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Reserved for bothering Oz!

Billy figured he had been putting it off long enough. He loved his rock, but why didn't he deserve more comfortable lodgings? The women were right. What had inspired Billy to procrastinate on the matter, though, had been the long trek from the lake to any sort of intercom he could borrow easily. And so, armed with water bottles and his trusty wheelchair, he managed to drag himself all the way to the center of the village. He parked himself in the shade for a while, catching his breath befor finally heading to the public intercom and dialed for the labs.

"Labs," said the typical bored sounding voice on the other end. "How can I help you?"

"Aye, how're... y'doin' this loverly... bloody hot affer'noon, love?" He beamed to where he knew the cameras had to have been hiding.

"Oh... its you. Want to talk to your ... " the voice suddenly cut off, as if being elbowed by one of his workmates. With a harsh sigh, "Dr. Lockheart?"

"If ye'd be so kind," Billy chuckled, amused by their reaction. He was sure Aubrey didn't like it, but he was a bit impressed with how famous he seemed to have become around the labs.

There was click as he was placed on hold, and it was a good minute later before Aubrey's voice came on the other end. "Billy!" The initial sound was happy, almost... hopeful. But less than a breath later a deep venom settled in. "...w hat do you want?"

He smiled at the sound of the happy tone, but as soon as it dipped down, his brows raised, "Wha', y'don' sound.... happy t'hear.... from me? I though' ....ye'd like hearin'.... a friendly voice."

"I'm just surprised to hear from you is all," she said, trying to cover a bit. "Heard you've been.... busy/"

"Aye, th'theater's... comin', bu' where... th'bloody hell'd... th'wood go? ...I was jes' lookin' an' ...came up t'th'place ...an' it was bloody empty! No.... people, no ....wood, nothin', an' I aint ....been able t'find... Gaius t'ask him ...wha' th'bloody ...hell's th'hangup!" He grunted cluelessly.

"That's not what I meant," she said with a sigh. "Nevermind... knowing you it probably didn't even mean anything. I mean, you know she's a professional, right? What did you do? Pay her in cigerettes?"

That made him frown further, "Oh, is tha' wha'... this is aboo'?" He gave a grunt, taking a moment to catch his breath befor continuing on in his wheezing voice, "I don' see wha'... it matters ...t'you. Yer ....a fan o' meaningless sex,.... aincha'? Fer yer ...information, she actually.... fancies me."

"I am NOT like that, goddammit!" she snapped. "is that what you're saying? I thought you were the one that was so hung up on it!"

"Well how many... more times were... y'gonna' say no eh? Y'expect me... t'keep slobberin'... o'er yer feet... an' pu' up wit' ...chastity? Y'don' love.... me, y'made ....tha' clear. Don' love me, ....don' want me."

Aubrey felt like she had been punched in the stomach, given the information she had just gotten from Sabin a few hours before. "I was engaged!" she squeaked. "I never said I didn't... I mean... we just couldn't....." She batted her pencil holder off her desk with an angry flick of her wrist, before she added in the last part as an afterthought. "... even if I want to..."

"if if if, s'all... blooded excuses an' no's an'... bloody..." He shook his head even though he didn't know if she could see it or not. "So wha', are.... y'jealous or somethin'?"

"You can do better," she said, sidestepping the question.

"An' wha's better fer... a crack addict... than a whore, eh?" He laughed bitterly.

"You're not a crack addict anymore!" she pleadded, "you aren't even going to try anymore? Just roll over and get sucked off by some third-rate hooker?"

"She aint... some third.... rate hooker!" He growled, skin splotching with red as his fins flaired and chintacles flailed. "Yer jes'... bloody jealous.... cause she was able... t'appreciate me... cause she knows... an still don' care!" He was getting himself worked up, coughing and panting and gasping for air as he groped around for a fresh water bottle. "I tried... fer MONTHS I... bloody tried t'get ye', but... guess wha', love... yer bloody ENGAGED!"

Aubrey became deadly quiet for a moment, looking down at her finger with disgust. "Maybe not anymore," she mumbled, just audibly.

He froze at that, silent as well save for his frantic wheezing, "Y'.. wha'...?"

"Never mind," she said with a sigh. "Doesn't concern you anyway."

"So where ...d'we stand, Aubrey?" He panted quietly.

Aubrey stared into nothingness, feeling her angry tears well up again. The logical side of her brain was trying to remind her she was just feeling vulnerable...and it wasn't fair of her to take it out on Billy. She would figure something out. She could just... leave her post. Go to the other side and live happily ever after with Billy. She had her baby to think about.

"What about... her?" she asked, in a cruel streak of curiosity.

"I aint talkin'... aboo'.. her... I'm talkin'... aboo'... you... an me."

"I just thought you actually cared about me. It made me see you... differently."

"I don' wanna play games no more, Doc," He grunted stiffly, pouring yet another water bottle over himself to moisten and catch his breath.

"So what is this? An ultimatum? If I were to just up and leave, run off to the lake and live with you happily ever after, you'd just drop Maryke on her a**? Would you sit back and laugh at me and go run off with her?"

He was quiet for a long while, as though thinking this through, "Ye'd... really do tha'?"

"..would you?"

"Well... th'thing is... I really don'... see y'doin' tha'. So it really... aint a problem... is it?"

"Yeah, I guess you're right. Just go settle with your whore."

He was quiet again, rubbing his beak as he glared at the terrible speaker he was talking to. He didn't want to be having this conversation now. He wanted to be face to face with her. I twold have made things easier. "Wha' wou' y'want... me t'do, Lass?" He sighed in a quiet voice.

It was Aubrey;s turn to be very quiet for a while. It almost seemed like she might have walked away, before she finally spoke up. "I just want you to be happy," she said with a strain.

"Well, we all... know tha'... can't very well... happen, now can it?" He replied softly.

Aubrey sighed into her communicator. "I'm sorry, Billy."

He had wheeled up close to the wall with the intercom, leaning head bald head against it, "If y'came... t'me lake," He finally answered in almost a whisper, "Aye, I'd drop her.... in a heartbeat."

Aubrey covered her mouth, to stifle a sob or a gasp of surprise it would be impossible to discern on Billy's end.

She composed herself before she could speak, "Why did you call?"

He was silent as he leaned back, settling into his chair again as he shifted uncomfortably, "Was... aboo' them... water duplexes."

Aubrey picked at some of the finish that was coming off at the corner of her desk. "Oh?"

"Figured.. it migh' be... more comfortable... n' rocks..." He was panting heavily again between phrases.*

"I think you;re right. I can get you set up in one immediately."

He groped about in his backpack for a fresh water bottle, but was coming up empty, "Y'don'... s'pose there's... any chance a'... y'showin' me... th'place yerself...?"

Aubrey sighed, but, going against her better judgement, "When?"

"When... ever's... good... fer you..." He wobbled, swallowing dryly. He needed water. He needed it fast.

"I can meet you in the village in just a few minutes," she said softly, and clicked her phone closed.

He glanced around. Was she really coming? How fast? Would there be time to hurry over to the nearest water source for a quick refreshener? He sagged in his chair, lightheaded and tired.

It took several minutes before the Jeeps could be heard in the distance. Aubrey was in the passenger seat, a driver beside her and two armed guards, who she was never seen without anymore, in the back seat. Aubrey looked around the center square near the intercom she knew Billy had used. She waved her hand in his direction and pulled in close. "Hey," she said, reaching at her feet and pulling out a water bottle from the cooler there.

He glanced up with an unreadable expression, clicking his beak like an irritated bird, "Alrigh', Lovely?" He glanced up. Well, that wasn't long at all, was it?

She instructed the guards to help him into the Jeep. "The aquatic duplexes are on the outskirts of the village, and have an opening to the village-side of the lake," she explained, staying seated for now.

He didn't struggle this time as he was lifted uneasily by the tentacles, situating in the middle of the seat with a glance to the guards on either side of him.

Aubrey didn't say anything until they arrived at the special facility. It looked relatively normal from the outside, except half of it stretched over the bank of the lake. Aubrey got out of the car and leaned against it as the guards helped Billy out and back in his wheelchair. Propping her elbows on the hood of the Jeep, the jut of her hip caused the lab coat to open over her abdomen, exposing her slightly rounding belly.

He noticed, but made a point to seem as though he hadn't. He rolled forward towards the building with a curious look. "So this... it? Are th'goons... followin' us in too?" He added dryly.

"They'll stand watch outside," she said, loud enough to they could hear. Aubrey walked slightly a head of Billy to the door and opened a metal box beside it. She punched in her passcode and held her thumb up to the fingerprint reader. It made a series of three beeps, then Aubrey pulled a key out of her lab coat pocket and opened the door. She help it open and waited for Billy, holding out the key for him to take as he rolled by.

He followed, glancing over his shoulder at the men with a wet hiss in his throat. With a free tentacle he snatched the key from her hand to glance it over, "S'pose I'll need... a piece o' string... o' somethin'..."

Aubrey just nodded and headed inside. The place looked relatively normal at first glance, except for the bank of lake that came about halfway into the room. "There's a filter," she explained, on the wall that tapers into the water. There's a gate, a door, under neither there that leads to the lake." The part of the duplex that was above ground was all tile, or colored in a lacquer-like substance that seemed waterproof. There was a 'normal' couch on the far wall by the door, along with a table with two chairs.

Floating in the pool was an assortment of pillows and floats. "Most everything in here is waterproof."

Billy was impressed to say the least, his eyes wide as he glanced around, taking in every detail. He pushed his chair forward untill the wheels hit water, "An' y'lo' jes'... leave this whole place... all set up li' this...?" This was... disturbingly well thought out. They really were zoo animals.

"We knew from the beginning there would have the special... arrangements made to make some of the subjects comfortable." Her heels echoed off the tile as she came closer, but pointedly out of tentacle range. "I had them start sprucing this one up a few weeks go, after Moreau left. I thought it would be a nice... change for you."

He nodded, glancing about befor he pushed himself from his chair onto the wet tile floor with a little echoing splash, leaving the key on the seat. "Sounds li'... an indoor swimmin' pool here... wit' all th'tile," He murmured conversationally, crawling his way into the deeper water away from her to test this new place out a bit. It was certainly a lot easier to get around than his old duplex.

Aubrey paced a bit by the "shore." "See?" she said with a small smile, the first she'd given she she arrived in the village. "Not everything has to be difficult."

He dipped down under the water to take a look at his "back door", investigating the place and touching everythign with excited, curious tentacle tips. He crept his way along every edge, every corner like an excited puppy in a new home. Only slimy, tentacled and shifting colors like a mood ring.

Aubrey was finding her spirits lifted seeing Billy look something close to ...happy. She felt her mood shift to a contented smugness as she finally made it over to the chair and sank into it. Crossing her ankles and placing a hand on her stomach. She learned back and relaxed, waiting for him to finish.

Once he had finished, he crept back up the shallows, laying on the incline as his head surfaced. His head fin flaired befor settling back flat against his oddly shaped head and back. "Yer in me chair."

Aubrey smirked a bit, but didn't move. "So you accept?"

"I don' know..." He settled on his coils, resting his chin on a pile of limbs, "Y'aint... given me th'full tour yet."

Aubrey cocked her head, not following.

"Is this it? Where's th'john? Th'bedroom?"

"There's no shower, the water is kind of.. .self cleaning. The closer you are to the filter, the faster things like soap, grime, etc, will be filtered out." Aubrey stood back up and went to one of the smaller doors. "There's a toilet in there that leads to a seperate facility, so no.. you don't have to wander around in your own... you know."

And then she pointed to the coach. "The closest has an array of plastic floating cushions, chairs, even a mattress. There's a small air compressor to blow anything up you want. And the couch is a hide-a-bed, if you're entertaining any... terrestrial guests."

"Wha' aboo' li'... under water sleepin'? In... me old place... ha' tha'... bed, y'know... wit' th'squishy mattress? Is tha'... wha' y'mean?" He crawled after her, able to slip a bit deeper to swim after more easily. "I missed tha' one."

"Give me a few days, and I'll have the mattress moved in here," she said with a definitive nod.

"Brilliant, brilliant," He nodded, watching her now as he licked at his beak.

"And everything else from your old duplex... or your rock. Anything that you want, or need."

"Wha' aboo'... some o' tha'... medical smokes... y'labs li'... passin' aboo'?" he figured he might as well try to ask.

"...I'll see what I can do," she said after a moment of thought.

"Need somethin'... t'smoke 'em wit' too," He reminded her, taking a hold of one of the floats to lean his front two arm tentacles over it to give it a playful try.

"Anything else, Your Highness?" she asked good-naturedly.

"Ooh, I don' know..."

"I doubt that," she quipped back. She laughed lowly under her breath and looked towards the door. "I... should go. I have a lot to do."

"No y'shouln'. Y'shoul' sit down... an' visit wit me," He hissed, crawling back across the tiles in another experimental depth to make his way closer to her ankles.

"Billy... I..." She put a hand on her stomach, and while she didn't face him, she didn't take any further steps towards the door. "I have a lot on my mind right now."

He coiled a pair of limbs around her ankles, pushing himself up to lean against the back of her legs, wet and cold, "Come sit down... fer a minute. Y'deserve t'relax."

Aubrey let out a sigh, giving in. "Just... for a minute."

He tugged her away from the closet, towards the dry seated couch as he crawled along around her feet, keeping his grip on one ankle.

Aubrey looked down at him, an uneasy feeling as she conscious tugged at her mind. Shaking it away, for now, she say down on the coach, far to one end, and sat up as straight as she could muster.

He didn't get up beside her, remaining on the tile to tangle a second and third tentacle about her ankles, suckers groping and squeezing and massaging as he urged off her shoes.

She opened her mouth to protest, but it felt too good to complain. She toed off her shoes at his urging and leaned back a bit with a sigh.

"He over works ye," He said quietly, leaning his cheak against the side of her thigh as he worked his limbs, massaging her feet and ankles slow and methodically.

"He's been gone over a month now," she said distantly, "And he still manages to control every little damn thing..." it might have seemed irrevalent, but her thoughts trained in the conversation she had had with Dr. Duvert earlier just that day, and her faced flushed a bit in anger.

He switched from using his arm tentacles to his longer leg tentacles so he could crawl his way up beside her and continue to massage.

She gave him a glance and relaxed a bit, giving a sigh. "You're good at that," she said, indicating her feet.

Another limb was already snaking behind her to curl around her waist, "Been.... engineered fer it..." He chuckled. Yet another limb wormed its way over her lap, the tip of it thoughtfully running along the curve of her belly experimentally.

Aubrey squirmed a little, knowing she was painting herself into a corner here. She knew what Billy's intentions were, they were always the same, and she was in no emotional state to playing with fire right now. And a tinge of guild, as the logical side of her brain reminded her that Maryke hasn't done anything wrong, and that if Aubrey was smart, she would have done nothing but encouraged Billy to move on with out here.

It would simplify everything.

But of course, Aubrey had been rash and emotional. She could blame it on her anger with Moreau all she wanted, but she knew it was only partially to blame. Its nice to feel love, and it hurt her to see Billy moving on. She couldn't be with him, but had she really been so... contend to let him pine for her?

A dark part of her mind suggested she liked the idea of the back-up boyfriend. There was a sad comfort in knowing that if Moreau ever sent her packing off to the island side, that there would be someone there waiting. Someone who could love her, accept her... maybe that's why Maryke rubbed her the wrong way so.

It was a cruel game, and remarkably unfair to Billy. Aubrey had hoped she was better that, but at the current moment, she had no evidence to the contrary.

She watched her the tentacles on her belly and blushed a bit. She was just starting to show, her pudge slightly rounded and smooth just enough to imply it wasn't just simple belly-fat. Most people didn't notice unless they were looking for something, but it wouldn't last that way for long. She wondered if she should make any kind of formal announcement in the laboratories, or just let everyone figure it out on their own.

"Did you really think it was yours?" she asked. It was an honest question, not meaning to be insulting. "Or hoped it was?"

The tentacles at his chin quivered and twitched as he took a moment to debate how to answer that question. "Fer.... a bit I did t'ink... bu'... no, it was a ....stupid though'. Maybe ....it's best I aint.... never gonna' have ....kids. Th'years o' ....drugs probably made.... me impotent anyway." He answered simply, shifting to cuddle closer. He wanted her to put her arm around him. He wanted her to show him the affection she claimed she felt for him. Only Aubrey and Maryke ever touched him without looking revolted anymore, and it was refreshing to grip onto those moments.

Aubrey gave in, putting her arm around his shoulders as he came closer and gave him a small smile. She opened her mouth to say something, but thought the better of it, so she closed her mouth. But after a moment she reconsidered, and after a small debate in her head, said simply "Never say never."

He leaned his head in, nibbling tenderly at her neck with his beak experimentally.

Aubrey closed her eyes and pursed her lips. She didn't want to say it, knowing that he'd just get insulted and they would get in an argument. It was a fragile situation, and there were many things she was afraid would happen. He's get angry, maybe he'd go back to the lake. Or run off back to Maryke (why would that be so bad again..?), and simply put, Aubrey didn't have the emotional or mental strength to argue right now.

"... Billy, things have been kind of crazy right now, I have a lot on my mind..." she whispered, looking straight ahead and praying- for once- Billy would understand.

The tentacle resting on her lap slowly ran it's suckers along the bottom of her slight bulge. He had heard many a talk in the back of a seedy pub about the sensitivity of pregnant women, but how pregnant did they need to be? He had never had the opportunity to try. His nibbling stopped, but he kept the top arch of that beak leaning against her neck, slowly moving to tuck it under the curve of her jaw. Those strange wriggling, finger like growths from his own jaw nestled down against her throat. "Sssh, I know, lass. Jes' take... yer mind off a' t'ings.... Y'can relax here."

Aubrey gave a shuddering sigh, wanting so hard to believe it. She let her eyes stay closed and didn't push him away, yet. She debated saying something, but for the moment stayed silent.

"He aint... here. Yer in... charge, aincha'?" He whispered, "Wha's... t'stop ye from... anythin'? Destroy recordin's... borrow th'copter..." He added the second as a half hearted joke, punctuating his whisper with a breathy chuckle. His tentacles slid their way up her legs from her ankles, the ones around her waist tightened ever so slightly like a playfull embrace.

"He still has access to everything," she argued with a frown, shifting just slightly into his embrace. "And I'm sure he's ... checking up on me,"

Tentacle number five and six had worked their way up under the back of her labcoat, worming out over her shoulders to try to urg it off of her, a wet cooing breath escaping the back of his throat as he turned the same movement into a shoulder massage.

Aubrey let a small moan slip past her lips as she shrugged the coat off her shoulders. This was ... too good to resist.

The tentacles disappeared under the skirt, slithering along the line intrusively without actually crossing it. His beak lifted up to nibble at her funny human ear, Tentacle Seven rising up to lift the glasses from her face.

"Billy...." she trailed, half sigh, half whine. She couldn't say it... she just didn't have the heart. She didn't resist, she didn't even tense up, she just willed very hard that he would magically understand the weight of the situation.

Unfortunatly, Billy really didn't care. He juggled his limbs to drop her jacket to the floor, her glasses following before he shifted to try to lay her down, beak rising to hover over her lips. s**t. Kissing still was a problem and awkward as hell.

Aubrey made a small whimpering sound, but didn't struggle. She obliged, shifting one leg up on the couch so she was laying under him. She opened her eyes finally to look into his.

They were so different from the gray, bloodshot eyes he had arrived with, hairless, round, whiteless and inhuman. It was difficult to gage expression from eyes like his, but thankfully his remnant facial muscles helped somewhat.

Aubrey smiled back. one hand coming up and cup his face, tilting her head almost questioningly

His chintacles wriggled, stretching to touch her wrist and the bottom of her palms, his eyes flickering down in a brief moment of hesitation. It was only a moment, caused by possibly a moment of self consciousness- what did she think of him now? Did she regret making him this way? Was he better for it? Would there ever be a way to become human again? If anyone had a chance, he figured, it would be him, wouldn't it? Aubrey was a good portion of the brains of that facility, wasn't she? Of course there was the whole playing with fire thing... Moreau could sweep down, but frankly he wondered how on earth things could get worse. He was finished now. Did they want to watch him long term to tell the effects of the serum? On the other hand, it might have been something completely different. Another hangup, another doubt, or a complete ploy to attempt to look as though he had a shred of conscience.

There was a heavy hanging in the air as they watched each other. Aubrey didn't move, save for the light movement of her fingers over the side of his face. Finally, when the silence and stillness became unbearable, she reached up and brushed her lips against his beak experimentally.

Less than a breath later, however, a sudden, large pounding on the door shattered the silence and made Aubrey jump with a yelp.

"Dr. Lockheart, everything okay in there?" Bellowed an annoyed voice on the other end of the door. One of the guards.

Billy watched her with wide eyes and white slowly blossoming through his sinewy skin like milk dripped over water. He said nothing. She had to make this decision. Would she excuse herself? Brush him off of her, snapped back to her senses by this reminder of reality? Or would she give in to her impulses and be actually selfish for once and do the right thing? He slowly lowered his head back down, beak parting to snake his pointed gray tongue over her lips.

Aubrey's heart was pounding in her chest as she opened her mouth to respond. It came out a strained squeak and she clamped her mouth shut and cleared her throat. "Everything's fine," she called over Billy's shoulder, then chewed on her bottom lip guiltily as she made eye contact with Billy again.

".... I'll be out in a minute," she continued, giving a apologetic look to him. "... I... "

"Please stay..." He lay down on top of her, turning his head to whisper against her ear. His breath was hot and stank of fish. His skin was clammy and cold, but was slowly warming itself against her. He shifted his embrace around her, cooing softly in the back of his throat, "Yer... in charge, aint ye?"

"Only the island," she said sadly, "not of my life."

"Stay," He begged. "Y'want to."

"I have to think of the baby..." she said weakly, pleading. "Its more than just you and me now."

Tentacle number three snaked up under her stomach, under her shirt, his movements becoming shyly invasive, "All this... stress aint' good fer th'baby..."

"Niether is an angry Moreau. I'm...sorry Billy. I don't even want to think what... " she shuddered as she pressed her eyes closed. "..what he might do if he found out. I can't risk that. Not now."


"Why did... y'come here?" He whispered, tentacles crawling needly, hungrily.

"...because you asked me to."

"Do y'... feel anythin'... fer me? I jes'... want to hear it..."

Aubrey squirmed now, firmly (but trying to be gentle) putting her hands on his shoulders and pushing him back. "I'm really not in the right state of mind right now. That's not a ... fair question."

He pushed her back down firmly, giving a needy whine, "I need you..." He had somewhere along the road unhooked her bra, limbs shifting and worming about to try everything he could think of to make her stay, "Yer a bloody... coward! Y'don'... wan' wha's best fer... th'baby, y'jes'... don' want t'admit... tha' ye'd be happier... wit' a thing li' me than... a t'ing li' him!"

"Fine!" she said, pushing back, harder this time in an attempt to get up, "I'm a coward. And ******** you, I am concerned about the baby! Moreau's proved to me what he thinks of it - and what he might be willing to do if he knew..." Aubrey flung her hand in an attempt to gesture between the two of them. "Please, Billy. I'm begging you not to this right now."

His fins were flared out, like a bid with ruffled feathers as he clicked his beak irritably, but ultimately let go. "Fine, I won'... touch you," He murmured, limbs slowly unwinding their grip from around her and he pulled back to plop to the tiled floor with a wet boneless shuffling noise.

Aubrey got up, readjusting herself the best she could in her fluster. "I really wish..." her sentence trailed off with a huffy sigh. "You know what? Never mind. You have your key..."

"Y'really wish wha'?" He pulled himself along the drier area and into the water. It tasted and felt so much cleaner and nicer than the lake already.

"We didn't always end up having the same damn... conflict. Every time."

"Jes' because m'backin' off.... still don' mean y'can't stay," He grumbled again, pushing away to tread water across the room from her.

"Really?" She didn't even bother to hold in her skepticism or surprise. She ran her hands though her hair a few times and slowly sat back down, watching him. "That's.. nice."

He floated, his eyes and shoulders bobbing above the surface of the water as he quietly waited to see what she would do. Patience, self control, the fish come to you. "Wha'd'y'tink... o' me project?" His voice gurgled as the water flooded past his beak.

"The theater? Well, besides some poor hiring choices," she said with a small grin, "I think its wonderful. You seem very dedicated."

Under the water, a muscle twitched between his beak and under his eye. "Gives me... somet'in' t'do... b'sides fish. Hard t'really... get aroun' an' meet... people otherwise."

"See what you can accomplish when you're sober?"
"Sober, nothing... m'bloody bored," He smiled, wondering if she'd sit again.

She did eventually sink down onto the couch. "But you're being productive."

"Slow business. Bu'.... our Gaius's gettin'... th'job done righ'. Go'... some people writin' some plays.... an' a couple o'... interum acts.... t'fill in. Figured I'd mix it... up a bi'... be like... tha' one... aye, Th'Muppet Show." He laughed, amused by this comparison.

Aubrey chuckled at the mental image. "Aye, that's a good idea. You know DiRossi was an actor... you should check up on ... Vasile," she said with a dark smile.

The name struck a bell, although he couldn't place the face. It had been a while ago... "Wha's he then? An'... wha's his name make... me t'ink o'... vasoline?"

Aubrey belted out with laughter as she shook her head. "Probably doing with choice of life partners," she said with a limp shake of her wrist. She cleared her throat. "Sorry, that was inappropriate, but..yeah. Anyway, I wish you the best."

"Tanks fer th'new place. I'm lookin'... forward t'tha'... mattress."

Aubrey nodded. "Top of my list," she said, looking around the place. "I hope you're more comfortable here."

He shifted to float on his back, skimming about the water to stare at the ceiling and walls, "Maybe.... a tapestry o'... poster or somethin' wouln' hurt th'place."

"Anything you want," she said, standing up. "You know how to get a hold of me..."

"Yer always... welcome t'give me a call... once in a while too... y'know."

She smiled and gave a nod. "I have... a lot I really need to deal with today, I do need to go. Give me a call if you need anything."

"Bloody leave already."

Aubrey sighed. "Yeah, fine. Later," she made her way to the door.

He twisted to watch her go, but stayed on the deep side of the room where his tentacles could stretch out more comfortably. It really was a nice place.

It was a lounge day, the day when Maryke was holed up in her duplex, enjoying a nice hot bubble bath. It had taken some getting used to, bathing or showering, but by this point the fur no longer bothered her. It used to be where she felt compelled and confused as to how to shave it. But that was a thing in the past, she HAD to accept it. Or it would consume her. So at the moment she was simply just relaxing, and nothing seemed to off kilter, or inclined to break her good mood.

In the other room, her intercom crackled to life, followed by a familiar wheezy, breathy voice, "Hoy, Monkey love.... y'there? Mary?"

It started her and she slid waist up out of the bath water, looking around stupidly until she realized where the sound was coming from. Slipping on a towel she hurried over, quick to click the button before she lost connection. "Billy? Uh yeah, I'm right here....what's up?" of course her words sounded like her usual calm chipper, though on the inside she was getting strange little butterflies with hearing his voice once more.

"Guess who's... all set up... in his new place?" The octopus man purred through the crackling radio. "Y'go'... any booze o' somet'in'? Y'shoul' come o'er... help me break... th'place in!"

"Really? wow that's....." she was floored, she didn't expect him to do it, but it was definitely a pleasant surprise. "Great..." instantly her eyes ticked around, trying to remember if she even had alcohol stashed away. She was certain she did. "Sure thing, where's it at? If you give a me a few minutes we can really celebrate"

He gave a chuckle, "S'ou' by th'lake... I'll leave th'door... open fer ye." It was evident by his tone he was excited, and even a little anxious.

"Be there in a few," she cooed, before clicking the off switch and going back to her bathroom. After cleaning up the mess, i.e turning off the water, drying herself off further she set about getting dressed and fixing herself up. It would probably be true that Billy would be interested no matter what, but she still fussed about her hair and clothing attire. She wore no makeup, in fact her makeup had been thrown out. But all the same she wanted to look good, as best as she could anyway. And soon she was out the door, managing to snag a bottle of polar ice vodka and two glasses before she finally made her way to his duplex, curiously peering around as she entered.

It was like a large indoor pool with waterproofed everything. The tiled floor sloped downward after a shelf large enough for a couch, a table, some chairs and what constituted his kitchen, the rest clear filtered water all the way down to what looked like a good ten feet. Billy himself was down by the filter, attempting to give it a try to rid himself of at least some of that fishy stench that followed him everywhere. He resolved that he needed a brush of some sort to properly clean his beak and remnant teeth out of. One of the mollars in the back of his mouth had been hurting a bit lately, but he paid it no mind. He just needed to figure out better dental care, is all. He didn't seem to notice she was there just yet.

Maryke stepped in a little apprehensively before she spotted him. She had been taking in all the surroundings and for what it was worth, it was nice! That made her feel good, he needed that, she knew. And when she located him with her hazels she couldn't help but smile. She had no shoes and was wearing cut off shorts so she sat down by the edge of the pool, sticking her furred feet in as she waited for him to resurface.

Whether it was the noise echoing through the tiles, or the movement in the water, Billy's fins fanned, the large dorsil fin that cut through the remnants of his black tattoo waving a moment before he turned to look. She couldn't see his face very well, distorted by the ripples of the water's surface, but he did look excited to see her.

She couldn't make out much clearly, save for bits of his trademark bluish and purple skin along with those eyes. She looked down and gave a small little wave as she waited, her stomach still twisting around in knots as she watched.

The clearer water did make it easier to see those limbs of his outstretched, weightless and graceful in the water as he swam up to the surface and across the pool towards her. Totally different from the clumsy, breathless blob he was above the water. As his head surfaced, he flattened the fins on his head, relief written all over his face, "So... wha'd'y't'ink?"

She enjoyed watching him, he looked....freer somehow. In the murky water of the lake she couldn't see his form when he swam, but now, oh how nice it was to see. It made her feel good for him, even a little proud in a way. "I think it's wonderful," she breathed out, looking around at the surroundings, "What about you? you like it?"

"S'a pretty swanky.... fishbowl, I must say," He chuckled, crawling up to lean on the shallow slope, his chintacles wriggling anxiously to betray his otherwise calm and collected expression. His meeting with the tiger still left him unsettled. She'd be fine if she stayed in the village. Stay in the line of the cameras. There wasn't an easy way to explain this without upsetting her, though, was there?

"It is," she agreed, leaning down to get closer to him. She let out a soft sigh, still ticking her eyes every so often to the new surroundings. Though she could tell something was wrong....just something was off kilter. Finally she turned to him, "So how you holding up handsome?"

"Alrigh'... pretty well..." He mused, a wet limb coiling around her waste. He used her for support as he wormed his limbs under himself untill he was almost standing on those four leg limbs. "I got a couch now... make yerself... comfortable."

She half closed her eyes at the touches, so very used to that wet feeling of his skin to her fur. "Mmmhmmm," she agreed, getting up and walking over to the couch before flopping onto it. The plastic didn't feel bad against her fur, she adjusted her tail accordingly and found that it wasn't bad. Not bad at all. She looked over at Billy and then patted the spot next to her, clearly indicating that she wanted to be joined.

He had been practicing his land crawling, his limbs slowly getting stronger and more dexterous in the movements it took to push himself upright. It was still some work, but his suckers could grab a hold of the smooth, waterproofed surfaces easily enough to pull himself up into the seat beside her. He panted heavily, needing to catch his breath before he could speak.

She avoided watching him, not wanting him to think she pitied him or felt sorry for him and when he joined her she was quick to worm her way through tentacles to get to him, letting him get his breath back before even she spoke too.

He breathed in deep, eyes closed as he managed to get his organs under control. He swallowed, clearing his throat as he opened them again, smile returning shakily, "So... this is... a migh' better than... the rock, eh?"

"Yeah, it really is," she said softly, resting a ruffed head near his chest, "Not that I really would have minded the lake, but......this is better."

"Th'couch.... comes ou' into a bed... y'know," He shifted his arms around to give her a thourough, four armed hug. A leg tentacle coiled about her tail playfully.

"Is that right?" she breathed out nosing against his head with her maw. "It'd be better then doing it on the rocks, I think I scraped my a** last time," she added in jest.

"I though' maybe... y'coul' help me... .decorate th'place..." He chuckled, giving her nose a playful n** with his beak. "Since it seems... s'gonna' be me home... fer a while."

"Hmmmm maybe I could," she said said, settling against him before waving her hand to the surroundings," A splash of color there, plant there," she put a hand to her lips, "Yeah, make this place look more lively...." It was then that she remembered that she was going to tell him something on their last meeting. "Look Billy, there's something, I gotta tell you, but I don't know how to say it."

That made that smile waver ever so slightly. s**t. It was never good when women didn't know how to say something. "Aye? An' wha's tha'?" This was it. She'd found someone better, someone healthier, handsomer, better equipt- but what did he care? She was just to make Aubrey jealous, right? ********, complications made his mantle ache.

She took a deep inhaled breath, letting her tongue slide across her sharper lemur teeth as she braced herself for what she was about to say. "That day, when we....we..." she didn't really want to say it. This was too 'not Maryke' she didn't get googoo over ANYONE, yet here she was, feeling like a stupid highschool girl with a crush. Finally she decided just to spit it out. "I dunno what it meant to you, but I like you......a lot..."

Now that wasn't something he had entirely expected, but his previous experience with beautiful women who suddenly found they fancied him left him wary to say the least. "Oh, do y'now?"

She felt foolish saying it, but she'd never been in this situation. Before, she didn't like anyone. Her eye was caught more by wealth and power anyway, sex didn't matter even though she was around it on a daily basis. But now, she ACTUALLY liked herself, and she didn't know how to handle the feeling. What to do, what to say, or even how to act. It was all so very new. "I do," she said honestly, "And if you don't feel the same then...I get that. But I just..." she trailed off, letting her eyes tick elsewhere. To the water, the walls, anywhere but at him. "Thought you'd like to know."

He thought about it, eyes wandering as well as he mulled over this new information, still content to have his limbs wrapped around her like this. Finally, he spoke, "Wha' aboo' me d'y'like ezactly?"

"Isn't that obvious?" she said, no malice in her tone though no softness either. "You get me, you understand me. You don't treat me like I'm ******** toy. And you're not some goody two shoes either. You know what's it like to be hurt...." she let out another soft sigh and snuggled closer. "You're someone I can relate to."

"Well, aye, yeah, there's tha'... bu' I mean, li'... qualities an' sech'..." It was evident he was simply milking it for compliments.

Maryke was slow to cotton with what he was doing, still thinking she needed to plead her case. But when she finally did her maw turned into a smirk. "And you're funny, and helpful, a real boyscout," she teased.

"I t'ink y'go' me confused wit' th'work horse," He chuckled, groping behind hte sofa for where he had stashed a pack of cigarettes.

"Relax, I'm kidding," she said as she slid off the couch and retrieved the bottle and glasses she had brought. "I like my men rough around the edges anyway." She came back and found the same position, raising and filling a glass as she did. "And now...to celebrate."

With a fresh smoke tucked between the edges of his strange beak, the corners of his mouth turned up in a grin, "Ah, brilliant!"

She finished pouring and handed one glass to him, setting the bottle down on the ground with her foot of all things, while she held onto her own glass. "To new starts!" she said raising hers before taking a swig.

He clutched his smoke with a tentacle while tipping the other back into his throat. It hit him heavily, and burned painfully, making him cough and sputter. It had been a while since he'd drank something so strong.

Back on mainland Maryke had been a strong drinker. She certainly wasn't an alcoholic, but drinking was just one the things you did. It was often that she found herself drinking with johns to discuss business for her pandered girls, or that'd she'd drink at strip clubs and the like to look for more clients or more products. So the alcohol didn't hit her as hard, though the citrusy flavor somehow tasted more so with her newly acquired taste buds.

It wasn't as though Billy was a light drinker either, hell, his diet pre island had consisted mostly of beer and coke. He swallowed and chuckled befor tending his burned insides with a cleansing breath of cigarette.

Finally she pulled the glass away from her lips from it with a wet smack. "So what's new?" she asked casually, as she found one of his tentacles and worked it further around herself, almost like covering up with a favorite blanket.

"No' much.... no' much..." He murmured distractedly, coughing a little from the cigarette as well. Not much. Right. Just a tiger come by to mention wanting to drag her off to the side and do who knew what with. "I.... heard a guard.... was killed recently."

Maryke's head lifted up slightly, she wasn't sure why but that gave her tiny little shivers. She wasn't stupid enough to think this island wasn't all sunshine and roses. Hell she'd heard the story about a wolf girl killing another. But a guard that was killed? That seemed, yes there was definately something wrong with that. "How? Imean an accident or....or what?"

"I wan' ye t'... stay away from th'jungle, alrigh'? Y'hear me?" He said pointedly with a frown.

She was startled at that, Maryke knew how to play coy but on the same token she always thought of herself as 'a big girl' able to handle herself in ANY situation. Even now though she had briuses and pain to show for it it she was still okay, she could still breath and live, which meant that that line of thinking still was valid. Not to mention her secret lover, the trees, were stationed in the jungle. "What...........why?" she asked, a frown covering her maw.

"It aint safe, alrigh'?" Judging by his fidgeting limbs and the way he pulled back from her suddenly to slip down onto the floor and crawl towards his mini fridge. "There's.... things in ....th'woods. An' they li'.... t'eat people."

And that just plain unnerved her. She jumped up, her fur on end and her tail thrashing about wildly, clearly agitated. "eat people?? Okay time out here....what aren't you telling me?" she asked, arms crossed around her chest.

"Wha', ha' y'.... had yer head under... a bloody rock?" He grunted, pulling a fish from the rack inside to give it a bite.

Her maw twisted and she stalked over, her ruffed ears flat against her skull and her hazels lighting up in tensity. "No I haven't, which is why I can figure out when someone is hiding something. So what's up?"

Should he be honest with her? Were the labs watching him? LIstening to his conversation? Or was it another bored labtech not paying attention? Did it matter how much detail he went into? That was the bad thing about the duplex. The spies were more prominent. He felt safer on his rock, even if this was more comfortable. Maybe they didn't care. Maybe no one would notice. Maybe he was over thinking. "Well... it were either tha'... Annie gel.... or th'tiger." Play stupid. He hadn't seen Jamal since Truth or Dare, he swore it.

Her head snapped up at that. The tiger? Somewhere in the recesses of her mind a memory dug itself out. Oh yes, she remembered now. "Jamal," she whispered, barely even audible. Finally her eyes ticked back over to Billy and she asked simply, "Is this a generic fear.......or is my a** on the line?"

"I don' know wha'.... yer talkin' aboo'," He hissed, gesturing with a half eaten fish at her, "Bu' he's jes'... as dangerous... as tha' annie... o' WORSE cause... he bloody... still's got his head... bu' don' give a flyin' feck."

"Then why warn me NOW!" she said, waving a furred hand out dramatically. "Weren't they out before? Or what because I'm more then a just an easy lay you don't want me dead? What is it Billy, because I'm racking my brains out trying to figure out why the hell you're laying all this out me now. Why didn't you say anything before?"

Because he didn't know she was in danger untill last night? "Aye... maybe somet'in' li' tha'!" He huffed, red blossoming over his skin in aggrivation.

She stilled at that, defeated. Her tail, once flailing back and forth now sunk by her legs like dead weight. "Fine," she said quietly, softer. "So then what....you want me to stay to the village like a good girl? No more trees even??"

"Y'understan' why don' ye?" He closed the fridge, wriggling a tentacle to motion for her to come closer.

She said nothing, but didn't come closer, her nose twitching back and forth, despirately wanting to know what he was on about.

Y'wanna' know why'.... I wear t'is here...?" He hissed, finally giving up to tap at the rusted collar around his neck with it's dead little lights.

She nodded, as she squatted down close to him, as close as she could get without intruding. "tell me?" she whispered, too tactful to have asked before, but figure it was appropriate now.

"I was... th'one who... cut his chip... from his neck..." He hissed in a low shaking voice. It had seemed like a good idea at the time, and he didn't regret his drunken decision, but that didn't mean the tiger still didn't scare the fish out of him.

She shivered, from ruffed ears to long silky tail. "********...." she knew what the chips were and what they did. and without them? oh ********. "He.." she shivered again, this time it was her turn to share information. "He's gunna.....gunna want me to....pay up...." she said breathlessly. She knew that he could have done that at any time, but somehow inwardly she knew that this moment, this was why Billy was afraid. Without the chip he could do it now without fear of being hurt by the chip.

"Payment... fer wha', ezactly?" He hissed, his twitch back as he opened the fridge for another fish befor moving back towards the couch, if onyl to keep himself occupied.

She didn't follow him at first, instead stood to her full height, body still shaking. It wasn't as prominent at first, but it aws still noticable. "I was fresh on the island, was stupid....got myself lost in the jungle. I ran into Jamal," she said, eyes ticking downward slightly as she spoke. "He helped me back to the village but....." she shrugged, "I think he expected me to .....give a fair exchange for that."

He gave a grunting laugh as he pulled himself back up onto the crouch, "He's... really lookin'... forward t'tha'... aint he?"

"It's not funny," she hissed, finally joining him. "I never intended to put out! I just wanted....goddamn I just wanted back to the village."

"An' he... damn well... wants t'collect!" He choked back in his whispering ********!" she said again, she was so defeated in this and she knew it. "Well he's not going to collect! I won't set one deformed foot in that jungle until he's caught or...." she stopped, "Do you think he'll find me here?"

"No, no... he... wouln' wanna'... be seen on a camera," He hissed pointedly. "He wouln'.... want t'be spotted. Stay... where it's well... secure." He was glad she didn't ask why he knew... and also that she didn't seem angry that it had been him that set this terror loose to begin with.

With Maryke came knowledge of the gutter life, the street life, and all the backstabbing monsters that came with. The how and why was never relevant, unless of course you wanted payback. But usually, as shown in this scenrio, she just wanted to know where to go next. "Okay...." she said quietly, finally settling on the couch next to him. "It's bye bye trees and hello safety cage"

"Aye... I s'pose... tha's is," He grunted, fumbling with matches as he tried to start a fresh cigarette.

"Better then being dead," she finally relented, trying to find her place amongst the tentacles once again. "Thanks for telling me," she murmured, half closing her eyes, exhausted from the new information she'd recieved.

He grunted, eyes locked on the water, but the tentacles wriggled and tightened around her protectively. "Jes'... lookin' ou' fer ye', love."

"I know, it's a good feeling," she admitted. She moved closer and smiled, "And I won't go past the village, I promise." Of course with Maryke and promises they were like her beauty, only skin deep.

He glanced up at her, his expression difficult to read, although his eyes kept drifting away from her face. "Y'know... y'know I'll protect ye'."

She smiled at that, the words meant more to him then he would ever know. "I know," she whispered, nosing her snout against his neck to head once again. "I'm safe with you," she whispered. How try the statement was could only be told by time.

Forget what he said to Aubrey. He didn't know what he wanted. He didn't know anything right now. He had a lot of general ideas that he hoped all came together at some point or other. Did anyone ever know anything that they were doing? Things happened and you flew along by the seat of your pants. "I aint... a bloody cripple," He hissed against her furred ear, shifting to pull her against his soft, moist chest.

"Never said you were," she quipped back as she swung one arm loosely around his neck while the other went to graze against the chest.

"They all t'ink tha'. I know they do. All t'ink m' a brain-fried... boneless... " His cheaks puffed, his nervious tick seizing the muscles there as his spines flaired out, threatening to cut her hands but protected against by her fur.

She was careful to avoid the spines, feeling the slightest pressure. "Oh yeah?" she asked, more forceful, "well they think I'm a ******** whore with every disease known to man. Who cares what anyone thinks?"

The folded back down again, his cheak still twitching as he thought abou tbreathing, about keeping himself calm. Everything was under control. He pressed the side of his beak against the side of her muzzle, where he still had lips to gently try to kiss her that way.

She sighed deeply, hoping that he got her, and where she was coming from. But inwardly Maryke knew that he did. That was probably what drew her so much to him. They were the unwanted, and the unwanted had to stick together. She moved closer and returned the gesture, moving her maw closer to his beak and using her hands to trace the strangness of his skin.

"I can keep y'safe... M' a preditor... too... even if m'no'... as evolved..." He breathed distractedly, not really paying attention to his own ramblings. His skin quivered as she touched it, the little cells that controlled his color and texture quivering like ripples of oil.

"I know, I know," she whispered. And it wasn't in sympathy. She really did know it. Hell if the big kitty even fell into the water he'd be mince meat. It was just the land where Billy wasn't as strong and tough. But that was okay, she just needed to keep herself in check. Stay away from the pissed off tiger and then she would be fine. They would be fine.

"Now tha' tha's... covered..." He breathed between kisses and tentacle squeezings, "Why don'... y'pull ou'... th'couch bed. See how... it feels."

She giggled at that, working her maw into a grin and then hopping up. "With pleasure," she cooed. It took her a moment to figure out to even work the damn thing but once she did she was quick to flop down on it, stretched out her legs as she did.

He had slipped to the floor while she worked, watching her move and do with a fair amount of ease what he just couldn't manage anymore. Once she was down, he took a hold of the side of the bear matress to struggle to worm his various appendages up and aboard.

She didn't and wouldn't help him up. It seemed that it'd be a sign of pity to try and help him like he really was a cripple. And he wasn't, not to her, so she just waited until he managed to get up on his own. Once he did she turned onto her side, one hand holding her head up with this other trailed along the mattress.

He panted and licked his beak as he stretched his long wriggling limbs out and curled them around her ankles, laing on his side with his limbs aranged in a way to comfortably prop up his neck. "So how's.... it feel?"

She wiggled her body against the matress, as if testing it before she could make a response. "Sure beats the rocks," she saiid happily, stretching out her arms before putting them behind her head.

"Ne'er really... liked them rocks," He mused, limbs snaking and worming their way up over her, like a living blanket, leaving him perched up on her torso, his head tucked quite comfortably between her breasts.

She was quick to move her arms back down and wrap them around his neck, settling where she lay and nodding, "Works out for the both of us"

"Aye, s'pose it does," He chuckled, and for a moment, he could pretend he was a normal man with a normal woman, just doing what men and women did when alone together for long enough.

Oh things were not going well in the former madam's head. Sure aspects of the island had changed her, molded her, and shaped her into something new. Something less then what she was yet more. But now, old nature was hard to get rid of. Like her need for revenge. She lived by the eye for an eye mentality, so if Billy was off screwing the doctor while he was bedding her too, well then...she might have a few choice words to say about it. So when she first entered his place, she instantly ticked her eyes around to the clear pool and then began to slowly walk along the edges, as if stalking what was in the water.

Billy had swam in, cradling the stump of what was left of one of his arms as he huddled near the filter to try to clean his wounds. His back was bleeding. He couldn't see it, but he could taste it, and it stung like hell. He didn't even notice he had company.

Because of the distortion of the water Maryke didn't notice that Billy was in the process of cleaning his own wounds. She saw the glimmer of something not matching the liquid of the water, but she was too upset to stop and think something might possibly be wrong. She squatted down and then began to splash her hand into the water, trying to get his attention.

Oh, thank God, was all he could think once he caught the sight of a black and white figure above the water, drawn by the sound of splashing. With an easy kick of his leg tentacles, he shot through the water to glide to the shallows, still clutching his stump. Richard's bandage had stayed on thanks ot the suckers to cling to keep it on, but it was liekly to fall off again easily if he wasn't careful. "Ach... jes' who'... I wanna' see...!" He smiled in a pained fashion once his head broke water.

"Oh really...?" she asked, locking her hazels onto those inhuman eyes she'd long since become infatuated with. Because of the act she still hadn't noticed. "That's funnny, I don't look like Aubrey....maybe you've gotten us confu-" And then she looked down and saw the bandages, instantly forgetting why she was upset. "What happened to you?"

"I lost a... bloody arm!" He huffed, fins bristling. Aubrey? She was probably just joking with him. nothing to worry about.

"I see that....I meant how. What the hell happened," she repeated, though still stayed away from the water. It was clear that she was upset, her tail was twitching and thrashing about behind her, while her ruffed ears stayed flat against her skull. She wanted to know about this Aubrey business, but damn if she still didn't have feelings for him. Well, she figure out if he was okay....then she'd b***h.

"It were li'... these five guys, righ'? An' they all li'... came a' me a' once... bu' I broke two noses... an' shattered th'other guy's... jaw," He punched at the air with a tentacle not gripping his wounded one, but hissed as the motion pulled at the scratches across his back. Carefully, he dragged himself up onto the drier tiles beside her, flattening his fins back down again.

She stared at him blankly, listening as he lied to her. Maryke was in the business of lying. She knew how to do it with the best of them so naturally had an inner instinct and knowledge to tell what reeked of truth and what reeked of monkey cages. "And the bullshit award goes to..." she spat when he came out fully, still inching a little away in her squat. "No really, what'd you do? Get caught in your wheelchair?" She hadn't meant to have her words come out like poison. But she went out on a ******** limb for him, confessed her feelings, got involved, and yet...he was screwing that pregnant b***h again. It never occurred to her that she might be wrong. That maybe it was just a misunderstanding.

"Wha's... gotten yer nickers... in sech' a bunch, eh?" He grunted, devious grin fading as he moved to crawl towards the couch. He didn't know how he was going to get his shoulder patched up... in the past his arms had just regrown- he was fairly confident it would happen again, or at least hoped so. He felt horribly lopsided.

She stood then, crossing her arms over her chest and tapping a mishapen foot against the floor. "Well, a little birdie told me you and Aubrey had yourselves a little visit," of course it wasn't a birdie so much as it was a frog with a tick, but he didn't have to know that. God forbid poor Newt get hurt over it. What she did know that she wanted answers. Didn't she at least deserve that? "I'm not a jealous woman, but I'll be damned if your playing me! You can't have your cake and eat it too you know.."

"Wha're y'talkin' aboo'...?" He hissed with a grunt as he lay down on his stomach across the sofa so he didn't have to put pressure on the wounds across his back. "She jes'... gave me this... duplex! I tol' y'tha'...!" He choked.

"I know that!" She said angrily, though her hazels ticked down to his wounds. She, without really wanting to but felt compelled all things considered, walked over to tend. "But the way I hear it, that was a pretty long meeting....what was it? Catch up or were you playing nail the Milf?"

"I aint... touched her in... months," He huffed defensively, shifting to peal the bandages off of the tentacle stump. It was a disturbingly clean cut, and most of the bleeding had slowed to a thick seeping. Still, he made a sickened grimace at it. "Damn... this ain'... bloody natural..."

She wasn't sure if she believed him or not, but her bad mood waned away anyway. Perhaps if she had approached him when he wasn't a bloody mess then, well then she might still be mad. Maybe. "Oh let me see..." she huffed, completing the steps to get to him and peering at his wound once there. She grimaced while her wet nose flicked at the stench in the air. Maryke had never been one to know what to do in situations such as this. Whenever one of the girls came to her with bruises or cuts from too rough clients she'd just throw hush money at them and send them on their merry way. Definitely not the hands on approach. But this was different. "What are you taking for it," she asked, simple enough.

"Nothin'... don' know wha' happened... ezactly either... it jes'... go' snagged, righ'? An' then jes'... popped off!" He wove a tentacle tip to illustrate, and hissed through his beak befor contorting a limb around to cradle his back.

"Stop moving around!" she hissed, as she prodded at the wound softly, expecting it. Not that she knew what the hell to do, but she was still concerned none the less. "Won't it grow back/.....? You really need these bandages redressed, and some ******** pain killers," she added with a twist of her maw.

"It was tha'... b***h... Richard again," He huffed, "Won' stop... Fishin' in m'damn... lake!" He snapped, "Ow, careful where yer pokin'!" The flesh twitched and crawled away from her fingers, his coloration blossoming from a pale whitish blue enough a more frustrated orange.

"I am! Jesus...." she muttered, finally stopping her poking and prodding enough to move some of the bandages out of the way. She had almost giggled at the fact that Richard had done this. Though her feet still bore tiny scars from his slice and dice the imagine of him getting Billy a la prized winning trout style was quite comical. "Can you hold tight long enough for me to get some more bandages?" she asked.

"Y'know he's go' breasts?" He called out as his answer, shifting to get more comfortable while he waited. "Li'... womanly ones. Men's.... breasts aint go' tha'... y'know... perk t'em."

"You know, I was wondering what those were. I figured it was just some weird side effect or something, you know like those fat 10 year olds that eat too many burgers or something," she said as she retreated. "Hang tight, I'll be right back." It didn't take her long to leave and return with both arms full of bandages and a bottle of basic brand painkillers. "You still alive?" she teased as she headed back over to him.

"Alive an'... wit' only seven arms," He grunted indignantly. "Go' any... booze amongst tha' stuff? Tha' migh'... make me feel better."

She ignored the comment, but let a slow smile spread to her maw at the question. "Sorry babe, only painkillers with this," she added nodding to the bandages. "If your good, maybe we can wheel you to get some, or I can bring it to you, whichever." With that she set to work, careful to be as gentle as humanly, or monkely, possible.

"Ooh, wha' did I e'er.... do wit'ou' y', babe?" He sighed as she tended to him, coiling a limb affectionately around her upper arm.

She let a coy little smile slip to her maw as she worked, "You know....I don't know." After she chuckled a bit on that thought she continued to work, her anger gone completely now. It felt good, strange, but good to be tending to him like this. She'd always beat away any thought of the traditional femininity. Never wanting kids, or a solid relationship, hell even a pet. But this, well this was a pleasant break. Soon she was finished and sat back with a small head nod of approval.

Billy shifted, trying to push himself upright. THe bandages kept his stump pulled back in a funny position, and he raised his hairless brows, "Well, s'a bit cumbersome."

Maryke only knew the art of bandaging from what she saw on Television. The doctor would wrap the wound, place the needed tape, rub his chin and viola, it was a miracle! She assumed the same was true for this as well. "Uhm...." she added, scratched the back of her head, "It'll do until you get a professional to look at it, I'm sure."

"I though' y'don' li' professionals lookin' a' me tentacles."

She flinched at that. Her maw twisted and her tail thumped against the floor, dropping form its usual place near her head. "I don't if they have breasts and pouty lips.."

"Ach, bu' thems th'good kind o' doctors," He grinned up at her with a low, watery chuckle.

She sat back and continued to keep her frown. "Maybe we should just take you to a vet and get your OTHER tentacle removed," she snapped. "yanno....like being neutered."

"It'd grow back!" He huffed in a slightly higher pitched voice. "They all... pretty much feel th'same anyway!" Such defense. He had thought about the prospect of loosing that tentacle befor, and the horror of it slowly faded when he wondered just what good it really did him these days anyway. Fulfilled an instinctive urge to fertilize a jelly cluster of eggs? Oh, how tantalizing. He could fake it, though, and he had been so far. It was an interesting experience, even if it wasn't necessarily anything... arousing. It was an urge, like a sneeze, pleasant in it's own right but nothing like what it had once been. It was like a finger. A really big, boneless finger. Somehow he couldn't quite imagine octopi settling down to Barry White. The experience had changed.

Natsumi's interesting Japanese pornography had given him ideas for how to act, things that might be fun to try, to experiment with, and thus far it all seemed to be going well. But while the ladies he had.... gotten intimate with had seemed relatively pleased with the final product of his research and careful planning and hadn't suspected a thing.

Needless to say, being neutered was not something he was particularly afraid of anymore, even in jest.

"hmmmph," she the reply, that came out more chattered then anything. She moved away completely and once more her arms found themselves crossed about her chest. She didn't have a retort to that, say what, don't joke and I won't? No, instead she found herself saying,. "Can we just drop the whole subject?"

"Wha' subject?" He huffed back in response, fiddling with the bandages to get them to lay flatter and move easier.

"The one we're not talking about," she said with a dismissive sigh, finding it better then saying her name. "How do you feel?"

"Li' I was attacked... by a disgruntled... garden tool."

"Better then before at least?"

"Aye, definitely better'n befer'," He smiled up at her hopefully, giving the couch beside him a little pat.

"Good," she said, letting a soft smile slip to her maw. It was really hard to say mad at this guy, she was starting to learn. She sidled up to him on the couch, making sure she was careful not to hurt the wound in the process.
Bilious42: Once she was down, he was quick to wind his limbs around her once again, and lean his face into her furry ruff with a pleased sort of sigh. "Well, I'm jes' glad... I din' sprout breasts."

She shifted to get into a more comfortable position and then slung an arm around the back his neck as he lay down. She chuckled at the very thought. "It'd look really silly with the rest of your appendages." As an afterthought she said offhandedly, "You know...I've been staying out f the jungle." She wanted to give him something, solidify that she cared and listened.

"Good. Good. M'gla' t'hear it," He grunted, nodding thoughtfully. One less thing to worry about, right?

"mmhmmm," she agreed, snuggling closer. She couldn't deny that she herself wasn't glad for it, but when she made it look like it was for him she was also scared for her own a**. Though she had bouts of depression and suicidal thoughts crept in her head after each change it seemed like, dying certainly look like it would be fun.

"S'lo' less lonely, y'know..." He said quietly after a while.

"Oh believe me, I know," she said quietly. She stayed in contentment, happy to around him once more as all thoughts of Aubrey faded from her lemur mind. Soon she fell into a deep nap and upon waking she left back to her duplex, in more weary spirits then when she had left.

Over the river and through the woods…

…was certainly NOT where Dee was headed on this fine day. Today she was going to play it safe. It had been nearly a day and a half since her encounter with Victor…the first ‘changed’ islander she had met since her arrival. Ever since that smooth-talking (but CLEVER, damn him) weasel Duvert had given her her ‘vaccination’, she’d been battling feverish symptoms, aches, and a bumpy g.i. tract. Luckily, these attacks wouldn’t last for long, and let her get up to date on her reading and journals. She was still far from coming to grips with her situation, but she couldn’t deny that there was a great deal of wonder about this place…however horrific it may be.

On her way back to the village the other day, she had noticed a lovely little lake. Today, she decided, she would camp out there a for a bit and see what there was to see. Perhaps she would finally get some good wildlife observations in her log, or perhaps her stomach would finally let her enjoy a much-needed drink.

With her satchel (containing a bottle of wine, a notebook, and a field guide or two) and her binoculars, Dee pokes her head out the front door of her duplex. Confident that the coast was clear, she shuffled her way to and around the lake until she found a comfortable looking spot. She sets her bag down on one rock and leans against another, drawing in a deep breath while she attempts to relax in this seemingly-private spot.

It was easy to keep your mind off of more important, pressing matters when one had to concentrate on catching a meal. He had started to gain some weight back finally from the incident with the collar still clasped tightly around his neck, although it had taken a lot of fish. His minifridge had definitely helped, as did Maryke's tasty presents. He had attempted to brave the salt water in search of clams for a change in course, but unfortunately the salt water burned his genetically adapted, fresh-water loving skin. It was a difficult matter to catch the little slippery critters, but months of practice had made it a bit easier.

With three good sized fish still wriggling to try to free themselves from his suckers coiled in his limbs, he crawled across the shallows towards his rock. He still thought of it as his rock, even with the duplex. It was his territory, he supposed. Something like that. Nothing he needed to get into. His head poked up over the water's edge for just a moment before he spotted someone- a NORMIE on the bank near HIS rock! His fins flared and he quickly dipped back down again, colors shifting in a blossom of rock and mud like colors as he crept forward to get a better look and stay out of sight.

The intruder was now busy rummaging in her satchel. Dee paused as a small gray bird a ways down the shore was flushed from its concealed foraging spot. Her hands shot immediately to her binoculars, and almost as quickly as she brought them up to her eyes, she had an identification. “Mangrove cuckoo!?” she exclaims, still watching as the bird angled back over itself and ducked into another copse of trees. “Wow…in this forest type. I’m impressed!”

Feeling better already, she let the binocs down and reached over for a small bag of trail mix. Maybe all that talk about genetic experimentation and human guinea pigs was all just a product of her fevered past few days. Dee scribbled the sighting in her journal and leaned back against the rock, listening to the natural sounds of the lovely riparian setting.

Stupid normie. Bloody STUPID normie, sitting there like she owned the place! Like that was HER rock that she was monopolizing! He hadn't seen a normie in a real long time- granted he hadn't seen very many people, trapped in the water and attached bodies. Finally, he couldn't keep himself still any longer. His limbs wormed themselves up over the shallow water around the rocks, pushing him up towards the air. He had to cough up the water in the remnants of his lungs before drawing in a strained, wheezing breath.

Dee’s eyes sank closed as she listened to the sounds of the lake. Then, strangely, the immediate insect and frog calls around her were interrupted by something that sounded almost like… “Ugh,” she muttered with a little grin, hugging her arms around herself. “Asthmatic Uncle Norm is trying to play his moldy old set of bagpipes again…”

His voice was oily and short of breath when he talked, the product of his shrunken lungs, "Wha' th'hell'r'ye.... blatherin' aboo'... bagpipes?" He dragged himself up over the bank, clicking his beak irritably. The fins across his head and back were fanned, spines outstretched threateningly.

“Aaagh!” An explosive yelp escapes the hapless woman when she hears the wheezing breath, and she scrambles to her feet. It is soon followed by another when she finally sees who is speaking to her. “AAAAAAAAAAAGH!!” Dee reels backwards, trips on a root, and lands on her posterior with a resounding thud.

Her vision blurs for a moment, and she has to blink until it clears. “N-no…s-s-sorry…” the woman chatters, quite surprised (to say the least) and staring unabashedly. “You’re not Uncle Norm.”

Oh, but how she wished he was…

"Ach, no, I ain'," He growled with a defensive hiss, limbs snaking and coiling to push him along towards her. He had gotten better at keeping his torso upright, but he still needed to use his arm-tentacles as well as the leg tentacles for support. "Now gerroff... me rock... y'go'damn ...normie!"

“Hogod...” Dee mumbles under her breath, scrabbling to her knees and reaching out to grab at her bag. “I’m about to be eaten by talking British octopi…” She manages to loop her fingers around shoulder strap, yanking the satchel to her chest.

And scramble off his rock she does! With gusto, even. The tell-tale Clink! of a glass bottle sounds inside Dee’s bag as she scurries back, still facing the lake creature. When her brain manages to kick back into semi-rational mode, she realizes that this is, of course, another one of the eighty-or-so islanders Victor had mentioned. Unfortunately, this does not make her feel any better. Her jaw works, trying to form a coherent sentence in an attempt to appease the be-tentacled, slimy beast. All she can manage to utter is a single word, accented in the form of a startled question.
“Normie!?”

His fins flared at the sound of glass, and he scurried and crawled and squirmed quicker towards her, a curious tentacle stretching out to poke and prod towards the backpack, "Aye, I call 'em... as I see 'em..." He gurgled, tiny chintacles writhing in his discomfort around the human. Who did she think she was? Just because she was one species, that made her think she was better than him? Walk all over what was clearly his!

Aforementioned human was still on all fours in stunned silence. “I’m sorry…ah, s-s-sir? for intruding. I…I meant no disrespect!” She watched nervously as the cephalopod limb inched its way towards her satchel. “It was an honest ah-accident, I assure you! I’m qua-quite new here, you see…”

The wine bottle is becoming unbalanced by being jerked around. It shifts and rolls out of the bag, landing on the bank next to the flat rock. Dee bites her lip, eyes flicking from the changed islander to the bottle and then back again.

Billy's attention was immediately diverted by the sight of the bottle, his head cocking to the side with a curious coo deep in his throat before he was crawling towards the spotted prey to snatch it up in eager tentacles and give it a curious n** with his beak-like teeth.

With her ‘assailant’s’ attention elsewhere, Dee swallowed in a dry throat and mustered enough courage to move. She pushed herself up off the ground and to her feet, leaving the backpack and bottle where it was.

“Oh? You…y-you like wine?” she stuttered in a hopeful tone. “Th-that’s a red… Pio Cesare 2002, a very good year. Specially imported from P-piedmont, Italy…” Before she can catch herself, one of her hands drifts down into a pocket of her khaki shorts, fingers curling and holding steady around the Swiss army knife therein.

He grunted, mumbling quietly to himself as he fidgeted with the bottle from one limb to the next, each trying to fiddle with the cork before he finally simply took advantage of his sharp toothy protrusion to worked on tugging it free. "Italian, eh?" He seemed appeased somewhat, keeping his distance as the creature played with the bottle.

Dee nodded, never taking her eyes off the purple being before her. “Y-yeah! It’s a Ba-barolo. Y-you should be able to taste, uh, violets, blackb-berry, licorice and c-cloves. Lovely and subtle…” She smiles hopefully as he starts to work on the cork and thinks back to the rest of the description she had read before ordering the bottle. “You’ll n-notice a dry and sophisticated palate w-with an..uh.. almondy finish!”

Please don’t let him eat me.

He spat the cork to the side, lifting it up to tip a swig back into his gullet as he leaned against the closest rock. "Really, now?" It was difficult to stay angry at someone who brought him an intoxicant. The lake creature sloshed the liquid about in his palette as though considering what she said and gave the label a critical look. Truthfully, he knew piss-all about wine, but he knew how to drink it and that was enough for him.

Dee, meanwhile, nodded eagerly. “Oh yeah! G-good stuff…” Her fingers relax enough to thwart the knuckles that were threatening to pop clear out of her skin. “I’m sure you notice that ethereal bouquet…” she continues, realizing too late that he lacks a nose. “Ah, m-my name is Diane, by the way. D-diane Creedwater. And I really d-didn’t mean to intrude. I just wanted to find s-someplace quiet.”

"How long.... y'been here fer now?" The cepholopodian man gurgled, his fins settling back down as he relaxed. She was afraid of him. Funnily enough, with all his smart talking and fist flinging when he had still had them, he was never particularly feared by anyone. He supposed this new face was a gift in that respect. intimidation was a sort of power, same as sweet talking. He gave the rim of the bottle an experimental n** and lick, as though trying to smell it with his gray pointed tongue.

“Almost three days…” Dee responds, gradually coming down from the ‘flight-mode’ response surge of adrenaline. The part of her brain dominated by scientific detachment clawed at her, demanding some ‘air time.’ After taking few deep breaths, she further calms herself and watches the octopus closely. Despite his fearsome introduction, the intricacies of his human/animal hybridization are as fascinating as Victor’s were.

“I was hired on to be a freelance researcher of ‘rare and unique species,’” she adds, sounding bitter. “And I learned awfully qu-quick that it was a load of bull.”

His remnant lips twitched up at the corners into a crooked, mutated-toothed smile before he gave a low breathy chuckle, "Rare... an' unique species....? Tha' wha' they.... pitchin' now? " He shifted his grip on the bottle around so he could crawl towards her again, looking her over. It was funny, seeing another human besides Aubrey these days. Everyone had something. "So wha'... y'a bloody... tourist? O' are y'one... o' us?"

Dee visibly stiffens at the utterance of the word ‘t-word.’ “No…” she answers, almost growling. “I’m not a ‘tourist.’ They contacted me at a symposium and invited me. Said I had come ‘highly recommended.” Her expression is suddenly cold, and her left hand wanders up out of her pocket and grips her right shoulder. “And I’ve reason to believe that I’ll be ‘one o’ you’ one o’ these days. They stuck me with a so-called ‘vaccination.’”

"Ah! So.... I 'aint... th'fers' y'met, then? Or ha' they finally... stopped playin' wit' our heads?" He chuckled, pausing periodically to catch his breath in his gasping way. He seemed to recall the fish still clutched in three of his tentacles. His front left tentacle was still a sore nub, although it had begun to creep back after his run-in with Richard's fishing line, and twitched and wriggled uselessly as he lifted a bit of meat to take a greedy bite. What did he care about how the girl might feel speaking to someone with fish entrails on his chin? He was hungry.

Gore doesn’t seem to bother ‘the girl.’ She watches him without flinching. “Nature red in tooth and claw,” she says softly. “You know, they usually recommend seafood to be eaten with white wine,” Dee adds with a wee grin. “You’re my second… my second ‘changed’ fellow, that is. I had my crash course the day after I landed with a very helpful herp-man by the name of Victor.”

"So I s'pect... y't'ink y'know... e'eryting?" He huffed, prodding at the wine again. "Talk'd t'one person'.... tha' makes y'th'expert. Yer a normie. Y'aint go'... nothin' that'll... stop a tiger from... shreaden yer o' a wolf come t'eatcha' up in the ....middle o' the night, chipless an' feral."

That response deflates her a tad and confuses her a lot. She’s slow to come down from what she perceives as an insult, but she shakes her head in defeat nonetheless. “I’m no expert around these parts, that’s for sure.”

‘Normie?’ ‘Chipless?’ This is vastly more than she had bargained for.

“What…what’s that you keep calling me? And just who the heck *are* you? Did you lose your name along with your legs?” Dee regrets the latter comment almost as soon as she utters it, but her patience has suddenly taken a nose-dive.

He chuckled at her jibe, though, spiny fins twitching as he swallowed down the rest of his fish with a wet noise. "Been hearin' people... callin' me th'Lake Monster," He chuckled, giving his limbs a good squirm if only to try to unsettle, but his expression softened, his temper drowned with wine for the moment, "Me normie name... were William."

Dee quirks a dark eyebrow and smirks despite herself. “William L. Monster, huh? That’s got a certain ring to it.” She folds her arms and takes a few moments to study him as her analytical side gains more ground. “Nice to meet you, Willy. Hope you enjoyed the wine…I take it that you could use a good drink. You talk as if you’ve been here a while.”

"Boo' a year, I s'pose..." He murmured, chuckling at the name before correcting. "Go by Billy mostly. An' tha'... sounds a sigh' better'n... Woodrow. Don' much loo' li' ...a Woodrow anymore. No' so.... sure aboo' Billy neither. Bu's'been..... wha' they've called me... so long as I can remember, so whatchergonnado, eh?" Surprisingly, or unsurprisingly, the bottle was already half gone.

Dee wasn’t surprised at the rate of alcohol consumption, but she wasn’t dismayed either… she was rarely ever hesitant to share her good fortune or good beverages. “Not much I guess, eh Mr. Woodrow?” Resolved that ‘Billy’ isn’t going to rend her asunder, she re assumes her seat…this time off his rock. The woman ‘hugs’ her legs and rests her chin on her knees. “What else could you tell me about this place?”

He laughed again, settling back in his coils while giving his collar a nervous rub, a muscle under his eye that used to control his nostrils twitching in his nervous gesture. He had been twitching a lot less frequently with Maryke around, but still it came back on occasions. "I coul' tell y'enough'... t'make y'wanna'... t'row yerself off one o'... them cliffs up tha'ways." He poked with an odd limb in the direction of the mountain range in question.

“Oh, Billy…” Dee breathed, sounding mortified. “I’m sure you could. But, let’s not get ahead of ourselves.” (She was only partially-humoring him…she’d spent more time around drunk folks in her life than she’d like to admit.) “But, how about we start with something that’d make day-to-day life a tad easier? Or just indulging my curiosity? Like…how come they have you in that contraption?” She gestures towards his collar.

"Cause I di' somethin' bad. Di' a lo' o' bad t'ings," He frowned, staring off into a spot a foot above Dee's head and a bit to the right. "Shite happens, though... righ'?" He laughed as though he had made a joke about something coherent.

Dee purses her lips and chooses not to drill him. “Right. Lots of shite seems to be happenin’ lately.” She manages to do a fair impression of his accent. “And in awfully-quick succession, I might add.” The woman watches him, curious at how the alcohol affects his altered system. “You doing okay, there?”

One eye blinked, followed by the other before he blearily glanced around for the discarded cork. It seemed as the alcohol caught up with him, his control of his various limbs began to slip, and they jerked and flailed about.

“Oooh…that can’t be good,” Dee shuffled forward a foot or two, craning her neck as she watched him. “Can I help you with that?” she asks, offering a hand to retrieve the bottle and the remainder of its contents. Meanwhile her brain keeps ticking over, noting the reactions and effects on her newest acquaintance.

Billy glanced up at her before coiling it back against his chest protectively, "S'mine now...." He said pointedly.

Dee leans back, hand raised. “Okay, big guy! Whatever you say. I just don’t want to be responsible for what could be a reeeeally wicked hangover...”

He shook his head, frowning before relenting ever so slightly, "Well... if yer drinkin'... wit' me, I s'pose... if y'jes' give me what e'er's left o'er... y'can have it back."

“Of course!” Dee leans down and fishes an almost-empty bottle of water out of her bag. She finishes the last of it and wiggles it in Billy’s direction. “I’ll just pour a little into this and you can have the rest.” That’s right, woman… keep the purple tentacle man happy.

He nodded. That seemed good enough for him, "Payment.... fer usin' me rock," He chuckled, wobbling a bit as his mouth twisted into his strange, sharp toothed grin.

“Tch, well thanks! Sounds fair.” Dee smiles back, a little disconcerted by Billy’s unique grin. “You know, that’s really quite gentlemanly of you,” she adds, watching him as she re-takes her seat. Dee, still quite far from relaxing, waits for Bill to make the next move with the wine.

His limbs shifting and slid over themselves as he leaned forward, scooting along the ground to push the bottle towards her in a wobbling tentacle arm. He passed it down to a longer tentacle leg, though, for that extra reach to lift it up towards her hands. His smile widened at the compliment and his fins fanned out proudly. He was perfectly capable of being a gentleman, see? Perfectly capable.

Oh, so the ceph’ likes a little flattery, eh? Dee’s perfectly able to oblige. “Very good, sir!” With as much daintiness that she can muster, and meanwhile taking the opportunity to make mental notes on details of the proffered tentacle, she takes the bottle from him. She pours a glass or two worth into her water bottle, and returns the rest.

Dee raises the bottle. “Cheers, William.”

He gave a chuckle, lifting the bottle as well, "Cheers.... Dee th'normie."

‘Th’normie’ chuckles too, and takes a drink. “We’ll see how long the ‘normie’ bit lasts. Makes me wonder what they have in store for me.”

"Loosin' bones.... aint a lo' a fun. Nor is... goin' from hairy t'ing... to a no' hairy t'ing. Th'bloods all different," He offered conversationally. As he settled back again with the bottle, he kept his eyes on her, twitching across the hairless skin. The next time he saw her, after all, she could look completely different, after all.

She wasn’t bad looking…but she wasn’t any sort of model, either. Almost everything about Dee was utilitarian, but her travels had kept her in decent shape with a fair figure. Right now she was watching him back. Her expression bordered on distant and detached as she weighed his reply. “I can’t imagine it was easy by any stretch of the imagination,” she said quietly, sipping her drink. “Are you still changing? There must be a limit to what a body can withstand…no matter how advanced the procedure.”

Of course the octopus's perception was so skewed by this point, he wasn't in a position to gage her attractiveness, but she was definitely still human. "No... I t'ink... I'm done... fer now anyway..." His appendages wriggled as he shifted to take another drink. That twitching muscle under his eye throbbed, "'less they come up... wit' more madness t'do t'me."

To think that this creature was once human, and what he must’ve been through. Poor guy.

“’Madness’ is right,” she said, coughing a bit as a trickle of wine went down the wrong pipe. Her stomach seemed to be taking the drink fairly well, and her body aches were declining. “How’d they talk you into coming here, anyway?”

He thought about it for a moment, debating once again whether it was worth making up a story or not. What the hell? The wine encouraged honesty. "It was this o' prison. O' a bullet in th'back o 'me head. Though' I coul' stop runnin'. Guess I was righ'." He chuckled bitterly at that before the bottle once once again tipping back into the creatures gullet.

Dee pauses in mid-sip, eyes widening. “I’m sorry…” she mumbles, lowering her bottle. “I shouldn’t have asked.” Way to go, dumbass, she cusses at herself. Why don’t you just stick with what you’re good at? Being a professional Pretend-professional.

"It were me own fault fer'.... bein' too tweaked off... me rocker t'see it was... a blatantly shady business."

“Still…” Dee replies after taking a heady swig. “I don’t think anyone deserves a bullet in the head…or this, really.” She gestures at him. “Unless you’re enjoying yourself. Either way, I didn’t mean any offense.”

He continued to smile at her, his breathing becoming quicker and deeper as though he were out of breath. He ignored it, though, turning his panting into a chuckle, "Aye, I believe.... I'm th'victim ...o' circumstance, really.... really... really piss awful circumstance."

Dee is quick to take note of his change in breathing pattern. “If you say so, Mr. Monster,” she replies sympathetically. While she doubts she has any horror stories that could relate to his, she’s suffered at her share of ‘piss-awful’ circumstances. “Are you alright? Your breathing sounds labored.”

"Aye... aye... m'fine..." He murmured, glancing around blearily with an uneven blink. He was obviously drunk at this point, but was doing a fine job of behaving himself, "Jes'... can't breath... too well... er..." He very carefully (because his aim wasn't very good with so many limbs and so much inebriation,) set the bottle down on the bank before crawling back towards the water, "One... moment..."

The woman’s own breath was held captive as she watched him. Of course… she thought. “You’ve got to recharge… “ Her voice again takes on that detached, analytical inflection. “Do you have a defined pallial cavity? Uh…” she tops herself. “That is, a sort of gill? Or do you still have to take water in through your mouth?”

He blinked at her, hairless brows as he tried to make sense of her. After a moment he understood, "Ach, oh!... Tha'... er... well, these... aint ears." He lifted a tentacle to point to the hole in the side of his enlarged, squishy head.

Dee nods, still watching. She takes a drink and grins as a familiar and warm feeling blooms in her midsection. “Yeah, okay…that’d be where they are on the… real thing? Yeah. Good that you retained your vocal chords—oh…” She stops in mid-sentence and hiccups, vision blurring. “That’s weird…” she muttered. “Booze doesn’t ever hit me this quick. Probably doesn’t help that I’ve hardly anything to eat the past day.”

Billy didn't hear the end of her sentence, having pushed himself from the bank to plunge face-first into the lake, indeed "catching his breath" as he so frequently needed. It took him a few minutes before he finally resurfaced, water spilling down from his mouth and "ears". Lungs cleared, he coughed twice before dragging himself back towards his bottle.

“Whoa,” says the young woman. “At the risk of sounding utterly unprofessional ‘that was far out.’” Dee takes a drink, unable to pull her eyes away. The alcohol is beginning to loosen her tongue and soften the shock. “And what happened there?” she gestures towards his ‘stump.’

"Hrmm?" He frowned down at it as he leaned back in a nest of his own limbs, wriggling the scabbing, useless thing with an unsettled look, "Don'... know, ezactly. Was ou' swimmin'... fish-hook caugh' me an... while I were strugglin'... it jes' popped off. Real pain in th'arse."

Dee clucks her tongue and shakes her head. “Fisherman was probably confused when he reeled that back in. It just popped right off, huh?” She gestures a bit, fanning her fingers. “Don’t worry, it should grow back.”

"They've grown back... b'fer, bu' usually... it had a change t'... speed it up."

“Yeah, I’m sure..” her eyebrows arch. “But you’re, uh, crossed with Octopus vulgaris? Something like that? You should regenerate that limb, too… may just take longer.” She raises her drink again. “And if you ever need help forgetting about it, I have more along the lines of this stuff. It’s no fun drinking alone, so I figure I may as well share.”

"Really, now?" He licked the line of his beak, rubbing a cheak with the back of a tentacle, "S'awfully kind.. t'offer tha'... t'a monster y'only jes'... met."


“Well, if what Victor said is true, I’ll be here a long, long while. I may as well be neighborly, eh? And a ‘Lake Monster’s a good a friend as any.” Dee smiles and finishes off her plastic bottle.

He chuckled, mumbling something under his breath, "Lake monster... righ'." Maybe it was the alcohol coursing through his head, or the twisting, sick feeling of a stomach filled with wine and fish. Maybe it was the sexual frustration- or at least frustration with the sexual and the cepholopodian and his fragmented brain. Maybe it was the fact that someone had actually shown an interest in him- not necessarily like Maryke who cared about him in the physical sense, but the him in a... a more... personal sense. "I... weren't always a ba' guy, y'know?" He huffed, mouth contorting into a grimace, "Jes' came on ....hard times, hard times, ...y'know? Gets rough.... when y'aint go' a pot t'piss in!"*

Dee gives a short little gasp, struck by Billy’s outpouring and vulnerability. “I never said you were a bad guy,” she says, just loud enough for him to hear. “We’ll do bad things.. people will… but we’re not perfect. And you’re still a person, I can see it.” She feels light-headed but is unsure if it’s the booze or emotion. Once again, Billy’s struck a nerve. *

"No I aint... no I aint, I'm a pet... s'wha' I am, her bloody pet... keep me in a bloody fish tank... they're all whores, th'lot o' them!" His fins fanned, face contorting with drunken anger.*

“They’re bastards for what they did to you, bastards for using their talents the way they did…” Dee says, slurring her words ever so slightly as her empathy mirrors his agitation. “I don’t care how long you’ve been here ‘er how long I haven’t, but I’ve seen a lot of creatures… and you’re nothing like them. You’re wearing a different skin, but you’re still William Woodrow.”

“And, I think, unless you want to give up…sure, you could be a pet. If that’s what you *really* wanted.” The tone of her voice has changed, and she looks down at her satchel as if remembering something. There’s a slight bulge in the front pocket.

Her fingers drift over and undo the buckle, then produce a tiny flask small enough to conceal in her palm.

"I mean... I come a long way! I come a long... long bloody way... I'm all cleaned up now... go' meself a business started... bu' it aint enough fer her!" He huffed, spiny fins and tentacles flapping un a drunken gesticulation. At the sight of her movement, though, he paused, "Wossa' there, then...?"

Dee’s hand closes around the flask. “Something I’m not sure either of us need right now. I forgot I had it with.” With a sigh, she unscrews the cap and takes a small drink. “20-year, I think. Scotch. Not much left, but it’s yours if you want it.”

There was a curious sort of gurgling noise in the back of his throat as he scurried forward clumsily and bonelessly across the grass to plop down beside her, snatching it up in a few suckers. "Wish I... 'ad a feckin' nose," That said, he guzzled it down in a quick shot. Hangovers be damned.

“Attaboy,” Dee says, watching. “Use it or lose it, huh? Speaking of which…” She rummages through the main pocket of her bag until she finds a small blank journal and a pencil. Moments later she’s scribbling a series of notes in her messy handwriting, then begins to do a loose sketch of one of Billy’s closer tentacles. She’s not terribly artistic, but it’s fair enough.

He cocked his head like a strange, tentacled, curious bird and tried to peer over her shoulder, "Wossat? Why y'drawin'... me er... wossname?"

The pencil pauses and her face flushes bright red. “Your…wossname? Uh…” she taps the lead lightly on the paper. “I…wanted something for the journal…that’s…just another one of your arms, right?”

"Aye... sure..." He kept his face neutral, but his mouth twitched into a soft sort of smile. It was fun to keep her guessing, though.

With her face still red, she watches him out of the corner of her eye and gives him a pointed ‘Look.’ “Okay…maybe you ARE a bit of a b*****d after all. Just for that…” Dee continues to draw, shading the doodle with loose hatch marks, like a *very* sketchy version of something you’d see in a scientific journal.

"Tha's pretty... pretty good," He drawled, wobbling a bit befor he slumped and reached to use her balance with a worming, loop of an arm.

Dee twitched involuntarily as the tentacle looped against her, but didn’t jerk away. “Thank you, William.” For some reason, this all reminded of her last string of dates… minus the tentacles and plus on the alcohol. She began doing another sketchy study of the sucker-bottoms, making little notes here and there detailing the differences of his anatomy and a wild octopus. “That hit you kind of hard, the booze, didn’t it?”

"Yer... yer pretty... pretty pretty goo' a' tha'... go' a friend... who draws too... " He slurred, hanging from her shoulder as he bumped his stump against her back and twisted a third and forth tentacle up over her lap and around her stomach to keep himself from flopping over. "Th'wha...? Oh... I drank mor'n... tha' b'fer..."

“I’m not that good…it’s jus’ copying what I see. I can’t make stuff up or anything…” she answers, watching the tentacles writhe around her. The constant motion was almost hypnotic, and her vision blurred as another warm sensation in her gut blossomed. It was a different sort of detachment… and certainly more alien.

Biting her lip, Dee tentatively nudges the tentacle she was drawing, trying to get a better look at the underside and hoping that Billy doesn’t mind.

He twitched it up, holding it accordingly to watch her sketch with drunken fascination. "I can't... bearly write words... le' alone draw nothin'," He pushed his head forward over her shoulder, chintacles wriggling against her arm, "S'pecially since... I aint go' no hands."

Dee shivered despite herself, and the sketching became more erratic. “I think…you do have hands…Mr. W. Just, more of ‘em.” She drew a shuddering little breath, apprehensive but hellishly curious. “You seem to be capable with them, too..” Her face felt hot, but where Billy’s skin touched hers it was refreshing--if completely alien.

"I can play th'squeezebox." He gloated pointedly. And he could still, now. Somewhat. A bit difficult with the missing limb, though. Like he was missing a finger.

“C-can you now?” she grinned, glancing sideways at him. “I’d like to see that some time.” She raised her drawing hand and tapped the eraser end lightly on his beak. Way down inside her, a long-forgotten and dusty old part of her wondered What else can he do with those? Dee gave a little cough and returned to her journal, a queer smile on her face.

"M'startin'... a theater, y'know..." He brought up suddenly, as though suddenly filling the urge to impress his new friend, "Y'seen... th'construction? Got me boys... buildin' it up."

“I might’ve seen it…” Dee said, cheeks still hot. “I’ve been pretty out of it since I got here. You’ll have to show me one of these days.” Another glance. “I used to play the dulcimer as a kid. Long forgotten, though… “

"Dulcimer...? Wha' th'hell'sa ... Dulcimer look li'?" He frowned, trying to recall it. With his head this close, she could hear him suck for air from those siphons on either side of his head.

“They’re a… three or four stringed fretboard attached to a resonating box. Like a weird slide guitar, but a’lot easier to play.” She replies, erasing some loose lines on the sketch. “That’s what I used…but there’s another version that you play with little ‘hammers,’ too…like a percussion instrument.”

"Sounds faggoty," He chuckled, trying to imagine it. His breathing was beginning to get a bit more labored again, already, but he ignored it. He had learned how to stretch out his time, and ignore his body's near constant plea for water.

Dee snorted, and whapped the arm that was wrapped around her waist. “It’s not ‘faggoty’… they sound really nice if you know what you’re doing!” She grinned again and wrote ‘From the Jerk-topus’ under her sketch.

He didn't seem to notice the writing, or at least didn't comment. "I'll ha' ...t'take yer... word fer it." He wobbled still, limbs fidgeting as he shifted his grip on her. His skin was beginning to feel drier, more rubbery and cold.

“Mmmhmm,” Dee muttered, lightly fingering the tentacle-tip she had been drawing and noting the change in texture. “Time for another dip, Bill? You seem a little dry…as ironic as that sounds.”

"Bloody... hate tha'..." He grunted between wheezing breaths and his limbs wormed free. He fell down onto his stomach, and was quick to crawl and a wobbling line back towards the water, grumbling profanities under his breath.

“I don’t blame you,” Dee observes, closing her journal and placing it in her lap. “How come you’re not blowing up like a balloon in that fresh water? Shouldn’t you be in the ocean?”

"I've tried... it stings... somet'in' awful. Which is a pisser... since I been cravin'... clams an' shellfish lately. Sick o' fish." He replied before pushing off into the lake with a relieved sigh.


Dee makes a note of this; maybe she can find something for him if she goes snorkeling… “’Sokay,” she answers. “I’ll definitely see what I can do to help.” Something about the ‘lake monster’ continues to bring out Dee’s softer side—after the initial shock and fear has wound down, of course.

Once again, he remained submerged for several minutes, moving about in the waist deep water before he crawled out again, looking nice and rewettened. "Sorry... did y'say somet'in?"

“Naw,” Dee said, smiling. “Just maybe one of these days I can figure out how to get a clam bake going.” Her eyes were half-lidded, a clear sign that the liquor was taking effect. “What do ‘ya say?”

"Mmmm... save some o' them.... unbaked an' I'll ha' t'wheel by."

“Issa deal.” Dee picks up a pebble and skips it along the lake, then returns her attention to the octoman with a less-than-amused face. “You were saying…eh, before, about things that’d make me want to jump off the cliffs. What sort of things?"

"T'ings they done...." He murmured, " t'me... t'other people. Ye'll wanna' jump jes'... t'spare yerself from all this." His voice was low and gruff as he settled back against the good leaning rock, looking sleepy from the wine but apparently appeased enough to somewhat answer her.

Her stomach turns over. “Let me decide that for myself...” Dee swallows. “If it’s as bad as you say, what’s the difference? I may as well learn something.”

He regarded her for a moment, thinking it over before finally answering, "When I fers' go' here... I was a bi' o' a mess, y'have t'understand."

“I understand.” She tapped his nearest tentacle lightly with an index finger. “And how does it compare to now? How much of William is left? Messed up or not?...and how do they control the…’not?’ ”

He was quiet at that, thinking through how to answer, exactly. He was a different person... a different thing. He wasn't exactly the violent, angry, hyperactive, paranoid villain he had once been... but he still was violent, angry and paranoid. He was on his best behavior to keep the cameras off of him. He was building a theater. He was an able part of their happy little society. An ideas man, now that his head was somewhat clear. It was odd. Well, he was a William Woodrow, even if he wasn't the same William Woodrow he had been before. But maybe he was the same. Or maybe he was drunk. Either way, he make a funny little sound in the back of his throat and gave a four-shouldered shrug, "I aint go' any idea. I jes' try t'... avoid bits bein' cut off... when I can." He giggled at that, a quiet, humored little mad sound.

Dee did a double-take, taken aback by the giggle. “Yeh, that’s some place to start,”she replied with a half-hearted chuckle. “But, why the collar? Is that how they keep tabs on you?”

"No..." He glanced across the lake, eyes sweeping up to the trees, searching for any cameras or anything hidden that he probably wouldn't have been able to see anyway. "No... how much d'y'know? Aboo'... chips, an' security? How much tha'... Victor tell you?"

She shakes her head, ashamed of herself—as she is in any situation where she feels as helpless and clueless as she does about this place. “Chips? Uh, no…Nothing much, if at all. He was just trying to keep me from turning into a shuddering wreck.”

He glanced around again before motioning for her to lean in close to him, a tentacle sliding around her shoulders as his voice dropped low and quiet, "They put these... chips in their necks, righ'? Righ' when we arrive... they're li'... real... real wee li'..." He could remember it, glinting through the gore of the tiger's neck, things exposed to the dark of the cave that shouldn't be exposed. The muscle in his cheek twitched again, "They use 'em... t'control us. Keep us... under their control."

“’Chips in their necks’?” Dee blinked, unconscious that one of her hands had raised to her neck as Billy spoke. “Everybody? H-how could a chip control you? A way to monitor or catalogue maybe, but…”

"I don' know... I don' know how t'... work a computer e'en. I jes' know... when they wantcha'... out, they take y'out. Y'go t'sleep when they wancha to... li' a wee electric jolt," He explained. He could remember the not-so wee electric jolt the thing was capable of if it was tampered with. "They can tell where y'are... they can do loads o' t'ings."

“Big brother’s ultimate dream, huh?” Dee growled. “I guess there’s no use in asking if it’s possible to remove, eh?”

He "fingered" his collar with a tentacle tip, chuckling quietly to himself. "Oh, it's possible, alrigh'."

“Well, what happens?” she presses, getting more agitated. “You did it, din’t you? That’s what the collar’s for? They couldn’t bear to let you have your privacy, even after what they did? Goddamn…”'

"No, I still go'... my chip," He chuckled, "Bu' it's... who's I cu' out, tha' was th'bad t'ing I did."

Dee seems to deflate a bit. “And who’s that? Did they escape?”

"Wha's th'ol' sayin'?" He giggled further, groping for the bottle he had set aside with a free limb, "Tyger Tyger... burnin' bright an' all tha'?"

She jerks her head around, eyes wide. “A tiger? Is he… uh, has he…? Hurt anyone?” Well, s**t, that would explain the armed guards… “An, is he a friend of yours?”

"I don' rightly t'ink... he's a friend o' anyone..." He laughed again, grinning widely as the bottle was pulled back over. Perhaps he had had enough already, but he didn't seem ready to stop. "Bu' s'been a real... pisser fer th'labs... aint it? Heard he... been up t'all kinds o' no good.... since I set 'im free."

Billy was free to help himself… Dee’s stomach suddenly felt awfully inhospitable at the moment. Her throat feels as if it’s coated in sandpaper and, when she does speak, it’s in a tiny voice. “Is he the only one free?”

"No... no... there's... also this... wolf gel apparently. Wicked,,, stinkin' woman gone mad in th'head.... ripped th't'ing out herself! Don' know how ...she managed- I had trouble enough... cuttin' his ou'." He grinned at her, almost proudly, "S'how I go' t'is though."

Dee manages a flimsy smile, her face nearly as pale as Billy’s eyes. “That’s…that’s just great, Bill. And what does that neat contraption do? Besides just lookin’ simply stunning…”

"Kept me a... droolin' retard... fer well o'er a month." His muscle twitched and he took a fresh swig.

With another ill-sounding sigh, Dee slumps and taps her fingers joylessly on the cover of her little journal. “Again, I’m sorry.” It was alien, this feeling as if she’s learned more than enough in one sitting…

"Don' know why... he finally turned it off... bu' I aint a fan... o' sedatives, tha's fer sure. S'pecially now. Y'jes' best make sure y'behave yerself... if y'wanna' get away... wit' anyt'in. They don' watch ye'... if yer well behaved."

She nods, but doesn’t exactly appear to be paying much attention. “Get away, right.” He eyes seem glazed over as she stares across the lake.

He grunted, giving her a prod with a tentacle against the cheak, "Wha' I give y'more'n y'want t'know? I aint... scratchin' th'surface e'en... yet!"

“It’s not more than I want to know… just a bigger helping than I expected,” she replies, glancing down at his tentacles and batting at one in return.

"Then I won' say more... t'ill y'digest tha'... and bring me some clams, then," He huffed, pushing the cork back into the bottle as though packing up to leave.

“Oh, but don’t you go on any big trips until I get back,” Dee smirked, watching him tiredly. “Or else you get bupkus.”

He chuckled again, wobbling as he dragged the bottle behind him towards the water, "I live... in tha' duplex... across th'lake tha' way..." He pointed with a tentacle tip towards the row of aquatic duplexes that had been built along the lake's shore. "Th't'ird one fromt h'side there... tha' one. Wit' th'fish bones hangin'... from th'window sill there. If y'e'er... care t'stop by."

She follows his tentacle until she catches sight of the home. “Will do, Bill. I’m in ’29. There will probably be some bird feeders out front as soon as I can get to making them.” Dee looks back down at her hands, still smirking. “Thanks for giving this bloody ‘normie’ the time o’ day.”

"Y'brough' me... a drink... leas' I coul'do," He grinned over his shoulder, dorsal and head fins flaring once before he pushed himself off the bank and into the water with a splash, the wine bottle in tow.

“Whew…” Dee chuffed through the tight-lipped smirk. “A talking octopus. Next thing I know it, there’ll be flying pigs.” She gathers her things and stuffs them in the bag, then gets to her feet with a boozy grunt. “Still a great find, Dee.” Creedwater slings the bag over her shoulder and heads into the forest, following a game trail up the hill. “Let’s see what they throw at us next.”

Jordan had finally met the girl who'd broken up with Lauren and he wasn't sure how to feel. Not just about her. Nita had distanced herself from him as soon as the mongoose had come into the conversation, even after his attempts to be friendly. Jordan had tried to be nice, he'd even made efforts at dialog. He'd made the mistake of telling her about some things. He was careless. If the dog man wasn't careful, his descent would be extinguished before he could know the taste of freedom from the labs' control. Having parted from her company in less than a good mood, Jordan left the beach. The only way he could recover from the upset was to run. The feeling of running to his heart's content was therapeutic, the air around him whipping through his fur and his long-flowing hair in a soothing, yet thrilling, manner. It took his mind off of things, at least his human mind. He still ran like a biped, but he didn't know how much longer he'd be able to resist the growing canine urge to run on all fours.

Billy had been on one of his daily round abouts when he had dozed off along the riverbank in a coil of his own rock-hued limbs when the dog-man approached, his camouflage drifting as his consciousness drifted. From gray dull rock colors and patterns to brighten up in a rusty red and then drift into a darker black as the water rushed against him. He was too deep asleep to notice the company, and too drunk to care, the tell tail emptied bottle somewhere caught along the rocks down stream from him.

These runs killed two birds with one stone: one the practical aspect, he was back on the path to gradually improving his physique with constant daily exercise and on the more canine aspect of things, he was wasn't stressed, bothered, nor plagued as much by his problems as his human mind zoned out in free-spirited revelry. His ears twitched at the sound of rolling water. Had he been taken out this far already? He licked his drying lips and coughed from the dryness in his throat. His emotion-fueled run had left him feeling parched as he diverted his path alongside the river towards the river. Jordan knelt down at the waterside, and with difficulty, scooped water into his paws, slurping it down before it all had drained out. Due to the water dribbling out quickly, the dog had to repeat this many times before he'd sipped enough to counter-act the dry-throat.

The splashing nearby was enough to disturb the color-shifting cepholopod, and his limbs coiled and curled and slid down the rock he had been clinging to to dip into the water as he opened an eye to glance around. At the sight of the dog, his fins twitched, threatening to spread but he kept the spines flattened against his skull and back. Maybe he'd just go away and leave him alone.

After such a run, he was thirstier that he'd initially evaluated and kept slurping the water from his paws, frustrated that he was losing more through his digits than more was actually making it into his mouth. "What I wouldn't give for a cup." he grumbled at the inefficient usage of the canine paws. Jordan knelt down, lowering his face towards the water, scooping, splashing it into his mouth. It was humiliating to say the least, but his thirst was dying. If he'd realized that he'd been in the company of something unseen, he may have been more hesitant to look like a wild dog drinking from the river. But somehow, being down like that, on all fours, is what a part of him wanted.

Billy gave a disgusted grunt, glad that he was drinking down stream as he crawled along the shallows to try to ease his way away from the dog-man unseen.

Water dribbled and dripped from his fuzzy chin as he pulled back, alerted to a nearby sound. Looking back and forth, he didn't immediately see anyone. It was unnerving to have such good hearing at times like this. Canine ears enabled him to detect sounds more accureately and further away from him, but the spalshing had muffled just where it had come from. He looked back and forth, concerned for his safety. He had enemies... Newt, for example. That insane amphibian would love the chance to get him when his back was turned.

Billy was like a shifting, moving, coiling rock, the grey and brown veins across his skin full proof if he hadn't been moving. When he noticed the dog looking in his direction, though, he froze, beak pursed as he hoped he was overlooked.

The fear was difficult to mask. There were predators that could easily pick off a dog. He was rather defenseless in the scope of the food chain. His fluffy cuteness wouldn
t exactly deter a surprise attack. His ears twitched more as he remained perfectly still. Was something or
someone moving in the water?


Awen..?
he tentatively called out.
Chana
?
he pulled out the only other name he could think of for someone to be found in the water. Hew paused for a few seconds.
Hello? Is someone there..?


Jordan kept looking around and he caught movement form the corner of his eye. Jerking his head quickly in Billy
s direction, he stared, for any sign of movement or someone
s presence. He inched closer on all fours, sniffing the riverbank for indication of scent.

When it seemed he was caught, Billy let his color drain and lighten into the bright lavender blue it usually was, and spread his spinned fins with a distasteful gurgling coo, "Wha's tha' shite comin' from yer belly?" He finally chuckled.

Jordan
s eyes went wide as he saw something changing color. He hunkered down defensively, rearing up- just in case this presence was unfriendly. The fins startled him as they spread, but there was no more movement than that, until it spoke. It was a
he
that spoke. He looked at whatever it was with cautious curiosity. He didn
t appreciate that his disfigurement was found amusing by anyone.


They
re paws.
He answered softly
I have a set of paws coming out of my stomach.
It made him shudder to even say those words, no less acknowledge that they really were protruding from his body. From his stance, they wiggled and kicked for the ground as they hung there.

"Somet'ing wrong wit' yer serum, kid?" Billy chuckled, figuring he migth as well come closer at this rate. He crawled along the shallows to perch on a rock, flattening the fins down again once he settled, "Or are y'jes' special? Las' I checked, dogs only go' four legs."


That
s what I
m afraid of.
He responded, keeping himself aware of the movement in case he sprung for a surprise attack. This was funny to him? Jordan tried to keep it together.
Be civil
he thought to himself.
I
ve never heard of a six-legged dog either.
Jordan eased himself to calm, sitting onto his haunches. It was a position he was more accustomed to than being down to the ground like that and if he needed to bolt, he could without falling on his face.

At the comment of being
special
, he bit his tongue before he could say anything stupid or incriminating on his part. He didn
t want to send the wrong message, after all, he was trying to pull away from the labs.

"Y'go' any cigarettes?" He chuckled, worming his way to sit up on the bank, situating his various limbs to give the dog man a better look. He'd never seen this fellow before, but then again he hadn't seen many people. It was curious to make new acquaintances, but unnerving at the same time. More reminders to what he missed out, trapped in the water like he was.

He took a look at Billy
s form, but didn
t stare. It was merely to familiarize who he was. Jordan knew how much of an insult it was to be stared at, gawked at like a carnival freak. He was an oddity as well.
I
m sorry I don
t have any on me.
Not that he smoked, but it was a more polite way of answering his question. He wasn
t sure what to think of this guy yet. He hadn
t attacked and had perched himself, which made the dog relax.


I
m Jordan.
he waved a paw gently in an attempt to be friendly.
Sorry if I disturbed you. I didn
t realize I came out this far and I needed a drink.
He was embarrassed that he'd been seen slurping up the water in such a degrading way.

"So I see, so I see," the octopus nodded, the writhing mass of nubby malformed tentacles on his chin fidgeted as he gave it a rub with one of his many arms, "An'... wha' news is there from th'village?" His voice was watery and hoarse, weak from his shrunken lungs. This fellow seemed as though he had been there for a while, judging by his fur content.


I
m not sure. I try to avoid the village. I
m more at peace out here, where I can run free by myself.
His tail wagged at that happy notion of freedom, though limited in the sense of the word. Though, his expression turned into a frown soon
I
ve seen two new people around, that
s about it. I didn
t know how to feel exactly. One
s an older lady, Thina, the other
s considerably younger by comparison. Dee? Yeah. I think that
s it.
Jordan gave sort of a shrug. Seeing humans around was odd, if they weren
t associated with the labs.


Apparently, there
s a newspaper now, run by a guy named Richard. And there
s a theatre being built. It
s still in the works though. I
m not sure what else there is to fill you in. Like I said, I try to avoid the village if I can.


He laughed at the mention of his own project, "Aye... I know aboo' th'theater bit there... s'my idear, tha'." He licked along the edge of his beak, regarding the dog thoughtful, "Fresh normies, eh? Aye, I met th'one called Dee. She din' seem so bad." Their meeting had been rather pleasant by Billy's standards.

He cocked a curious brow. "You're behind the theatre? Well, it's a pleasure to meet you.. uhm.. I didn't catch your name." he wagged his tail and put on a nice-guy smile in an attempt to learn the octopus' name, in his oh-so-not subtle demeanor. "A horse told me about it briefly one night I stumbled across the construction site. Wait.. I think I recall hisa name... uhm...." he strained to remember in an unintentional way that came off as comical. What a time to get an itch in his ear. He scratched and scratch like a dog, leaning pleasurably into it.

"William," He answered gruffly, wondering if the boy's brain was damaged by the influx of dog. "An th'horse is Gaius. Aye, he's a good chap. Diligant." He needed to figure out a waterproof container he could hang around his neck to carry his cigarettes in, he figured. Maybe someone could recommend something.


Looked like there was plenty to be done still. If workers are still needed, I
d help out. Some hard, honest physical labor would keep me active and in shape.
He continued to smile. Jordan liked this guy. William. He
d make a note to remember the name. He was being pretty nice, despite what
s happened to his body. Partly, Jordan wondered if he
d be able to remain in such spirits if his body contorted worse.
If there
s any way that I can help out, my offer
s good. Since you
re the one in charge of it, I figure you
d be the one that needed to know. Maybe you could pass the word along to Gaius.
He fidgeted with his paws.


So tell me, what
s planned for the theater? A play or two?
He asked with genuine interest. Plays and theaters were synonymous in his mind.
It could be interesting.


"Aye... o' sorts... all under construction, mind... lookin' fer new acts," He lifted a tentacle tip to give his collar a irritated rub. "Do wha'cher like. Talk t'me lad Gaius, he'll put y't'work." Get it built, get it up and get it going. "Wish I coul' ha' some physical labor t'keep me busy," He chuckled, "Aint good fer much anymore."


What sort of acts do you have in mind? Dogs leaping through flaming hoops?
he jested at his own state, though Jordan was far from being a circus dog by any means.
I don
t know if I
d be useful for any acts, but, yeah, definitely willing to lend a hand in the process.


He gave a reverent nod for his condition and situation. It was difficult to comprehend being limited to the water, but the collar grabbed his attention as it was tapped. It caused a quizzical look of curiosity. He wanted to know, but wasn
t about to ask. Asking questions around this place caused problems and this meeting was running a lot smoother than most had previously.
You
ve put together a big project like this. I
d say you
re good for a lot. You
ve gotten a community to rally around a common goal. That
s impressive, William.


"Funny where it all... came from, eh?" He chuckled a touch bitterly as he crawled along the bank in a bored fashion. "So wha' d'you t'ink... aboo' all this?" He wriggled a boneless limb absently, gesturing to the island around them.

At the mention of the island itself, that implied much more than Billy may have intended. To mind came the labs, what they were doing, and how he was basically
owned
by Doctor Moreau. It made him shiver a bit as an icy chill arched his spine. The topic caused him to look around nervously as he thought of a response. If he
d been asked that question weeks ago, Jordan would have ranted and raved about how wonderful the labs were, how great a man Moreau maintained himself as, and even would have showed some rage towards anyone who felt otherwise. Now, though, Jordan couldn
t bear with his actions of the past. He
d been such a fool to believe any of that, moreso to say any of that to others. He was a failure in life and he was a failure even here.

He had to pick and choose his words carefully. HE was always watching, or so he
d been led to believe. Jordan was a pet project and, for that fact, he believed it.
I hate this humidity- and that was before I had all this fur. I
m a sled dog on a tropical island.
He tugged at the plentiful fluff that had covered his chest, growling from both the pain of tugging too hard and the fact that it was hot as hell under the double-thick fur coatings.
But, yeah
it was this or spend the rest of my life in lock up.
He shrugged.
Not that I had much of a choice.
The sneer widened.

Jordan sat on his rear, legs getting tired from that position.
I just don
t know, though.. as much as they cater to the people here, does that justify doing this?
He put emphasis on that word as he tugged on the tummy paws. "As you said, most dogs don't have six legs."

"Oh, boo, bloody hoo, yur turnin' fluffy," He grunted with a chuckle, "Maybe ye're becomin' a mutated puppy, wit' an eyeball comin' out th'side o' yer head th'size o' a dinner plate an' a hunched back an'... p***y... growths an'... an'... y'know, ********. Tha'd be a coo, wouln' it? Cost 'em yer worth in serum an' yer a reject." How else did one explain spontaneous limps from the abdomen when one already had the correct amount to begin with?

He just gave William the most stunned look. He shook his head and his ears flapped against his head. The image... was somewhat disturbing, yet it made him crack a smile at the same time and then he did something completely unexpected. He laughed! It was amusing, despite how horrible that actually would be. He never thought he'd be able to laugh at something that would cause the labs suffering and regret, but he did and it felt good! "Beware the mutant puppy of dooooooom! He'll eat your soul!" That had come from nowhere, but it made him laugh even more. "No one is safe! Hide your children! Board up your homes! When the moon is full his true form terrorizes the people of the island!" he ran a paw through his hair, leaning his head back laughing. "Thanks, man. I really needed that. I guess it always could be worse. I could be a hell puppy." he gave his best wolf-imitation howl, laughing even more.

Billy's beaked mouth twisted into a mutated-toothed grin as he chuckled, amused by the hyperactive furry young man's reaction. Not many people appreciated Billy's... unique sense of humor, and it was amusing to be received in a positive light. "Shite, brother, I'll tell ya' it's a heck o' fecked up place, aint it? I wouln' put it past 'em t'do a project li' tha' on purpose-like."

Jordan found William
s blunt, in-your-face attitude amusing. It had kept him from emoting like a wuss again and for that he was grateful not to ruin a perfectly good meeting that way.


Hey, maybe there
s a demon pup growing inside me and he
ll rip out with three heads and six arms, dripping acid from his snarling mouths. Now that would be freaky.
He couldn
t help but laugh and add to the wrongness. It just made it feel better, the situation that is, to know that far far worse could happen was somewhat of a relief.

Jordan rubbed his tummy.
Don
t worry, you
ll get your chance to eat all the souls you can gorge on.
He cooed in a faux motherly voice, then broke into laughter again, falling over backwards.

Jordan suddenly clutched his stomach and groaned out in pain as he shook violently, hanging his tongue out of his mouth and gurgling on spittle. He flailed his paws around then stopped, grinning from ear-to-ear.
Just kidding. No demon pup- today.
He cracked up again.

"Now I t'ink y'crossed some sor' o' line there," Billy shook his head, chuckling before worming his way back towards the water. He wanted a cigarette, but his pack was back at his duplex, unfortunately. "Say, d'y'know anyt'in' aboo'... waterproof containers? Wanna' keep somet'in'... dry bu' li'... hang aboo' me neck o' somet'in."

Jordan hung his head a little as he himself thought he may have crossed the line there, but it didn't last all that long. He watched William move back into the water as he scratched his chin. "Hmmm.. wish I did.
He paused as that inspired an idea for himself.
Though, carrying a pack wouldn
t be such a bad idea for me, either..
he pondered aloud, yet quieter. Then he wouldn
t have to find himself detoured outdoors by thirst or hunger. He could carry such provisions on him.

"Mmm," The octopus grunted with a frown. He had been thinking of sending Maryke to find him one of those ziplock bags with the plastic slider to close the bag. if it would hold, it might work. He fidgeted with the slowly-regenerating stump that had been one of his arms at one point, regarding the dog-man still. "Well... if yer lookin' fer labor... talk t'them a' th'construction site. I want... th'damn t'ing built already," He laughed at that, a low breathy chuckle that was wet in his throat.


I
ll track Gaius down and have a talk with him. I
m sure he wouldn
t mind another set of hands.
He offered a slight shrug.
Do you happen to know which duplex he resides in? Might make my task of hunting him down easier to have a starting point.


He diverted his gaze from the stump as it came into view, playing it off as he looked to the sky, shielding his eyes with a paw.
I should get back to my run soon. I
m feeling better after a short break. It was a pleasure to make your acquaintance.


"Aye, well, I'm sure it was," He grunted. So that was that, then. Contact with the terrestrials. He felt enlightened, only not terribly. He didn't remember Gaius's duplex number, and therefor began his crawl back to the water without saying anything further on the matter.

When morning had come, the octopus hadn't been able to go back to sleep and remained awake and uneasy on the bottom of the watery pool. For hours he had been thinking things through, debating, wondering, designing... he wasn't a terribly well educated man, nor did he completely understand biological nor mechanical physics, but he had seem plenty of things on the street and out and about to consider. The sun had been up for several hours before he finally crawled from the drink to sit himself in his chair and poke at the proper buttons to get the labs. There was nothing more to do than ask her.

Billy was met by the standard bored greeting, though noting the incoming duplex, the female voice took a bit more interested tone. "What do you want?"

"G'mornin', darlin', is th'misses a'home?" There was a grin on his beak and in his voice.

"I'm sure she's around somewhere," the voice reflected her own amusement. "Hold on." Billy was met with silence for several minutes before Aubrey's almost hesitant voice came over the air. "Yes?"

There was silence on the other line as the octopus hesitated for a moment. When he spoke again, his cool, watery voice bubbled up with as much bemusement as ever, "Long time no talk, eh?"

"I've been preoccupied," she said, feeling unusually guilty, even for her.

"Busy busy busy," He chuckled, leaning back to reach for a fresh morning cigarette, if only to keep his various limbs occupied.

"And you? How are things with the wh-" she bit her tongue, there really wasn't any reason she had to be petty. And with Moreau AND Sabin hovering around her in the labs, she really needed to quit getting personally involved with Billy or his business "the ladyfriend?"

"Oh, s'good. We have ...loads o' sex, m'sure... ye've seen," He answered breezily.

"Mmmm..." she said flatly. Had Moreau not been around she might have made some quip, but she refrained. "So what's up?" she said in an obvious change of subject.

Billy smirked at the sudden change of topic, internalizing the motion as a little personal victory. "Was wonderin' aboo' somet'in, actually. I been a goo' boy as o' late, haven' I?"

"I suppose so," she said, shuffling papers on her desk. "What do you want now? Coke again? Being a 'good boy' is about the only approach you haven't tried."

"Well, if y'go' any, I'll take it," He forced a laugh, although that muscle under his eye convulsed as he tried to force back a grimmace. "Bu' no, I jes' been t'inkin' aboo' legs."

Aubrey's venom gave way to a bit of curiosity. "Don't you have eight?" Well, maybe not completely.

He shifted the cigarette from one side of his beak to the other with a practiced movement of his gray pointed tongue. "D'y'tink'.... y'know them kids... wit' them leg problems, wear them... braces?"

Aubrey found herself chewing on the cap of her pen, seeing where this was going. "Yes..?"

"Y't'ink... if maybe there was sometin'... kin' o' like tha' only maybe wit' li'... a fake foot o' somet'in-" It was only now, after hours of thinking it over did he realize just how stupid this probably sound, and how even more ridiculous it would probably look.

Aubrey tapped her nails on the top of her desk. "With your.... structure...:" that was a nice way to put it, "it would be hard."

"I... I was t'inkin' li'... I coul'... slip me tentacles inside somethin', li' them fake legs o' somet'in... I don' got bones, bu' I go'... y'know, muscle... so why can't I jes'... make th'bones on th'outside?" He picked up enthusiasm as though attempting to defend an idea he was convinced she thought was ridiculous.

"Do you really think you could balance?"

Red and black blossomed across his skin and he hoped she wasn't watching. "Well... maybe... wit' practice... start off small an'... work me way up," He fumbled, ashing on the tile floor in a nervous whip of his tentacle. "Crutches o'... a walker o'... canes o' sometin'..."

Aubrey was silent for a long while. "I'll think about it," she finally said in a eerily neutral tone.

He hesitated a moment before adding in as though it would help his case some, "I jes' wanna' walk again."

"Mmm." That was the only acknowledgment she gave him, but she sounded deep in thought."

He gave a short-breathed cough, dropping the cigarette butt down to the tile beside his chair, wondering if she had anything else to say to him.

"S'that all?" she asked with a forced bored tone.

He frowned at that, "Well, from me, bu' how boo' you?"

"What about me?" She frowned a bit, knowing she was being distant, but knowing it was for the best.

"How's Junior, then?" He grunted, shifting his limbs in his chair.

Aubrey was surprise he was inquiring, but a bit touched regardless. "Growing fast and making me fat," she said with a small smile in her voice.

"Tha's wha' y'get fer gettin' yerself knocked up," He chuckled, relieved by that response. Granted, he would have adored hearing "Oh, boo hoo, I just miscarried and I'm beside myself, can I come down to cuddle the pain away?" but he'd learn to not get his hopes up too high.

"I suppose. Time's flying thats for sure. Lots of.. things are in the air."

He licked the line of his mutated teeth, leaning his head back against the headrest of his chair as he watched the water leave rippling reflections on the ceiling, "Aye. Loads."

The silence was heavy as Aubrey rubbed her hands over her bulging belly before finally giving a sigh. "Speaking of, I should probably go eat and take a rest. I've been in the office all day."

"Drink loads o' gin. Bet it'll help clear tha' baby problem righ' up."

"I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that."

"Probably best."

Aubrey opened her mouth to argue more, mention that the baby wasn't a problem or an accident.. but decided against it. She just made a sigh into the microphone and killed the connection

"Love you," He remarked to the dead line, and several silent seconds later, he gave a sigh, slipping from his chair to crawl back to the water, "feckin' b***h."

Pit stop with Octopus and Beaver
-in progress-
http://www.gaiaonline.com/guilds/viewtopic.php?t=8489591