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 Posted: Sat Feb 24, 2007 12:35 am
He nodded slowly, listening to the life he described back home. "It sounds like.... things were going pretty well." He hated to emphasize the point, but it was true. It sounded like the guy was doing what he loved, had a family that loved him, and even a budding relationship. Like him, things had been cut off right as they might have been getting promising.
"I was starting my second year at the University of Massachusetts ... I was there on a fencing scholarship for my first year, but... I didn't think too far in advance past that. My parents wanted me to be a doctor... I didn't... we had... an altercation.. and I finally stood up and did what I wanted to do. They cut me off, but I was doing what I loved. I wanted to go to the Olympics some day..." He trailed off. It had been a while since Ambrose had reflected on what he had lost. And while the pain had dulled, it never quite disappated... nor did Ambrose think he ever wanted it to. He didn't want to totally obliterate who he was before the island. As painful as it might be, he needed to remember.
"Anyway... with money getting tight, I applied for this 'two-week' medical study on a tropical island for some sort of natural performance enchancer. They promised a $5000 compensation, and I thought it would be better than getting a job flipping burgers all summer." He spread his paws. "And the rest... is history. It sounds like the 'two week' lie has been used more than once, however."
It sounded strange to summarize his life into such a short quip... but he really was just starting out on his own... he sighed, poking some more at the runny, cold eggs.
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Posted: Sat Feb 24, 2007 12:44 am
Marshall nodded slowly. It was kind of nice, having some one around his own age to talk to. Almost all of his friends were several years older at the least, and none of them seemed to want to even talk about life before the island.
"Still...Despite it. Despite all of it? The losing my hands and every thing? ...I don't regret a thing, y'know?" Marshall added, a little after Ambrose's story was told, "I...I had my dream job. It wasn't long, but I had it. And...And I've met a lot of people I really care about. And...And as hard as it is to look back...We can both look back and say 'I did what I wanted to do', y'know?" Marshall said, a small bit of hope prominent in his voice.
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Posted: Sat Feb 24, 2007 12:48 am
Ambrose paused a bit before nodding. Did he regret it? Ambrose had been on his way to his dream... but he had been detoured before grasping it. He was fencing, and he was doing it at the university, but he would never know if he could have really made it to the Olympics. Would it have been better to live his life as his parents wanted, maybe making them proud... than this?
Yes, of course it was better that he did what he wanted... he had Angelina.. despite what they thought of her... and they probably never would have appreciated what he did following their life-path for him. He had listened to them all up through High School with barely a nod of approval. Maybe he would have been able to impress them doing what he loved... he could have never have forseen this.
But what did they think of him now...? Dead? Or worse... some sort of failure who had dropped out of college and was God-knew-where...
"I'm glad, Marshall." Ambrose spoke, stifling his regrets and concerns. "Not everyone gets the chance to do what they dream. Can... you still draw..? With your fingers fused like that..?" He hoped he wasn't striking a nerve.
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Posted: Sat Feb 24, 2007 12:53 am
"Hmm...I'll find a way." Marshall answered, simply enough, "Not all artist draw with their hands, y'know...I've seen crippled people draw with their mouths or feet. So I know its doable." Marshall answered, a hint of determination behind his words; hell if he didn't have hands any more. The labs would have a better chance dressing up Jamal in a frilly pink dress and making him attend a tea party than they did making Marshall give up drawing!
"What about you? You can still Fence, right?"
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Posted: Sat Feb 24, 2007 1:00 am
Ambrose nodded, and gave him a smile. He remembered Hargun had had a similar predicament as she was changing and her fingers becoming more wing-like. She had gotten some clay and taken her art in a different direction.
"That's wonderful. Don't let them take it from you! And hey, you've still got thumbs, too, right? Your flippers look kind of like your skin has made your hands into mittens... you might even still be able to use them." Of course... he may not be done with his changes yet... it might not be good to encouarge him too much only to have him loose them later...
"But regardless... I'm certain you'll find a way. And yes... I can still fence, Thank God.... but I haven't kept it up nearly as much as I should. I'm... not built for it so much anymore. I'd be a huge target even turned sideways. But, on the other hand, my arms are longer and my range would be killer. And I've found that I can push myself longer without tiring, and my reaction speed has even increased. But without a comparable opponent there's no way to know for certain if the pros could balance out the cons. And I'm out of practice. But that's my own damn fault."
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Posted: Sat Feb 24, 2007 7:11 pm
"Huh. Well, even though you're a bit of a bigger target now, kinda sounds like the arm-reach and every thing would kinda make up for that. Not that I ever really followed the sport. Though I think it'd be cool to see ya play." Marshall chuckled with a weak shrug. Thoughts of what might happen in his next change weren't even on his mind.
"So, its a deal? You get back into fencing and I'll figure out how the heck I'm gonna draw again?" Marshall said, smiling. Like he learned soon after he got here, its a lot less hard when you're not alone. Being changed into an animal or just learning to adapt to the hand God dealt you.
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Posted: Sat Feb 24, 2007 7:14 pm
A real smile crossed his mouth as his ears perked. Reaching across the table to shake hands... er.. paws.. or.. flippers? With the penguin-boy, Ambrose gave him a curt nod. "It's a promise. Don't give up what you love, no matter what."
The boy's positive attitude was begining to be contagious.
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Posted: Sat Feb 24, 2007 7:32 pm
"No matter what." Marshall laughed, shaking his new friend's paw with his odd flipper-mitten hand. He did realize that Ambrose was kind of right; they weren't really as flexible as they use to be, but he still had thumbs. Maybe it wouldn't be as hard as he thought it would be?
"So...Who was that cute girl ya were with at the party? Before the whole... Annie thing." Marshall smirked, curious to know more about Ambrose.
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Posted: Sat Feb 24, 2007 7:36 pm
Already there was a wag in Ambrose's tail with the handshake, but at the mention of the girl, Ambrose felt his cheeks warm and his tail's wag-speed went up a notch.
"Ahhhh... that would be Angelina." He half-mumbled as he puffed up his chest. "She's... well.. my girlfriend. We actually were together before the island. She didn't buy Feral Labs' excuse to my disappearence, and when I put 'single' on the application they didn't expect that I had someone that close to me still.... so they brought her here to shut her up when she threatened to make a public stink. I.... It's... well, it's been wonderful to have her through a good deal of this... but I still don't feel right that she's here beacause of me."
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Posted: Sat Feb 24, 2007 7:50 pm
"I'm not sure why." Marshall said, coming off more insensitive than he meant to be, "I mean...She came here 'cause she loves ya, right? There's no point being sad about it. I mean, if it was her that went missing, you probably would've done the same thing, right?" Marshall said, guessing that they were close. He remembered how protective Ambrose was of her at the party, before he got s**t-faced plastered and woke up with an odd combination of sand and Kahula in his mouth.
"Um...Sorry if I'm kind of stepping on toes..." he added quickly.
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Posted: Sat Feb 24, 2007 7:56 pm
"No, no... it's alright. And that's true... and she's effectively said as much. It's just... an awkward feeling that I don't know if I'll ever be able to entirely shake. I'm happy to be with her... I always wanted to spend the rest of my life with her. I just didn't expect it to be like this... or make her give up the chance for a life "out there" to be with me."
Ambrose took another bite of his cold food, not minding so much any more.
"What about you... any special ladies off.. or on the island?"
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Posted: Sat Feb 24, 2007 8:07 pm
"Hmm...Nope. Nadda one." Marshall laughed, slightly embarrassed. Here he was giving romantic advice and he had never even had a steady girlfriend. The closest thing he had to any of that was the receptionist at the offices, and even then he never even got her name!
"You're lucky, y'know that?" Marshall snickered.
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Posted: Sat Feb 24, 2007 8:16 pm
"No one, really? You seem like a nice guy. Why not? I mean... you're not... you know.." His eyes darted back and forth. "Not that there's anything wrong with that... I mean, Vasile... he... well.. she now technically... has a boyfriend." Ambrose spluttered, uncomfortably.
He paused at the lucky part, and scratched the back of his neck. "Thanks.... I know.... I really do."
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Posted: Sat Feb 24, 2007 8:26 pm
Wait a second...
"I'm not gay, Ambrose." Marshall sighed, wondering how the heck he got that idea, and slightly worried that maybe he came off as...that. Sure, he had never been with a woman, but hell he was still interested in them!
"And Vasile...Where have I heard that name before..." Marshall said, knowing that he had heard that name before, but not sure where. The only Vasile he had ever heard of was an over-exposed upcoming actor who dropped off the face of the earth. They couldn't be the same person, could they?
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Posted: Sat Feb 24, 2007 8:31 pm
"Oh-Oh! Okay, I ... I mean, I didn't think so.... but these days you really don't know." Ambrose smiled uncomfortable. "I didn't mean to imply... well, I mean..." He stopped, took a breath, and started over.
"No offense intended. But again... you're a nice guy, Marshall. From what I can tell at least. I'm sure you wouldn't have a problem finding a nice girl. It.... it really helps in a place like this. Friends, family... are wonderful. But having a special someone to really know you..." He smiled softly thinking of her.
"And Vasile..? Well... he was an actor before the island... I think there are even a few of his films in the entertainment room! It's... strange... you know... despite who people were before the island, everyone is in the same boat here... or lack of a boat as the case may be."
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