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Kikue couldn't stop herself from crying. She did it softly, her vision blurred, as she had to nearly stop herself from clinging to Joliette. The tears ran down her face. She could hear the other Islander so much more clearly now; it was as if someone had flicked on a switch in her brain that controlled her hearing and finally let everything in. Yet she could barely see him for the tears, and the silent rocking of her body. It hurt. Everything hurt. Her changed fingernails, now so much like claws, dug into her skin as she hugged herself pitifully. She had no idea what to say to the approaching man; all she could croak out from her still-throbbing mouth was, "It hurts."

The guilt sat like a cold rock in her stomach. She wanted to disappear; she hadn't meant for this to happen. She already felt that she was imposing herself on Joliette, especially now; Kikue toyed with the idea of just fleeing on the spot. But her body was sore, too sore, and she did nothing except rock. Back and forth. Her mouth, closed or open, hurt too much, and she nearly panted in the outside heat. It hurt.

Alec stood numbly nearby, staring at the two with a blank expression. Suffering. It wasn't something he thought he'd ever have to see living in the small town he'd grown up in. No one there suffered as bad as this. There were always the sick ones, but never such undeserved pain that bordered so close to torture that it made his stomach turn.

He noticed Joli's look, like she expected him to do something. What could he do? The pain was inside, it was an invisible enemy he couldn't fight against.

"Wuh?" He managed to utter stupidly, making it sound like he didn't understand anything that was going on. It took him a minute for it to sink in, for him to draw closer and stoop down to gently grip the girl's arm and brace another on the small of her back in preparation for her movement.

Joliette helped best she could to get her it the shade, her opinion it was Alec who did most of hte work, and soon she pulled her own stuff into the shade as well "Do we have anything we can get to dampen? theres a creek near here I think" she was watching Kikue "You ok?" she asked feeling concerned as well as unsure.

Kikue was aware of her mental daze, just barely, but couldn't get her thoughts to line of straight, which pressed her mind close to panic. "I've got to get back to my duplex," she rambled, knowing that she had the A/C on in it and that it was relatively cold. That was what she needed. Cold. Her body ached, the sweat still coating her skin. She couldn't dredge up the emotions to feel embarrassed or disgusted with herself. Instead she was bent completely on the very singular notion of coldness. Laying down in coldness and breathing it in deeply and going to sleep.

She had felt weary before running into Joliette on the cliff. Now she felt exhausted; drained. Swaying a bit, she gripped Joliette's arm with her hand, completely unaware of what her newly-grown claws might be doing to the scaley skin of the other girl. "I think I've got to go back to my room," she said to Joliette, her words tumbling out in a heavy breath.

Alec was walking off, she realized. He must have moved a rock, because her ears caught the sound immediately, straining painfully even with just a minute flick. She wanted to call after him, but her mouth was dry and her thoughts empty. Ijusthavetogettomyduplex. That'sall--

Alec heard the sound of running water before he saw it, quickly skipping down the rocky embankment to place the rag in the flowing creek. he was surprised to feel that the water was freezing compared to the blazing sun overhead, but he took little time to wet the bandanna before returning to where Joli and Kikue were.

"Go' i'." He murmured and tossed the damp cloth to Joli before he reached them both, coming to a stop a few feet away again. The girl looked horrible. "Now wuh?"

Joliette nods scooping up her belongings quickly and stuffing them in their bag "Alec you are gonna hve to do most of it... I'm a lil short... uh and I have stuff to carry too" she motions hte huge lense which she was hefting over her shoulder. as she prepped to help Kikue home

She walked with him, Joli's reassuring footfalls nearby. Kikue, uncharacteristically, rambled most of the way back to the beach and through the opressive jungle. At first it was a torrent of thanks to Alec ( she thought that was his name; where was she again? ) and Joli. Then it was about cold things, which had completely taken over her mind. She physically flinched stumbling into the jungle, the heat pressing in on her, the trees like walls closing in. She let out a cry midway through, feeling as if she couldn't take the heat nor the illusion of the jungle crowding in around her, obscuring the sky. It was a struggle to stay upright.

Her sandals were barely on her feet. When the village square opened up before them, she was still stumbling, yet trying to go faster. Her eyes flicked from one duplex to the other, feeling panic as she thought that hers might not be there. But it was, and she saw it.

Climbing the wooden stairs was especially hard, her feet sending jolts of pain up her legs at every raised step. At the door, she struggled frantically with the key, her clawed hands unfamiliar to her as she fumbled and dropped it to the ground. It was harder to pick up, her hands still thrubbing at the tips. Her damaged hand was especially hurting. Kikue gave up trying and pressed the key into Alec's hands, hoping he understood. "Thank you so very much," she got out again, having said it how many times before she had no idea.

Both of the other Islanders had something like pity or worry on their faces, but she couldn't really tell, and her body didn't care. She just wanted to be away.