Ch-ch-changes
Billy attempts to be of some support for the Lemur during her 75% change
The night had presented itself to Maryke in the form of nightmarish monsters. She could not sleep, for as soon as she closed her eyes more of them would come. No rest for the wicked, right? Yeah she was as wicked as they came, so maybe she deserved this hell. Eventually she did fall asleep and woke at the crack of dawn, the sweat still drenching her body and moistening her fur. It was too early to be out, but she got dressed anyway. Who knew what lured her out of her duplex or to tread down a familiar path. But she followed her feet and her feet took her to the edge of the lake. She stood there starying at it while she rubbed at her arm, not yet to realize the big welp that was there.
The octopus had his own erratic sleep schedual that often followed the fish. Sunrise and sunset were prime fishing times, and he had woken up early enough to plow through a few passing-by schools, snagging a few to drag off to his rock to consume his breakfast in peace. If he had taken Aubrey up on her offer for one of the new water duplexes, he wondered if there would have been some submerged table top to eat at. It was a comical thought to him, after living in the wild for so long, but he wondered why he hadn't lept for the chance to sleep in a bed again. He didn't feel human enough to deserve a bed, maybe that was it. It was difficult to feel exactly human when eight twitching limbs and a beak tearing out the stomach of a still flopping fish. With the sloppy gore still dribbling down his chintacles (as he had come to call them), he heard the movement of an early passer-by and instinctively his skin threaded and blossomed with the color and texture of the rocks behind and under him. The thrashing breakfast clung in his suckered limbs didn't help him much in the way of camoflogue, though.
She thought the fresh crisp air might do her some good. She'd felt nauseated and heady, like getting food poisoning or something. Or maybe she was getting a cold. One slender hand went up to feel her forehead, yes definately warm. She must have a fever. Great. She didn't want to throw up, that was the one fear tugging at her mind. Ironically not the fear that she might change again. Instead she walked closer and just caught the hint of a shift in the rocks....then she saw the fish. Her stomach churned again. But she had a feeling he was hidden there. "Billy.....?" she called out softly, squinting her eyes in the morning fog.
Purple eyes twitched over her from the rocks befor the grey slowly faded from the head downward to his usual lavender-blue, his fins flairing at the sight of her. He looked suprised, if not relieved to see her, "Oh, s'jes' you, lass." He glanced down to the fish in his grip befor plunging it under the water to hide it behind him, and quickly brought up a tentacle to try to wipe his chin clean of gore in an embarassed fashion, "Was jes'... eatin' breakfast... wha' brings y'out... here so early?" He weased in an attempt to sound nonchalant befor crawling towards the bank.
It wasn't really the fish display in itself that made her stomach do another lurch it was..well she just felt sick instead. Off. A hand clutched her stomach as she gave a small weak smile. "I hope I didn't interupt," she said taking the remaining steps to get to him. "I don't know why I came...I just feel....well like absolute s**t...I thought the fresh air would do me some good."
"S'peacefull... aboo' th'place... b'fer people wake, gen'rally," He shifted his limbs to crawl up and over the bank to sit beside her, panting shallowly, "Goo' place t'... clear yer head. A'least... untill tha'... loud, ruddy fish-boy wakes." He gave a laugh at that. So far he'd done well in avoiding cody- he wasn't a fan of children, generally, and therefor had utilized his octopusian hiding powers every time the dolphin-boy had come near. "Aint.. interuptin' nothin'... bu' me breakfast."
"Fish boy? Luck I've never met then I guess," she said, as she looked over at the lake. "Well free to eat...I think I might take a dip, maybe this damn fever will go down." Again she clutched at her stomach as another wave hit her. She let out a soft pain and winced, surely this had to be food poisoning from hell.
His brows raised at seeing the look of discomfort on her pretty face. If she wanted to strip off her clothes and go swimming about in front of him, he wasn't about to argue, "Y'feelin' alrigh'? Y'look ....a wee bi'... blanched there."
She began to disrobe, feeling comfortable around him enough to do so. As she did she shook her head, "I don't know...I think maybe I ate something...who knows with this crazy island..." she was already beginning to sweat, she moaned again and ran a hand through her brunette locks. She stepped into the water and then dove in, remerging in the middle of the lake.
Maybe he should chapperone her, he thought to himself, keep an eye on her in case she really was feelin sick. A close-up view of her wet body was a pleasent bonus, of course. It took him longer to menuever his body over the shore again befor he plopped into the water to scoot after her below it's surface, coming up again only a few feet away. He liked it when people went for a swim with him- which so far involved Maryke souly. It made him feel less crippled, especially when floating along easily while watching the other person treading water. "Alrigh' there, Mary?"
The cool water did indeed make her feel less warm, however it only brought done the sick feeling a little bit. But that was okay, she was sure soon her body would be okay. Everything would be fine. "Yeah...I'm good now," she said actually letting the classic smirk slip to her features. Yes, everything would be just fine. But...then the smile begin to slowly diminish as her eyes began to widen. Without a moment's hesitation her heart began to race. Her limbs began to feel itchy under the water, but that was nothing. She was sure it was nothnig. So the smile returned. But the smile was just a show to Billy there was nothing real about it.
His beaky mouth twisted into it's own mutated excuse of a smile as he crept closer in the water. If she wasn't worried, he wasn't worried. He let his tentacles brush against her furred limbs, not thinking twice about what that itching feeling could mean. "Y'know," He said in a low voice in an attempt to sound seductive, "Y'really are... th'prettiest test-subject... on th'whole island."
She swam closer to him, as best as she could. She liked Billy, he didn't treat her like trash and he was someone that could 'get' where she was coming from. They were similar in a lot of ways. So she ignored her body screaming at her, even her own intutions, her own want to run and hide in a deep dark hole until it was all over. She waded, kicking her water as she scratched every so often. She was sweating harder now, almost shaking. "Really?" she managed, her hazels lighting up just as they began to dialate.
He didn't notice, limbs slipping up through the water to wind around her upper arms, around her waist, up to run along the bottom of her breasts in a nonchalant attempt to give her a heartfelt squeeze. His free limbs worked to keep them both afloat, his beak itching to press against those full lips of her's. He was a lonely man, and Maryke the lemur was a gift from the heavens dropped on his many-limbed and rather lonely lap. "I mean tha'... wit' th'utmost... honesty.... and know-how." He attributed the shaking to the cold water, and promptly pressed his chest against her's in an attempt to keep her warm. All in all, he felt he was being very suave.
In another time and place maybe this would have worked. There was certainly some attraction there. It had nothing to do with looks if it had she wouldn't be interested, but it did have to do with him and so she was. But his words were barely reaching her mind. Being so close to him felt good, but it didn't override the know terrorizing fear that over taken her. By this time she knew damn well what was about to happen. She wanted to be safe in her duplex. Safe? What a ******** laugh. She wasn't safe, not anywhere. But she definitely didn't want to be in the lake when this happened. A long cry, just one solitary long moan escaped her lips as her hands and feet began to sieze up, almost leg a leg cramp...but much much worse.
"Oy," He frowned, "Y'alrigh', there... lass?" He cast a glance towards the distant shore and back again. He gave a little chuckle, taking the moan for an arroused groan as he lifted a tentacle tip to brush a wet white lock of hair from her face. "C'mon, lovely... I can help y'ferget... yer worries, y'know?"
"Billy........" another moan, "god Billy...." she continued to moan, and cry out as her hands and feet began to cramp together, twisting in on itself. Her hands were the first to wane down and she looked in horror at them as they still clutched on to Billy. They were rough now, blacker. But her feet, god..her feet didn't stop. She whimper and wiggled in his arms, pressing against him as if that would stop the pain she was going through. Her feet felt like someone was beating them with a sledgehemer a la 'Misery'. And then an explosion happened in her stomach, but no it wasn't in, it was on. More fur began to grow, she could feel it and her chest began to itch too and pain like little fire pokers were touching the delicate skin there. Under his touch her white hair began to turn whiter with the top of her head began to turn black, a change barely noticable in the fog. Again she cried out his name.
And Billy uttered a loud profanity, loud enough to scatter some of the nearby birds that had taken to fishing nearby. She was changing! She was CHANGING right here in front of him! He had to get her to the bank- to the shore. "Sssh, jes'... jes' stay calm, alrigh'?" He managed, although his voice was wavering with his own panic. "Y'don'... need yer humanity.. anyway..." He set to grabbing at the water with his limbs and webbing, his fins flairing over his back and head as he dragged her towards teh shallows. Just keep talking. Just keep her mind off it. That's all he could do. s**t and she was so pretty, too! "Wha'... .good's it gonna'.. do y'here, righ'?" He didnt' expect her to respond. He remembered his own changes well enough to know that she was probably fairly distracted enough by pain and agony.
She screamed, the pain was unbearable. It felt like she was being set on fire, stabbed in her feet and having stomach cramps all at the same time. She couldn't respond, but she did hear his words, at least some of them. Everything was just a jumbled mess inside her head. A few times her body went under water, her limps were useless and she'd be like dead weight. She sputtered and coughed, and cried out. It was the only thing she could do. She could feel her face begining to burn and sting and it felt like she had stomach in her nose. The skin was darkening around her eyes, not that she could see it, but it was there. But she was more worried about her nose.
Just keep her head afloat, was Bill's montra as he dragged her through the water. If there was anything he WAS good at these days, it was swimming, thank goodness, and soon the shallow rocks and sand of the bottom of the lake were hitting her feet and he was dragging her forward untill they both were beached up to their elbows in water. He leaned her back against a rock just in time to catch the spreading grey. Not her face! Not that still wonderfully human face! He kept the dissapointed thoughts to himself, though, keeping a tight grip on her in an attempt to be assuring, "It's... it's no' bad, ....c'mon, lass, jes' tough ....t'rough it!" He weazed, "Yer a tough.... broad aintcha'?"
She went into a fetal position as soon as she felt herself on shore. Oh look how the mighty haven fallen. She had everything, the money, the expensive clothes, the looks....oh none of it could save her now. Her whole body shook, the changes were now visible now that the murky water wasn't hiding them. The new blackened and rougher feet and hands , the black on her chest, and the covering of more fur. But her face...that was yet to be done yet. She tried to nod to Billy. She could be strong, she could get through this....and then the pressure in her nose intensified sevenfold. She'd never had a broken nose before, but she knew one thing. That could never compare to this pain. She screamed again as her bones began to crack and shift, the noise loud and clear. She didn't want to cry, god don't let her cry. She bit down hard on her lip to keep from the teary act, so much so that she drew blood.
"Ach!" Bill grunted, glancing around frantically for something, anything to help her, "Don'... don' do tha', ye'll... " Grow lemur teeth and rip off her own lip? s**t, bloody ruddy hell damn BOLLOCKS! He snatched up a piece of driftwood that had floated nearby, "Here... here bi' this instead o'.. yer lip, love...!" He shifted, crawling around her to worm his legs under her neck in an attempt to at least give her a slimy, tentacle-pillow, which was hopefully more comfortable than a hard rock and water.
She took the wood and bit that, the blood was already flowing but thank god Billy had enough sense to allow her no further damage. Her body was shaking, and she clung to his tentacles baring her face into them as her nose finally broke, forming a muzzle with the nose wetting almost like a dogs. Squeezing her eyes shut a silent prayer went through her head praying it was all over.
As her face was consumed by the animalistic features, Billy's own stomach twisted in knots. Of course it wouldn't have lasted. He had to say something comforting. He had to say something assuring, something suave and dashing to make everything better because it was a sure way to get laid, but unfortunately, it seemed the ex-crack addict was at a loss. Hell, he remembered the time his Edel had returned from the hair salon with her fringe cut uneven. Needless to say, the hairdresser turned up a month later identifiable only by his dental records. A woman's appearance was everything. He swallowed, waiting for things to slow, quietly humming in a nervous, broken and breathy manner in an attempt to be assuring where he wasn't articulate enough to form any helpful words.
It was over, the changes at least. But her body was left bruised, beaten, and any shred of dignity, all traces of humanity was now gone, leaving her in this strange dream like wake. She whimpered and clung as she hard the soft humming and then...very slowly, Maryke, the once madam, the most powerful whore in all the world....began to cry.
Now, Bill was never one to know what to do in situations like this. A woman crying on his shoulder usually was just looking for brotherly advice about how one of his mates wouldn't stop cheating on her. He'd pat her back, look around awkwardly and then laugh with the same mate later about what a good job he had done stringing her along so long without her actually dumping him. His voice wavered and broke as he hummed, tentacles gently keeping her hair out of her face and at the same time he gave her fresh features a curious stare. "It... it aint so bad, y'know..." He managed weakly. Positive things. She needed to hear positive things. Right.
"Really...?" she finally manged, taking a deep shortened breath. The tears had stopped, but the embarrassment they brought was something she wasn't used to. Slowly the lemur girl tried to sit up with a groan. Her body had stopped hurting, but it was left to throb and ache. She didn't know how long she'd be sore for, but she didn't care. What mattered was that she survived this.
He gave her an uneasy grin, his voice wavering slightly, "Ah.. aye, s'hardly.... noticeable!" Even without the coke he was a terrible lier.
She could tell something was off, something about his words rang rang, so she began to reach two shaky hands up to feel for herself. And when she did.....she screamed. "******** no....." she began to moan, no tears, but she looked like she'd walked in on the devil himself. "My face.....my face!"
He shifted, not quite sure how to stop her panic, but reached to coil his limbs around her wrists and pull her hands down away from it befor she hurt herself, "A'leas'... y'don' look li' me, righ'?" He gave a laugh, trying to disarm her, make her laugh too. Chuckles all around, like that would change anything.
She let his hands guide her and stared at him blanky, her once full lips now turned into a black and white muzzle. After a few beats she realized that once again, he was right, though it still didn't take the sting off. Her looks were the last shred left of who she was. Or who she THOUGHT she was. But now that was gone. So what the hell was she now? Who the hell would want her. But...he was right, everstill. "I'm sorry..." she said, her voice low and husky with the strain her body just went through. She took a few breaths, the breathing was too still rather irregular. She looked back at him, her hazels still remnant of human. "How many more....how much more of this s**t will I go through?"
"I don' know...." He murmured, trying to get used to the idea of a woman with a muzzle. How exactly was he supposed tokiss with a beak anyway? Like a parrot, he supposed. She at least still had lips.... even if they were... well, not human lips, and not something that would look exactly good with lipstick on them. "How many ha'... y'done so far? I had... er..." He thought aboutit, eyes narrowing even as he stayed close to her. She wasn't shivering or shuddering and pulling away with a disgusted expression, and that was a plus he was going to milk, monkey-face or not. He missed human- er, well, other person-contact, even if the octopus was fine without it. The Billy part of his consciousness was still needy and lonely. "Fers'... was them wee tentacles...." He counted on tentacle tips raised in the air as he thought about it, "Then... when I turned blue... then... loosin' me legs... an' then... loosin' me lungs... so... four, I guess?" He recounted again with a look of concentration, "Aye, four."
"Three so far...." she said quietly. Well now she knew there was one more change in store for her, and who the hell knew when it will happen. How much more of this would they subject her to? God why couldn't she just die on one of the changes and that be the end of it. Everything was so ******** up. No...no she was a fighter. She'd always been. Could she fight this through? Who knew, but she'd damn well try. And again her eyes drifted to Billy. Her new was hard to work it. When she spoke it felt like she was opening her mouth as wide as she could, but she knew that wasn't. She'd have to get used to the new strange length. But she stared at him and then a frightening thought crossed her mind. "Be honest with me.....would you want me? would anyone want me now?"
"Yer... talkin' t'... an octopus tha'... hasn'... been touched in months an' months," He gave her a weak smile, "Bu'... if yer offerin'.... aye, I'd do." It wasn't exactly a *monkey* face, per say.... more snoutish, like a fox or a cat or some animal like that. He was never the type to go about zoos, and his limited schooling left his knowledge of the animal world rather slim. compared to some faces, like the iguana he had fought once or the incisors of the beaver he'd seen swim by in passing, she still was, well, salvageable. "Y'got really hot hair," He managed, grin widening.
She laughed at that, it was a weak almost awkward one, but it was genuine. Billy was a man, and she'd been in the sex business long enough to know that with a man's anatomy almost anything went to get their lust fulfilled. But his words still meant something. The meaning was held in that she wasn't a complete waste now. Whatever his attentions were, even if it was just to bed her and be the end of it, she didn't care. She didn't care because it still meant that she was wanted. Slowly she wrapped her furred arms around his neck shifting her body to get closer to him and then she kissed just under his ear, muttering a soft but heartfelt , "thank you."
Air rushed from the hole in the side of his head as red blossomed across his cheeks and neck, his metal collar cold against her fur. He shifted, tentacles resting around her middle in a multi limbed embrace, "Weren't nothin'," He managed gruffly.
She pulled back a little to look him in the eyes, her muzzle just barely grazing his beak. "Don't sell yourself so short," she said quietly, stretching her new snout into a grin, and it reflected the old her. Just a more animalistic version.
He shifted, cringing slightly at the sight of the nose but he disguised it with his own self consciousness. He remembered his grandmother had had a parrot when he was really young, on his mother's side, of course. It used to do a little trick, 'Give her a kiss!' with it's little gray tongue poking out of the beak. His own tongue fidgeted inside the bony growth his front teeth had become. The image of his grandmother kissing a parrot did not spark many romantic thoughts. It was still worth a try, though, right? Even a fox-snouted monkey woman was better than no woman at all... and Aubrey had made it fairly clear that he wasn't getting anything from her pregnant a** any time soon. He drew in a deep breath before he turned his head and gave it a try, beak nuzzling against the end of her muzzle, tongue pressing out in a sad attempt to mimic that parroty kiss. No sooner had he done it, though, was he overcome with embarrassment and pulled back.
At the awkward feeling of her tongue brushing against his, he flinched again, the red spreading. "It... it aint gonna' do... any good. M'bloody... worthless a' all... this," he managed bitterly. Was he taking advantage of her because she was terrified by her change? Was she humoring him simply because she didn't think she could find anyone better? The last time he had had sex since loosing his legs had been a pity ******** in both cases. He didn't blame them. Hell, he pitied himself, but he wasn't sure if he would have gone that extra dinstance for himself. He was trying to make her feel better. That's what he was doing. Make her feel like she could still have something in this miserable place with these miserable conditions.
It wasn't pity that she wanted and she surely didn't pity him. He smelt of fish, it made her reak of it causing her senstive nostrils to twitch every so often, and in the looks department he'd be considered a quasimodo, but there was no pity to be found here. Yes, she felt that she was now one and the same herself, but attraction towards him was long before the changes. Maybe it's because that somewhere in the recesses of her mind she could almost see the man he used to be and she could certainly feel it. But she pulled away at his words with a small sigh. The rest part of losing humanity on this island was that they lost all human connections as well. Not that Maryke ever dreamed of anyone loving her or evening wanting her for her, even when she was beautiful, but it didn't hurt any less now.
He frowned down at her furred chest, the red still spreading as he tried to shake the negative thoughts from his hairless head, but it was difficult. He didn't have the cushion of his narcotics to keep him brave and sassy. He didn't have the benefit of his fists to make him seem strong. Heck, he was practically literally spineless. He didn't know what to do with a woman, really. He shifted, leaning forward to at least rest his head on her shoulder, "Y'aint ugly." It was the only thing he could think of to say. "It's jes' a big nose, nothin' too bad."
She wrapped her arms tighter around him, stroking the nook of his back down in between his shoulder blades. The skin felt strange against her hands and wondered if it might be displeasing to him since her hands were slightly rougher then they once were. She chuckled slightly at the big nose comment, now wasn't that an understatement. She rested her head against his muttering a 'you're still handsome, y'know...besides I think the fins and tentacles are kinda sexy...." whether are not her words were a lie couldn't be told. After all the world was built on beautiful, meaningful lies. But at least she sounded sincere.
He gave a laugh at that, "I weren't particularly... handsome t'start wit'..." His back fin trembled and flaired against her rough hands. Even if her thickened skin was uncomfortable against his sensitive cepholopod epiderm, he was so happy for the welcoming touch of being
wanted, of being held, of being needed and welcomed, he didn't care. He turned his head, burying it in her furry ruffed neck, chintacles twitching and slowly stroking that fur as he attempted to give her an affectionate nibble.
Her body twitched at his strange slimy touches. Such an odd coupling land meeting sea in this strange embrace. She suddenly wanted to show him so many things, not only give him a part of herself (which she realized wasn't possible, as far as she knew) but she wanted him to feel good about himself. This whole time he'd make her feel good about how shitty she looked. It's too bad she wasn't 'hot' anymore, that'd hold more weight for him she thought.
"Y'aint.... gonna' cut nothin' offa' me... o' frame me fer... murder o' somethin'... righ'?" He asked after a little while. "Cause me luck... wit' women o'er th'years... has been pretty low."
She laughed loudly, "oh no, best believe my luck with anyone has been less then low. I wouldn't inflict the same thing on you."
He chuckled back in response, breathing in the warm wet fur before pulling back to wipe the shed hair off of his noseless face. His eyes drifted to his rock and back again, "Y'know... I go' some more cigarettes... if y'wanted one. Y'look li'... y' need one."
Her hazels lit up at that. It'd been a long time since she had any good vices to take the sting off of things. "Oh god yes..." she said, already getting up with a small wince. Everything still ached, and it didn't seem like it'd go away anytime soon.
He slipped back to let her stand, smiling up at her from his tangles about her ankles. "Jes... fetch me pack... o'er there... if y'can walk... I coul' get it... if y'wanted..."
"I've got it," she managed, sidestepping out of his tentacles. It was funny how she'd just stop hobbling around after Richard sliced up her feet, and now she was back to that. At least the concept wasn't foriegn to her. So she did just that and fished out the bag, returning it to him as she lowered and sidled up next to Billy.
The bag was heavy as she carried it, and made a subtle sound when it was placed down on the shore. He crawled up onto the bank next to her, riffling through to get to the carton inside befor offering her one and his box of matches, "Y'know... I go'... a picture o' me, if y'was curious... y'know, b'fer I came here." He was curious what her reaction would be, in all honesty.
She took it and was quick to light it, hold the stick up to her misshapen mouth, now muzzle and inhaled deeply. It'd been a while since she had the nicotine but at once it was lulling to her as she exhaled. As soon as he said the words her tail began to swing back and forth. "Oh do show," she said holding the cigarette with one hand and resting the other on his form.
He rooted through his bag again before coming up with that old passport, the sullen, drug-fettered face of his cocky grin shining up at him. Memory always made him seem more handsome in his mind's eye than this one photo did, and he was filled with second thoughts. With a free tentacle, he placed a smoke in his own mouth and managed to light it. Eight arms, while having taken months to get used to really was useful.
She peaked over at the photo and when she did a gasp escaped her lips. Maryke wasn't sure what she had been expecting. Whether good or bad, he looked so strange in comparision to the photo. She took in all the details, her nose twitching as she did. Maryke never had a set 'type'. Things just happened. Her first and only boyfriend had been a loser who was no more attractive then he was worth her while, the four others, the only 'clients' she'd had, well they were the clean cut buisinessmen. Types she'd probably date anyway to hold herself into the life style she had. Then there was Alexa, but that was something she really didn't want to think about. All the same something about those sullen features and especially the dark eyes under the dark unkempt hair drew her in. It matched his personality, and that's the thing that got her the most. "I like it..." she breathed out finally.
"Tha' were durrin' th'height o'... me..." he cleared his throat, shifting uneasily, "Well, I were a sick man, then. Bu' m' better now."
She raised an eyebrow at him, instantly wanting to know what he meant by that, a thousand explanations running through her furred mind. "What were you like...." she finally questioned, "back home?'"
"Ba' home?" He laughed, letting go of the photo for her to hold and do with as she liked befor reachinig in to pull out the portrait Antony had drawn of him. Even from memory it was more complimentary than the actual photo he carried. His first instinct was to make something up. Something impressive. They didn't really need to know who he was, did they? He could have been anything, told her anything. Hell, the information, name and suchlike on the passport weren't even his, he could have said anything. Instead, he said the truth. "I was a smuggler, more o' less." His nervious twitch convulsed across his cheak and he swallowed, "Cocaine mostly. Din' really have ....anythin' t'loose by... comin' here. In some ways... I avoided... prison fer life." He shifted, now trying to look impressive and dangerous and mysterious. "After wha' happened."
Fingers grazed the phot as he reached out for the other. She listened at the words and when he said what he used to do she visibly shuddered. Not because it was against him or she was offputted by it, but it brought back painful memories of her previous addiction. And when he mentioned prison, she let out a laugh. Dy and bitter, almost cracking. "Sorry," she said after she finished, "We just.....have that in common....."
"Smugglin'? Prison? Bein'... a shady individual?" He gave a self concious smirk, reaching for the photo again, "Granted it weren't th'... smugglin' tha'.. go' me in trouble... was th'double count o'... man slaughter wha'.... did me in. Din' e'en... know aboo' th'second... untill here on th'island... actually."
"The shady part," she said with a small chuckle as she forked back over the photo of him, taking one last look at the man he used to be. Both eyebrows went up as he mentioned the fact that he killed someone, apparently. But she didn't touch on it. It wasn't her place. "I came here because I was on the run from the FBI," she said, unable to keep the bitter tones out of her vocals. "I used to be a madam, goddamn pimp. Rich, power...." she took a long drag and sighed, "oh the good ole days..."
"I had... international... shite goin' on. S'why tha'..... aint me real name there," He indicated the passport befor tucking it back into the bag. As he shifted it, there was a breif glimpse of what looked suspiciously like a small accordian in the bottom of the bag. "Y'know... a cop actually followed... me here?" He gave a laugh at that, "How bloody stupid... can y'be?"
"A cop?" she asked laughing at that, "Well they aren't exactly the brightest on Earth...so who is he?" Curiously she wondered if this cop guy might have been someone she ran into before. She, obviously, had issues with them as a hole. Though she did find someone bittersweet about that. Oh how she'd laugh to get revenge on all the bastards that backstabbed her. Give them all a one way ticket to hell island.
"Bloody b***h said.... I sho' her partner! Don' ...rightly believe it meself..." He took a thankfull drag of the cigarette and tried not to look at the woman's face. In his opinion, she was still far better off than he was, but he wasn't about to have her feeling all self concious on him, thinking he was staring at her. Hell, she probably was looking anywhere but him. Him and her own reflection, of course. He cleared his throat, "She's turnin'... into a pig, funnily enough. Bloody shat... righ' on me doorstep... tried t'rip one o' me tentacles... righ' off me front. They was... tender when they were wee, too!" He frowned, trying to look the victem in that situation.
Shat....? s**t? ewwwwwww She visibly upturned her maw at that, and that act alone was so very foreign to her. She just had the change, she doubted getting used to this...growth on her face would be any easier. It always felt like her mouth was flopping open no matter what she did. She took another drag, the air passing further then she was used to because of the new muzzle, she wasn't sure if it was a good or bad feeling yet, just different. Whether or not Billy was the victim in the story, she sure as hell took him to be anyway. She sidled up to him, patting him on the shoulder reassuringly, "All cops deserve what they get as far as I'm conscerned. Some of 'em take that do gooder s**t way too seriously."
"Coppers jes'... is bullies claimin' t'be... on th'side o' th'law. Now... here's different. Th'law's... wha' our chips say, righ'?" He gave the back of his neck a good tap with a tentacle, his swollen head increasing and shriveling with an octopusish breath, "They sooner.... break yer nose an'... cart y'off t'spend th'nigh'... in jail fer je's... drinkin' an'... makin' merry too loud... than ask y'yer name."
She nodded, in total agreement. She'd never been through THAT aspect of the law fortunately, she was usually good at avoiding the boys in blue, but still, she knew where he was coming from. "Still worth it," she said as her hazels held some hint of her past in them. "Even through out all this hell I'm going through....I dunno if I'd change it, y'know?"
"I know I woul' ha' stayed in school," He grunted, "T'star' wit'.... Change a lo' o' ...t'ings more'n likely."
"I never finished school either," she said quietly, "I made it to my senior year....dropped out...started strippin' with my sister..." she trailed off and took another drag. "It's funnny....when I was a kid I used to think I'd be a lawyer somewhere..."
"I jes' wanted... Da t'stop hittin' me," He smiled at that with an awkward four-armed shrug. "Easiest way was... leavin' home. I t'ink.... I was jes' startin'... secondary school. Me... fers' o' second year."
She stiffened at those words and looked over at him, her dog like muzzle forming a small 'o' shape. Oh that rang too true for her. She moved closer and rested her head on his shoulder, wrapping a furred arm around a tentacle as she did. "Sorry to hear," she said, for once in her life she held a sympathetic eye. "It was my mom with me.....and all her boyfriends..."
He stiffened and quieted when she actually drew closer. The past year had been filled with person after person who either wanted to punch him without even speaking to him first, crap on his doorstep, remove his leg bones and dismember or decapitate him or frame him for this or that, sympathy and understanding were the last things he had expected, even if it had been what he had been hoping for. He opened his beak and closed it again, his skin slowly turning grey under her hands. He hesitated only once befor sliding an arm around her shoulder to drape down her arm, another wrapping around her freshly furred middle, the rest coiled about to help keep him propped up on the dry land. "Liss'en... M'.... t'inkin' o'relocatin'... t'one o' them new... aquatic duplexes. O'er there... someone," He didn't think it was necissary at the moment to mention who, "Was tellin' me... aboo' em. Tryin' t'talk... me into it. I dun know... woul' y'visit more... if it was... more comfortable? Don' know... how wet an'... how dry it is, though."
She looked over at him, a mild frown hinting at her muzzle. The more she spoke to him, the more the moments like this dragged on the more she found herself falling for him. It was a frightening thought. Maryke only loved herself, she wasn't used to caring for another. "Don't move on my account. If you want to stay here...I'll still visit. if you go I'll still visit," her hazels drifted back to the lake and slowly raised to the trees nearby. "It really is a pretty spot..." inwardly she was drawn to the trees, for reasons unknown. She just had that urge
"Jes'... sleep in th'shallows... in case someone comes by... y'know, auditions n' th'like.... coul' very well stay on th'bottom." His one limb still hadn't grown back to it's full leignth from when Sid had taken a bite out of him. Damn it all, he wished he had a reef or something stupid and octopusish to hide on, and it angered him that he knew exactly why he felt that way. Maybe he'd drag some rocks inside, but he'd have to take a look at one first. "I don' know... s'hard call a' this... point... b-been livin'... out... this way... since... I lost me... legs so..." The gasping pauses between sentance fragments were steadily growing more frequent, but he swallowed and gasped and panted and ignored it. He liked sitting on the bank, cuddling with her like that. It made him feel.... William again, and less lake monster.
Concern was in her eyes at his breathing and once or twice her eyes darted to the collar around his neck. She never asked about it, nor was she going to. Curious, yes, but she wouldn't overstep that boundry. "Well my advice," she said rationally, "Try this duplex thing for a week, see how ya like it. If you don't....you can go back to the lake..right?"
"Don' wan... people walkin'... all o'er it... s'a prime spot... got a good... wading pool par... an'... out o' th'sun an'... rain wit'... them rocks there...." He had to stop, leaning against her as he gasped for breath, "I... hol'... hol' on... a moment..."
She was instantly alarmed, her eyes widening under the lamur mask and she tilted her body to help, prop him up. "Billy what is it... what's wrong?"
He shook his head, fins on his back and head flairing befor he crawled away from her towards the water, dropping the cigarette as he went befor plunging head-first into the shallows.
She stared dumbstruck, unsure if she should follow or leave him alone. She was worried of course but she didn't want to get in the way either. She stood, her tail hanging limply behind her, mouth/muzzle agape. After a few beats she took a few tentative steps forward, staring at the water's edge.
He remained submerged but still in sight, clinging to the floor as he worked his internal gills to catch his breath, so to speak. His color picked up the longer he stayed submerged, and he anxiously watched her rippling reflection through the water between them. It was approaching five minutes befor he finally shifted along the bottom, pushing himself upward out of the water, "Sorry, jes'... usually keep water bottles... abou' fer tha'... A'least helps stretch it, e'en if it aint... th'best." He gave a forced laugh, twisting a few tips together as though wringing his hands.
She breathed out a sigh of relief when he remerged. She hadn't thought that that was what was wrong with him. The only thing Maryke knew about octupusses was what she saw off 'The little mermaid' and that was when she was just a kid. She came closer and perched on a nearby rock, tail swaying back and forth behind her. She would go back into the water to join him, after all she was still in her skimpies so was dressed to do so, but she didn't think it would be the smartest thing to do. Her limbs were still so sore from the changes. "You good now?" she asked
"Aye, yeah, " He murmured, flexing his lips around his beak and remnant teeth befor crawling towards the shore again, "How... how are ye doin', then? Y'still hurt? I'm out o' vicodin. I remember mine hurt li' hell."
"It's doing better, still sore...but it's better." Of course it wasn't. Everything still ached and throbbed and walking on her lemur feet felt like walking on glass, but the less she dwelled on it the easy it was to ignore the pain. She had no ******** idea how she make it back to her duplex, but she was sure she could get through that too. The sun was high overhead and bright, one singy mess. She guessed it was already pushing into the afternoon
He dragged himself up onto solid land again, remoistened and refreshed and reaching for his backpack for a fresh cigarette. He glanced up the hill towards village, then across the bank to his new wheelchair under it's tree. Was she going to stay longer? Or did the fact he had trouble out of water give her the heeby jeebies? She was probably tired, what with having a terrifying, disfiguring chemical reaction just take place under her skin, but man, he didn't want her to go.
Maryke felt she had over stayed her welcome. She wasn't digusted by his need for the water, nor was it in anyway a turn off, but...she just didn't want to burden him. He wasn't obligated to stay on the dry land with her and damn well didn't want him to do so on her account. She wasn't sure why she was feeling that. Usually she expected partners to what she said, hell she was high maintence. But she wanted what was good for him. What an odd thought. But she did want to stay. Maybe she was just being clingy because of this change, this turmiol. But it was sure was a lovely afternoon... "How's the theatre coming alone?" she asked offhandly, an attempt to bait a conversation to last her shelflife of a visit.
He twisted, limbs slithering back into a comfortable position so he could "Sit" as well as a man could without a pelvis. "S'far as I know... doin' well, pretty well... Din' see many people aroun'... last time I got aroun' there abouts... s'bi' far, an' I don'... li' me chair tha' much..." he wasn't sure where to put his limbs, fumbling over them as he attempted to get into a position that was as inviting as possible. It was difficult when one appeared overall uninviting to begin with.
"I may have one act, haven't gotten a chance to talk to a lot of people," she said as she slinked, or tried to slink (it was more like a hobble) over. She still thought he need his alone time, but didn't hurt try right? "He's a dog man, I dunno...maybe he can," she sat down next to him and took it upon herself to wrap one of his tentacles around her middled as she talked, thinking she was smooth in the act. "jump through flaming hoops or something..."
He relaxed as she scooted close, pulling her against him again. Furr against... whatever it was octopuses had for skin was very strange. He was overly sensitive, hell, he could write books on the way his tentacles tingled underwater alone, let alone above with the thin air and sharp conditions. "Goo', great, sounds goo'," He laughed, wondering just who exactly would be going through what hoop. "We're lookin' fer anythin', really. Don' go' lots t'pick from here... tal' t' tha'... d**k fellow wit... th'wee t'ings he calls... tentacles comin' from his back... he talks t'lots o' people, he migh'... know some o' be able t'help maybe."
She let a happy contented sigh escape her lips, or maw as it were. She hated that, she hated this. It wasn't fair. She knew that they had both been bad people in their own way, but inwardly there was some good to be found there. But at least she knew that without him she'd still be in a fetal position, crying her eyes out. It made her snuggle closer to him, despite the shed loss when the wet of his body met her own. "hmmm.." she said instantly finding the description familiar. "That ounds like Richard. Same guy?"
"Aye, thass'im," He glanced down at her, and the human urge to show effection bubbled up again and he was faced with that kissing delemma again. With his grey tongue, he licked the edge of his beak, chintacles fidgeting. Once his courage was gathered, he dipped his head down to give the edge of her jaw just below her ear a nibble befor rubbing the end of the beak against her cheak and pulled back again, trying to seem James Bond about it.
All thoughts of Richard were thrown out the window even though the guy did go hack and slash on her feet. She giggled at Billy's lovingly display and titled her head to give him better access. He made her feel still feminine even though she knew she could never be a whole woman again. She felt the need to return the favor so she nuzzled into this shoulder and gave the skin there a few tiny licks before nibbling as well, the act strange in her new face.
He hesitated, a shiver running down the remnants of his spine at the unfamiliar sensation, his various limbs all collecting and coiling around whatever furry limb he could find, but he loosened his grip, reaching up to rub along the edge of his collar, "I don'... jes'... jes' so y'know, I don' really... I aint... I mean... "
She looked at him, her nose twitching. "What...? You don't want to?" she shifted at that. She'd never really been turned down before. "I'll stop if you want me to?"
"No, I mean... I aint..." The red was returning, spreading over his skin befor he noticed and tried to push it back again, "I don'... got any... y' know... I mean... I aint fully... no' in a conventional sence... jes'... so's y'know."
Her eyes instantly drifted down to where his pelvis would be. "oh Billy...." she muttered, moving closer, if at all possible with how close she already was. "Was it....part of the changes?" so many questions ran through her mind, all of them she wouldn't be able to find the words to say. She didn't feel sorry for him because of it. She wasn't the type to fling pity around and she sure as hell didn't want it returned. But it did make her sad...or maybe mad, she wasn't sure yet. But damnit, that was a man's livelihood. Anyone with half a brain knew that.
"Big Red don' like me much," He gave a dry chuckle, tentacles all coiling away to tuck under himself self conciously, "Th'b*****d.... did it purposely."
"Big Red...." ? she asked, she had a feeling she knew who it was, but she wanted to know for sure.
Bilious42: "Y'know... head honcho-man. Moreau hisself."
She shook her head, feeling the ruffed fur on the back of her neck and circling it rise. She was agitated, the lemur inside wanting to bark and screech and throw something. "That son of a b***h," she managed, "So you cant..........at all?"
"Oh... I can..." He glanced to the side, pressing two arm-tentacle tips together and fidgeting a bit, "Jes'... it aint ezactly... y'know... I mean, it's plenty ...
functional don' get me wrong!"
"okay, okay!" she said quickly, holding two hands up. She didn't want him to think she thought any less of him, but she was curious all the same.
"It's jes'..." His eyes darted to the side and back again, "li' an octopus."
Now she was really curious. How did an octopus.....extremity look anyway? "Oh...." she said, in mild confusion. She began to look around, at all his tentacles indivudally, was it one of them? She had no idea. "Is it.....well..." she stopped, her maw wearing a frown. "I don't know what an octopus one would look like to be honest..."
The red spread again and he looked away befor lifting one of his tentacle-legs up in front of her. Indeed, it looked like all the rest, save for the missing suckers at the end, just like out of any text book.
"Oh," she said again, and if an embarrassed hue could be shown in her fur or even the remaining bits of her face it would be there now. It certainly didn't look like....oh who was she kidding, this was wierd. It was wierd. This Moreau guy must serverly be lacking something for wanting to do this to another man. "But if you can still use it then..." she didn't want to say, or what to think. "I'm sorry...." was all she could manage, but she didn't pull away. And that should have shown him something.
He cleared his throat, swallowing and lowering it back down again, "O'course they did cut off one o' me bits b'fer hand when I was still... y'know, completely normie." He didn't know why he was saying this to her. It should have been embarassing, but dammit, she seemed to be giving him that pity he had been craving, and he was going to milk it! They'd done horrible things to him, and he wanted peopel to
know.
She shook her head, "That's sick....that's just ******** sick...." she was angry now. She had the urging to go back towards the trees. She didn't know what was drawing them to her, but she was pissed off, damnit! and her body was wanting her to go in that direction. "God I'd give anything to get revenge on
anyone that has to do with what we're going through"
"All because I slept wit' his fiance!" He huffed, utterly outraged.
Okay now she found that funny. The former madam had to surpress a laugh, which she covered by hold a hand over her mouth. "Who is she? Is she here on the island?" Stupid question Maryke. Of course she was.
"Aye. She's currently... runnin' t'ings now. Her inattentive "Mister" aint.... go' th'time fer her, or us." He grunted, giving a dismissive wave of a tentacle.
A tinge of jealousy crept up over her, but she was quick to ignore it. She wasn't one to get jealous. "So are you and she still....bumpin' and grindin'?"
"No, no...No' since she go' pregnant."
"Yours....?" she asked, maw twisting into one of fear.
He let the question hang in the air. Was it his? Was it really? As far as he knew, being the highly edgucated man he was, yeah, it very well could be. He was derailed from what would have otherwise been a rather proud thought by the look on the lemur woman's mutated face. After amoment's hesitation, his mouth twitched into a grin, and he laughed at the obsurdity of the thought of it, "They'd be ugly... wee buggers wouln' they?"
to be continued...
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