Welcome to Gaia! ::

Kikue pushed open the door to a room she had never been in before. A tired look was etched onto her face. After glancing around briefly, it became obvious that this was the room that held the DVD's that Colche had mentioned when Kikue had met her on the beach. Kikue felt only mild curiosity to look through the titles and choose something. She didn't usually watch TV or movies.

Instead of sifting through the DVD cases for something, she merely relaxed onto the couch in front of the blank television screen. The room was fairly nice, and the TV itself looked expensive. Kikue didn't care much either way. She leaned her head against the back of the couch, staring up at the ceiling with her haggard look on her face. Try as she might these past few days, she simply could not get back on a normal sleeping schedule. She seemed to always wake up too early or too late; succumbing to sleeping through the middle of the day even as she tried to stop herself. She was in that phase now, having tried to stay awake again.

She thought of turning the TV on to see some of the world news, if it would even play that. But did the goings on in the world really even matter right now? She was so tired.

Avery felt tired. He was still having nightmares - although not all the same ones, they were still bad, and he was losing sleep over them. He hoped maybe watching something to distract himself from thinking about the nightmares would help, so he made his way to the entertainment room.

When he opened the door, however, his ears perked up when he saw someone he's never met before sitting alone on the couch. His head tilted curiously when he noticed she appeared to be completely human. Was she new? He made his way over to the couch, tail wagging behind him.

"Hello? Hope I'm not intruding or anything," he said, peering down at the girl.

Kikue jumped slightly, startled out of her daze by the entering of someone else into the room. She looked at him, seeing tiredness on his face, too. She forced a smile, noticing the tail wagging behind him. She's never seen this person before, but they looked distinctively like...a dog.

"Hello," Kikue said quietly. "No, I'm not doing much of anything, actually." She noticed the different colors of his eyes. "Feel free to watch something." Kikue hesitated before introducing herself; why, she didn't know. It was only polite -- she had never met him before. "I'm Kikue, new here," she added, just barely audible. She didn't feel much like talking, but didn't mind someone else talking to her. If only she could get on the right sleep schedule.

"Nice to meet you!" Avery said, smile still on his face. "The name's Avery." Well, she didn't appear to be afraid of his appearance, at least. Then again, Avery didn't think he looked very threatening.

"So when did you get here? You... know about this place... right? What it really is?" he questioned, not wanting to have to explain it to her if she didn't, but also not wanting to keep it a secret. His ears were pressed back against his head now, feeling a little nervous.

Kikue had only started to answer Avery's question. "Yes, I know about i--," She stopped there, hearing the sounds of approach, but had no idea in the world what could make that sound.

She saw a man, ringed by tentacles coming from his own body, coming in through the door of the room. Shocked, her voice simply disappeared, and she stared, knowing all the while it wasn't polite but not being able to help it. This was the first time she had really seen someone with a serum that was, as they all called it, 'unlucky.'

What is he...squid? No. She was too familiar with sea creatures, mainly because they were a common food in Japan, to think so. Octopus. Has to be... Gods.

Kikue didn't move. She couldn't. Her eyes flicked to Avery for a moment, and then back to the man entering. She was definitely more awake now, even though the fatigue still hung around her mind.

Avery's ears flicked toward the doorway before he turned his head to look, wondering what the sound was. His eyes widened when he saw the octopus man. Of course, he knew exactly who it was, but the sight of him was still... disturbing to Avery.

He glanced at the new girl. He was sure the sight of him must be pretty scary. But Billy was... mostly harmless, in his mind. "It's okay," he said to her, attempting to sound reassuring, but it was obvious he was uncomfortable, too. "That's Billy."

Then he looked at the other man. "Er... hey there," he greeted him, but his tail wasn't wagging anymore. He didn't notice anything was really off with Billy quite yet.

Kikue noticed Billy's disorientation immediately, having lived with her father and his drinking ever since they had moved to Tokyo. She had become very good at noticing when something was wrong.

She stood up slowly, looking at Avery. Billy. His name was Billy. "I think something's wrong," she said quickly, her gaze flicking back to Billy's writhing tentacles and his glazed eyes. She wasn't even sure who he was talking to, and that was definitely a bad sign.

Knowing that he wouldn't recognize her, Kikue was hesitant to try and talk to him to see if she could help. She didn't want to startle him when he was like this. The sight of the man still stunned her, but the overwhelming feeling that he was clearly not all there overrode the fear. Kikue glanced back at Avery, her expression set but worried. This situation was all too familiar...except of course that this man was half octopus. Gods.

Avery frowned, glancing at Kikue. "Wrong..?" he peered more closely at Billy. He did seem to be acting strange. He took a small step close to Billy when he stumbled, but he stopped, not going any closer. No telling what he would do if there really was something wrong with the other man.

"You don't want any of what, Billy?" he asked, confused. What was he talking about? Avery had no idea what to do, he thought for a moment about leaving, but he didn't want to leave the new girl alone... and Billy was in the way of the door, too. He was starting to feel a little trapped.

Kikue watched Billy stumble, leaning over as if he were reaching for something. She had no idea what, except that he was on a course for the couch. Quickly making more room for him by backing up against Avery, she watched Billy's rambling mouth and the distant look in his eyes. She couldn't smell alcohol, but something was definitely wrong.

"Is he usually like this?" she whispered urgently to Avery. Kikue had no idea how to help him. She wasn't even sure that this spell wasn't from the serum somehow. Should I say we should call the labs? ...No. That might only make it worse.

Remembering how her father was during his drinking spells, Kikue silently watched Billy's tentacled hands reaching for the couch. Silence might be best.

"I don't... think so," Avery replied as he watched Billy, feeling unsure if he should help him or let him be. "I mean, I don't see him around much... he seemed fairly normal when I did see him, though. Not like this, anyway..."

He moved around Kikue, taking a few hesitant steps toward Billy. He reached out slowly to put a hand on Billy's shoulder to help steady him, as he appeared to be a little unbalanced. "Hey, man, you okay? Do you need any help?"

Gasping, Kikue backed a few more paces as she stared wide-eyed at Billy's puddle of black vomit on the floor. She had no idea what it was, only that normally it shouldn't be that color. It was too dark for blood, but she still had to struggle to keep herself from reacting instinctively. She shot a quick glance at Avery, not knowing if this black inky liquid wasn't some kind of poisonous defensive mechanism. Do octopi even have those?

Billy needed help. Kikue tried to keep her face set when looking at him, but she was more than worried. He was reacting badly to their presence; this could be beyond her control. At home, she usually shut herself up when her father had started doing something like this. Should she just walk away now? How can I walk away? Something is clearly wrong with him --

But maybe being there, someone he didn't know, was only making it worse. Yet he had reacted badly to Avery and supposedly knew him.

"Avery," Kikue got out in a low voice, trying not to speak too loudly lest it trigger something in Billy, "should I leave? Should we call anyone about this?" What is that puddle on the floor, all down his front? Maybe I should just leave and call someone about this...

"Holy s**t!" Avery gasped, jerking back quickly and stumbling backwards, nearly tripping over his own feet in his haste to get away. "What the hell was that!?" He gasped, staring wide eyed at Billy. Was he sick? What the hell was that stuff!?

"I... I don't know what to do," he sounded a little panicked, clearly scared by Billy. He wanted to get the hell out of there, he didn't want to have anything to do with this... whatever was going on. He didn't know. "There are cameras... the doctors would have seen... so..."

If Billy was really ill, the doctors would come get him, right?

Instinct kicked in immediately. Kikue's survival skills at home with her father only furthered the need to get out of here. Backing away from Billy, Kikue shot a look at Avery. "Let's go," she said urgently under her breath. "Let's get out of here. If something's wrong they'll come."

Billy wanted them to get away from him, and Kikue was only too happy to obliage.

Side-stepping the puddle of blank inky fluid on the floor, she made fast for the door. Pulling it open, she slipped quickly outside, making for her duplex. Number 48. Shooting a look over her shoulder, she nodded at her duplex once Avery was out so he might know where she lived, and then she didn't look back.

Pushing the key into the lock, she opened the door only to close it and lock it tightly behind her. This is insane.

Avery had to agree with Kikue, especially when Billy started to scream at them. What the hell was wrong with him? What had happened!?

He didn't stick around to find out. He quickly turned and ran out of the room, not pausing to look back once. He felt a little guilty just leaving Billy there... but what could he do? Nothing, he thought to himself. I couldn't do anything.

The doctors would help him. It wasn't Avery's job. He saw the new girl run into her own duplex, and he felt that was a good idea. He rain straight to his own duplex, slamming the door shut hard behind him. He leaned back against it, panting.

Why couldn't anything just be normal around here!?

Odd as it might be, Avery has been a lot happier ever since he got his calendar a while back. He was able to know what day it was, didn't feel like he was just drifting along anymore. He marked down special dates - Tim's birthday, his own birthday, his mother and father's birthdays (which were later crossed out - if he didn't remember them, he wouldn't get depressed about missing them). There weren't many dates that were important for him to remember anymore, but at least there were some, and he wanted to make sure he didn't miss them.

But this still left the long, boring days. He was never quite sure what to do with himself most days - of course, he loved being around other people the most, but there was still only so much one could do. It wasn't until one day he noticed he was getting a little pudgy (of course, that's what happens when you laze about all day) and, being rather vain, declared that he and Tim should start making use of the workout room. Timothy had agreed since he had been feeling rather bored himself lately.

If there was one thing about Avery, however, is that he gets bored - and distracted - easily. He discovered that he much preferred playing around with the CD player and watching Timothy work out, than actually working out himself. He managed to keep it up for a few days, at least, but without new workout machines, he lost interest quickly. This didn't stop him from dragging Timothy along to the workout room every now and then, however. If there was one thing that could hold Avery's attention, it was Tim (and he felt Tim was pretty damn sexy when he worked out).

Most days, Avery felt a little too tired to work out, anyway. He had been having nightmares for a while now, waking up in the middle of the night and having trouble falling back asleep again. He would dream about being a dog, or that night on the cruise ship. He would dream about his parents not recognizing him, about Tim leaving him, about people not wanting him anymore - and sometimes he would have nightmares about his cowardice, terrible things happening to the people he loves because he was too afraid to help them.

Overall, despite the nightmares (and being part dog), Avery was feeling pretty happy. He felt more attached to Timothy than ever, more eager to please (and a bit more energetic too), although he wasn't quite sure if that was just because he was in love or because he was turning into a dog. Avery didn't dwell on this too much, because he didn't think it really mattered the reason why - he was happy.

Today, though, he wasn't worrying about anything - it was one of those special days he marked on his calender, and he'd be damned if he would let anything ruin it. He's been especially nice to Timothy all day today, at the same time trying not to let on that he remembered it was his birthday. He wanted to surprise him, even though he didn't have a lot planned - he managed to speak to the lab assistants and get a gift for him. Avery didn't think it was anything extravagant or spectacular, but it was still something a little special and he felt Timothy would like it. At least, he hoped he would.

He let the day go on like usual, which brought them where they were now, on their way to the workout room. Avery grinned at his boyfriend, reaching out to take the other boy's hand. He figured after they worked out (or, Tim worked out anyway - and Avery was definitely noticing that it was doing Timothy some good) when they got back, he would surprise Tim with his present.

Avery stopped skipping songs on the CD player to look up at Timothy, and he turned the CD player off. "Really? You usually go on for a bit longer... well, that's okay!" he smiled, walking over to the skunk boy and holding his hands out to him to help him up. "Why don't we go back to our place and you can get some rest?" he suggested, tail wagging behind him. He resisting turning his head to glare at his own tail - that thing had a mind of it's own sometimes. Besides, why glare at his tail when his boyfriend was half naked right in front of him?

He hadn't seemed to really notice any change in Timothy's behaviour today, too busy lost in his own thoughts.

Avery started to grow concerned. He had never seen Timothy change before, and he wasn't even sure how many times people on the island did change - he had been starting to assume Timothy was finished now.

He crouched down by the bench, putting his hands over Tim's furred hands. "Don't feel well..? What's wrong? Can I do something for you?" Avery wanted to help, but he wasn't sure what to do.

Avery gasped a bit, his tail ticking between his legs when he noticed Timothy's body starting to change. He pulled back, not sure what he should do... he knew that wasn't any way he could stop what was happening. He hasn't seen many people change, but it was definitely not something he was in a hurry to see again...

... but this was Timothy, he wasn't about to run off when he needed him to be around.

Even if it wasn't as horrible as when Avery watched Colche transform, it still disturbed him... every time they changed, they lost more and more of their humanity, it seemed. He was glad, though, that Timothy's change didn't seem as painful as it could have been.

He kept a small distance, staying close but not touching the other boy quite yet, wanting to wait until the changes were finished before trying to comfort him.

Timothy's body finished it's slight reshaping. The fur spread down his nose, even as it pushed foward into a small muzzle. His black nose larger on the tip. Even as his sense of smell grew more sensative. The white fur on his chest and some of the fur in other parts of his body seemed thicker. Thie tail grew longer and fluffier until it was done. Whether it was due to a change comming from the skunk, or something that had been done to his serum. Timothy looked more toned than he ever had.

The changes finished. Timothy... didn't look bad at all.

When the changes seemed to stop, Avery scooted closer to Timothy again, the worry clear on his face. He couldn't help but notice Tim's muscles were more defined than before... and damn they made him look good.

"Tim... are you okay..?" He reached up, brushing some hair out of Timothy's face so Avery could look into his eyes.

Avery stood up too, following Timothy to the mirror and looking at their reflections. "Yeah, I was starting to think that you were done changing... but at least it wasn't anything too drastic, right? Plus, the pain goes away..."

He let his eyes travel up and down Tim's body, and he had to admit, "although I have to say, you look really sexy, you know. I'm kinda jealous your fur isn't growing it patches like mine is," he laughed a bit.

Avery slid his arms around Timothy's shoulders and kissed the other boy back on his short muzzle. His tail betrayed him again, wagging happily while he was in his boyfriend's arms. "Well, I'm glad I can help you through it... even if I can't really do anything about it... although I wish I could."

"That's true... I have to admit... I kinda like your tail. It's so soft and fluffy," the dog boy grinned, touching his boyfriend's tail to feel said soft fur.

Avery couldn't resist, reaching out to slide his hand over Timothy's chest as well, feeling his muscles. "Heh, well, working out so much, you were getting in really nice shape... but after the change... it's a lot more visable. Still, though - kind of a cruel thing to have happen on your birthday, of all days..."

"Well, intentional or not, you look hot," Avery grinned back, happy that Timothy didn't seem that upset about his changes. Avery didn't mind looking girly - he brought it on himself, considering the types of clothes that he wore.

"You know, though... speaking of your birthday... I got you a present. It's back in our duplex, though." He smiled, looking at Timothy hopefully. "Think you're feeling up to opening it now?"

Avery didn't mind helping him, sliding his arm around Tim's waist, and he supported the skunk boy all the way back to their duplex - opening the door for him and helping him over to the bed. "Do you wanna take anything for the pain, or your present first?" he asked with a smile, his tail wagging behind him.

Avery laughed, "okay then, present it is!" He walked over to the other side of the room, crouching down and digging into the bottom drawer of the dresser. He pulled out a rectangular box from under his clothes, wrapped in plain blue paper, before he walked back over to Tim and held the box out to him. "Um... it's nothing like... amazing, or anything... but I hope you like it anyway," Avery grinned sheepishly. "Happy birthday!"

The box wasn't very heavy, but there was a slight noticeable weight to it, like a thick book. Inside was a plain white three-ring binder with plastic sleeves on the front and back for customization (in the front sleeve was a sheet of paper on which Avery had written, Happy birthday, Tim! With love, Avery). The bottom half of the binder could be pulled out so it could stand on it's own, for easier reading. Inside the binder, however, were many blank sheets of music lined paper, each sheet inscribed with "Music by Timothy Matthews" on the top. The music lines were specifically customized for guitar music in particular, with space underneath each line to add words as well.

"I thought, you know... I know you always wanted to write music, and just 'cuz we're stuck here doesn't mean you can't." Avery watched his reaction with a hopeful look in his face.

Avery was surprised at the tears, but he hugged Timothy back tightly, glad that he liked the present. He nuzzled the other boy's shoulder affectionately. "I'm glad you like it... you shouldn't give up on music! I expect to see you writing stuff in this now, you know!" he smiled encouragingly. "And you gotta play the songs for me too! We gotta hold on to the humanity we have left, yanno? No reason to stop doing your music just because we're here. There are still people here to enjoy it, right?"

Avery looked interested. "An idea? What kind of idea? Can I help?" Yes, definitely interested... his tail was thumping against the bed, eager to hear what kind of plan Timothy was thinking of, head tilted a little bit to the side in curiosity.

"Aww," Avery pouted, feeling conflicted between being left out, and liking surprises. He resisted the urge to climb right into Timothy's lap when he kissed Avery's neck, instead jumping up at the prospect of heading back out. "Okay! Let's go!" he was practically bouncing, feeling full of energy that he needed to get out. Staying cooped up in their duplex wasn't going to help him get rid of his energy, so he was eager to go back outside.

Avery couldn't help the grin spreading across his face as he walked with Timothy, his arm around the other boy's waist again. He's never known anyone that would sing to him before - let alone someone who did their own songs. It always made him smile, made him feel happy whenever Timothy sang, knowing that he was hearing something special that no one else has heard. "I'm not as good with words as you are... but I hope you know I love you too, right?" he asked, looking at him.

Another night, another nightmare; another day, more of the same. He was starting to almost get used to the nightmares now - they were repetitive, just like his life here. At least during the day, he was happy. He had gone out for a walk on his own, enjoying the fresh air and exercise. He was too impatient to deal with the machines in the work out room. But after a good while of walking (all the way to the beach and back - he had lost track of time), his stomach decided to remind him that it needed food.

His canine nose picked up the scents of food as he walked closer to the cafeteria - and something else. Something - someone new. As he pushed open the doors and stepping inside, his tail stopped wagging when he saw the figure sitting at a table. He looked like a canine of some sort - wolf? dog? - but his proportions were all... wrong, his joints were off.

Avery approached the table, meaning to introduce himself, when he noticed the other man's paws. Not quite hands anymore, he couldn't help but staring, the unease clear on his face. Was this the person Awen had told him about? He stopped at the edge of the table next to the other canine, and he opened his mouth to speak, but found he didn't know what to say except, "um... hi," in an uncharacteristically timid voice.

Indeed, it was obvious that Avery was scared just seeing the other man - it was one thing to be told about it, but another to actually see it for himself. It wasn't that he hadn't believed Awen - but now he knew it was the truth, it was real. He sat himself down heavily across from Pyroth; he wasn't positive he could have stayed standing.

"I'm, uh - I'm Avery," he said quietly. His ears reflected Pyroth's, pressed back against his head as he looked at him across the table. "S-so... are you... I mean - you're... turning into a dog, too?" He knew it was a stupid question, the answer was obvious - perhaps not a dog in particular. He almost hoped the other man would deny it just so he could relax a little.

So many things had been wracking on her brain lately, and none of them had really been resolved. In fact, she highly doubted that there was any more anger left in her. She was utterly exhausted, and at that particular moment, hungry.

Her tails whipped behind her, unable to stay still regardless of how much she attempted to will them to. It was quite frustrating, really.

Pushing her way inside the café, she nudged up the sunglasses as a makeshift headband to keep her inch above chin length hair out of her eyes. In her usual tank top and, as of late, shorter shorts that rode low to accommodate for her tails, Antony noticed the two already present. One of which, Avery, was easily identified thanks to his hair, but the other, well she was having a hard time with that one.

"Hey," she said lazily, yawning and not bothering to cover her mouth as she eyed the other one. His eyes were what eventually identified him, and she blinked back a grand amount of shock. "Pyroth?" She could hardly recognize him anymore.

Avery was trying very hard not to stare, and it took every ounce of will to tear his eyes away, looking down at the table. His hands were gripping the edges of his seat so tightly they were starting to ache just a little - he pried his hands off the seat, placing them on the table instead.

Coyote. Not a dog like him, but still canine... the worry was still there, making knots in his stomach. He certainly didn't feel very hungry at all anymore.

He heard someone else enter the cafeteria and he looked up; although she looked different now, the white fur and multiple tails - were there that many before? Better not ask - made her easy to recognize. He lifted his hand to wave a little, not feeling in the mood for talking. It seemed like every time he reunited with someone, they were changed again.

Antony suddenly had a horrible feeling in the pit of her stomach. "I'm sorry I never came by to see you," she murmured guiltily, rubbing the back of her neck in attempts to sooth away how shitty she felt. Billy's angst was apparently contagious.

She couldn't stop staring because unlike most islanders she had seen, Pyroth looked more beast than man. Vasile at least had no problems walking upright, and it seemed they both were turning into canines.

The thing that bothered her the most was the stench of fear in the air. The squirrel was uneasy being between two predators, especially when the tension seemed rather volatile. Something was not quite right.

A nod was offered to Avery's greeting before she made her way closer to the pair. "You look terrible... I mean, like you're sick..." She couldn't seem to finish her statement, but instead offered him questioning look of 'can I do anything to help?'

"Injected you!?" Avery nearly yelped in surprise, his eyes wide. "This morning? How - how long does it take for you to... you know..." he gestured with his hand, "change?"

He almost wanted to get up and run right then; he wasn't sure this was something he wanted to see. But he stayed put, no matter how scared he was - running off wouldn't change things. Besides, this way he could see what he was probably going to become, too. Maybe... maybe there was still a chance, despite Pyroth's currently awkward joints?

"Well ********," she said bluntly, stepping over to give him a comforting scratch behind the nearest ear. This was... not going to be pretty. Not that any transformation was pretty, but still.

"It differs," she said, answering Avery's question quickly, motioning for him to calm down. "Can you go get some asprin from Delia?" Hopefully running off that extra tension would make him calm down a bit.

She sighed, and sat in a nearby chair, scooting it close to Pyroth's. "Hey, I'll stay with you if you want?"

This was it, his chance to get away. He didn't have to stay. But what kind of person would he be? Besides, it's not like he wasn't already having nightmares about it. Avery had only changed twice, but each time it had been right after waking up - from horrible, horrible dreams. But he knew from seeing others change that it could happen at any moment.

"A-asprin," Avery repeated, nodding. "Right, I'll be right back," he said, standing up quickly. He darted out of the cafeteria, running as fast as he could to get asprin for his fellow canine. Absently he wondered if he should take his time getting back - maybe it would be over by then? But no, it's better to get the asprin back as soon as he could.

"I'll stay," she confirmed, knowing full well what it was like to feel utterly alone and to want some sort of tangible comfort. These changes made her personally feel vulnerable, and she imagined it was the same for many of the other islanders.

Antony stayed surprisingly silent during the exchange between the two men, and absently, she put her hand atop his more paw-like appendage, tensing at the heat she felt there. "Just ...Ah don't try and eat me please?" She said with a nervous chuckle, "I've had enough of being on the menu for now. And thanks, Avery."