Nita an analytical eye. From her feet to her middle and then finally back to the panda girl's eyes.

"God, I hope I got something like you. Hell, there's still some guys who'd go crazy over you," she said at nodding at Nita's features in approval, "Don't mean to sound superficial or anything but...." she blanched, "I don't want it to be a pig or something...and I'm not sure I even wanna know even if I could..."

Maryke outwardly cringed at the idea of the octopus man, now THAT had to be a disgusting creature. She shook her head at Nita's next words. "Hell no, I don't...not now anyway," she said with the smallest grimace. "I'd rather be surprised, 'sides if I don't know it makes it easier to ignore....or as best as I can anyway"

She thought for a moment and then sighed, "It's gettin' late, and I think I'm going to go home," said with a snarl with the thought of that's what home was now, "and take a long hot bubble bath."

She stood up and stretched her arms high above her head before gathering up her things. She looked back down at Nita and let a geniune smile show. "It was nice meetin' you Nita, and hell, for something I used to wear, you're not half bad." She began walking and turned back, giving off a little wave. "F'you ever need anything, or just get bored, I'm in 56."

With that she walked off, cursing her evident bad luck in life.

New Rp

To say that Emelyn relied entirely on nature for her survival- was a throroughly interesting... if not completely true fact. Though the bulk of her days were consumed with gathering food- mostly through gathering, some fishing and hunting- and in creating other things from the bounty of the land that would sustain her in her mountain home- there were some things... that were not quite hedgehog about the girl... and more human than she would ever hope to shed.

Emelyn stood up behind the beach bar counter and snapped the strap of her bikini back in place from where it had slid down her shoulder. Her clothes were certainly one human trapping she was unwilling to give up. Although she didn't judge Cassidy or Greer for their obvious disregard of clothing, Emelyn didn't think there would ever come a day that she would be able to do the same. There was not an inch upon the girl that could be reasonably described as 'bare'- and yet... one thing that prevailed in her mishmosh of DNA and instincts... was that very human quality- of modesty.

"Reuben, don't run off!" She called out to the dog where he bounded through the surf, trying to catch the waves with great wide bites. Emelyn didn't like being so far away from him- but there didn't seem to be anyone else around, and he hadn't wanted to follow her behind the narrow counter while she stored her berries in the beach bar refridgerator. So she watched him from where she stood, palms down on the bar counter, and one hedgehog-esque foot up against the inside of her other leg, not unlike a flamingo.

Emelyn did see the man walking down the long stretch of sand that had become one of her many homes during her half of a year in the wild. What she didn't see... were any animalistic features, or a look of fear or anger on his face. He was in normal garb- no white coat or haughty expression, so there was little doubt in the hedgehog-girl's mind that he was an islander- and by the looks of him, a new one.

Emelyn gave a sigh- just a single, sad exhale of breath that said so much in its brevity. Another islander. Would Moreau ever stop? ...She came around the side of the beach bar and sat up on a stool, letting her furred legs hand down. She put one elbow back on the bar to support herself- there was no need to go run to greet the newcomer- not when she might become his first sight of Moreau's intentions. Let him walk to his fate, rather than be greeted by it.

But Reuben had no such hang ups or musings on fate. All he saw was a man- another big playtoy. He practically leapt from the surf and made a beeline for the man, sniffing him and wagging his brown tail with glee. This one smelled funny: he was less 'complex' than his mother and her tall, furry friends.

Emelyn was surprised by the wave- even at the twenty paces or so that the man was from her, she knew she'd probably still be visible as a 'furred woman'. But all that told her was that she was not his first 'eyefeast' of islander. And so- she waved back. And smiled.

"Hello," she said, even before the man would reach her. Reuben practically danced at his side, bounding up and trying to get more ear scratches. "I see you've met Reuben. ...And I'm Emelyn."

"Tommy." She repeated it for the sake of remembering, keeping the smile on her face even through the momentary faltering of his own. It was another jab- albeit a small one- that reminded her that she didn't even know what her transformation had done to her, what she looked like. For all she knew, Tommy was looking into the face of something truly disquieting.

"If you ever have trouble remembering, you can just call me Em. Most people do, anyway." She paused for a moment before finishing her statement. "Hedgehog, by the way. In case you were wondering." She gave a soft, almost sad smile. "I suppose you've already heard 'the spiel'?"