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 Posted: Fri Jun 16, 2006 8:27 am
Out of instinct Sophie squirmed to free herself from the tight grip on her hand, but she forced herself to calm, to ride it out just as Gaius was handling something much, much worse. Her frantic mind did nothing to help her think of what she should have been doing, but she stood as Gaius did, expecting to be asked to get something to ease his pain. However, as she noticed his growing tail, she gulped down any nausea and understood why he would want to stand for the occasion.
He looked up at her, and for a moment, Sophie froze, unsure of what to do. What could she say to this new face, alien to the features she remembered in him. His hair, his hands, the tail...What could one say to ease the blow? She could find nothing, but positive that the experience was over, released his hand, flexing her grip and revealing very definite red marks where his fingers had been clenching.
"Are...are you okay?" she asked, her voice and hands shaky as she cupped his face within her palms, using her thubs to stroke his cheek lightly. Granted, he certainly wasn't the bear, but how was she to tell him what he was becoming? Perhaps it was better to wait for him to ask: he might not even want to know. "Gaius, I'm sorry...Oh dear God, I'm sorry this had to happen to you..." Throwing any sort of brave charade she had held away, she placed her arms around him, giving him a fragile hug, afraid she might break him even now. She clasped her hands behind his back, staying well away from his waist and the new growth there. "I should've been the first one...Gaius, I'm so sorry..."
It was the only thing she could say to him, her mind entirely shaken after the moment had passed. Gaius...he wasn't human anymore...and that meant she wouldn't be for long, either...
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Posted: Fri Jun 16, 2006 9:43 am
The cool touch of her hands on his face was like fresh water in the desert. He sighed, resting his head against her hands as he struggled to keep his mind standing even as everything came crashing down. That was it then, his days as a human were over. Now he would spend his days in a strange body, one that didn't belong to him, and agonize over when the next change would come to strip him of more of his humanity. Just how far would it go? Would he be like Pyroth, to walk on four legs?
He smiled sadly, the tail twitching again behind him. "I have... a tail..." He struggled to suppress a sob as she embraced him, wanting nothing more than to break down in her arms. His breaths came shakily, his new nostrils flaring with each one, but after some time his breathing began to steady as he recovered himself. "I-it's okay, Sophie..." he stammered, patting her back gently with his in-human hands. "It had to happen... sometime... It's okay, really..."
He took a deep breath and placed both hands on her shoulders to pull her away slightly and look into her eyes. "Can you... help me to the bathroom? I... need a mirror."
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Posted: Fri Jun 16, 2006 10:04 am
Sophie looked up at the pained look on Gaius's face, wishing she could do something. Anything. Somehow wishing she could reverse the change, or perhaps take it on herself...Taking him to the mirror, that was all she could do for the moment. She gently clasped his hands..erm, whatever they were to be called now, and led him towards the bathroom, a quiet soberness in the way she stepped.
Slowly, she opened the door, ushering him into the small tiled room. Normally, she would've been nervous in being in such closed quarters with a member of the opposite sex, but her mind had no room for such thoughts. Her eyes went to the reflection in the mirror, her human self, and Gaius...changed. She almost felt unclean, not being in the same state as him, but she lightly leaned against him arm and smiled a bit to make it seem like a happy picture, to try and encourage him.
"It's not that bad, really...I've definitely seen other Islanders worse off."
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Posted: Fri Jun 16, 2006 11:09 am
He stared, wondering at the strange face that stared back. A shaky hand reached up to touch his nose, that nose that his father had once claimed as the 'Harper Nose' and now was twisted and flat. He didn't even know what it was supposed to be, he couldn't think of any animal with a nose like that off the top of his head.
His eyes drifted down to his hands, running a thumb over the tips and feeling the odd sensation of nail on nail. It was like wearing thimbles on each of his fingers, the sensation of touch limited only to impacts at best. He turned around around and got a look at the mass of black hair tumbling over his rear that must've been his 'tail.' His ears twitched, as if wanting to flatten back but unable to with their underdeveloped muscles.
Her reassurance was lost on him as he sighed, slumping his shoulders. Somewhere in him, the urge to graze was rising, those carrot sticks back in the room sounding very tempting. The close room of the bathroom made him feel nervous, he needed open air and sunlight! None of it felt right, it wasn't supposed to happen this way. These weren't the changes of a predator.
"What am I?"
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Posted: Fri Jun 16, 2006 11:20 am
Sophie shrugged, about to say, 'I dunno,' but she realized that the words probably would be seen as insensitive, and she thought of what animals could possibly have those traits. The epiphany struck when she glanced at his tail, her furrowed brow changing to one of surprise as she looked up at him with a quick glance.
"What about some kind of horse? I mean, horses have tails like that, and...hooves, and, well, y'know?" She didn't seem all too sure of herself, but then again, she was going on just appearances, and not the things he was feeling. "Horses can be black, too, I guess."
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Posted: Fri Jun 16, 2006 11:37 am
"A horse?" he echoed in surprise. It made sense, all things considered. His face, the tail, the start of hooves on the tips of his fingers... Even the alien thoughts inside his head. The situation struck him as ironic - here, they'd been fearing he was going to be some blood-thirsty predator, and now he was doomed to spend his days as a farm animal. He managed a small chuckle and turned to look at her, the same boyish grin shining through his changed features. "Well, I guess you won't have to worry about me eating you, huh? Never heard of any man-eating horse."
His smile faded as he caught sight of her hand and the red bruise on it. He caught it up in his hand, turning it over - the bruise looked tender. Apologetic eyes looked back up at hers. "Oh Sophie, I'm so sorry... I... I didn't mean to hurt you..."
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Posted: Fri Jun 16, 2006 3:50 pm
"Nope, except in mythology. I think they're called kelpies...?" She turned and returned the smile: hopefully he got her point. Looking at his face, though, somehow gave her a sense of foreboding: that would be her in a few days, a few weeks. It all depended on what the professor wanted to do to mess with her mind...
Of course, her mind got off track the moment he touched her hands, still red and starting to bruise. "Oh, this? It's not that bad, really...I mean, it hardly hurts, and you didn't do it on purpose. I can't imagine what you were going through at the moment." But you will in a little bit. She shook her head a little bit, running her fingers over his hands...erm, hooves, she supposed. It was a strange texture, this hoof-material, but it wasn't unpleasant to the touch, so her fingers explored the transformations for a moment, intent as a person reading braille.
"Don't worry about my hands, Gaius: they'll heal soon enough."
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Posted: Fri Jun 16, 2006 4:55 pm
He smiled, relieved and a bit shy at her touch. He'd never really been this intimate with a girl before, but there was something about Sophie. She was so quiet and inviting, she didn't push herself on him like some girls did, but instead almost drew him in with her gentleness.
Casting one last look at himself in the mirror and running a hand over the back of his neck, Gaius turned and gestured for Sophie to exit the bathroom as he followed. His eyes instantly jumped to the untouched plate of food and he practically jumped on the apple, biting off a chunk. He hadn't realized how hungry he was.
Remembering Sophie was still there, Gaius looked back at her and smiled meekly, cheek bulging with apple. "Thanksh f'r being h're, Soph'. It r'lly ment a lot. Would you, uh," he gulped, "like any food? I think I have some spagghetti I can reheat, or some chips? I don't really have much to offer." He shrugged apologetically. "Still sore, and I... don't really wanna go out yet. I need some time to... get used to it, I guess."
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Posted: Fri Jun 16, 2006 5:21 pm
"No, I'm fine, I actually ate breakfast this morning, so I probably won't eat until the evening."
Sophie didn't know if the others had really noticed, but she never ate breakfast. She had always had issues with eating right after waking up before coming to the Island, but it had just about faded in the past week or so. Not that her narcolepsy was getting any better, but it really no longer bothered her to eat after sleeping, especially if it was dark out.
"And really, it's no problem. I'm sure you'd do the same for me."
Sophie's brow furrowed for a moment: once again, her paranoia was kicking in, reminding her of how little time she had. How close she was to being where Gaius was, where most of the Islanders were. It was only a matter of time, and that time would be sooner or later. She attempted to change the subject so that perhaps her mind would get a moment's rest.
"So...do you want me to get you a few things, if you plan on staying in here for a while? I could get some other people: Marshall, maybe, or someone else, if you wanted to. Company's always a good thing, y'know."
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Posted: Fri Jun 16, 2006 5:36 pm
He began to sit down on the couch, but jumped as his tail jabbed it and winced, being more careful as he gingerly settled down again. He looked at his hands again, running his fingers over the dark hair on their backsides. "I guess it'd be best to get it over with... I mean, we all have to change some time, right?"
Gaius felt bad, keeping her there like this. She probably had other plans, things to do. Normally, after this kind of incident Gaius would have wanted time to himself, to react and come to terms with the situation, but for some reason the idea of being left alone now terrified him. Company would be good, yes.
"Heh, maybe we should have that sleepover you mentioned... I know I could sure use some alcohol right about now."
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Posted: Fri Jun 16, 2006 5:55 pm
Sophie smiled: that was the spirit. Or, at least, she smiled until he mentioned spirits: alcohol in the tiniest bit was too much for her. "I'll lay off the alcohol myself, but I'll pick up some beer and other things for you while I go look for Marshall, okay?" She began to walk towards the door, almost worried to leave him here on his own. But, as she waved walking out, she figured that ten minutes of solitude would do him a bit of good.
A Few Days Later
Had Sophie told Gaius she would be fine a few days back? Obviously, she was wrong. Very wrong. It was the third time that night that she had woken from sleep, and not during her designated times to wake, either. A cold sweat lay on her pale brow, and just beyond the corners of her vision she could imagine claws, slashing in from her nightmares to get her.
She felt sick, and her lurching stomach proved it to her, leaving her with an empty stomach and an acrid scent in her nostrils. What felt like the flu would end up being much worse, but Sophie wasn't thinking of the mere days when she had witnessed Gaius change. Wiping her mouth with an old towel, she groggily reached for the phone, dialing the duplex Gaius lived in.
"Gaius? It's Sophie. Oh dear God-ugh, I feel awful." She had nearly lurched again in the middle of her sentence, and her head swam. "Do you think you could come over? I don't know what's wrong with me."
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Posted: Fri Jun 16, 2006 6:06 pm
Gaius jerked awake, hearing the beeping from the intercom. He rubbed his bleary eyes and pushed the receiving button, yawning as he did so. Sophie's ragged voice jerked him to awareness. "Sophie? Wow, you sound bad... hang on, I'll be over in just a sec. Hang tight, okay?"
Ending the call, Gaius ran to the bathroom, grabbing his fresh towels and some pain meds. If she'd been sick to her stomach, like she sounded, it'd be best to be prepared, he knew how messy it could be. Still clad in only his recently-modified PJ bottoms, Gaius jogged over to Sophie's duplex, pounding on the door.
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Posted: Fri Jun 16, 2006 6:25 pm
The knock at the door made Sophie feel like someone was hammering nails into her head, but somehow, she managed to get herself up and to the door, swinging it open with what felt like dead arms. She looked up at Gaius with heavy-lidded eyes, part of her still expecting him to be human. She herself was in quite a state, though: her hair was disheveled, there were bags under her eyes, and in the low lighting of the room she looked paler than ever. It seemed every aspect of the cheerful, happy Sophie had been ripped out slowly and painfully, leaving only the quiet, emaciated husk. In her pajamas, she looked even weaker, the bandages on her arms visible and the bruises just starting to fade.
Her stance began to sway, but she latched onto Gaius's arm for support, unable to lift her head to look at him. It was easy to tell this was no mere stomach flu, but Sophie didn't want to accept what other possibility it could be, that her DNA was currently unraveling and accepting foreign materials. "Please, come in," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. Quietly, she turned, attempting to walk but instead stumbling and leaning into the wall. She moaned, then slid to the floor, taking deep breaths to prevent from losing any further dinner.
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Posted: Fri Jun 16, 2006 6:32 pm
He steadied her with an arm around her shoulders, utterly surprised at her aweful state. If she'd been surprised by his appearance, he was even more-so by hers. What happened to the sweet, clear-eyed girl he'd seen only days before?
It didn't even occur to him what might be actually happening, for all he figured it was just a really bad virus. She suddenly stumbled and slipped to the floor and he was instantly at her side, crouching to whipe a clean towel against her sweating forehead, his other hand holding hers.
"Just take deep breaths, Sophie. Deep breaths. Are you going to be okay if I move you to the bed?"
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Posted: Fri Jun 16, 2006 6:49 pm
Taking yet another deep breath, Sophie nodded by barely moving her head up and down, forcing down the newest wave of nausea with what little will was left in her. She tried her leverage against the wall, and attempted to stand again. "I...I think I'll be fine if I just-AGH!"
It felt like someone set her ears on fire, then pulled them up with a sharp yank, and Sophie clutched her head as she slid back down to the floor, her fingertips touching furry tips of ear that hadn't been there before. It was that moment that she realized what was happened, and jerked her head to look up at Gaius, her expression the sheer definition of panic. By the time her ears had stretched into visible view above her clutching fingertips, her chest and shoulders began to itch. She didn't know what to say, other than a meek, "...Gaius..."
For once, she wished she would just pass out. This was absolute hell.
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