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 Posted: Tue Mar 06, 2007 9:27 pm
Jordan wiped his eyes with the back of his arm, sniffling into his fur. He really didn't know what he'd intended by telling her anything. He was afraid of turning on them, but he was even more of what they're turning him into. It seemed they were all in the same situation, just to varying degrees. It was perobably a bad idea to pursue it any further. Lauren was so psychotically-zealous about the changes and that honestly scared the hell out of him. His own changes frightened him. The mongoose girl had told him that she'd love to experience the changes all over again, but would she be so fanatical about it if she had the equivelent of chest-bursters erupt from her stomach. The answer to that would likely scare him.
Nita was right. What could she possibly do for him? She had her own life, she'd been through her own changes, and now he was sniveling like the coward.
Jordan cleared his throat and tried to regain his composure. "I'm sorry about that. Didn't mean to emote all over you just then." he put on a forced smile, reaching over to rub Comet's tummy. He had to change the subject to something more positive. That wasn't hard at all. Even though they were weighted down with stressing issues of the island, Comet was always happy and carefree. "You live in duplex fourty-two, then? Do you think it'd be alright if I came by every now and again to play with Comet? I'd even take her out for runs." Of course, he'd be running with her in just as much amusement. "I love dogs.. just not becoming one.." he added softly.
Jordan was smiling. For real this time. He was like the neighborhood kid that always wanted a dog but his parents wouldn't let him, even though, as a young boy, he did have one. "It wouldn't be any bother to me and you wouldn't have to worry about anything happening to her. She's an energetic dog and I need the excercise myself." he flashed his canines, tail waggling excitedly.
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Posted: Tue Mar 06, 2007 9:47 pm
Nita felt bad for the guy- she really did. But she couldn't help thinking that he was Lauren's friend... and had considerable ties to the labs, whether he wanted them or not. It would be better to avoid him... And she couldn't reassure him as to his fate. She'd tried that, when she'd had to tell people what was going on. 'It's not so bad here,' and 'You get used to it.' But she couldn't do that anymore.
The change of topic was an acute relief.
"Well...," Nita began slowly. So much for staying away from him. "I guess so. I mean, it would help, and she does seem to like you." She fiddled with one of Comet's ears; the dog was stretched out on her side, seemingly quite content with the amount of attention she was receiving.
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Posted: Tue Mar 06, 2007 10:46 pm
He should have kept his mouth shut. Things were going well until he mentioned Lauren. STUPID!! Stupidstupidstupid!! Then, he had to ignore the warnings of Awen on several accounts to never mention any connections to the labs! It just seemed though.. In his mind, it made sense.. Perhaps it was too much to ask for too soon to find common ground with Nita and build a friendship. He’d pretty much mucked that up well without realizing it. He could have kept things to himself, played dumb, but that wasn’t his style. He didn’t want to continue lying and deceiving others to weasel information out of them. That never ended well and it had paid him back doubly each time negatively.
His excitement thrived to her gradual concensus of visitations, though her hesitation noted. It made him worry she’d heard about the things he’d taken part in, messing with others for the favor of the labs. It made him sick that he’d resort to begging for favor of the monster that scared him almost as much as Richard, if not more. But Richard was pretty damn high on the fear scale. “You’ve got nothing to worry about from me. Honestly, if me knowing Lauren is going to be an issue, I understand. And –again- I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to insult you in any way, not that it was any of my business to ask you that.” ‘That’, of course, referring back to Lauren saying that Nita told her to get cancer.
“Look, I don’t want to cause trouble for you. I actually had hoped to meet you at some point, to at least place the name to a face. Maybe to even become mutual friends over time. I’m really sorry I brought up Lauren or… the labs. You’ve got enough on your plate without me making your life uncomfortable. I do appreciate you granting me visitations to see this sweet pup. You don’t know how lucky you are to have her.“ Jordan had feared that he’d never see Comet again after the break-up and that broke his heart. Why’d he have to suffer because they couldn’t get along? Selfish much? Yeah.
“You seem nice, Nita. And to be quite frank, I’m afraid of my changes. Being around Comet helps me be more at ease with what’s happening to me. That probably sounds stupid, huh?”
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Posted: Wed Mar 07, 2007 3:33 pm
Nita had no idea if this sort of tentative friendship would work. This Jordan guy seemed nice, and Comet liked... but ultimately he was Lauren's friend. And Lauren demanded loyalty- to herself and to the labs. Jordan said he was afraid, he didn't want to be a pawn anymore... and that Lauren would kick his a** when she found out. How resolute could he be, either way?
"It's- It's okay," Nita told him, although it wasn't, exactly. At least she knew the kinds of things Lauren was apparently telling people about her. Fantastic.
"Well," she said, addressing his latest comments. "Not really stupid. I sort of did the same thing... Not that there are any actual red pandas around here. But I read about them, so that I could some idea of what to expect. Dunno how well it really worked, but it was.. a coping mechanism, I suppose you'd call it."
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Posted: Wed Mar 07, 2007 4:03 pm
She was tolerating him, for either his own sake or for fear of her own safety. Either way, Jordan was picking up some mixed vibes, but wasn’t thinking like she was. He didn’t know Lauren like she did, nor was he aware Lauren was Moreau’s spy and only associating with him to appease the doctor. Perhaps he should have kept that in mind before saying anything to Nita. Jordan was naïve and trusting of others unless given reason to doubt. He could have chosen his words better and pretended not to know Lauren at all, but Jordan was an idiot in times discretion was required.
“I did my research after my first change as well, with only a few clues to go on. I had no idea which breed of dog for a while, until I was physically told face-to-face.” He shrugged it off. “But, yeah, I shouldn’t talk about this stuff. Sorry.” He looked about idly, not certain what else to say to her.
The tension was there and it was creating a barrier. He should have expected that. Maybe he should have just backed off when he smelled Lauren. He was paranoid about her and the mongoose’s tight connections with the labs. That was enough to send an icy jolt up his spine. He was quickly becoming concerned about this meeting. It was leaving him less at ease. He wasn't hiding it well either.
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Posted: Wed Mar 07, 2007 4:27 pm
Nita wasn't precisely thrilled with his presence- after all, this was the person Lauren had run to. What if he mentioned meeting Nita? She didn't want to get in the middle of whatever friendship they had, and considering how his allegiance to the labs seemed to flip-flop, it could be dangerous (or at least un-wise) to spend too much time around him.
She shrugged. In the past she had had quite a few awkward conversations with others about their changes... Sid came to mind. "S'okay," Nita mumbled.
The sun was hot on her hair and fur; it was nearly noon. Nita stifled a yawn.
"Hey, um, I usually sleep around now," she explained, apologetically. "I should probably get back to my own place..."
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Posted: Wed Mar 07, 2007 4:43 pm
He was nervous. No doubt about that. Until he’d mentioned Lauren, it had been going better. This couldn’t keep going well. Eventually one would say or do something that would worsen the tension and Jordan was walking on such thin ice now that he didn’t need this. There was enough on his mind without dealing with someone who was going to react so distanced to anything and everything he said. It made him frown. He’d tried to be friendly. He’d even tried to improve the overall mood, but Nita had obviously made up her mind about him, judged him unfairly for his association to her psychotic ex-girlfriend. Nice. Jordan didn’t need to be around someone like this who would view him as a potential threat.
His mood plummeted. He stood up silently, dusting off the seat of his shorts. He was turning off the friendliness, just as she was keeping herself distanced. Whatever. Screw her. Nita’s loss. He’d offered friendship. She was being cold. Two could play that game.
“Yeah. No problem.” There was no emotion in it. “I should get back to my run…” he scratched Comet behind the ears as he curtly turned away from Nita. He wasn’t looking for trouble, so it was best to just let it be for now.
"Seeya around." he waved a paw dismissively over his shoulder.
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Posted: Wed Mar 07, 2007 4:53 pm
Nita frowned slightly at Jordan's sudden change in mood. Ah well, one couldn't be friends with everybody. She gave a mental shrug and stood as well, making a valiant (and not terribly successful) effort at brushing the sand out of her fur.
She clicked her tongue and Comet rose from her semi-somnolent state, stretching out. The dog made a whuffling noise as Jordan stalked off and whined softly at Nita. Why was the friend going away? Nita's muzzle quirked into a wry smile. Apparently Comet thought it was just fine to be friends with everyone!
"Bye, Jordan," she called, although her voice might not have reached him. This time shrugging her actual shoulders, Nita turned away, and, with Comet at her side, padded home.
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