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"Single digit land. ...Duplex 8. Thank you. If you ever do manage to get time with all your other projects, I'll have to make you a lopsided basket. I doubt a pair of earrings would be your style." She smiled, and didn't respond about Sabin. It was obvious that Gaius was a very angry man where this captivity was concerned, and the hedgehog, a defensive creature by nature, didn't want to be put on the offense. So the subject remained where it lay, ugly and vicious on the table between them.

"Merry Christmas to you, too. And a happier New Year." She smiled, then turned and whistled for her dog, hoping that the other diners wouldn't be disturbed by the sound.

The cafeteria door opened again, this time opened by a brown and black-blue mottled dog that had managed to stand on its hind legs and push on the door bar, using its weight to open it, and bounded inside. Gaius caught the door before it could close, an amused smile on his face. "Don't you know it's polite to hold the door open?" he playfully scolded the dog, but she was far too interested in the smells of the place to listen.

His modified sandals slapped against the tile floor despite being tied up his long feet. Today he'd donned one of the shirts Lucas had provided him with, sitting a bit tight around his thick neck, but providing ample room for the wings, and he'd even freshly washed and combed his tail. Considering his mood yesterday, Gaius was feeling much more chipper and it showed.

The only other occupant seemed to be another islander he'd never seen. Gaius paused in his steps, nostrils flaring as he unconsciously sniffed the air. The girl's human features left him uneasy... was she new...?

Shaking his head slightly, he continued to the food bar, though his ears and body posture remained alert as he made himself a salad, grabbed some fruits, and then the traditional cooked steak. Vixen bounced around his feet as he turned back, surveying the tables. He could go sit somewhere far away... but that'd be rude... Hesitantly, he approached the table close by, stopping a safe distance away and tilting his head with a sheepish grin. "Is this table available...?"

Her nervousness translated to Gaius, who's own nerves tensed to mirror it, his wings spreading from their folded position at the sense of 'danger.' The way she looked at him did nothing to help, making Gaius feel suddenly as self-conscious of his appearance as he hadn't felt in weeks...

Vixen paid no mind to the mood of the two, far more eager to greet this newcomer properly, nudging at Sophie's back and tail as she said 'hello.'

"This morning...?" Gaius repeated, tentatively sliding sideways onto the bench seating across from Sophie. His eyes caught the movement of her hand and the flash of fang, only leading to more confusion. Did she mean she'd just came to the caf this morning...? Despite that, he relaxed a bit. There was no way she could be new, showing all the signs of having a first change. That meant she'd been there several weeks already, but he couldn't shake an odd feeling that something was 'off' about her manner. He shrugged off her staring as just the normal surprise anyone would have at seeing his own unusual combination. Managing a nervous smile, he picked at the salad. "My name's Gaius... and before you ask, yeah, I know the wings are weird... You can thank Sabin's twisted imagination for that. My serum's 'pegasus' apparantly."

The man had just lifted a speared bit of lettuce and dressing part-way to his mouth when he froze, staring open-mouthed at Sophie, sputtering and apparantly surprised by what he'd said. His ears flattened back worredly and he lowered the fork again. "Y-Yeah, they're mine... what pills are you talking about? This is from the injections...." He stared disbelievingly at her. Surely she had to know? She was already CHANGED for chrissake...

Gaius caught the edge of the table in his hands, for if he hadn't, he would have fallen, the way his mind was realing. "That's... that can't be possible... You came in this morning and you're already changed?"

He shook his head quickly, trying to straighten his thoughts, and looked back at Sophie almost fearfully, almost... hopefully. "You say this was from... medicine from Feral Labs? They're marketing this stuff?" He disregarded Duvert's promise, knowing how empty those were. "When... Where did that happen to you?" He pointed at the ears. "Was it on-island?"

He was listening intently now, ears perked up as Sophie spoke. Slowly, things were starting to come together... He arched his long neck forward, tapping his chin as he thought. "If they're trying to make a medicine from this experiment..."

Catching Sophie's look, Gaius straightened up again, though it was slower as he began to realize how little she knew. "These... aren't side-effects. I came here months ago, more human than you," he waved a hand at her features, an apologetic look in his eyes, "and I've only been like this since the labs began experimenting on me with their serums, just like they do with everyone that ends up here." He took a deep breath and shook his head, that odd tree-swaying movement his neck had adopted. "This isn't any cure... they've probably brought you here to finish the job..."

His eyes lit suddenly, though, as he shifted conversation gears. "But! You said you changed in your appartment... in America? Did anyone see you like this? Did you tell any authorities about what Feral Labs did? If someone knows, maybe they'll come after us, to save everyone..."

Gaius fell back in his seat, his enthusiasm draining away as Sophie revealed just how thorough Feral Labs was with covering their back ends. "So... no one knows..." he sighed to himself, running a hand over his far-removed face.

"No, you're not going home..." he sighed deeper, feeling aweful and guilty for having to break the news to this bright-eyed girl. "Don't you see? Doctor Moreau... the guy behind all of this... is turning us into animals! You've already gone through one change... you can see it's possible! Why else would I have a tail of all things?" He reached behind him and yanked up a length of the wirey black hair to punctuate his statement, watching Sophie and desperately hoping she wouldn't take it badly...