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"Yeah," Gaius replied, heartened by Nita's apparant mutual distaste of the dragon. "That jerk was trying to convince me he was wearing a costume, and playing along with the lie Sabin'd fed me." He huffed, letting out another snort. "I may be gullible, but I'm not stupid. At least Rex nailed him with a nice fist to that snout of his. And from what I've gathered, not many others like him...?"

He shifted uncomfortably as Nita brought up what had to be one of the most embarassing features of his change. "Um, yeah..." He scratched at his mane, avoiding her eyes. "I, uh... well, I don't know what they are, but it looks like I have a couple of limbs growing out of the middle of my back..."

"I wouldn't be surprised if he HAS attacked people..." Gaius grumbled. "The way he hissed and snarled the last couple times we met..." His face hardened. "...He made someone cry? ...Next time I see him, I'm going to give him a real piece of my mind. After all that bragging about getting the labs to get revenge on Rex and some cobra-guy for him..." Gaius growled.

He cringed at Nita's suggestion, shaking his head. "I hope not! I don't know what I'd do with legs between my shoulders. Right now, well, they look kinda like..." Gaius blushed and quickly glanced around to make sure no one else was in the proximity before continuing in a hushed voice, "They look like feather-less chicken wings, like what you'd buy at the grocery store. But don't tell anyone, please!" He rubbed a hand over his flushed face. "It's really, really embarassing..."

Gaius sighed and shook his head. "I try... it's hard since they let him back into the village... He's bad news, as far as I'm concerned. I hope your friend is okay?" He asked with concern.

His face shifted to something between hope and trepidation as he considered her optimistic advice. "Maybe... But I don't know if I want to grow feathers! I don't even want to grow fur! -er..." He winced and gave Nita an apologetic grin. "No offense... I just don't think I'd do 'fuzzy' well..."

It seemed the general consensus was that they were, indeed, wings, but that still left the question... What in the world was he becoming? He cringed to think Zach might be right, that some hungry labtech had gone and mixed a 'fastfood' serum of cow and chicken... or maybe he was someone's sick joke, to become the proverbial 'winged buffalo.' Whatever it was, he didn't want to think about it any longer. He shook his head back and forth, as if shaking out the bad images, and when he looked back at Nita, it was with a much more cheerful smile. "So! I'm trying to get a service together to make stuff for others to fit their, uh, bodies, like chairs and stuff... Is there anything you need?" he asked with a hopeful face that clearly begged her to say 'yes.'

"Eeeh... I guess you're right..." Gaius grimaced slightly and rolled his shoulders. "Though it's easier to hide them right now, even if it's not comfortable..."

He laughed with her as she showed off. "I'll have to agree with you there! I think I'd just look like a weird teddy bear if I was in your place."

"Hmmm, just chairs, huh?" He rubbed his chin, looking back at the wood. "It's going to be hard... I've never done much carving before for decorative stuff, and they're lacking most of the supplies here... but I'll definitely try!" He gave an energetic fist-pump, then laughed and rolled his eyes. "And don't I know it! I thought I'd broken mine the first time I flopped down on my bed... It's so short, it's no good for anything..." Gaius looked back over his shoulder and gave the little apendage a flick. At least he was learning to control it a bit better.

"Well, promise you'll let me know if you think of anything else you might need? Or let others know! I mean, it's not like I have anything better to do with my time," he chuckled.

"I guess you're right... I mean, I'm definitely not as weirded out now by the sight of people with weird faces as I was before... Still, sometimes I do a double-take when I catch myself in the mirror. Do you ever find it hard to match that image with yourself...?"

He grinned broadly, glad that Nita seemed positive about his project. "I'll have to learn how to do a little carving anyways, to get the seat parts done, but yeah! I'll ask around. Seems like they have all kinds of talents around here... and maybe I can ask the labs for some more books..." He tapped his chin and reguarded the wood again. "So much to do first..."

Gaius shifted uncomfortably, too late realizing that 'before' was not the best choice of topic in a conversation. His own mind recalled the image he had of him and his dad on a fishing trip... And now, there would be people who'd never known him without the flattened nose? Without the ears?

"That's a depressing thought..." he confessed, running a hand up the back of his neck. "I mean... I'm new, and meeting people... It's hard to think of the human they used to be, all I see is what's there now."

He smiled weakly. "If it's any consolation... you make a cute red panda?"

The awkward silence left Gaius feeling anxious, giving him far too much time to worry over what he'd said or done, and so it was with a relieved smile when Nita began to excuse herself. "Hey, no worse than me. I know I don't smell like any flower!" He turned back to the make-shift work bench and picked up the saw. "But I figure I can get another couple hours of work done before it gets too hot."

A thought struck him, and he looked back, hoping to catch Nita before she left. "Uh..." He smiled awkwardly. "Sorry... Which duplex did you live in again? For whenever I get something done?"