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 Posted: Mon Feb 20, 2006 9:44 pm
Quite the Welcome Committee Island of Moreau Avery and Rex had been through quite the ordeal. After having fallen (or jumped) overboard of the cruise liner, the waves were not gentle arms welcoming the pair. Instead of others on the boat noticing the two men overboard, the fight left most of the ones who might have seen and alerted the crew either unconscious, uncaring, or scattering. Besides, not reporting the incident frees them of a potential charge of involuntary manslaughter. By the time the boat notices two missing passengers, they've been carried far away, the strange currents of the Bermuda Triangle pulling the pair towards a mysterious Island that doesn't appear on most maps. The pair is unconsicous long before they reach the Eastern Beach, being battered and bashed about by waves, despite being caribbean waters, still chilled by the February temperatures, dragged across corals and suspiciously jagged pieces of submerged metal. The blackness and oblivion of unconsciousness is in fact a welcome departure from the experience of the wicked forces of nature. *** When consciousness does begin to slowly filter back to the pair, they feel warm sands under their fingertips. However, while unhampered breaths and solid ground are a welcome savior, it only takes a moment for your nerves to awaken as well, feeling bruised and sore and battered all over. Your skin is peppered with small cuts and abraisions, aching all over, particularly spots on the back of your necks.... The cuts burn with the saltwater. Your lungs are sore, and you whease before hacking up a good few ounces of water. However, when you finally risk a look, you find yourselves coincidentially near eachother... on a narrow beach, with a massive jungle looming in front of you. In the distance a mountain rises out of the foliage, and you could almost swear you see some sort of... building up there? But it's far away, and perhaps it is just a trick of the light. Animal calls sing out to you from the jungle, hoots of monkeys, whistles and cries of birds, and the buzz of insects. And, above it all, there's a creeping sense of foreboding that you can't quite put your finger on.... Rex Vadnais The last thing he remembered was darkness, the freezing ocean water and being ripped from side to side by waves until he went unconsious. Rex felt many things before his eyes creaked open to see the island around him. The grainy warm sand on his cheek, several open wounds and an awful pain in his neck. His skin felt the tightness that he knew the ocean waters did to you.
A breath in? COUGHHACK! Rex scrambled to his knees and coughed up quite alot of water. "Ughh.." He moaned, trying to steady his breathing. At least he was alive...
After rubbing the salt and sand from his eyes, he saw the immense forest in front of him and the endless sea to his back. An island? Well at least it was better than floating out in the water until he died. What exactly happened last night? So much of it was washed in his mind, all into one big blur. Rex collapsed back to the ground and lay there in the warm morning sand, no wanting to move due to aching everywhere imaginable.
The worst was over though... right? Avery Calder He was dying. Yes, Avery was sure of it - his entire body ached, and he was sore in places he didn't even realize could be sore before. He could feel the cuts and bruises all over his body, sand irritating the wounds, and why did his neck hurt so much? He pushed himself up on his arms, intantly coughing up saltwater when he tried to gasp in breath. "Oh god," he moaned, rolling over onto his back and opening his eyes. He squinted up into the sun for a moment, trying to collect his thoughts. He remembered falling off the cruise ship, and calling for help... he thought he had seen someone dive into the water after him, but after that, he couldn't remember anything. Maybe he had imagined it? Obviously, he had not been rescued. He turned his face to the side, looking away from the sun. His eyes focused on the figure laying a close distance next to him, and he gasped. Thank god, I'm not alone, he thought, feeling suddenly relieved. He pushed himself up enough to crawl over to the person laying on the sand. "Hey... hey, buddy... are you okay?" Oh god, his throat felt like it was on fire. Rex Vadnais Rex focussed on his breathing, blocking out all sounds of the waves and the tropical birds... in, out, in-- HUH?
At the sound of a voice, everything came rushing back to him. The night before, the fight, the girl who fell over and then diving in after him. It hit him, they were deserted. Questions filled his mind like the salt water filled his stomach.
The voice. Rex jumped! er... kinda-half-rolled since his body wouldn't permit much movement when he realized there was another with him. His eyes rolled into wild realization as he made out the body next to him. A girl dressed in rather punkish clothes with long blonde hair and looking just as beat up as he was. "Yeah, I'm fine. But--" He coughed, a small amount of water coming out again, "but you were the one I'm worried about" He let out a little half-smile, trying to make the situation seem better than it was. Then he realized... this was no blondie he was talking to, but a man in woman's clothes. A drag queen... okay, nothing wrong with that.
Rex rolled over onto his back to give his belly some space, the sun shone searingly, blinding Rex temporarily.. Avery Calder "Me?" Avery blinked. "Well..." he looked around their surroundings; on one side, the ocean, on the other... a dense forest. No signs of civilization or any other humans here, it seemed. What were they going to do now? "... I've been better," he sighed. " Everything hurts... but what about you? Are you alright?" He sat down next to him, carefully, being mindful of his injuries. "Thank you, by the way," he said, softly. "For trying to help me..." Rex Vadnais "Heh," a chuckle escaped his lips, "ehh, deffinately had better days." His lips curled into a gentle smile, still looking straight to the sky. He reached an arm up and rubbed the back of his neck. It must just be from the whiplash. Surfing had taught him much about the ocean, and you don't want to get stuck in a wave's pull. It's brutal.
"Well, I do what I can. But apparently that wasn't good enough." Rex weezed a sigh, then propped himself up on his elbows, looking out to the sea. "It could be worse." Always optimistic... Avery Calder "Worse?" Avery stared at him in disbelief. "How could it possibly be worse? We're... stranded, who knows where... we both look like we got mugged, and... and I've got sand everywhere." He took a deep breath, burying his face in his hands and trying not to cry. This couldn't be happening! "What are we going to do? We're ******** stranded! On an island, or - or somewhere! God damnit." Rex Vadnais Rex looked around. He was going to cry, oh please don't cry. "Uhm... I'm just saying at least we made it on some island instead of still floating out at sea," He didn't dare mention sharks or the like, that'd probably make things worse. "I mean, as far as we know, this is somewhere in Florida! Just beyond those trees, there could be a huge resort where... we can swim with dolphins!" Rex began to fool himself, he really hoped there'd be at least some kind of building. Unfortunately, those buildings were the labs.
The man eased himself to his feet, legs quavering, and examined the beach as far as he could see. Beyond the forest, a large mountain stretched for the high blue sky. Rex swear he saw something distant glint in the sunlight... "There, see on the hillside? There's... something!" He looked back down to the sobbing man and placed a large hand on his shoulder. "Things are looking up!" Avery Calder "But I can't swim," Avery replied, laughing a little and wiping his eyes. He sniffed and looked up in the direction that Rex had noticed the building. It looked so far away... but it was better than staying here, on the beach. He sighed and slowly stood up, putting his hand on Rex's arm for support. Once he was sure he wouldn't fall over, he dropped his hand. "Alright... I guess we should get walking then, huh?" he said, taking a deep breath to calm himself. "By the way... what's your name? I'm Avery," he smiled a bit. Rex Vadnais Rex looked shocked, "You can't swim?!" He's never heard of such a thing, the water was such an important thing to him, not being able to swim would... suck. "Well that's really unfortunate."
He helped the boy to his feet to find that he towered above him, like he did with most people, "Avery? I'm Rex." He would have extended a hand in greeting, but figured this wasn't the time. Rex turned and saw the jungle, the ocean's breeze rattled the leaves and made the forest seem quite menacing. "I imagine we could get walking." But running his tounge through his dry mouth, he learned what his body really wanted. Fresh water. "Yergk... the salt water's dried out my mouth. Whaduyah say we find some water." He highly had his doubts that they were on Florida, but the building... Avery Calder "I know, I guess I just never learned," Avery said, a little embarrassed. "I can, like... float. And I can doggie paddle a little bit." "Water? As long as it's not salt water, I think I've had enough of that for... forever," Avery shuddered, and looked up at Rex. "But where are we gonna find some?" Avery had no survivor skills whatsoever. "I mean, we obviously can't just find a water fountain in a forest..." Colche "I'v got rumblies in my tumblies, rumbly rumblies in my tumblies!" Colche recited the oh so famous words that pooh bear sang in her book and she made double sure to sing it loudly. She wasn't exactly sure where she had left Lily, at the river she thought, any way, she wanted a walk and a run and where was best for a run? The beach of course! She smiled to herself ehr tiny fuzzy fluff of a tail twitching left to right as she broke throught he line of trees her long, jet black hair racing behind her.
Nestled in her arms sat a rabbit, small, fluffy and completely harmless lookign nestled in the cat girls arms. She really couldn't run with him sitting there but she would think of something. Spotting people she smiled, they must be somone she knew, she hadn't sen any of her family for a while. their scents didn't bring any particular scent to her that she knew though. But shrugging it off she padded towards them, everyone on the island was friendly. Even the men. Her huge, doe blue eyes smiled as she approached, the wind whipping ehr hair about her strangely marked features. Her most defining feature of course beign that she was naked, and partly covered in fur, it didn't seem to bother her though. Amaya Vaughan Amaya had been wandering farther and farther from her little camp, even though it wasn't intentional. Heading South she had crossed three rivers before the sound of the beach started to echo through the dense forest... it would be a nice change in sceanary compared to the dense, uninviting jungle. With a sigh she walked on, her clawed thumb absently fumbling with the locket around her neck. Recently it had been the only real sorce of comfort she got... thinking about the past and her parents. The thought of them seemed to be the only thing that brought a genunie smile to her face in time likes these.
The sand pushed awkwardly between her elongated toes, making walking a little more difficult here then in the forest. She paused for a moment, green eyes looking at the ocean that lapped at the island's edge. Somewhere on the other side of that was home... or at least she liked to think so.
Then again, did she really have a home anymore? Moreau, or Feral Labs, had legally adopted her... so this was actually her home now. Or prison. It all depened on how you looked at it. Her larges hands dropped to her sides. She didn't have a place to return to... she had nothing left that beckoned over the ocean for it. Absently she wondered how much it had snowed back in Pennsylvania.
Bah, enough of those thoughts. Shaking her head, she started walking again and... could have sworn she had heard a voice. Her brow furrowed as she climbed up a sandbank. Who was that...? She squinted and slid down the other side of the bank. "Colche!?" She called out, wondering if it was the young girl. Colche was alright! Grinning she went to run towards her, but froze. Who... were those other two people?
She stood there, staring. Though she wasn't as nude as Colche, she was only in her underwear and her scales stood out like a sore thumb... not to mention her huge hands and feet. Ian Campbell Ian had had a lot to think about after his encounter with Chana. Luckily for him he was unable to smell Emerwyn anymore and he could leave his mind unguarded once more. Around his head he wore a small woven crown of vines. It served two purposes, the first was to keep his hair from his eyes, and the second was to remind him of who he thought he was. He found the trees growing sparcer and the dirt turned to sand beneath his hooves. In the distance he could see the ocean and 4 people. Squinting he could almost identify them. It appeared that Colche and Amaya were there, as well as two people he did not know. Walking closer he saw that Colche was naked and Amaya was wearing nothing but undergarments. Not that he was wearing much more - only a pair of leafy shorts barely held together by thin strips of vine. He would have to replace them soon, they could fall apart at anytime. Ignoring the lack of clothing on his two friends he smiled broadly and despite the fact that there was nothing to be happy about he made it appear as though he was happy. "Hoy!" he called cheerfully. Rex Vadnais "Well that's certainly a start! I'll glady teach you once we get to the resort's pool" Oh man, did that resort sure sound nice. He'd never wanted to see civilization so badly.
Water could be a problem, "All of this foliage had to come from somewhere! There's possibly a stream nearb--" his sentence was interupted as Rex something running at him from up the beach. Was it a person? It was! "Hey! Look down there! It must be a resort personel, see? We're safe and sound!"
Rex looked father up the beach and saw some other kind of figure, but it had a green tinge to it. What an awkward bathing suit that woman had. "Hey... there's more of them." Glancing around, Rex began to feel a little... uneasy. Where were these people coming from?
"Hoy!" He heard. The jumpy man whizzed around and saw a person. Wait.. that wasn't a person, it was brown everywhere and... furry? Something wasn't right. "These people look.. strange.. I don't like it" Rex braced himself, did he run? Fight? Wait..? Avery Calder Avery couldn't wait to get to the resort either - in fact, he didn't even care if it was a resort, or just a crappy little hotel. As long as there was water, food, a shower and a warm bed, he would be satisfied. Avery looked up when Rex stopped speaking, noticing the three figured emerging from the forest. But there was something... off about them. "What the hell... they have... fur? And... what is wrong with that other chick?" Avery gripped Rex' uppar arm, moving to hide behind him a little. Avery was no fighter, and Rex looked like he would be able to handle himself well in a fight. "Are they some type of weird animals?" Then, a little more quietly, he whispered, "you don't think they'd... eat us, do you? Where the hell are we?" Colche Colche turned almost instantly at the sound of Amayas voice. The grin which spead ehr kitty features made ehr look very childish and delicate but she managed to break in to a sprint and virtually fling herself at Amaya, being careful of her rabbit though "amaya, amaya, amaya!" she puurred happily so glad to have found one of those family members she had been searching so hard for.
Looking up with those dark, sweet blue eyes she noticed Ian too, he was little known to her but she certainly knew him, of course there were still the others to worry about. She desperately wanted to tell Amaya of her adventureds with Lily, about the pigglett and about the fact that Aubrey wasn't on the island any more. The black bird didn't house her 'mother' figure though so all the past thoughts were scuppered as wave upon wave of happiness flooded over her. She was so glad to be with them again. Maybe the other people would be happy too.
Grinning up at Amaya she started once again on her long legged saunter towards the two unchanged men "Hi" she smiled softly, tilting her head a little curiously, all men on the island were nice, even if they weren't fuzzy. The fur on the back of her neck stood on end any way, she stopped, maybe it was better to wait for Amaya and Ian, people she could definately trust. Amaya Vaughan As the lizard-girl was gawking at the sight of Colche running up to two strange men... naked, she was snapped out of her daze by Ian's call. Looking around, she spotted him coming from the brush and couldn't help but smile as well. Both Colche AND Ian were alright! Even though it was such wonderful news for her and she wanted to run up to both of them and say how happy she was to see them, she could tell by both of the men's reactions that... they didn't know what was going on.
So she stayed where she was, her legs screaming for her to run back into the cover of the jungle and to hide. Amaya felt more exposed then she had in a long, long time. Her legs twitched a little and she took a step back. The same thing that happened with Chana was going to repeat itself, she just knew it. Her large hands rose to her chest, fingers fiddling with the locket dangling around her neck.
"Yah!" Amaya said in alarm as Colche literally flung herself onto her. She had to push one of her feet back to keep her from toppling over. "Hey Colche... I'm glad to see your alright." An awkward smile came to her features as she pet the back of the young girl's head... afterall, Colche was naked and hugging her. But she had to remind herself that it was Colche, the poor girl didn't know better and even she was rather skantily clad.
Green eyes then watched her depart and greet the other two. The girl wanted to follow, just to make sure they didn't do anything to Colche... but she stayed where she was, the fear that the same thing that had happened with Chana would repeat itself. Ian Campbell Ian's smile became genuine when he saw Colche hug Amaya and he followed Colche as she went to greet the two strange men. The men both looked really confused and Ian knew how he and the two girls must look to them. Like freaks, an inner voice told him, and he had to agree. But he couldn't let the strange men know, he had to act happy. Let them know that they were safe-ish. Especially since that none of the buildings were currently running that they couldn't get an injection. They would stay human. "Greetings." he said when he was close enough. "I am Ian, Ian Campbell." He purposely did not reach out a hand to shake - neither would probably have shaken it. "The girl is called Colche." His smile did not fade, but the look in his eyes was tired, wary. Rex Vadnais Rex's heart began to race and mind running faster than the tap water from a sink, but he still held his ground, fists clenched and chin up, hoping for the best. "I don't have the slightest clue, but we'll find out soon enough." He'd fight if he had to, even though it was one of his least favorite things in the universe.
Rex saw Colche leap at Amaya, yelling her name. "Whoa! That first one just pounced the other! What was she screaming?" The adrenaline was causing his imagination to kick into overdrive. These villagers were insane. He couldn't show fear becuase he thought Avery might have a break down... Animals could probably smell their panic.
The green thing looked okay after being attacked by that first furry person, but then she began to walk over. She was actually rather sweet looking, the adorable expression of a small girl enveloping her face. She was naked.. and furry.. but spoke english? "Uh... hi?" Rex said nervously, unsure of how to react. His strong fists softened... this thing was just too cute.
Glancing nervously around with his blue eyes, he noticed the green figure stayed back... a strategy? Maybe they weren't going to be eaten after all...
Then the third man approached, Rex less wary of this one. Who were these people?! It appeared that he had horns, antlers more-so... and was covered in fur, but walked upright and didn't seem to show much fear. Then the deer-thing spoke, like the cat girl, in english with a proper introduction. Ian? They had names... and rather normal ones at that, not some random tribal jibberish. "Yeah.. Rex... pleased to meet you?" He took a small step back, still confused as hell and scared to boot. Avery Calder "I don't know if I want to find out," Avery muttered. What the hell!? These things can talk? he thought. "What is going on here? I've never seen anything like... those... mostly naked... animal things." He felt like he was going to panic. Maybe he should run for it... no, they might try to chase him - Avery felt that he was safer staying near Rex. For now, at least. But he grew more nervous the closer the others got to them, and he tensed up, staying behind Rex. Ian? Colche? Well, their names were normal enough, he supposed. But he just couldn't stop staring. When Rex introduced himself, he figured that he should too. He wouldn't want these things to think he was impolite... "Uh. I'm... Avery," he replied weakly, and obviously afraid. Amaya Vaughan Amaya watched the two walk up and greet the strangers confidently, suddenly feeling like a incredible heel. Sighing, she walked forth as well, though made sure she stayed behind Ian and Colche. If they could do it... so could she. A little. "My names... Amaya." She added, albeit timidly while hiding behind Ian much like Avery was hiding behind Rex. Ian Campbell Ian suddenly felt very awkward. Both Amaya and Colche were practically hiding behind him. When the blond man spoke Ian almost lost his smile. So they were mostly naked animal things huh? Well, most of it was true, except that they weren't things, they had been people once too. Both appeared obviously afraid and Ian thought about what to do. He stood up straight to his full five foot nine height and spoke again. "It is a pleasure to meet thee. Do not be afeared, none of us will hurt thee, we were once human." Ian was no longer smiling, but he looked quite serious. "Just as human as both of thee, merely months ago." The truth was a valuable thing. People may not know it, but often the truth gave them more power than falsehood, and Ian needed to make sure that they knew the truth. Rex Vadnais Rex felt Avery tense up while he was still holding his arm. He would've glanced down at him, but instead had all of his focus on the "people" surrounding him. But as the animal-people closed in and spoke in english, the man began to feel safe and more secure. One thing was for sure, this obviously wasn't Florida's peninsula. He was glad that Avery was calming down too, with his attempt of introducing himself.
Rex watched as the green girl approached as well. Why was she holding back? She must've been a bit shy or something by the way she hid behind Ian the Elkman. Amaya. Gorgeous name... ooh, so thats what the Colche girl was screaming. All of the mutated people were actually quite nice! However frightening their appearance may have been. Rex nodded a head and smiled at the scaled lady. Was she a scared as he and Avery were? The didn't seem to hold back much while introducing, as if they'd done it before. Were Rex and Avery the first? How many others could there have been?
Then Ian stood tall and spoke. Old English? Rex hadn't heard them speak enough to know their accents or way of speaking. Had these people had outside contact in years, or were the exiled here? The questions continued to pour into Rex's brain. What was going on?
Ian mentioned they used to be human? "Bu-wha? How?" The man began to get even more nervous. How were these people turning into animals? It just didn't seem possible. Avery Calder When none of the strange creatures made any move to hurt them, Avery relaxed just a little, and let go of Rex's arm - he didn't move out from behind him yet, though. "Wait a second... you're human? I mean... were human? How did... why aren't you human anymore?" he asked. He was still afraid, but now moreso about how these people somehow became what appeared to be part animal than being attacked by them. They didn't seem to want to hurt them, so maybe they weren't all bad... just creepy looking. Amaya Vaughan The iguana-girl let Ian do most of the talking, her face peeking out from behind him at both Rex and Avery. She frowned at what the deer-man was saying before looking at the ground sadly. She highly doubted that either of them would believe them, despite the look on their faces.
She caught the smile Rex had given her and looked a little surprised, her eyes widdening a little bit as she shifted on her long toes. Though she didn't return the gesture, the sad frown still on her scaley features. Ian Campbell Ian's expression grew even more grim. "We became the victims of a cruel experiment. Some came on their own, under the impression that this island had a different purpose, while others washed ashore and have been held here." He could tell that they doubted him. He wouldn't have believed it himself after washing ashore. At least they were safe. They might be stuck on the island, but with all the buildings seemingly abandoned, they couldn't possibly get an injection. But he didn't mention that. He didn't want to give them any sort of false hope. Ambrose Maurlias Ambrose was still parolling the Island looking for more Islanders after his encounter with Antony and her update on her and Jamal's situation. He was glad that more and more individuals were being accounted for. However, as many as he had located there were at least that many missing.
Instead of heading back into the jungle, Ambrose started walking around the perimeter of the Island, from the West beach around the point of the South, and then to the East.
As he walked, his acute ears and nose picked up people.... several of them by the sound, talking. His ears pricked curiously, he trotted faster towards the beach where several figures emerged into his vision. A few he made out almost immediately - Amaya's familiar scent... and... was that Colche?! Colche was alright! His tail began wagging and a smile came to his face as he made out more figures - Ian!
And then Ambrose's quick approach slowed as he saw two completely new people to him. No, they just had to be people that he hadn't met yet - lord knew that there were enough people on the Island to be people he hadn't met. Hell, He hadn't actually met Antony until earlier.
While a bit more guarded, he still approached, smling widely to the group. "Colche! Ian! I haven't seen you guys in so long! I'm glad you're alright!"
His eyes strayed to the two strangers cautiosly. "Ah... I don't believe we've met...." For the moment he assumed that they had been there for a while. "I'm Ambrose."
Then why did they smell afraid....? Rex Vadnais Avery said what Rex was trying to say, but he was too baffled by the situation to express his questions into undertandable words or sentences. When Avery let go, he shot a quick glance down at the man. Obviously, he was getting a bit more confident, that's good. Rex then looked back to the three people before him, unsure of what to say.
Unfortunately, Amaya still looked shy and reserved. There was probably some reason for it, but Rex didn't even know the slightest bit about these people or their background... well.. besides the fact that they once were human. Those leftover questions still brewed in Rex's head. At least he was now standing normally, no longer scared for his saftey.
"An experiment?" Rex said, finally forming a coherent sentence. He looked to see how the others reacted, but was only welcomed by stone solemn faces. "This can't be true. I mean, how is this possible? How many others are here? Naw, you're just kidding me, aren't you." Yet Ian, Colche and Amaya stood there in front of him as real as could be. He felt like pinching himself or looking for some hidden camera. "This is just some cruel joke."
Then he remebered the night before, once more. Avery and Rex had fallen off a ship and been marooned. It was all true. But, it just didn't seem right...
Then yet another animal-person came running up the beach. Everyone here seemed to know each other, so there couldn't have been too many more, could there? Rex was too dumbfounded to say anything or even seem happy towards Ambrose. He just sat there, awestruck. Avery Calder Avery had to agree with Rex. "This is insane. People can't be turned into... animals. That's impossible!" When Ambrose approached the group, he couldn't help but think, how many more of them are there!? "No!" Avery suddenly spoke up, a little louder, when a realization came to him. "I get it! Ha ha! This is some type of furry convention! And you guys are playing a joke on us! We're really on some beach in Florida, right? At a resort!" He laughed then; it was impossible for people to turn into animals. This had to be some furry convention... it had to be, there was no other explanation. "I bet all this is fake, right?" Avery moved towards Ambrose. "You're all just wearing costumes," he said, and he reached out to tug on some of the fur on Ambrose's arm. Amaya Vaughan Amaya watched them, wondering if the two men had washed up on shore as well... if that was the case, they had picked the best time to wash up on it. The labs were shut down, even though the duplxes were too. Maybe they could find a way off the island before everything became up and running again? Or was it going to stay like this forever? She shifted from foot to foot, wondering what she could possibly say at this point.
"But..." She started, her voice timid and shy as she peeked a little out from behind Ian. "Everything shut down awhile ago. I don't think anyone is here to inject you..." Unlike the deer-man, her voice was perfectly normal... albeit it had a Pennsylvania accent.
Then another voice caught her attention. Her face literally lit up at the sight of Ambrose. There was a God! "Ambrose!" She almost squealed, eternally grateful for his pressance. He always made things go smoother. Once he was in the small 'group' she went over to him and took one of his arms into her hands like a small child, much like how Avery had been hiding behind Rex earlier.
The lizard-girl listened to Rex, her tail giving a small twitch behind her. She knew this was what would happen. Green eyes went to the ground again, not wanting to see as Avery started joking and laughing about it... just like Chana had. Her hands gripped onto her brother's arm a little tighter and she turned her head away from Avery and closed her eyes. She wished she could close her ears too... she didn't want to hear this. Ian Campbell "It's not fake." Said Ian quietly feeling very sad that those two had washed up on this beach. "These antlers on my head are attached. They have grown out of my skull. The fur is attached to my arm. My hands." Ian didn't want to think about his hands and he winced. "My hands are more hoof than hands it seems. If thou doubts you can touch them. Figure out that they cannot be removed." Ian looked behind him to Colche and saw Amaya and Ambrose together. His heart felt squeezed and he wanted to cry. To cry for all those already on the island and for those two that had just discovered it. "Ambrose, how art thou? I haven't seen thee for awhile. Perhaps thou has been faring better than I." Ian knew how he looked. There was dirt encrusted in his hair and on his face. Washing in a stream just didn't do much after awhile. He would love to have a shower if he could ever get back in his duplex. Ian's voice had sounded calm this entire time. Unknowingly, until Ambrose had arrived, he had taken charge of the situation. He had felt the need to make sure that Colche and Amaya were protected. Ambrose Maurlias Ambrose's approach slowed as he started to catch the conversation and really realize what precisely was going on. His ears lowered hesitantly and he exchanged glances with some of the familiar islanders who were all coincidentally about as changed as he was.
Talk about a shock for these two. "I.... ah.... assure it... it's genuine." He had heard of 'furries' from Angelina a few times, but only enough to know the term.
Ambrose didn't pull back when Avery reached to tug at the fur on his arm. However, the soft fur was quite genuine to the touch - soft an not with the plastic-y feel of feaux fur. ANd furthermore, it grew right into the skin, tugging against the arm, but not coming off OR moving a whole section of it as if it were a coat or a suit.
Ambrose smiled welcomingly to Amaya. "Amaya, good to see you... sorry about my absence recently." He glances around the group that has collected. "But it appears you have found about as many other people as I." He also spoke with a relatively unaccented voice - save for perhaps the hint of pretention that indicated someone from a wealthy New England family.
He took her big hand in his free one and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "How have you been...?" He added quietly, aside to only her.
The wolf nodded cordially to the stag. "Ian... I've been.... well enough as can be expected." His fur was also uncharacteristically matted, his hair disheveled.
He turned his attention back to the two newcomers, stepping forward and seeming unafraid to take initiative. "This... Island - I do not know how much they have told you.... but yes... there ... there were doctors here. And I use that term loosely. They were... experimenting on us. They brought us here under a variety of excuses. But they disappeared a month... maybe two ago. Perhaps you're lucky.... But regardless, to our knowledge we're still trapped here. Unless.. do you have a boat? Will people be looking for you?!" Rex Vadnais Rex looked to Avery with puzzled countenance. What the crap was a "furry"? He shifted uncomfortably and crossed his arms, unsure of what to believe. When Avery reached out to tug Ambrose's fur, two possibilities streaked through his mind. One, it would be a costume, the plan would be revealved and a camera crew would run out of the jungle or something. Or, this fur was real... and that could only lead to more possibilites. For some reason, Rex leaned to the latter.
He turned to the timid Amaya. "Closed down? The labs? Wait.. labs. AS in there are buildings here?" He gazed back towards the mountain and saw that same metallic glint as before. "So that's what those are."
Then Ian spoke once more, temporarily calming the conversation and settling Rex's doubt. This was real, you can't fake the feeling and emotion injected into his mini-speech. But would this happen to Rex? How was the animal determined? With each piece of information, new questions arose.
The Ambrose cleared the mist for Rex as well. Doctors? Like mad scientists? They were living in a sci-fi novel. Then Rex remembered home in San Fransico. "We both fell overboard on a cruiseliner and washed up here." The he thought about his parents, co-workers.. and Julie. He fiddled with the old engagement ring on his right hand insecurely. "No one will be looking for me." Avery Calder Avery quickly jerked his hand back when he felt that the fur was indeed very real. He stumbled back into Rex, and then got behind him again, whimpering. "It's real... but... no, I don't want to believe it," he said, tears springing into his eyes. "This is too much, I don't want to deal with this!" He knew he shouldn't be crying - he's supposed to be a man, after all - but he couldn't help it. He couldn't deal with everything that had happened to him, all so fast - first the fight on the boat, falling overboard, being stranded on some island... now these animal people were talking about experiments and doctors and labs? He reached up and covered his ears, not wanting to hear anymore. "My mom and dad were on the ship... they'll get people to come find us, they'll notice me missing. And we'll get rescued and get the ******** off this stupid island, and everything will be okay..." he sniffed, trying to convince himself that they would be rescued. There's no way he would be stuck here. Amaya Vaughan She squeezed Ambrose's hand back, though covered his entire hand with her fingers when they all curled around his furry palm. Silently she listened, eyes opening halfway but staying firmly locked on the ground.
Though as Rex spoke, she looked up slowly at him before meeting his eyes and looking towards the mountains. He seemed a little more... level-headed about the situation. "Yeah, the labs are over there." She pointed a long, clawed finger in the direction of the labs before she realized what she was doing. With a flinch, she pulled her groteque limb out of sight. "But... if you fell from a cruise liner, won't they know that you went missing?" Her eyes went back to Rex, but she didn't let go of Ambrose's hand. The wolfman could probably still smell her overall nervousness.
Amaya watched Avery, almost starting to cry herself. She wanted to reassure him somehow... but how could she? Look at her... She bit her bottom lip, forcing the tears gathering into her eyes to keep from slipping any further. "See? You have a chance to get off... the doctors are gone as far as we know and everything is turned off! You have a really good chance at getting rescued..." And it made sense, at least to her. When you thought about it, both of them DID have a good chance at getting rescued. Ian Campbell Ian remained silent as he listened to both of them. He liked Rex and Avery seemed a pretty decent fellow. He would probably be a bit different after getting over the fact that he was stranded on an island full of animal people. Ian was glad noth of them seemed to believe them now, but he still wanted both off the island. To spare them the same fate. "We can hope for your rescue." Unbidden a thought came to mind: It'll just be another disappearance in the bermuda triangle. No one would look for long.He sighed and his arm started to itch. Ian scowled and grabbed a handfulof sand and scraped it over his arm to relieve the sensation. "Forgive me," he murmered. "But the truth needed to be told. I'm sorry both of ye have to be here, but I doubt that ye will be leaving. From what I know this island is near the Bermuda Triangle. Ye will just be left as a disappearance in the triangle." Ian knew that he was making them have less hope, but the more truth they had now, the less hope they had to lose later. Ambrose Maurlias Ambrose inwardly cringed at Avery's reaction, even though he knew part of it was coming.
His ears lowered and he took a step towards him, despite the fearful reaction lay a hand on his shoulder. "Look... I know as much as anyone how you must be feeling right now...." He trailed off on his name. "Hey... I know you're scared... but maybe it's true... God knows I hope so... but if they do come looking for you... they you'll go home... maybe we'll all be rescued. But if the doctors arent' here, then you two shouldn't be in any ... danger of all of this happening to you as well. Despite appearances... we're just people.... we aren't going to hurt you." Ambrose thought back to Awen's stories of what had happen with her run in with Joliette and Jamal... and decided not to say anything.
"Even if you don't have anyone" He looked to Rex. "Then Amaya's right... there is still the cruise liner. I mean... I'm sure they're liable... as soon as they realize passengers are missing, there will be a report." Ambrose sounded like he was half-trying to convince himself
His face fell when the Bermuda Triangle was brought back. "But..." he protested, "IT IS just a myth after all... the cruise liner can't just pass that off - they'll have to at least look for you guys... I mean.... they might give up, but perhaps we could try to get a signal fire going." Avery Calder While their appearances were still a little frightening, Avery no longer feared being harmed - or worse, eaten - by these... people. They seemed harmless, and were trying to calm him down, at least. He just wanted to go home. He wanted to crawl into his bed with his stuffed plushies and sleep and forget any of this ever happened. What did I do to deserve this? he thought. He looked up then, really looking at them now. The girl with scales seemed a little shy, but the deer man and wolf man - Amaya, Ian, and Ambrose? - seemed a little more confident. He glanced at Rex, who didn't appear to outwardly be afraid at all. He felt a little ashamed with himself, for being the only one that was scared enough to cry. "Yeah... we can get a fire going..." he sniffed, and rubbed his eyes. "They'll find us... they have to. I mean, it's not like we could have drifted very far from the ship, right?" he asked, and sounded slightly desperate for agreement. Amaya Vaughan The iguana-girl looked up at Ian as he spoke, her frown returning. He was right... both of them were probably doomed to the same fate everyone else was. She sighed, now unable to think of any real reassurance for Rex or Avery and let Ambrose handle it.
Now that she thought about it... what if they did get rescued? What would happen to all of them that had changed already? What would happen to her? She started to get worried that they would get rescued... she had no place to go. Her long, clawed fingers reached up and fiddled with the locket around her neck. No, she couldn't think like that... no matter what happened to her, most of the people on this island deserved to go back home. They had a home to go back to.
"Right." Amaya nodded to Avery, unable to come up with much else in the reassurance area. "We can make a fire... and get you some water and food." She wanted to say 'until you get rescued'... but she wasn't sure if that was a good thing to say at the moment. Ian Campbell Ian nodded as Ambrose planned a fire. A fire was a really good idea. "There is a stream not far into the jungle. The water isn't as clean as it could be, but it is better than salt water. If we are going to stay on the beach I know where it is and if anyone had anything to carry water in I could bring some back. As for food I do not know much about where to find any; I eat leaves and grasses." Ian was no longer ashamed to admit it. He was part deer now. He accepted that. He only wished that he was human again. Ian also had no clue how to get a fire started, he would leave that to Ambrose. He could get some wood however. "I want ye to get rescued. If the doctors do reappear I want you to be as far away from this island as you could possibly get." Ian had already made up his mind that if rescue did come he would stay on the island. There was nowhere for a deerman on the mainland. Ambrose Maurlias Ambrose seemed more than happy to leap to agreement with Avery. "I'm sure they will! My camp already has a fire going, we could build a bonfire on the beach... and bring a torch from our fire... " Ambrose almost immediately started togo back into planning mode.
"You couldn't have washed far without a life raft or anything.... "
The wolf did sense the nervousness from his scaled 'sister' and he looked trepidiouly back to her again.... maybe it was just the new company... feeling sorry for them for being drug into all of this perhaps...? He gave her hand a squeeze again.
"Our camp probably still has some meat as well.... we were kind of split up when the buildings shut down." His ear flicked back in irritation. "We've spent the last month or so tryign to salvage what we could from the jungle... find out where the rest of us went. The Island is deceptively large."
Indeed, there was a makeshift spear strapped with vine to his back, a knife at the waistline of what looked like plaid sleeppants. They were branches that looked like twisted metal was tied to the ends. Avery Calder As if on cue, Avery's stomach growled at the mention of food. "I... I guess I'm a little hungry... and I could use some water, too," he said, grinning sheepishly. "I guess a shower is too much to hope for right now? I've got sand in my cuts, and they sting a bit..." Avery glanced at Rex, not wanting to go anywhere with these other people without him. He was the only one that was completely normal on this island, it seemed. Again, he felt relief that the man was here with him... but guilt that it was his fault Rex was even here. "How many more of you are there?" Avery asked. "And is the camp very far from here? Amaya Vaughan Amaya nodded to all of them. "I can probably gather some fruit. Though I don't have anything on me to carry water with... obviously." She nodded to Ambrose, knowing that getting some supplies from their camp and bringing them back was probably a pretty good idea.
Silently she agreed with Ian, even though neither of them spoke it outloud. If a ship was to come... she would probably choose to stay on the island with the few who chose the same. She had no family, the only realy family she had since her grandmother had died was right here. Beyond that, she had nothing else.
She then looked to Avery, glad that he seemed to have calmed down considerably. "It'd probably be better to wash your cuts out with salt water. Doesn't it help heal them?" She asked no one in particular. "And the camp is North of here." Amaya said, pointing a little again. Ian Campbell Ian nodded again and smiled again, feeling a little more at ease. But almost scowled at Avery's question of how many people were on the island. "More than twenty people are here." At least that was about how many people that Ian had met. "Would you mind if I stayed at your camp with ye? I've been sleeping wherever I can in the jungle, wandering around looking for people." Ian felt a pang of regret. Emerwyn, Julian, and Chana were alone in the jungle for all he knew. "Fruit?" Ian's eyes lit up. He hadn't had fruit in a long while and he loved it. What he wouldn't have given for a tomato or an apple right then. . . "Sorry, no shower. I want one too, but all the duplexes are locked according to someone else I've talked to." Ambrose Maurlias "You're welcome to either come back to our campsite.... You too Ian. We've been building lean-to's and are by the river for easy access to fresh water. We've been collecting people after a fashion - safety in numbers and we can work together to gather resources. Alternatively, you are free to stay here on the beach... or anywhere else, really. But I would think that trying to set up a signal fire while the boat stil might be looking for you would probably be a good idea. I don't mind gathering some firewood to bring over here. If you want to stay by the fire and have things brought to you, or go with someone to clean your wound and get some food is your decision."
He gestured to the north. "I'd say our camp is probably.... somewhere between thirty minutes and an hour's walk from here. Not that far. In total..... given the number of occupied duplexes before we got locked out.... probably around thirty of us."
Ambrose turned to Amaya as he headed back to where he had seen a collection of driftwood. "Feel free to come with me to get the bonfire going, or you can help them find the stream and food." Amaya Vaughan "I think I'm gonna look for some fruit, then come back here." The lizard-girl said to Ambrose and the others with a nod and a tiny smile before turning and heading into the brush. Rex Vadnais Rex had stayed quite through most of the conversation, not exactly having much to add but the occasional nod or murmer of agreement.
And the plan was such: find supplies, meet up and Ambrose's camp to the north and make a signal fire for any remote hope of being saved.
All of this hit Rex quite hard, and while remaining level-headed about the ordeal on the outside, he was really scared as hell. His mind was screaming, as were the cuts and gashes all over his body. "The salt water would sting like crazy, but it might help clean the wound. Also, if you have any alcohol, that could help kill any bacteria." He looked out to the ocean, "And my clothes were just getting dry, too." He smiled, taking another glance at these new people.
Rex wondered, what would happen if they were saved? He would go back home to his mundane job, empty apartment and lonely life. Sounds like a blast... If the Lord destined him to be here on this island, then so be it. Who knows, being an animal could be a whole new adventure, only experienced by the people on this island. But that wasn't right, he couldn't live on this island forever, right? He'd end up like one of those people on a Missing Persons show. It's not like the world would leave him behind... right? But maybe becoming an animal would be the best thing tha could happen to him, everything hadn't exactly been in his favor since he was a kid. I wonder what animal I'll beco-- No, stop it, Christian! Things will begin looking up soon.
He waved goodbye to Ambrose, "I may as well get to cleaing these cuts before they get infected." Rex looked to Avery, then to Amaya, Ian and Colche. "We'll meet up at your camp later. Hour or so's walk to the north, right? Thanks for... explaining everything to us. It means alot that you'd take the time to sort things out." He smiled, his teeth just breaking the lip-line, then turned to Avery and beckoned for him to follow. Avery Calder Avery cringed at the idea of more salt water and, even worse, cleaning his wounds out with it. Just get it over with, and then you'll get to eat when the lizard girl... Amaya, comes back with some food, he thought to himself. "Er... yeah, thanks. Catch up with you all later," Avery said, before turning and following Rex to the shore again. He didn't understand why salt water would be better for cleaning out wounds than fresh water, but Avery guessed these people know more about it than he does, so he'll just have to go along with it. When they arrived back at the shoreline, Avery walked into the water until it was up to his knees, unconcerned about getting his clothes wet again. He crouched down, and dunked both his arms under the water, inhaling sharply when the salt stung his cuts. "That hurts..." he muttered. Rex Vadnais "Okay.." Rex shook his head and prepped himself for the pain that was going to ensue rather soon, "We were just out there for hours right? What's a little more stingin' gonna do?" He gave another uneasy smile, walked about 15 feet out and dove under. Everywhere, select patches of skin burned as they were enveloped in salt water. His head poked out, bobbing on the surface with his black tie floating around his face. His face wrinkled in a pained grin and looked back to see how Avery was doing. "I don't know how this works, but it gets the job done." Planting his feet on the sea's sandy floor, he stood up and wiped the water off of his face, then continued to rub gently at the slices and punctures. "You doing alright?" He paused... thinking over his words, "This whole island thing is... quite a trip." Avery Calder Avery watched with shock as Rex dived right into the water. Did nothing phase this man? Avery had a hard enough time just putting his arms in the water, and . He looked down at the water, feeling suddenly very useless. He can's swim, he doesn't even know how to start a fire, and he can't even fight to protect himself. All he can do is reply on other people to save him... He looked up again when Rex spoke, gently rubbing his arms. "Yeah... that's one way of putting it," Avery said. "Where do you think we are..? How can experiments like this be legal? You'd think PETA would be all over their asses... and you'd think this kind of thing would be on the news, but I've never heard of it." Island of Moreau Over the next few hours, distant darkness on the horizon edges its way closer. Rumbling roars of thunder peal over the island and the sky seems to close in on the island below it like a shroud. With a CRACK a few lightning strikes hit the island on the mountainside signaling the commencement of the rains. THe rains are smothering, seeking and destroying dry wood and fires. And that's just the begining, the winds tear through the trees, scattering unsecured objects, damaging shelters. The bright sunny skies could only last so long... Rex Vadnais The cold water had left Rex unphased because of his many hours swimming in freezing water. Over the years, it didn't become much of a big deal. besides, the cold waters of the Carribean were nothing compared to his winter waters back home.
Then he looked to Avery, rubbing his hand on the tender spot on his neck once more. "Legal? I doubt it. Unless this is some secret government base..." He trailed off in thought then drudged his way back onto the sandy beach. the warmth was nice and nothing sounded better than a hot shower.
Rex looked to the horizon from which they were washed in when he noticed some clouds forming in the distance, "Well it looks like it's not all blue skies here." he smiled, pausing to enjoy the moment, before snapping to reality. "Uhh... wounds nice and clean? I reckon we oughta head back and find that... Ambrose was his? Damn, I never introduced myself." Avery Calder Avery shut his eyes tightly and splashed water onto his face, cleaning it off a bit before standing and looking up at the sky. "s**t... when are we going to get a break?" he whined a little, sighing. "I guess this means we can't start the signal fire," he murmured to himself. How is anyone going to find us now..?He glanced back out at Rex. "I'm gonna head off into the forest, before the rain starts and I get even more wet," he said to him, and he hurried past before the rain started, jogging past Ambrose on his way to the forest and dissapearing behind the trees. Rex Vadnais "Yeah.. these clouds look pretty damn ominous." Rex murmured uneasily. He didn't like the way things were looking.
Then Avery bolted past him, "Yeah, you go on ahead, I'll be right there." A strong sea breeze whipped up from in front of his and blasted his hair in an even more frazzled look than before. Brr... A cold wind and wet clothes make for one freezing man. He took off his shirt and tie then wrung them out, leaving any extra water behind in the ocean where it deserved to be. He slipped them back on then ran off into the jungle before Avery got too far.
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Posted: Tue Feb 21, 2006 3:49 pm
Naked, Wet and Lovin' it Antoinette Devereux Antony had been off gathering more coconuts when she heard the distant sounds of thunder, and with the coconuts in arms, she quickly made her way back to the campsite. "s**t," she cursed as the thunder clouds off of the coast became visible. The coconuts immediately went into the emptied shelves in the Beach Bar, where there were already stockpiles of firewood situated, just in case of rain. Suddenly, she was quite glad that her strange urge to stockpile and squirrel away all this wood, food, and whatnot. The first thing she did was move the 'sleeping' fronds into the beach bar, making it comfortable enough for her and/or Jamal to sleep on. There seemed to be enough room for them to fit comfortably until the rain stopped. Afterwards, Antony worked on building a sort of cover for the fire. They had already made a large leaning structure out of bamboo for drying clothes and whatnot, so the woman simply went to work covering the entire thing with palm fronds while using rope to secure them together. She worked quickly, and faster still when the clouds became darker and closer. All she was really worried about was the fire since it would keep away predators for the most part. The structure was solidly stuck into the ground, and Antony was confident in her craftsmanship. When she finally finished the structure the clouds were dangerously close, so she hurried to gather everything out of the 'fridge' and put it into the Beach Bar so it wouldn't get washed away. The storm looked quite threatening and the wind was already picking up. Luckily, the 'shelter' of sorts would block out the wind for the most part, though she doubted the fire would survive the night. Everything that could be blown away was now in the solid structure of the Beach Bar when the lightning hit. Antony wasn't and gasped wide eyed with the sudden bolt of lightning, the close proximity causing the thunder and lightning to occur at the same time. She didn't have the time to get under the shelter when the rain started, and was soaked within minutes. "Oh for ******** sake," she grumbled, pushing her wet hair out of her face. Well this was going to be interesting. Rex Vadnais Rex had been bush-whacking his way through the jungle for a good hour or two. He'd given up on trying to find Avery and merely assumed that he had found his way to Ambrose's camp before he did. It could happen, right? Yeah, of course it did, that kid has got some sense But Rex began to have his doubts as to if he'd been going in the right direction. Maybe he went past it? Or maybe he wasn't even near it and went the wrong direction.
The tropical rain trickled it's way down through the trees' looming canopy and eventually got Rex as drenched as he was when he came out of the ocean. He did have to admit, the fresh rain water seemed to help soothe his cuts a bit more than the salt water did. The clouds made the jungle even darker than normal and the sounds of all the birds and waves was replaced by the surges of wind and the water dropping on leaves. It would have been peaceful depending on how you looked at it. But the fact that he was marooned on an island with a mad scientist seemed to cancel out all of the peace that could be related to the surrounding.
Finally, Rex emerged from the tree-line onto a beach. You've got to be kidding me. He thought to himself. Did he just go in a HUGE circle or something? Was this a new beach? Yet all of his questioning washed away when he saw a shadowed, yet glowing misshapen mass on the beach... a camp? This obviously wasn't the beach he'd been on before. Investigation time.
Upon approaching it, he found that is was some kind of shack. Did another islander make it? The fire smoldered and hissed at the occasion raindrop made its way into the flames. He'd see if anyone was there, he was desperate. "Hello?!" He yelled into the 'house', practically screaming to make sure his voice wasn't carried away. By goly someone had better be in there, he was freezing. Antoinette Devereux Antony couldn't see the man approaching, and barely heard his yell over the howling wind. But she did, whipping around towards it, squinting at the form by the fire. Damn he had snuck up on her. ******** wind. "Who are you?!" She yelled back, making her way over to him, pushing her hair back behind her ears and out of her face. Again. When she got close enough to see him, she blinked in surprise. Could it really be... Moreau had snatched that one bad actor, Vasile... Maybe... Maybe Carrot Top had procured Ryan Reynolds! Antony practically purred at the possibilities, but instead grabbed his arm and dragged him under the shelter of the beach bar. Much better. Rex Vadnais Rex's tall figure shaded that of the woman inside, plus he was blocking the illuminating light emitted from the fire. A hand grasped his arm and drug him into the shelter swiftly. Praise the Lord, someone was there.
Once inside, his eyes had no trouble dialating to the flame's soft light. A girl was inside, soaked, like him, but not quite as bad. Her multi-colored hair looked unkempt, as expected, and he had several tattoos spreading up and down her arms, shoulders, and chest. "Oh, thank God someone was here, I thought that I was going to be in some deep trouble." He flashed his pearly-whites in an genuine grin. "Thank you for letting me in." He shivered, wringing out his clothes on the beach had been pointless. Antoinette Devereux Antony shivered once she was out of the rain and the wind was blowing on her, and after a longing glance at the fire, she sat down so that she was protected from the wind. "No problem," she offered him a crooked smile while she pulled him down with her. "I'm Antony," the woman said, glancing over his body under the disguise that she was evaluating the situation. Instead she was quite selfishly undressing him with her eyes. "You're going to freeze if you stay in your clothes... Er, we will..." She was being honest, and Antony tried not to look too excited over the idea. Rex Vadnais She had a nice smile, and then he remembered where he was! This girl wasn't transformed yet from what he could tell. She looked perfectly normal.
"Antony? I'm Rex, pleased to meetcha." His smile still plastered to his face. He'd never felt so relieved to see a human. "My clothes? Yeah, good point. I was just thinking about that." he slipped off his tie and slid his dark red shirt off in one sweep. Tha revealed all three of his tattoos and unshaven chest. He was unembarassed though, who cared about a little skin? Antoinette Devereux Rex? Damn, that meant he wasn't Ryan. "Rex...?" She murmured, smirking slightly, "Coulda sworn you were Ryan Reynolds..." He was still quite ******** tattooed woman echoed his motions, tugging her tank top over her head and wringing it out in an empty glass. Next to go were her pants, which after she unbuckled her belt, were quickly unzipped and tugged off as well. These were also wrung out into the glass before being draped partially out of a shelf along with her tank. Her eyes immediately took notice of the tattoos, and she chuckled softly to herself. They weren't customs, and she even recognized the flash. Instead of commenting rudely, Antony simply nodded in appreciation. Rex Vadnais Rex gave an quizzical look to the woman's reponse to his name, "Ryan Reynolds? I can't say I've heard of him."
He was taken slightly aback when she removed her tank top, but realized it was no big deal. he just hadn't been around a near naked woman in a few months. After Julie died, he slowly tried to get back into the dadting scene, but soon found himself hopeless and wondering if he's find love again. And so much for modesty, he finished off his disrobing with the dismissal of his jeans and shoes and hung all of his clothes in the same place as Antony. Who needed awkwardness? He sat back down, where he was before. "Hopefully this won't make us colder." He chuckled in hopes of making some quick small talk.
Rex's tattoos, though on the bland side of original, were still something he loved. The cross on his back was his favorite, too bad he rarely saw it. Antoinette Devereux The view, despite the stormy weather, had just gotten better for the near naked woman. "I guess we're stuck here for a while," she said obviously, peering out at the sky with a frown before turning her attention back to Rex. "So how long have you been on this lovely 'resort'?" There was a definate tone of sarcasm in her voice. She assumed that he was just an islander she had never met before. For all she knew, since everything was locked down, no one could leave, much less be new on the island. Rex Vadnais "Yeah, who knows how long until the storm lets up." A crack of lightning pierced the sky and the roll of thunder succeded immeadiatly after, "apparently longer than wanted." He shivered and rubbed his biceps, trying his hardest not to stare at the sight before him.
"Resort?" Rex's ears perked and eyes jumped at the sound of such a wonderful word, then he recognized the sarcasm. He knew he shouldn't be getting his hopes up. "Uh.. well actually I washed up this morning. Another fella and I went overboard on a cruise liner last night. So here we are." He shrugged. Rex was starting to loosen up and he perceived just how lucky he was to be alive. But whether the island was a blessing or burden was yet to be determined. "I still don't know what to think of all of this. We were, uh, greeted by four rather transformed islanders. Amaya, Colche, Ian and... Ambrose? All very nice, I don't think I rubbed off to well." While unconcerned about physical appearance, Rex had always wanted to just be liked. He didn't have too many friends through high school and such. Antoinette Devereux Antony took notice of his rubbing, and shifted towards him so she could see the fire, which was somehow holding out. Barely. His shivering was bothering her to the point where she wasn't paying any attention to her own goose bumps that had formed on her skin, among other signs of being cold. Not that she cared if he stared at her. "You'd think the rain would be warm... Tropical island and all." Looking a bit irritated, Antony wished they had a fire here, but she doubted making a fire in the middle of a small building would be a bright idea. At least she knew the building would last the storm. It had to, or else it wouldn't be there still. "Washed up?" Her interest was perked, and she raised an eyebrow, which got higher when he mentioned names, "Quite a welcome committee it seems, wait till you see someone transform..." She motioned to her shoulder, where the healing claw marks were still visible. "It's quite a trip." Damn it was cold. Rex Vadnais Rex scooted his way closer to Antony in a mild attempt to make her feel a bit more comfortable. He glanced to her eyes, then down into the smoldering fire's coals. What had he gotten himself into...
"Well, I suppose we're north of the equator, so that makes it winter. I'm not surprised about the cold water. How was it before? I imagine it must've rained quite a bit here in the tropics." Rex tried to picture where his exact location was on a globe or a map. Somewhere in the Carribean of course, unfortunately that image of Florida was fading away.
He thought back to the previous night, floating out at sea for who knows how long. It really was a miracle they hadn't drowned, or worse. "Yeah, we bobbed around in the ocean for the majority of the night, I suppose."
The thought of seeing someone transform sent chills up his spine, only making him even more frozen. What other animals were there on the island? Were each changes unique for each person? Then he saw her slashes. "Oh geez.. who did that to you?" he paused... she had seen a predatory change, and obviously not too long ago. "Does it still hurt?"
The cold was to-the-bone and nearly unbarable. He slid a hand around her abdomen, being wary of her gashes. Y'know, body heat. Antoinette Devereux Antony listened to Rex, nodding in understanding to his explanation on why it was cold. It made sense, but that didn't stop it from being irritating. "An islander," she responded, giving him the same explanation as she had Stewart. A nameless one. Shaking her head, Antony was about to say more when she felt his hand move around her. Score. Taking this as a positive sign, Antony moved closer to him. The added heat of his body did help, not to mention the fact that he was still quite wet and they were both nearly naked. Her own arm moved around his waist, pulling them a bit closer together. Jamal who? Rex Vadnais "An islander," the two words bounced and reverberated around Rex's head, "An islander." Was he considered an islander now? The thunderstorm had practically demolished every glimmer of hope they had. Rex could accept his destiny here, maybe it'd make life simpler. The outside world was overrated, anyway. The thought of becoming an animal was rather exciting, as well. How would he be enhanced? It'd probably hurt, but he'd learned pain could be productive. Just look at his body, those muscles didn't come from genetics.
Now, where was this headed... He craned his neck to look down at the top of her head. "Warming up in the least bit?" He hoped. Having her body against his reminded him of a few years ago. Having someone to hold is one of the best feelings in the word. Rex suddenly became very aware of the ring on his right finger. Could he ever truly accept that Julie was gone? Why couldn't he just be happy with someone to rely on? In this new phase of his life, was there anyone for him? Antoinette Devereux While he was thinking, it gave Antony a chance to go over something he had said earlier. A slight frown came to her face, "Did anyone see you all go overboard?" There was a slight bit of hope in her voice, but not much. If nobody had searched for them over the night, then it was doubtful, especially in this weather, that they'd be able to put together a search party. His comment pulled her from her thoughts, and she nodded, "Mmhmm, a little bit." She was blissfully unaware of his thoughts, and the fact that he was thinking about his fiancee because of her. In fact, since she was unaware, Antony lightly began to rub her hand along his side, and she tried not to make some sort of satisfied noise when her fingers trailed over his hip muscle. It was safe to say that her thoughts were quite impure at the moment. Rex Vadnais "Well, there were a few guys wailing on Avery. I tried to break them up, but he slid over the edge. They got out of there asap and I dove over in hopes of saving him." Rex told the story not even thinking about how Avery felt on the matter. Hopefully he wouldn't mind if htis information was out and about. "I doubt that told anyone that we were gone, the jerks. I bet they've figured we're gone and dead. Is this island even on a map? It seems a little... excluded from the rest of the world." He heard the rain pounding on the top of her their little lean-to, rinsing off any hopes they had of getting a signal fire going. "We were going to try and get some smoke in the air.. but the storm..." he trailed off, not needing to finish his sentence.
As she was teasing him physically, she was also messing with his mind even more. Was he ready for this? Should they get this physical when they'd barely just met? When would the questions stop?! He just tried to relax and shrug off the tantilizing trailing of her finger along his side. Antoinette Devereux "Avery..." She repeated, trailing off as she tucked the name away for future reference while Rex continued with his story. Only when he had finished and trailed off himself did she offer her two cents in with a sigh, "We shouldn't get our hopes up, just leads to disappointment." Though her thoughts may be impure, she knew better than to have sex with him, despite how lovely it would probably be. Unlike Jamal, the man had yet to change, and Antony wasn't going to risk a repeat showing of the morning after affair with Jamal. That and she could tell that he wasn't fully relaxed, and thus not entirely comfortable in the situation. "Have you eaten?" Antony questioned, slipping her arm from his waist while shifting out of his grasp to crawl towards the stash of food. She collected a water bottle, some jerky, and an already opened coconut before he could protest and then made her way back. "Usually I'm not much of a sharer but..." Trailing off, she offered him a slight smile in place of a verbal explanation. That he was ******** hot, and that she was in a good mood now that she wasn't as painfully sore from several nights previous. Either way, she set the small pile in front of him before moving closer to him, for the warmth... And the wet skin on skin contact. Rex Vadnais Rex's face turned grave in agreement, "To be honest... I doubted that we'd get off this thing since I realized where I was." The chances of them getting off the islander were next to nothing. "But life here can't be so bad. I mean, you've all been living here for who knows how long."
Questions for Antony began to penetrate his skull, "How long have you been here? Why did all of the buildings shut down? Do you know what animal you'll be turning into?" The first step was accepting the fact that he wouldn't be leaving. The next step was living with it.
The mention of food made his stomach ache even more, "No, I haven't eaten since last night on the cruise's buffet." As she pulled out the jerky, water, and bit of coconut, Rex could already feel the saliva forming in his mouth. Taking it graciously, he smiled before opening the water, "Wow, thanks. It means alot that you'd give me this much. I bet food is scarce."
Rex let his lids drop as he paused in silent prayer, thanking the lord for the food, generousity of this woman and just for letting him be alive. With a quick twist, he unscrewed the water's lid and lighted it to the ceiling of the hut. "Cheers." Then took the tiniest sip possible, savoring every last drop. It was nice to have someone care for you. Antoinette Devereux Antony nodded, and frowned when he started rattling off questions for her, "Well, I've been here since just after Christmas, but others have been here longer..." Trailing off, she reached over and broke off a piece of coconut meat, popping it into her mouth to chew on as a way to stall. "We don't know why, and no," she said in a more curt voice, not really wanting to go into all of this. Especially when there are many other islanders who take joy in being nice and helpful all the time. Best not deprive them of their joys. Luckily for Antony, she didn't notice Rex say his prayer, eyes instead on the fire, which wasn't much of one anymore. At least she had her lighter and dry wood for when the rain stopped. Rex Vadnais Since Christmas... what had Rex been doing last Christmas... Let's see, I was alone... and treated myself to working on the rent bills. It was hard for him to wrap his mind around the fact that this whole time, some island near the Bermuda Triangle had been slowly turning people into animals while millions of people around the world lived their lives, oblivious to the bizarre and remote world Rex was on now.
He gnawed on his jerky, softening the bond before tearing off a large chunk. The fire still simmering in the rain's torrent, leaving a thin trail of smoke to be doused in the rain. Quite a happy welcome to my new life. he thought to himself, mulling over his surroundings.
He looked to Antony, also chewing, and a spark lit in his mind. She was so benevolent and accomidating for so random stranger. Despite her tough exterior, he could see that she was a good person. Antoinette Devereux The last thing Antony wanted to think about was what was happening outside of this Gods forsaken spit of land out in the middle of nowhere. She didn't want to think of how her father was reacting to her disappearance. Even she knew that it had been more than two weeks. Two weeks and she should have been home. But she wasn't. Her eyes closed tightly as she took a deep breath, willing the thoughts of the pain her father must be in out and away. She missed everything. Her father, her jobs, her bed, and Owl. Antony wanted to return to her 'normal' life, maybe then she'd be able to grasp some sort of sanity. Obviously, that would never ******** woman chewed on the coconut meat a little more forceful than necessary. Her expression was distant as she tried to keep her emotions in check. She was having a hard time with that... Rex Vadnais Rex's head was floating around in space as well. This day had been so tiring and emotional for him, and there was nothing that he could do about it. He'd had to stay strong and suppress his real emotions to help Avery calm down, then of course, he was still a little in shock.
If you'd told Rex a week prior from today that he'd be stranded on an island in the middle of nowhere, that's thriving with people being turned into animals by a mad scientist, there would be no way he'd believe you. Then again, who would besides that crazy homeless man who's always on your street corner? Everything was just a jumble of senselessness.
The night on the boat seemed just like every other night he'd been on the cruise, but he just happened to be in the right (or wrong) place at the right (or wrong) time. Where did those men run to? Probably off to hide like cowards until the hubub was over. What worse would they have done to Avery if he wasn't there to try and tear them off? No..., he pulled his mind from the fighting, it'd just make things even worse.
And now that he was gone, what about home? Would his apartment owner even bother to figure out what'd happened to him? His boss at the restaurant knew that Rex hated his job, he'll probably assume Rex just decided not to show up any more. Thankfully, he didn't have any pets in his lonely little house.
Soon, Rex's mind shot back down to earth from his reflection when he noticed the girl sitting next to him sigh and chew a bit more vigorously. He slid his arm around her waistline again and rubbed her side tenderly before taking another bite of jerky and scrathing his chest with his other hand. Antoinette Devereux Antony blinked as the contact brought her back to Earth so to speak, and even though the motion was comforting, it felt weird in a way. Different. Though she tensed at the immediate contact, she quickly relaxed, shifting closer to him and after a moment, she moved to rest her head on his shoulder. Reaching over, she plucked some more coconut meat from the shell and brought it up to her mouth to silently nibble on. She had to try not to allow her thoughts to return what she had left behind back home. Instead, she shivered slightly and mentally cursed the rain and cold. Rex Vadnais "D'Oh! Did I touch a sore spot?" he said, concerned about when she stiffened. But assumed he was just imagining things when he realized she'd settled again. He had had a long day... overboard, cut all over, landed on an island full of strange new people, caught in a storm and now snuggling, near-naked with a woman he hardly knew. Talk about strange.
Rex held her a bit stronger as she laid against his side and continued to rub her gently. The skin to skin was sure nice, especially since most of the water had run off.
Then, he noticed the peaceful noises around him. Rain battering the roof top, the dying crackle of the fire's few flames and the steady breathing shared between Antony and himself. Sure he was cold, but you had to focus on the positive... Antoinette Devereux "Hmm?" She inquired, shaking her head, "No, was just lost in thought... That's all." Antony closed her eyes, content to just enjoy the comforts without thinking about home or the fact that the hot, nearly naked man against her could not be ******** least, not yet. Finally biting the bullet, she decided to make some small talk. "What's today's date anyways?" The tattooed woman murmured softly, moving her hands into her lap, fingertips absently trailing along her thigh. She had lost track of the date a while ago. Rex Vadnais "Yeah," Rex said absently, "same here." he looked back into the ashes once more, still preoccupied with thought.
Then the peaceful drops were interupted by a quiet mumble from under his arm. "Oh the date? Geez, something like the... 19th? 20th of February." He'd lost track of how many days had passed since he got on the ocean liners a few days earlier, plus he never really had a reason to remember the date.. Rex began to subconsciously flick at the ring around his finger, a nervous habit. Antoinette Devereux Antony cringed when he mentioned the date, immediately pushing back thoughts of home and simply shaking her head, "We've been out here for months..." Her voice trailed off, and her eyes flicked open to stare at the rain falling. She didn't know it had been that long since they were first locked out. This made the possibility of returning to the duplexes seem slim. Well ******** attention was soon captured by the fiddling against her waist, and she looked down at his hand quizzically. After a moment of watching him, she reached her hand over to stop his motions. Rex Vadnais Rex froze in suspended animation. "Months...?" he repeated, "out here as in locked out of the labs or wherever you live for months?" Wow, these were some pretty tough folks! Surviving on an island for ages, it reminded him of that show Lost. Except weirder, if that was possible.
Then a hand came to rest upon the flicking of his own. "Oh, sorry... I wasn't thinking. Er.. I was thinking, but not about.. yeah." He fumbled over his words when he was embarassed, instead he settled with a finalizing, "sorry," and a sweet grin, then looked to the side to hide his blush. Antoinette Devereux "Yes," she said, the curt tone coming back for a moment before he started stumbling over his words. That alone made her shift enough so she could see his expression. What in the world was wrong with this guy? "Um... Are you okay?" Antony asked cautiously, raising an eyebrow at his grin and then blush. There was always a catch. Rex Vadnais Now you've done it Rex... he thought to himself. "Yeah, heh, I'm fine." Smoooooth recovery. "Just... all of this thinking reminded me of someone." This probably wasn't the time to bring up Julie, that would be a bit awkward and only make things uncomfortable. He didn't want to think about the past, negativity was not what he needed right now.
He had to get off the subject, the food. He picked up his slowly draining water bottle and lifted it in Antony's direction, offering a drink. Antoinette Devereux The tattooed woman wasn't easily swayed, and simply raised her eyebrow again. "You're a bad liar," she stated bluntly, smirking slightly and simply shaking her head to the water offer. "But I won't press it," Antony continued, reaching over and patting his stomach out of habit with Jamal. "Unless you keep twitching that is..." A cheeky grin appeared as she glanced up at Rex. Rex Vadnais He didn't even bother to respond. He wasn't lying, he just didn't want to talk about it. Rex just looked down to the ground a took a quick little swig of water.
She patted his stomach and he couldn't even help but chuckle a bit. "All right, I'll stop, I promise," and he looked down at her, giving the same cheeky grin as she was.
"Hmm, you're tattoos..." He set his water down and drew his finger along her shoulder and down her arm, "what made you get them?" Soon his eyes travelled all over her upper chest and arms. "Quite an assortment." Antoinette Devereux Antony nodded, and was about to put her head back on his shoulder when she felt his fingers trailing across her arm. The touch sent shivers up her spine and she had to swallow a soft murr, disguising it as a simple "Hmm...?" "Well..." She began thoughtfully, "They're me... Plus I'm a tattoo artist myself, to me, your skin is a personal canvas..." Shrugging, the tattooed woman glanced up at him, curious to his reaction. Rex Vadnais Rex was only half surprised which resulted in a mere. She did have that tough kind of look about her, but he'd never met a tattoo artist. "Darn, that's a really cool job! Compared to what I do.. er.. did for a living." He was going to have to get used the the thought of leaving his nothing-of-a-life behind. He'd probably like it here once things reopened, however long that was going to be.
He looked a bit closer towards the ink in her skin. "Birds, stars, words, fruit, mecha. You've got a bit of everything don't you?" Then looked to the rest of her. Dyed hair and skimpy undergarments, she was unique. Antoinette Devereux She gave a sort of mournful smile, "Yeah, I'm a mechanic as well... Was I guess..." Pausing, Antony frowned before sighing again, "But I'm not anymore." Her mini-sulk was interrupted by his next comment, and she chuckled softly, "Not everything, but thank you." His gaze did not evade her either, causing her to smirk slightly, but it was soon broken by an unannounced yawn. It just occured to her how dark it had gotten, and also just how tired she was now. "I think it's dark," she murmured, absently sliding lower in his arm towards the ground. "How well can you block the wind?" Antony asked with a grin. He looked like he had broad shoulders. Rex Vadnais "A mechanic? S'a shame that there isn't much of a use for that job around here, huh?" The island's jungle hadn't had any form of human technology mixed in with it as far as Rex could tell. But who knows what he missed, mad scientists were mad after all.
Rex yawned as well, his exhaustion catching up with him. He tried to speak before his yawn was over, warping his words, "Damn, those yawns are contagious." He smack his lips a few times, letting the new air settle. Rex had noticed the dark as well, but assumed it was just the from the cloudcover. "Yeah, I think you're right" Soon all was dark except the occasional flash of lightning and glowing fire's coals. "You getting tired, too?" His face morphed into another long yawn.
"Block the wind?" he sniggered a smile, "I dunno, never been asked that question. I guess all right, why?" he inquired. Antoinette Devereux "No, there isn't," she said a little more sharper than necessary, ending the subject before her mood became violently sour. His answer did renew her smile, and Antony immediately slid so that she was laying on her side, unintentionally accentuating her curves. Glancing up at him, she reached behind her and patted the palm fronds there, "Then I think it best you park yourself right here." Amusement was visible in her eyes before she turned back away from him, yawning again while attempting to get comfortable, and failing. Suddenly she quite missed the body hugging comfort the sand brought. Wood wasn't so welcoming to her body type, so she made sure to curse it under her breath. Bloody rain. Rex Vadnais Whoa, tread lightly, bucko. Rex thought to himself, jotting down a mental note to not talk about previous jobs around the woman.
Nothing could be better than making someone smile. His heart grew warm and couldn't help but let his smirk flourish into a full blown grin. He mindlessly ran a hand through her hair softly, then crawled his way onto the bedding fronds. Rex patted the ground next to him, motioning for Antony to lay next to him. Without the skin-to-skin contact, things got cold pretty quick.
He rested his head on his hand, also realizing how hard the floor was. What were the apartments like? If they were going to keep people here agaisnt their will, the least they could do was make everyone comfortable. But to tell the truth, he'd slept in worse places, so he may as well make the best of it. Antoinette Devereux Antony automatically leaned into his touch, quite glad that she had short hair and that it didn't look too bad, though it was still wet. She watched him curiously though, the weird feeling from earlier making an appearance once again. Pushing it aside when he motioned her to come closer, Antony shimmied her body against his, welcoming the warmth the contact brought. When the wood wasn't any more comfortable there, she began to shift against him in attempts to remedy the situation. She didn't even think about the affects of her movements on the man behind her. Rex Vadnais It was still cold, but nice to have the warmth of a woman lying right with him. But he'd never wanted a pillow so bad. Normally he'd use his shirt of something like that, but unfortunately they were still dripping a bit. Ahh well, hands were just a good... unless they were busy.
Rex put one arm over her hip, his hand resting in front of her, while he folded his other arm to rest his head on. This position was meant for comfort or a sense of security, but was soon disrupted by her scooting in closer to his chest. Oh hello..., he thought. But he was too fatigued to even consider doing something, plus he wasn't sure he was ready for something like that yet. His life had either just gotten alot more complicated or a hell of alot easier, he'd yet to decide. Instead he whispered, "Comfy?" and let out a long sigh. Antoinette Devereux "Damn wood," she grunted in response to his question, finally giving up her attempt to get comfy on her side and turning to face him. Not really giving a s**t if she seemed like a pushy b***h, Antony put her hands on his shoulders and moved him so that he was on his back. Then, she simply pulled her glasses off, set them on the shelf, and then promptly used his chest as a pillow. With an arm draped over him, pulling them close together once again as she sighed in relief, "Now I am." Now she could finally get to sleep. Rex Vadnais "Whoa!" he exclaimed, she'd caught him off guard when she pushed him over. This girl was assertive, but whatever. Instead of their previous arrangement, he took one arm and reached it up behind his head, his other hand extended over the small of her back. Rex strained to take a look at Antony, double checking that she was positioned nicely, then rested his head back down on his arm, looking at the ceiling.
The day's events played over in his head like a home movie, things were still sinking in. To be honest, Rex half expected to to wake up from a dream when he fell asleep. Asleep... asleep...
Rex's eyelids slowly dropped and his breathing steadied to a calmer pace. This was a well needed forty-winks. Antoinette Devereux Antony quirked a half smile at his exclamation, but said nothing. Instead, she comfortably hooked her top leg over his out of habit, careful not to damage any goods of his. Soon enough, like him, the tattooed woman was fast asleep. Rex Vadnais After a rather uncomfortable night, Rex's eyes creaked open. It took him a minute to figure out where he was, but was reminded when he found Antony sprawling over him. He yawned a lion's yawn and listened to the rain's non-stop patter and the howl of the wind. So the rain hadn't let up.
Oh my god, he'd totally forgotten about Avery, the wolfman and everyone else he was supposed to meet up with. Did they all meet back together somewhere without him? Oh he hoped so, Rex doubted Avery's survival skills. But instead of leaving in a hurry, he gave a long sigh. Antoinette Devereux Antony was jostled awake by the yawn, but didn't open her eyes and simply groaned sleepily. His sigh caused her to rise and fall with his chest, and she gingerly cracked a violet eye open at him. Even though she wasn't going to move anytime soon, Antony sleepily ran her hand over his chest and then down to his stomach. "Wassamatta?" She slurred groggily, still half asleep. A good belly rub never hurt. Rex Vadnais "Oh, I just remembered about the people who found us on the beach yesterday. We were supposed to meet up, but I got lost in the storm and found you." He let out another sigh, trying not to make it as big as it's precursors. "I'm kind of worried about them..."
Rex continued to stare straight up and wondered if he should go out and look for them, or assume that they were all right. Antoinette Devereux "They're probably fine," she said through a yawn, reclosing her cracked eye before resettleding against his chest. It was obvious she didn't feel that Avery and the others were in any sort of danger. But just in case he didn't, she decided to reassure him, though her voice was still full of sleep, "You said you met Ambrose right? I think he's far enough through the change to be able to sniff out this Avery kid... That and there are loads of people on the island..." She really didn't want him to move, or to have to move. Rex Vadnais "Yeah, they're probably fine." He mumbled, turning his head to the side to look at the cold wet ashes in the firepit.
But Rex just couldn't get the image of a freezing and drenched man in girl's clothes curled up in under some tree all night long. And what about that lizard-girl, Amaya. She looked pretty far into her change, and lizards are cold blooded. That girl must be a fricken popsicle. Why did he get concerned so easy.
He made a quiet grown and rubbed his hand up and down Antony's back while she did the same to his chest. Antoinette Devereux "They wouldn't let him die," she muttered against his chest, eyes slowly peering open as a sign of defeat. Antony was, in fact, fully awake, but she just didn't want to remove herself from his embrace. Tilting her face up to look at him, she smiled slightly as if to add some sort of reassurance to her earlier comment. The look didn't last however, and she was soon lazily watching as she traced her fingertips along his stomach. "Watch this be some sort of practical joke... Or some s**t like that..." She didn't even know if it was a joke or not. Rex Vadnais Let him die? It would be awful to die alone in the raining cold of the jungle on a desolate island. His conscious was getting to him, could he leave him out there alone? And what about Ambrose and the others, did they succeed in making the signal fire?
Rex craned his neck up again to look at the woman trailing her fingers along his belly. Damn, how did it escalate to this so soon with a girl he hardly knew. "A joke? Heh, it'd certainly go down in history." Then stopped. S'shame no one would know about it. If this girl got touchy about home, the thought of going back would be worse. He didn't dare talk about it out loud.
Guilt. It always destroyed him in the end. He drummed his fingers once along her back, still looking at her. "It's really getting to me, I'm sorry but I've got to go look for them. Will you be alright?" He propped himself on his forearms so he could get a good look at her. The back of his neck still was sore... wait... if he'd been drifting out at sea, then how did he get all of these cuts? Antoinette Devereux Antony really didn't think that they were 'moving too fast' or anything, considering she had slept with Jamal the first time she met him. That and she wasn't exactly ashamed of being naked, much less with the 'naughty parts' covered. To her, this was just normal, a bit weird for reasons she couldn't place, but otherwise quite normal. Aside from the whole, stranded on an island with a mad scientist while playing Survivor in a thunderstorm. She watched him prop himself up, shifting slightly but frowning as she looked out at the relentless rain. "It's not letting up..." Trailing off, Antony paused and glanced back up at him, "Well... Steer clear of the jungle back that way," she motioned to the jungle behind them, "That's where our pit trap is." That'd make for a really bad day. Rex Vadnais Rex didn't have any problem with nudity or a little skin here or there. Things had always worked out fine with Julie, but ever since... well, things changed.
The fact that she wasn't holding him back eased some of his guilt for leaving her alone, but the rain didn't look very inviting at all. No, he couldn't like think that, S'just a little water, no biggie. "I'll be fine." He sighed and slowly came up to his feet, going to the little rack to start getting dressed. She motioned back to the same direction he'd come from, "Thank God, I missed it. That's the same direction I came from." Falling in some trap would've just made the day... well, really suck.
He slipped on his jeans and tightened belt, was he doing the right thing? Yes.
Rex came towards her with his arms outstretched and embrassed her in a big hug. "Thank you so much for your hospitality." Then he went back to finish getting dressed. Antoinette Devereux Antony watched him get up and get dressed, sitting up and leaning against the shelf while she took in the view. She was about to comment on the trap when she was pulled into a big hug. She blinked. It took her a moment to realize what was going on, and she returned the gesture, rubbing her hands up and down his back while she was pressed against him in the hug. And then it was over. Hugs usually only happened after bad s**t had happened. Like that one time on the beach with Jamal... Or with her father. Shaking the thoughts and strange feelings from her thoughts when he pulled away, Antony nodded and returned to sitting down, "If you ever need some body heat..." A sharkish grin formed with this comment as she looked up at him, "I'm easy to spot." Oh, sex would be had. Just not yet. Rex Vadnais "Body heat... heh," he repeated with a chuckle, "I'll be sure to keep that in mind." he pulled his shirt back over his head and hung his tie around his neck for good measure.
Rex took a few steps to the door and placed his hand on the side of the entryway. He looked over his shoulder and gave a friendly wink, "Catch ya later..." he flashed his pearly whites once more and embarked off into the buckets being drumped from overhead. I sure hope they've been fairing well.
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Posted: Sat Feb 25, 2006 10:25 pm
Tranquility... Rex Vadnais Rex had left the beach bar and Antony in search of Avery, Ambrose or someone that'd he'd met with the previous day to make sure that they were fairing well. He turned back into to the jungle, taking a slightly different path than he had before. Trekking through the dense foliage while trying not to brush up against too many plants as his cuts, while scabbed, were still sensitive.
Eventually, the jungle thinned and opened up into a rather large pond, a lake, rather. The rain drops pounded it's surface sending wild ripples out across the top. The chaos on the water mirroring the weather they were sticking through. Rex's clothes weren't entirely soaked from the shelter that the jungle provided and his skin was quite sandy. Just a rinse would do him well. He removed his attire and threw it to the side, then dove in. The rain had surely cooled it's temperature, but it was only unbareable for a slight bit. He was quite used to cold water from winter swells back home. Home...
He crouched over in the water so his head and neck were the only things above the choppy surface, even thought it was only about three or four feet deep where he was standing. Things seemed so beautiful compared the havoc he should be seeing. Lightning streatched through the air with a loud crack succeeding it immeaditately, yet instead of striking fear, it only added to Rex's tranquil mood. He lounged back in the fresh water, dipping his head under once more and closing his eyes. Hiking through the jungle could be tiresome. Awen Zyn Awen had been relaxing near the surface of the water just watching the storm from below when she heard a splashing nearby. This wasn't the splashes from the surface because of the storm, no, Awen could tell this was something..unnatural to the cool waters. Slow Awen swam towards the sound and soon had a clear view of Rex's lower half.
"Gah!" though the water garbbled her word that was the general sentiment as she pushed herself to the surface quickly.
Make that three island men, three and a half island women Awen has now seen naked, most of which were just from since she changed. She really has to be more careful when she hears noises. Next time she will apporche from the surface, like she hadn't learned her lesson!
She broke the surface and took a deep breath. "Geez..." She was still deep enough to need to tread in the water but her head and shoulders could be seen above the rough water. "Would you people start warning me when you're ...." She blinked as her vision began to clear and she saw a face she didn't regocnise. "Well... hello there." She blushed but from the distance and the lighting of the area it couldn't really be seen. Rex Vadnais The beads of water tap against his face gently and the steady roll of the rains numbed the ears to all sound. Relaxation was so nice...
...until the surface ruptured, a head with two blue stalks and blue hair. "H'WHOA!" Rex yelled, he didn't expect anyone to be in the lake. He tried to figure what on earth it was, then remembered, the island. This was a girl, a changed girl, just like the others. "Wow, sorry about screaming. I hadn't thought anyone was here." He blushed an embarassed smile, realizing his nakedness in front of a stranger.
She spoke like this had happened before, no surprise if she didn't make herself known to others. "I apologize for not seeing you," he said, "I'm Rex."
He'd sure had to introduce himself alot lately... Awen Zyn She shook her head quickly. "No no. It's my fault. I just thought you were someone else..." She would have stepped forward and offered her hand but...he was still. Awen looked away and laughed a little bit. "It's happened too much lately I guess no one's really used to it yet. I should just be more careful is all."
She smiled awkwardly and looked back to him. "I'm Awen, by the way. I hadn't seen you around the island before all this happened. How have you been fairing? When'd you get here?"
She probably was assulting the poor guy with too many questions but instead of cutting herself off she just continued. "Uhh... are you hungry? I could catch you some fish...though.. I guess you cant cook it anymore that's a problem..." Rex Vadnais By the looks of her, she seemed pretty dang far into her changes, but what animal was she becoming? Some kind of fish, oobviously, but the horn-things threw him for a loop.
Answering and asking questions was beginning to become a past-time of his, so he simply took the answers as they came. "Yeah, I washed up yesterday morning... fell overboard on a cruise liner." He smiled uneasily. Rex smiled alot, they all carried from one another, though. "The storm was pretty bad, but I found a girl on the beach who let me stay in her shack through the night. it was quite sweet of her."
He looked down at his warped reflection in the water, then past and below. Fish... "Well, I ate last night, so I reckon I'd better hold off until I need it more," his stomach growled in anger when he said this. Awen Zyn Awen brow furrowed a bit as she listened to his story. She noticed, of course, how he stared at her little..prong..things.. but she ignored it. Just the other day? Then he hadn't been here for the start. He hadn't been injected by Moreau! This was... new.
More of a reason to try to get to another island. The Manta was pushing her to the ocean, something she didn't quite want to do. If Moreau does come back this poor guy will be trapped... if you could at least save him... Awen concidered it slowly. Maybe she should.... But we'll see what he thinks later...
She rose an eyebrow at the mention of the 'sweet girl' on the beach. Must have been that other person, she couldn't really imagine Antony being so..'sharing'. Scratch that, it was Rex, a man. Of course she would be sharing with him. But of course she wouldn't say anything... And it wasn't very critical, just..well..the truth.
"Well if you say so." She glanced back to the sore then to Rex. "Um...do you mind getting something...er..to cover..." She waved her flippered hand a little in a vague gesture that was supposed to mean his nether regins.
"Yesterday morning...? Well Rex that's excellent news.... Maybe there's hope for you yet! Get off the island, not changing all that." Rex Vadnais Rex didn't worry about his body or appearance at all, to tell you the truth, he'd been caught up talking with this girl and had totally forgotten about the fact that he was buck naked. "Oh! I suppose you're right." His face reddend and he turned towards the shore. Still crouching in the shallow water, he looked over his shoulder, "Avert your eyes... or don't! I don't care," his smile extended ear to ear and he ran onto the lake's beach.
He had essentially given up hope on the thought of leaving the island. Rex quickly accepts changes into his life if he recognized the fact that an effort to alter them if futile. "Uhh, I doubt it..." he said nonchalantly, slipping on his boxers of jeans in one swift motion. Awen Zyn Rex didn't much seem to mind so Awen didn't avert her eyes. It's not that she was trying to sneak more looks or anything. She just didn't seem to bother with it all that much at all. Since she had gotten over her fears the timid shy girl that would have once been blushing to her ears and covering her eyes from the start was gone as she stared calmly forward until he had changed back into his boxers.
She blinked up at him once he said he doubted it. "And why is that then? I mean without Moreau and the staff it'll be fairly simple thing to get away..." She paused a moment. "Well at least more simple." Rex Vadnais Rex zipped up his drawers and sent a confused glance at Awen, "Moreau? Who's th-- oooh... is he the scientist keeping all of us here?" He was slowly beginning to piece it all together. "What do you mean without them? Do you know what happened?"
He glanced to the skies, the storm not showing the slightest sign of letting up. He sighed and looked back to the girl in the lake, "Well, we were going to start a signal fire in hopes of having the boat we were on maybe seeing the smoke. But..." He tossed a hand in the air and rolled his eyes, motioning to the tempest above, "it doesn't look like thats going to happen soon." He pulled on his damp shirt and squatted by the water's edge with his tie in his hand. "Not exactly alot we can do... thank God the labs were here though, any other island and who knows what might've happened." Awen Zyn She ran a hand gently along the side of her neck showing the gills that were there to the human. "One good thing about becoming a fish, I can breathe underwater." She shook her head slightly. "And I don't know what happened to Moreau but he's not around anymore so no chance in stopping an escape. If he were around I mean this wouldn't happen, we'd all be in our duplexes nice and safe." An eyebrow rose to the man. Keeping 'us' here? He adjusted pretty quick... no one is really keeping Rex there at all. Or anyone else anymore for that matter.... but it was funny how quickly Rex seemed to be acculturating to the island.
"Who needs a signal fire?" Awen went on with her earlier thought. "I can swim and get us some help, eh?" She grinned proudly of her idea. The manta was quite pleased as well. Rex Vadnais Rex had grown up with his life occasionally taking a violent turn. The death of his mother, his dad leaving, being sent off to school, the unexpected death of his fiancee, and falling of the ship. He'd learned to adapt to any changes quickly in order to make the most pleasant outcome in the end. Something as major as falling off a ship and being marooned on an island was bound to be destiny. As opposed to fighting back and complaining about his life, he recognized that this was where he was fated to be.
A fish, the freedom of the water meant alot to him. There was nothing that he loved more than the ability to move freely in all directions. Water held few bounds. The more he thought about it, becoming a fish would be nice. Or a bird, soaring over the island and seeing everything within eyes' reach.
He plopped his butt on the shore and wiped some water from his brow. "Do you know what kind of fish you'll change into?" He'd have to get used to the thought of people turning into animals. Each person on the island into a different creature. How had everyone ended up on the island anyway? Surely they couldn't have all been shipwreacked of fallen overboard, he recalled someone saying there were thirty-some people here. Maybe some people were volunteering, or perhaps they were being kidnapped. That was just plain immoral, this Moreau guy must be some sadistic b*****d. Awen Zyn Awen sighed, obviously this was another person going to ignore her idea of an escape route. She just needed someone to back it and she would go. Thought newly confident something held her back from going to the beach and jumping into the ocean to swim somewhere else. Common sense maybe? A lingering sense of her old fear? Possibly. But she knew it could all be dispelled with someone else's support, which she had yet to recieve.
She swam a little ways to shore so she could lay down on her stomach in the water, while still keeping her head above. Treading water was getting a bit tiresome. "A...er...manta ray.... I think That's what Chu--a friend of mine called it." She reached forward to the dirty and drew the little picture of the thing she saw in her dream. It was crude but the basic design was there. Rex Vadnais "Ahhh! A manta? That will be interesting." Only now that she was closer to him did Rex see the thin webbing under her arms. Transforming must hurt like crazy, the thought of your body slowly growing and changing into that of a beast send chills down his spine. How long did it take? And was it gradual or did it happen in spurts? The man still had so many questions, but figured he'd learn in time.
Rex examined her little drawing of the ray and then looked up to her violet eyes. "What's it like? Being part animal, I mean. How did you change, what happened?" Interrogation flowing from his mouth like a fountain, hopefully he wasn't making a bad impresson. Awen Zyn He did take to things rather quickly. She chuckled a little bit when he thought it was 'interesting'. She soon laughed outloud at the thought of it. Maybe it was interesting anyway. Wiping out the drawing from the dirt she paused a little bit to think about his questions.
"Well..it's... different anyway." She turned her violet eyes back up to the man's sky blue ones. "It hurts, I won't lie." She said in a rather serious dry tone before turning to the more interesting facts. "For me, the manta doesn't speak very loudly. Well... I have the urge to be around water and in it and stuff. And I would really like to go out to the ocean but I don't think I'm quite ready for that yet..." She even shuddered a little bit.... so her phobia wasn't completely gone?
"Jamal though..." She brushed a webbed hand against her shoulder, mostly healed but still tender marks, she'll probably be scared by the wounds because they had gotten slightly infected before healing... "He... was a bit lost to his animal. Some kind of...predator I think. It was the lack of food too that got to him.. the confusion and everything... he had hoped for so long he wasn't going to change... It overwhelmed him is all..." She really didn't want Rex to think negatively of Jamal, too many people did that already. "So I suppose manta's are just a little bit more passive, patient than other animals."
She shurgged softly and then wondered how exactly it had happened. "When I got to the island... Moreau gave me a shot. Then.. sometime later I recieved another one. I didn't know I had but there was a puncture mark on my arm to prove a needle had been there. I had a strange dream...and..when I woke up well.... I changed. It was painful as everything started to grow. My skin just small patches of rubber and everything....Nothing very major though."
She rolled her shoulders and shifted herself so she didn't have to look at the man anymore. "It's my most recent transformation that worries me. It had been almost a month into this savage living.... when I changed again. Moreau isn't around... there was no mark of injection. And a few other people have changed while out here too. I'm worried our systems might have taken too well to the first serum. That..we're begining to change on our own. I don't know.... But it's helped me survive. Kept fish in my belly anyway. And..." She trailed off. She was about to say that she's not afraid of water anymore but even just admitting it felt foolish. How could she ever have heard this life giving liquid so much? "Well I can breathe underwater..." Rex Vadnais He sat there and listened to her explain everything. And although brutal, it was nice to have someone give him the straightforward and honest truth about what it's like to change. He didn't interupt or do anything to cause her to pause until she was finished, adding in a few nods of agreement and understanding.
Once she was done, he shifted his weight and asked, "Who's Jamal?" now that she was nearer, he could also see the scarred gashes on her shoulder, similar to Antony's. However when Rex asked Antony where she got them, she was vague and evasive of the subject.
He then looked to the side, following the line of the lake. "So maybe this wole transforming business ended up helping you instead of hurting you." His eyes stopped and Rex stared off into thought, then he looked back to the fish-girl. "Who knows..." Awen Zyn Awen looked back to him and smiled a smile that held no humour to it. She decided to address the easiest thing first. "I used to be afraid of water..." She admitted running her hadn back and forth along the choppy surface. "It was only after this change that I got over it...mostly. Moreau... is a twisted but... amazing man. It might have helped me get over the fear but for months I was struggling between being terrified and longing for the sea. And the good doctor never did a thing to try to ease that. Moreau is a blessing and a curse on this island. He enhances people's lives and fulfills any promise I heard him make...but at the cost of people's homes, family...humanity." She shook her head slowly. "Rex it is better if you leave... trust me. Don't just accept it if you can leave do so..." She bowed her head a little bit.
"Anyway Jamal..." She brightened to this duller subject and smiled. "We...had a thing for a little while. He's a big black man who.... well his animal is some kind of white bodied predator because his skin is..well..lightening... which he's not very happy about. Antony... well had relations with him, which is pretty much what ended our thing, you know how it is..." She scratched the back of her neck a little. "But we're cool, no big worry. Jamal went a little spazzy...which is why I got these nice little shoudler piercings. But he should be better now. OR at least last I saw him he was a lot cooler." SHe smiled up at Rex. "It's like survivor we have our own little dramas on the island." She even laughed now at the thought, she..seemed quite over it. Confidence is certainly key. Rex Vadnais Rex looked back at her with full attention and still eyes while she explained and retold what it was like. He nodded in agreement with many of the things he said, but kept quiet. But Rex had unaffiliated feelings for the two sides that this island's story held. He could see where this Moreau guy was a sicko and just plain wrong in the head, but with such extremely low chances of getting off this island, it seemed pointless to fight back... or maybe he was just weird and passive like that. It seemed more important to focus on survival instead of wasting energy on something that just isn't going to happen. The cruise ship was bound to be far gone and a plane wouldn't come searching for someone in a storm like this. He avoided responding to the subject as he was still unsure of his feelings, instead he drew circles in the rippling water and enjoyed the crashing of raindrops on his hunched over back.
Like a puzzle, this girl seemed to put all of the pieces in the right place. "So this Jamal guy did it to you, and he has relations with Antony. Have you seen her since he flipped his lid?" Rex questioned, remembering Antony's similar shoulder gashes."It's cool that you guys are still friends. Jamal and you I mean." He kept a straight face, unsure of how she felt about the tattooed woman.
A smile curled at his lips at the Survivor reference, "In a way, I guess it is," his smile turned into a huffed chuckle, "All y'all out here on an island just trying to make it through," but then his little chuckle caught a rough spot and turned into a raspy cough. Oh, if he got sick... well... that would be really bad. Awen Zyn Awen was taken aback by the question. Actually she hadn't seen Antony since...the coconut incedent on the beach actually. She wondered how she had gottne along. Appearently Jamal hadn't flipped on her too badly. After all, she lived to tell the tale and share with Rex right? Shrugged a little bit she simply shook her head at his question.
She was going to move onto something else when the man started coughing. Oh crap that's not good. She pushed herself up onto her elbows and frowned looking at him. "That sounds pretty bad..." She had forgotten what ill effects satying out in the wet could have on people. All her life she avoided getting caught in the rain as much as possible, and since her change she spent very little time out of the water and hadn't gotten sick.
"I think we've gotta get you out of this rain..." She frowned though, of course not knowing who had shelter enough. After Awen took Colche to Ambrose's camp she knew their shelters weren't water proof and Joliette's camp held nothing. Maybe... Antony had shelter for him again though. Rex Vadnais He covered the cough with a fist and turned down, towards the ground. He then glanced back up at the rain with a recovering sigh. Getting sick out here could be a bad thing. "Yeah, that was pretty gnarly cough," he sniffed and brought his focus down to the girl, "I'll be fine. I'm just a little cold." His hands ran up and down his upper arms in a lame attempt to friction some warmth into them, he grinned flatly.
"We might," he looked up to the clouded grey sky once more as if they knew the answer. But Rex was only greeted with a flash of lightning, oddly, that sparked him! "Oh! You probably know Ambrose, right? Do you happen to know where his camp is?" He'd been sidetracked with this girl and forgotten why he even left Antony's warm camp to begin with. Awen Zyn "Ambrose's camp?" Awen tilted her head a little bit. He had already met Ambrose then? Well so wonder he didn't freak out about Awen's appearence, or word of Jamal. She looked over the way to Ambrose's camp. "It's a ways away..." She glanced back at him. "And their shelters aren't exactly waterproof though...."
Awen wondered vaguely why Ambrose hadn't just taken Rex to his camp in the first place. Why would he leave a newcomer all alone, especially in this. Glancing up at the sky briefly Awen decided to just let it drop.
"Antony's camp is a lot closer, an you seem to have a good dig in there. It's a quicker way to get out of hte rain for you." Rex Vadnais "A ways?" His eyes looked the same direction as Awen did, gazing into the thick jungle. How far had he been walking yesterday? This island couldn't be that big. But who knows, it could be like Hawaii. "Vague estimation?" Rex had to focus on why he'd left Antony's beach camp, to ensure the safety of his... friends. The image of a frozen Avery kept crawling back into his mind, "I really think that I oughta go look for them." He sniffed again to keep his nose from running more. "My health can wait..." Awen Zyn She frowned. Honestly she couldn't give him a fair estimation. The only time she traveled there by land was with Colche and she didn't really keep track of the time or distance because she was talking and comforting the poor cheeta the entire way. "Nothing too far. You'll be able to get there within the day, but...still."
His health can wait? For what? Ambrose and the others have been surviving for months out here, she understood the man's concern but Awen was pretty sure the camp can take care of themselves, and told Rex the very same thing. "...really though... Andy's a big wolf man and has lots of people that can help him. Your health shouldn't wait. We can't take any risks out here, if you get sick it will be major because of the shape the island is in right now, we couldn't properly take care you." Rex Vadnais He had no doubt in his mind that the three changed islanders he met yesterday were doing alright. He knew that they'd been on the island for quite some time and they were bound to know their way around to a degree. "I'm not worried about Ambrose, of all people he seems like he knows what he's doing. It's the other guy I fell off the ship with. We got seperated and... well I doubt his survival skills," He looked back towards the direction of Ambrose's camp. "He's different." Rex was unsure of how to describe Avery without sounding like a jerk. but maybe straightforward was better, "A cross-dresser."
He drummed his fingers along his thigh, weezing a muffled cough, "By the looks of things as they are right now, I think the only way I could get help is some medicine. If everything is locked down..." He trailed off, not exactly needing to finish his sentence. He didn't even notice how cold he was anymore, his feet were numb and his nose was clogged. Everything was desensitized. Awen Zyn This man was certainyl...stubborn. Refusing to even attempt to go back and take care of himself. But another person from his ship? Well now it made a lot more sense. Trying to stick together with someone who was at least slightly familiar, not changed and.... Maybe he really was worried about this guy though. She looked over him a moment and decided.... Yeah the guy wouldn't risk health just for some normality. After all he could have gone back to Antony..and she hadn't changed. Had she?
Wait. Did he say cross-dresser? Awen almost chuckled. For something that seemed so strange on mainland here... it was more normal than most things here.
"Alright...alright..." Awen ran throguh the directions to Ambrose's camp, twice to make sure Rex got it all down. "Just stick to the rivers... and you should be fine anyway. You'll find it eventually..." Rex Vadnais Rex has always been concerned and caring, the thought of people suffering to him was nearly unbareable. He clambered to his feet and repeated the directions to the wolf-man's camp in his head, hopefully he wouldn't end up getting lost again. "The river's are a good landmark. Thank you for the directions... and for tolerating me and my questions."
He looked about out across the lake's disturbed surface and then back down to the manta-girl below him. He would've hugged her for her help, but she was still mostly submerged in the water. "You've been so helpful..." He smiled a big, bona fide smile, "And I'll deffinately see you around, we'll hang out."
Rex turned off to walk a bit farther down the lake line, coughing slightly, before turning where told to head towards Ambrose's camp. He looked back at Awen once more, then disappeared into the forest. Awen Zyn "Hey no problem..." Her small smile grew as she watched the man walk away. He was certainly one of the nicest people she's met. She tilted her head a little bit and sighed. She hoped he would be okay, she would cruise the rivers a little bit later make sure he was headed in the right direction. For now she might as well just...return to the bottom of the lake, back into the calm.
But something nagged at the manta girl. She wasn't exactly sure what it was. As Rex turned around Awen made sure to gie him a big smile and a wave before he disappeared through a line of trees. She was alone again... certainly the manta was happy. But Awen... something bugged her.
Antony.... she must be doing okay, right? But.. Jamal wasn't with her, or Rex would have known about him, and Rex didn't mention any other islanders, so the other woman must not have been there. So Antony was alone. Yeah she probably would like that. Awen started to slip back to the depts of the lake before pausing. No... Antony could surely stand being alone... but in this weather anywone would probably enjoy some company.
Awen sighed and pulled herself from the comforting water. Thank goodness it was still raining. She started off towards the beach.
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Posted: Fri Mar 03, 2006 11:01 pm
On Duplex 35's door it says "Rex Vadnais" in a small posted sign. It looks just about hand written. The room is fully furnished for you when you arrive.
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Island of Moreau Vice Captain
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Posted: Sat Mar 04, 2006 12:21 am
Ambrose's Camp Avery Calder Avery felt like he had been walking for hours, even though he hasn't been walking for that long at all. The rain seemed like it would never end, and his legs ached from all the bruises and cuts he still had. He was hungry, having only eaten a small bit of jerky last night. He hoped Timothy would be able to find food for them and make it back to Ambrose's camp safely. The problem was... Avery didn't know where Ambrose's camp was, either. Now he was alone, lost, wet, and hungry... today was not shaping up to be a good day, either. Avery sighed heavily, but he kept walking. He figured if he just kept walking straight, he'd get somewhere eventually... no point in stopping now, to just keep getting rained on. "Hello!!?" he yelled out as loud as he could into the woods. Maybe someone would hear him, and come to his rescue... Avery could only hope. Colche "rainrain go away come again another day!" Despite her slight sniffles, Colche had decided to step out of her lean to and go for a wander in the jungle. She was a little confused about Ambrose at the moment and hadn't yet had a chance to question him about 'the lady' but she guessed she would find out eventually. Her arms were empty as she padded along though, her rabbit, as usual had wandered off while she slept. It was a good excuse to go and play in the jungle despite the rain. Something told her that her bunny would be back at 'number seventeen' her home if she went looking for him. The rain wasn't too bad now, you got used to it after a bit and the cheetah told her it was just 'the rainey season' Something instinctual told her that this was the time when the plants would get pretty and the 'beasts' would come back. She wasn't exactly sure what the beasts where, but she had the urge to look for them.
However she didn't come accross any 'beasts' just a somone who looked lost. Her mind went in to a turmoil as she looked at Avery, was this a boy or a girl? She always had problems, but she had'nt felt so conflicted as to whether somone was male or female for a while now. Biting her tongue in confusion she stepped through thre undergrowth seemingly not noticing any scrapes against her ancles "Hai" she smiled tilting her catty head and grinning, her huge blue eyes full of a deep, aviid curiosity. Avery Calder Avery nearly jumped when Colche stepped through the undergrowth and spoke to him. He hadn't expected calling out for help to actually work, and yet here the cheetah-girl was. He remembered meeting her briefly at the beach, but she hadn't stayed there long. If she didn't seem so innocent, Avery might have been afraid of her because of her claws. "Uh... hello there," Avery said. Why wasn't she wearing any clothes..? he wondered to himself. "Heh, I didn't think calling out to someone would work!" he smiled at Colche. "Do you know where Ambrose's camp is? I'm trying to find someone... oh! I don't think I got your name when we met on the beach? I'm Avery." Colche Colche continued to look at him, upon hearing his voice though she was pretty convinced boy, the name though, didn't strike ehr as male "Boy or girl?" she tilted her head softly looking at him her brow creasing and her tongue sticking out between her teeth, it was hard to decide. Avery spoke a whole lot, she caught, the baics of waht he was asking though "Me be Colche" she smiled innocently, with a little giggle. Her tongue stuck out once again as she pondered what else he was trying to ask "Ambrose uhmn..follow leader" shesmiles, still pondering Averys gender. her eyes were full of a sweet, innocent confusion as to the blond mans sexual identity. he really did look to girly to be a man, but he sounded like a man, maybe Avery was a bit of both. Until her question was answred she would be happy to beleive the blond was a bit of both. Giggling softly she wiggledehr stump of a tail "follow leader" she stated again padding off through the jungle, resisting, trying very hard to resist any way, breaking in to a run. The cheetah wanted to run, she just had toshow Avery Ambroses camp though before she challanegd him to a race. The rain didn't seem to hinder her much now, her fur, though wet seemed to bve sticking on end obviously keeping her body warm. She sneezed once though shaking her head she glanced back at Avery with a childish grin. still, she could play follow the leader with Avery right? Follow the leader after all meant she could lead Avery where ever she wanted to, it wasn't a mean stunt on her part at all, she just wanted to play, they would end up at Ambroses camp..eventuually. Avery Calder Avery raised his eyebrows in surprise, then laughed a little. This isn't the first time people couldn't figure out what his gender is, after all. "I'm a boy," he said, grinning at her. "Nice to meet you, Colche." When Colche told him to follow and began walking away, Avery had no choice but to go after her. It was better than wandering aimlessly, and she seemed to know where Ambrose's camp was, at least. Maybe they already have food there, he hoped. And maybe Rex was there too. "Alright, I'm right behind you," he said, following after her. "Is Ambrose's camp far away..?" Avery certainly hoped not... but he had no idea where it was, so Colche could lead him anywhere for as long as she wanted, and he wouldn't know she was just playing a game with him. Colche Colche was listening but his words didn't really register with her. She paused and tilted her head at him "Boy" her brow creased and she walked around him "Not fuzzy" sticking her tongue out, she looked, for a breif moment, a little frightened, but Ambrose had said noone would hurt her here, even if they werent' fuzzy. Nodding her head she smiled lightly "Ambrose, follow" she stated again her tiny stub of a tail twitching, maybe this game ould wait til later, just incase Avery wasn't a good man, she didn't know him, Ambrose would know. She started walking then, changing her direction entirely, the long way around didn't seem so much fun any more.
Turning to look at Avery, her only real scars that now remained on her body were on her chest, white lines penetrating the whorles that had formed since her first change. Noone really asked her about them any more. They were the reason why Colche made a direct beeline for the camp, that old, remembered fear, things had changed since the duplexses had locked. Without Aubrey here, would she be safe from men? She had never thought about it before, but her fears slowly creapt in to her mind as she padded along. She didn't know Avery at all, was he a bad man? or a good man like Ambrose? Avery Calder "Well, of course I'm not fuzzy," Avery said, "why would I be?" He noticed that she looked nervous for a moment, but he couldn't understand why. She was the one with claws, after all... if anyone should be nervous, it should be him. Avery was confused when they suddenly changed directons. Where was Colche leading him? Being a nineteen year old boy, he couldn't help glancing down at her chest when she turned to face him, and he noticed the scars. He felt a little uncomfortable asking about them, though. "Hey... d'you, uh, want to borrow my shirt and pants?" he offered as he followed her. He felt that she needed his clothes more than he did, and he had boxers on underneath anyway. He was glad for it this time, as he sometimes didn't wear anything underneath at all. "What happened to your clothes, anyway?" Colche Colche's ears twitched a little as he spoke "Cloths?" she tilted her head questioningly, it was nothing short of a mirricle for Colche to wear clothes at any time any way "Duplex" she stated simply pushing through the trees quietly her tail twitching nervously. She didn't quite get the rest of his sencence, her gaze twitching upwards as a bolt of lightning stretched accross the air "uhmm" she mumbled pouting a bit. Her huge, baby blue eyes searching for the source of the strange light.
She stayed still for only a moment though before she continued walking her legs trembled as she went, should she run? She could run faster than anyone, if she ran Avery wouldn't be able to catch her. But what if he was a good man? She would upset him then. The conflict going on in her head made her frown and bite her lip. What if Aubrey didn't come back would she be locked in the dark again? Would the bad men come back? Would she ever get to run on the beach again?
No, no, she had to be brave Aubrey had said so. Licking her already wet lips she smiled nervously at Avery "Ambrose soon" she wispered her ears twitching lat against her head. Rex Vadnais Rex had been tramping through the jungle for quite some time now, being sure to follow Awen's directions he'd mapped in his mind. He could only assume that he was going the right way since he really didn't have the slightest idea about the total size of the isladn or where in the world he was right now. His quick dip in the lake had soothed his wounds quite a bit and his neck didn't hurt anymore, but those ailments were replaced by the sniffing and running of his nose.
Stepping over logs and bushes, thwacking through the brush to clear a primative path, he continued on his way. He'd passed a few berry bushes and temporarily settled his roaring stomach, but he knew he'd be hungry again soon.
Then, he heard some voices coming up from behind. More islanders? He hoped it wouldn't be someone angry, he imagined a black man mixed with a tiger bounding through thicket, claws extended and fangs bared. He did see a cat... but it was no Jamal. That naked girl he'd met quickly on the beach and Avery fumbled towards him, "Guys!" He exclaimed, then turned back catch them, "I'm so glad you're all right!" Avery Calder Avery glanced around when he heard someone call out. The voice sounded familiar... and then he spotted Rex coming toward them. He felt relieved, and he hurried past Colche to meet up with Rex, immediately hugging the other man. "Rex!" he let go after a moment, stepping back to look at him. "I'm glad you're okay, too. I've been worried!" He felt like he owed Rex everything. If it weren't for him, he might have drowned out at sea... and it was because of him that Rex was here now, stuck on this island. He was glad to be reunited with someone that was familiar, and human. "I guess you weren't able to find Ambrose's camp, huh? Sorry we got seperated... I heard a stream and wanted to wash up in fresh water, but then I got lost." Colche Colche stood Silently as Avery pushed past her to greet the other man. Her ears flattened tightly against ehr head now as she waited. Her tail flickered behind her, the tiny stump twitching sparodically. Should she approach the two without Ambrose there? Her whole body spoke of feeling defencive then and she glanced around looking for an escape route. What if they were both bad men? She had that experience before. Nibbling her bottom lip nervously she stood still, trying to stay quiet though unfortunately perhaps, she sneezed, a loud, cute little sneeze which would certainly attract the attention of the other two.
her ;arge blue eyes rested upon them botha nd she trembled, Trembled for the first time in a very long time, but the shiver wasnt't from the cold of the rain, it was a touch of the unknown, fear of old times.She wanted Aubrey. Swallowing hard, she tried to stand tall while she continued to shiver, she had to be brave, noone would do anything unless she said so, Aubrey had said so all that time ago. They had to be good men, they had to be didn't they? Ambrose had said so.
Ambrose, of course, the camp wasn't too far away, if she could get them going quickly enough, Ambrose would protect her, if they were bad men, Ambrose would protect her. Rex Vadnais He was so relieved to see the two, he hugged Avery back, patting him, then pulled away and said, "Yeah! I went into the jungle after I wrung out my clothes and you were gone! I ended up on the other side of the island and met a girl who I stay with for the ni--" His sentence was interupted by a rather large sneeze. Rex turned to colche, "Oh! Bless you!"
He beamed, she looked so dang cute standing there in the rain while recouperating from her sneeze. Then he turned to her, remembering that there was something different about this girl. "Hey, I'm Rex, remember? We met on the beach, what was your name again?" He hunkered down a bit since he knew he must seem pretty big to this girl and gave another friendly smile. Avery Calder Avery looked back at Colche too when she sneezed, and he couldn't help thinking she looked adorable. "Bless you," he said as he went back over to her. "She was leading me to Ambrose's camp," Avery explained to Rex, smiling. He felt suddenly much better, especially that he was with Rex again and, although he didn't understand why considering they were trapped on an island, Rex appeared to be in a pretty good mood. Colche Colche was silent for a long moment watching rex, he bent down though and she looked down at him her ears twitching a little. He had every chance to attack her now, but he was smiling. They never smiled, at least, not in a friendly manner "Colche" she stated, her words as usual limited. She half smiled though she still looked a little frightened at the prospect of having two men around her now, two men she didn't know "Ambrose, nearly" she knew the words didn't fit quite right, but she took a step backwards towards Ambroses camp. She faintly remembered these men at last. Ian had seemed to know them and they hadn't hurt the deer man. "Me is Colche, Rex" she spoke in that paused, childish manner, she would definately feel better once she was back in Ambroses camp.
She realised though that neither man had hurt her yet, so despite the slight look of distrust in those huge, deep blue eyes she managed a tiny smile "Follow, Ambrose" she nodded a bit waiting for them though she still looked tense and nervous, she had definately relaxed a little. Rex Vadnais "Oh, you were going there too? I take it we both won't get our navigation merit badge, eh?" Rex playfully punched Avery in the shoulder, perhaps a bit than he meant it to be. "Ho'crap," he projected, "I didn't mean to hit you that hard, sorry." He blushed, not wanting to seem like an a**. "But yeah, i was going to his camp as well, the girl in the lake gave me directions." In any other context, that sentence would've just sounded weird.
Rex saw the cheetah cower and slightly stiffen. Cautious, he slowed his steps and spoke a bit softer as though talking to a baby or an animal, even though he knew that this girl was perfectly human on the inside. Or is she? Maybe she grew up here on the island as an unloved experiment and was never taught proper english. This island set his imagination on fire, but if someone could turn people into animals and pluck them from the outside world, this was a highly plausible thought in his mind.
"Colche? That a cute name," Rex whispered, "yeah, I remember now. The elk guy... Ian? He told us your name." Then the girl turned to go to Ambrose's camp, "Oh! Are you going to show us the way? Well that's nice of you, I was worried about getting lost again." He stood upright once more and and followed her bee-line path through the scrub. Avery Calder Avery nearly fell over when Rex punched him in the shoulder, and he rubbed his sore arm. Well, what's another bruise anyway? He grinned a bit at Rex. "Um... it's okay, don't worry about it, heh heh." He tried not to roll his eyes. Some people just didn't know their own strength... and Avery was definately not the strong type. "Wait - what do you mean by 'girl in the lake'?" Avery supposed he shouldn't be surprised. Maybe someone was part fish or something. He shuddered a bit at the idea of being stuck in a lake, and he followed after Colche. Colche Colche looked at rex when he said her name was cute, she knew that word, lots of people said it to her "thanyou" she smiled brightly a slight giggle escaping her now. She liked the word cute it was very endering to the slender femme. A crack of lightning lit up the sky again and she paused, perhaps too quickly cause she bumped in to rex. Her ears tightened against her head as she looked up at the big guy, the scars down her chest visable in the bright, momentary light. She knew she shouldn't be frightebned of the lightning, it had been going for ages, but every time the sky flashed she felt scared it was coming after her. Perhaps in a way, the 'bright light' reminded her all too familiarily of her past though bumping in to the big guy didn't particularily make it any better, she was sheilded from the worst of the skies fireworks.
She said no more though she did stay still for a long moment, searching the skies to make sure the lightning wasn't coming back before she steppe away from rex. She looked at him, frightened, he wouldn't hurt her fotr that would he? they were so clsoe to Ambroses camp now, so very close. They wouldn't hurt her, Aubrey had said so. Rex Vadnais Yup, he knew it'd sound weird, "Oh, a girl named Awen, she's real nice a pretty helpful. But the poor girl seem pretty confided to the lake since she's turning into a manta ray." His heart sunk at the thought of being stuck there for however long you were going to be on the island. Forever? Maybe being a fish wouldn't be so great after all.
Rex looked to the sky as well when the lightning disturbed the dark skies, then Colche bumped into him, he looked down at her and grinned, slowly figuring that the friendliest approach possible was the best for this girl. "The lightning can be scary, huh? I used to be afraid of it, too." He reach his hand across her shoulders and and rubbed the fur, "it'll be okay though." He looked forward into the jungle and continued to move forward. Avery Calder Avery jumped a little too when he heard the thunder; not that he was afraid of it, but he was just taken by surprise. He would have told Colche that lightning strikes the tallest things around, but then he remembered; they were surrounded by trees... and he suddenly felt a little uneasy. "A manta ray girl, huh? That kinda sucks... I'd hate to be trapped in a lake forever," he said. Colche Colche nodded softly "scary" she moved a little doggedly away from his touch on ehr shoulder, but when she realised he wasn't grabbing her she gave a slight, throaty puurr before she walked on. Ambroses camp was nearlly in view now, the lean toos visable through the trees. Giving a soft sigh of releif she looked at the ttwo men "Ambrose" she stated decideingshe wouldn't go wandeirng in to the jungle alone again, certainly until seh knew these two men any way. She ahd to make double sure they were nice. Rex Vadnais "Yeah, I'd feel so... caged," Rex mumbled as he saw the rudimentary lean-to's through passing between the trees. "Well, what do we have here?" Finally, they'd made it to the camp. the thought of remote civiliation made him remember how cold and sick he was. he sniffed once more and sighed, "it looks like we finally made it," he yawned, feeling exhausted after hiking through the rain all day, "and not a minute too late." The thunder rumbled in the distance and he felt a slight breeze pick up, hopefully things wouldn't get worse.
Rex turned and looked at Avery, "Home-wet-home, eh?" while the rain sure was a downer, everything had a positive spin. Now where was Ambrose and everyone else? He'd said they had a pretty big camp. Avery Calder "Thank god," Avery sighed in relief. "I'm so tired. And wet." Avery quickly made his way to the nearest lean-to, crawling under it to get out of the rain. He was hungry, too, but he could wait it out for now. Getting out of the rain was more important right now. He scooted over to allow room for both Rex and Colche. He glanced around, hoping for a blanket of some sort, but even if he could find one it would probably be soaking wet by now, too. Colche Colche only paused for a moment, her inhabitions forgotten she dove head first in to the lean to, scrunching as close as possible to the trees the lean to was up against, she gave a soft, airy puurr. If she was to be attacked, it would have happened by now right? yes, and with ambrose near by she would be safe. She knew full well if she snuggled up between these two guys she would be warmer and drier than she was alone so she sighed lightly and closed those big blue eyes. A little stroll had certainly become an adventure. Already her fur and hair were starting to dry out as she sat snuggled in the lean to, happy, for now, feeling safe and protected even if it wasn't by the two guys she was going to be closest to for the night. Rex Vadnais Rex, too, scrambled into the small hut and flopped onto the floor with the others. Friends like these were the best to have to help you through hard times, and he was glad that they were here to help and comfort him. He snuggled in tight, trying to feel the body heat of his comrades. He recalled the night before and how nice it felt to have Antony curled against his body. The linked this to Julie, sleeping with himn under the sheets of their small bed in his old apartment. Julie.. These thoughts danced in his head while his eyelids drooped with sleep. Hopefully his cold wouldn't get any worse...
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Posted: Sat Mar 04, 2006 12:26 am
Who Needs Skin? Amaya Vaughan New RPFortuanatly for Amaya, Chubbs and Lily had done wonders at keeping her awake. She had been able to drift off once or twice but the dreams that had greeted her were worse then what was going on in consciousness.
So she had stayed awake, laying ontop of Chubbs. Her scaley frame rose every time he took in a breath as he slept, a nice rythmic feeling that was actually very calming. Though as time got on she got hotter and hotter... even though the weather outside had only died down a very little bit. Green eyes squinted as heat wave after heat wave hit her body. It was making her nauseaus. The storm had most likely made her sick.
Not thinking clearly, she gently backed off of Chubbs' stomach and into the rain to cool down. The rain actually felt good on her head. She undoubtedly had a fever.
She absently scratched at her face with the back of her hand, stopping as it lowered into her line of view. Was that... skin? Green eyes shot open. It was the same thing that had happened to her before... the...
Oh my god.
She had to get away from so many people. She had to hide. She had to- to- Amaya began to hyperventalate as she stumbled away from the camp.
Her stomach cramped and her muscles tightened as she tried her best to get away. Meanwhile, the remaining human skin was peeling away and falling off in the rain. Rex Vadnais Rex had been tromping through the forest around the camp site, taking mental notes of landmarks so he could find his way back. The rain continued to fall, but the wind had mostly died down and the claps in the sky became less frequent. The whole while, he'd been reflecting on his stay at the island. Avery and falling overboard, meeting all those twisted animal people for the first time, his night with Antony and much more. All of it pooled in his mind, fresh as the soothing rain.
Until he heard a loud, feline scream of what sounded like a dying animal coming from the direction of his temporary home-base. Was everyone alright back there? He'd travelled pretty far from where he started and decided to go back to investigate.
Nearing the washed camp, he saw something flash through the corner of his eye leaving flakey white leaves in it's wake. "Hello?" Rex called nervously, what on earth was that thing. For some reason, memories of a show he watched on El Chupacabra came back to him. Was this safe? He took after it, calling out to the thing, "Are you alright?" By the looks of it, he was persuing some sort of giant, green and scaly blob. Like a lizard... Amaya? Amaya Vaughan Amaya didn't reply to Rex's calls. Instead she continued on, not even Colche's scream seemed to register in her mind. Most, if not all, of the human skin she once had was gone. Parts of the pink flesh hung from her body or trailed behind her. She had to get farth-
"AHHHH!" She screamed as her legs gave out underneath her. The iguana tumbled onto her stomach into the mud as her feet grew even larger along with her hands. Heaving and crying she pushed herself up onto her hands and knees and watched in horror as they grew. Strangled sobs escaped her throat, tiny cries joining them.
Then as if it isn't enough, a horrible pain panged inside her tail as it growed longer and longer. Amaya screamed again, pain filling the air around her that not even the rain seemed to be able to wash away. Long, sharp claws dug into the wet earth as the stripped tail pushed down her black panties farther as the base grew larger and it's overall lenght seemed to refuse to stop. Rex Vadnais He now ran through the forest, trying to catch up with the girl, passing what he now realized was her skin. His stomache growled from hunger and disgust, things just weren't right.
She fell and screamed, he had time to catch up with and cautiously dropped to a jog so he didn't slip and end up in the mud like her. "Amaya?!" He yelled, the event clicking in his mind. She's changing..., he thought to himself. He watched in silent horror as her hands morphed and tail projected farther from her tail bone.
What could he do? Each sob and tear was like a stab in the heart. No one should go through this kind of torturous pain. Would this happen to him? What motivates Moreau to do this to people?! Tears welled in his eyes as well as he threw himself down by her in the mud.
"Amaya, you'll be fine, I-- I promise." He spoke in hushed and quavering tones, trying to comfort the girl anyway he could. He, however, put everything he had in him to try and keep himself from touching her. For all he knew, the scales were tender and young, he'd hate to risk any more pain for the girl. Amaya Vaughan Amaya heaved and panted, her head turned to look at Rex as she continued to change. The spines that were already somewhat formed down her spine popped up farther, new ones going into her hairling and almost to her forehead before they stopped. She lurched as each new one sprung forth, her body screaming in agony as Amaya screamed as well.
Green eyes were filled with horror, fear and saddness as they tore away from Rex and went back to the ground. She couldn't look at his perfectly normal human face as she herself changed even farther, stepping deeper and deeper into the animal that had been so forced upon her.
The scales spread farther over her face then they ever had before, the ears she once had shrinking to nothing. Another terrified scream left her as she felt her ears completely vanish. Her chest was also changing, getting smaller then it already was. Amaya no longer had breasts, the two small lumps on her torso being fat stores and only that. Rex Vadnais All that Rex could do was watch and murmer, "Amaya, stay strong, we'll get you through this..." and other comforting messeges. Could she hear him? His eyes widened as he saw her ears mold back into her skull and the green spines erupt like shoots from the top of her head. His breathing quickened and he his jaw grew slack. The green spread across her young face like some kind of alien fungus, When will it stop?!
Her green eyes looked into his and added to the blows attacking his heart. The horror and pain that was expressed pierced his soul even stronger than her changing appearance. Drops plummeted from the sky, they as helpless as Rex was. He could only hope the transformation would be over soon.
He blinked tears from his eyes as his whole body shook, part from the cold and part from fear of the terrible pain. Amaya Vaughan Amaya continued to sob and stare at the ground. The rain was gone. The island was gone. Rex was gone. All that was there was the horrible pain.
But then... it seemed to slow down. Save for an odd feeling on her head.
Then the first clump of raven hair slid from her cranium and onto the ground in front of her. Her sobs stopped almost completely as she watched another clump fall to the ground.
Eyes wide in shock, she raised a shakey hand to her head and rubbed her hair before pulling it away.
There, wrapped around her long clawed fingers was her hair.
She sat back on her knees and simply stared at it, the remainder of her hair slid down her scaley shoulders and into the wet mud.
"My..." Came her tiny, innocent and youthful voice. It contradicted the strange, alien creature sitting in front of Rex. "My..." Tears spilled out her eyes and Amaya's body started to shake... but it wasn't from the rain.
The iguana lurched foreward, the little food she had been eating the past few days expelling onto the ground before her entire body crumbled to the side.
The second time she had changed she had done the same thing, though it was because of her hands and feet... now such a thing seemed silly and trivial. But the horror of loosing her hair had hit some deep rooted fear and drove her to unconciousness. Rex Vadnais Rex, too, watched in silence as the locks of hair slid from her scalp. They dropped like birds to the muddy earth beneath them. "Oh..." he barely whispered. He should've seen this coming, of course a reptile wouldn't have hair. His stomach churned and maind raced as the girl broke down to tears before him.
To add to the drama, he scurried to the side to clear room for her vomit, "OH! Gosh, it's okay. A little barf neve--" He stopped mid sentence as she shuddered then fell to the ground, "s**t!" he exclaimed, Whoa... did I just cuss? He only cursed when he found it hard to control his emotions, this was one of those times.
"Oh Lord, o-lord-o-lord-o-lord." He sighed, slightly panicked. This is not good.
Being a lizard must have been a pretty bad animal. All scaly and green, constantly basking in the sun to keep wa-- The sun! Rex remembered that reptiles were cold blooded and this rain was most definately not helping. He had to get her out of here.
"All right, here we go." He got to his feet and swept her up into his arms then trudged his way through the mud back to Ambrose's camp. He had to find warmth somehow. Amaya Vaughan Amaya hung limp in the man's arms, her long tail trailing over his arms and swaying from side to side as he carried her back to camp. Were she conscious, she would probably be protesting against it. The last thing she wanted as people to see her... even though that meant the risk of dying in the rain.
Now that the change was over, her body was regaining it's cold-blooded nature. Her fever was still there, but it was less severe as her body began to get cooler and cooler due to the outside tempature. Rex's body heat did help, though.
Her head rested on his shoulder, arms hanging at her sides. Green eyes were closed and her mouth was still knit into a saddened frown. Rex Vadnais Breaking the perimeter of the camp, Rex bee-lined straight for the lean-to that he'd stayed in the previous night. He sniffed, the cold making his nose run again, it was the last thing he needed.
He came to his knees in the structure's dirt floor and continued to cling to the unconcious girl in his arms. He held Amaya close to his chest and wrapped his arms around her back, then pulled her trailing tail under the shelter as well. Body heat was the only warmth he could provide for the girl as his clothes were wet and he didnt have a blanket. He breathed heavily and hoped for the best, slowly rocking back and forth with the near-stranger held tight. A prayer ran through his head while his mouth jumbled, "It'll be okay... everything will be alright..." Amaya Vaughan For a moment Amaya remained silent and still, though when the man's voice reached her ears her face contorted. She grabbed his short with her hands, claws thankfully not tearing his shirt to shreads. A tiny, strangled whimper escaped her throat and she leaned closer into Rex. Right now it didn't matter if he was a total stranger, to the iguana he was a disembodied force there to comfort her.
Her entire body was sore and ached. She was cold and sick. The vomit taste still lingered in her mouth as her large, pink tongue flickered to catch the anxiety lingering on the man that held her. Her still human-like nose sniffed as tears started down her eyes once more.
The past few moments came crashing down, a strangled murmur said into Rex's shirt. "I'm sorry... I'm so sorry..." He had seen everything even though he had just washed up on the island a couple of days ago. Rex Vadnais The rain continued to pound outside the window and blur just about every sound that was remotely quiet. His heart pounded and head sagged, looking to the person he clutched. She was motionless and frozen, he thought all hope was lost...
...until she pulled him closer. "Amaya..." he whispered, his heart lept with joy as he realized she was still breathing and... quite frankly, alive. This poor girl had been through alot. He held her in his arms tighter, just wanting this young girl to turn out okay.
Rex stroked her back with calm hands, ensuring her safety as best he could, "No, don't appologize. It's fine... it's fine..." He hunched over her as if he was guarding her from the pain himself. Why can't I help more? He continued to stroke gently and let out a deep sigh. Amaya Vaughan Amaya sniffed as she cried into his chest, her tail painfully curling around both of them on it's own accord. She let out a whimper between her cries, the very motion making her new limb throb. Her eyes remained closed, unable to open to see the monstrosity she had become.
She knew it was bad. Her hair had fallen out. It didn't get much worse then loosing that.
Were her eyes still the same? Did she look anything like her deceased parents? The girl had inherited her father's hair and her mother's eyes... now she probably looked nothing like them.
Amaya didn't care if she was saved. She knew that now there was no going back. This was her permanent home until she died. But Rex... there was still hope for him if the rain ever let up. If the doctors never came back.
Though another sob, she managed to say "You havta get off this island..." Rex Vadnais "You havta get off this island..." the words reverberated in his head, the gears clicking once again.
There was still a glimmer of hope for him to get off of this god forsaken place. But what would happen when he went back? Go about his normal life? That's not even possible after what'd happened to him these past few days, the memory of the pain Amaya had gone through replayed over and over in his head. He'd tell people of what he saw, but would they believe him? Would the islanders come back into society after the changes they'd gone through?
He sat, contemplating all possible scenarios until he looked down to her and gave her a response, "I know..." The doubt was deep seated in his mind, but he could only agree with the girl at this point. There was no need to further complicate the situation with thoughts of what'd happen if Rex stayed. Amaya Vaughan Amaya fell silent, the only sound being the constant pounding on the roof of the lean-to and the water droplets that leaked through the cracks above that constantly pelted them.
Her sobbing had eventually stopped and her eyes had opened. She lay huddled up against Rex's chest, her now bald head resting against him. Green eyes were half-opened, the look on her face saying that she had passed the initial shock. All that was left was misery. Would she ever get used to this? It was... her afterall. Rex Vadnais Rex noticed her breathing steady and looked down at her. Her brilliant green eyes now open, if not tinged with some remaining pain. He cracked a smile and wiped a tear from her cheek, trying to lighten the dark mood, "Glad to see you've pulled together." He examined her newly changed body with his blue orbs of eyes.
The scales covered the vast majority, if not all, of her body. The thought of being covered like that made Rex's skin crawl. The tafts from her head formed some odd mohawk and her hands were bigger than his head. Hoping some simple conversation was the remedy for this girl, a compliment was a nice kicker. "Now tell me," he paused, looking straight down at Amaya, "have your eyes always been that green? They're beautiful." Amaya Vaughan Amaya blinked, a bit surprised by the compliment... though she knew it was probably just to make her feel better. Nothing of her was beautiful anymore. Not like it had been in the first place. Her large, pink tongue flickered on it's own accord. Though despite herself, she wasn't about to be rude.
"Thank you..." Her voice was hoarse and tired. "I got them from my mother." Rex Vadnais Uh-oh, family... stear clear bud. But he couldn't let the topic drop so quickly, "Well, I must say that you, my friend are very lucky." His own eyes looked to the side and he began to absently rub his hand up and down the un-ridged part of her back.
"Warming up?" He said smiling, holding her strong against his chest. "...and comfy?" His 'must comfort' instinct was fully oiled and he was going to do everything in his power to make her happy. Amaya Vaughan Amaya gave a lopsided smile and nodded to him. "Yeah, thanks... for everything." She glanced up at him, but then quickly looked away. It seemed strange to look at him... she didn't even feel human anymore. It was very strange...
"I hate to be so dependent on others... but until the rain lets up, I guess I don't have a choice." The iguana frowned, her eyes trailing to the opening of the lean-to. Small conversation was nice. It kept her minds off... other obvious things.
"How long do you think it'll last?" Amaya asked, refering to the rain that poured outside. Rex Vadnais "A thank you is completely unnecessary, I'll always be here to help you and anyone else for that matter." He smiled and made eye contact when she looked up, but was surprised when she looked away. Insecurity? Embarassment? But he shurgged it off, this was about her, not why she didnt want to look at him. So Rex instead looked out at the muddy ground...
The weather, a nice neutral and simple topic. "The rain? Well it's been going for quite a few days now hasn't it? It can't last much longer." Really he didn't have the slightest clue how much longer it would last, but optimism seemed to be good right now. Not the reality that he had a lizard girl on his lap. Amaya Vaughan "I hope not..." Amaya closed her eyes for a moment before reopening them tiredly. "And no offense... but I hope you get rescued before you havta help anyone else." She paused for a moment. "You and everyone else. None of you should be here." The iguana had made a desicion before even this change that if rescue did come... she was going to stay here. Rex Vadnais "I understand..." Rex said quietly, "I can see where that would be important." He chuckled at his understatement. Actually finding a way off the island would be a miracle, but going back would also be tough. It would be nearly impossible to get his memories of the island and these people off his mind.
It looked like the conversation was destined to take a turn towards the emotional, "...what would happen with you if the ship came. If I left, would you follow? And what about the other islanders, you know them better than myself. How would they feel about returning to the normal world?" Amaya Vaughan "Most of them would probably go back in a heartbeat. Maybe find refuge with their families. Even if they're already changed and will keep changing, at least they would be with those they cared about." Amaya stopped, giving a tired laugh. "Anything is better then living under Moreau's shoe like a peon." Though when she was asked what she would do, she fell silent in thought.
"... I don't know what I would do. I think I'd stay here with the few other people that would too." Her tail twitched on it's own accord, causing her to grimace a little in pain. At least the throbbing had died down. Rex Vadnais Rex nodded in agreement. Hiding in the shadows with your family could be good. But then she spoke about continuing to change. "Wait... what do you mean 'will keep changing'? Don't you need one of these injections that I keep hearing about to change? I mean, you must've gotten an injection in order for..." He stopped, he realized he'd dug a bit far and didn't want to bring attention back to the present state of the girl.
"Hopefully, I'd get off before I got injected. Changing in the outside world wouldn't be so great." He chewed on the thought for a bit, if he were to change while back home, who'd care for him in the shadows? He obviously couldn't show his face without being poked at by the government or some science center. Maybe he'd live on the streets, or in the sewer like some horror movie monster. Hmm, I wonder what animal I'll turn int-- No, Rex, stop it. You can't act like there's no way for you to get off, you'll have to go, no matter how cool it'd be to chan-- NO! Stop thinking like that! His mind scurried in an internal struggle, all though being an animal seemed pretty neat to Rex, he knew the true drama behind it. Amaya Vaughan Amaya shook her head, unoffended by his questions about her changing. As long as he didn't point anything rudely out to her, she was used to it. "I didn't get an injection this time. It did it on it's own... Awen didn't get an injection when she changed last either. She's turning into a fish of some sort. We think once you get injected for the first time, your fate is sealed..." She let out a sigh. "That's why once this rain lets up, you need to get off the island as fast as possible. Who knows when, or if, the staff will be back to inject you." Rex Vadnais Rex's heart sunk, how were these people changing without injections? Did whatever they inject you with grow and change on it's own? Or were they somehow getting these injections without them noticing? THings just didn't add up. For all that he knew, he'd been injected and was forever trapped on this island.
He gulped a bit, "So weird... suddenly things feel like a race. Against the storm, the cruise ship, the lab scientist people..." He stared off blankly in thought once more, but snapped back eventually, "I guess only time will tell..." Amaya Vaughan "Yeah..." Amaya trailed off, letting her head fall onto the man's chest. The rythmic motion of his chest raising and falling comforted her, much like it had when she was laying with Chubbs. Rex smelled nice too... despite being stranded outside these past few days.
Once more silence seemed to envelop them, the lizard unable to think of much else to say. Rex Vadnais Rex was glad that she was taking comfort in him, even thought they'd only spoken once before.
Rex didn't stop the slow motion of his hand brushing up and down her back, the friction adding to the needed heat to keep this girl concious. He sniffed occasionally, but held back the coughs so he didn't disrupt the girl resting on him.
In times like these, Rex would never be able to do it alone. He needed someone to hold and comfort. Someone to care for and share the moment with. Solitady could only be delt with in times of depression or great sadness, these weren't the greatest times of his life, but certainly not the worst either.
He continued to stare absently out the entry, watching the rain leak off the roof or the occasional splat against his skin. The sound was numbing, just an omnipresent hum or roll of the rain was the only sound to be heard. The scaled Amaya in his arms curled up in his lap like an overgrown child and the wetness of his clothes stuck to his back. He could taste some of his last meal, berries, in his mouth, yet his nose was too clogged to smell the slightest thing.
"It's quiet... a peaceful quiet." Amaya Vaughan "Yeah... though I wish the rain would stop. It's driving me insane." Amaya said, her eyes closed and her body still curled into Rex to keep warm. The constant pounding of rain outside was like a hammer being hit overhead that never seemed to end. Rex Vadnais "Yeah, it's starting to get a bit old." He remmebered when they washed up on the beach a few mornings ago. The warmth of the sand felt so good on his skin, but all that Rex could feel now was the wet and bone-chilling cold given from the rain. At least Amaya, although cold blooded, was acting slightly like a blanket instead of giveing him body heat. "Is the weather normally really nice here?" Amaya Vaughan "Normally, yeah. Before I changed it was too hot for me, but after I became cold-blooded it was normally really comfortable... only recently did it start getting colder. Especially at night." The iguana said, her eyes half-opening.
She then blinked, something coming to mind. "... What date is it?" Rex Vadnais Cold-blooded. It was hard for him to imagine being cold-blooded. Always having to keep warm, and if you got too cold you'd... the image of Amaya fainting in the mud out in the forest was certainly not one he wanted to keep in his head. What would've happened if he wasn't there to carry her back? Would her whole body freeze all animation, or would she be able to make it back to camp herself? He shook his head, not wanting to think about it. At least he knew that the weather was nice. Maybe he'd finally get some time to pick up his surfboard again!
"The date?" He was slightly taken aback at the seemingly random question, "Uhh... gosh I've lost track. I think that it's about early March, like the third or something." He stopped, counting over the days that had passed so quickly. "Why do you ask?" Amaya Vaughan "March already? ... Wow." Time seemed to loose it's meaning when you lived on the island, no news or television to keep you up to date. "I just sort of lost track of the date ever since I got here. Time doesn't seem to exist, y'know?" Amaya said, her scaley shoulders giving a tiny shrug. Rex Vadnais "Yeah, it makes sense though. I can already see it happening to me. I've nearly lost count of how many days have passed since I first got here." It was surprisingly easy to forget about things like the date when you didn't have anything better to do. No appointments, no events... nothing worked like clockwork. Maybe things would change once, and if, the duplexes opened up.
Rex sighed, things in his life had gotten a whole lot more complicated and easier at the same time. Amaya Vaughan "Yeah..." The girl trailed off, her eyelids starting to get heavy but then snapped back open as something occured to her.
"If I... go to sleep, will you... still be here?" She looked up at him, for once not pulling away from his gaze. He seemed like a nice enough guy... but when it came down to it, would he really stay with her until the rain stopped? She had to be the one of the worst looking people on the island by now, even though she had no idea what she really looked like. Rex Vadnais "If you want me to stay, I'll stay." Rex said calmly, He smiled and also locked eyes. "Right now, you are in need of someone more than anyone else on the island." He pulled her closer to cover her more, more heat for the girl. At least she was concious and functioning well as far as Rex could tell. He remembered laying with Antony in her camp site, also huddling together for warmth, it seemed like a trend lately. Amaya Vaughan Amaya gave a sad smile, somehow looking like the same girl that had first arrived on the island. She snuggled into him and got comfortable before closing her eyes.
It didn't take her long before she drifted to a rather fitful slumber. Rex Vadnais Rex, too, began to feel the effects of drowziness after a few minutes.His head dropped to his shoulder and fell fast asleep. He was awoken by the occasional adjusting or roll of the girl beneath him arms, but continued to dream throughout the night.
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Posted: Sat Mar 04, 2006 6:38 pm
Not the End You Hoped For Sabin Duvert Late in the night, far past midnight, at a time when only those animals whose eyes are well adjusted to the inky blackness that comes when the only light - the moon and stars- are blanketed by the thick rainclouds, the thick heavy droplets begin to slow... and then finally stop. The buzzing of insects and birdcalls that had been all but absent during the steady drone of the falling rain slowly begin to pick up experimentally, then call out in a chorus welcoming the clear and rain-less night air. However, the noise of the buzz and birds are soon joined by another humm. This one, however, is one that the Island has not heard in over two months. It is not the querying chirp of a cricket, or a methodical crick of a treefrog. It is a steady, mechanical humm, droll and mundane - but to some acute ears that catch its chorus that spreads across the Island from the Beach Bar to the Village to the Laboratories - it is the most welcome night noise of them all. For those staying in the beach bar, if they are not already awake then the florescent lights that slowly flicker on probably does the trick. In a loud resounding CLICK, the duplex doors unlock in unison. About three hours following this, the scent of cooked food begins to spread from the now unlocked and open cafeteria. Amaya Vaughan New RPAmaya didn't wake the very second the rain had stopped, or even when the drole hum of the electricity came back on. What woke her was the ever growing presence of heat... something that was very, very much welcome.
Green eyes slowly opened and looked around. She lay huddled up next to Rex in the lean-to, her body pressed tightly into him for warmth. Blinking, she slowly pushed herself to a sitting position and looked around. What was that... sound? Rubbing her eyes with the back of her palm, she sat up slowly enough to keep the man next to her asleep for now.
Was that... a hum? Blinking a couple of more times, it took a few minutes before it occured to her exactly what it was. Her eyes shot open and she shook Rex. "Rex! Rex wake up!" The electricity was on! He had to get away... somehow! Rex Vadnais Rex actually had a rather pleasant night's sleep. His rest was not haunted by dreams and the cold was fought off by the Amaya sleeping in his lap. He needed that night's slee-- "Huh?! What?!"
He was shaken awake by the lizard girl, and it sort of startled him. Rex blinked, trying to figure out what they hell was going on. "What's happening?" it took him a few breaths to realize the the sun was shining and the roll of rain was replaced by a hum, like a generator or something... A generator?! "Hey! The rain stopped! but whats that other sound?" He sprang to his feet... well.. crawled to his feet and crouched over so he didn't bust down the lean-to. He was half surprised the girl wasn't outside already soaking up some rays.
"What happened? Everything got a happy!" He exclaimed comically. He took a few steps outside into the heart of the camp, crossed his arms and turned back to Amaya, "Quite the way to start off fresh!" Ian Campbell Ian burst into the camp breathing heavily. He was wearing clean clothes that looked like they came right from a fantasy ranger. His hair was neat and combed and he was no longer muddy except for his hooves t=since he had been running to reach the camp. "Everyone! The duplexes are open!" he panted skidding to a halt by Rex and Amaya. "I was there!" Then he spotted Amaya, she appeared a lot more green and scaly than before. "Amaya. . ." he had almost caught his breath. "How art thou doing?" he had always liked Amaya and felt that her being here was wrong. "And Rex was it? Thou should be trying to leave this place. Everything being back means that it is no longer safe." Lily Delaney Lily had been asleep in one of the shelters, she'd stayed at the camp because she didn't want to stay alone out in the jungle anymore and she wasn't sure if Awen would still show up. Not to mention that everyone had disappeared- the note left by Chubbs didn't last through the rain. The weather had finally gotten to her, staying outside for so long was one thing but the rain had gotten her.
Feeling tired and sore, the hum of electricity didn't wake her- what did was the sound of people talking outside. She opened her eyes and made her way to the outside.
"What?" she asks quietly, not really saying it to anyone in particular, her voice is a little scratchy- the first sign she's catching a cold. She stretches a bit before noticing the others. She doesn't recognize them, but walks towards them. Amaya Vaughan "The power is back on!" Amaya excalimed, her paniced tone trying to replace the man's enthusiasm. "It means the staff are back! You need to hide... or... or... something!" She crawled foreward as well, her legs and tail making it a lot more fluid then how Rex crouched. The fact that the sun was shinning and the duplexes were now opened occured to her second. Her main concern was getting the nice man free... she didn't want him to go through the same thing she had. He didn't deserve it.
Then Ian skidded into the camp. She smiled, grateful to see him... then caught the look he gave her. She frowned and backed deeper into the lean-to. Though she was surprised the deer-man even recognized her. The only thing that looked like her was her eyes and the ever-present locket around her neck. The lizard-girl didn't reply to him, too ashamed of herself. Even as Lily woke up and approached them she slunk farther back into the lean-to with her gaze focused sadly on the ground in front of her. Rex Vadnais Rex was enjoying the sun, examining the clear skies through the holes of the canopy above when Ian burst into the camp. He jumped slightly, That was sudden.
"They're open?!" Rex said excitedly. He'd only been out here in the jungle for a fraction of the time compared to some of the other islanders, but a shower sounded awfully nice. Judging by the looks of Ian, he'd already beaten them to getting cleaned up. But Ian's statement to him made his happiness die a bit. "Yeah, Rex. Ian, if I'm not mistaken? Nice to see you again." He smiled, the people on the island really were just normal people. He'd learned to look past their animal exterior, unphased. "If the duplexes are open, that must mean the labs are as well." It had become do or die time, if Rex didn't get off the island soon he'd be stuck here... forever.
A girl Rex had yet to meet emerged from a shelter, looking a bit dazed. "Well, good morning! I'm Rex."
He turned back to Amaya, noticing she slowly backed farther and farther into the shelter. He was stuck between a rock and a hard place. Should he go hide in misery with his humanity, or get get an actual meal, shower, etcetera. Ian Campbell Ian saw Amaya backing further and further into hiding and he frowned. He had recongized her by her locket and clothes, and obviously she was ashamed of how she looked. Ian turned towardsthe other person that appeared in the camp and he smiled warmly "Hello. I do not think I have had the pleasure of meeting thee. My name is Ian Campbell." Then he held out a hoof to Amaya "It's alright, don't hide." He was lousy at giving comfort but he would do the best he could. "I would assume the labs are open," he said without looking at Rex. "I was able to shower at my duplex and it appears as though there is food cooking at the cafeteria." Lily Delaney Lily's steps become less hesitant the closer she gets, this time she hears what's said by Rex in response to Ian. It doesn't take much thinking to realize what they are talking about- what else would suddenly be open? She stops a couple feet away from the others.
"Hello Rex, Hello Ian," she greets the two politely, noting how polite Rex is and the .. unique way that Ian greeted her. She listens when Ian continues, saying the labs must be open and that there is food cooking in the cafeteria.
"Oooh, finally!" she says with a sigh, looking off towards the trees- not sure which direction the duplexes would be, and not realizing that Amaya is hiding in the lean-to. She does look curiously back at it when Ian tries to get her to come out, though. Amaya Vaughan For a moment Amaya simply looked at the hoof that was offered to her. She looked at it and eventually took it with her overly large, scale-covered hand and allowed him to pull her out of the lean-to. Her eyes remained on the ground, unable to look at any of them.
"Though now that the power is back on, they probably already know you here." She glanced at Rex's torso, avoiding his face. "They might've already got you." Rex Vadnais His heart pounded, suddenly he felt like everyone was going to be after him. Chasing him, trying to pin him and stick him with a needle. And both of his options were rather unfavorable. Fight back or give in, blunt and straight forward, no grey area in between.
He new that he should fight, do everything within his power to get off this island, even though there wasn't alot he could do. His gut doubted, it had struck a weak chord in Rex's heart. Food, real food sounded incredible to him. Like coming home from a backpacking trip, something delectable made his stomach rumble audibly.
He was glad to see Lily gained a bit more confidense and approached them with less precaution. She was so lax about the ordeal, she appeared to be fully human but he'd learned not to doubt the impossible anymore.
Rex's eyes widened as Amaya spoke. They know I'm here? Now that's just plain creepy. A serious expression spread across his face as he examined his worn body for any new wounds or punctures. "That's a scary thought... but I guess that there's only one way to find out." He'd decided, Rex waved a hand in the direction Ian had run into camp from, "Ladies first." Ian Campbell Ian smiled at Amaya to try to help her out as she came into the open. "It's alright." he said again, "Thou art still the same Amaya as always." And he turned to Lily and Rex. Nodding at the decision Rex had made. "Please," he said gesturing Lily towards where he had come out of the trees. Lily Delaney Lily started when Amaya was suddenly pulled from the shelter, gasping but managing to strangle it back- though she ends up coughing. She mentally groans at the realization that she's getting sick, and glances at Amaya again. She'd changed so much since she'd been brought here, and it hadn't been so long.
"Amaya, you're alright! And y-you just got here?" she asks after Amaya tells Rex they might have gotten him already, surprised, "How?"
By the sounds of it Rex isn't here on purpose, yet he seems so calm around Amaya. He's obviously handling it well. She looks back and fourth between Rex and Ian when they both gesture in the direction of the village, then tries to act a little more cheerful than she feels.
"I'll have to trust you guys on this," she says in a mock-skeptical voice, "I don't know my way around so well." Amaya Vaughan "Yeah, theres cameras all over the island." Green orbs finally traveled up to breifly glance at Rex's face. "Just standing here probably got them to notice you... if they didn't already do it while you were sleeping." Her frown increased, just now seeing how impossible getting him off the island really was.
She tried to smile at Ian, but winced at the startled cough coming from Lily. Amaya looked away, fiddling with her claws. "I'm okay." Though as she started walking she hung back a little, only starting once Ian did. Rex Vadnais (( Continued from the Ambrose Pack thread)) Rex turned to the girl who he seemed to miss her name, "Uh yeah, I washed up on shore a few days ago." The thought of the darkness and tumbling through the ocean clouded his mind. He could almost taste the salt water. "What was your name again?" He questioned politely.
"Cameras? Sheesh.." He sighed, becoming slightly paranoid about this Moreau guy. "I take it the people that run this island are a bit controlling to say the least?"
He followed suit after the girls and bee-lined the direction Ian had come from.
Eventually they arrived in the village and boy did the cafeteria smell good. Rex chuckled, "So since they obviously know I'm here, I wonder if I've got living quarters yet."Ian Campbell Ian had followed them back to the village staying close to Amaya. Rex was right, the other girl hadn't introduced herself. Not that he minded, he wasn't sure how many more names he could remember and put to faces. "If you want a shower, my duplex is that way." Ian ponted and shrugged. He didn't mind letting Rex use his shower, especially if Rex didn't have his own duplex. "Otherwise those duplexes have been previously vacant." He gestured towards some of the other duplexes. "Thou can always just claim one for yerself." He yawned and looked at the cafeteria yearningly. He wanted a tomato, he hadn't had one of those in a long while. He smiled at Amaya, "dost thou want food or a shower first?" Lily Delaney Lily smiles, "We were worried, Amaya. It's good to see you moving.." she would say 'moving again' but she hadn't really met her before. She glances back at Rex when he explains how he got here, her eyes widening a bit.
"That's awful, atleast-" she hesitates, "atleast you're alright, if being here counts.."
Then he asks for her name, and she frowns. She'd forgotten to introduce herself!
"I'm sorry, my name is Lily" she looks at Rex, then at Ian and Amaya. She hadn't formally introduced herself to Amaya either, and now it seemed like the right thing to do. She slows down when they reach the village, the smell of the cafeteria quite encouraging. Life could return to the somewhat normal it had been before, though she hadn't had much time in her duplex before.
"I don't think anyone was in the upstairs of my duplex," she murmurs, looking towards the unoccupied duplexes- near which she spots her own.. Amaya Vaughan "I wouldn't doubt it." Amaya said, trying to sound a little happy even though she was failing miserablly. "You can use my intercom to contact them... they'll probably get you more clothes too."
Green eyes blinked and looked to Ian. She felt somewhat normal when he was around and really was grateful he was here. "Food doesn't sound too bad, actually." He could probably tell she had lost a bit of weight due to being out in the wild for some time. Even though fruit had been in good supply, it wasn't as nutritious as getting her greens and fruit. Especially apples. And strawberries. Ohhh god strawberries. Her stomach grumbled at the thought.
"Yeah, the rain stopped so I think I'm back to normal... as normal as I can get anyway." She frowned, but glanced back at Lily and gave her a tiny, genuine smile. "Thanks for saving me the night before. You and Chubbs. I dunno if I'd have died there or not... it felt like it, though." Rex Vadnais "Oh, that's awfully kind of you, Ian! Thanks for the offer. Let me check out the vacant duplexes and I'll get back to you." Rex jogged down the road towards the empty buildings and checked the name plates. He found Lily's and ran up the stairs, there he saw Avery's name. Whoa.. okay.. Since we arrived at the same time... He ran next door and checked there. His heart gave a bounce and a plummet when he found Duplex 35 with a name plate and writing that scrawled "Rex Vadnais". They really do know I'm here.
He found a key in front of the door, slipped it in the slot and turned. The door opened with a click and he peeked his head inside. He was shocked The entire room was fully furnished with everything he needed for living and it actually looked quite accomidalbe.
He locked the door and slipped the key in his pocket, then ran back other to the group. "Uh... there's a Duplex with my name on it." He gulped, it looks like I'm here to stay." He smiled nervously at the other three. "But a shower can wait, food sounds amazing right now." Ian Campbell Ian nodded and gave a sad smile to Rex. He was sorry he had to stay on the island, but glad he was taking it alright. He looked at Amaya and smiled. "Yeah, food sounds great. Tomatoes especially for me, but. . ." Ian's ears twitched. He shivered suddenly but he didn't know what from. His knees started to feel weak and he wanted to throw up. "I think. . .I think I'll go back to my duplex. Of a sudden I don't feel very well." He turned away from the cafeteria and on very shaky legs staggeredback to his duplex. He barely managed to make it to his bathroom before throwing up violently. Lily Delaney Lily smiles back at Amaya, not seeming to worry much about how she's changed now, just glad she has a more genuine expression, "I couldn't just leave you there, I'm just glad I came across you, and then Chubbs. I'm sure he'll be happy to see you're up and about too." She watches as Rex jogs off to inspect the duplexes, watching him go right up to hers and then around to another.
"Wow," she mutters, "They're quick.." she trails off. They were either very quick, or they hadn't really been gone the whole time.
She nods slowly, thinking about food. It did sound good, but.. she felt more of a need to rest comfortably and be clean. Maybe it was her stomach making her feel less hungry than she ought to, and she coughs lowly as she watches Ian suddenly leave. She looks back at Amaya and Rex.
"I think I'm going to go to my duplex," she says in a slightly scratchy voice, clearing her throat to try to prevent another cough, "I'd like to get cleaned up.."
She hadn't worried too much about her clothes before now, and her hair she knew must be a terrible bunch of tangles. Oh, how she'd like to be clean and neat again. She waves to them and then heads for her duplex. Amaya Vaughan "Oh... I'm sorry then, Rex. That you didn't get away." Amaya frowned, looking up at him. She couldn't deny that a part of her was glad he was here... he was a good guy. But then again, that was the reason she wanted him to be free too.
Though as Ian started to look... not too well her frown deepened. "Alright Ian... take care, okay? You too Lily." She watched both of them go, her long tail giving a twitch behind her.
Then she looked up at Rex with a small smile. "Guess it's the cafeteria for us then." She began to walk towards the double doors, her body or of gaining a sauntering swager after her transformation. Rex Vadnais "Sure thing, folks. Get some rest in a comfy bed, mkay?" He waved goodbye to Ian and Lily, then turned to Amaya. "Shall we be off?" He looped her arm around his and entered the cafeteria.
Rex was enveloped in the scrumptiously delicious smells of the cafeteria. Fresh food of every kind imaginable surrounded him, and there was nothing he wanted more than a juicy steak. And they had just what he wanted. He nabbed some A1 and clean water on his way back to a table and sat down. He immeadiately began sawing at the slab of meat before him, not holding back his hunger. Colche Something touched her shoulder. "Uhmm" she growned in a rather, unapreciative manner, "mmsleepin'" she snuffled rolling over until something touched ehr shoulder again. She pouted a little and rolled over eyeing somones feet. With a slightly playful growl she clambered up to the feet and came out, right between rexses legs, her far more developed cheetah face looking up at rex. her cool blue eyes looking contemplative "Hai" she grinned, climbing further up him until she was sat in his lap for a second. Looking down in his plate she contemplated eating what was upon it but thought that would be rather mean spirited, what with there being plenty of food about.
She wriggled around on his lap and gave him a little playful glare "waked me!" she stated pouncing off his lap only realising after a moment that Amaya was there too. The girl looked alot differnt from last she had seen her, but her scent couldn't lie to the cheetah girl "Amaya!" she puurred, ehr blue eyes dancing as she rolled off the bench chair and headed for the food line. Rex's steak had made her hungry,s he would chat more, after she had somethig to nibble on. Kim Nguyet Kim woke up a bit later after the group had left, and the first thing she noticed was that the blasted rain was over. YES !
And then it occured to her that the camp seemed damn... empty. Where was everyone... ? That, teamed with the fact that the weather was tolerable, she decided to figure it out...
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She was amazed when she came into the village, and saw everything working. And open. Oh my god. OH MY GOD. Finally ! She had problems believing it.
She had to get in her duplex... Take a shower... clothes... And then some food that wasn't MANGOES. GLEE. GLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE.
She zoomed to her duplex faster than the average roadrunner speed, it seemed.
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It was about half an hour after that Kim came into the cafeteria, fully clothed but her long hair still sightly damp, her Nintendo DS and PSP strapped each to a side of her belt. She felt happy jkust knowing they where THERE. She had done her blood sugar test before leaving and oddly enough... she was relatively stable. What the hell...
The though of food, oh sweet glorious FOOD however, put this second on the priority list, as she looked around the room. There was a man she didn't know, and... was that Colche ? She looked different... had she transformed in the jungle as well ? And the other girl... A reptile... Lizard... Amaya ?!?
Frowning just a bit with worry, she made her way other them.
"Hey there." She smilled. "Mind if I eat with you all ?" Amaya Vaughan Amaya was rather surprised at the contact from Rex, though greeted it with a tiny smile as they walked into the cafeteria. As he grabbed his food, she made a rather large salad and grabbed a smaller bowl to fill with fruit. She went to join him, though stopped once she saw a very cheetah-like face poke up out from under it. She stared as Colche climbed onto Rex's lap then called her name before scampering towards the food.
So she had change too...
She frowned, but forced a smile for the young girl. Amaya had to be strong her for. "Hello Colche, are you feeling okay?" The transformation had probably undoubtedly hurt her a lot.
Though she was snapped out of her semi-happy disposition when Kim spoke up. She spun around, her tail giving a quick lash... though it was calmed down once she realized who it was. "Oh... yeah, sure." Amaya was still very timid about her transformation, large hands placing the tray on the table. She went to sit down, but her tail was much, much too long now.
With a heavy sigh she spun the chair around and say on it backwards. Rex Vadnais Rex was crouched over, devouring his steak when he felt a little tug at his feet, "guh?" He leaned back, still chewing, and was surprised to see Colche's head pop out from between his legs. "WHOA!" he was blasted back with shock and she crawled onto his lap, "Uh hi, Colche!" He said, eyeing her fangs nervously. Had she changed as well?
Then a another girl he'd yet to meet mosied into the cafeteria. From a distance she seemed perfectly normal, but it didn't register in his head until she walked closer that the woman had an enormous lump on her head and pinkies that reached to the floor. What the... what's she changing into? He grinned, making no comment about her appearance and said, "Of course you can sit here!" He pulled the chair next to him out, offering her a place to sit. "Th'name's Rex."
He watched as Amaya almost cleared the chair by them with a lash of her tail. Note to self, stay in front. He chuckled quietly when it dawned on his, he hadn't prayed. Rex threw his fork down on the table and bowed his head as quickly as possible, mumbling a quick prayer under his breath before ensuing with his meal. Aubrey Lockheart The sound of a Jeep crunching on the gravel drifted into the village. Aubrey was in the driver's seat, looking a bit annoyed as she came into the village. She looked well rested, though she had gained back the couple of pounds she managed to swim off on the island, but it was well-covered in a beautiful Parisian outfit she sported. Her hair was pulled back in a rushed ponytail.
Moreau was definately in the dog house for this morning. She had waited up until 1m until the wine she had been sipping on the past few hours finally took over. Moreau didn't even bother showing up for bed until the wee hours of the morning, too tired at that point to even notice the special she was wearing to him to discover. AND, he had woken up, showered, shaved, and dressed before he woke Aubrey to inform her he was on his way down to the labs to start back to work.
So... once again, here she was hoping to find something to cheer her alittle. Maybe seeing Colche and passing out some European chocolate to teh islanders might work. She wondered if any of them missed her. Or even noticed she was gone.
She pulled up outside the cafeteria and hopped out, looking around for life. Why did everything seem kind of... quiet? Colche Colche giggled softly as she hop skipped abck to the table. She was of course as far along as Amaya, her long wn long tail almost to it's maximum length now. She padded to the table on silent, clawed paws and placed ehr tray down before replying to Amaya about her condition. "gots the owies" She stated turning around and pointing to her butt for Amaya to see her tail "Hurts..got fast though" what she meant was she could run, really fast now. She sat slowly back next to Rex,careful to sit so that ehr tail hung over the edge of the bench being careful, her tail bone was still aching from her transfromation but tiwas really the only painful spot, the rest opf her tranfsformation had been mostly fur and mucle which simply ached like she had done alot of hiking for a few days.
Food made it better though and she even made an effort to hold a knife and fork for her friends to see. Colche had never had to use a knife and fork before she came to the island but she had leared, though she didn't always remember she was supposed to. As luck would have it, the Cafeteria lady had cut her steak up ready for her so she only had one thing to do. Taking a reminder from Rex she remembered what Father Stewart had taught her and placing her hands to gether she stated "Thankyou Aubrey" before spearing a peice of steak from her plate and chewing it happily. Steak was good, Chocolate cake was better but a part of her desired the red, though cooked, meat so she ate it, happy that it would fill her shrunken belly. Kim Nguyet "Thank you." She smilled, nodding at them before turning to go get food... She visibely thought it was more polite to ask first.
Hmm... A steak would be good... Or a lasagna... But then her eyes felt on... sushi ? And she had an urge... But it was fish ! RAW fish, what the hell !!! But the damn rolls seemed to have an "Eat me" sign on them, because for some reason her brain seemed stuck on it. Nothing else seemed appetizing... Sighing, she gave in and took them, as well as chopsticks... Hell, if she was gonig to eat asian... With a little cup of sweet and sour sauce, another of soy sauce, and a sugar free cola. Hmmm...
She made her way back to the table and sat beside Rex, staring ratter akwardly at the sushi again for a moment before Aubrey came in. She couldn't remember ever having seen this person... Hm. Amaya Vaughan "Oh well, I'm sorry Colche. My tail hurts too." Amaya forced another smile for her, watching her eat a little before digging into her own salad. She paused for a moment, head turning to look outside. Did she just hear a... car? Green eyes stared at the door, the food in front of her forgotten for now. Rex Vadnais Rex, too, looked to see the Jeep outside. So there actually were people here... with cars! But people with cars meant that they most likely worked here. Did they know he was in the cafeteria and were coming to inject him?! His heart pounded just a bit faster while he stared, chewing, out the window.
His attention was diverted by the adorable Colche once more, Now there's a prayer for yeh. Rex stifled a laugh and continued eating, but... who was Aubrey, anyway? Aubrey Lockheart Aubrey could hear a few people in the cafeteria so she headed in there first.
She opened the door with a smile and a wave, though the overwelhming attitude of the place seemed... off.
"Colche!" was her first reaction, dropping her duffle bag of goodies and opening in her arms to her. But as soon as the words were out of her mouth, she noticed she looked...different. What the hell? SHE alone was in charge of Colche's development...how the hell did she change? Who could have possibly had her access codes to her files except Moreau..and he had been with her. She tried to surpress the anger in her eyes from Colche, but her jaw muscled flexed on her face.
Taking a second glance around the room she noticed... well, to be honest, they all kind of...smelled. And looked...really dirty. And Amaya... oh god. She hadn't been aware anyone would be changing while Nick was away, but she definately had. And not for th better, the poor girl.
Then her eyes settled on Rex and her eyes narrowed. Now just who in the hellwas THIS? Colche Colche was up from her seat before you could say jack rabbit. Showing that, well known cheetah speed she pounced aubrey with a loud shout "Aubrey!" she held tightly to the older woman and started to gabble a whole load of nonscence "thinkeddeadwithblackbirdwentboomoutsidelotsnrainnallnotnicewiththenofoodins" She gabbled this so fast perhaps Aubrey wouldn't understand a word of it but it was probably her longest speach ever, despite the fact that she didn't take a breath between the words. "youback, youback, youback!" she giggled, though her giggle was strangely distorted with that happy puurr she made which rumbled deep from her chest. She was just so glad to see Aubrey back again, all her aches and pains, and even her steak were forgotten. "missed,no leavey gain, plea?" She lifted her head her blue eyes begging Aubrey not to go away again. It was bad times without her there. Kim Nguyet Kim... setteled to looking really, really confused, and attempted to eat her sushi... Even if it was... well... raw fish. What on earth was pocessing her ?!?
The attempts at using the chopsticks where... not working very well, which frustrated her quite a bit. She KNEW how to drive chopsticks damnit, she went to asian restaurants all the time !
Reminder of her long fingers... Well oops. Maybe she should just use THEM as chopsticks... Sightly annoyed, she gave up on that for a moment and sipped from her soda, listening to the conversation around her. Ambrose Maurlias Ambrose dashed into the cafeteria like a starving man who hadn't seen food in weeks - which was not too far from the truth. The scents, Hogod the scents! There was meat, meat of every array - cooked and clean and that didn't have to be killed or put over a fire.
For the moment, the other people in the cafeteria didn't matter to the bedraggled wolfman - it was all he could do to stop himself from bodily tackling the buffet bins and shoveling food into his mouth. Before even saying hello to anyone, or even really looking at anyone, Ambrose was tray-in-paw, and ladeling huge spoonfuls of meat onto his plate, spearing a big steak, and grabbing several pieces of sushi (a few were popped into his mouth rudely before taking a seat).
As he turned back to the table to take a seat, however, Ambrose just.... stopped.
SEVERAL things clicked to him at once. Colche... had changed again.... Amaya.... was that even Amaya? - was also there - covered in scales from head to tail... and... her lovely raven locks now gone. Both of them had arrived after he had - and now both of them had changed more than he.
But that didn't top the final site that stopped him cold. Aubrey?? Aubrey. She was standing there, Colche in arms, like nothing was wrong. His ears flattened to his head and a snarl met his lips as he finally goaded himself to movement and set his tray down hard next to Amaya, glaring at the confused-looking woman.
"Aubrey?!" Ambrose growled. "Where... what.... WHAT IN THE HELL HAPPENED?!" He snapped, confusion and hurt in his voice. Angelina Swanson Angelina was happy to let Ambrose confront the Feral Labs lady. She had never really met her, though COlche seemed happy enough to see her. She would watch, so she just sat down with a plate full of food and took a mental inventory of everyone that was there. She swallowed nervously at Amaya... wondering if she would end up looking like that one day. Amaya Vaughan Amaya stared at Aubrey as she made her pressance known. She didn't know how to react... They had shut them all outside for months and then just came back acting like nothing was wrong? ... Though even though she didn't know the woman very well she had a hard time believing she was behind it. But why would they do something like that? Was it some stupid test? What about the two bodies? She wanted to jump into yelling and questions, but when her lips parted only a low, reptilian hiss emitted from her mouth on it's own accord.
The only thing that stopped her was the slam of Ambrose's tray next to her. She literally jumped, her tail twitching slightly behind her on the ground as green eyes looked up at him, then back to Aubrey. The iguana-girl didn't seem to even realize she had just been hissing.
Everyone else now was only backround noise, all her attention focused on Aubrey as she glared. Her tail slid behind her, back and forth as it gently brushed the ground in aggitation. Rex Vadnais Rex tried not to stare, studying the girl that entered. She was certainly well dressed and compared to the majority of them, looked like a queen. He waved politely across the room then watched Colche zoom towards the girl and nearly take her down like a linebacker. A smile stretched ear-to-ear as he watched the adorable cheetah girl.
He watched the girl stare at her food, confused as hell. "Uh.. you like sushi too, huh?" He said, trying to strike a conversation, "Oh, what was your name, again? I seem to have missed it."
Again, his gluttonous eating was disrupted by a surprise entrance of Ambrose the wolf-man! He watched, half in horror and half impressed that he could put the food away so quickly. He almost broek into applause when he sat down, but sat quietly in utter confusion instead when he spoke to the Aubrey woman. He hadn't even noticed the other girl come in after Ambrose. If he just listened, maybe he'd figure out what the hell was going on. Aubrey Lockheart Aubrey stroked Colche's hair, to comfort herself more than her surrogate daugher at this point. Something was definately wrong, the hostility in the room finally materializing with Ambrose snapping at her.
She was confused and angry - why the hell where they yelling at her. COlche, she could possibly imagine getting lost out of the jungle or forgetting to shower - but Ambrose looked like s**t and that was sure as hell one giant red flag.
She gently tried to push COlche off her with a scritch behind her ears. "I'm back, Colche," she consoled robitcally, turning her attention to Ambrose. "What the hell do you mean what happened? That's what I what to know?? I haven't been around if you didn't notice." Aubrey's voice was hot with anger, but thick with confusion. Colche The slender cheetah girl clung tightly to Aubrey still puuring happily before Ambrose shouted and her eyes fled to him. She had never heard him shout before it was a scary thing. She made an uncomfortable little sound and snuzzled her short snout in to Aubreys tummy "no shouty bad, back now, sokay" her voice was muffled by Aubreys clothes but she was just so glad to see her the tribulations of the jungle and being out in the wet were fortgotten. At least until she sneezed and turned her perfect, doleful blue eyes up at Aubrey "got sneezes" she stated rather simply, though she allowed Aubrey to push her away a bit she wasn't about to let her 'mother' out of her sight at least for a little while.
Like the rest of them she had llost what little weight she had started to put on being in a cushy environment and ti had nothing to do with ehr latest transformation. She had eaten sparcely on her wanderings through the jungle and her belly reminded ehr of this now "sit! eat!" she stated, still clinging to Aubrey, she wanted her steak, but she didn't wnat to leave Aubrey just yet, if anything bad happened, Aubrey would make it okay, she really didn't like Ambrose shouting, but Aubrey would make it alright again. Kim Nguyet "Im Ki-" And then she was cut up. Ambrose slaming the tray down almost sent her flying into Rex's arms like a damzel in distress, but instead she only sightly jerked in his direction. The air in the cafeteria was tick with confusion and frustration and she really didn't like it, and it was evident from the way she moved, and the way that she had completely forgotten about her meal. She just felt scared all of sudden.
"...We where out in the jungle... Nothing worked at all, everything was locked... We're been there since... Uh..." She took the first device that her hand reached to, checked the date - and bluted something in a foreign language that was probably better kept this way, before adding something sightly more understanble. "Two months ?!?"
Suddently it was almost as if she felt ill. Along with the atmosphere in the room, it almost felt as if she was choking. What the hell was up with her ?!? She had seen fights before. And been parts of some. But right now she was scared stiff. She needed to go, needed to get out of here...
Her stomach gave a turn, and she darted up. "I-I don't feel so... Im sorry, I... I..."
The words confused herself in her mind, and she found outside before she could even finish any of her sentences, going to her duplex, to the calm, to the peace... Ambrose Maurlias Ambrose's first, gut reaction was skepticism. How in the hell couldn't Aubrey know what had happened to them!! They were locked out, they had to be behind this - the helicopter crash, everything. But.... the snarl slowly faded on his lips although his ears still remaind pinned back.
This was Aubrey, after all. And each and every time he had gotten mad at her it had eventually disappated. While the woman's.... priorities were certainly in a blender - 'evil' or 'deceitful' were about as far from this woman's vocabular as 'kind' and 'benign' were from Moreau's.
He looked to Colche, suddenly feeling guilty for yelling at Aubrey. His ears lowered and he glanced to the ground, sighing.
Ambrose patted Angelina's hand as she took a seat next to him and looked quickly to Amaya, his eyes speaking of sympathy and talking at a future point.
"You... you mean you don't know??" He was flabbergasted. "You haven't been here?? Where did you go?! Was Moreau behind all of this?!? We were locked out! The electricity JUST turned back on!"
He nodded to Kim, confirming her synopsis, but doubletaked. It had been two full months? Dear lord. He didn't wait to take a rough bite of the sloppy joe on his plate. He was starving. He felt guilty - he smelled the girl's fear as he shouted - but in his mind, the outburst was deserved, even IF Aubrey wasn't technically at fault.
"I'm sorry, Kim" He winced quietly as she fled. Angelina Swanson Angelina sat and just listened for now. She waned to know why she hadn't changed... if she was going to...and into what. But not now. She would feel selfish asking now. And she didn't want to be told she was turning into a barnicle or a cockroach in front of a lot of people. Amaya Vaughan Aubrey didn't know? What the hell was going on?! Wasn't she like... the second in command or something? Was this some sort of sick joke she was playing? Playing dumb? Slowly she stood up, pulling her chair back with her long, finger-like toes. Her large hands balled into fists on each side of her tray, her scaley body still covered in dirt and mud along with her clothing, which was still only her black undergarments. Green eyes continued to bore down into the only person on the staff she had been told to trust.
Amaya only barely heard what Kim was saying, all of her attention focused on the woman by the door. Her tail continued to sway back in forth angrily, the look from Ambrose and everyone else for that matter going unoticed. Rex Vadnais The dirty man sat in silence, watching the exchange between Ambrose and Aubrey. Obviously, he was new to the island and hadn't really known much of anything that was going on besides the things that were with him presently. Plus he was smart enough to know no to get in the middle of a fight with a wolfman and a woman. You just don't do that.
By the looks of it, this Aubrey woman didn't have the slightest clue what had happened! How were your "experiements" locked out of the jungle for two months and you don't know jack squat? She had been gone, though.
"Bye Kim!" He assumed her name was, "Feel better..." Gosh, everyone has been getting sick... Rex still had the little in his throat as well, hopefully some medicine would get rid of that.
He seemed to have melted, then solidified in his chair until Amaya stood up with her hands clenched. Anything but a fight, please... He perked, sliding upright in his seat. All of his attention focussed on the ordeal before him. Aubrey Lockheart Aubrey immediately went to consoling Colche. She was sick and nothing was being done about it. She let the girl lead her over to her meal so she could continue, but she didn't s it down. She stood by her, one had on the girl's head, the other planted firmly on her hip.
But her annoyance was quickly melting away to nothing but pure confusion. "You have to be kidding me?" Flooded with interrogated questions, she tried to remain clam, and look in control, through she felt ratgher helpess. "Where was I? I... I... I took Nick to meet my parents," she finally blurted, "then we took a little vacation. But thats all... no other staff left..everything should have continued on as normal.. I mean, what? There HAD to have been eletricity! The staff is here.. I have piles of coding reports on my desk...and..and.."
She shot a warning glance at Amaya as she stood, holidng up a pointed finger and narrowing her eyes.
She glanced to Rex. "Who are you?? How did you get here?" Colche Colche's gentle puurr echoed throught he cafeteria as the tension ceased, at least a little. She gnawed at ehr steak, happily devourering the juicy meat while Aubrey wasbehind her. She sneezed, and owed, a couple of times before she finished, though by the time she had eaten the steak she was looking content and rather sleepy. She was stil sitting next to rex and his shoulder looked like a good place t rest her head, just for a minute. Reaching her clawed fingers up she grasped the hand on her shoulder and puurred "no going" she stated, her eye sight bluuring, she was tired and sick and full of good food. Sleep wasn't far around the corner for her. Her cheek soon met with Rex's upper arm and she leant there quietly, blinking in long, slow bats of those long ashen lashes. "No go" she purrs sleepily still holding Aubrey's hand though her grasp loosened slightly as she drifted off, still sitting, her furry cheek pressed against the none furry man. Nothing could go wrong now that Aubrey was here, Aubrey made it all better, seh always had. Ambrose Maurlias Ambrose slouched a bit in his seat with this new information, confusing building on confusion. IN the interem, he was shoveling food down his throat so fast he barely tasted it - but what he did tasted ... so.... good.
He slowed, swallowing so he could reply, looking now again at Colche, Amaya, and Angelina - three individuals he felt fiercely protective of. Colche did look on the ill side... Amaya scared... and the poor thing - the changes that she was undergoign really hittting him - even her hair....
And Angelina - he could tell she was nervous - knowing that it probably had almost as much to do with the people around her as the whole confusing situation.
He took a lungful of air, held it for a moment, and released, letting the tension go along with it.
"Yes.... we... we've been out of the duplexes for ... Kim must be right - just about two months now... all of the power went out and we all woke up outside around the island. Everything was shut down and locked. Even the labs - the fence was off, but it was impossible to get into any building. "
he shook his head. It didn't make any sense. "You're telling me that you AND Moreau were gone??? Moreau ISN'T the one who did this to us?? We had to hunt our own food.... no showers... no soap. And it's been raining the past few days solid! Who WAS here? There couldn't have been electricity! Everything was so quiet!" Amaya Vaughan Amaya let out another hiss as Aubrey had the gawl to give her a look like that. She was very, VERY pissed but that didn't mean she was some loose canon. Just because she was more animal then human didn't mean she wasn't still in control of her own body. Tempted to swat the womans finger down, she resisted and simply let her tail speak for her as the lashes got quick. "We were locked out. For two months. I almost DIED because it got TOO COLD." She spat at her, fists clenching even farther as angry tears formed in the corners of her eyes. Rex Vadnais "Me?" Oh goody, he was getting dragged in! "Uh, m'name is Rex." He would have gotten up to shake her hand with a formal-type greeting, but Colche had conked out on his shoulder and he couldn't get up. "I uh, washed up here a few days ago. We've been living outside ever since, like Ambrose said" He gestured to the man across the table, "I really have no idea what the hell is going on." He shurgged nervously and spoke a bit faster.
Rex was impressed with Amaya. The girl he'd known to be shy and reserved stood up, enfuriated. He nodded with what she said about her almost dying, he'd been there to experience it. Aubrey Lockheart Aubrey's jaw was lax she was so flabberghasted. What the HELL was going on?
She just stood there shaking her head. She addressed Ambrose first. "No, Nick was with me. The WHOLE time... I didn't even see him touch a computer or a cel phone or anything." She listened to Amaya and Ambrose, not knowing what to say. I mean, its not like she didn't believe them. They were filthy, they certainly smelled like they hadn't bathed in two months, and their anger was real. BUT..."that's just... impossible.." she stuttered out. She glared back at Amaya, doing her best to keep her anger in check. She was just confused as the rest of them. "We have a full staff here." she said, slowly, deliberately. "Everything from a cook to a cleaning lady. And all the lab techs. They were HERE. They have been working..I have proof. Dr. Duvert is right in command under myself, and he was here. He was reporting to Moreau all last night."
Aubrey did not like Dr. Duvert. Something about him was just wrong. But there's no way he could have pulled this off. And expect to live to tell about it at least. Moreau wouldn't allow a debacle like this to happen to precious subjects. As twisted as, even Aubrey could admit he was, Moreau had a strange and unshakable appreciation for life. Safety of his subjects, at least physically, was high priority for him. The crease in forehead when even the smallest lab rat died was enough to crack his emotion facade to show he ddn't like it when things under his care died as result of his hand.
She looked back to Rex, shocked. "Ship wrecked?" The cel phone was already out, ready to alert Moreau. "Washed up here? Have you been contacted? Inspected? Treated?" Ambrose Maurlias Ambrose paused again in his mass consumption of food - his plate that was once piled with meats now almost empty.
He believed Aubrey - her shock was too convincing to be an act. But it still didn't make any kind of sense - especially if Moreau himself was absent. He had never met this Dr. Duvert that others like Joliette had mentioned, but he hadn't heard anything good about the man.
He looked to Amaya, his sympathies and selfrighteous pity flaring as he put a comforting hand on her scaled shoulder. He had no idea that the cold had gotten that bad to her, and felt responsible. She was his 'little sister' after all, and that's the very reason he had a campsite was to watch over people. "Amaya... oh my god, I had no idea.... you... you should have said something... " His ears crumpled.
Ambrose nodded on corroboration with Rex. "I was part of the group that found him on the beach... But I don't understand... How could the staff have been here? There was no food, no contact, no shelter... there was the remains of a helicopter crash on the helipad for God's sake!" Amaya Vaughan Great, now she was more concerned over Rex getting his damn injection?! Amaya's breathing became labored, the tears spilling from her eyes. These people didn't give a damn about any of them. Why would they? Each and every one of them was torn from their homes and stripped of their humanity. She should have expected them to not care.
Finally she broke down. Tears spilled from her eyes as she sunk to a crouch, large hands covering her eyes. "I couldn't! I collapsed before I could get back to camp! And- and- they put me by the corpses!" Another strangled sob and sniff. "They probably put that poor rat-bird thing so Greer and I would havta kill it too!" Things began to click together for her as she sat there sobbing, her tail having ceased it's lashing and now lay limply behind her. Rex Vadnais In response to Aubrey, "No, not shipwreaked. I actually fell over board on a cruise liner a few nights ago with another man. We both woke up on the beach here, but you're the first person I've seen who works here. And I haven't been injected yet, for all I know. This is the first time Ive ever been in the village or eaten actual food here on the island."
If she held such a high position here, why wouldn't she have been informed about everything going on. And Moreau, the head honcho, was gone as well... He was bound to have known what was going on. Things were so confusing.
What was all of this about corpses and a helicopter? Perhaps this was a very elaborate and slightly morbid joke. Changes without injections, bodies and a charred helicopter. The people that run this place are jacked up... Aubrey Lockheart "Oh. my. GAWD." Not the most professional response, but certainly all she could muster up. Her arrival back to paradise just kept getting worse and worse. "Look, I have no idea what happened... or what's going on. But I'm going to find out." She didn't know else to do, but she felt she was either going to get attacked or made even more of a fool if she stayed.
She pulled up the dufflebag which, when opened, had gift bags for every islander except Colche (she had her own duffle bag). They were filled with expensive perfumes from Paris, lots European chocolates and other sweets, and some unique articles of clothing. Aubrey didn't want to rub it in their faces that she was off seeing the world, so there were no postcards or pictures... but she just wanted to bring them back something special. But even that was ruined. She just unzipped the dufflebag wordlessly after it was dropped on the table, then she collected Colche in her arms and took her to her Jeep.
She was so confused, angry, and frustrated she had to blink back tears. She left Colche in her duplex with a chocolate bar and woke her just enough to tell her she would be back after she helped the others. Time to go find Nick. Ambrose Maurlias Ambrose watched worldessly as he saw Aubrey's ire ignite as she was given more of the information. At least, it felt, they had someone on the staff who was sympathetic. It made sense though, he supposed, if something like this really was planned by the staff - with what he knew of Aubrey she would never have agreed to it. Hopefully her ire would help them.... somehow.
He finished the rest of the food on his plate, his stomach finally gurgling happily as it was full for the first time in a Loooong time.
A whine slipped out of his throat as he tried to comfort amaya by rubbing his hand along her back. "shhh... Kiddo... I'm sorry.... the duplexes are open... Aubrey's going to find out what happened.... we can eat... take a shower... and... we'll look after you."
He looked over to Angelina, a small questioning look before continuing. "I am going to go take a well... well needed shower - with all of my fur I'm sure that I'm not a happy smell to you. But... if you like.... and if Angelina doesn't mind, you can stay in our duplex for a bit if you like? I was just about to head back." Angelina Swanson Angelina didn't mind Amaya or anything, but she was definately ready for some -real- alone time with Ambrose. But the poor girl was obviously upset and Angelina tried to swallow the paralyzing fear she gave her.
She felt bad, it wasn't anything personal, but Amaya did nothing for Angie expcept illustrate what might be her future. Or worse. "Sure thats fine," she finally said, with a tight-lipped smile. Amaya Vaughan Amaya rubbed at her eyes with her fists and could only nod to her older brother's offer. Luckily for her she was dirty, but oddly... didn't smell very bad. Aside from the lingering stench of lizard. Things seemed to be a little on the less smelly side when you didn't have any sweat glands. She didn't notice Angelina's hesitance, though if she did she would have definatly declined the offer. Rex Vadnais Aubrey had left and hopefully that would remove most of the tension and confusion in the air.. or just cause more. Now that Colche was gone, Rex got up and ran over to comfort Amaya with Ambrose as well. He rubbed his hand up and down her back like he had the night before.
Then he looked it Ambrose, "I haven't had a chance to talk to you since that morning on the beach. Thank you for your efforts in trying to get me off the island, it.. really means alot." He was sincerely thankful for the man, he certainly had a way of being the peacemaker. Rex's smile truned upsidedown, "But... I've seen my name on a duplex door. It looks like I'm here to stay." Ambrose Maurlias Ambrose also missed Angelina's hesitant look - only catching her agreement.... he did still smell the scent of fear from her, but didn't correlate it to Amaya. In Ambrose's mind, nothing was less dangerous than some of the other islanders like Amaya and Colche, despite their appearances. She had accepted him as a wolf, and didn't catch that that fear might be associated with one of the other islanders.
"It will be alright, Angelina." He said to her as well. "I can't wait for that hot shower and soft bed." He smiled dreamily as he got up and offered the two girls a hand.
"Amaya... you're welcome to use our shower after we do... or you can meet us back in the duplex after you use yours."
He turned to the other man, nodding. "I'm sorry I couldn't help more... believe me. The rains came at a very bad time.... assuming that a ship would have seen our signal fire from whereever it was anyway..." He shook the man's hand. "And your name on a door already...?" This seemed to corroborate with what Aubrey said about staff being htere... how else would they know his name and react this fast. "I... I wish you best of luck, Rex. If... well, if you need anything, we'll be around. I'm in duplex 1." Amaya Vaughan Gradually the iguana-girl started to calm down. Her hands dropped to her lap and she sniffed, about to take a deep breath in but instead erupted into a hoarse cough. It seemed Colche wasn't the only one who had gotten sick.
She took Ambrose's hand and stood up, wiping her tears away again before finally speaking up. "I'll take a shower in mine first." Green eyes looked back down at her untouched food, her appitite having completely faded. Rex Vadnais A small smile curled the corners of Rex lips, "It's good to know that I'll always have you guys here behind me. But it looks like I'm just going to have to accept my place here. Who knows, it might be the place for me to be 'til the end." He didn't dare bring up the whole 'fate' talk rolling around his head. but he believed that if it was meant for him to get off the island, he would. The world played out at your fingertips. "1? That's easy to remember. I'm in Duplex 35." He came to his feet and cleared everyone's plates from the table, "I'm guessing you're all done." Ambrose Maurlias Ambrose smiled as Rex gathered the plates. "Thanks, Rex. And... I'm glad to hear that it sounds at least like you're doing alright, all things considered. Enjoy, and I'll see you around."
He turned to Amaya, and patted her on the shoulder again. "That sounds fine. I'll meet you back at the duplex." He gave her a quick hug and then turned to the exit.
With a smile, Ambrose led Angelina back towards Home Sweet Home, with a huuuuge smile of relief on his face, eager for the shower. Amaya Vaughan "I'm in number 20." Amaya replied to Rex, watching him and then Ambrose as he left. She nodded to him, then turned her attention back to the man she just barely met, but enjoyed so much already. "I'm sorry about everything Rex but... Thanks for everything. Come by my duplex if you ever need anything or just to talk okay?" She forced a tiny smile before pushing her chair back into place. "I'll catch you later." And with that she slowly made her way out of the cafeteria and to her duplex.
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Posted: Sat Mar 04, 2006 8:28 pm
Settling in Rex trudged his way back to his duplex. Thankfully it wasn't upstairs, there was no way his legs would work hard enough to carry him up the stairs. He pulled the key out of his pocket, slipped it in the key hole and turned the handle. Before he hadn't taken a good look at the interior because he wanted to hurry back so the others didn't choose food over him.
Ironically, he wouldn't get a good look at it the second time, either. Rex fumbled his way to the bathroom and immediately shed his soggy clothes, the shower beckoned. He hadn't looked in the mirror and didn't want to for fear of it cracking in his dirtiness. Instead, he threw back the shower curtain, turned the water knob all the way to the left and let the water run down his chest. The liquid that splattered the tub's bottom was tainted brown from dirt and stench, but slowly changed to it's normal clear as it ran down the drain. It felt so good.. he just.. didn't want to move.
Memories, not a sharp as they once were, sat patiently in his mind as Rex chewed them over one by one...
The night Rex intervened with Avery's attckers, then seeing the "girl" slip off the edge. Those bastards. How could people beat up a guy, then run away and not tell a soul when that was all that was need. What was I thinking diving off that ship? He knew perfectly well what he thought. His gut instinct told him to save him. Someone needed help, and he was just the guy for the job. How could things have played out differently. What if he didn't dive off, maybe if he told people that someone had gone overboard they both would've been okay. They may have caught Avery's attackers and they'd both be home by now. Rex would be sitting on his couch watching some lame TV show since he didn't have anywhere better to be. Just caught up in that cycle he'd fallen into so many times before. But his new life here at the island wouldn't be so bad, he could feel it.
Heh, good ol' Avery... Rex had taken a particular liking to this little guy. Something about him just made him smile, even if it was unintentional. That morning on the beach, he was so scared, yet came out of his shell soon enough and began to speak with the others normally. I wonder how he's fairing. Does he know that we're both stuck here, now?
Rex flicked at his ring like he had that night with Antony. He knew that he'd never see Julie again and he was thankful that he had this ring so he'd never forget her. And Antony... what a strong woman. She'd been living alone out there on the beach, for all he knew. It's no wonder they'd gotten so close.
The cold he'd felt all those nights and days in the rain was deep-seated in his mind. Numbingly frozen in it's own special memory. Rex finally grabbed the shampoo bottle, squeeze a good portion into his hand and lathered it thickly through all his hair and his chest. The sleek soap washed all of the leftover dirt away quickly and boy did it feel good...
"Hmmm..." he sighed in thought, over the next few months, all of Rex's hair could be gone. What if all of his hair fell out like Amaya... there'd certainly be a mess. He tried to imagine what it would feel like to 1) lose all of your hair then 2) Have it be replaced by scales, rubbery blubber or even feathers. Rex thought about Amaya and Awen, what did it feel like to have your skin change completely, or in Amaya's case, peel off. The very thought just made him shudder. And on an oppostie note, what did it feel like to have thick fur grow all of your body at once? That certainly couldn't feel all that great. Yet they all made it through their changes fine, and so will I.
He rinsed the soap out of his hair and watched the bubbly suds line up for their death via drainage pipe. Hopefully all of these islanders weren't doing the same thing. What would happen once they reached their pinnacle in transformations? Would Moreau no long need them for study and 'dispose' of them? They were, after all, basically taking up room on the island. How many of them were there? Rex was in Duplex 35... that's alot of people.
All that Rex could do was be thankful that the island had opened and learn to love it here. Making the best of what he's got. Besides, he knew that somewhere out there, people had it worse.
After quite some time, Rex turned off the shower and threw back the curtain, hanging on the back of the door was a bathrobe. "Perfect!" Rex said, rather please with his find. He dried his hair first, causing it to return to it's usual vertical status with only a little help from Rex, combing it into the mini-mohawk it normally was in. He then slipped on his bathrobe and gathered his disgusting and only clothes. Rex would have to speak with that Aubrey girl about getting new clothes, he couldn't just live in these for the rest of his life.
In the meantime, Rex left the security of his civilized house and headed towards the main buildings by the cafeteria still in the bathrobe. If people had a porblem seeing him near-nude, that was their problem. He thought he'd seen some other rooms that may contain the laundry machines. He was right and chucked his shirt, tie, pants, underwear and socks in and read a magazine while they were cleaned. After a while, he gathered all of the articles from his outfit and trekked back to his bleak little room for some well deserved rest.
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Posted: Sun Mar 05, 2006 2:18 pm
[ Message temporarily off-line ]
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Posted: Mon Mar 06, 2006 2:24 pm
A Little Lesson Colche After a quick visit to her appartment the klittle cheetah girl had made a bee line for the beach. Unfortunately perhaps for those islanders that were shy, she had removed ehr t shirt, there was no point getting it wet in her oppinion if she went for a splash in the sea. She always felt so much more comfortable not wearing anything,t he breeze brushing through her sandy black marked fur. Of course,it didn't entirely help that she wasn't that used to wearing clothes. Still, the beach awaited and as she saw the tree line of palms to the beach she broke in to a swift run, happily tumbling in to the sand, her on a dime stop completely forgotten as she dived ion to the soft white-cream surface.
She sat for a short time, it seemed to her that she had not looked at the sea for a logn time. Though she had lived outside for two months. There were mroe important things to worry about, like food for instance. She sat, quiet, her tail her only real movement except for the light, salty breeze which floated off the sea and played with her locks of jet black hair.
Her perfect blue eyes gazed happily at the splooshing waves as she gave a long, soft sigh. Noone ever relaly came to the bach with her any more, it could be a lonely thing to do, beautiful, but lonely. Still, she had her sandcastle kit, and she could always go for a paddle in the waves. She wished somone was here with her. The beach was so much more fun with somone to play with on it. Rex Vadnais Colche's wish would come true as Rex fumbled through the jungle absently. On an island if you walked long enough in any direction, you'd hit the beach eventually, right?
Finally the trees came to a clearing and the familiar sound of crashing waves reached his ears. The blue sea stretched on forever, How far out are we? Rex felt completely isolated on some random chunk of land in the middle of nowhere. He gazed off to the endless horizon until he saw something splash in the water. A seal? A dolphin?
Upon closer examination he saw a face.. and.. breasts? Oh god, Rex looked away on instinct, not wanting to intrude on this girl, but then he remembered why he'd come to the beach in the first place! Colche... "COLCHE!" He yelled after her, he must've had good aim to find her right beneathe his nose. Colche Colche's dark blue eyes turned and fell upon the blond haired guy. She smiled brightly, her sombre look of lonesomness melting away in an instant "Rex!" she called bounding to her paws and taking a short running tackle at the man. She landed, lightly with her furry arms wrapped around him and gave a giggle. She wanted to say somehting like, you're here, or I'm so glad you're here I was lonely, but instead, she just puurred, glad to see him. the man had joined the repertoir of 'men that weren't fuzzy but were nice' so it was okay to hug him.
She had ultimately decided she liked hugs, it didn't really matetr who they were from as long as they were nice hugs. there were bad hugs, very bad hugs, but she tried not to think about those too often, especially now the island was at rights again.
She released the tall man and looked up at him her big blue eyes dancing happily "come..to..play?" she grinned, she was trying so hard to make her sentences sound right even to her fuzzy ears that she often paused between words, but she looked proud of herself after this single statement, she knew it was right, it was the way that it was said in her leap pad. Rex Vadnais "Whoacrap-" Rex said quietly as the wet cat girl bound towards him from the ocean. He hurried to take off his only dry, clean shirt and threw it to the side just as she attacked him with a hug. "Hey, girl!" He excalimed. "Whacha doin' by yourself?" He said, pulling bad so the pairs of blue eyes met.
He could feel the eager happiness pulse through her body as she formed the sentence. He smiled and said, "Play? Sure I'll play with you." He was trying hard not to baby talk her and speak normally. "What do you want to do? Swim?" He all ready had his shirt off and was pretty wet from the sandy hug. Plus now that the rain was gone the water would be warmer than before and he doubted there'd be a red tide. Colche "Swim?" Colche tilted ehr head softly, she'd never been taught to swim, nor had she heard the word except for maybe a fleeting whisper of it from somone else. Maybe swim was a new game. She liked to learn. Grinning happily she looked up at rex, releasing him, slightly any ways "Colche..uhm..I happy..Rex here" it didn't sound quite right but it was close enough, "lone not fun" she smiled one of those pretty, radient innocent smiles befopre finally realeasing him and looking up at him with curious, questioning blue eyes. She hoped rex would teach her, she liked it alot when people took time out to show her new things. Rex Vadnais Rex looked at her, confused, "You know.. swim, in the ocean!" He pointed out to the sea where'd she'd been splashing just moments before. "Do you know how to swim?"
Then, Rex's heart melted, just melted. An uncontrollable smile took up the majority of his face and he felt like his face was on fire from blushing so much. "Aww, I'm glad to be here, Colche!" He pulled her close in another hug then finished his though by tapping her on the nose and saying, "with you!"
"Now, how about I teach to a doggy paddle." He stripped to his boxers and threw his pants on top of his shirt then bombed into the ocean. He loved the water. Colche Colche giggled, wriggling her long tail as he tapped her nose, her eyes turning dowards, it wa shard to make Colche feel embarressed, she walked aroundnaked for gods sake but being told that somone wanted to be around her, and giving her a nice hug, well that left her feeling a touch embarressed, though she quickly over came this as Rex offered to teach ehr a doggy paddle "Colche kitty though" she stated, she knew how to paddle, she thought he was teaching her how to swim.
Of course all else was forgotten with the wet splash which licked at her fuzzy ancles before she turned and leapt in to the water, with a similiar, if smaller salty splash. She sat in the shallows, waiting for Rex to tell her what she was supposed to do next.maybe she had to be a doggy for the day to learn to swim? That would be the excuse for now, at least until she was informed otehr wise. Rex Vadnais Rex dove through the next passing wave and paddled out pretty far, kicking his legs up to float on the surface. He craned his head to see Colche back close to shore and paddled back towards the girl."I see, now." He came to his feet with the water level at his chest.
"Can you come out here and stand next to me?" he said, taking things step by step. "First we've got to teach you to get your feet off the ground." Water was his element, he'd loved swimming ever since he was a little kid, but Rex had learned from using a life jacket. Unless there was a boat somewhere nearby, he doubted he find one that easily. Just another thing to put on his 'Must Get' list. Colche Colche nodded softly. The water had never scared her, why should she be frightened of it? It was fun, it was wet and it made sand castles really good when added to sand.
Shorter than Rex by far she barely got to him by standing on her tippy toes. She had never been under the water before, except in the bath. Smiling up at rex, still not quite as far out as he was, the tops of her shoulders, neck and head the only parts of her vissable though her hair didn't seem to wish to sink just yet and floated out behind her like a strange black cape. "Okay" she said, though she din't get all of what Rex said, how was she going to get her feet off the ground? She didn't have wings like a bird after all. Rex Vadnais Oops... he thought to himself, stupid height. He chuckled and said, "Okay, now I'm going to grab you by the waist, and you're gonna push the water away with your hands.. er.. paws! And don't forget to kick a little." He demonstated the doggy paddle in a circle around her, then came to his feet and placed one hand on her stomach, another on her back, lifting her backside to the water's surface and turning her in a circle around him. Hopefully this meathod would give her the general idea. Colche "Oh!" she was quite surprised by the little lift but she had watched rex closely to see what he had done. "whee" she grinned, realising after a moment what she was supposed to be doing. Her clawed fingers started to paddle as he held her though she paused to look at him to double check she was doing it right. It was a minuite before she realised she was supposed to kick her legs too. This was fun, she decided splashing a little as she performed the manouvers that Rex had only shown her a moment before. Her long tail snaked out behind her twitching in the water too, it looked almost like a rudder it was so straight, the very tip just inching back and forth every so often. If this was swimming, iot was easy, she could do this all day. She gave a little giggle her fluffy ears flattening against her head asshe continued to doggy paddle with Rex holding on to her. Swiming was fun, it was easy peasy. Rex Vadnais "Good! You're doing great." He said when she looked up at him. She took to it pretty quickly, if not a bit splashy. but there was nothign wrong with that. For a beginner she was really well! He started to push a bit less and less, having Colche be the main power behind swimming. "Now remember to keep your head above the water and breathe." He blurted random advice to the girl, even though it didn't appear she needed it.
After a few more circles, he was getting some confidence in her and removed his hand from her back, while still holding it at the ready. The salty ocean water made it simple for her to float, but he kept his hand on her belly for the extra needed support. "That's amazing... y'got it?" He said, wondering if she had the confidence to swim on her own now. Colche Colche listened quietly to his advice, keeping her chin up out of the water, her limbs pushing hard against the rolling waters around them. She gave a little gigle and nodded, it was fun. She barely even noticed him removing his hand off of her back she was so heavily concentrating on what she was doing. "s'fun" she mumbled, betwen breaths trying to remember what she was doing, she assumed to swim somone else had to be there with you to hold your tummy, Rex must be a really good swim, person, she was enjoying this so much. Rex Vadnais Colche had progressed far in quite a short amount of time. "Very good!" He said, bringing her back side down to the ground once more. "Ready to do it by yourself?" He said, pushing off the sandy sea bottom into a doggy paddle of his own. Keeping it simple would be good for today, maybe later he'd teach her things like holding her breath under the water and the breast stroke. Teaching her was fun and he wondered why he didn't take up a job at a surf school back home. Surfboard... he scribbled that down on his mental checklist as well. He hadn't surfed in a few months because of work, but now he was free. Colche Oh! You didn't need somone to hold you at all! She grinned and took a deep breath, trying to mimic Rex's manouver and get her butt back on the surface. For a moment, she splashed alot, water flecking around her face, which wasn't really very fun, but she soon started moving rowards and her strokes became softer as she followed Rex "Swim!" she called after him, keeping her head, very high above the water, her chin almost pointing at the sky. Her tail obviously was acting as a rudder, moving back and forwards , though her butt would sink occassionally as she forgot to kick while concentrating on what she was doing with her hands, she soon remembered she had to kick though and eventually managed to do both at the same time. She was becoming rather tired though, how did she turn around without Rex holding on to her? Rex Vadnais She's doing it! Rex beamed as he saw the cheetah paddle straight for him, he moved to the side to make way for her as she continued to swim on. "Bravo!" He applauded, spashing a little water and clapping his hands together. he was so proud of his little girl that he'd almost forgotten she was swimming out to sea. "Whoa! Hold on!" He said, swimming out afer her and pointing her back towards the shore. "If yeh want to turn, then just push harder with one side. It'll take some work, but you'll get used to it."
Rex lowered himself into the water and swam gently along side her, showing her the proper form for maximum efficiency. "See? It's not that hard. It's smooth.. and relaxed..." He flipped over on his back and pushed gently with just his feet, examining as the girl prevailed in fighting back against the waves and the water. Colche Colche looke dup at rex, she was heading back for the shore now and her tongue stuck out a bit as she concentrated on getting back to land "Tired" she stated, with a little pant. Cheetahs were short bursts of energy creatures, she only had so much hyperactive energy before she felt tired and needed a nap to re energise. Of course, she didn't realise she could touch the ground and splish splashed almost to the shore before she realised her feet could touch bottom once again. She sat in the shallows for a moment panting softly trying to get her breath back. Still she managed to look around andgrin at Rex. "Like swim" she stated, though she knew she wouldn't do it on her own any time soon, she had enjoyed the experience.
Her fur was all wet as she stood andshe shook doggy style her fur all sticking up on end making her look like a little fluf ball for a minute before her fur flattened at least a little. She looked bacjk to the sea, a long, toothy yawn displaying her need for at least a short nap, though a logn one would be better. It was starting to get cool any way. She shivered to proove the point. She hadn't quite gotten ove rher cold yet though her sneezing seemed to have stopped. She rubs ehr eyes with the back of her furry fingers and long blinks standing up. She wanted ehr duplex though, her bed and her duplex. No more sleeping outside, it just wans't fun any more. Rex Vadnais Rex stood up in the shallow water again and trudged he way back to the sandy shore when he realized he didn't have a towel! He, too, shook his whole body as hard as he could, throwing bullets of water to the ground. This was proceeded by the individual shaking of each limb and his head, his hair flew in a frenzy as the ocean breeze acted like a weak hairdryer. "Time to turn in, I s'pose." Rex slipped on his jeans, not caring too much if they got wet, but carried his shirt in his hand.
For a little game while heading back, Rex whisked Colche into his arms just like he had done with Amaya and carried her through the jungle back to their duplexes. The day was beginning to come to a close anyway. "Bed for you?" He said as the village come into view through the trees. Colche Colche nodded softly. her big blue eyes were already closed as they entered the villiage. She could sleep like a log, she really could. She yawned toothily again, showing those white fangs which had never done anyone any harm "sleepsleep" she stated, snuggling in to rex with a quiet puurr, though the puurr didn't last very long, she was falling asleep in his arms.
Her duplex door was always open and once rex had deposited her upon ehr bed, her fur almost dry by now, she snuggled deeply in tot he coveres and with her eyes, still closed she whispered "night, night" she puurrs and smiles "thankyous" she yawns once final time, her puurr fading to nothing and her breathing becoming rythmical as she dozed off in to a happy, tired sleep. Rex Vadnais Rex watched her doze off sweetly and he crept out her door as silently as possible, closing it with a small click. Then he headed back to his own duplex for a second shower to wash off all the salt water. He could get used to relaxing like this.
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Posted: Tue Mar 07, 2006 1:06 pm
You Got PWN'd Awen Zyn Multiple glasses of water and a few bowls of water litter the floor around Awen. She sat with her back on the couch and a fish stick in her mouth as she plays her new Soul Calibur 3 game. She had gotten it for Christmas but hadn't seemed to be able to use it that much because of the..mishap. She still didn't know what happened, she had been trying the comm every once in awhile but there was still no answer. She wasn't giving up but wasn't exactly prepared to try to march into the main facility. She seemed to recall the eletric fences and doesn't like that idea too much.
She had just created a character and was testing it out. Yes Kilik was her favourite character and used him many a time in SC2 she just thought to use thi system to it's fullest. She wasn't quite sure if she liked this theif character she made or not. The handling seemed.... a little off. She supposed it wasn't as bad as whe nshe tried out Tira, by god she hated that character. Rex Vadnais Smelly fresh and clean once again, Rex made his way back towards the town hall to explore the building a bit more. Last time his attempt to look around was veered off course when he met up with Avery and Colche. His hair back to normal and freshly shaved he eventually found his way to the entertainment room. Rex pushed open the door hearing some interesting music interupted by the occasional sound of rushing or small scream. Watching a movie or something? Well at least folks here aren't totally cut off from the world. but once he poked his head inside, he saw a girl playing a video games intently. He recognized the odd blue hair and little horns protruding from her forehead, "Awen." He said, glad he'd found someone he'd met before. He shut the door behind him and smiled, making his way to sit on the floor next to the girl. "What's up?!" Awen Zyn Awen glanced over to Rex and grinned. "Hey Rex-man!" Hearing her created character grunt and scream Awen quickly turned back to the TV. "Crap!" Seriously started to pound the buttons now, not button mashing though, style technique and spped of doing it, but not button mashing. Mostly.
Awen tilted her head back a bit to the couch. "Have a seat man. I'll hook you up with a controller right after I finish this fight, okay?"
Having her PS2 in the games room was a rare sight anyway. She simply figured that her smaller TV wasn't what she really wanted after this long absence from the real world. "Damn damn damn..." She mumbled under her breath as Voldo had a wicked combo against her. Rex Vadnais Rex slinked his way onto the couch above them and stretched his legs onto onto the floor below, finding a spot for them to rest where they wouldn't knock any of the water glasses down. he watched in awe as the manta girl pounded away at her controller with furious accuracy. "Sheesh..." he muttered, watching the combo sprawl out across the screen, "I didn't know you were a gamer!"
Rex had never really played video games before. With no siblings and Nintendo 64 a little late for his time, the most he'd ever done was play GoldenEye. "You're demolishing that..." He watched Voldo slink his way back across the screen, "..thing." Awen Zyn She chuckled grimly at his false praise on the subject of kicking Voldo's a**. "Not really... I just had a kick a** combo but see at the top? My health is almost gone and Voldo has just over half of his left." Without missing a beat she grabbed another fish stick and popped it into her mouth, one end sticking out as she held it between her lips as she played.
She winced as Voldo did a wicked throw and ended up taking out the rest of her health. Shaking her head she set the contorller down and took the fish stick from her mouth. "I sure am a gamer, but you're not much of one are ya?"
She put the rest of the stick stick in her mouth and chewed as she dipped her webbed hands into the bowls and glasses of water then rubbed them against her skin. The rubbery sheen started to return to her already dulling skin. Rex Vadnais Rex's eyes travelled around the screen as she pointed out aspects of how the game worked. He tried to understand, but basically it was a blur of colors and odd sounds. "Uh... huh," he trailed, "I'm not exactly a gamer myself, but I'll give it a shot. Anything once right?" The words 'You Lose' appeared on the screen followed by Voldo continuing the trend of weird noises. "They sure let you down lightly, don't they?"
He was a little thirsty, but didn't want to take any of Awen's water. Instead he sprawled his way across the couch since Awen was playing the game down below. "Let me have a go, I'll own you," Rex joked, picking up an unplugged control off the ground. Awen Zyn Awen had about several comments about Rex being such a n00b, or other harsher comments, but she decideds not to. He was, after all, an admitted non-gamer, obviouisly n00b, and..well Rex was nice and Awen was in a good mood. She dried her hands off on her pants and moved to plug the controller in.
"Sorry about the water thing... I know it's probably kinda gross."
She started into versus mode and didn't play around this time. She went right for Kilik, her all time favourite character. Simple but it works.
"Er now you have some choice of style. Strong and slow, weak and fast, medium type characters, long reach, short reach ectera. Basically if they look strong, they are, if they look quick...they usually are. Weapons are easy to see what reach you got so.... Just do your best, I just wouldn't pick Zasalamel or Tira for your starter characters, personal prefference of course." Rex Vadnais "No worries," Rex replied to the water comment calmly, "I'm assuming you've gotta stay wet some way for another."
He focussed all of his attention to the game now, skimming over the characters quickly until settling on a creepy looking purple pirate-type-thing. "Cervantes!" he laughed, video game characters sure had unique names. Then again, alot of the people he'd met on the island had less-than-ordinary names themselves, so who was he to judge. "Prepare to be inhialated!" Rex joked, starting to get a bit competitve, I'm going to get my a** whipped. He inwardly grinned, but kept his serious poker face on the whole time. "Lets get thig thing going!" Awen Zyn "Watch it noob. I was gonna go easy on you but you keep smart mouthing like that and I might not be so nice eh? You are talking to a vet here." She grinned broadly and concentrated focused for the fight.
She let the opening scene with the camera circling the players and their little time to boast talk do their thing to show the graphics and give herself more time. She was trying to think of stratigies used to beat Cervantes. He was a half decent character when played well, and sometimes can be good depending on the button masher. Worst of all, Awen's style with Kilik was rather weak agaisnt the damn pirate.
Still... it couldn't be too hard. He was noob. He wouldn't even know how to block, and to hell if Awen would tell him the buttons. He'll have to learn all on his own. Rex Vadnais Noob? Rex didn't bother, he figured he'd lay off on the joke talk for a bit though. This girl was obviously intense when it came to this stuff.
And then they were off... Rex imeadiatly Braveheart-charged the opposing fighter then jammed his finger into the three buttons at once, throwing in some of the buttons on top for good measure. A complete idiot could tell that he had no idea what he was doing, giving the word 'noob' a new standard of low. He watched in excitement, his eyes aflare with childhood glee. To think that the guy actually even thought he stood a second to a split second. Awen Zyn Awen wasn't surprised by such the bold move. There were two types of game strategy when first going into a new game. Sitting back off the start and trying to figure out the buttons, what lots of people tend to do, asking for a minute just to see what everything does; or there's the technique that Rex has taken to: dive in button mashing and hope for the best. The manta hadn't figured that Rex would be the type to just sit back and wait. So of course, she was prepared.
Side stepping Cervantes' attack, Kilik did one of his longer reaching attacks to push Cervantes away. As long as she could keep him away from Kilik she knew that she could win easily. Rex Vadnais Rex really had zero strategy and no idea what he was doing. He was actually just doing it for kicks, something a bit playful to get his mind off the shady business thats been going on lately. Yet he was amused by her seriousness about it the game.
Occaisonally he'd pull off random combo from his fury of button mashing, but they all fell short, missing Kilik. "Grah, you're pounding me!" he said, the frantic Cervantes looked like his was going to fall over and have a seizure. This was obviously an unfair fight. Awen Zyn Awen grinned a little bit at her button-mashing companion. "Nice try Rex, but I'm afraid you are no match." She had just finished a nice long combo, not even letting Cervantes touch the ground. She laughed as the announcer yelled triumphantly "Kilik Wins!"
Setting down her controller she turned to Rex and patted his knee. "Poor poor noob. Maybe you should practice and then I'll beat you again, hm?" Avery Calder Although freshly washed and hair brushed out - finally free of all the tangles - Avery still didn't have his own clothes back. They were still in Awen's duplex, and he was still wearing the pyjamas he borrowed from her. At least they were comfortable, at any rate. He relaxed in his duplex for a while, before deciding to find Rex and ask him what he meant that they were possibly already injected. He got of out bed and left his duplex, first checking to see if Rex was in his own room. When he wasn't there, Avery decided to check out the larger building. He passed the cafeteria and laundromat (he made a mental note of where that was, to wash his clothes later when he got them back). Then he found the entertainment room, and peeked in there, spotting just who he was looking for - along with Awen. "Hey guys!" Avery called to them, walking over to see what they were doing. Rex Vadnais "Sheesh, you're rediculously good" Rex complimented, "How'd you get your skills?" A lame attempt at a conversation, but maybe distracting her from the game would increase his chances at winning.
"Hey there, Avery!" Rex said, sitting upright again on the couch to clear room for him to sit. "Here! Hurry and avenge me, this girl's good!" he tossed Avery the controller and patted the cushion next to him. Maybe he'd be a bit better than Rex, he looked a bit younger than Rex himself was (as if age correlated with how good you were at video games). "Say, how old are you guys?" Awen Zyn Awen grinned a little. "Ooooo... fresh meat." The image of Rex and Avery in Awen's room flashed back into her mind and she blushed. The colour in her cheek she turned back to the screen and pretended to concentrate on it. What the hell was wrong with her? She chose Kilik for round two and waited for Avery.
"I'm nineteen." She offered to Rex and smiled. "I got this good by spending many summers practicing various kinds of video games. When everyone was at the beach or the pools...I was... playing Mario and Sonic, Mortal Kombat, Street Fighter... all the classics and going to moderns." Avery Calder Avery nearly dropped the controller when Rex tossed it to him, but he managed to catch it. "Oh, there are video games on the island!?" He grinned and plopped down on the couch right next to Rex, forgetting why he was looking for him for the moment. "Soul Caliber 3, eh? I played one and two, but not this one..." He scrolled through the characters, finally settling on Raphael. He leaned back, letting Awen pick the Arena the characters would fight in. "I'm 19, too," he said. "How old are you, Rex?" Rex Vadnais Suddenly Rex felt a little older... but just a little. What's a few years between friends. "Ninteen? Both yeh, huh? I'm twenty-five" He sunk slightly into the couch's cushions and watched Avery choose his character.
Then he remembered that morning in the cafeteria, "Oh, sorry about putting you on hold earlier." He searched for a place to begin, "Well... when I walked into the camp this morning with Amaya, she said that it's most likely we're... we're stuck for good." His tone became solemn as he wondered how Avery would take the news. Maybe he'd settled in with the thought of living here. "It's most likely that they've known about us being here from when we washed up on the beach. It looks like we're stuck here, I mean, they know our names and gave us duplexes, yet I've only met one of the scientists that works here." Awen Zyn Awen shifted her weight slowly, shifting her back against the couch a bit. She frowned at Avery's choice. Raph was a noob's dream player. Fast, relatively strong and wicked for combos. She set hte stage to rnadom and got ready for the fight.
She listened to the boys talking about the doctors and being injected. She supposed it was too late already if they had seen the doctors, gotten injections. So much for the ocean escape. Not that Awen was completely oppposed to the idea of just staying in her lake.
When the fight started Kilik backed away andstarted to circle. She didn't want to get close to Raph.
"And Rex man, next time ya toss the controller, be careful with the hardware man, it's mine." She preffered to stay off the topic of the doc for now. If they could help it. Avery Calder Avery wasn't the best at fighting games. He usually just picked the smaller, faster characters - and the ones he thought were hot. However, when the fight started, Avery was already distracted by what Rex was telling him. "Stuck..." he murmured to himself. Although the thought was upsetting, he already figured they were trapped on the island. Injected with a serum, though... that, he was not prepared for. "I... I don't want to turn into an animal..." He stared blankly at the screen, thinking about what types of animals he could possibly turn into. An eagle? A rat? A jellyfish? What!?The controller slipped from Avery's fingers, not even hearing what Awen said to Rex. "But... I don't want to turn into a ******** animal!" He hunched over, clutching the sides of his head and trying to control his breathing, his eyes wide. He would not panic... he would not panic... He was panicking. Rex Vadnais Oh god, he's going to cry. Please don't cry, please don't cry. He would've appologized to Awen had he heard what she'd said, but all of his attention had shifted to Avery, trying to cheer him up. "Well.. hey! Think about it," He scooted closer to his bud and put his arm over his shoulder, pulling him in close, "We've got a nice living situation! And all the food we'll ever need. The people here are nice... and... and..." his next sentence was washed by the wetness of the tears welling up in his eyes. He found it hard to control his emotions when others were sad or distraught. He sniffed and wiped his eye, "Who knows? How many other people will get to spend their lives on a goregeous island like this? And... and.. and maybe being an animal won't be so bad!" He really had no idea what it would be like turning into an animal, so he looked to Awen for reasurance. Awen Zyn Awen rolled her shoulders when Avery started to have a breakdown. Gamer though she was her attention was shifted quickly to the blonds as she found even Rex was getting kind of teary. She would have loved to give them both big hugs...but given she was what Avery feared she just skooted away and watched, unable to figure out what else to do.
When Rex looked at her with those eyes that just screamed 'help me' she decided she couldn't just be silent. She moved closer trying to be reassuring. "It's...really not so bad hun. Rex is right ya know, people would pay millions to have a nice island resort like this. Hm? Heh... I should know..." She didn't like to give away what her finances were on mainland because most people Moreau picked up seemed to be...less fortunate. But it seemed okay right now. "Besides... I mean... the change...might help you, compliment you in some way. I... I'm turning into a manta ray." She glanced up at the books reminding herself to do a little research later. "I used to be afraid of water. A complete hydrophobe. And now... well.." She gestured to the glasses of water around her. "I paid a lot for therapy and to get rid of it. Moreau did what he said.... I dunno. The people are nice here...mostly. And.... I mean... like Rex said food games anything you want Moreau will provide...within..reason."
She really didn't know what else to say. She moved closer to the poor men and wrapped her arms around them. She only managed to wrap her webbed arm halfwa around Rex but she held Avery tightly. "I'm sorry...." Avery Calder "I don't want to spend the rest of my life on an island, turning into some... some animal..." tears were falling down Avery's cheeks - he just couldn't hold them back anymore. "I want to be home! With my friends! I want to go clubbing with them again, and I just want to do normal things that all teenagers do!" He shuddered, but it was not because of Awen's embrace. He wasn't afraid of the changed people on the island - he was only afraid of turning into an animal himself. "Turning into an animal is not part of being a ******** normal teenager! God, I - I can't ******** breathe," Avery gasped, feeling suddenly closed in, trapped, being hugged by both Rex and Awen. He struggled a bit, out of their arms to lean over the armrest of the couch, taking deep, shuddering breaths. He was out of their embrace now, but he still felt like the walls were ******** closing in on him. This wasn't happening to him. It couldn't be... and why was the room so small!? Rex Vadnais Everything Awen said sure helped Rex, but he wasn't the one having a minor meltdown. He let Avery squirm from his grip, thinking about his own time life as a teenager.
Going to boarding school wasn't normal in the least bit, then all of his time had been caught up with work and Julie, struggling to make a life of his own and get off on the right foot. "Tell ya what. I'll try to speak with Moreau and see what he thinks about throwing some parties and such! We could have fun with this."
But the boy was hyperventalating, he had to get him outside to the fresh air. "C'mon bud," Rex got to his feet and went to push oppen the door, "lets go for a walk, it's kinda stuffy in here anyways." He smiled, trying to make things seem better than they really were. Awen Zyn Awen shut off the electronics and stood up to follow the boys outside. She smiled brightly at the mention of parties. "Yeah, we had a Halloween party and Moreau even got us all gifts for Christmas."
Awen had a lot of the same issues as Avery around december. For almost the entire month she spent her time alone. She had been missing her home terribly. The snow, skiis, skates...friends. She could relate to what Avery was going through, but didn't know how else to help him. Avery Calder Avery didn't get off the couch for a moment, trying to breathe; but then he pushed himself up and stumbled towards the door. "Y-yeah... a walk..." he mumbled. "While you're at it, maybe you could punch him in the face for me," he said to Rex when he offered to talk to Moreau. Avery stepped outside, leaning against the wall for a moment, closing his eyes and trying to slow down his breathing. The fresh air definitely did help. "A Halloween party and Christmas presents, huh? He sounds like a sick b*****d to me... as if parties and presents make up for what he's doing to you --" he paused, and then corrected himself. "To... us." Rex Vadnais Ignoring Avery's punching comment, he continued off of what Awen had said. "See! They've had parties before, here. And by the sounds of it, Moreau..." he paused in thought, not wanting to say it outloud, though a sick sadistic b*****d, "doesn't seem so bad!" He finished with a smile, closing the door and clearing his throat, trying to get the quaver out of his voice from crying. He was thankful to have Awen to support him and Avery, she'd obviously had been here a while and was bound to have seen this happen several times before.
He let Avery take his time with gathering himself together then walked aimlessly away, "Apart from the whole... turning-into-animals thing, they seem to take really good care of everyone here! I mean, we're basically care-free! We don't have to worry about work... or taxes... or politics! All of those little things that bugged you before are gone." And so are all of the things you loved... No, keep it positive, Rex. He flicked at his ex-engagement ring, a nervous habit, remembering how he felt when Julie died. He hadn't left much at home, but by the sounds of it, Avery had alot left to live for. Maybe this entire island was completely fake. What if that night on the cruise ship, he and Avery died in the ocean's salty waters. What if the island was some twisted mix of Heaven and Hell, floating on the surface of the Atlantic Ocean... death was only the next big adventure. Awen Zyn Rex could easily ignore the comment but Awen couldn't. She fell silent and just couldn't think of what to tell the man. Tears started to rise to her eyes so she turned away. She took a deep breath and when the boys started walking she followed a half a pace behind them. She was a freak..she didn't have a chance on the outside. She couldn't escape this fate, without becoming a freak in the real world. But....Avery.....
"Stop...." She said quietly...too quietly for the boys to hear soe she repeated louder. "Guys stop." She paused and waited a minute. "Avery.... I'm sorry.... sorry okay? I can't make you feel better about this. I can't change how things are on the island.... But I think I could get you off."
She remembered her first encounter with the ocean since her change. So tempting but still too big and threatening to her human side. But now she had to steel herself. "I can swim, breathe underwater. Avery.... I could.... I'll swim away, get help.... I can get help..get you off the island before you start to change."
She took a second before wavering. "I think I can anyway..." Avery Calder Avery followed Rex when he started to walk off. Well, being care-free wasn't a bad thing... it was a nice thought, actually. But he didn't think the trade off was that great of a deal. "I would rather deal with all that than turn into an animal..." When Awen spoke up, Avery stopped and turned around to look at her. "You... you think you will be able to do that?" No, Avery, don't get your hopes up... but... still... if Awen could get help, then..."You could get us off the island!?" Rex Vadnais When Awen spoke Rex's heart gave a leap, was she really going to swim off into the ocean? That was incredibly kind and selfless of her. But how long would it take? They'd have to figure out the right direction to swim off from and hope for the best. How would the people back on the mainland react when a manta-girl-thing popped up on the beach or in some sewer?
"W-would you really Awen?" He stopped turning to look at the girl with half hopeful eyes. It was hard for Rex to imagine staying on this island for the rest of his life, but he'd taken a likening to the idea. Secretly, Rex was really looking forward to a new life here on the island. The thought of changing into an animal gave him some unexplainable emotion, a power, a stregnth. Even if he got something stupid like a turkey or some weird rat, the idea of being something beyond human felt within reach. I'm such a freak. He thought blatanly, but pulled himself from imagination and into Awen generous offer. Awen Zyn Awen's insides twisted at the look of hope on either islander's eyes. She knew she might just be leading them on. She hadn't tackled the ocean yet, could she really do it? An image of a school of sharks attacking her suddenly assulted her mind. All the other horrible things she could think of weren't scary. But the sharks definately were a threat to this manta. But...Avery.... she couldn't stand to see him like this. She didn't want him to be trapped like the rest of them were. Terrified of what mainlanders would do to the rest of the islanders were the only thing that had kept her in check. But, she had to put a stop to this.
She could do it. She was the only one who could....
No pressure or anything.
Awen schooled her expression and nodded to them both. "It might take awhile... I don't know how far mainland..or even another island is. I..wasn't exactly paying attention to the water during my trip, and it felt like days, not hours." She smiled to them and nodded. "But despite all that I think I could do it. If you want me to.... I'll certainly try." Avery Calder Avery suddenly hugged Awen, tightly. Even if she wasn't able to do it, she was going to try; and that meant a lot to him. "Thank you so much..." Even just the hope of being rescued made him feel better. But what if they were saved - would he still turn into an animal? Would his parents still take him back? Of course they would, they're my parents... But he couldn't help but wonder... "What if... I still change when - if I get off the island?" Rex Vadnais Going home was a tempting thought, who wanted to be cut of from mainland society forever? His heart welled up and he felt like he was going to cry again. Rex threw himself over Awen as well in a tight group hug.
"Are- I- ...it won't be safe, what can we do to help. Awen, this is so generous..." Blinking a tear from his eye.
But what would happen if she did make it? They'd know about the island and what Moreau had been doing and he'd most likely be arrested. But what about the other islanders? Would they go back? The world would be completely changed by the public knowning about the sick things going in. Or would they release it to the public, would they take all of the islanders and hand them to the government to be poked, prodded and tested? These were actual people, not animals. They couldn't do that.
Then to what Avery said, "Yeah, that is a good question. While we were locked out people continued to change without injections If we may have already been injected, wou- would we change?" Rex sniffed, finally getting over his little cold. Awen Zyn Awen was overwhelmed as both the men hugged her closely. She pushed down the manta ray's lesser desired thoughts with the solem fear of sharks getting to her in the ocean. She was changed further than anyone as far as fish were concerned. She could swim faster than any human. But how fast were sharks?
She shook her head slowly hearing their concern of changing still. "If what I hear is true, you guys were even suspecting being injected while you washed up on shore right? That means Moreau and staff were still on the island. That means they could have injected us while we slept or something. I passed out before my change.... they could have...used that sleep thing they used on the Dude a long time ago.... So if you're off the island, away from the doc..... I don't think you guys willl change. You'll be able to go back to your lives."
She smiled and wriggled her arms out from between the boys so she could give them a tight hug back. "It'll be fine. But... maybe a day or something to prepare? This will be...a big swim I need to build more energy, I'm still kind of wiped from the wild living we had to do for awhile. Give me a few days I'll get you guys out." Avery Calder Avery grinned at her. "Of course! I don't want you to get hurt or anything, doing this... take your time getting ready, it's not worth getting hurt over." Now, not only was there hope they would get off the island... there was hope they might not change, either! Everything was going to be okay. He hoped. But Avery definitely didn't want Awen getting hurt over this, or worse, killed... Moreau on the other hand, he didn't give a s**t what happened to him. "Anyway," Avery said, changing the subject. "D'you think we could go back to your place, so I can pick up my clothes? I saw a place that I could wash them when I was coming over here." Rex Vadnais "Yeah, I fully agree with Avery. Take your time getting rested, it'll be a big trip for you." he said, pulling away from her hug and pating her gently on the back, "You're going to need it." Hopefully we won't get injected by the time she gets back. Then everything would've been in vain.
"Mmm, I washed my clothes at the laundromat earlier. Those are Awen's pajamas?" He questioned, motioning to Avery's change of clothes. Awen Zyn Awen nodded and started for her duplex. "Sure Avery, I was wondering when I could get those smelly dirt clods out of my room anyway." She grinned and stuck her tongue out at Avery as she passed him.
"And you can keep the PJs, they look good on you." She chuckled a little bit.
She liked the change of subject. The thought of swimming for great lengths of time with no land in sight was both amazing and terrifying. She just hoped she didin't run into any sharks. Avery Calder "Yeah, these are Awen's," Avery said as he followed Awen when she began to walk again. "And they do look rather good on me, don't they? What do you think, old man - do they make my butt look too big?" he asked jokingly, looking at Rex. Sure, Rex wasn't that much older than them, so he wasn't really an old man... but that didn't matter to Avery. "Thanks for letting me keep these... I didn't get a chance to really look through my duplex yet, so I don't know if I have any other clothes," he said. Rex Vadnais "Heeey, watch it, little guy," he said playfully, pushing his shoulder. "Your butt?!" he exclaimed, "Oh yeah, gives it a nice figure." Rex joked, he was glad to get off the gloomy subject of being trapped and maybe not leaving, as well. This way he could simply enjoy the island and put worrying about getting off on a backburner in his mind. But for now, Rex was back to his frolicsome self, having fun when it's needed. "Let's go get those clothes... Where's your duplex Awen?" Awen Zyn "Just up ahead. Number twenty one." She smiled as she saw the duplexes. She stretched a little bit and put her arms behind her head. Those two were terribly cute together. They seemed to have a good bond like they had been friends for a long time. Or lovers...the deviant thought made Awen smirk lightly.'
But who wouldn't be that close after falling into the ocean together? Washing up on this strange island with crazy animal people walking about. Who wouldn't become close to the one who was there since the begining? It was...cute. Avery Calder Avery did like Rex a lot; not in that way, but more like an older brother, or just a really good friend. It was a little strange - he hasn't known Rex for long, and doesn't even really know anything about him. But because of how they both ended up here together, Avery couldn't help feeling some kind of bond with Rex. The man did try to save him, after all. Avery laughed at Rex's responce and ran up ahead of the two to Awen's duplex, and he waited outside for them to catch up to him. "Come on, guys! I want to get into some real clothes sometime today," he grinned. Rex Vadnais Indeed, Rex had never felt anything more for Avery than just a friend or little brother. They had some kind of special connection even though he'd only known him for less than a month. They were buds and Rex felt like it was his responsibility to look out for the guy. He'd failed in saving him from falling overboard and still felt bad for not being able to set things back to normal. Yet now they had a new glimmer of hope.
He walked for a while while Avery ran ahead, but picked up to a jogging pace when he complained,"Impatient, are you?" he smiled, getting to the door of the duplex, "Number 25, gotta remember that." He'd learned so many new names and numbers, it was beginning to get hard rembering them all. Ambrose is 1, Colche is 17? I'm 35, Awen is 21... He ran over the numbers in his head, Rex'd remember them all eventually. Awen Zyn Awen laughed a little bit as Avery ran ahead to the door. She shook her head slowly. Energetic crazy, she wondered what the Doc had in store for that guy. She hoped it wouldn't come to that. Moving to open the door she laughed a little bit.
"Your stuff is on the chair Avery." She said gesturing as she walked into her duplex. She stretched slowly and smiled. Home sweet home. "Rex, welcome to my humble abode." Avery Calder Avery followed Awen and Rex into the duplex. "Oh, that's right! I'm in duplex 32. Feel free to drop by anytime, either of you." He gathered up his clothes off the chair Awen had put them on. "Using the washing machines doesn't cost any money, does it? 'Cause... I don't have any." Rex Vadnais "32, alright." Rex confirmed, stepping into Awen's duplex to check out her living space. It was the same cookie cutter shape and design as Rex's, but it was a bit more homey than his own. Then again, she had been here for months more than he had.
He looked to her nightstand and saw the picture of her parents. Rex didn't have the slightest idea he was going to end up on the island and obviously didn't have anything of his own, just the clothes on his back. Rex's parents were dead to him, he didn't need any pictures of them. However one of Julie to have by his nightstand would have been nice. At least he had his engagement ring to remember her by, and that was good enough for him. He waited for Avery to get his clothes and continued to check out Awen's living space. "Nice room... s'better than my empty one." Awen Zyn Awen shrugged a little bit. "It's not like I did much with it really. I was thinking of redecorating a little bit before I got locked out but..." She grinned over at Avery. "Not like that will matter much now will it?"
She laughed a little at Avery's question though. She moved to a drawer and opened it. Pulling out a purse she started to rifle through it's contents. She plucked a few canadian bills and some change and held it out to Avery. "Man if we needed money I probably wouldn't have this left anymore. Probably would have given it away to the other islanders at this point.... Most people didn't come with cash, everythings pretty much free here..."
She paused a minute and looked at the coins and bills in her hands. "You guys think I should take some of this with me? I mean...if I'm going back to mainland..I might need it?" Avery Calder "Oh, that's probably true... you should bring it with you," Avery said. "That's good at least - that everything's free. Otherwise, I'd be in trouble," he chuckled. "I never had a job after high school, so I never had any way to make money... my parents just gave me some money sometimes, when I went out with my friends." Avery shrugged a bit. "Well, I think I'm gonna go wash these now... either of you want to come with?" he asked. Rex Vadnais Rex chuckled at Awen while she dug through her drawers, "That'd be just plain mean if he made you play," he saw her pull out the Canadian bills and coins, "You're from Canada? I'm from California." He said, not that it mattered, just throwing that out there. Were all of the islanders english-speaking? That would make things easier for Moreau, but maybe the man liked a challenge. "You might need the money, even if the bills do get a little wet. Though something tells me the police will find you before a taxi or something." The hard part was getting there, but once she came on shore, it should all be a nice and easy downhill trip. Who wouldn't believe this girl? She has fricken webbing under her arms.
Then to Avery, "I actually think I'm going to go for another walk or head back to my duplex, I've had an.. emotional day." Awen Zyn Awen nodded and put the money back into the purse. She'd bring a small wallet or something with her when she goes. Though she wasn't quite as convinced as Rex that it will be downhill when she steps ashore. Monster movies have taught her that these sorts of things weren't exactly... accepted in society.
"Maybe. I just hope there isn't a furry convention or something going on at the time. Or I would blend in all too easily." She gave the guys a slightly grin.
"Naw Avery I think I'm gonna head to the cafe for a bit, grab some more fish sticks or something...." Glancing over to Rex she gave a self satisfied smirk. "Emotional day definately. You're just going to find tissues 'cause I whooped your a** with Kilik." As she spoke she was starting to usher the boys from her duplex. Avery Calder Avery laughed a bit. "Ouch. Got owned, huh Rex?" he grinned at the other man. "Well, I'll see you two later!" He hugged them both with one arm - Awen first, then Rex - holding his clothes in his other arm. Then he pulled back and waved, and jogged off toward the laundromat. Rex Vadnais Furry convention? This one eas definately better left unanswered.
"Yeah, Awen gave me a pretty good pounding. But I'll get my revenge eventually," He winked at Awen and gave Avery his hug, "Later, dude!" he said, waving the boy off as he made his way back towards the town hall.
"I may as well be off, too." He gave Awen a big hug, "Rest well, all right? You're gonna need it." He waved good-bye and headed back to his duplex to sleep after a long day. Awen Zyn Awen gave the two men their hugs in turn. They seemed like such nice people. She gave Avery a little extra squeeze when he hugged her, he really needed the support now.
"And you take care Rexy. Practice and maybe one day you'll beat me. Even with the webs I can handle a controller better than you." She winked and chuckled letting him go.
She grinned a little bit and made her way towards the cafe. She was going to need the rest, Rex was right. And luck.... lots and lots of luck.
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Posted: Thu Mar 09, 2006 5:43 pm
And Just as Things Were Getting Good Rex Vadnais After a long and much needed sleep in an actual bed, Rex brushed his hair back to normal, slipped on his shoes and socks, then headed out into the morning. As he made his way to the cafeteria for breakfast, he looked at the nameplates on everyone's doors. Most of them were names of people he'd yet to meet, but his eyes fell upon one door in particular. Antoinette Devereux, "Antony?" He hadn't seen her since yesterday at the cafeteria and decided to check and see if she was in a better mood. He approached the door and knocked thrice politely, waiting to see if she was around. Antoinette Devereux Antony, pre-knock, had been putting away her clean laundry, wearing her last pair of skivvies that were clean. This wasn't out of the ordinary, as the woman often hung around the house in only a bra and undergarments of some shape or form. Today, it just happened to be a thong. The knock caused her to lazily glance in the direction of the door, waiting a moment to see if it was Jamal. He often barged in announcing himself moments after knocking. It wasn't him. So she grabbed her black silk robe, another Victoria's Secret item, haphazardly tossing it on and making her way to the door. A look through the peep hole brought a smirk to her lips, and the door was open seconds later. She didn't bother to cover herself up "Why hello there Rex," Antony crooned with a lopsided grin, motioning him inside and shutting the door behind him. "Laundry day," she explained moments later, just in case he was thinking that the sole reason for her dressing as such was to seduce him. Not that she wouldn't mind that in the least... Rex Vadnais The door opened and Rex looked down to see the scantily clad woman holding it open. He smiled, first noticing her attire, as any man would, "Whoa, heh, hey!" She had caught him off guard, "Oh yeah, I understand. Just yesterday I went to the laundromat in my bathrobe and not much else." At least this girl didn't hold anything back, then he noticed her eyes, brighter than normal, and the tattoos on her chest were covered up by... fur?
"Oh my... did you.. change?" He said, curiously. Well DUH! Why else would she be covered in white hair. "I mean.. well.. when did it happen?" He stood outside her threshhold, still hungry from not having dinner, but this was more important. He struggled to keep his eyes from staring at her chest, things down there called for much attention. Antoinette Devereux Antony basked in the attention Rex was applying to her assets, but her smug look was estinguished the moment that he brought up her transformation. She grew silent as she motioned him to the couch in the living room. "Yes," she murmured, pausing a moment before letting her robe drop and turning around to show him her tails. They twitched in a very squirrel like way before she turned back around with a sigh. "I don't know of any animals with three tails... Do you?" Bending over, she scooped up her robe and shrugged it back on, "It happened a couple days ago..." Antony didn't offer him any more details than that. He didn't need to know she was ******** Jamal quite yet. Rex Vadnais "Thanks," he said, stepping out of the morning sun and into her humble home. "Nice pad." He finished, plopping down on the couch. He looked to Antony, dropping her robe to reveal the three twitching tails. "Oh gosh, that must have been painful..." Rex tried to imagine your tailbone splitting into three sections, "I don't know of any animals that have three tails like that. Heck, Moreau must have a little something extra in store for you." He tried to lighten the subject, adding in a little joke. At least she was in a different mood than yesterday, not necessarily a good mood, but a different mood. "I'm sorry it happened..." He sat on the couch, thinking of a brighter topic of conversation, "Had a nice time back in a real bed?" Antoinette Devereux Antony sat next to him on the couch, but at an angle so that her tails weren't in a strange, and ultimately painful, position. "I wouldn't be surprised, he was judging me the moment he met me... Elitist b*****d," she said irritably, shifting her legs so that they were bent and sort of tucked under her to the side. Waving away his apology, the tattooed woman smirked and nodded, "Oh yes, beds are more conducive to curves." Rex Vadnais Rex grinned in agreement, "I bet. That wooden floor in the bar... sucked." He chuckled, unable to find a better word to describe the bad night's sleep he got. "Was it nice to have another body in there with me that night. You must have been lonely out there those nights. I know I'd be." He remembered in the movie Castaway how the volleyball Wilson had become his friend. Thankfully Rex actually had other people out there to keep him company instead of an inanimate object.
Rex kicked his legs out and leaned back against the couch's cushions. Antoinette Devereux "Ahh... I wasn't always alone," she began with a shrug, "Jamal was my camp mate." She neglected to mention that he was her ******** buddy, and simply grinned. "How'd you do in the rain?" Antony asked curiously, "Obviously made it out in one piece." Her fingers moved to tuck her too long hair behind her ears and out of her face as she watched him with her changed eyes. She simply continued to examine him quietly from her seat on the couch, but eventually she nodded in agreement to one of his previous comments. "It was quite lovely," Antony murmured, red and violet eyes sparkling with mischief. Rex Vadnais Rex remembered meeting Awen for the first time at the lake. She was scratched and scabby, she also mentioned something about Jamal. "Oh! Jamal was your camp-mate? Was he the one that gave your those gashes on your shoulder? Awen mentioned something about him."
"Oh, the rain..." he chuckled, extremely glad it was over, "I met alot of people, got a cold and saw someone change. but i did find who I was looking for and I also ofund my way to Ambrose's camp." He remembered cold... just the numbing omnipresent cold from the storm and the wind. Body heat was the only way to get warm... "Yourself?" Antoinette Devereux "I watched him transform," she stated bluntly, feeling that that fact alone was rather self explanitory. As for his other question, Antony simply shrugged, "Jamal eventually came back, but otherwise I stayed in the Beach Bar." She frowned when she felt the soft fur on her shoulder when she went to scratch it, quickly moving her hand away in a disgusted motion. Tails she could deal with, but being hairy all over was something that made Antony physically ill. At least she was pale again? Sighing, Antony stood and made her way to the kitchen, the hair on her back visible as her robe slipped off her shoulders. "I need a drink," she grunted, glancing back at him with an eyebrow cocked, "Want anything? I have my own stash of alcohol." Alcohol always made everything better. Rex Vadnais "No thanks, I'm fine." He smiled, watching her butt as she walked away. Grah! Stop it, Rex, he yelled at himself, You barely even know this girl! He had to get back on subject, "It's a bit early for alchohol for me." He cleared his throat and glanced arond the room, this was the nicest room he'd been in yet.
"Sooo..." He looked at the three lumps in the back of her robe, twitching occasionally, "do you have any idea what animal you're turning into?" Hoping the talk would break the silence. Antoinette Devereux "Your loss," she replied before disappearing into the kitchen, returning a minute or so later sipping from a glass of clear liquid. Casually, she leaned against the door frame while she was drinking, fixing her eyes on the sketchbooks still strewn across the coffee table. Flashbacks of the dream during the transformation played through her mind. "I have a pretty good guess of what..." She trailed off, closing her eyes before tilting back the rest of the glass and downing the rest of the vodka. The glass was set onto the kitchen counter. It was a long silence before Antony finally finished the sentence, admitting to herself as well as Rex what she was turning into. "An albino squirrel," she sighed, running a hand over her face before glancing back up at the man laying on her couch. "I hate squirrels. They're all ******** over D.C.," she grumbled while making her way back towards the couch. Instead of returning to her seat, Antony moved a pile of sketchbooks aside and sat on the coffee table in front of Rex instead. Rex Vadnais Rex had thought alot about all of the different animals that you could be, but surprisingly a squirrel hadn't crossed his mind. "An albino multi-tailed squirrel? Wow, that's unique." His eyes widened and mind raced. He could just picture her scampering all over the island, grabbing the nearest cocomut and burying it somewhere. The mental image caused a smile to creep across his face just as she sat down in front of him. That only caused the smile to grow even larger.
He leaned forward, making it seem like he was more intact with the girl and the conversation, "You're from D.C.? I've never been there." He hoped she'd take talking about home better than she had back on the beach. No need to anger in a time like this. Antoinette Devereux Antony's mood was uplifted when he moved closer, and she instinctively leaned closer to him. Nothing like a little male attention to perk Antony up. "Maryland actually, but D.C.'s just a metro ride away," she explained, watching him intently, "Where are you from?" Not that she really wanted to talk right now, but the slight haze she was feeling from the alcohol made it a okay. Rex Vadnais Rex's eyes glanced down for a split second then glanced back up. An idiot could see that she was trying to get something, offering and drinking some alchohol, he began to suspect if the lingerie was merely a coincidence. "California f'me. Well.. I grew up there 'till high school, then went to boarding school on the east coast. Dad spent all of his funds to send me away. They were so loving." he said sarcastically, he hadn't spoken about his parents in quite a long time...
"But then I moved back to San Frincisco and've been living there ever since..." he trailed off on the end, unsure if this was the best time to mention Julie. Antoinette Devereux The lingerie was, in fact, a coincidence, but that didn't mean Antony wasn't after something other than platonic company. "Least you had two... Never knew my mother," she began, not really knowing why she was was telling Rex this, but it was probably the alcohol buzz she was currently feeling. "My father's the only family I have..." The woman trailed off and closed her eyes, obviously trying to hide the fact that this upset her from Rex. Antony hated pity. But she couldn't help but constantly worry about her father now-a-days. She knew he'd be worried, and Antony couldn't bear not knowing how he was doing. The image of his lifeless body still haunted her nightly. Rex Vadnais Rex was a pretty honest guy, he didn't see the need to keep this information pent up. "Well, both of my parents did drugs... alot... like, I have memories of shady characters comin' into our house all the time. They'd ask me to leave them alone, and I obeyed since I didn't know any better to tell them to stop," Rex knew that Antony was a smoker, especially after that ordeal in the cafeteria, but he had yet to find out she also did marijuana. "Anyway, my ma died of lung cancer when I was pretty young, but old enough to understand the tragedy. That rattled my father, he sent me off to school and went to rehab. I haven't spoken with him ever since."
Not many people would expect Rex to have such an awful childhood. Maybe a happy, middle class, normal childhood. Thankfully he'd turned out all right and not messed up in the head.
He shrugged, the topic of his parents was touchy, but he didn't mind talking about it. He was still angry at his parents, even though one was dead and another just a good. Antoinette Devereux "My mom died too," Antony said abruptly when he was finished, but it was probably more expected for her to have bad things in her past than for someone like Rex. Stereotypes happened like that. "Giving birth to me." Pausing for a moment, Antony shrugged somewhat, figuring if he judged her based on smoking pot, she could get bitchy and call him out on it. "I do smoke pot, but nothing hard... I've seen people OD, and it's not anything I want to have happen to me... Ever." She gave him a look that basically dared him to judge her so she could retaliate. Rex Vadnais Honestly, Rex wasn't surprised by this new bit of information. The thing that did surprise him was the present tense quality of the sentence. "You do smoke pot? I don't have a problem with smoking or anything, it's you descision. I simply know that I'm not a smoker and don't plan on picking it up. But how do you get marijuana out here? We're basically isolated from any sources I can think of..." Antoinette Devereux "Moreau gave Jamal a big bag for Christmas, and he gave me a cheer up baggy," she gave him a nonchalant look before continuing, "Anyways, it really helped calm me down after transforming..." Trailing off, Antony sighed deeply and pushed more flashbacks back and out of her mind. "Pot can be used for medicinal purposes. I mean, there are so many different strains of it... Not that I'm trying to sell you on it, just saying... Depends on the smoker..." Rex Vadnais "Well the least he can do is make you happy while he changes you into an animal," He didn't add in 'against your will', as Rex was secretly looking forward to the changes, though he knew it was a terrible though.
Rex knew about the plant's medicinal uses as it had been pointed out to him by the druggy kids at his school several times, pressuring him to try it. Though Rex didn't budge, he'd seen what excessive use of it could do. Antoinette Devereux Antony narrowed her eyes, "You make it sound like Jamal and I are an item." It was clear that it wasn't the case, and Antony wasn't exactly happy that Rex had made it seem like it were the case. Antony sighed. Well, there went that good mood. Rex Vadnais "Wha-?" Rex fumbled, Where the HECK did that come from? Women..., he tried to recover from the mistake he hadn't made. "What are you talking about? I didn't say anything about Jamal. I've never met him let alone seen you two together! How could I have an opinoin about you two with such little information? All that I know is you two are friends and he was at your camp." Rex began to get defensive, not needing anyone disappointed in him. He sighed as well, "I was referring to Doctor Moreau giving is experiements what they want in order to keep them happy. That's a smart move becasue it seems tension here is high and it wouldn't take a whole lot to start a revolt." He finished, trying to make up for the misunderstanding.
Rex leaned back into the comfort of the couch, irked about her jump to a conclusion. Antoinette Devereux "You said 'he' and Jamal was the last male other than you that we talked about, so I immediately linked the two," Antony stated, raising an eyebrow at how he suddenly got defensive about the whole thing. "But now that you mention it, Moreau does make more sense... Sorry." Reaching out, the tattooed woman shifted closer, reaching out to pat his leg in an apologetic way. Rex Vadnais "Sorry, I guess that was a bit confusing. I just don't want you to think that I was thinking that..." he stated, smiley minutely when she patted his legs.
Rex's stomach gave a long and loud gurgle, he'd skipped dinner and was heading to breakfast when he'd gotten caught up here. "Oh, hello down there." He said jokingly to his belly, then leaned forward into Antony. His blue gaze trailed from the floor up and came to a pause on her middrift when he said, "I'm getting hungry and breakfast sounds miiighty fine."
The mood had been ruined, anyway. Antoinette Devereux "I ate earlier," she mentioned, "And my pants are in the dryer. Not that I would care about going like this, but..." She simply trailed off, shrugging her shoulders and motioning for him to leave, suddenly feeling entirely unattractive. God damn fur and tails... It seemed that she was losing her touch. Rex Vadnais "All right," Rex said, chuckling about going to the cafeteria in her skivies. He came to his feet and opened his arms to hug her good-bye, leaning over and wrapping them around her fur covered shoulders. "Remember, duplex 35 if you need anything. Company..." he slipped that last part in under his breath, as if it were an after-thought.
"Talk to you late, babe." He said affectionately, throwing in a wink and went off to get some chow. Antoinette Devereux She naturally leaned into his touch, sighing softly, feeling it was a pity hug of sorts, but her acute hearing caught that last word. An eyebrow raised once, and then further when he called her 'babe.' Antony had still lost her touch.
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Posted: Fri Mar 10, 2006 2:01 am
A Hearty Breakfast Joliette Rigiel Joliette trudged into the shade of the townhall and then into the cafeteria. She hoped to god the git didn't pull another stunt with her newest request to the Feral people. But now she couldn't focus on that, she'd been doing her best to keep full so she had little chance of loosing control again... least any time soon...
She headed for the salad bar and got a green salad... and then a minute later piled it high with chunks of ham and grabbed the ranch dressing, a glass of water and a fork sitting at a nearby table to eat Zachary Bloodstone Zach hadn't left his duplex once since the intercom call he'd made. He felt incredibly stupid, but the next morning he found a map lying on the porch outside his room. Despicable or no, that Duvert was efficient.
He was still studying it carefully when he walked into the cafeteria. He was starving. He tossed some spinach leaves into a bowl and took a fork to go with them. There was some water nearby; he could use that as well. He had barely noticed the time going by. But he had an unusual craving for meat... eew. Normally he avoided it whenever possible.
He turned around to find the same short brunette he'd met not a day or two ago. What were the odds? His pace increased when he went to go sit down with her, but he suddenly stopped halfway. His mind buzzed with the realizations he'd made recently. He didn't want to have to keep seeing... them. These desperate, changed people.
He sighed audibly, then put his cup and bowl down next to hers and took a seat. "Miss Rigiel..."
Joliette Rigiel Joliette seemed to be proding at the ham when he sat "Hello Zachary, and please... call me Joliette or Joli, noone has called me miss Rigiel since I first got here" she gave him a weak smile looking towards his salad and then her own meat covered one, she put hte fork down and opened the dressing and started to liberally pour it over the entire ham salad Zachary Bloodstone "Oh - oh sorry." He turned a little red. "It's a habit... hard to break."
He tried keeping his eyes on his salad, stabbing at a leaf with the fork. He couldn't concentrate. He had been feeling guilty ever since he'd finally stopped denying the island's secret.
"Listen, uh Joli... I'm... I'm sorry about the other day."
Joliette Rigiel "Don't worry Zachary, I took no offence, it seems to be par and partial of this island." she grabs her own fork pushing aside some ham to go after the ranch-dripping greens that were under them "I'm going to miss greens" she admits before taking her bite. She looks towards him chewing a few times with her sharp pointy teeth before swallowing. Zachary Bloodstone He took a bite, chewing slowly. He didn't like the sound of that comment she made about the greens. It hinted heavily at "predator". So did those teeth. Almost unconsciously, he leaned backward a bit from her.
"Well, I understand now about the island. I guess it didn't take more than really getting a close look at someone." What sense was there in repeating what was pretty much known? He shied away from the topic. "I really just want out of here, but that can't happen. I was going to ask, but that Duvert is so slimy..."
There was something he could ask without much fear. It was better to have no hope than false hope, at least in his opinion. "Have there been any successful escapes?"
Joliette Rigiel "Escapes? None that I've been aware of" she looked towards the ceiling of the cafeteria, her tongue flicked again and she picked up a chunk of ham between two claws and brought to her mouth before looking at him, he was leaning away a bit "Uhm... so no, I wish there was, perhaps we'd have rescue, but I'm pretty sure noone has gotten away from here" she says and pulls the ranch covered meat from between her claws with her sharp teeth to eat it without paying much attention to it Zachary Bloodstone It was a feeling he'd had all along. He should just stop doubting everything. There were absolutes on this island. He would absolutely go the way of all those he'd met, transforming into a creature right before his own eyes. And there was another absolute - no escape. He would be trapped here the rest of his life.
Still, why wasn't she fighting back? Why weren't any of these islanders he'd met fighting back? Had they given up all hope so soon, or was there something they knew that he didn't?
He didn't even want to know. Ugh, the salad tasted terrible for some reason. He put his fork down.
"Everyone's trapped... forever." He didn't cry this time, luckily. He'd grown slightly used to the idea, even if he feared it beyond almost anything else.
Joliette Rigiel "Unfortunately" she paused and swallowed "And they have a lot of control, I punched that gormless arse Sabin once... Right in the solar plexus" she looked at her hand forming a small fist "Next thing I know I wake up in the meat cooler, I'd really like to know how he did that... " she paused and leaned closer and whispered despite the fact they were alone "Mind you, I'd never hesitate to run away from here if I could" Zachary Bloodstone It was beyond unfortunate.
"He definitely deserved a couple more of those." He smiled maliciously at her story, noting her fist. "But... you went out, just like that? It couldn't have been a coincidence."
That detail definitely had to be part of why no one was making any moves to fight their way to freedom. Joli seemed tough. At the very least she would be able to take down a good number of regular people, armed with those claws and that attitude. But that lost time meant nothing good.
"We may not be able to do it right away, but someday... there has to be an opportunity."
Preferrably before he himself started sprouting fur, feathers, or scales.
Joliette Rigiel "Subject Rigiel Sleep... Just hope you never hear those words with your name... or you wont be awake to remember a portion of hte day, thhats what I heard before waking up in the meat locker..." she loosed her fist and rubbed her hands together. "I would have loved to get a few more punches, perhaps a kick in, make my belt worth all those years of practice, but I doubt he'd take any chances near me again..." She pauses and looks towards him again
"Perhaps some day, you are right about that... What did you do before coming here, was it related to what brought you here?" she asks him curiously Zachary Bloodstone So that was the doctors' little secret - and an explanation for why the island was still populated. He frowned a little at it. But he didn't even want to doubt anything he heard here. His whole reality was backwards now.
"The next time you see him, give him one for me." Much as he would do so himself, he didn't have the spine to even consider it.
"I sure hope so. I... was tricked, I guess. It seemed to be a simple spelunking job for the laboratory here, to investigate their cave systems and such. It sounded good to me. I know I don't look like much, and that's what usually puts people off from hiring me. So this seemed like quite a change in my luck." His face fell further. "Turns out it was the opposite."
"What about you? I'm sure there's more to your story than what you told me before..." Couldn't hurt to know more about these people, since they would be the only ones he'd ever see from now on.
Joliette Rigiel She leans an elbow ont eh table and listen to his story nodding "Sorry to hear that, you seem capable enough to me, you could still spelunk if you wanted to, they dont seem to stop us from doing things we want to activity wise..." she pauses a moment "What brought me here... I"m a photographic journalist, one who loves to follow leads, I heard a rumor that the death of the star Vasile DiRossi was fake and that he faked his own death and was somewhere in this vacinity. Sooo I rented a yacht for a month or so packed all my camera and laptop stuff and headed out to see. Three weeks later I found him, and when I came closer he ran telling me I had to save him and Ambrose, and while he was gone, the Git and another doctor came to the beach and fooled me into believing Vasile was taping a movie here, and I could have an exclusive on it if I came ashore... So stupide me did, was talking with the git in his office and felt sick, I'd turned down his 'vaccine, I was vegan after all, and soon passed out next thing I knew I woke up in a duplex.. and it just goes on from there..." she takes a breath "Sorry, didn't mean to be long winded" Zachary Bloodstone "After my fall all those years ago, I've found myself a lot better at working in the darkness of caves... so I know I won't be losing the other to a cave incident as well. It's one of the few things I have any confidence in, I'm afraid."
"Vasile DiRossi?" The name rang a bell, vaguely. Zach was obviously not into pop culture. "Huh, I guess someone here wanted to add an actor to their collection." It was amazing how quickly you could accept doom for others when it was right there in front of you.
"Sounds despicable. I'm so sorry for you... they violated your beliefs and everything. Nothing long-winded about it. It's a story, after all. You can tell it any way you want." He was now idly playing around with his fork.
Rex Vadnais His stomach was groaning and his mind still a little fuddled from meeing with Antony in her room. Maybe some food would settle him, a late breakfast. Rex made his way into the cafeteria and spied two more faces he'd yet to meet. Well who do we have here..?
Rex got a plate piled high with breakfast sausages and bacon along with a side of maple syrup for good measure, then made his way over to where the two were sitting. "Y'mind if I join yeh?" He smiled friendly and looked at the new faces, a man and a woman. The girl seemed to have changed, scales briding her nose and claws for hands, but the other seemed normal.. apart from his odd choice of clothes. Joliette Rigiel Joliette looked up "Oh my... another new islander, no, go ahead, you are welcome to join us... " she says quietly, she was a bit more withdrawn around multiple people, least now she was. "I'm Joliette" she introduces herself before plucking another ranch-dressing-covered ham chunk off the top of her salade and putting it into her mouth Zachary Bloodstone To actually see the face of the guy who'd just come in, Zach had to look up. Way up. Ulp, tall people, always intimidating just by sight. He sounded friendly, but Zach didn't dare say anything. All the conversation in him had been neatly disposed of.
However, the man didn't appear to have any animal qualities to him, of any kind. He was th first one Zach had seen here not to already be somewhat changed. Still, he felt wary. If Joliette didn't know the guy, then he'd just be apprehensive.
He was still a little hungry, but he knew the salad would disagree with him. He took a big drink of water instead. That would buy him some time away from having to talk. Silently, he waited for the question he figured he would be asked again, just as he had when he'd first come. People had a natural curiosity about the fate of his left arm.
Rex Vadnais "J.. Joliette?" He confirmed, repeating the name to make sure he'd pronounced it correctly. "Please to meet you, I'm Rex." He sat his massive plate down on the table and pulled up a chair across the table from the two. Rex shifted his gave to the other man who sat in silence. "And you name is..? You'll have to excuse me. I don't know many of the people around here and I want to make sure that I get the names down the first time."
He smiled and munched a piece of bacon. Sweet flavorful goodness... Joliette Rigiel Joliette nods "Yes thats right, nice to meet you Rex" she looks towards Zachary, was he nervous again? he certainly seemed like it to her... Well oh well, it was up to him to introduce himself, her yellow tongue flicked as she looked back at her salad popping another piece of meat in her mouth Zachary Bloodstone Carefully, he placed the cup down. He gave his name without looking up, his voice a little wavering. "I'm Zachary..."
He'd begun to turn toward Joliette, but looked back at his salad bowl as soon as the yellow tongue came. He'd forgotten about that little detail. Didn't help his comfort level, but he had to remember that she couldn't help it.
In a way, he couldn't help feeling nervous randomly all the time. He just had to keep himself calm, and above all, NOT get frightened by something until his anxiety passed.
Rex Vadnais "Joliette and Zachary, all right, I can do that." He beamed, glad that he'd pronounced the exquisite french name correctly still. Rex had such an odd way of speaking he often found it hard to do accents correctly. He'd yet to notice Zach's oddly quiet state or lack of a limb.
Rex finished his piece of bacon and decided to mix things up by popping a sausage in there. Nothing better than a mix of flavors. He watched the woman eat her ham in ranch, an odd mix but he'd have to try it. His eyes narrowed in thought when her tounge flicked like lightning from her mouth, "So Joliette, do you know what kind of lizard you've got." Rex inquired, hoping to start a conversation to break the silence. Joliette Rigiel Well that was a silence breaker, and it shocked Joliette, she certainly hadn't been expecting that question, most newcomers seemed to avoid questioning that particular direction.
She looks up and swallows the meat before speaking "Varanus Komodoensis, the largest lizard, and I believe the only one who eats no vegetation whatsoever... not even that of it's prey's diet"
She sighs looks down at her salad again Zachary Bloodstone Aha, this guy was not a newcomer to the island. Wasn't anyone around here newer than himself? He felt like an idiot sometimes, simply being out of the loop.
"You're... you're a komodo dragon?" he stuttered. Those lizards were humongous predators. Her sharp teeth and meat eating were unsurprising now, in conjunction with the lizard they came from. So they did this to her for a simple stab at her dignity...
His eyes darted back to the new guy, Rex. There was not much he could gather about the guy from sight alone. Knowing this place, the man would no doubt be transforming into something equally ironic.
Ugh. There was one question Zach would never, EVER ask himself. That question, of course, being which animal he was fated to become. It was simply beyond him to imagine it.
Rex Vadnais The scientific name rolled around Rex's head a bit, komodoensis. Unfortunately, Zach figured it out before Rex had the chance to make it out for himself. "Oh, a komodo dragon... Y'know, you're the second lizard I've met here. Amaya, the poor girl, I watched her change and helped her through it the night before the labs and such opened." Maybe I should stop, this wasn't exactly eating conversation. So instead of finishing off his statement, he paused by taking another bite out of his sausage.
He swtiched back to the other topic, "But yeah, komodo dragons are pretty gnarly buggers. Mighty cool though.." he spoke about it laxly as though it weren't a bit deal she was changing into an animal and she couldn't stop it. Being relaxed about it simply helped made him feel better about the ordeal, however stern is was. Joliette Rigiel "Amaya's a nice girl, I've met her, she's the one who told me the truth... as for the Komodo... Mighty cool..." she raises her brows her forked tongue flicked again as she watched him trying to figure out if he was being straight. She decides to come back to that and looks at Zachary. "Thats what my research tells me Zachary" she pauses looking back at the table and then back to Rex again deciding to reply to it. "Not sure I totally agree with you, this strikes me as the git's idea of a cruel joke. He didn't seem to like the fact that I was one hundred percent vegan when he first met me" Zachary Bloodstone Zach looked from one to the other. A dropped name, Amaya. He tried to remain focused on their conversation.
But he had a terrible feeling he wasn't welcome among those who had had the true island experience. It was a sort of rift he had noticed, a way he was looked down upon as hopeless, even to those who had no hope.
With his right hand alone, he picked up the tray he'd had and went to clear it all away. He hadn't forgotten to leave his coat sleeve down, so at the very least he'd keep an illusion going. He'd be able to see these people again. He had all the time in the world.
"I... have to run," he said quickly, "Maybe I'll see you later. Good-bye, Joli. Rex," he seemed to add as an afterthought. There was something ominous about how this guy talked so lightly about the transformation process.
He'd take a little walk. It wouldn't soothe him any, but the more used to the island he was... the better.
Rex Vadnais "Indeed, Amaya's a very sweet girl, but she's so young. Do you now how she ended up here?" Rex watched the other man continue to stare down, avoiding eye contact. Was this guy okay? He figured it was nothing and turned his attention back to Joli, who'd continued with her first thought, "Oh a vegan? Gosh, then that's just plain twisted. I may not have met many of the doctors or scientists that work here, but I know enough to have formed an opinion." He paused dramatically, then ensued with, "...they're jerks. Complete and total, unexplained, unreasonable bastards."
Before he cold complete his thoughts about the labtechs, Zach got up abruptly, cleared his dishes and came back awkwardly. He seemed to be searching for something to say, an alibi for leaving, yet came up short. But Rex forgave, the fellow didn't seem to be doing okay, "Sure thing, bud. See y'round." And with that he was off. Rex turned to joli and whispered, "Is he okay? He seemed like there was something wrong." Joliette Rigiel Joli nodded listening to Rex, distracted by Zachary when he returned "Keep well Zachary, and see you around then" she says watching him go and then turning back to Rex "If memory serves me right, Amaya was an orphan and brought here for a youth camp or something like that. As for twisted, That gormless arse is twisted to the bone, he hasn't yet done one nice thing to me, but he seems to love to torment me." she pauses looking towards where Zachary had gone "I think this whole experience has been a lil overwhelming for him" Rex Vadnais "Oh my gosh, I had no idea..." Rex muttered quietly. Heck, he barely knew a thing about the girl or her past, but he did feel a bond with her. Just staying in the shelter at Ambrose's camp had helped him feel as though he knew her better. He popped one of the last pieces of meat into his mouth and chewed it over like he did his thoughts.
Her opinions of the labtechs were from the heart, but her thick accent caused a grin to slip through his lips. A gormless arse, I'll have to remember that.
And then about Zach, "Well yeah, I think the island is alot to take in for anyone! I didn't have an emotional breakdown, but more when numb.. like into shock. It's not an easy thing to get used to." Soon, he'd have to see Awen off into the ocean, so he wasn't fully sure if they'd be here for long. He also was iffy about telling people what she was planning to do, instead he kept his mouth shut. Only opening for the last piece of breakfast. Joliette Rigiel "Yeah, we all come here for many reasons, my friend Hargun is being turned into a bat, she was an artist, and now she can't hold a pencil." She pops another piece of ranch ham in her mouth and watched him wondering what he was thinking of. Rex Vadnais "Hrm.. they like to be cruelly ironic? Further proof that the people that work here are sadistic sickos." What was there that was ironic about Rex? he was a pretty big guy, maybe they'd try to make him an ant or something like that. Though ants are known to carry things several times their own weight. Maybe they'd make him something helpless and unprotected... like.. a goldfish or something weird. At least that way he'd be able to still go swimming. Well, he'd have to go swimming. Things were just plain confusing around here.
"Hmm," he finished, coming to his feet, "I think that I'm going to go take a shower then explore a bit, this island still has alot left to be adventured for me." He picked up his plate laced with maple syrup and cleared it to the kitchen, then returned to the table. "It was nice having breakfast with you Joliette. I'll see you around sometime!" He waved and headed back to his duplex to stand in the hot water. the steam clensed his thoughts... Joliette Rigiel Joliette watched her eatting companion leave "Have a nice day Rex" She says and finishes some more of her food before clearing the table and then retreating back into the darkness of her darkroom
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Posted: Fri Mar 10, 2006 11:01 pm
Take Your Pick Rex Vadnais After a breakfast bountiful with meat, Rex made his way back down the row of duplexes, soon approaching his own. But the thought of Awen leaving for her big swim soon reminded him of Avery's little melt down. I hope the guy's doing all right. He decided to stop by his duplex to say hello and see how Avery was doing.
He made his way up the stairs to duplex 32 and knocked on the door a few times, stepping back to lean on the guard rail while he waited to see if he was home. Avery Calder Avery had just finished showering and drying off after his swimming lessons with Emelyn when he heard a knock on his door. "Just a minute!" he called out, and he quickly pulled on his pants and shirt. His hair was still a mess as he hadn't had a chance to brush it out yet, but he went to the door and opened it anyway; grinning when he saw who it was. "Hey Rex! What's up?" He moved back, allowing room for Rex to come inside if he wanted to. Rex Vadnais Rex smile when Avery answered the door in a hurry, still wet and hair a mess. He grinned welcomingly, "Whats up, bucko?" He stepping inside to find the layout oddly familiar, "Wow, I swear I was just in this room." He said jokingly, refering to the bland layout that was exactly the same in his room.
He sat on the end of the bed, "Not a whole lot, just figured I'd drop by to say hello." He didn't want to bring Awen leaving up or ask if he'd pulled together after the minor meltdown yesterday. Avery Calder Avery laughed. "Yeah, I haven't seen many duplexes, but between mine and Awen's they look pretty much the same... kind of boring. I wish I had more clothes, though," he sighed, tugging at the hem of his shirt. "I don't want to have to wash these every day. Avery plopped down next to Rex on his bed, picking up his hair brush and starting to brush out his hair. "Oh, guess what?" he grinned. "I got some swimming lessons today... from Emelyn - I don't think you've met her." Rex Vadnais "I've seen a couple people's... they're all about the same so you're not missing out on much." He looked down to his only pair of clothes, "Yeah, clothes are kind of important. I don't know how to get a hold of someone who works here though!" Joliette had seemed to meet some of the doctors several times, maybe he'd ask her.
Rex spent no more than two minutes on his hair every day. Basically all that he had to do was brush up in all directions, it was simple and came out looking rather satisfactory. "I can't imagine having to brush my hair out like that. How can you stand having it so long?" He shook his head violently, prooving that his hair was content to be short.
"Swimming lessons, huh? This girl's taking my job!" he smiled, shifting his weight to face Avery a bit more. "Ahh well, if I ever get a surfboard out here, I'll teach you how to surf. But who is this Emelyn?" He ran the name through his head a few times, it was very similar to Emerwyn, the dazed girl from the cafeteria, but otherwise he pulled a blank. "Well dish! She cute?" Rex grinned, unsure if Avery was bi or gay or straight-but-just-liked-to-dress-in-women's-clothes. But girls checked out other girls all the time, right? Avery Calder "I don't either," Avery sighed. "At least Awen gave me her pyjamas... so I have something else to wear. I don't think anyone will care if I walk around in those." He enjoyed brushing his hair, although he usually didn't stylize it. He just brushed it out until it was nice and smooth, and tangle free. Avery grinned at Rex. "Aw, it's not that bad. It feels kinda nice, unless you get a really bad tangle." He shrugged and ran his fingers through his hair. Avery raised an eyebrow at Rex when he asked if Emelyn was cute, grinning. "Yeah, she is! Well, she's also part hedgehog. But she's still pretty cute!" he chuckled. Rex Vadnais He chuckled, "Well you were doing it for quite a while earlier. It's no big deal, I think that everyone around here is really tight. Heck, when i went to wash these," he gestured to his clothes, "I was in my bathrobe and not much else. It's a hassle only having one pair though."
He grinned at his response about the Emelyn girl, "Oh really?" his sentence slid like butter his mouth, cute girls was always a plus. "Hedgehog? That'd be a hassle with the spines and all." He tried to imagine sleeping on his back with spines protruding... not a good feeling. What if they got caught on a sheet or something? Changing must put a real damper on normal everyday things. Avery Calder "Well," Avery shrugged again. "Her spines didn't feel very prickly to me." It was true. When he had hugged her, the spines didn't seem sharp at all. They felt a little weird, but that's it. "She had a cute little nose, though... and she was really nice. I'm glad everyone here seems nice so far." Rex Vadnais No prickles was good, hugging a cactus didn't sound very fun at all. But Rex nodded in agreement, "Most of the people I've met so far are all quite nice. Welcoming and friendly... though some others are a bit awkward." He thought about how Zach was acting strangely at breakfast, even though Rex hadn't changed or anything. There was nothing to be afraid of. Antony was another story, one second she's all nice a loving, the next she's bitchy and indifferent, and then after that she's near-naked and offering him drinks. "...people here are.. unique!" There's a generic word for yeh... Avery Calder "Unique? Well, that's one way of describing it," Avery grinned. He finished brushing out his hair, and set the brush down. Everyone seemed to be all kinds of different animals on the island. He wondered... what kind of animals would they be, if Awen isn't able to get help? He chewed his lower lip a bit, before he spoke up again. "So... um... what kind of animal do you think you might change into, if Awen can't... you know..." he trailed off. Rex Vadnais Rex's curious smile turned to one of thought. "Well, I've been thinking about it alot. I've heard that some of the lab technicians are a little twisted when chosing their animals. I met a girl in the cafeteria," he paused to formulate the word correctly on his tounge, the accent was tricky, "Joliette. She used to be strictly vegan and now she's changing into a komodo dragon. She also told me about a girl here who used to draw alot, but she's changing into a bat and can't manipulate a pencil much any more." A frown stretched Rex's face. "I can't really think of something ironic for us... any ideas?"
He was glad that Avery was beginning to take his place on the island in case something went wrong with Awen. No, don't think like that! She'll be fine and will make it to the mainland in no time. Avery Calder Avery shuddered at the thought. Twisted? Great... "Well... I guess if they know my name, they know what kinds of things I like to do, huh?" He sighed, thinking about it. "Maybe... something with no legs... I - I love dancing. If I didn't have legs, I wouldn't be able to dance anymore..." Avery didn't seem to like the thought of that at all. Rex Vadnais "Y'never know how much they see... I mean, if they have cameras all over, they could be watching us right now." He stopped, then overexaggeratedly shook, "That's just a new level of creepy."
Then about the dancing comment, "Indeed, being something that couldn't dance would suck. At least snakes can sort of dance. Y'know, snake charmers and such." He gave Avery a quick glance, "Naw, I can't picture you all scaley and limbless." Rex chuckled, the mental picture was pretty amusing.
"If you were physically forced to stay here to change with no chance of escape, but you were able to decide the animal you changed into, what would it be? I think I'd be some kind of water mammal, like a sea lion or something. Those guys can ride waves like no other." Avery Calder Avery looked at him, wide-eyed and horrified. "I can't imagine myself scaly and limbless, either... and I don't want to." He shuddered again. "If I had to pick? Any animal I wanted... maybe a bird, so I could fly the hell out of here," he chuckled. "Something colorful. Like... a peacock!" Avery laughed just thinking about it. Rex Vadnais "A peacock? That'd be pretty interesting. I can just picture you now with all those funky feathers sprouting from your butt!" Rex laughed, "But as far as colorful goes? I can imagine a macaw or some kind of tropical bird as well." Rex leaned back on the bed, legs still touching the floor but otherwise completely sprawled out.
"Mmm, flying would be alot of fun. I've met alot of changed people, but birds yet, have you?" Maybe they were going to be the first birds on the island, Rex could already feel the wind beneath his win- err.. arms. Avery Calder "Nah, I haven't met any birds either... I guess the doctors would think of that, though, wouldn't they? So no one could fly off..." Avery leaned back on the bed, leaning back on his arms. Of course, thinking about the doctors made him realize... "Do you think the doctors would have realized that sea animals could swim off the island..? I mean, if they're smart enough to turn people into animals..." Rex Vadnais Rex too, propped himself up on his arms similar to Avery, but then rolled onto his side and held his head up with one arm. "Yeah... if there aren't any birds that we know of... I don't know, it seems a little sketchy though. I mean, could something that simple be their fatal flaw?" Rex hushed his voice as though telling a secret that people shouldn't be hearing. "...And if they've been watching us, why haven't they done anything to stop us from this whole escape thing?" He sighed, then looked back up to Avery, "I dunno, I feel like it could be too easy..." he trailed off on the end, feelings scrambling to something to hold onto and give him confidence in their plan again. Avery Calder "Yeah..." Avery's hope for getting off the island was slowly fading. He moved his elbows out from under himself, flopping back completely onto his bed and staring up at his ceiling. Cameras everywhere... probably even in this room. Watching us talk. There's no way they couldn't know about their plan...Avery looked at Rex. "I saw Colche transform, you know," he whispered. "It was... terrible... it looked so painful." Rex Vadnais Rex had begun to lose his hope as well. The worst part was he wished he cared more. He knew a life back at home would just continue to be boring and bland, but staying here was exciting, even though he knew it was better to leave.
He rolled over onto his stomach and looked at the other man, "You saw Colche change? Was it that morning after we found Ambrose's camp? I went off for an early walk, but headed back to the camp when I heard a loud scream. Then..." the memory of Amaya running through the jungle was still vivid in his mind, "then I saw Amaya. I chased her for a bit but she didn't turn back, I only caught up to her after she tripped. She was changing as well... it was awful." Rex remembered her skin peel off in flakes and her dark hair fall from her scalp, then the look on her face when she passed out. "The poor girl is cold blooded, she collapsed in the mud and I carried her back to camp." he shuddered, Rex hadn't spoken with her since they'd come back the morning after. He should check on her sometime soon. Avery Calder "Yeah, it was... that was probably her that you heard scream. She seemed to be in so much pain..." Avery didn't like to think about it. Still, he was glad that he had been there. It would have been so much worse for Colche if he hadn't been there for comfort her after it was over. Avery didn't think he would want to be alone during his transformations, either, if he were to have them. "So you saw someone change too, huh... Amaya... she had scales, right?" Rex Vadnais Going through such an excruciating pain such as changing seemed like it would be an awful experience to go through alone. However, Rex had learned that from pain came strength. If he did end up changing by himself, that would be rock bottom. But from the lowest point possible, the only way to go is up. Maybe this animal change would be the best thing to happen to him since his dad sent him away. "We'll get through it." He stated simply.
"Yeah, the one from the day we washed up. She's a tough little girl... turning into some kind of lizard, her tail is massive!" Avery Calder "That must suck... I wouldn't want to turn into anything scaly." No, Avery definitely would prefer feathers or fur over scales. At least then he would still be cuddly. Avery sat up then. "I'm feeling kind of hungry... I think I'm going to go grab something eat now," he said. He was glad he was able to say things like that now... and not be wondering when the next time they'd be able to find food was. Yes, Avery liked civilization much more than living in the wild. "Did you already eat?" Rex Vadnais "Oh, I already ate a late berakfast. I actually just came from it!" He chuckled, sitting up and patting his belly. "Food is good, but I tihnk I'm going to go take a shower." He stood up off of Avery's bed and pulled the sheet's tight so things looked tidy, then headed for the door. "I'll catch you around, though. Thanks for talking things over with me."
He made his way out the door and down the stairs, then across the way to his own room, going straight to the bathroom to take a shower. Avery Calder "Okay, then. I'll see you later, Rex!" Avery smiled and watched Rex leave, then he stood up and left too, heading off toward the cafeteria.
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Posted: Sun Mar 12, 2006 11:22 am
Secrets and Sports Awen hadn't thought she'd be back here in a long time. After the months she had spent outside without anything, even her video games one would think the girl would hate the confines of the bark and leaves. But a walk was just what she needed to clear her head after her long talk with Amaya. She could do this. She would save the newcomers, if not the islanders. After all..everything had an antidote right? There had to be an antidote.... Something that could reverse them back to normal... Yeah. So she was getting away not just for Avery Rex..and the skeasy new guy.... but for everyone.
She had grown unaware of how loud she was on land, tramping hrough the bushes. She had always been used to being able to tread lightly on the forest floors of her home, but after two months she had gotten used to being a little clumsier on land. A littler louder. It didn't much bother her anyway, she was alone.Back in the forest's cool darkness, Zach had begun to get a little nervous. He couldn't see much of what was ahead, and only by constantly brushing aside the heavy fern fans and other huge waxy leaves could he even know where to put his foot down next. Odds were he was lost. He'd veered away from following the cliff's edge, and for that he knew he'd have a rough time returning to his duplex. He badly wanted a shower.
His boot was caught in a couple of vines hanging on the ground, and unceremoniously Zach crashed to the wet ground. Ohh did he need that shower now... "Dammit!"
There was mud all over the side of his face, and on his clothes too! Before he could get back to walking, he noticed a sound that he'd assumed to be coming from him. It was the slow footsteps of another person right here in the forest. They were close.
Were they friend or foe? Either way, they must have heard him swear. With his one hand, he grappled a tree trunk in order to stand back on two feet, and busied himself brushing the dirt off his face. There wasn't a reason to run, as they'd only catch him more quickly if he did. Awen heardthe familiar sound of a body crashing to the ground ending in the dull thud. She frowned. Though she was glad for once it wasn't her falling she hoped the other person wasn't hurt too much.
The unfamiliar voice followed with a curse and she frowned. It wouldn't be the best way to walk in, they might be embarassed when she stepped throguh the bushes and say they had tripped. But she didn't exactly think hiding would do her any good.... and she didn't know the voice.
She stepped slowly towards the place where she heard the man. She put on a smile and opened her mouth to greet the person, warn them she was on her way, but all of a sudden she big flipper like feet caught on a root. She stumbled forward and ended up jumping to keep her balance, landing just before the poor guy.Zach cried out in alarm and lay stiffly against the tree beind him. A blue and grey humanoid blur seemingly flew through the nearby trees to land right in front of him.
"Get away from me!" He didn't bother with formality. He - or she - had nearly killed him! There wasn't anywhere to run now.
Well, on a closer inspection, it was a girl. But he also saw the winglike flaps and wriggling horns, and the overall shiny texture to her grey-tinted skin. The blue hair didn't help. She looked like a monster.
He felt like prey. His fingers wrapped around a length of his rope. If she tried to attack again, he'd attempt to entangle her with it and run like hell. Awen blinked a little bit in the face of the man. Her cheeks took on a crimson hue as she quickly stepped back. He had obviously not been on the island very long at all. She withdrew as much as she could and tried to make herself appear as unthreatening as possible.
"Oh my gosh I'm so sorry..." She pointed over her shoulder. "I...tripped over a root there....I didn't mean to scare you...."
She scratched her neck softly and sighed a little. "I'm Awen.... Terrible way to meet someone..I'm sorry."That was it. He'd never get used to this place. The adrenaline from that shock was making him shake. So her name was Awen... he'd have to remember that.
"P-pleased to meet you, A-Awen..." His hand slowly loosened from the rope. Having figured he would be in a cave by this time of day, Zach had neglected to do anything about his other sleeve. She'd quickly notice his lack of a left arm. It wasn't easy to miss. "I'm Zachary... s'my fault. I-I'm not used to this place."
Still breathing quickly, he tried to sort out her predicament. He couldn't imagine what she was turning into. It was grosteque. At least even the reptilian islanders were recognizable. This girl... the animal she was becoming wasn't even imaginable. She definitely looked like a particularly affected victim of this whole sick joke. His eyes betrayed his thoughts, as they were still wide and full of horror at her transformed appearance. After her encounter with Amaya earlier she had felt a little better about how she was looking. Not because she thought Amaya had looked bad, by no means. She just sort of saw it in Amayas eyes, something that had made Awen feel better. And Lauren, she had practically...well...that was a different situation altogether, but she didn't think Awen was too freakish either. All of the other islanders, even the newcomers seemed to think she wasn't that bad looking.
But it only took this one to break down the newfound confidence. She kept her arms down and fingers closed so that the weebing would be less appearant. She tried to fluff her hair a little bit to make the prongy things not look so evident, though that was futile.
"No..I jumped out and scared you I'm sorry." As she got a better look of the guy, except for the blur and the face close up she had a chance to notice the man's arm or rather lack there of. Her brow creased in sympathy for a second but then quickly schooled that away...he probably didn't want her pity. And... he was distracted anyway.
"Why don't you sit down or something.... you're shaking like a leaf. I take it your new.... I'm so sorry that was horrible of me."He pushed the rope back up to his shoulder to keep it there. The girl looked... self-conscious? She was preening herself quickly in front of him, obviously making a major effort to hide her changes. He felt a pang of guilt at that. It wasn't her fault she looked like that. She was a captive here against her will.
He saw the look of pity that crossed her face. He was glad that it left just as quickly. He honestly didn't need that at the moment. He needed his shower. That'd be the prize of putting up with this godforsaken forest.
"I'm fine... really..." He'd stop shaking after a few minutes. He just had to wait for the scare to wear off. He didn't offer a handshake, seeing how his glove was now all muddy. "I guess I really need to stop being so scared of this place. You guys don't need a newcomer like me freaking out all the time. I'm going to learn my lesson..."
Not that he had a choice in that. "As long as you're okay... You don't have to be afraid" Awen smiled softly. The manta meant that the man didn't need to be afraid really but she was also thinking about her escape. She wouldn't start explaining her plan again and she didn't want to give other people hope, now that she was feeling self concious she didn't know if she could pull it off.
"So you're new hm? You don't know your way around the island either hm?""Oh, yeah, I'm still unfamiliar with this place. I don't think I've been here a full week, even. I have a map, but..."
But it reminds me of that sadistic freak Duvert every time I look at it.
He peeled himself off of the tree. "Oh! I almost forgot. My name is Zachary." He smiled politely. It really just took a good amount of staring to get used to the outlandish appearances here. The duplex was getting to be claustophobic, Lauren wanted to get out and explore. The best spot for this was of course, the jungle.
In an unusually chipper mood, Lauren was walking through with her mp3 player drowing out any noise from her pointed ears. She was singing aloud to the music.
"Hermaphrodites with x-ray eyes,
Shapeshift into paradigms.
March like nazi's to a polka dirge,
To conjure the spirit of lucifer.
Virgin mongoloid.
Girlfriend mentally begins to bend.
Valley girl ventriloquists.
Move her lips and slash her wrists.
Ammonia sweet river,
Winged rats will take us there,
Anchored by the ledfish.
We are pregnant with animal joy.
Don't fall asleep or we'll mutilate your genitals." Awen had opened her mouth to say something to Zachary but all of a sudden she learn a familiar voice singing outloud to a rather "cheery" song. Blinking she turned around to see a flash of someone trampsing through a nearby bush. "Uuhh..... the heck?"
She motioned for Zach to come along. "Don't worry..she's harmless."
She stepped slowly towards her dear friend, just out of her line of sight. "Hey there Lauren." No answer.. she said it a little louder. "Hey Lauren!"
Nothing...
She grabbed the mongoose's arm softly. "LAUREN!"Zach was a little disturbed by the randomly thrown together words being sung, especially in the dark here.
The name... he'd met her before once, shorty. Lauren!?
The mongoose. She had seemed a little off, in that she didn't treat the island experience very negatively. Her appearance stood out, especially the long fingers.
He waved to her, though she didn't seem to notice. Awen went ahead and got her attention instead. After his shower, Rex decided to go for a little walk out in the jungle. As far as he knew there wasn't a gym here and his muscles craved some exercise. A little hike never hurt anyone.
So there he was, venturing through the forest and enjoying the fresh air. The sunlight trickled through the tree's high canopy in little splotches, though most of the forest was shadowed and dark. In a way, it was pretty soothing.
Rex heard them first, a few different voices, one of them singing. "Hmm?" He said, seeing some silhoutted bodies through the thicket. he approached quietly at first until he saw the webing under one of the bodies' arms. "Oh, hey Awen!" Then the strange man from the cafeteria earlier, Zachary? "And Zach!" though the third figure he'd yet to meet. Lauren looked up, pulling the headphones from her ears as the shouting song by Dog Fashion Disco could still be heard... all be it slightly muted.
"Awen!" She said as she hugged the fish girl. "Oh man... I have some freakish news!" Odly enough, Lauren was happier than she had been in months.
"And Zach! Hey... how's things? Not going to spazz out on me are you?" She gave him a friendly punch to his good arm.
Lauren spotted the muscular tall blonde man, "Hey! Names Lauren what's happenin' ?" She held out a clawed hand towards him when he aproached closer. The flurry of greeting exchanges confused Awen terribly. She first turned to Rex. "Hey man!" Then quickly looked back to Lauren when she announced she had freakish news. "Oh yeah? How ya doing anyway? Sorry for dtiching you."
Then she saw the girl punch Zach in the good arm and almost had a heart attack. The poor guy was near a breakdown because of Awen he did not need someone's fist flying at him.
Then just as quick the hand reached out to the male blond. Dizzy, confused she tried to stumble over words. At least everyone seemed to know her and Zach. "Er Lauren that's Rex, Rex this is Lauren, a very good friend. Oh and thanks Rex for reminding me... Lauren I've got to talk to you about something...""Ow," he grimaced, trying to laugh off the punch. She didn't seem to notice; her mood looked too good to be spoiled by something like that. He hoped it wouldn't be. She got a little instinctive when it was, as he'd witnessed on the beach.
The other man from the cafeteria, Rex, sauntered over. Zach still didn't trust this guy, no matter how friendly his demeanor. He gave a vague nod toward the guy. "Rex?"
Underlying the whole accidental gathering here was a sense of business. It paid not to be noticed sometimes, but it wasn't going to happen on this island.
Well, he couldn't do anything but wait out the soreness of his arm where Lauren had knocked it. He was curious what was going to be said. Rex first turned to Lauren, her spindelly hand stretched forward. He shook it in greeting and locked in on her eyes with a friendly smile. "Lauren? Rex." He stated simply, jotting her name down in his mind. She looked a little changed, but nothing drastic.
Then he looked to Zach, giving a nodding in confirmation at his name. It seemed like a question, though he'd just met him not long ago. Ahh well, Rex had some trouble with names as well.
He went to Awen and put his arm over her shoulder in a half-hug, glad to see his girl out and about instead of cramming in video game hours. I reminded her of something to say? He thought, unsure of what it could be. It must be her trying to swim away soon, he was still nervous as could be but decided to keep his emotions hidden. Rex didn't think this was something he should be advertising and telling everyone about. "Hey rex! New huh?" She said as his pretty blue eyes met with hers. Too bad they were attached to a male, such a waste.
"Yeah.. sure thing." She said to Awen. "Now?" What Lauren was hopeing Awen had to talk about was probably not something she was going to talk to Lauren about, but regardless the hope was there. Lauren waited for an answer. "And I need to tell you my thing too!" She looked over at the other islanders. Did she really want to sound excited about this in front of them? She alread got bad PR for being Moreau's student.
For now, Lauren was going to be quiet about things unless proded too deeply. Awen smiled at the exchange. Now? Well... Awen took into concideration who was around. Sure Rex was fine, he already knew... but Awen had already been resolved on the issue not to tell Zach. No...now wasn't a good idea. She didn't want it leaking to too many people. She had only told Amaya and was only planning on telling Lauren, maybe one other person. People she trusted and needed to know she was leaving....
"Um... not now. It's something er... a little more er...private." Great that had two effects coming, Lauren's probably going to think it's something about their hollow-tree talk and/or Zach is going to feel left out because Rex reminded Awen of something to say to Lauren and Zach is hte only one not in the loop. Great. She did not want to hang out for dmaage control on this one.
"But hey whatever, um... I think I'm going to..head to the river.. my.. skin is starting to flake again.."Oh dear, looks like she noticed his curiosity straight off. His arm couldn't possibly be the reason he was hard to miss; maybe it was his totally human looks that made him noticable. Rex had stuck out like a sore thumb to Zach initially, when he hadn't seen a normal person for days.
He looked back at the others. He felt a little awkward, like being alone with the enemy. These two didn't seem very bothered by the island. Lauren, it had already been established, was a big fan of Moreau, whose life or death status was ambiguous. Rex was someone who could only be speculated on, but he gave off this strange sense of NOT being bothered by the island.
Zach cleared his throat and began to toy with the rope on his arm. He sure as hell wasn't going to continue saying things he'd regret. He continued to smile, looking at Lauren. "New? Umm, I've been around here for a while, but new in several regards." He swept his hands up his chest, motioning to the fact that he'd yet to change. Time was ticking and recently things had seemed that if they didn't get to work on this escape plan, they'd lose all the hope they never had. He'd had his doubts about Awen's journey, but had to remain confident.
Rex wondered if Awen's secret really was the escape plan. Was she not telling Lauren because Zach was around. Awen seemed to trust this blonde girl, she did call her 'a very good friend'. "To the river with yeh?" He looked closer to the rubbery patches on her skin, "yeah, you are looking a little dry."
Zach seemed uncomfortable.. indifferent. Was there something about Rex that just made him feel awkward, or was Zach always like this? He'd left in a hurry back at the cafeteria as well, maybe starting some nice conversation would get him talking again, "So Zach, how've you been? And what's with the outfit? Going mining?" He didn't mean to sound sarcastic or rude, Rex was genuinely curious. You didn't see people in the jungle an odd outfit like that often. A surprised an happy look came upon Lauren's face. It was private? Was it really what she was thinking about? This day kept getting better and better "Sure Awen! It can wait until later." She gave her a wink and another hug. "See ya! Don't be too long."
Yeah she was looking a little dry. She pushed aside several creative thoughts on how to fix that.
Getting her mind out of the gutter, Lauren looked back to Rex, "Yeah, you havn't changed.. that's what I was refering too." He didn't seem too bothered by things which she fond odd and comforting. Maybe this was someone Lauren could talk with about things around here. She mentally jotted his name down to bring up with Moreau later.
Lauren's eyes looked at Zach's outfit. What was that about anyway. And... he was missing an arm as well. Was he a veteran and had wicked cool war stories to tell? "Yeah, what are you planning?" maybe it was a dumb escape attempt. Before they all got too in depth into their 'why is Zach wearing that?' convorsation Awen quickly hugged Rex and Lauren. "See you guys. Um Lauren I'll drop by your duplex after supper, alright?" She nodded a bit then looekd to Zach.
"Nice meeting you. I hope we see eachother again sometime." She smiled brightly and trodded off to the river.
"Bye guys!" She shouted with a slight wave of her hand.Zachary Bloodstone "Bye, Awen." His emotions had been drained. Three people he wasn't familiar with, hiding things. Definitely there was something he'd missed out on. But what could he do? Whatever it was, it sounded painful, at least mentally, if not physically.
He looked up from the rope when he realized the question was addressed to him. "I've been... as sane as anyone can be knowing they're fated to this." His hand swept the general vicinity. He wasn't fond of it. He honestly wished for the same ignorant denial he'd had prior to meeting Emelyn.
He shifted his weight to his other leg. "I do some hobby spelunking; it's how the lab caught me." There was some disgust in his voice.
He'd see if they reacted. There was always room for error in his judgement.
Rex Vadnais Rex hugged Awen quickly then shooed her towards the water. It seemed best to keep her in top condition before her excursion, "Later, Awen!"
It was only now, while examining Zach's outfit closer, that he realized the man was missing a limb! The fact took him by surprise at first, how had he missed it before? He blushed slightly, but didn't say anything about it. Rex'd seen people without arms before, but had never met someone personally with one. He shrugged it off, ignoring his comment about being stranded. Why were people so negative? "Spelunking? That's so cool! I didn't know we had any caves around here!" He remembered the mountain you could see easily from anywhere on the island, but he'd yet to explore there. Lauren Granger Lauren blinked at Zach, he obviously hated being here, which she knew. She was there when he spazzed out. "Oh..." She said simply to his statement that he was fated to this. Then he said something about being caught and looked disgusted. Lauren casually disregarded that part, "Spelunking! That sounds ******** awesome... ooh ooh you SOO have to take me sometime." maybe that was something else she needed to aid to the list, spelunking gear. But it could just be very boring, dark caves, wet rocks.... more wet rocks... mold. Lauren had never been so she had no clue. "Is it like dangerous ever? Can we go down deep deep pits where you can't see the ground and it's like pitch black? Oh that would be sweet! One slip up and... damn we'd be gone!" Lauren looked rather excited about this. In her mind at least, what she was talking about sounded incredibly dangerous and exciting. Lauren looked at her watch, she needed to get going soon as she had an apointment with Moreau to go over a few lessons and what homework she needed to do before the next injection. The girl suddenly looked obviously worried at the time. Zachary Bloodstone Rex was obviously new to the concept of one arm. Zach just gave him a glassy-eyed gaze back until he finished staring. Neither said anything in regards to his comment about being caught, but there was a moment of awkwardness, which only added to his suspicions.
He didn't like these people. He tried to keep his expressions, and tone, as unaware-sounding as possible. He'd been increasingly cold to them already, so they must know his distrust.
He blinked, surprised at the interest Lauren had for cave-diving. "Yeah, there's a lot of that. It's pretty exciting, very dark, and dangerous. I could take you some time, but I don't have enough equipment for more than just myself..." He wasn't about to order any from the doctors here.
"I..." Oh great, he preferred not to think about the dangers of spelunking. She brought back memories of the times he'd very nearly repeated his first accident... it made him feel a little weak. He could tell the color was draining from his face.
At least she looked like she was going to leave. He didn't want to talk about it.
Rex Vadnais Rex, too, was taken aback by Lauren's sudden interest in spelunking. Danger girl, eh?
He'd done his fair share of extreme sports. Wind, kite and regular surfing, rock climbing and snow boarding. He highly enjoyed lacrosse as well. And he was a gymnast and water polo player at his old school. Yeah, Rex loved his sports (however obscure they may be), and his body reflected that. "If I can get the gear and find a spot, we'll have to go rock climbing or surfing sometime. You do much sports?" he asked, speaking mostly with Lauren, but indirectly to Zach if he wanted to show interest in the offer. Lauren Granger "That sounds wicked cool. I definatelywant to go sometime." Lauren said to Zach. "Hell yeah! Sounds like fun. Mostly swimming, I've done some surfing back when I was younger but suck a** at it. I've got a surf board comming. I can get gear as well. Hell, I can probably get just about anything I want." Lauren smiled largly at the outward boast. Except a car... She thought with some agitation. "I'm up for trying anything." Lauren liked to stay active, it kept her body calmer and her mind off of things. She needed to move nearly constantly most of the time. Her high metabolism required it. She looked at her watch again, "Well crap, I need to be somewhere." she didn't specify where exactly. "See ya suckers later." She started off, "Oh and be careful spelunking Zach. Wouldn't want you to loose another arm!" Lauren added as she winked at the poor man. She just had to press that button. To her, it was begging to be pressed. Zachary Bloodstone Zach shook his head at Rex's indirect offer. "I can't rock climb." The story was the same with swimming. He was completely used to it.
The negativity he'd been feeling about Lauren reached a high point. Zach's right hand and all of his fingers curled into a fist at his side upon Lauren's parting remark. Tears weren't really fitting of the situation. Instead, a dry anger seemed to fill him until they'd come later. That girl was callous.
His hand relaxed after a certain amount of time, sore. He hated this place, this island. All he wanted was to leave. If he had to endure people like Lauren on top of a transformation...
Well, to say he'd go completely and totally insane was an understatement.
He looked back up at Rex, shifting his weight again. "So the doctors here tricked you into coming?"
Rex Vadnais "Really, Lauren? Do you have connections with the doctors? Oh if you could hook me up with a board and some clothes I'd love you forever." He said jokingly, though she was oddly attractive. He waved her good bye, chuckling in his head at the last comment so he didn't offend Zach. This guy seemed tense, maybe he was overly sensitive or just couldn't take a joke. He saw the fist form at his side while he watched him stare her down. Easy, Bucko. T'was just a joke.
"The doctors?" He said, now alone with Zach in the jungle, "Oh no... I- .. We-... I washed up on shore a while ago. Fell off a boat" Rex fumbled, trying to find the correct wording for his situation, though his answer was simple and got the point across. "That's why I haven't got anything besides these threads and a tie." He cleared his throat, "You said the scientists tricked you onto here with your cave exploration? I'm sorry man..." He put a hand on Zach's shoulder in an attempt to comfort him, Rex knew he'd had some trouble with the thought of being stuck here.
"Well, I think that I'm going to continue with my walk. Never got any exercise sitting around talking! I'll talk to you later though, maybe see you in the cafeteria or randomly run into you in the jungle again." Rex chuckled, realizing how unlikely it was to meet with these people withough any planning. He waved a hand and continued to jog straight off into the thicket, a little cardio was sure nice. Zachary Bloodstone Joke or not, comments like that hurt. Zach tended to be petty on that issue - he'd deflect pity, but to make fun of it basically asked for a permanent grudge. Rex looked uncomfortable - not being Zach, he wouldn't understand the sting of the remark anyhow.
Washing up here? It seemed far from coincidence, but certainly possible. Hopefully someone was looking for him. Or 'them'. Rex's stuttering offered the possibility of someone the man was afraid to discuss.
Zach stiffened a little at the touch. He wasn't comfortable with this guy. He didn't seem aware of the severity of their situation... "Don't be sorry. I'm an idiot, that's all there is to it." No doubt about that, he chimed inwardly.
He waved wealky as the tall guy left. He was so tired of this place... the stress of seeing each victim of the experimenting was taking its toll on him. He still had the grime of the beach and jungle all over him, meaning that shower was still desperately wanted.
He looked up a moment at the helmet on his head. Perhaps it would be better if he just lit his way back, just this one time... After some hesitation, he flicked on the light. It illuminated a beaten little path. It looked like it was in the right direction. He'd just follow it and see where it took him. Hopefully, the village. He didn't have any other way to gauge the whereabouts of the village, anyhow.
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