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 Posted: Sun May 07, 2006 11:38 am
[ Message temporarily off-line ]
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Posted: Sun May 07, 2006 11:45 am
Time to Celebrate? Jamal_Reedy Jamal stumbled from the jungle, having not gotten perhaps more than a few yards in after being zapped down earlier, caked in mud and looking disoriented as all hell. He was clad in shorts and a tank, which he had been sleeping in until he was awoken by the lights and then the odd tingling at his neck. What the ******** was going on? He stepped hesitantly into the road that cut through between his duplex and the one next to it, not really wanting to be seen but feeling the need to get some answers. As long as he didn't run into Antony... Pyroth Ignatius Pyroth had been in his duplex, the wound on his shoulder stitched up and bandaged using some of the supplies he'd been able to procure from the medical room. It still hurt like hell but at least it wasn't bleeding too badly any more. He had tried, with various degrees of success to scrub his fur clear of the blood that covered him and to return some of the dryness back. He ended up with slightly pinkish looking fur which practically screamed he'd been covered in the stuff. He still had no idea what the staff were playing at, he had suspected a lockdown but been surprised when his duplex was untouched.
As soon as he felt he was good to go, still with a slight headache but not so bad as earlier, he headed out again. He really should have taken a rest, but he was both jittery and worried, memories of the night before returning in dribs and drabs. Something was off on the island and he really wanted to know what.
He headed from his duplex to stand on the path that led towards the cafeteria, once there he had a good look around, wondering if anyone else was in the vicinity or if they, like him had woken in the jungle too. Jamal_Reedy Jamal hissed, wincing as his muscles twinged in complaint to his odd 'sleeping' position the night before, and continued to walk forward, ears twitching as he caught the sounds of a door open. He rounded the corner and caught sight of Pyroth. His first thought was to act like he didn't see him and go to his duplex to get cleaned up first, a slight fear of being seen with his newly acquired features brimming at the forfront of his thoughts. After the Antony incident, he was leery of meeting up with anyone for fear of losing grip. In fact, he hadn't seen anyone for nearly two days. However, he quickly felt this was a ridiculous fear; Pyroth would understand what it felt like to be seen as a monster. Maybe the coyote man would know what was going on. "Hey," he called out as he approached, trying to look more confident than he felt, and gave him a wave. "Did you jus' wake up?" Pyroth Ignatius Pyroth turned as Jamal made himself known, glad to see a familiar face. Well, at least as familiar as people got on this island anyway. Apparently Jamal had felt the sting of another change. Pyroth sympathised but felt the best way to show that sympathy was to merely skim over the changes, no one liked to dwell much after something like that in his experience, even he was a bit leery about mirrors these days.
He gave jamal a nod and a slightly anxious grin, the coyote was still unusually tense. "Hiya." he said before shaking his head "I wish I had just woke up, that way I could say the last few hours had just been an off-kilter dream." he frowned "I don't know what the hell the labtechs are playing at but I woke up in the jungle earlier, injured and covered in my own blood. I can't even remember properly how I got there or what the hell I was doing, but I know I hadn't just lost the reins, when that happens, I can remember" he flicked his ears back peevishly "They are up to something. The coyote can /feel/ it. Besides, I met some others in the jungle, Kav...Kaveri I think the vulture woman was called and Cassidy, they both came back to the duplexes"
He rubbed his temple with a paw "I just wish I could remember more than a little of what went on. I think it was a boar that tagged me. I shouldn't have been out hunting in earnest though, I caught something last night." he didn't realise that "last night" had been on thursday night.
Shaking his head, he glanced back to Jamal. "Sorry for whingeing at you, you know it's not you it's directed at, it's those gits up at the labs." he relaxed slightly "I came out to see if I could find out what's going on or if I'm just a paranoid wreck." Jamal_Reedy Jamal listened with an unusually somber attitude, his own ears also flicking back as much as they were able and his whiskers fanning the air as he tensed his jaw. He was thankful Pyroth didn't ask about his changes even if the tiger was currently as confused as his human self was. "I ain't got no idea what's goin' on. I thought it was onna them lockouts again, but I see da electricity is back," he said, confusion evident in his voice. "I woke up when da lights came back on 'n' I got dat weird shock feelin' in ma neck. Don't know why 'cause I wasn't doin' nuthin' but sleepin'. It was weird though...it didn't knock me out right away like da usual times when they shock ma a**. I managed ta get outside 'n' inta da jungle b'fo I went down, I guess." He waved absently to the trees that he had come through to emphasize this, his face twisting into an irritated grimace "Ya don't 'spose dis is anotha' of their sick experiments, do ya? So help me god, I'll ********' go off if it is." Pyroth Ignatius "I thought it was a lockout too, glad it wasn't though, I needed dried off, and to get something done about that wound. So much for giving a damn what happens to islanders." he raised a brow as Jamal went on, he couldn't even remember being knocked out, now that he thought about it, his head and neck had been killing him when he woke up, only his shoulder took precedence on the pain scale. "I must have been out too then, still doesn't explain everything though."
Pyroth's hackles bristled. "I'm with you on that one, if they are just ******** us around again for their own sadistic pleasure I'm going to get seriously pissed off, and I'm normally a calm person ." It was the frustration colliding with sheer fury that made Pyroth feel even worse, no matter how angry he got, he would just be a dog on a chain snapping at them from a distance. It was the kind of frustration that drove you up the wall.
He was about to say more when an all too familiar voice piped up over the loudspeakers, it gave him the fright of his life. He looked round, puzzled, as the doctor spoke.
"Hello my precious subjects,
If you didn't already know, my second-in-command, Dr. Aubrey Lockheart was severly injured recently. She may not survive.
No one but Aubrey has entered the labs since the travesty, and no one else is allowed to, so the guilty party must be on the outside.
Bring me the guilty party, or else you'll all suffer for this. I hope no more than that needs to be said.
If you are the responsible party, know that all eyes will turn to you. You can't escape the eyes of those you might have considered friend, or even lover.
I want the person responsible to be brought to me."
He blinked. Someone had done it, someone bagged one of the scientists. He wasn't sure what to feel, part of him wanted to high five the perpetrator, the other half was slightly anxious about the missing time he'd had and one particular fuzzy memory. He decided to side with what he'd be saying all along, glad that someone had rebelled, even if it was against one of the few decent labtechs, all of them were enemies, right?
"Someone got to her first." he smirked "Wish I'd been there."
He wasn't even sure if he had. Jamal_Reedy Jamal jumped at the sudden crackle of the loud speaker and growling in reflex. He -HATED- being startled. At first, he snorted bitterly at the 'precious subjects' line, but wasn't able to comment as the Dr. kept speaking and the words that came out over the speakers also gave him two different feelings; absolute glee that someone had gotten Aubrey FINALLY and a bitter resentment that it wasn't him. "Wonda' who got 'er...lucky b*****d," he said with a sickening happy chuckle. Jamal was fairly certain it hadn't been him unless he'd been sleep-walking...though he didn't have much memory of anything other than being out in the jungle all of Friday and most of Saturday. He wondered if all the zapping he'd been getting lately was frying his brain. "I hope she ********' dies. Would serve 'er right, stupid b***h. Too bad dat don't count fo' why da lights went out..." He didn't even think what the results would be if she did die. Certainly Moreau wouldn't be happy...he obviously wasn't happy right now. Pyroth Ignatius
Pyroth shrugged "No idea. To be honest, if you'd asked me who I'd been rooting for to get her, it would have been you." he smirked deviously "Guess she's made more enemies than even we know."
He glanced back up at the now-silent loudspeakers and frowned "Sad to hear that Dr.Evil is still alive though, at least he's pissed off, get to see the way some of us feel most days." he swished his tail slightly.
"But yeah, you are right, it's not like she's rigged to the power supply. There must be something messed up going on up at the labs or out here. I don't even know anymore. I mean there are people on the island now who I've never even seen, let alone spoken to." Jamal_Reedy Jamal gave Pyroth a fangy grin, taking the comment as a complete compliment. "Well I ain't sad she got what was comin' but I wish I'da gotten a claw in wit' whoeva got 'er. I wanna shake their hand." Dr. Moreau's voice had brought his memory back of what had happened at the helipad. That guy was a fricken mad scientist through and through. Surprising that he could show any sort of emotion...he didn't seem to have a touch of regret when he was dealing with James. He did managed to look troubled though with the issue of the power. He did NOT want to go without hot water and his electronics again. "I wonda' if anyone else knows what's goin' on." Pyroth Ignatius
Pyroth nodded. "Doubt we'd find them to shake their hand though, whoever it was is probably hiding out. Still, it must have been planned in advance, if the doctor doesn't know who did it then the cameras must have been out along with the power." it sounded like something he would have helped set up back home, only it would have had to have looked like an accident, someone had either been desperate in this case or gotten sloppy.
"To knock the power out as well as go after her, there must have been more than one." he shrugged, a gesture that basically said "I give up"
"But yeah, other people might know more about what's going on, we just have to find them first I think. No one's been past here for a while though, I'd smell them if they had been."Jamal_Reedy "In eitha' case, I hope she kicks," he grumbled, shaking his head. "I wonda' what she was doin' out of da labs when da stuff was all out. Ya'd think she'd know betta wit' all da people dat want her dead." Then again, he didn't really consider the woman to be that smart either. "But yeah...it's weird da you say you ain't smellin' no one 'cause now dat ya mention it, I don't eitha'. My nose ain't as strong as yours but usually I kin smell when people been 'round." He furrowed his brow and looked around. The village DID look unusually deserted. "I wonda' if ev'ryone got pulled off somewhere." He ran a hand across his face, peeling some of the dried muck from a cheek, and snuffled in irritation. Jamal was filthy and the tiger was annoyed about it. It wanted a good grooming. Pyroth Ignatius
Normally the villiage was a criss cross of smells, people going to and from their duplexes, but it really was missing a lot of them today, scents faded after a short while and there was nothing he could detect recently. "They might have been. Maybe they were setting up something when things went wrong, they like sticking us in their little experiments like lab rats."
He perked his ears to see if he could hear anything nearby but just heard the usual birdsong. "Split up and see who we can find? We'd be able to cover both ends of the village that way, anything I find I can tell you later. If I find who did it I have no intention of turning them in to the labs, just want to know for curiosity's sake."
Jamal_Reedy "Sounds like a plan," Jamal agreed, glancing around again as though he didn't believe that the place could look so abandoned. It was sort of eerie. "We kin meet up at some point 'n' share details, which I plan on gettin' somehow." Jamal was curious also as to who managed to do what he quite hadn't been able to do.
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Posted: Fri May 26, 2006 2:59 pm
In Search of Answers http://www.gaiaonline.com/guilds/viewtopic.php?t=2901356
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Posted: Fri May 26, 2006 3:01 pm
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Posted: Fri May 26, 2006 3:02 pm
Zach? YEAH RIGHT! Amaya Vaughan New RPLike any other day, Amaya had set out after a nice lunch to catch the wonderful afternoon rays. She carried a book in one hand and her CD player on top of it, listening to it as she walked through the small dirt paths that had been carved out through the jungle.
Now all she needed to find was a nice, sturdy tree... Jamal_Reedy She probably wouldn't go far before a distinct musical hum began to drift through the plantlife. It wasn't melodious....it had a distinct beat to it and seemed to be very choppy that was punctuated with an almost rap-like chorus. By listening harder, a soft 'thump' noise could also be heard. If she was curious enough to follow the sound, she'd come upon Jamal sitting against a tree, pattering a beat against the fabric of his jeans, eyes closed as he seemed to be off in his own world. His headphones looked rather beat up; the wires to the earpieces had been wrapped and rewrapped in numerous places with what looked to be eletrical tape. At his hip sat an equally beat up CD player. Amaya Vaughan Indeed, the green iguana was curious albeit wary ever since she had been attacked by Zach. Slowly she pushed off her own headphones and turned off her CD player.
As she got closer, she could see the man's back. Jamal? Wow... she haden't seen him since the lockout.
Amaya bit her lip and looked down at her scale covered hands. She had... changed a lot. Part of her told just said to walk away. Leave him alone. The other half pressured her to walk up to him and ask how he was doing.
She was torn. Jamal_Reedy Since she was in a position to see his back, he certainly couldn't see her. However, the noise and her smell were caught by his sharpened senses and he paused his humming. Ice blue eyes unlidded into a predatory glare that had grown so instinctual for him that it was a wonder that the look softened into something more curious than hunteresque. "Someone there?" he grunted a little roughly, pulling the headphones delicately from his sensitive ears as he turned to peer over each shoulder in turn. Even with his improved eyesight, he couldn't see her yet. Green on green would do that. Amaya Vaughan The girl tensed as he called out, fidgetting with her claws before giving a headbob whether he could see it or not. "Yeah..." She stepped through the foliage near him, green eyes looking down at him.
"Hi... Jamal..." A small, forced smile played her scaley face and the only two things that could probably indicate they had met before were her eyes, locket, and scent that had become much more... reptilian. Jamal_Reedy Jamal's brow furrowed as the reptilian female came into view, but it wasn't from disgust. It was the look one gives when they see something vaguely familiar and are trying to place it. The man was never good with recognizing people unless they had truely done something to warrant him keeping a clear picture of them in his mind. "Amaya?" he ventured hesitantly, the name springing to his tongue before he could muse it over. Daaaaamn had she gotten scaley... "So I see you made it a'ight afta' dat whole lockout thing." Amaya Vaughan "Yeah, by a hair..." Amaya snorted and rubbed her scaley head. "Guess you did too then, eh?" She took a seat a couple feet away from him. Jamal_Reedy "Yeah. I wasn't gonna let 'em win," he said with a smirk, leaning back against the tree and clumsily turning his CD player off by opening the door (the stop button was broken). "Funny how all them staff peeps act like it wasn't no big deal. It ain't like we don't know it was an experiment anymo'." Jamal gave her a casual look over and flicked his whiskers in unison. "Seems like this place ain't short on drama...eva'. I was thinkin' maybe things were calmin' down a lil'. Of course not, though. Neva'." He looked vaguely amused at that thought. Amaya Vaughan The lizard nodded and hugged her legs to her chest, her long tail curling around her as best it could as she sat.
"I know. I was just starting to get used to... y'know." She gestured to herself with a grimace. "And now this happens... think Moreau'll put us all in cages up in the labs?" Jamal_Reedy Jamal shrugged his shoulders lazily, waving a hand carelessly in a non-descript direction...probably toward the labs. "Maybe...though I figger they got ways ta figure out who did what. Like dat stuff they do on CSI o' Law 'n' Order. Fo'got what it's called. Hell, if they can do this..." He waved the same hand towards himself, indicating his non-human qualities to emphasize his point before continuing with "I figger they kin figure out who did what. Truth is dat I ain't heard much of what was went on. I jus' know Aubrey got gnawed on 'n' it wasn't ma teeth dat did it." Dark humor was clear in the statement; he had wished it was him...but at least someone tried to pick up where he left off. As an afterthought, he arched a brow and grinned. "Da cages ain't dat bad though...jus' so ya know." Amaya Vaughan "I know... make me wonder why Moreau had made that announcement in the first place. The cameras should have seen it all, right? Unless the power-outage was when it happened... or they're lying about them." Amaya plucked a blade of grass idly, something occuring to her.
"... What if Aubrey isn't even hurt? And they're just lying again?" She frowned, but blinked at the cage comment. The teen didn't inquire though, figuring that something must have happened involving a cage and Jamal. Jamal_Reedy "It's possible they're lying. Wouldn't surprise me none...but I took Kaveri to where Aubrey was attacked, or so we guessed. Her blood -was- there 'n' skin 'n' stuff. Could be jus' another trick though. I hadn't thought 'bout 'em makin' a fake attack." The girl had brought up a good point...had anyone actually SEEN Aubrey get attacked? Kaveri said she had seen the body, but that could have been faked too. "I was in da jungle b'fo she got cut up so I ain't got no idea what mighta really happened. I heard howls while I was out, which was weird, but otha then that..." He spread his hands in front of him in a helpless gesture. Amaya Vaughan Amaya frowned as she listened to him. "Theres a 50/50 chance. I mean, they faked those two charred bodies I found in the helicopter during the lockout. They could have easily faked Aubrey getting hurt to just mess with us." Jamal_Reedy Jamal made a low "hmmm" noise before shrugging again. "It's hard ta tell. I ain't talked to hardly anyone in nearly a week so what I know ain't much. If it was a joke, I know it ain't gonna go ova' well. I'm tired of bein' lied to....'n' they wonda' why I hate da staff." He snorted and shook his head in disbelief. "All I know is they betta not haul me in 'n' say I did it 'cause I didn't. Truth is I wish it was me 'n' I wouldn't hide it if it was me...but someone beat me to it." Amaya Vaughan The reptile listened to him talk, only adding her own words to the conversation once he was finished. She didn't seem very phased at the thought of Jamal killing the staff, though it was impossible wasn't it? The guy was understandably angry. Who wouldn't be?
"Y'know... I think it was Zach. You know him?" She finally asked, looking over at Jamal. Jamal_Reedy Jamal snorted, falling into heavy laughter at the suggestion. "ZACH?" he asked, completely beside himself at the thought. "Dat guy ain't got a harmless bone in his body! I couldn't see 'im doin' it any mo' then I could see YOU doin' it!" The tiger man hadn't seen Zach recently, so had no idea what sort of shape the man was in now. Amaya Vaughan Amaya was rather surprised at his laughter, but didn't say anything until he stopped. "He must be going through a rough change then. Just before the announcement he tried to eat me." She shuddered. Jamal_Reedy "Oh really?" Jamal said, still grinning, fangs protruding over his bottom lip in a comical fashion. "Damn, he musta -really- got ******** up from whateva' it is he's changin' inta." He reached back to scratch his head, musing over Amaya's comment. "I guess he coulda....maybe. I jus' have a hard time picturin' him doin' anythin' like dat to anyone." Nevermind Jamal has tried to eat at least three people...he considered himself different from most of the islanders. Zach was one of the least violent people Jamal has ever met. Why in the hell would he try to eat someone? Amaya Vaughan "I honestly have no idea what he's turning into... I think he grew his arm back. But I could have been imagining it. He has weird red fins on his head too." The iguana said, trying to think of how to describe his latest change. Jamal_Reedy Jamal made a face, but this time it was more suspicious disbelief than incredulous disbelief. "How da hell kin he jus' grow a whole arm in one go?...s**t, I ain't even seen one person get a whole tail in one transfo'mation, let alone an arm..." The explaination of fins threw him off also. Last he knew, Zach was looking lizardy, not fishy. "Dis is crazy s**t, man. Da island get weirder 'n' weirder ev'ry day." Amaya Vaughan "Yeah, I know... wish it would just stay normal. Or at least as normal as it can get." Amaya rubbed the back of her neck before letting out a sigh and standing.
"Anyway, I better go bask somewhere... I'll see ya later." She waved one of her large hands and smiled to the tigerman before turning and heading off through the brush. Jamal_Reedy "I ain't sure what's normal any'mo..." he muttered as she stood, glancing up at her with a somewhat subdued frown. "Have fun, if...it's possible ta have fun doin' what'eva ya gonna do." As she sauntered away, he picked up his headphones again and once more began a one-man rap/band session.
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Posted: Fri May 26, 2006 3:04 pm
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Posted: Fri May 26, 2006 3:05 pm
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Posted: Fri May 26, 2006 3:11 pm
Someone Call the Fashion Police! It was a beautiful day outside today, so it was no surprise that Jamal was out and about. Jamal was not usually a fan of such hot weather, but with the beach so easily accessable to him from where he usually lounged in the jungle, he often took trips down to the ocean to cool off. It was early afternoon when Jamal had emerged from said jungle and plodded down the sands, hardly batting an eye at the hot sand on the soles of his feet. All the jungle prowling had left his bare feet calloused and his transformations had also added the tiger's pawpad material down there too; at least one good thing had come of his transformation. He waded into the water to about knee deep before turning to face the shore and plopping down unceremoniously in the shallows. The feeling of the water crashing against his back was soothing and the tiger thoroughly enjoyed the sensation of water through his fur. Cass surely had similar ideas, for she had come down to the beach herself. She wasn't inclined to go swimming--too cold, and too much risk of gross things in the water--but the sun was nice, and the sand was warm, and it was enough.
Besides, the little things running around in the treetops above her were giving her inner snake ideas, ones she wasn't sure she liked much.
She slithered over the sand, a little surprised at just how hot it was, after the shade of the jungle, and happened to look up to see someone in the water, some distance down the beach.
Cassidy wasn't sure she knew him, either, and after her rather depressing meeting with Thom, she wasn't inclined to go yelling hello at strangers. She hugged herself tightly and continued along. If this guy was going to be friendly, she'd let him make the first move.Jamal growled to himself in delight, eyes lidding partially as he enjoyed the water and the sand that he absently funneled through his fingers below the surface. Today was going to be a great day...no drama, no staff, no murderous intentions...privacy.... Or maybe not so much of the latter. When he did open his eyes again, he thought he noticed a green figure wobbling across the sand. His improved sight didn't give him too much of a clue who it was; his first guess was Amaya, but the shade of green was wrong and he thought for sure he could just faintly make out wisps of blonde hair. As the figure got closer, Jamal was able to make out the elongated body now too and his jaw more or less fell unabashedly as a faint look of disbelief and morbid curiousity crossed his features. What. The. HELL. Was that an islander? And if so, what in God's name had happened to them? He was looking at her. Great.
Cassidy waved vaguely in the man's direction, her feathers fluffing uncomfortably. Meeting people for the first time was not fun, and if she had any sense she'd start avoiding unknown people entirely. Yet, here she was, making her way down the beach toward a fellow captive.
At least he seemed to have been here a while. That relieved her of explanations, she supposed.
"Um, hey!" she called as she neared.Jamal stared. And stared...and stared some more. He could make out the bright feathers trailing what he THOUGHT were her arms since one had been lifted in a wave at him, but couldn't make sense of it. She looked reptilian. Why would she have feathers?! And where were her legs? This was the first time he had ever met anyone who had lost the fundamental human shape to such an extreme. Tails? Not so bad. Tentacles? Weird, but the owner of them still looked human if you looked hard enough. An elongated torso and tail with what appeared to be two vestigal legs dangling down in front was definately something new. "Er," Jamal said intelligently as the hair on the back of his neck prickled uncomfortably, his human side sufficiently weirded out already over this naga woman even though he did slowly lift a hand to wave back out of reflex. "Uh...what up?" Normally he'd be annoyed over having his bath interrupted, but he wasn't sure if he ought to be mad or check himself into the labs for a psych assessment. A form like hers shouldn't even be possible, his common sense screamed. How did she even get around? His gaze locked onto her muscular tail that seemed to be more or less propelling her along the sand, leaving a furrow in the sand. Oh god. She seemed so much further gone, even in comparison to Pyroth. The open staring was becoming increasingly bothersome. Cassidy scratched at the back of her neck, her feathers fluffed and bristling.
If she were lucky, she supposed, it was just due to her appearance, because this guy was very clearly a carnivore of some sort. There were probably things that ate snakes. There had to be. Otherwise there would be snakes everywhere, and that would be.... oh, ewwwwww. She had just thoroughly creeped herself out with that.
"Not much. Just going for a walk." Cass grimaced a little; it was completely the wrong word, but still the best one, and she'd rather emphasize the fact that she was a person, right now. "I. Er. I don't think we've met? I'm Cassidy."Jamal was hardly one to care if he was making someone uncomfortable and even less so when he HIMSELF was feeling rather uneasy at the same time. He was still boggling over the fact she had no legs...how in the hell did that work, anyway? The black man had to strong resist the urge to ask her how one walked without legs. Then again, if she had said "Just going for a slither", he imagined he'd probably either die laughing or become more disturbed than he was currently. "...I think if we met, I'd rememba," he ventured after a long, uncomfortable pause while he continued to stare at her lower half, trying to decide if there was something he had overlooked in the mechanics of this person's locomotion. It never crossed his mind that it might at all make her feel violated since it seemed there was nothing to see aside from the two pouches of flesh that had vague articulations like legs. "I'm Jamal." Normally introductions were followed by a snide remark of his reptuation, but the tiger man decided to pass on that. Somehow he felt cheated in that he'd never heard of a snake woman on the island, or if he had, it wasn't mentioned in detail. "Oh!" There was a faint twitching of the muscles around Cassidy's eyes. "You're Jamal. Um. Nice to meet you."
She fidgeted a little. Most people at least pretended to not be horrified, and although the pretence bothered her, she had just discovered that it really was nowhere near as bad as being openly stared at. Her tongue flicked a few times while she was focusing on trying not to freak out over this. Back to the trees! The trees were safe!
Unless this guy could climb, which was entirely possible.
"I've, um. Heard of you, you see." And they had all been bad things, too, which made the way he was staring at her just that much worse. She could hardly say that, though. Nice to meet you, heard you may be mentally unstable, can I ask you not to flip out and rend me limb from limb? No, that was a bad way to have a conversation.The emphasized 'You're' made him blink rapidly in succession, as though dragging himself back into the present and his pupils constricted as he lost the vapid stare and focused on the woman's expression. Oh, so she was one of -them- then, to judge by her faulted words and the tension in her face...if he could call that a face anyway... "I ain't surprised ya heard of me. I seem ta be a popular topic 'round herr," he grunted, flicking some clinging moisture from his whiskers. "Let me guess...I'mma ravin' lunatic who likes ta chomp on jus' 'bout anythin' da crosses ma path, hm? I'd be surprised if ya heard differently. If ya did, then I'd like ta know who said it so I kin set da record straight." He was joking. Sort of. The fangy half-smile he gave her probably didn't help get his sarcasm across. He certainly didn't counter his self evaluating comment with anything that would prove otherwise. For all appearance, the man looked alert, well aware of his surroundings, and in completely control of his weaponry. The latter being shown as he fell to picking a bit of steak from between his incisor. "Well," Cassidy admitted. "That is what I've heard, more or less. But people do exaggerate." She was very much trying to cover her tracks, now. "And you're certainly not trying to eat me," oh god please let it stay that way, "so we know that part of the story's wrong."
She smiled faintly. "But I'm not sure I remember who told it to me first, and they were probably only repeating it, too." She wasn't quite that angry with Vasile, after all. "Who knows how rumours get started?"Jamal at least appreciated her honesty in the first comment. He hated being lied to. "Yes, peeps do exaggerate...though I suppose there be a lil' truth to a rumor, even if no one wants ta admit it, don't ya agree?" Another fangy smile accompanied this, though there was clear tension about his eyes and his eyes had adopted a hardness to them that was amplified by their ice hue. Other than that, however, he remained as unthreatening as he could be; he made no move to rise from his cross-legged position in the ocean. Her second comment made him snort. Jamal wasn't even certain if she was edible, though the thought had fleetingly crossed his mind. Even the tiger was confused by Cass, whom it didn't even register as a human being...snakes should NOT be that big around. That long, maybe yes...but...Jamal had no idea what she was capable of with so much muscle in such a tail that she was attached to. "This place is full of rumors. I guess there ain't much mo' ta do then talk s**t about each other. Or ta ruin lives." Oh, geez. Jamal was reminding Cassidy more and more of a small-town white guy pretending to be from the ghetto. Vanderhoof had no ghetto, and she certainly could never figure it out when guys she'd gone to school with since kindergarten started talking like they were from Chicago or Detroit or something. Still, at least part of the guy's tough guy act... wasn't an act. She was pretty sure of that.
Apparently, this was what happened to ghetto posers. And she was definitely going to be smart enough to keep her mouth shut on that score.
"I try not to talk s**t about people," she assured him. "How about, I try to forget what I've been told to expect from you, and I'm guessing you haven't heard of me, so we can start from nothing and go from there, and I'll figure out how much of the rumours is truthful?"Jamal eyed Cass appraisingly in another long pause, clearly trying to figure her out. She wasn't quite like anyone else he'd run into...and luckily for her, he was in a fairly decent mood. She was either very smart or clever at saving her own skin. "Fair 'nough," he finally agreed as he shifted onto all fours and contented himself with floating, claws dug into the sandy bottom to keep him steady. Luckily the waves weren't bad today. "I prefer ta make ma own impressions anyway. I take it you been herr awhile. Ya know...uh. Cause you ain't got no legs 'n' all dat." She winced, almost imperceptibly. "Nine months or so. Long enough. But I guess I have a tendency to keep to myself."
Cassidy leaned back into the coils of her tail. Jamal was certainly an intimidating individual, but not nearly as bad as she'd feared. She'd had images some some feral half-man creature running through the jungle, eating whatever happened to cross his path. To be fair, no one had said anything of the sort to her, but after that one night a few weeks back... she wouldn't put anything past anybody, not even herself.
"What about you? You look pretty far along yourself.""Since Octoba'...so dat's what...seven months? Damn, I didn't think it'd been dat long..." Jamal looked a little disturbed at this ephiphany, depressed even, but shook it off as quickly as he could. It was much better to not think about how long he'd been here because that in turn made him wonder about his parents and how they had handled his disappearance. For as much as an a*****e as he might seem, his attachment to his family was as real as anyone else's could be. "I only changed twice," said the tiger man in a more conversational tone, lifting a hand from the water to emphasize the word two by holding said many fingers up. "I wenta real long while b'fo I even changed da first time. I thought they screwed up. Well, they did screw up, but not how I was hopin'." They'd screwed up in giving him a dangerous animal serum, not in giving him a faulty one. "You 'n' Pyroth look like yer pretty close in how much ya changed, I think. Though seems like Pyroth got a lot mo' trouble gettin' 'round then you do. Makes me wonda jus' how far them a*****e docs plan on havin' this go." Cass bowed her head a little. "I've changed three times. I think Pyroth has, too, though I guess I haven't asked him right out. As far as I know, three times is as much as anyone's changed. But I admit that doesn't mean that's the end." She shrugged carelessly. "As much as I might wish it did."
How many more changes would it take to lose her legs entirely? For that last little bit of unscaled skin to grow over? "I know I could certainly use a few questions answered straight," she said, scowling a little, "but I doubt these doctors know as much as they want us to think they do.""So then no one really knows what da end is then?...besides da docs, but like ya said, I agree they prolly don't even know what da end is anymo'." Jamal growled deep in his chest at the mention of the staff; that was a topic that was always sure to set him off. "All them staff peeps do anyway is lie...wouldn't surprise me if they been actin' like they know what's really up when they ain't got the foggiest ********' clue. I ain't trusted a word they got ta say afta' it came out dat da lockout was an exper'ment." Jamal grunted as he finally hauled himself upright, the salt water starting to prune him up as well as making his sensitive nose and tongue twinge irritatingly. He wasn't nude, which was probably a good thing for Cass since he normally had no shame in the matter of being naked, so hopefully she'd be spared any impromptu embarrassment. The jean shorts he was wearing looked sort of weird on his frame though. They looked like they'd been full jeans at one point that had been cut above the knee and either side looked to have had panels of denim roughly and sloppily sewn...possibly to expand the overall size of the shorts. In actuality, it was highly likely they had been a pair of jeans Jamal had snagged from the box in the cafeteria. "I ain't even sure if da whole thing wit' Aubrey bein' attacked was real," he continued as he plodded onto the shore and tried to swipe some of the excess water off using his hands. "I got half a mind ta think dat was staged 'cause I don't know no one dat hates dat b***h mo' than me 'n' I know I didn't get my hands back on her since da last time I met up wit' her." Cassidy shrugged. "Well. I haven't seen the evidence myself, but... I don't think it was staged, because I know who did it. Or who they're saying did it, anyway." Her gaze was drifting over Jamal's shorts; something about them was rather familiar, but she was having trouble placing what it was. "And they showed him the photos. He seemed pretty convinced. But hell, it was their fault anyway. You don't want people to go all violent-carnivore on you, don't shoot them full of foreign DNA and hope for the best." Her tongue flickered, vaguely indignant.
"And... I'm sorry. But I have to know. Where did you get those shorts?" She tilted her head.Jamal's lips curved into a smirk as he adopted a very interested countenance. "So who did it then? I ain't heard a single word 'bout who they figgered tried ta do Aubrey in....I thought somethin' like dat would spread like fire 'round this ********' rock." Jamal also needed to congradulate the individual and smack them around for not doing a better job to ensure the woman would die. The question about the shorts threw him off his little daydream and he defensively hooked his clawed thumbs over the pockets in the front. Oh great...maybe he hadn't messed with them enough to kill the 'hello, I'm wearing women's jeans!" aura. Maybe it was the low-rise cut. "I...made 'em. From jeans I found in da cafeteria," he answered slowly, trying to look nonchalant. Maybe she wanted a pair for herself! Except...the woman had no legs or rear to speak of that needed covering. God dammit, he didn't want to be known as a crossdresser AND a psychopath. Cassidy shrugged again. "I know how to keep a secret," she said. "His secret, not mine. I'm not saying a word. He's pretty upset about it anyway, if at least partially because Moreau's threatening to kill him if they can't fix their 'mistake.'"
Jeans from the cafeteria?
Wow.
Oh, wow.
She could feel the giggling bubbling up, tried for a moment to stop it, and failed miserably; Cassidy clapped her hands over her mouth and tittered helplessly. "You're wearing my pants," she managed to gasp out. "No wonder they looked familiar."
She tried to cough, tried to disguise it, tried to do anything at all to stop laughing, but without much success. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I'm okay."Jamal was about to make a snide comment, about how she had at least narrowed it down those of the male gender, but stopped when the woman started to more or less convulse in laughter. Not a good sign. His manhood was on the line. The explaination didn't help him feel any less ridiculous, but he steeled himself, gritting his teeth and jutting out his chin obstinately. Jamal had just recently managed to get over the fact they were women's jeans too. Dammit...the other pairs were going to have the waistbands made bigger so he could sag them better so they didn't look so form fitting. "Well, I ratha' wear women's pants then ask staff fo anythin'," he said stoutly in a weak attempt to bolster his confidence. He had also adopted a persistant whisker twitch all of a sudden. "B'sides, they ain't so bad now dat I changed 'em..." Part of him wanted to tack on a fervent "Right?" to that statement. "It's fine, it's fine," Cassidy giggled. "I put them in there so at least somebody would get some use out of them. And hell, they're jeans, it's not like it's a skirt or anything."
She had to pause to catch her breath. The infamous Jamal, running around the jungle in her old jeans! It was too much, really. When she'd dumped that box in the cafeteria, it had never really occurred to her how weird it would be to run into people who were actually wearing her old clothes.
And somehow, she'd always assumed they would be female, but beggers couldn't be choosers.
"They're really hardly recognizable as women's jeans. Really," she assured him. "I won't tell a soul, I swear."Jamal was stuck between getting mad at her laughter or being appreciative of the fact she had given up her clothing in the first place for him to ruin with his jungle escapades and her vow to keep a secret. He wasn't one to easily trust people though so in the end, all he could was give her a stern stare and put his hands on the hips of his oh-so-stylish shorts. "I would 'preciate it if you kept it to yo'self...'cause I ain't got no problems wit' you 'n' would prefer it dat way. I think you'd prefer it dat way too." ...he was seriously going to have to revamp his meager sewing abilities to mutate the rest of the pairs into something completely unrecognizable. "I said I'd keep it a secret, and I meant it," Cassidy said, still trying not to grin. "Just old jeans. I don't think there's any need to make veiled threats or anything."
She shrugged, though she watched Jamal carefully; that last sentence had come out too fast and she wasn't sure how well it'd be taken.
"I'm sorry for laughing, I really am, and this can just be our little secret for the time being, eh?""Yes. Jus' old jeans. Good fo' trashin' when I'm climbin' trees," Jamal said in the same stern voice though it was quickly growing obvious that he was pretty uncomfortable about this discovery of his partial cross-dressing. He didn't want there to be any confusion on his masculinity. "Like I said, I'd 'preciate it if you kept quiet...so that's fine wit' me. I prolly betta get goin' though, since it appears I still got some messin' 'round da to wit' these things." He picked idly at a belt loop, a grimace on his face. Ah. He did climb trees. Something worth remembering.
"Okay," Cassidy agreed. "Good luck with that. And really, not a soul." She waved a hand vaguely. "I suppose I got stuff to get to, myself."
With this, she straightened herself out, and began her awkward slither across the sand.
"Really nice meeting you, though. See you round."Jamal watched her go, apprehension taking over the stony expression on his face. Lovely. Just ******** lovely. He managed a choked "Bye" before he turned and stalked up the beach, shaking the remaining water from his arms and hands as he went. ...he was going to be known as a crossdressser by the end of this week, he was sure. Between him in Antony's robe and him wearing Cassidy's jeans...it was all over.
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Posted: Wed May 31, 2006 3:22 pm
Whenever you happen by your duplex again, you find in a note in an envelope laying outside your door. It reads :
Jamal,
Talked to a Dr. Lockheart from the Labs.
My serum is "snow leopard."
Learned nothing else new.
We'll think of something.
-- Kikue
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Posted: Thu Aug 03, 2006 3:56 pm
It never seems to end. Just when the last change becomes almost natural to you, the world turns topsy turvy again. This time, you wake up in the morning and have a few hours to prepare - there is a fresh injection mark on your furless, white forearm - itchy, swollen and hot. For a few hours, the injection wound is the only irritating physical side effect. But as the day draws on, you begin to feel feverish and the sensation that something is building within you, this growing tension - your heart thumping in your chest, your joints feeling stiff - like stage fright but a hundred times worse. Then it happens. The itch starts to spread - all down your back and all over your face as the white fur ebbs out like a spreading mold. It completely covers your back, your tail - which seems to stretch out even longer in a bone-grating pulling, and even completely over your face. Your short muzzle pushes out a bit longer, making room for growing teeth - particularly your canines which push out like sickled knives. Your feet and hands ache as the joints crunch in on themselves, finally allowing for your claws to become fully retractable - but not without the price of a heaping portion of pain. Finally, you're left, changed again, with even less of a shred of your former humanity. 
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Sabin Duvert Vice Captain
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Posted: Sat Aug 05, 2006 2:30 pm
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Posted: Mon Sep 11, 2006 6:47 pm
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Posted: Mon Sep 11, 2006 6:48 pm
It Sounded Like a Good Idea at the Time http://www.gaiaonline.com/guilds/viewtopic.php?t=5630041
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Posted: Thu Sep 14, 2006 8:02 pm
A Rescue? http://www.gaiaonline.com/guilds/viewtopic.php?t=5680877
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Posted: Mon Dec 25, 2006 7:16 pm
Deep in the jungle, where Antony and Kaveri had originally hidden Jamal, the former had placed a decently sized backpack in the foliage before rubbing the bottom of her feet on the nearest tree. A note would be the first thing found once the bag was opened.  The 'giftbasket' consisted of a baggie of pot, a lighter, rolling papers, a first aid kit, painkillers from Delia, a bottle of Captain Morgan, a bottle of Grey Goose, shampoo, bar soap, cigarettes, a toothbrush, toothpaste, toilet paper, a small waterproof box, and a sketch of the two of them still human from memory. Also included were a sheet of paper, a pen, and a ziplock bag (for future requests).
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