|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Tue Jan 30, 2007 7:02 pm
Lauren carefully petted Nita's thicker fur in awe, "You're beautiful..." She said to her crying girlfriend. She held Nita close to her. "Yes, rest... it's over now. The last one." Lauren held a small smile out of Nita's view. "You are beautiful..."
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Jan 30, 2007 7:16 pm
Nita sniffled and nodded, although she didn't exactly believe Lauren. There was no way she looked anything but a mess at the moment. She held out one paw-hand for inspection. Hopefully she would still be able to write, although it would take some practice to get full control.
"None of my clothes are going to fit anymore," she said slowly, looking down at her front.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Jan 30, 2007 7:25 pm
Lauren shook her head, "They won't but you can get new ones." She commented. "You should lay down in the bed." Lauren said, "I'll help you" She got up and attempted to lift Nita, but she was much heavier than usual so it was difficult but Lauren managed.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Jan 30, 2007 8:02 pm
Nita stumbled, barely able to stand. She let Lauren haul her over to the bed before she collapsed again. Although the pills she had taken were starting to kick in, they barely dulled the residual pain.
She lay on her back, staring up at the ceiling. "I got fat," she muttered. "And short."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Jan 30, 2007 8:08 pm
Now Lauren as stuck in a situation no partner wanted to be in. Yeah, now she was fat and she was short but Lauren couldn't agree with her. Nita would kick her out. But she couldn't say nothing, because Nita would assume the worse. She also couldn't say Nita wasn't because she would go on about how she was.
"You're beautiful, curvy yeah but you will always be more and more beautiful everytime I look at you." Lauren said hopeing that response was good enough. She ran her fingers through Nita's wild hair hopeing to calm her down.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Jan 30, 2007 8:19 pm
Nita curled onto her side and tried to laugh. She knew how ridiculous she sounded, but that didn't make it any less true.
"I guess," she said with a sigh. Nita yawned widely, showing teeth that were now perfectly shaped for stripping leaves from bamboo. "I think I need to go to sleep..."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Jan 30, 2007 9:16 pm
Lauren curled up carefully next to her, "Then sleep." Lauren herself wasn't tired, but she laid down next to her, admireing how much Nita had changed and thinking fully about how much she herself has changed. Change... it's a good thing right? she thought to herself.
Lauren gently gave Nita a loving nudge as she curled up next to her, thinking herself into a nap as well.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Jan 30, 2007 9:19 pm
Mental and physical exhaustion took over from the pain and Nita was able to fall into a rather restless sleep.
It was over.
Realizing the true complications would come later.
[fin]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Feb 06, 2007 5:36 pm
[RP: Up On the Roof In the village with Miller] Nita MacNeal It had been more than a week since Nita's last change, and she was getting a bit stir-crazy. Her bones were still sore, but at least she could get around on her own. And so Nita had finally left her duplex, dressed in the scrubs the labs had provided her with. She had been informed that a new wardrobe was on its way, but the scrubs (which she had cuff up quite a bit) were better than going around naked. She wound her way through the village on the way to the cafeteria. Glancing around, a bit of blue caught her eye. "Er, what?" Nita asked, hiding a grin. Miller Milano Miller had decided to take a change of pace today, having spent most of the morning debateing the idea he finally decided to climb up on to his roof were he could see the sky better then his tree. Carefully he had made his way up and along a tree that stood just beside the duplex row. A few hours latter the budgy boy could be seen pacing about and sometimes laying on his back using his red coat as a pillow.
As Nita came by he happened to be pacing again trying to guess how many duplex's were in the village just by counting rooftops. Nita MacNeal Nita's whiskers twitched. She stood with her paw-like hands clasped behind her back. "Having fun up there?" she called out to Miller. Actually, it did look pretty nice up there on the roof. Nita hadn't been out to her tree in the jungle for quite a while; she rather missed it. Miller Milano Miller chirped suddenly hoping about the roof before droping to his knees and peeking over at Nita, "Er maybe ya I am?" He waved slightly,
He blinked, she looked... different more round and panda like, then again he was covered in feathers and had bulges under his coat that were his wings. "You look fuzzier then last time!" Nita MacNeal Nita grinned, only then noticing Miller's own changes. He was definitely looking more bird-like, which would explain just why he was hanging out on the roof. She supposed it made a good perch. "Ha, 'fuzzier' is one way to put it!" After a moment's pause, Nita called, "Hey, do you mind if I come up? Easier than yelling!" Miller Milano Miller nodded and started to get up, "Head on around back! There's a tree close to my duplex you can climb up to get here!" With that he turned to head back to the other side of the duplex flopping down on his stomach to wait for Nita. Nita MacNeal Nita made her way the duplex and sized up the tree. Before her change, she would have had no trouble at all scaling it, but her legs and arms still hurt. Not to mention she was shorter. She climbed carefully so as not to pull any muscles. Her claws dug into the bark and her change in balance actually made it easier to pull herself from branch to branch. "Oof," she announced, upon arrival. Nita rearranged her scrubs as she sat, wrapping her arms around her knees. "Not a bad view." Miller Milano Miller watched curiously as Nita made her way up the tree digging in to the bark as she went, for him it was more troublesome task of having to find hand holds and branches to grab, though his talloned or partially for that matter, toes did help a bit.
Miller shifted about so he looked the same way Nita did and nodded, "Yah it is... but I just wana get higher... I thought about the cliffs but it would be too long to go there and come back safely." He laid back down looking at Nita curiously, "You just change too I'm guessing?" he asked.
Nita MacNeal "I've been meaning to go up to the cliffs for a while," Nita admitted. "Maybe it wouldn't be so freaking humid." She brushed her frizzing hair out of her face. Digging little bits of bark out of her claws, Nita nodded. "A little more than a week ago. It was awful, and I'm still sore but... I'm done." She shrugged. "I guess this is me from now on..." Miller Milano "Maybe sometime we can goz up together along with a few otherz?" He shrugged, "For another dayz then?"
"Well, at leastz youz fuzzy?" he shrugged and reached over patting Nita on the shoulder, she really did feel more fluffy then when they first met. "I changedz not longz ago too." he sighed and pulled his jacked off spreading his still rather spastic wings. "Featherz are NOT funz still... nor drowninz almost." Nita MacNeal Nita smiled. "Sure. That would be cool. I wonder who else would be interested in an expedition." She held out her arms and looked them over dispassionately. "Fuzzy, definitely. And I got fatter and shorter." Nita made a face, one ear twitching in annoyance. "That's what hurt so much. My bones like compacted or something." Peering at his wings, Nita nodded. "Well, at least it looks like you're keeping your arms," she ventured. "But.. how did you almost drown?" Miller Milano Miller shrugged, "Lauren couldz come maybez a few other friendz?" He tilted his head at the arm reaching out to pet it.
"My legz are diffrent, they curvez funny nowz. And my bonez they don't ake az much but they feel... weirdz lighter I guessz." What of his face was still fleshy turned pink, "Umm I waz at Awenz during the changez I kinda fell intoz the pool in her duplexz." Nita MacNeal "Maybe. I'm trying to think who else might like some place a little cooler than most of the island." Nita smoothed down the fur on her arm. "Probably anyone covered in fur, really. "Awen has a pool in her duplex?" The red panda girl pondered the logistics of that, if Awen was still living in one of the cookie-cutter duplexes. Or had she been moved to a special duplex by the lake? Nita hadn't been past the former construction site in a while. "Well, I'm glad you didn't drown." She grinned. "Awen's pretty cool; I've met her a few times." Miller Milano Miller nodded, "Comez one come allz fuzzy folkz gather roundz were off to the mountainz to cool downz!" he grinned in a jokeing manner and got up walking around again trying to pick out Awen's duplex.
"Yepz she livez by the lake in a coolz new duplexz. It'z gota built in poolz for her to swimz out in to the lakez." He turned back grinning to Nita, "Yah drowninz would kinda be anticlimacticz way to goez on an island turningz in to aniamalz any way."
He shrugged off his jacked tossing it down to use as a pillow again laying beside Nita, "Shez cool, she let mez stay with her when mah duplexz was jammed." Nita MacNeal Nita grinned. "Hey, it gets pretty awful in the summer. I dunked myself in the lake quite a bit last year, but I didn't have as much fur back then. "That sounds pretty nifty. I wonder when my downstairs neighbor will get one of those. He's turning into a shark, plus some kind of plant." She shook her head; that particular combination was still mind-boggling. Raising a brow at Miller, she asked, "Ah, what happened to your own duplex?" Miller Milano Miller frowned ruffleing his feathers up curiously, "Wonderz how hot theze thingz gona get..." he slowly 'depuffed' as his feathers settled back down again.
"Proablyz Awen sayz that fishy folkz need em to livez easier since they dehydratez." He blinked, "Ever seen what happenz when you piss a squirrlez lady offz? You getz a bunch of dildoz super gluedz to your door and the lockz glued shutz too." He sighd, "The proofz still sitinz in mah room as a little 'welcome homez' gift fromz the labs when I gotz out after a snake bitez." Nita MacNeal Nita shrugged. "D'you know what kind of bird you're becoming then?" She blinked. "You pissed off Antony? What the hell, I told you not to piss her off!" Nita grinned then crawled forward across the roof to peer down at the duplex below. "I have to say, I'm intrigued." She raised a brow again. "Drowning, pissing off squirrel-ladies, and getting snake-chomped? My, you have been busy!" Miller Milano Miller checked his tail pokeing out his shorts now wore below the waist only held up from a belt and the feathers one his back and chest. "Somthingz you would findz at a pet storez I guess?"
Miller scowled, "She pissed meh off firstz! It'z a big 'prank warz' now I spray painted her duplexz and she dildozed mine." He shrugged, "I'm a buzy boy who needs to do many thingz, and what about youz?" Nita MacNeal Nita pulled herself back up into a sitting position and glanced at the tail protruding from Miller's pants. "Something blue," she announced, as if this were some brilliant revelation. She snickered at his expression. "Oh... Not so busy, I guess. Lauren and I got a dog at Christmas, so I had been giving her pretty regular walks and stuff, but I've been laid up since I changed. This was pretty much my first time out." Nita paused for a moment as her stomach growled. "Sorry. I was actually on my way to the cafeteria." Miller Milano Miller raised an eyebrow, "And youz a giant fuzzyz pandabearz thing." He said with a nod.
He walked over sitting down beside Nita again, "Dogzy? That's cool, howdz you get onez out here on the islandz?" He laughed at the stomach growl. "Wez could getz you some uhhh... well wutz you eat nowz any way?" Nita MacNeal "I don't actually know, honestly. She was on our front porch at Christmas. Gaius got one, too; apparently there are at least a couple others running around as well, but I haven't run into them." Nita shrugged. "Ours is called Comet, though, and she's pretty cool. I never had a dog before." Nita's stomach rumbled again. "Bamboo, mostly. They've been stocking it for me in the caf for months now. As far as I can tell, I still can eat pretty much anything, but bamboo's what tastes best." She stood up and stretched a little, loosening up her arms and legs. They tended to tighten up a bit after she had been sitting for a while. Miller Milano Miller binked and sighed, "Allz I had waz a mean notez from Antony... and some seashell from a Codyz person." He frowned, "Worst depressingz christmas EVERZ."
He got up as well stretching and sending his wings in to another random spastic flaping motion, partially of will and accident. "I canz eat anythinz... justz trying to keepz it in the beakz iz the problem now." Nita MacNeal "Awww," Nita said, patting Miller's shoulder. "It looks like Christmas is kind of hit-and-miss around here. I didn't really do anything for anybody." She examined the distance between the roof and the tree, and, making sure her sleeves and pant-legs were cuffed up properly, began the climb down. All in all, the trip was considerably easier than the journey up. "You coming?" Nita called from the ground. Miller Milano Miller shrugged, "Just beingz here iz hit or mizz, and we gotz hit I guess." He started after her once he picked up his coat.
"Yah I'm comingz!" he slipped the coat on and started towards the edge of his roof hoping off catching hold of a branch before scrambling his way down in a series of bird like jumps and twitches from branch to branch. Nita MacNeal Nita waited for Miller to descend, slightly amused by his birdlike actions. The pair of them made their way through the village to the cafeteria. In the buffet line, Nita filled her plate with bamboo leaves and an assortment of other fruits and vegetables. She claimed a table for the two of them and sat, heartily wishing the labs would provide better chairs for people with tails. "So," she began, digging into her meal, "Other than your various misadventures--" she waved a paw-- "How've you been?" In spite of their less-than-spectacular first meeting, Nita liked Miller. He was a good kid, even if he did need to be smacked upside the head on occasion. Miller Milano Millers bird like actions hardly ended there, his walk to the cafeteria had more of a skip to it, that much like a bird would when on the ground.
Once in line Miller also grabbed a few fruits, he found lately they tasted alot better then chicken. "Ehz, well I'mz friendz with a nice deer girlz named Emerwynz. She's reallyz sweet and visitz me at my tree now and thenz." He tapped his chin, "Other wize I hang out with Awenz and play video gamez with her." Nita MacNeal "Emerwyn is nice," Nita said around a mouthful of fruit. She chewed and swallowed quickly, making a face at her own rudeness. "I haven't seen her in a long time, but she helped me during my first change. It's good to know she's still around and doing well." Nita went back to her meal, just thinking quietly to herself. She really should work more on her project with Kikue, trying to get the islanders in touch with each other more. Too often, it seemed, people disappeared for long periods of time without anyone particularly noticing. "It's cool that Awen can still play video games and stuff. I'd probably really go crazy if I couldn't still read." Nita glanced down at her paw-like hands. "I haven't tried writing yet." Miller Milano Miller nodded in agreement, "I metz her the day she changedz recently..." he poked at an apple for a moment before picking it up and pecking/biteing at it for a moment with a sigh tossing it in his bowl again, stupid beaknose. "She calledz me her Little Blue Angelz..." he gave a sigh which sounded more like a depressed tweet. "I wish I couldz say I was that nice all the timez, but look at whatz I do with Antonyz."
He grabbed a dull knife, always dull they were, and started to try and cut chunks of apple nodding. "I like videogamez much az Awen does. Readinz nice tooz." Nita MacNeal Nita gave him a sympathetic shrug, watching him struggle with the apple. "Just try to avoid Antony, I guess," she said. "I mean, if she bugs you that much, that's what makes the most sense." She signaled to Miller that she would be right back and shuffled off across the cafeteria to grab a soda. When she returned, she popped the tab easily with a claw; it was somewhat reassuring that she still liked the taste of soda. "I raid the entertainment room pretty frequently for new books. They've got a decent selection, although it's nothing like a real library." Nita fell silent for a moment, remembering. Ah, the Columbus Metropolitan Libraries. Miller Milano "Iz plan tooz, haven'tz even gotz a plan to get her backz yet." He tossed a bite of apple in to his mouth munching away slowly so not to have any of the apple slip back out.
He missed drinking soda from a can, hell he missed useing a glass cup. Now he could only drink from bottles least he risk spilling the drink all over thanks to his beak.
"I useuallyz stop by therez to watch a moviez or play some DDR when no onez around." he worked at his apple again carving it up in to smaller chunks before eventually getting tired of it. "I needz to order a slicerz from the labz..." Nita MacNeal Nita ate the last few bamboo leaves from her plate, wiping her claws carefully on a napkin. "That shouldn't be too much of an issue, as long as it's clear you're not going to try cutting other people with it or anything." She grinned and straightened up her tray. "Well, I think I'm actually gonna go poke around the library for a bit and see if there's anything new." Miller Milano Miller shrugged, "I aint'z tryin to killz no one I just wantz to be ablez to eat mah lunchz in peace." He poked at his bowl of fruit peeling a banana next, the only fruit he could still easily eat.
He tossed the peel back into the bowel nodding, "Alrightyz, tellz Lauren I sayz hello and havez fun getting your bookz." He watched the panda girl go before looking at his bowl again with a scowl before going back to the slow process of cutting up his food. Nita MacNeal Nita nodded. "I didn't think you were; I was just saying." With a grin, she flicked a stray bit of apple peel at Miller. "See you around, Miller!" Gathering up her tray, Nita padded across the cafeteria, deposited it properly, and continued on her way to the entertainment room.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Feb 10, 2007 6:11 pm
[RP: At the Construction Site, with Oz] Osbourne Caldwell A few nights of working by moonlight was taking its toll on the laze-about Brit. Oz was no stranger to hard work, even if it had been a while since his body was put through its paces, but he was certainly a stranger to waking up early or staying up late. Despite his best intentions to make up for the accident he caused by being a good guard...he'd fallen asleep at his post. After only a few minor physical jobs during the night, like moving anything heavy to a more convenient place or setting equipment out for others to use, Oz had assumed his sentry-like position, perched on the renewed pile of planks, wood and other ephemira. It was here that he fell asleep in a curled up position. Sucking his thumb. Nita MacNeal It was just before dawn, and Nita was awake. Comet had been fed and let out to do her business (having, of course, prodded Nita to waking and then promptly gone back to sleep). But Nita was restless; something in her was fond of the hours before sunrise. She left her duplex alone, wearing a light jacket over her cuffed up scrubs. Perhaps she would keep an eye out for Gaius at the construction site. She had heard construction going on during all hours, so presumably the workers had acquired supplies again. However, the site was quiet as she approached, her bare feet hardly breaking the silence. "Hello?" Nita called softly. Her keen eyes found a large lump on the wood-pile. She padded over for a better look. The lump was clearly alive, and probably an islander, although not someone she immediately recognized. Which was probably a good thing, since the person in question was sucking his thumb. Nita hid a smile and coughed quietly. "Ah, hello?" Osbourne Caldwell Oz's brow wrinkled slightly, which must have looked very odd considering how thick it was, and he stretched out an arm to feel for something. His elongate hand fumbled about across the wood-pile, then the dirt as he thought his alarm clock was going off. "Mmmmrrr.r..r...humph...five more minutes..." he mumbled past his thumb, eyes blinking open briefly. But as he rolled about on his odd 'bed', some of the wood beneath him shifted greatly and Oz awoke with a start. Nita MacNeal Nita backed away from Oz's reaching hand, whiskers twitching in amusement. "But I don't have a watch," she protested, although she doubted the guy was lucid enough to understand just yet. She squeaked and hopped backwards when the woodpile shifted precariously, threatening to dump the gorilla-man. "Woah, there, you okay?" Nita asked. She stood on tip-toe with her tail sticking out behind her for balance. Osbourne Caldwell After much comical flailing and attempts to get some kind of balance, Oz finally stood up straight, panting a little from the shock. He didn't acknowledge Nita's presence at first, looking about in that typical morning daze. The amount of light was his first surprise, considering it was pitch black when he mounted his post. He finally turned to face Nita properly, greeted by a big ball of fluff and very pretty eyes. "Uuuhhh..." he blinked away some more sleep. "What...time is it?" he asked sheepishly, already knowing the answer. Nita MacNeal Nita looked up (way up) at Oz, then glanced at the sky. "Ah, like I said, I don't have a watch, but it's probably around 6:30 AM," she replied. She poked at the woodpile for a moment and decided it was steady enough to sit on. After all, it had held the much larger man quite well until he'd started flailing about. As Nita had no such plans, she clambered up easily. At least she wouldn't have to crane her neck so much! Osbourne Caldwell Oz had been oblivious to Nita's presence until this point, so he'd missed her previous comment about not having a watch. His face wrinkled into a grimace and he rubbed the back of his thick neck sheepishly. "Oh bugger...I fell asleep," he chastised himself lightly, most likley expecting a backlash from Billy or Gaius later should anything be missing. ...oh crap! Oz walked a short way from Nita to just survey the work site and make sure things were okay. Nothing had been done to the site, no tools or materials were missing...and nothing about his person seemed peculiar. He was in one piece at least. He returned to the fluffy cutie with a relieved smile on his lumpy face. "Keep this between you and me?" he asked her, pleading with a cheeky grin. She seemed vaguely familiar...but he couldn't pinpoint where from just yet. Nita MacNeal "I noticed," Nita murmured, watching Oz as he wandered off. She thought she'd be kind and not mention that he had been sucking his thumb. She grinned at him when he returned, kicking her heels lightly against the wood. "Sure thing. I take it you're playing guard?" Nita glanced around, reaffirming that nothing seemed amiss. "I see you guys got your stuff back. I was here with Gaius when he found out everything got taken," Nita explained. " Damn was he pissed!" Her grin widened. "Anyway, I won't tell him." Osbourne Caldwell "Hehe, yeah. Personal request from Billy. I made such a balls-up a few weeks ago that I thought I'd try hard to be a good...wait a minute...stuff went missing?" he began, eyes already looking a bit brighter as he started to wake up. Nita's casual comment kind of took him off guard. "Who'd want to take construction stuff anyway?" Nita MacNeal Nita's brows rose in surprise. "Oh! I figured that's why you were guarding the place. Um, a couple weeks ago, Dr. Duvert took all the supplies. Left a note for Gaius saying so." She shrugged. "That's actually why I came by; to see if Gaius were around, and if he'd managed to get anything back." Osbourne Caldwell Oz was oblivous as always. Althought now that he thought about it, if Billy had known what had happened, that would give him cause enough to seek out a guard. He'd never actually elaborated on why a guard was necessary, and Oz was just eager to get back to working. "I didn't know...I've kind of been avoiding this place lately," he replied, his tone a little more subdued. "But its all back now, I've been using stuff at night without any problems." It bugged him that he knew Dr Duvert as the man who had greeted him when first arriving here, and had now become the subject of his vandalism. Until now, he'd only had suspcions and snatched whispers from Sayuri about Dr Duverts involvement in the Island. This just confirmed it, and now Oz had a name to his tormentor...and victim. "I haven't seen Gaius yet though, I'm sure he'll be around any time this morning," he offered with a smile, shelving his thoughts until later. Nita MacNeal "Ah... I didn't really get the full story, but Gaius said something about having a fight with Zach. Apparently they've had run-ins before." Nita grimaced. "And Zach is like, Duvert's little pet or something." She shrugged, kicking her heels again in an unsteady rhythm. "Um," she began rather suddenly, "This is kind of silly, but have I met you before? I mean, you seem kind of familiar, but..." Nita's voice trailed off. No reason to explain how much people changed around here. "I'm Nita." Osbourne Caldwell "Zach? Which one is he then?" he asked, again quite unaware that he'd already met the notorious dragon in a name-less exchange of Christmas blues. It disturbed him to think of an Islander being a 'pet' to the aforementioned evil bugger that was Dr Duvert. Had they gone so far as to literally turn them in a pet animal, like a dog or cat? Must be awful losing all humanity like that...it didn't bear thinking about. Oz gave a slight shudder. "You know, I had the same feeling," he chuckled. "My name's Osbourne, but its Oz for short. A pleasure Nita." He gave a gentleman-like bow that looked a bit corny really, but his intentions were sweet all the same. He gave a big yawn and a stretch. "I don't think I saw you at Christmas...since I was a miserable git and avoided everyone," he laughed. "Maybe Halloween...?" Nita MacNeal "Zach's the red dragon guy. Tends to be kind of a jerk?" Well, that was one way of describing him. Nita stared at Oz as she started to remember where she'd met this guy before. "I was at Halloween," she said carefully. The party itself had been fine, but that delightful trip through the jungle afterwards had been distinctly less fun. Thinking that Annie was attacking, the graveyard... "Wait," Nita said, seizing on another memory. "A couple weeks after Halloween, did you happen to be at a game of Truth or Dare on the beach?" Osbourne Caldwell Zach's the red dragon guyWhat the hell... the guy on the crutches he'd seen at Christmas? All of a sudden, some of Zach's rather cryptic comments made a lot more sense, and some of them just made Oz's head hurt even worse. But...a pet? Damn, that was a pretty nasty pet! The look of shock and slight fear graced his face only briefly as he shelved that snippet of information for greater rumination later too. His mind was far too groggy now to fully comprehend things. It was struggling with Nita's familiarity as it was! "Oh the bonfire party thing...? Yeah, I was there. The highlight of that evening was some tiger singing to 'I'm a little teapot' and me making an a** of myself..." he trailed off as Nita's distinctive red hair and fur colouring flashed across his memory. OH s**t!"Oh god I am SO sorry! I never would have pointed at you if I'd have known you were...umm..yeah," he said, fumbling for an apology, his mouth suddenly not listening to his brain. Nita MacNeal Nita sat patiently, waiting to see if he would remember-- if he was indeed who she thought. And he was. Thanking her inability to blush, Nita sat fidgeting for a moment before letting herself laugh. Of course, at the time, she had been mortified, but in retrospect, it really was funny. "It's okay! It's okay!" she gasped amidst gales of (slightly hysterical) laughter. "You couldn't have known!" It was true. Nita hardly resembled a stereotypical lesbian, and she had been sitting with Gaius. Anyone who didn't know about her relationship with Lauren could easily have made the same assumption. She still felt more than a little guilty about that, but it was hardly Oz's fault. Actually, as she recalled, it was Thom's fault for 'outing' her! Osbourne Caldwell Nita's lack of any kind of reprieve or harsh comeback was a relief. In hindsight, the situation itself had been funny, and Oz needn't really have apologised for that. But it was the chain reaction immediately afterwards that had made his gut wrench on that night. Poor Gaius. It really wasn't any of his business to ask about what happened after that, since he barely knew either of them when it happened. He was curious, but at least he had made his peace now. "Umm...yeah...that night was bloody awkward from my point of view, still a 'normie' then," he said that puppy-dog look on his face. "Nevermind, eh? First impressions never count anyways." Oz was blissfully unaware of what took place after he had left. Nita MacNeal Nita worked to regain her composure, knowing that if she kept laughing like that she would probably end up crying. "Yeah well," she said, taking a few deep breaths. "We were all there at some point, you know." Nita shrugged; it was still difficult to come to terms with her appearance and how much she knew she had changed otherwise. Perhaps moreso now that she had no further transformations to look forward to or dread. "Eh, it was an interesting night all around," she said. Nita couldn't recall if Oz had still been around when Annie had attacked, but she had no real desire to examine those memories anyway. "So, ah, I'll just say it's nice to meet your acquaintance, under the circumstances." The red panda girl grinned and stuck out one paw. Osbourne Caldwell At least Nita seemed a little more understanding about this whole mess of a life. He didn't want to delve into any thoughts or possible queries about her time here or how she started out. Oz just seemed glad to have found someone who didn't look at his unchanged, or barely changed, status with ridicule, like Billy had done. "The pleasure is all mine," he smiled warmly at her, grasping her paw maybe a little too firmly than he should have. He was still unable to gauge his strength properly. "So have you been helping with any of the construction? Or are you gonna be a performer?" Nita MacNeal Nita returned the gesture, surreptitiously rubbing her right hand afterwards. Oz definitely had a firm handshake! She shifted her weight slightly to get a bit more comfortable. "Well, I didn't really know what was going on until the day I came by with Gaius and everything was gone. And then I changed..." She shrugged her plump shoulders with chagrin. "It left me pretty damn sore for a long time, plus I actually got shorter. So I dunno how much use I'd be around here. "I'm not really a performer at all. I sing, but I get terrible stage fright." Osbourne Caldwell Oz forced himself to ignore Nita as she rubbed her hand, scolding himself again. He'd have to be more careful, this was exactly what he was fearful of doing to the others. He kept his hands behind him for the remainder of the conversation. In fact, he actually settled himself on the floor, looking up a little to Nita. His back just wasn't comfy in any position - standing or sitting. "Ah," he said. "Well, I hadn't done much good here until my change put me out of action. Its a bit rotten that the labs would steal supplies though." An odd, short growl escaped Oz, much to his embarrassment. "Oh you know the trick for that don't you? Picture everyone naked...although on an Island full of animal people...it might not work," he said with an awkward chuckle. "And you're a step ahead of me. I can't really do anything. My brother is the actor in the family." Nita MacNeal It was actually a bit of a relief not to have to look up, even though they had been more even since Nita had climbed onto the woodpile. So many of her friends were tall, Nita had noticed, and some of them had become even taller from their changes; Oz was apparently one of them. "Yeah, it's like what I told Gaius. That's what they do here: mess with people." The girl shook her head, vaguely wondering if the labs were paying attention to what she'd been saying lately. Nita hadn't exactly been discreet about her increasing mistrust. She snickered. "Considering the people who already go around naked? Yeah, might not work so well." Nita glanced down at herself-- she probably could go naked without anything crucial showing. "I took voice lessons in high school, and I was in a lot of choirs over the years. Nothing major, though, and I was rarely a soloist. My brother did community theatre stuff for a while. He's a lot more out-going than I am." Osbourne Caldwell Now this is where Oz might not agree with Nita. Aside from the labs being vindictive enough to show poor Sayuri about his escapades with the Antony, they ahd yet to do anything to him that he would call 'cruel' or 'torture'. Even after destroying some of their property, they didn't lift a finger. This was incredibly dangerous for Oz, who had a growing sense of invulnerability...despite the things that had happened to others. "Oh I don't know...they didn't do anything to me when I took out their cameras," he said, a smug grin creeping onto his face and a slight bragging tone slipping into his voice. Oz examined the tattered shreds of a pair of jeans that no longer fit, painfully aware of how tight they were and how close he came to splitting them completely. "Ugh...I may have to request a friggin loincloth if I'm not furry enough to go commando," he laughed, no stranger to full-frontal nudity but certainly one to avoid it if he could. He looked up at Nita and actually took the time to really look at her this time. He couldn't identify what she was, but you'd have to be David Attenborough to do that on this Island! But she was cute. Very fluffy and quite 'chunky' but he attributed that to the fluffyness. "Oh my brother got as far as the film industry, but really, in all honesty, he was way too hammy for film. He stayed in the West End mostly after that." Nita MacNeal Nita, of course, had seen quite enough over the months. She sat up a little straighter. "You did what?" she asked, her voice a shocked whisper. "Holy crap, did you really? Where? Did they get replaced right away?" Nita shook her head slowly, frankly surprised that Oz hadn't been punished. Tugging rather self-consciously at her scrubs, the girl made a concerted effort not to look Oz up and down. "A loincloth or just some really big pants." Nita grinned, wrinkling her nose. "I'm still waiting for my new stuff to arrive." Osbourne Caldwell Oz's grin grew even wider as he felt his ego swell. That one act of vandalism could bring him his own brand of infamy on the Island. And if his plotted stage 2 worked, maybe even bring him closer to being a major pain in the arse for the labs. One they would regret ever bringing here. "Just some of the ones in the main parts of the village. I felt this god-awful pain in my neck about half-way through and blacked out," he said, instinctively rubbing his thick neck as he recalled the sensation. "They replaced the ones in my duplex and the high-tower ones practically overnight. But I've been keeping an eye out for maintenance teams to fix the smaller ones." Oz suddenly turned a little dark in his plottings, waiting for people who were still people, with obvious intent to cause more harm. "Heehe, I dunno if they'd make pants in extra extra extra large," he joked, a deeper part of him fearing just how much more weight he was going to put on. He had to admire Nita's look though. Even if she found them distasteful, the scrubs just seemed to aid her cuteness. Oz rubbed his chin in thought. "I dunno, the scrubs look is cute." Nita MacNeal "Ahh, the joys of being buzzed," Nita intoned dryly. Even though most of the cameras had been replaced promptly, it was heartening to know that some were still dysfunctional. The cameras, knowing that she was always under scrutiny, had always been something Nita couldn't easily forget. She had always valued her privacy and it took a lot of work to ignore the cameras. "Well, whatever they're bringing in for me would have pretty weird proportions. I wore a size 3 when I got here, and now..." She shrugged. "Not to mention I actually got shorter," Nita complained, indicating the pant legs which had been severely folded up at the ends. 'Cute' they might be, but Nita missed her typical jeans and t-shirts. Osbourne Caldwell "Being buzzed?" he asked, his odd hand returning to his neck once more. The term might be well-known by most of the Islanders, but for one such as Oz, who had only been told about the chips once in his time here, it was foreign jargon. He hadn't thought about what the chips were actually FOR. Maybe just information, like a serial number, age, weight, that kind of thing. Like a digital personal file. But if they had the ability to be remotely activated and shock people...it was another major part of the Island's dark purpose that Oz failed to comprehend without rage bubbling around in his gut. Nita MacNeal "Yeah, we've all got chips in our necks that monitor us. And they can buzz us unconscious if we do something dangerous. I dunno what all they're for, exactly, but that's the gist of it," Nita explained. Except for Annie. She was unchipped, and the labs hadn't been able to keep her from being dangerous. Nita bit her lip, internally debating whether or not she should continue. Even thinking about Annie was usually enough to upset her... Osbourne Caldwell Oz was looking more and more disturbed by these new pieces of information. His hand rubbed nervously about his neck and then his shoulders, and rather than the outrage he'd felt at being monitored by cameras, Oz was filled with a fear and deep sense that he wasn't dealing with normal people. These were sick, twisted control freaks. "Can...can they be taken out?" he asked honestly, suddenly using his fingers to maybe probe for a physical trace of the chip. Nita MacNeal Nita hesitated, fingering the heart-shaped pendant she wore around her neck. "Technically...," she began quietly, "Yes. I saw it happen once." Nita licked her lips nervously. "I don't know if you've heard about Annie, but she used to live in the village. She and her best friend Fiona were brought here together... They were friends of mine. "Annie... Annie went crazy during a change. She tore the chip out of her neck, and attacked Fee. Ripped out her throat." The blood drained from Nita's face as she spoke, her voice low and steady. Her hands shook slightly. Osbourne Caldwell The name didn't strike a bell, but an awful feeling in his gut told him that he already knew about Annie, albeit the least amount of information. If Nita had lost colour, Oz was practically ashen. "...Annie? Is she a wolf by any chance?" he asked slowly and carefully, trying to piece the only two parts of the puzzle he had together. From Antony, it was a 'crazy feral wolf who lived in the jungle', and from Nita it was a name and a cause. As elated as he could be at finding out the chips could be removed, it was shadowed by the fact a change had made her crazy. Crazy enough to attack her best friend. Nita MacNeal Nita swallowed convulsively, staring into space. She answered with a quick jerky nod. "Wolf. The graves at Halloween... Fiona." The red panda girl didn't remember if Oz had gone on that midnight excursion, but it hardly mattered. She had been there. Osbourne Caldwell The graves at HalloweenAnother bombshell. Why did all the cute ones come with so much baggage? This was probably the worst time to say that he actually thought the graves were fake and just part of the whole Halloween party. But if they were real...had the dripping bags of...whatever...been real also? Oz went numb inside rather suddenly. He just couldn't process all this at once and still be rational. "Ah s**t! And the tossers up in the labs did nothing? Is it still on the loose?" his questions were like an assault on poor Nita, especially as his temper began to flare. Nita MacNeal Nita shrugged, hardly aware of his frantic questioning. She was too caught up in her memories to do much more than reply in a rather unnerving, emotionless voice. "They tried to buzz her, but the chip was out. Can't track her without it." Blinking slowly, a few tears crept down her furry cheek. "I think she's still out there... Haven't been in the jungle to check." Osbourne Caldwell "Oh bugger..." he growled into his hands as he slouched. His breathing was fast and his face wrinkled in anger, a low growl constantly rumbling around his ribcage. For a short while, he was wrapped up in his own concerns, his own worries, his own fears and angers. "I don't blame ya," he replied, quite easily relating to Nita's fear of the jungle now. But this is when he saw how shaken she looked. Her rather emotionless voice would be lost to Oz for a while longer, since he wasn't good at this. He looked at her curiously, trying to recall the details of what she'd said about Annie. Was she a friend of the now crazy feral? She'd seen it happen. "I'm sorry," he apologised for everything really. Anything he had said, anything he hadn't said, and anything he might say soon. Nita MacNeal Nita pulled her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. After a few minutes of nearly silent crying, only marked by the occasional tear or ragged breath, she seemed to come back to herself. She breathed slowly and deeply, wiping her face on her sleeves. "'S not your fault," she mumbled. "You didn't know." Osbourne Caldwell In a moment far removed from this terrible place, from the terrible information he'd just learned, and from his terrible fate, all he saw was Nita crying. Oz shuffled a little bit closer to Nita, resting his head on a plank of wood. "Need a hug? I give good hugs, if you can get past the stale wood smell..." he offered with a gentle smile. He had to quiet so many screams of terror, fear, anger, and other kindred emotions just so he could see Nita as she was and offer a hug. Nita MacNeal Nita sniffed and nodded slightly, letting go of her knees. She leaned to the side and rested against Oz's shoulder for just a minute. If she stayed too long, she'd just fall apart more from the sympathy. "Thanks," she said softly, pulling away from the much larger man. "I try not to think about it too much, you know? But it's not something I can, or should, ever forget." Osbourne Caldwell Oz was a soppy bugger when he wasn't drunk or competing. He had always been the big shoulder to cry on for his little sister, so it hadn't taken long for the sight of Nita's plight to bring those 'big brother' instincts flooding back in. Not wishing to encroach too much on her personal space, he just wrapped an arm about her lightly, more for reassurance than anything. At Nita's first sign of being ready to move away, his arm moved instantly. "Its...certainly something I wish...I'd known sooner," he half-smiled, those previous fears starting to creep in again and tieing knots in his intestines. He'd already ventured into the jungle a few times, unarmed and often alone. It made him cringe to think of those times possibly ending in blood. "But I'll bet you're a tough cookie really." Nita MacNeal Nita had always hated crying in public: her face always got red and splotchy, her nose ran, her eyes puffed up and got bloodshot, and she'd once been asked if, after a crying fit, she were actually stoned. But covered in fur as she now was, she probably looked relatively normal. At least, as normal as one can look after being turned into a red panda. Nita forced herself to calm down; as it was she'd feel shaky for hours afterwards. "I guess they don't want us to panic," she said quietly. "Although panicking would probably be an acceptable response." A tiny smile tugged at her lips. "Tough cookie," Nita repeated. "That's a phrase I haven't heard in forever." Osbourne Caldwell "Yeah...screaming like a girl works too," he chuckled lightly. Oz stood up and brushed the dirt from his bottom and his tattered jeans, then offering a hand to Nita to help her up. "Well, since its morning, fancy some breakfast?" he asked fairly cheerfully, although maybe it was a little obvious that he wanted to be somewhere inside. Nita MacNeal Nita laughed in spite of herself. Accepting Oz's hand, she hopped down from the woodpile. She busied herself with cleaning off her own pants, although they could certainly have used a wash before. Only then realizing how light it had become, Nita nodded. "Sure, I could use some breakfast." Osbourne Caldwell "Same here," he replied, his stomach answering with a grumble of hunger before he could get another word in. Looking quite the odd pair (tall meets tiny) Oz escorted Nita to the cafeteria, discussing along the way all the pitfalls and high-rises of being an animal. Oz just couldn't help occasionally glancing a wary eye to the jungle, or to the shadows behind a duplex, or to any noise that reached his shrinking ears. He half-expected bloodshot eyes to be staring right back.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Feb 15, 2007 4:20 pm
RP: Rachel's change-- on the beach Rachel Collison Rachel walked along the sandy beach in the early morning hours. The sky was just beginning to grow light from the approaching sunrise. She had woken up a while ago, feeling inexplicably restless and uneasy. Not able to fall back asleep, Rachel decided to go for a walk on the beach, hoping the movement and early morning air would help to relieve whatever was keeping her awake. As she walked, she also seemed to notice her throat becoming increasingly scratchy and sore. Rachel intially passed it off as having not had enough liquids the evening before, and planned to drink a bottle of water as soon as she got back to her room. She might have thought differently if she had noticed the telltale needlemark on her arm.... Nita MacNeal Nita was out on another of her early morning rambles, having left Lauren and Comet snoozing comfortably in a pile of long limbs. Her new clothing had finally arrived, so Nita was working on breaking in a new pair of jeans. She padded along the beach with her pant legs rolled up just below the knee, lost in thought. Or rather, the lack of thought. Being outside, away from the village, away from other people, her mind was free to wander aimlessly. A decidedly round figure approached from the opposite direction. Nita sighed, not particularly wanting any social interaction. However, there was something vaguely familiar; she raised a hand in a casual greeting. Rachel Collison As Rachel wandered further down the beach, she spied a figure ahead on the beach. She was slightly surprised to see someone else around this early, but knew enough from her time here, that some of the islanders kept odd hours, depending on their serum. Rachel did not immediately recognize Nita, as the Red Panda girl had changed since Rachel had met her, but there was defintely something familiar about her. When she raised a hand in greeting, the Orca girl waved back, trying to figure out where she knew Nita from as they drew closer to each other. "Morning," Rachel said, finding her voice slightly raspy and her throat even more sore than she had thought it was moments before. In fact, her entire chin area seemed to be growing increasingly painful. She rubbed the area gently, finding it tender, and grimaced. "Sorry for my voice," she said apologetically. "I must be getting sick or something." Nita MacNeal Nita figured she might as well pause- at least to be polite. "Morning," she nodded back, fiddling with her necklace. The girl did seem familiar, although she sincerely hoped that her shape was serum-induced. "Sorry you're not feeling well," Nita replied. "You can probably get throat drops or something from the cafeteria lady, though." She was surreptitiously looking Rachel up and down, trying to remember if they'd met before. Rachel Collison Rachel studied Nita as well, knowing that she'd met her before, now that she'd seen her closer. She racked her brain, trying to remember where. Her memory held a somewhat different image of the girl, which told Rachel that she had changed since their last meeting....and then it suddenly clicked. "Thanks. You're...er...Nita, right?" she said, tenatively, even though she was pretty sure that she had gotten the right name for the girl. Something told her that Nita didn't quite recognize her, but Rachel couldn't blame her. She knew her serum had changed her looks tremendously. "I'm Rachel," she offered, hoping that with the name, the Red Panda girl would remember her. She gently rubbed her chin and throat area again, finding the area increasingly painful. It seemed swollen to her all of the sudden as well. Was it her tonsils? She didn't notice the rest her body expanding quite yet, as the oversized dress she was wearing had been rather roomy, but it was possible that Nita would notice if she had been looking carefully. Nita MacNeal "Yup, that's me," Nita said. It took her a moment for Rachel's name to click in her mind. That painfully thin teenager... was a far cry from the girl standing with her now. Her eyes widened and her jaw nearly dropped in spite of her best efforts not to show surprise. " Rachel?" she repeated. "Oh my god, I'm so sorry. I didn't even recognize you..." Nita was practically babbling. Forcing herself to shut up, Nita clapped her paws over her mouth. What tact? And as embarrassed as she was for her outburst, Rachel probably felt worse. Great going, Neets!Rachel Collison "Heh, yeah...I've er...found out what my serum is," she said, looking almost sheepish and blushing. People who were able to do a before and after comparison of her body, made Rachel more self concious about her changes. At least people sha hadn't met before had no idea what the difference was. Seeing the shock on people's faces was a painful reminder of what she had lost. Rachel wiggled uncomfortably, suddenly finding the dress she was wearing tighter than she had remembered. The hand that went back to her neck as she spoke, her voice irritating the area, found it even more swollen and painful than before. What was going on? Maybe it was an allerigic reaction to something? She had heard of people puffing up and having irritated throat areas from allergies before, though this was worse than she had ever imagined that being. Nita MacNeal Nita scrubbed at her face, recovering from her gaffe. "Seriously, I didn't mean it like that," she mumbled. Wondering for a moment how many people even remembered how she'd looked as a full human, Nita's curiosity got the best of her. "Yeah? What is it?" Nita asked. She eyed Rachel matter-of-factly, only then noticing that the girl seemed to be swelling up a bit. "Wait, are you okay?" Nita's brows furrowed into a worried expression. Rachel Collison "It's ok...I know I'm a shock to look at," Rachel said in response to Nita's psuedo apology, trying to shrug it off, before answering Nita's question. "They're turning me into an Orca...a Killer Whale..." she said before grimacing as the dress grew even more uncomfortably tight. What was going on? "I'm not s- AH!" Rachel cried out, gasping mid sentence as her back suddenly burst painfully, a sharp protrusion appeared, the final thing needed for Rachel's clothes to split apart, right down her back. She fell to her knees as the pain spread across her back and down, two "fins" starting to poke their way out from her sides and her tail growing in size and length. The large thick tail thrashed up and down, an obvious outward expression of the pain she was in. Nita MacNeal A whale? Jesus Christ, what a thing to do to an anorexic! Nita winced and shook her head. "Ah-" she began, just as Rachel collapsed in front of her. "Oh s**t," she muttered, falling to her knees in the sand beside Rachel. "s**t, s**t, s**t." Rachel Collison Rachel closed her eyes, moaning in agony as the changes (for she had figured out what was going on by this point) continued. This change was ending up being considerably more painful than last time, when she had mostly gained body mass. She wrapped her arms around herself for comfort, only to find them shrinking rapidly, bone grating on bone as they rearranged themselves to fit the smaller form. She could feel her ears repositioning themselves, moving downward on her head, as her body continued to swell with added mass. The now exposed skin on her growing tail started to take on the black and white coloring of the Orca she was becoming. "It's already....time...? I'm only just...getting used...to how I looked...AHHHHH" Rachel said through gritted teeth, even as the pain in the area around her chin grew to an excruciating level. What thing on a whale could be hurting me on my chin? And so badly? Rachel thought to herself. Nita MacNeal Rachel's changes looked painful, but they all were. As far as Nita could tell, nothing was really out of the ordinary (ha), as far as these things go. She herself had gained mass during her last two transformations, although obviously not nearly as much as Rachel had. She knelt wretchedly in the sand, unsure if she could help, or if Rachel would even want assistance from a near-stranger. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Nita mumbled over and over. They were too far away from the village to get Rachel back to her duplex, or for Nita to run and get help. Rachel Collison Rachel made an effort to smile at Nita, for at least trying to be supportive, but the smile ended up looking more like a lop-sided grimace instead. The pain in Rachel's back, tail and arms lessened, as those changes began to finish, leaving the areas with a kind of dull throbbing. A not necessarily painful, but strange, sensation spread across Rachel's chest and between her legs as her outward human signs of being female began to diminish, most notably, her nipples all but disappearing and her breasts decreasing in size. To her surprise, despite the fact the rest of her body seemed to have finished changing, Rachel found the skin around her chin, continuing to swell and stretch the skin in a most painful manner, while the teeth in her mouth began to change becoming more pointed and suited for consuming meat. The change in her mouth and teeth forced her to release the tension in her jaw, as she was afraid of puncturing her gums with her sharper teeth. "I don't...get it..." Rachel said, taking gasping breaths. "Why do my neck...and chin...hurt...so badly?" Nita MacNeal Nita tried not to stare, since Rachel was completely naked, but it was hard to look away. After a while, the changes seemed to be complete: Rachel was looking remarkably whale-like. She bit her lip and rested one hand tentatively on Rachel's massive arm. "Are you alright? I mean, it looks like you've stopped... you know." Nita shook her head, at a loss as to why her neck, of all things, would be hurting. Rachel Collison No sooner had Nita finished speaking than the skin at the area in question began to spilt apart, drawing a pained and frightened shriek from Rachel. Less than a minute later, a second mouth, considerably larger than her "real" one was revealed. It was complete with the sharp pointed teeth and a tounge. When it was done being exposed, Rachel's changes were finally over. She sat there for quite some time, in a state of complete shock. She attempted to speak, but couldn't manage to make herself say anything. What did one say when they've grown an entire second set of jaws? After a while, Rachel raised a trembling, shrunken hand to the new mouth as if trying to confirm that this was no dream. Nita MacNeal Nita's first thought was that Rachel's throat was being slit and she was going to be beheaded. The reality was almost as gruesome, and somehow more unexpected. Nita covered her mouth, feeling vaguely ill as that gaping slit became a second mouth. Huge, gruesome, and full of teeth. "Oh. My. God," she mumbled; her words were mostly unintelligible from her hands being in the way, but the sentiment was clear. "Um. Well." Nita's legs gave out and she sat back, hard, in the sand. Rachel Collison Rachel looked past her trembling hands to Nita, her horror-striken face and falling over giving no illusion as to what the Red Panda girl thought about her changes. Seeing someone else react that way to her changes made it that much worse for Rachel. She sat there for several long minutes, staring at Nita, before attempting to speak again. "Wh- what happened...to me?" she managed to say. Speaking felt very strange as air ran through the other mouth as well, causing a very breathy sound to come out of it. She knew she should feel like crying or screaming, or something. All she felt was numbness, however, except for the lingering throbbing pain from her changes. Nita MacNeal Nita had seen Cassidy lose her arms all-together. She had seen Billy change, and been squirted with ink. She had watched while Lauren's legs and feet stretched, longer and longer. But that was just how 'their' animals looked and worked. Orcas did not have two mouths. Something was very, very wrong. "You have another mouth," Nita replied, her voice oddly calm. She blinked a few times, as if that could clear her vision, make that oversized maw disappear. Rachel Collison "But....why?...How?" Rachel asked, as her knowledge was confirmed, and as if Nita could give her the sought after answers. Her voice carried a hint of panic as it sunk in and became less of a dream she could wish away or wake up from. No one else she had seen had ended up a freak...or more of a freak. What was wrong? Nita MacNeal Nita could only shake her head slowly. "I've got no ******** clue. Jesus Christ." The phrase 'That's just not normal' seemed to be lurking just behind her lips, but that wouldn't help at all. None of this was 'normal.' "Look, can you walk? We should get you back to your duplex... And uh, call the labs, I guess." Rachel Collison "I...don't know." Rachel tried to ignore the breathy sound and strange sensations that came from the other mouth as she spoke. At least she wasn't dead? She used her smaller arms the best she could, to try and push herself off the ground. Rachel tenetively stood in place for a moment determining whether she could support herself. Her hands were still shaking, but she seemed about to support herself and took a few small steps without any mishaps. "I...think I can make it back to my room," Rachel said nodding, though her voice sounded slightly unsure. It was kind of a long ways, but she would try. She had to. "What will the labs do, do you think?" she asked Nita as she took a few more slow steps towards the village. Nita MacNeal Nita got to her feet, wondering what the hell she would do if Rachel couldn't get herself up. Fortunately, the girl seemed to be alright, even if she was a bit wobbly. Nita didn't blame her. "Good, good," she said, encouraging her. "I'll walk with you, make sure you get in okay." The trip was painstakingly slow, but the two girls made progress. "They'll probably take you in, see if they can figure out what went wr-- Er, see if they can fix it," Nita amended. Rachel Collison "I hate doctors," Rachel muttered. "But...if I don't go get some help...I wonder what will happen to me." She knew she didn't have a choice about going to see the people in the labs about her change. It was nice to wish that it could be fixed without going in there, though. "I...hope they don't keep me for very long...." Rachel said the statement evenly, but if Nita were listening closely, she might have heard a hint of fear in the whale girl's voice, that was associated with her last long-term stay at the hospital. Nita MacNeal Nita bit her lip and reached up to pat Rachel's arm again. "I don't like doctors either. But in this case, I think they'll be your best bet..." Because they did this to you.It had been several years since Nita's extended hospital visit, but the memories were still clear in her mind. Especially when, at times like this, she was forcefully reminded that she was, ultimately, a medical experiment. As they approached the outskirts of the village, Nita let Rachel take the lead, not knowing which duplex was hers. [Duplex 76] Rachel Collison "Yeah...I know..." Rachel led Nita towards her duplex, unaware that the islander whom she had arrived with and who happened to be her downstairs neighbor had suffered a similar fate. She looked at the stairs that led to her duplex, uncertainly. Would they hold her weight ok? Tenetively Rachel put her weight on the first step. It creaked slightly but didn't seem to have trouble managing the girl's added weight. Breathing a sigh of relief, she turned to Nita. "Thank you...I'm...not quite sure what I would have done if I had been alone out there. Did...you want to come up?" Despite her usual wish to be alone, Rachel didn't really want to be without company at the moment. She was still shaken by what had happened to her, and calls to the labs were never fun. Nita MacNeal Nita hesitated at the bottom of the stairs, momentarily alarmed by the rather ominous creaking. But they held up just fine; Nita exhaled. "I can if you want," she replied. "It's not like I've got any major plans..." Nita glanced over her shoulder at the rising sun, still sitting low on the horizon. "If you don't mind the company, of course." That left it up to Rachel, if she wanted company or not. And in spite of herself, Nita wanted to know what the hell had gone wrong. Focusing on someone else's problems would also keep her from thinking about her own- for a little while. Rachel Collison "I don't really think I want to be alone now, plus I really don't like calling the labs and support would be nice. I don't even know where to begin really, as far as asking them questions about this..." said Rachel. "So, if you don't mind, it would be nice..." she offered a hopeful smile automatically, before almost immediately wiping it from her face. She belatedly realized that it must look rather grotesque, or very akward at the least, with her new features. "Come on up if you want," Rachel said as a kind of final statement before starting to head the rest of the way up the stairs, hoping Nita would follow her. Nita MacNeal Nita understood perfectly. She had only needed to contact the labs directly on a couple of occasions, and it had been nerve-wracking. "Sure, I'll keep you company," she said. "Moral support and all that." She nodded, suppressing any outward surprise/disgust at the way Rachel's new mouth moved. Following Rachel into her duplex, Nita glanced around. Unsurprisingly, it looked pretty much like every other duplex she'd been. It was like those stupid housing developments, where everything was cookie-cutter identical. Rachel Collison "Would you like to sit down?" Rachel asked, indicating one of the chairs in the room, before sitting down on the bed, herself. The bed creaked badly under her new weight, and Rachel quickly got to her feet again, afraid the bed would collapse. "Great..." she said, clearly frustrated. With a sigh, she instead sat on the floor, and pulled the blankets off the bed, to use as a way of covering herself. Now that the initial show was wearing off, Rachel was becoming more embarassed by her nudity, even though there was almost nothing to show now. Plus, she figured, Nita probably didn't want to look at her naked. "Well, here we go?" she said to Nita, as she reached for the com unit and pressed zero. Nita MacNeal "Thanks," Nita said, settling herself down. She pulled her tail into her lap and stroked it absently. It was somewhat of a comfort. Nita gave Rachel a sympathetic look when she had to sit on the floor. Hopefully, the labs would be able to give her a sturdier bed, or maybe move her into one of the aquatic duplexes like Awen had. "Go for it," she said as the com unit crackled. Robin Fergusson It was a receptionist that answered, mumbling in a disinterested voice, "Feral Labs, how can I connect you?" In the office where the intercom calls came through, the young man on the line keyed in the appropriate buttons to pull up the security footage in the duplex. At the sight of the monstrous form of Rachel, Nita and the whale girl could hear a muffled sort of yelp. What they couldn't see was him waving over the nearby labtechs to take a good look at the hulking form trying to cover itself with a too-small sheet. Rachel Collison "Um...." Rachel was about to ask him to connect her to somebody that could help her, when she heard the sounds from the other end. She frowned knowing he must be spying on her right now and probably found her predicament amusing. "Damn cameras," Rachel muttered under her breath, before continuing, her voice icy. "I would like to talk to someone about my latest change.... please," she said, empasizing the last word, before looking over at Nita, wondering what she thought of the situation. Nita MacNeal Nita just shook her head, thoroughly tempted to raise her middle finger to whoever was on the other end. Yes, yes, Rachel wasn't looking so great. That was kind of the point. "Rude bastards," she muttered under her breath. Robin Fergusson There was a general low muted snickering and the murmur of voices before the intercom crackled and went quiet for some time. Finally, a young woman's voice picked up, sounding harsh and irritable, "Yes? What is it?" Rachel Collison Rachel was relieved when the voices were gone, but the silence on the other end of the line worried her as well. Had they hung up on her? She sat there for some time, shifting her weight, uncomfortably. Shr was about to reach for the com unit and dial again, when a rather unfriendly seeming woman's voice came on the line. The whale-girl looked over at Nita, her expression unsure. Was this someone she wanted to deal with? She fidgeted a few seconds before responding. "Um...I'm Rachel Collison, the girl who was given the Orca serum. There's something wrong with my latest change...." she said cautiously, thinking thst this didn't really sound like someone to make angry. Nita MacNeal Nita nodded encouragingly when the woman finally arrived on the line, giving Rachel a quick thumbs-up. The voice wasn't one she recognized, having only ever spoken to Doctors Moreau, Lockheart, and Duvert. Hopefully, this new woman was high enough up on the totem pole to know what was going on. Robin Fergusson Robin cleared her throat as she shifted in her seat, peering at the monitors as she brought up Rachel's duplex. Something wrong? She'd be the judge of that. "How do you feel? Mentally? Any urges you hadn't had before?" Rachel Collison Rachel blinked. The woman was asking her about her mental state and urges, without even giving her a chance to say what was wrong. She frowned, taking a moment before responding. Maybe the woman's questions were more relevant than she realized? Again, not wanting to make the woman angry, Rachel played along. "Um...well mentally, apart from the...trauma...of the change itself, I'm fine I guess. And no...no...urges..." Nita MacNeal Nita also blinked. Why would the first questions be about urges? For Christ's sake, the girl had a second mouth. But it wasn't her place to say anything. Moral support, she reminded herself. Robin Fergusson "What are you hungry for, generally?" Robin scribbled notes down as she talked, starting to feel better. It seemed that the experimental Tegu experiment had had similar... side effects. But the experiment had been in regards to instinct, right? Not about.... cosmetic matters. Rachel Collison "Umm...." Rachel had to pause and think about that a second. What was she hungry for? She still tried to eat as little as possible, but as far as she knew, the types of food she ate had been normal, at least for her. "The same stuff I'm usually hungry for...I guess," she finally responded shrugging her massive shoulders. Rachel was a bit disturbed by the fact that the woman hadn't even commented on her second mouth. "Excuse me?" she ventured. "But I don't suppose you might be able to tell me why I now have a second mouth....?" Nita MacNeal Rachel's reply was actually a bit of a surprise. Nita herself had been eating bamboo in increasing quantities since her first change. What did orcas eat? Fish, she supposed, and even dolphins? Nita thought she remembered hearing something like that. Orcas were hunters, she knew. But there we go. The real reason for the call. It really was hard to look at. Nita had almost become accustomed to seeing people with bizarre animalistic features (although she still imagined herself as the slim, freckled young woman she had been only a scant year ago). But a second mouth... She waited for the labtech's reply. Robin Fergusson "Really!" Robin seemed pleased, "What about fish? Nothing? Interesting!" She seemed to completely ignore the fact that Rachel had other, more pressing worries than what she would be eating. "I wouldn't worry about that," She added in regards to the mouth, "I'm sure you'll get used to it." How interesting! Despite the deformities, the serum had been a success! She'd work to try to balance things out for the next change, but the direction of the instinctless serum was a very tricky matter. It wasn't important what she looked like, in Robin's mind, merely how she thought. Rachel Collison Rachel wasn't quite sure she had heard correctly. The woman on the other end of the line seemed to show no interest in or concern for Rachel's deformity. She simply asserted that the whale girl would grow used to it. She sat there a long moment before saying anything else. "I...can't believe you're saying I should just...'get used to it!'" she finally responded, anger clearly evident in her voice. Rachel was done playing around and being polite, just to keep whoever was on the other end happy. She had some real problems that were just being brushed aside as if they were nothing. "I have a second mouth!" she repeated, her voice rising in volume and pitch. The sound was made more nasal by her second mouth, which was more noticible in her speech when she was angry. "I don't even know where it came from, if it works, if other strange things are going to be happening to me, aside the fact that you people are turning me into a whale, and you're more concerned about what I had for breakfast!" She finished loudly, her somewhat flattened nostrils flaring slightly. Nita MacNeal Urgh. Nita covered her face with her hands. While she fully understood Rachel's anger, staying calm was more likely to get her more answers. Even if this doctor, whoever she was, seemed a little less than sane. And that was relatively speaking. She leaned over and touched Rachel's shoulder. "Hey," Nita whispered under her breath. "Try to stay as calm as you can. I know it's hard." She glared at the com unit. "Excuse me, but with whom are we speaking right now?" Robin Fergusson "Doctor Fergusson, head of the particular department who are the only ones who have any sort of interest in how you're feeling," She answered with a unsettling amount of enthusiasm, "If it makes you any more comfortable when speaking to me, you may call me Robin." Rachel Collison Rachel was flabbergasted. The so-called "Doctor" on the other end of the line had just completely ignored her. Not a word, not a reaction. It was like she hadn't said anything. All her concerns were apparently meaningless to this person. She looked at Nita. "I'm supposed to stay calm when I'm ignored?" She shook her head and turned her attention back to the offending com unit. "How can you sit there and call yourself a doctor and not say a thing to my concerns! How can you say you care about how I'm feeling and then ignore me when I express it!" Rachel narrowed her brow, more irritated than she could really put words to. "I have some real problems damnit! Don't just pretend like they don't exist. Even if I am turning into an orca, they don't have two mouths! Nothing does!" Nita MacNeal Fergusson, Nita mentally repeated. Moreau, Duvert, Lockheart, Fergusson. And whatserface. Frost.The girl was equally surprised, when Dr. Fergusson completely ignored Rachel's questions. "Okay, now you don't have to stay calm," Nita whispered back. "She's just being damned rude." Robin Fergusson "I can assure you..." there was a pause as though Robin were checking her notes, "Rachel, that so long as mentally, you don't have the sudden urge to leap onto the beach and kill a seal that your serum has functioned perfectly. Now, there is of course the side effects that we hadn't quite considered, but I assure you, it's all part of the learning process." Rachel Collison "That's all you have to say?! How can you say it's functioned properly? Why has no one else had 'side effects'? I', just supposed to sit here and accept being a ginuea pig, in which things have gone wrong, but you're not going to try and fix it?" Rachel shook her head in disbelief and sat there for a long moment in silence. "I...don't get it. How you people can put us through so much...and then be so completely heartless...and expect us to just live with it...." Robin Fergusson Robin laughed outright at that, a calm, normal laugh as though Rachel had simply told a humorous anecdote. "Where do you think you are? Subject number Seventy Seven, I don't really need to call you by name, do I? But I do out of the goodness of my heart to make you feel a little homier." Rachel Collison Rachel was speechless. What had Robin whatsername just said? She was only calling her by her name "out of the goodness of [her] heart"? Until now, Rachel had been unaware of the fact that they each had experiment numbers, but now she knew her own...and was being called by it. Seriously, who let this person work in a place like this? She was starting to give up. Who could win against someone who was so completely heartless? She looked to Nita, at a loss for what to say, her posture slumped. Nita MacNeal Nita sat up straight in her chair. She knew the guards who patrolled the village thought of the islanders as significantly less than human, but the actual labtechs? She wasn't sure what was more disturbing: not acknowledging their humanity.. or actually conducting experiments on humans. She shrugged at Rachel, equally clueless. One could hardly reason with someone like this Dr. Fergusson. Clearing her throat, she ventured, "So, ah, is this... second mouth functional? Do you have any idea if Rachel will end up with more.. surprises?" Robin Fergusson "That's the fun of the experiment I suppose! I'd be more than happy to allow you into my clinic for some one on one testing!" It sounded as though Robin was actually giving her a choice in the matter, "Find out everything directly, or you can figure it out yourself and I can learn from quiet observation. You pick!" Rachel Collison Rachel gave Nita a grateful smile, for asking questions on her behalf. She looked at the com unit as Robin responded, and was slightly surprised at what she had to say. Come in for some testing or just figure things out. While Rachel hated doctors, and now this one in particular, she also didn't want to be left in the dark as to what was going on with her. She had so many questions! Would it get worse? Better? Could they fix it? Did it work? The whale-girl fidgeted as she thought about how to respond. Finally, she thought of a question to ask at least. "What...would the testing involve?" she asked cautiously, gaining control of her voice again. Nita MacNeal "And in the meantime," Nita spoke up, "She'll need some things to keep her comfortable. Like clothing." She glanced at Rachel, giving her a minute shrug. Robin Fergusson "I would run an appropriate level physical and examine the changes, analyze your new capabilities and then send you on your way," She said simply. Yes, she'd look her over, see what sort of side effects had occurred first hand- Let these two play out, she figured, as though trying to talk herself into it, let these two serums finish and then she'd know for sure how to fix it. There was little she could do this way through- it had to have been a hormonal imbalance of some sort. Sure, she could possibly have come up with some sort of additional serum to try to add additional percentage of Orca features to counteract the mutated features the girl was showing now. The problem was, though, that the physical manifestation of the serum had not been the primary goal. She needed to know if this specific concoction worked. Would she keep a completely human mind? That was what she aimed to figure out.
"As for clothes..." In her office, Robin tapped a pencil against her chin thoughtfully, "We'll figure something out eventually, I'm sure." Rachel Collison The simple way Robin put the testing didn't sound so bad to Rachel. At least in comparison to having to wait and figure things out on her own. Rachel digested this information, while the doctor continued, and responded to Nita's questions. The whale girl glanced at the com unit nervously at one of the words in the statement. "Eventually?" she asked. She would need clothes now. Ok Nita had seen her change and seen her naked, but there wasn't going to be anyone else who saw her like that if she could help it. She was going to leave her duplex fairly soon anyways....the change had taken energy and her stomach was starting to let her know it needed something. Hoping Nita and/or Robin hadn't heard that, Rachel cleared her throat and continued. "I...suppose...I can handle the testing," she said, trying not to sound nervous. Even if the testing wasn't bad, Rachel knew it wouldn't be overly enjoyable for her. "And....I don't suppose something could be done about my shower and bed? Neither of them are really...appropriate...for me any more." Robin Fergusson "Something can be arranged," Robin nodded, thinking it through. Perhaps an outdoor sort of thing? Yes, a little fence, perhaps with a shower head just outside. That would do for now. "Yes, we'll be right on it. Should have something for you in a few days. As for the testing," Her tone picked up with eager excitement, "Wonderful! I'll send for you in a few days. A couple weeks at most." She'd squeeze her into their tight schedule somehow. Rachel Collison A couple of weeks? Geeze, I hope it's not that long. I'll have figured it out myself by then, she thought, but kept her mouths shut. She supposed she would be able to figure out how to get things taken care of until the shower/ bed situation was taken care of. Maybe Nita would help her figure things out. "Well...uh, thank you," Rachel said, doing her best to keep her tone civil, despite the fact that the conversation had not been as productive or pleasant as she had hoped. Robin Fergusson "Is that everything?" Robin double checked, already tapping away at her computer to check when she could bring her in and have the proper facilities and clearance from the head honchos first. That meant talking to them. She believed her experiment was a success, but what if they really did put a lot of consideration in the cosmetic effects? That was the tricky part. She could dance her way out of this! No problem. "Good night, Seventy Seven. Forty Three." That said, the intercom went quiet. Rachel Collison Rachel barely had the chance to say "yes," before Robin was bidding the "experiments" goodnight. Frowning, she turned to Nita. "Well that wasn't quite what I expected." Nita MacNeal Nita listened quietly throughout the exchange, giving Rachel the occasional supportive smile. Her cheeks and tail puffed up defensively at Dr. Fergusson's completely dismissive farewell. "Yeah, no kidding," she said, once the intercom had gone quiet. Gnawing on her lower lip thoughtfully, Nita glanced around the room. "Do you have an extra set of sheets in the closet or something?" Rachel Collison Rachel glanced behind her at the closet, before turning back to Nita, shrugging. "I dunno? I can check though. Why?" she asked, as she laborously got to her feet, before walking over to the closet. Nita MacNeal "Well, since Dr. Whatever didn't seem too concerned about getting you clothes, I figure we can jerry-rig something for now. Sheet, cut a hole for your head, and find something to tie it around the waist?" Nita mimed draping a sheet over her body. "I mean, it's not much, but it would keep you covered..." Rachel Collison "If one will do it...." Rachel said, clearly not optomistic that one sheet would cover her new massiveness. She opened the closet and dug around for a little before turning around, another set of sheets in her hands. "Well the people who run things here aren't completely useless," she said only half-joking. Rachel started to pull the top sheet out from the pile and wrap it around herself, finding thatif wrapped around her the long way, so that it would go all the way around, it didn't quite...cover enough below. "I think we'll need both," she said, frowning. "But I can live without a top bedsheet for a little while. I probably can't sleep in the bed as it is..." Nita MacNeal Nita frowned. Damn. A bigger sheet would have worked perfectly. "Or maybe pin the long edges over one shoulder, so the middle of the sheet can hang down more... And then pin the loose side somehow to make a sort of sleeve? Kinda like a toga..." Rachel Collison "If you think you can manage it..." Rachel said shrugging. "I've never been good with these sorts of things..." She moved closer to Nita and handed her the sheet. It left her nude once more and her cheeks colored slightly, but she figured there wasn't a whole lot she could do about it. At least the whole island wasn't seeing her this way.... Nita MacNeal Nita had to stand on tiptoe, but the sheet seemed to fit as she'd described, with just enough fabric left over to tie a little knot. This left the ends under Rachel's left arm hanging open. "Hrm," Nita mumbled, examining her handiwork. "If you've got any safety pins, I can pin it through the knot up here, and then pin down the side... Or even something to use as a sash?" She stepped away from Rachel, looking her up and down to examine her handiwork. The nudity didn't bother her, now that she was focused on solving a problem. Rachel Collison Rachel tried to stand as still as she could while Nita worked. She had to keep from laughing or wiggling a couple of times, as the fabric brushed her in places she was ticklish. When she was done, Rachel walked over to the mirror to see the effect. It really wasn't bad, considering. "Safety pins? Hmm..." Rachel racked her brain, to think whether she had any, but came up empty. "I don't think I have any... but..." she said, an idea coming to her as she moved towards the chest of drawers. All the clothes that used to fit her when she first came on the island lay there, neatly folded. It was a little painful looking at the clothing, thinking of how she used to be, but she forced herself to push the thoughts aside. There was no way she could change how things were. "You can use anything in here, that you think might help. Like this for instance?" she said as she reached into the drawer, pulling out a brightly printed sarong. The fabric would not have been near enough to cover her now, she knew, but maybe it would work as a belt? "Or we can tie a few things together too..." Nita MacNeal "Actually, I think this'll work perfectly," Nita said, wrapping the sarong around Rachel's wide waist. "And if you can find some safety pins, maybe use them to back up that knot on your shoulder." She poked through the dresser drawers, although nothing else really seemed terribly useful. It really was sad, though. None of Nita's old clothing would fit her anymore either, and most of her old stuff was in pretty bad shape. Rachel Collison Rachel tried sucking in a little, to help Nita tie the sarong around her waist. Well at least it would work for now....she knew a more permanent solution was needed, however. She just hoped the labs would follow through with clothes of some kind. "Yeah...maybe I'll ask them for a few safety pins if I don't get some clothing soon...at least I can go out in public for a little bit now..." Her stomach growled again now, reminding her that she had yet to eat since her change. Nita MacNeal "Yeah, at least you're covered," Nita said. "I had to wear a set of scrubs for a couple weeks after I changed, but eventually I got new stuff." She glanced sideways at Rachel at the rather audible intestinal noise. "And you should probably go eat, and then try to get some sleep." Rachel Collison "Yeah...food." Rachel said the word with something akin to regret and sighed. She was getting better about eating more, but she couldn't completely rid herself of the mentality of the anorexic girl who had come here less than four months before. "You're probably right..." she nodded. "And I bet you have things to do today that don't involve me. I don't want to keep you any longer..." Nita MacNeal A yawn tugged at Nita's mouth; the sunshine was fully streaming in the window. "I need to sleep, actually," she explained. "I keep weird hours." She smiled at Rachel as she headed for the door. "But if you ever need to find me, I'm in number 42. You can stop by, or call." Nita waved a paw-like hand at the intercom which had been the bearer of so much... awkwardness. Rachel Collison "Thanks Nita," Rachel said, as the girl let herself out. "I really appriciate you helping me out will all of this. Sleep well." Both her mouths smiled and she gave the Red Panda girl a little wave.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Feb 15, 2007 5:51 pm
Outside Nita's door the day after Valentines is a rather small gift. A little folded piece of paper sits atop a very large black feather on which a bumpy green heart has been painted in wood paint near the tip. The note, when unfolded, reads: 
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Feb 15, 2007 9:05 pm
Nita finally made it home from Rachel's duplex after the sun had come up. Too much to think about... but at least it had served as a distraction. And Nita promised herself she would never, ever, be able to complain about her red panda-pudge. Ever.
She climbed the steps wearily, wanting nothing more than to crawl back into bed. Hopefully Lauren and Comet would still be asleep... A long black feather with a bit of paper attached was caught in the door. Brows raised, Nita retrieved the objects, turning the feather over a couple of times. It was pretty, although Nita had always been wary about touching feathers- pigeons and the like tended to carry disease. This was obviously a gift, however, with the green heart painted on. She opened the accompanying note and nearly dropped the feather. A Valentine's Day gift, from Gaius. It was such a sweet gesture, even if it did turn her thoughts back to her personal dilemmas. Running a fingertip along the edge of the feather, Nita wondered what kind of bird it had come from. Something pretty big...
Hearing the door creak open, Comet raised her head from her paws- she was stretched out across the bed, completely taking over Nita's side. The dog whuffled happily at the sight of one of her mistresses coming home, her tail thumping against the bedspread. Nita held a finger to her lips to keep Comet quiet. Lauren was curled up in a little ball under the blankets; Nita didn't want to wake her.
The red panda girl gave Comet's ears a quick caress, looking around the room for a place to put the feather... preferably somewhat hidden. Guiltily, Nita figured Lauren wouldn't want to know it was more than just a friendly gift. With a sigh, Nita tucked the note and feather into her journal, which was kept discreetly in the drawer of the nightstand.
As she crawled into bed (shoving Comet over in a rather futile attempt to reclaim some room), Nita's last conscious thought was that the feather must have come from Gaius' wings.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Feb 17, 2007 7:21 pm
[RP: Belated Valentine's Day Picnic-- Gone Wrong] Nita MacNeal Nita woke only a few hours after getting into bed that morning. She kept dreaming of feathers and candy hearts, which always turned out to be chocolate-covered insects instead. However, she woke up in a relatively good mood (mostly because she was relieved not to be dreaming any more). But if anything positive could come from them, it was that Nita realized that the previous day had been Valentine's Day, and she really should do something for Lauren. She got up, showered and dressed quickly, then sat on the edge of the bed prodding Lauren's thin shoulder. "Hey," she said. "Guess what?" Lauren Granger Lauren had been in deep slumber and moaned a little, "Noo.... Just a little longer!' She whined out grumpily. Sometimes it wasn't so easy to get the mongoose up. She sort of came back into consciousness, "Uh... whaa?" She mumbled her eyes still closed and cuddled in the blanket. Nita MacNeal Nita leaned over and gave Lauren a quick hug. "It's after noon already! And!" she announced, "Yesterday was Valentine's Day. I was thinking we could go on a picnic or something." Comet sat at the end of the bed, her tail wagging excitedly. OUT! They could all go OUT! Lauren Granger "Valentines Day?" Lauren asked leaning into the hug, "Picnic?" Lauren's tummy grumbled audibly to the thought of food. She sat up and stretched out opening her muzzle in a yawn. Lauren ended her stretch landing on Nita in a hug, "I'm sorry... I totally blanked out on what day it was and... I didn't get you anything." Lauren licked the side of Nita's face and sat up. "A picnic sounds awesome! Let me get dressed." The unclothed mongoose got up from the bed to throw on some clean clothes and clean up a little bit. She wanted a cigarette so bad that her head hurt from it. Damnit, no time to now. Lauren grabbed some headache pills from the medicine cabinet. Maybe she should quit soon, it was getting annoying and she had no idea why she started it up again in the first place. She did slip the pack in her pants pocket in case she found a time to sneak away from Nita. She thought about how stupid it was to hide it from her, how childish she was being. "Ready." Lauren called as she came over to Nita and gave her a quick smooch. Comet interupted with a whine as to say Can I come too?Nita MacNeal Nita caressed Lauren's cheek with a smile. "Yeah, I didn't remember either, but it's okay. Even without presents or whatever, we can just hang out. Talk." The red panda girl brushed a strand of hair out of her face. "I mean, I know I've been kind of distant lately..." She shrugged. "I hardly even know what you've been up to!" While Lauren dressed, Nita found an old blanket in the back of the closet. "I figure we can run by the cafeteria, get some sandwiches or whatever, and find a nice sunny spot. By the lake, maybe?" Nita grinned at Comet, placing her hands on her hips. "What do you think, should we bring her?" she asked Lauren, teasing. "I don't know if any dogs named Comet like going for walks..." Lauren Granger "Maybe we should talk about some things..." Lauren said "I'm not good at this whole relationship thing and yeah..." She seemed a little guilty about distanceing herself as well. She had noticed Nita's distanceing but also had her own reasons as to why she was pulling away. But she thought it COULD still work out now couldn't it? "The lake sounds nice, would be a very pretty place. I just hope we can find a secluded enough spot." In the mean time Nita's teasing had Comet barking and whineing some more as she paced around in circles. Comet found her leash and brought it to Nita's hands and whined some more. Lauren laughed at all of this, "Hrm... I don't think they do at all." She laughed as she joined in. Nita MacNeal "Yeah," Nita agreed softly, her eyes darkening. However, they could still have fun afternoon, and maybe even get some things straightened out. Nita examined the leash carefully. "Hm.... Is this Comet's leash? I dunno... It could belong to some other dog." The whining got louder, causing Nita to burst into giggles. Clipping the leash to the dog's collar, Nita made for the door. "Shall we?" The three of them strolled along the village paths to the cafeteria, Nita and Lauren chatting idly and amusing themselves by watching Comet frolic along at the end of her leash, snapping at insects and generally being a young dog. In front of the building which housed the cafeteria, Nita tied the leash to a tree-branch. She figured the cafeteria lady wouldn't appreciate a dog inside. The two girls went in together to acquire a selection of picnic-like food. Lauren Granger Lauren kind of made a face at Nita binding Comet to the tree, but didn't say anything. She figured she would let Nita run the show, besides they didn't have the time to look after Comet in the cafeteria. She picked out a few of her favorite things and asked the cafeteria lady if she had any wine back here. It didn't make sense to trudge all the way to the beach bar if they could avoid it. She was in luck that the lady had a nice but cheap fruity red left over from stocking some during valentines day. Lauren happily took that bottle and put it with their stuff. It was getting rather cumbersome to carry on it's own so Lauren asked if she had a bag or basket as well and was also in luck with that. The lady had a basket that she kept some of the desserts in from time to time and was happy to lend Lauren the item. Lauren smooched Nita and as they went back to retrieve Comet and had another nice stroll towards the lake. Comet started to bark at a nearby frog as Lauren was reminded of her encounter with Newt. It seems Comet now had a thing against the amphibians. After some searching Lauren found a nice soft spot in the shade of a large tropical tree, "This seems nice." She said to Nita as she sat the basket down. "What do you think?" Nita MacNeal Nita looked pleased at the choice of wine; it would give the afternoon more of a sense of occasion. And it was a nice day, a little warmer than it had been over the past couple of weeks, and not threatening to rain. She was sure to grab a bunch of napkins, disposable plates and flatware. The spot Lauren picked looked just right. "Awesome," Nita told her. "Help me spread out this blanket?" She let Comet run around without her leash while they got everything set up. Nita flopped onto the blanket, making herself comfortable. She picked a sandwich out of the basket and held it up in a sort of toast. "Cheers," she said. Lauren Granger Lauren flopped down as well holding up her own sandwich, "To love, lust, and greeting cards." She said as she bumped her sandwich into Nita's and then started devouring it hungrily. She took out the plastic glasses and looked at the bottle of wine with a frown. "********! I forgot the cork." She said with a frown. Nita MacNeal "Hell yes," Nita laughed, chowing down on her own sandwich. She leaned over to inspect the wine bottle. "Crap. Screw-top wine is so much easier!" Scratching at the cork with one claw, Nita wondered if that would be at all effective. She inserted her claw into the cork and gave an experimental tug. "Ow," she muttered. "Okay, that was a bad idea." Pulling a couple cans of soda out of the basket, Nita shrugged. "Well, I guess we can save that for later?" She popped the top on one can and settled back. Lauren Granger Lauren nodded, "Guess so... " She had a funny idea, "I wonder if my horns would work! But... we better not try." She reached for the soda can and started drinking from it. Was it a good time to bring up anything right now? Lauren didn't want to bring up anything at a wrong time but was there a right time? It was obvious something was on the girl's mind as she bit into another sandwich. Nita MacNeal Nita laughed. "Only if you could turn your head all the way upside down! And then you might end up with a wine bottle stuck to you." Setting aside her sandwich for a moment, Nita gave Lauren a sidelong glance. Was she okay? She hated to admit it, but Nita knew that she had been so wrapped up in her own troubles that she'd barely been aware of what Lauren might be doing. She poked around in the basket for a bit of fruit. It really was a lovely day... "So," she ventured. "What have you been up to? I mean, I haven't really seen you, except in passing... Anything going on?" Lauren Granger Lauren looked at Nita and started messing with her own fur nervously, "Well, I had hung out with Jordan some, and met up with Sabin with some ideas for the island. I also found the tunnel I had been dropped in during the lockout. It's kind of been where I've spent most of my time, or at least will be until I recieve my equipment from the labs." She picked a bit at some fruit and decided to eat it. It was funny how much fruit was no longer as appealing to her, but it was different. "I had this idea about running an island television station. So that will keep me very busy once I get the equipment. First I have to learn how to work the equipment, it could take months to get up and running. What about you?" Nita MacNeal "Jordan?" Nita asked. "I haven't met him, I don't think. Has he been here for a while?" It was always a bit disconcerting to realize how close Lauren was with the Powers That Be, even being on a first-name basis. Especially because Dr. Duvert- Sabin- had been the source of so much pain and frustration for several of her friends. And while a tunnel didn't seem like a very nice place to Nita, she knew not everyone would appreciate hanging out in trees. Not that she had spent much time at all in the jungle since Annie... No. This was a good day, she told herself. "A television station, huh? That sounds pretty cool. What kind of stuff would you want to air?" Nita shrugged. "Seems like entertainment's a common theme these days. A bunch of people have been building a theatre. That's actually where I've been sometimes. Lauren Granger Lauren shook her head, "Nope he hasn't. He is a nice guy but he got into it with a snake islander, cobra I think? So I helped him out there." Lauren neglected mentioning how she met him by doing Moreau's bidding. Sure she started out being friends with him because it helped Moreau's brain washing but it had become a real friendship now. Few islanders understood the island, and Lauren got the feeling Nita was no longer one of them. "I think news, maybe some form of sitcom. I don't have anything solid planned. Maybe how the island's research is helping the world beyond." Lauren shrugged, "Seems silly huh? Think I can handle it?" Her ears perked when she heard Nita was helping the theatre. "That seems cool. Maybe some people will want to step up from that and star on island tv? Hell I bet I can get you on air if you want to!" Lauren said with a touch of excitement. Lauren nodded at the last of it, "Not much to do is there? How is Miller doing I havn't heard from him in forever. Wish I could of hung out with you then." She pouted at the feeling of exclusion. Miller did seem like a cool guy and put up with Lauren's not so tactful self. He even helped her move. She was genuine in wondering what he was up to. All this time Comet had been chasing frogs from the bank of the pond back into the pond until every frog was hidden. She then took some time to come over and sniff at the food begging quietly for leftovers. Lauren fed her a bit of sandwich and ruffled her hair. Nita MacNeal A cobra guy was probably Thom. Nita hadn't seen him since Halloween or so, but it was nice to know he was still around-- even if he was terrorizing new islanders. And although Nita couldn't know what Lauren was thinking, the mongoose-girl was right about her. "Helping the world beyond," Nita repeated softly, trying not to make a face. Sure, she knew that some people on the island had been legitimately helped, but so many had no real reason to see things that way. "Sure, I bet you can handle it, though," she said, raising her voice a little. Nita went back to her sandwich, finishing the last few bites. "Oh, I don't think I'd want to be on the air! I don't really like being the center of attention like that." She smiled. "Thanks for the offer, though. "Miller... Um, he's doing alright, I think. He's changed since he helped you move in. Right around the time I did, actually. He said he'd been locked out of his duplex for a while because of a prank gone wrong, but he'd stayed with Awen for a few days." She reached over to scritch Comet's ears, shifting her weight to ease the pressure on her tail. Lauren Granger Lauren was starting to feel a little bitchy due to the lack of nicotine. She hadn't had a cigarette all day and it was driving her nuts. She drank on the coke and continued to chew on some food to keep her mouth busy. "Nita, you don't like the labs do you?" Lauren asked straight up, "I can tell, I mean I'm not stupid. Everytime I talk about my life and the labs you seem distance. I don't want you walking on ******** eggshells around me all the time!" Her voice raised a bit in slight anger and irritation. Nita MacNeal Nita's hand dropped away from Comet as she sat straight up, staring at Lauren. She bit her lip, and the blood rushed to her head. The food she had just eaten sat like lead in her stomach. "No. I don't," she said softly. "Lauren, I- I tried." Lauren Granger "Tried?!" The anger was riseing again. "How exactly DID you try?" She couldn't control herself anymore, she saw Nita there and could smell her anxiety riseing. "If you are hideing that, how can I trust you with anything else?!" Her face felt hot and tears were starting to well in her eyes. Lauren stopped for a second before she became more angry and took a deep breath, "Alright I'll come clean about something, I started up smokeing... again. It's stupid I know but I NEED a god damn cigarette right now or else I don't think I can think." And Lauren proceeded to start on just that, pulling the cigarette from the pocket of her shorts and lighting it up, she puffed angrily. Nita MacNeal Nita gulped, definitely starting to feel ill. "Look, I did, okay? I told people it wasn't so bad here, that we were still being taken care of. That it could be so much worse. I went to that dinner with Moreau, and I said I'd try." She spoke softly and quickly, but her words were still clear. Her hands were clasped in her lap, tightly, as if holding on could keep her from falling apart completely. Nita's nose wrinkled involuntarily at the cigarette smoke. "Fine," she muttered. "Maybe if it gives you cancer, this precious research will help them cure it." Whoops. That was out loud. Lauren Granger Lauren's face became harder the more Nita retaliated. "That's NOT what I meant. You didn't TELL me what you were thinking, all this time!" Lauren pressed on, "What else are you hideing!" At the last comment Lauren nearly droped the cigarette as she stared at Nita, her mouth opened but nothing came out at first. Finally she took a puff and blew it into the panda's face, "******** you, ******** this, who knows what else your hideing from me and I don't want to know." She sputtered out, "I mean ******** Nita I don't give a rat's a** if you hate Moreau's guts, I don't care but to hide it... that's just PATHETIC!" Lauren got up and frantically started grabbing some of her things. Nita MacNeal "I didn't tell you because I didn't want to hurt you! Lauren, I tried for you!" Nita protested. "If you only knew some of the s**t I've seen here..." She backed away from the smoke, her eyes watering.. and not just from the cigarette. "What the hell, Lauren, you know damn well you'd have cared if I said anything." Nita's voice cracked dangerously. "But fine, if you're going to be like this, just leave. And don't bother coming back to the duplex, either." Lauren Granger Lauren's eyes were watering as well, and her heart was pumping really hard, "Maybe I don't want to come back. I'd be better off without you trying to dress me up as your little doll of a girlfriend. Well ******** that, I don't want to pretend anymore. I'm a slob, a c**t, and and... ******** YOU I don't WANT to be what you want me to be anymore!" She kicked around some things in anger and threw the unopened wine bottle into the lake. As a side note, she looked at Nita her orange eyes nearly red with rage and tore off the heart necklace from her neck, breaking the delicate chain. That she also threw into the lake. "Come on Comet!" Lauren comanded, but the dog was too frightened of the dangerous angry vibes she was throwing to follow and just whimpered closer to Nita. "Well ******** YOU TOO!" Lauren said tears pouring down her furry cheeks. Nita MacNeal "My doll?" Nita repeated. "What the hell does that even mean?" Tears ran down her cheeks, tracing the dark stripes of fur below her eyes. She winced again at the violence of stuff being thrown around. When Lauren lunged at her, hands to her throat, Nita first though that she was about to be strangled. Her neck stung as the chain was ripped away. Under the fur, there would probably be a welt later. She pulled her knees up to her chest, burying her face. This wasn't happening. This couldn't be happening. But it was, and she knew it was partially her fault. Comet whined pathetically, pressing herself against the huddled up form of Nita. Lauren Granger Lauren too couldn't believe what was happening. Something had been building up for a long time in both of them to fester out like that. Lauren grabbed all the stuff and ran off. She wasn't sure where but she knew she wanted to be somewhere else. "Happy ******** valentines day to you too Nita!" She yelled off as she stomped away. Later would be when everything sunk in and Lauren realised what a t**t she was truely being but for now, she was the victim in a loss of trust and love. And that victim's heart felt like it had been ripped into two and spit upon. No more red headed cunts as girlfriends.. Lauren silently swore to herself. Nita MacNeal Nita couldn't even respond, she was shaking so hard. Happy ******** valentines day to you too, Nita.Great. Just great. She kept her head down as Lauren stormed off with what was left of the picnic. "********," she mumbled into her knees. "******** it all." Next to her, Comet laid her head on Nita's feet and whined.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Feb 18, 2007 6:10 pm
The sun was going down when Nita finally wandered back to the village. She felt hollow, exhausted, and completely miserable. After Lauren had left, she'd curled up at the base of the tree, pulled the picnic blanket over her, and wept. Comet was a comforting warm body against her back. Nita must have fallen asleep at some point, because she woke up just before dusk.
Number 42 seemed oddly empty when she arrived, no longer a welcoming home, but a bland set of rooms occupied by strangers. Working on autopilot, Nita fed Comet and put fresh water in her bowl. The dog ate quietly; the normally exuberant dog knew something was very wrong. When she finished, she whined again and lay down on the floor at the end of the bed. Nita was bustling about, picking up dirty clothing, stacking dishes, and throwing various items away.
For hours that evening, Nita cleaned. She washed dishes, vacuumed, took out the trash, scrubbed the bathroom. She even made a trip to the laundry facilities in the village center.
By the next morning, all of Lauren's belongings were neatly packed into boxes, her laundry freshly washed and folded. Nita made a quick call to the labs, asking someone to come by and take the boxes away, including the video supplies that had been delivered to Nita's front door. They were addressed to Lauren. Finally, around noon on the Friday after Valentine's Day, Nita crawled into her bed (which really was too big for just one) and slept.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
