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 Posted: Tue May 30, 2006 6:56 pm
"Yeah," Avery grinned. "He's pretty much my best friend here! Almost like the older brother I never had. I guess traumatic experiences can be good for bonding, yanno? It helps that he isn't judgemental or anything too. He's a cool guy." He obviously thought very highly of Rex.
"I've made a few friends, yeah. There's Awen, and Emelyn, and Ian, and Vasile... and Chubbs and Colche. Most of the people are really nice here. And," he said, a small blush forming on his cheeks. "Tim too."
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Posted: Tue May 30, 2006 7:05 pm
Ah yes, Tim. Reports showed the two were intimate. Marlena smiled. "Do I sense a little more than friendship there?" She winked. Now THIS was truly unusual. It would be interesting to see if Tim's instincts wound up spraying Avery and landing the boy in a tomato juice bath like most dogs who encountered skunks. The ability of this subject to overcome some instincts regarding who he socialized with was interesting, especially as other instincts seemed to come to the surface. Instincts that were useful prevailed, those that hindered him mentally faltered.
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Posted: Tue May 30, 2006 7:13 pm
Avery couldn't help grinning at the question - and his tail wagged a little against the chair. "Yeah, I guess I can say it's one good thing about being stranded here. I could do without the changing into an animal bit, but I still met Tim... he's really great. We pretty much live together now, but sometimes he stays in his own duplex. Most of his stuff is at my place though."
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Posted: Tue May 30, 2006 7:16 pm
Marlena grinned a little. "That's great, Mr. Calder. If you don't mind me asking, and I don't mean to pry...were you always inclined towards boys? Or did that develop with your other animal traits?"
She moved from behind the desk to lean back against it in front of the teen's chair, folding her arms in front of her casually.
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Posted: Tue May 30, 2006 7:22 pm
"Nah, I've always liked guys... well, I mean, I realized it when I was... 17, I think. But I'm bi; I still like girls." Avery raised his multi-colored eyes to look up at the woman now standing in front of him, and he wondered for a moment if he should mention Vasile's sudden change in preferences. He quickly scratched the thought out, though - it wasn't his business to talk about it.
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Posted: Tue May 30, 2006 7:26 pm
Marlena nodded. "In order for me to best help you, Mr. Calder, I'm going to have to ask you some questions that you might not be entirely comfortable with, but I'd really appreciate honest answers."
She tucked the white lock of hair behind her ear and smiled as gently as she could manage. "Have you noticed any unusual or negative things changing about you, things like urges you didn't have before your changes, or fears or aversions?"
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Posted: Tue May 30, 2006 7:46 pm
Avery nodded, although he looked a little nervous, wondering what kinds of questions she was going to ask.
"Well... I... I guess. I hate being alone. I mean, I didn't like it before... but now I really don't like it. Whenever Tim sleeps in his own duplex, I have trouble sleeping... and I keep waking up during the night, feeling like something's missing." He looked a little embarrassed to admit the next part. "I mean, that doesn't happen all the time... but when it does, I can usually just steal one of his shirts or something, so I can, er... smell him? That sounds really stupid. But it helps a little."
Avery frowned. "He's the most constant thing in my life right now, so when he's not around, it's just... weird. I dunno if that's related to anything or not, but it's new. But I don't think I'm afraid of anything... except for Zach, but that's because he attacked me."
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Posted: Tue May 30, 2006 7:49 pm
Marlena smiled. "If these records are correct, they show that you seem to have been altered by some canine DNA. Being close to someone you view as a pack member is natural for that, and scent is a heavy focus of such creatures, so what you've experienced makes perfect sense."
She crossed her legs at the ankles, leaning back on her hands. "Can you tell me a bit about the incident with Zach? What prompted the attack? How do you feel about it in retrospect?"
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Posted: Tue May 30, 2006 8:11 pm
Avery nodded a little. He'd never assumed dogs were pack animals before, but that made sense to him.
"Well... there were two incidents, actually. The first time, it was the first time I met him... and, er... we got drunk. I'm pretty sure I didn't provoke anything - but I remember he grabbed my hair... he would have really hurt me, if he hadn't passed out. The second time... there wasn't alcohol involved. It was after his first change, I think. He tried to bite me... and then I ran away. I'm pretty sure I didn't provoke it then, either."
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Posted: Tue May 30, 2006 8:17 pm
Marlena made a sympathetic face and reached over to pat the teen's shoulder lightly. "I'm sorry you had to go through that. Has he acted aggressive towards you since then? Or anytime other than when he had alcohol or after a major physical change? I'd like to make sure no one gets hurt by him, if we can isolate what made him so aggressive."
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Posted: Tue May 30, 2006 8:24 pm
Avery shook his head. "No... I haven't seen him around, thankfully. But I heard he attacked one of the staff not long ago... maybe he's just, um, crazy? I mean... turning into an animal... it hurts a lot. I don't know how I'm managing to deal with it... but maybe not everyone can? The second time he attacked me, I think... it was really close after his first change. So I was asking him about it, 'cause I hadn't changed at all at that point. Then he just snapped at me. Literally."
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Posted: Tue May 30, 2006 8:27 pm
Marlena nodded slowly. "How do you feel about living on the island? Have you had any nightmares or the like? And Other than the physical changes, do you find the accomodations adequate? Are there things you do for fun?"
She scribbled a few notes on the steno pad before setting it behind her again, watching Avery with a bit more intensity, studying the changes to his physiology with a practiced eye.
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Posted: Tue May 30, 2006 8:38 pm
Avery made a face, as if the answers should be obvious to these questions. "I hate it, I don't want to live here. I want to live back home with my parents and my friends. But I want Tim too. Not that anyone'll let me go home," he sighed.
"Yeah... I've had a few nightmares... about what happened on the cruise liner. It was really vivid the night before I changed..."
"I guess the accomodations are alright. My room is pretty boring though. No posters or decorations or anything... not even a calender, I have no idea what day it is anymore. Everything is just kind of running together. Every day is the same as the one before." Avery frowned as the thought about it. "It's kind of depressing, feeling like I don't have a purpose or any real reason to get up in the morning. I play in the arcade sometimes, and watch TV, and read books... and hang out with my friends of course. But I want to do something fun like to go the mall or clubbing or something."
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Posted: Tue May 30, 2006 8:45 pm
Marlena nodded and rubbed a finger across her chin pensively. "I'll see if I can get a hold of a calendar for you, if that would help? Though I can't promise anything. I can, however, give you this."
The woman moved around behind the desk again and opened the drawer, withdrawing a amber colored container that looked like a standard prescription bottle. "This should help you with the pains during transformation. Take one before bed starting tonight." She handed the bottle to Avery, as well as a small blank journal. "Also, if you could do me this small favor, can you keep a journal of these nightmares? I might be able to help you work through them if you keep details for me."
((OOC Note: The pills are a Rauwolfia alkaloid, normally used to treat high blood pressure, but a main side effect is the causing of nightmares. She's reworked the pills to only work lower blood pressure for about 4 hours after taking it, so while sleeping, to invoke nightmares.))
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Posted: Tue May 30, 2006 8:56 pm
Avery smiled a little, feeling grateful for her help. Maybe not all the lab techs were all that bad after all. "Yeah, a calender would be great." He reached out and accepted the bottle and the journal from her, looking at the pills in the bottle. "Alright... I'll do that. Thank you... I really appreciate it. I've been worried about my next change for a while... the last one hurt a lot."
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