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 Posted: Mon Oct 17, 2005 9:45 am
October 16th, 2005 - Orchids in the JungleAnjali Frangipani You couldn't work all the time.
Anjali, as had become all too common in recent days, had run out of work to do. They were waiting on this supply from the mainland that hadn't come yet, or that plant shipment that hadn't arrived, or... any one of a number of excuses. Excuses, excuses everywhere. Anjali was beginning to suspect that it might be a conspiracy, something designed to force her out of her routine and make her respond to what was going on. She'd seen the pleased smirk on Doctor Duvert's face when he'd told her she was part of the experiment too, and wouldn't put it past them to watch her emotional reactions just for kicks, sick as it was...
She refused to be used. Not like that, anyway, not in what ways she could still help. She was going to be a lab rat; she refused to be entertainment as well. So when work ran thin, Anjali had taken to plunging into the jungle and losing herself in the plants that needed no tending, that grew wild and thick. Being able to explore essentially pristine island forest had been a draw for her originally, hadn't it?
And now it was another sort of sanctuary.
Right now, Anjali was absorbed in an orchid clinging to the side of a huge tree, apparently growing either parasitically or symbiotically, she couldn't quite tell yet... but it had quite a perfume. She made small notes in her dirt-smudged notebook and tried to relax. While she hadn't cracked emotionally again yet, she felt tense, watched, all the time. Her shoulder muscles were tight and achy - but she felt she could loosen up, just a bit, here. After all, they couldn't be watching her even in the depths of this place... could they? Greer Cassenwari Tramping through the jungle without shoes on was an interesting experience, but due to her new nearly-hawk feet it was the best way not to damage her shoes. After finishing reading Emelyn's book in one sitting, Greer had strapped on her utility belt, grabbed her notebook and net, and set out into the jungle for a nice twilight bug hunt. She didn't think too many people would be out in the wilds around this time, and besides, she'd just stayed still for five hours straight. Too long not to be moving. Too long indoors. She needed excercise, and wasn't in the mood to find out her feet wouldn't let her jog anymore.
Her wing-length feathers made her bulkier than she was use to, and the woman was forced to abandon her usual tricks of slipping through the dense growth and stay on the more clear, path-like areas. This meant she was more likely to come across another islander, but again, she didn't expect anyone to be out. Hmm, maybe she should go take a gander at some of the local orchid population. They always attracted some interesting arachnids, and she hadn't drawn any of those yet-
Greer skidded to a halt, unsure what to do. Her orchids were already entertaining an exotic looking woman she had never met before, who was still very human. She gulped. All her old social insecurities came flooding back, and even the hawk's more prominent influence of strength and need to interact couldn't overcome a nerdy girl's fear of rejection. She was very much an other now, and she had no idea how those who hadn't changed yet would react.
"Oh, um, excuse me." she managed shakily. When in doubt, be polite. Anjali Frangipani Anjali jumped at the sound of another voice - she hadn't been expecting that, not out here! "Ah! Oh..." She turned quickly, and her eyes widened at what she saw. A... apparently young woman.... or... mostly... woman...?
She blinked, realizing too late that she was staring, and had been for almost thirty seconds. "I'm sorry, where are my manners?" Anjali quickly inclined her head in a respectful nod. "I am Anjali... and you are...?" Questions like 'why do you have feathers?' and 'what happened to your face?' could come later - although she suspected, with a twisting feeling in her gut, that she knew the answers to those already. Greer Cassenwari She was staring, but it didn't hurt as much as when Ambrose had done it. Strangers who were still human were allowed to stare for a bit, it seemed.
"I'm Greer. Greer Cassenwari." she mirrored the woman's nod, casting around for something else to say. "I'm sorry to have startled you, but I wasn't expecting to see anyone out here. Usually I'm the only one poke at the orchids."
What she wouldn't have given for a nice cup of tea right then! They were so calming, and gave you something to do when you couldn't think of the right thing to say. Anjali Frangipani "Greer... that's an interesting name." Anjali nodded towards the orchids. "You made this path, then? I was wondering. I'm sorry if I'm disturbing a private place, but these specimens are truly exquisite." Her voice had a lilt to it, as well as a British accent. She hesitated.
"Ah... you're... here for the experiment, then?" Anjali said, finally, trying to put it as delicately as possible. Greer Cassenwari She nodded, smiling, as Anjali's polite mannerisms put her at ease. "Yup! I'm an entomologist, and this particular stand has some really nice Misumenopes formosipes living in it. Nature belongs to everyone, so please, don't feel I'm chasing you off."
She chuckled at the woman's question. Impressively put. That more than accent meant she had some English in her background. Well, at lest she didn't have to be the one to explain the whole sordid mess to her. "Yes, sadly, I am. One of the first to get this far through the change, as far as I know. Are you?" Anjali Frangipani "Misumenopes formosipes... you'll have to forgive me, I'm no longer as up on my etomology as I was while at university. Although, if it redeems my education any, I think these are fine examples of domingoa nodosa," Anjali added, smiling. She felt a bit more at ease. A fellow explorer and seeker of knowledge - and, really, she knew a bit about bugs herself, simply as an offshoot of her botany studies. "I was studying to be a botanist," she added. "But now I am simply a gardener... supposedly." Anjali looked down suddenly, as if avoiding something.
"... I suppose I am also part of the experiment," she said, finally, her voice tight. Greer Cassenwari "Ah, sorry, that would be the yellow crab spider. I've spent nearly my entire adult life in either universities or scientific arenas, so I'm only recently learning not to speak in latin classifications all the time. You've certainly go me beat on the plant names though! I was lazy and only ever picked up common names."
Greer looked calm and still a little nervous, but internally she was extatic. Someone who was on her wavelength! Who understood her need to babble in Latin and her interest in knowing all about random flora and fauna! Well, not necesarrily, but it was highly probable. Oh, that would be so cool!
"I... I'm sorry to hear that, really. Still, it's a pretty little prison we have, isn't it?" Greer smiled encouragingly, wanting to cheer this new aquaintance up on general principles. Anjali Frangipani "Pretty, yes... but rather marred by that last word." Anjali shook her head, then reached up with one hand to adjust the headband holding her bangs back. "You are... becoming a bird, then?" she said, lamely, feeling rather silly about stating the obvious but unable to come up with any pat, socially acceptable way to put it. Greer Cassenwari Greer nodded. "That I am. A Harris' or Bay-Winged Hawk, to be precise." Sticking the end of her bug net in the ground so it stood up on it's own, she leaned back against a nearby tree and gestured vaguely. "Feel free to give me a full clinical interrogation: I won't be embarrassed and I'll answer all your questions to the best of my ability."
She didn't really want to offer that, but she knew that in Anjali's position she'd be itching for a carte blanche to question, and if she was going to be social she might as well go for the whole she-bang. Anjali Frangipani Anjali shook her head. "I appreciate your willingness, but... you couldn't answer the questions I have, honestly," she said, quietly. "Although, if you don't mind, I will ask how you came here... and what your hobbies are other than the obvious, and other such common chit-chat. We might as well be in some arboretum enjoying a stroll before going to the theater. So terribly normal... and nice," Anjali added, wistfully. Unless Moreau decided to transform a whole troupe of actors, there would be no more plays of an evening for her. The realization was sudden and hit harder than she expected. Greer Cassenwari She liked this woman more and more by the second! "Oh, not at all, I'll try to answer any question you put to me. Um, well, I've always wanted to be a field entomologist, but never managed to find a researcher who would give me a space on his team. I'd been working in forensic entomology for about five years when I recieved a letter from Feral Labs saying they were forming a research team to do a multi-year study in the Amazon, and my name had come up as one of the final candidates. I thought coming here would be like taking a test: a chance to prove I was worthy of the life I always wanted. So I quit my job, sold my apartment, and kissed my mother good bye before hopping on a plane with no regrets... and as odd as it may sound, I'm actually rather happy here. I didn't really have any friends before I came here and the hawk DNA dragged me out of my shell. Sad, I know." She smiled, moving on to happier things. "As for hobbies, well, I fence, read, spend time with friends, drink tea, look after my pet insects, and currently I am attempting to build a butterfly house with the complicity of anyone I can talk into lending a hand."
Greer shook her head, smiling a little. "I'm sorry, I ramble. What about you?" Anjali Frangipani Anjali blinked at the sudden deluge of information - a bit more than she'd asked for, and all at once, but that was all right. "Feral Labs... yes, that was the name on the job posting I answered," Anjali said with a sigh. "As I said before, I was once studying botany in university, got quite high up actually... before I decided it wasn't what I wanted to do. I wanted to work with plants outside in good solid earth, not tiptoe around a white sterile room with sprouts clinging to sample vials." She shook her head. "Not that the scientific knowledge doesn't serve me well, but I prefer gardening - which is what I was hired here to do. I still am, actually; I get paid a fair salary and have the supplies I need... if not the plants, just yet. I'm working on landscaping the Village at the moment."
She paused, then sighed. "Greer, do you know anyone else that's part of this whole ordeal? Are there many on the island? I haven't been the most social of people lately," she admitted. Greer Cassenwari "You're going to landscape the village? Thank goodness! That place is frighteningly sterile." Ah, gardening. She'd never been overly good at it, but had always respected anyone who could convince plants they wanted to grow where they put them. Growing up in Seattle, Greer had always been overly partial to nature.
"Other people? There're lots. Going on twenty total, I think, but personally I know..." she closed her eyes, counting, "Five well and am aqauinted with maybe seven others. And honestly most of my socializing was due to well-timed hunger more than anything else." Anjali Frangipani Anjali's eyebrows raised at the mention of numbers. She'd seen all the duplexes, of course, but so many already. "I see," she murmured. "And... no, nevermind." She wasn't ready to ask yet. Not yet.
"Yes, I'm going to be landscaping the village," she said, instead. "Eventually it will blend right into the jungle again. No more foul clearcut jungle and cookie-cutter bland duplexes - I was thinking windowboxes, if not climbing vines, on the buildings." Greer Cassenwari Greer raised an eyebrow when her companion cut herself off, but left it alone. No sense in pushing if she didn't want to ask that. "Your ideas for the village sound great! I'd offer to lend a hand, but I've never been good with plants."
Hmm... Greer idly toyed with her notebook. You needed a well-tended collection of flora to make a butterfly house really work... "Any chance you might want to do some work on the plants in our butterfly house once it's finished? It won't really work without a gardener's skill." Anjali Frangipani "A butterfly house?" Anjali looked interested. "Greenhouse-style, or... well, no, I suppose in this literal hothouse environment you wouldn't need glass, would you? Only mesh." She shrugged. "If I am allowed. It sounds like it could be an interesting challenge, cultivating heavy nectar-bearing flora." Greer Cassenwari She nodded. "Exactly! Which is really good, since we're all going to have enough trouble not harming ourselves with hammers, let alone moving large sheets of glass." Confused by the 'allowed' comment, Greer was about to ask when her stomach rumbled. Bah, digestion.
Smiling ruefully, she collected her net, "It was very nice to meet you Anjali, but hunger calls. Would you like to join me in the cafeteria?" Anjali Frangipani "Ah... no, thank you, but I may seek you out later, if you don't mind? I'd like to keep going here." Anjali wasn't ready for more people. Not yet. Soon, maybe, but one was enough of a step for today, and the path ahead looked quite inviting. "Thank you for the welcome, Greer - I'm in duplex #15, if you'd like to come and visit sometime for tea." She grinned and stood up. "Enjoy your meal."
With that, Anjali was gone down the path, further into the jungle, with still more to think about.
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Posted: Thu Nov 10, 2005 6:57 pm
November 5th, 2005 - Meeting AmbroseAnjali Frangipani Windowboxes. That was what was on Anjali's mind today, as she walked purposefully towards the duplexes, a tape measure in one hand. Unless the scientists here were meddling with that as well, there was no way to speed the growth of climbing vines. Even the swiftest species required time to crawl up the sides of the duplexes and add color and life to the blank buildings.
So, in the meantime... it had to be windowboxes. Anjali stopped in front of the first of the duplexes and examined the windows thoughtfully. They looked about the same dimensions as her own windows, but she had to be sure and get a larger sample - she wouldn't risk wasting money ordering materials that wouldn't fit correctly, even though she was fairly sure the doctors wouldn't care one whit. With the things she'd seen, to say nothing of the mountaintop mansion, whoever was in charge here had to be as rich as Creosote. But it was the principle of the thing.
Nobody seemed to be at home, so Anjali tugged at the metallic tape measure and set to work on one of the front windows, putting her small notepad on the sill so she could write the measurements down. Ambrose Maurlias Ambrose had returned from his excursion in the jungle not too long ago, feeling much better about himself, all things considered. He had gone by the cafeteria on his way back for lunch, taken a refreshing shower, and lay down to take a nice nap with a full belly, hoping that his muscles (and in some cases bone) would soon feel less sore and tender. He was awakened, however, not too long after laying down by a strange sound of metal against his window. His ears pricked and his brow furrowed as he got back to his feet and pulled on a shirt and a pair of pants. THe sound was coming from one of the front windows, he quickly discerned, and he opened the door to poke his head out... quickly realizing that there was a woman there whom he had never seen before... with a tape measure by his window. "Ah....... hello..?" Ambrose said quietly, really, really hoping that whomever it was at least knew what was going on. Anjali Frangipani Anjali jumped as a voice came seemingly out of nowhere - she'd been concentrating so much that she hadn't heard the door open. "Oh! I'm sorry, I didn't know anyone was in...." Her voice trailed off as she turned and saw Ambrose, her eyes widening as she took in the furry head. "Ah... so sorry to... I didn't think..." What exactly did you say after disturbing what seemed to be the big bad wolf, right out of fairy tales?
Except - she remembered Greer, the bird... of course. Surely this, er, personage, had to be one of the other subjects - and thus, human at heart. Anjali forced herself to regain composure and nodded apologetically to the figure in the doorway. "My apologies... you startled me. I did not meant to intrude. Or stare," she added, realizing she was inadvertently doing that as well. Ambrose Maurlias Ambrose winced at her reaction - picking up more than just visual signs of her surprise, and begining to resent his heightened sense of smell. At least otherwise he could pretend that he hadn't frightened her. He swallowed down the depression that threatened to rear its head. She wasn't judging him... he had just startled her. And, thank God, from her follow-up reaction she at least seemd to be abreast of the situation. He was going to have to get used to things. Their little "community" seemed to be always growing - there would always be new faces - and with many of them Ambrose may not have the same luck of them already being in-the-know. "It's.... alright. I'm sorry for startling you." His ears drooped and he gave a wincing smile. "My name is Ambrose." He said after a deep inhale, trying to start on a new foot. He glanced between her measuring tape and the window. "Is there something I can help you with?" A moment later he extended his hand after, it seemed, some internal debate. Anjali Frangipani "No, no, it's my fault," Anjali said quickly. "I should have been more careful, or taken measurements from one of the vacant buildings..." She hesitated briefly before moving to shake Ambrose's hand... or paw... or whatever it was. "I am Anjali, the groundskeeper here. I was just measuring to make sure the duplexes have the same general dimensions, for windowboxes." She shook her head. "I am sorry for staring... I've just never seen... well, you know." Anjali gave him a helpless look, hoping he would understand without her having to say it bluntly. "There are so many people here, all so... different... birds, sea lions... wolves?" She turned the last word into a question. Ambrose Maurlias Ambrose nodded, more than understanding her hesitance to put words to the situation. "It's fine... believe it or not, I do understand." He ran a hand through his still-human hair. "I can't criticize. I find myself staring embarrassingly at others even though this has already happened to me." He wrapped his furry hand around hers and gave her a firm handshake, his eyes meeting hers. "Anjali.... it's nice to meet you... I think that Greer mentioned speaking with you? About helping wiht the butterfly house project she wants to work with?" He nodded, his tail twitching behind him a bit anxiously. "Yes... from what they say... a wolf." He nodded to her rundown. "Sounds like you've met Greer and The Dude besides myself then?" Anjali Frangipani "Yes, I met them - although I feel I owe Mr. Carrol another visit, as I was rather ungracious. He was the first, besides Dr. Duvert and some of the other staff members, that I met here. The first one with... ah, changes. I suppose under the circumstances I took it rather well, considering, but..." Anjali shrugged and shook her head, then pushed the button on the tape measure that brought the metal back in with a snap. "I hope I can help Greer with her project, but this area is my first priority. I would like to at least put all of my ideas in motion so that they can grow without me, in case... I cannot continue." She looked nervous for a moment. Ambrose Maurlias Ambrose nodded, consideringly. "For better or for worse - and arguably the latter in my opinion - I was the first to change initially. SO I didn't exactly receive a warning." He grimaced. His eyes snapped quickly to the tape measure as it made the loud sound. He had not been paying attention to her hands, and the loud noise set his hackles on edge before he took a breath, shook his head at his own jumpiness, visably forcibly set himself down. "I... understand. Our own affairs come first, I suppose." He commented, looking at the tools. "What is it precisely you're doing? You said that you're a gardener. But.... I mean, most of the plants here are wild." He looked to the jungle. Anjali Frangipani Anjali frowned. "There may be plenty of plants over there," she said, gesturing at the edges of the jungle behind the duplex, "but here? Nothing left. And while in time the jungle will try to encroach upon this area again, it will not do so in a polite or ordered fashion. In the meantime, unless you like the look of bare steel and concrete on empty dirt..." She raised one eyebrow. "Landscaping this area with the natural species of this island is a good challenge for me - blending man's additions with the jungle in a planned but also natural way. I had hoped it would be useful in my portfolio of sorts. Perhaps I could move on to landscaping grand resorts...." She shook her head. "But now, I fear, this will have to be my life's work," she said, quietly. "I do not believe they will let me leave, if what they say is true. Tell me, Ambrose - are all the others here also changing into animals?" Ambrose Maurlias "Aaah" Ambrose said, realization dawning on him. "I see what you're saying. Honestly, I hadn't thought about it, but I can see what you are saying. I bet you could do some truly beautiful things with our little village here." Ambrose said with a gesture. "I just hope.." He added. "That not just for the sake of stripping the woods, but for those others out thre, that he doesn't have to expand the duplexes past what he already has here." He winced. "And yes.... other than a few new faces... Jamal... And Awen... everyone else I know has started to change. Amaya is a lizard of some sort... Cassiy a snake. My upstairs neighbor is some sort of feline... Pyroth another canine of some kind." Anjali Frangipani Anjali brightened at Ambrose's words. "I have been here for some time... some of those names you mention were not on the listing of inhabited duplexes when I first arrived. Perhaps if they are changing... and I haven't... then their experiment has failed?" She made no mention of why she hadn't met more people, if she'd been there for that long. Truth be told, she HAD seen Ambrose at a distance before, along with most of the other islanders - it was kind of hard to not see people when you were working outside. Still, she supposed the others had assumed she was island staff and possibily in league with the scientists here, and that had brought her peace to work on her plans and fall easily into the rut of routine. Things were safe and managable if they went according to her schedule, and right now changing into a monster was not in those plans. Ambrose Maurlias Ambrose shrugged and raised his eyebrows. "well.... I was thinking something similar when it had been some time before I changed the second time. But then again, it had to be at least partially successful on me to work the first time." He said with a sigh. "But I guess I didn't believe... or didn't want to believe that THIS" He gestured to the fur covering his body "was even plausible." He frowned. "I guess I hoped that if I didn't change again, that I could leave." He looked her over. She certainly didn't seem to be boasting any inhuman qualities. "But maybe you're right. Maybe it didn't work. I mean it is a very experimental scientific process. For your sake, I hope you're right. I don't suppose you know what serum they gave you?" He gestured to his sparce room. "Would you like to come inside?" He offered. "It's more comfortable talking there." Anjali Frangipani "If you don't mind - I'm used to the heat but the cool air would be welcome," Anjali agreed, smiling. Then her expression sobered. "Dr. Duvert... he said it was a serum using traits of the drosera family. That's a... well, a sort of plant..." Ambrose Maurlias "You're more than welcome" Ambrose smiled, unwittingly revealing sharp teeth as he stepped aside and gestured into the room. "Unfortunately, I'm becoming less and less suited to the heat." It was Ambrose's turn to look startled. "A plant?" He shook his head, a bit confused. "Is that possible? I mean... maybe that's why you haven't changed - it didn't work.... or... maybe it's just taking longer for them to 'prep' you..." He added with chagrin, not wanting to play to the more depressing option. Anjali Frangipani "I am hoping for the former," Anjali said, nodding as she stepped into Ambrose's room. It looked much the same as hers underneath the personal touches, she noticed. "I studied laboratory botany for some time before I decided I would rather work with plants in the earth than in test tubes... and I can't see how such a thing would be possible. At least all animals have the same general types of cells... I don't see how it would be possible to keep plant cells and animal cells working together, or even in a half-and-half stage. They are just too different. And I have not noticed any odd involuntary changes in my own behavior, either." She shrugged. "Perhaps the doctors have at last overreached themselves." Ambrose Maurlias Ambrose smiled sincerely. "It sounds like you have a better knowledge on the subject than I do... I did take a semester of undergrad biology... but I'm sure that that doesn't exactly count for much. I mean... cell walls and all that..." He pulled out a chair to offer her a seat. "Sorry about the sparce room - I don't have a whole lot that I brought with me. I wasn't expecting to stay longer than a couple of weeks." Ambrose took a seat on the edge of the bed with a masked sigh. "I don't see how any of this is possible, frankly, but... well.. it's happening." Anjali Frangipani "Only a few weeks?" Anjali looked at Ambrose with an expression of concern as she accepted the offered chair. "I came here knowing it would be long-term... although I didn't think it meant for the rest of my life. Even if their experiment has failed, I cannot imagine that they will let me walk free after what I have seen here." She shook her head. "How did you come here, then... thinking it would only be a few weeks? I can't imagine." Ambrose Maurlias Ambrose nodded after swallowing. "Yes... unfortunately they really pulled one over on me." A frown tugged at his mouth. "I Wish I had had the luxury of being told I would be gone for some time - at least then I would have been able to say good bye..." His words trailed off without completing his sentence, but his eyes did all the completion that his words did not as they sought the framed photograph that sat on his bedside table where a young blond man with the same blue eyes had his arm around a pretty young brunette girl. "I was between semesters and needed money for the upcoming Fall. My initial scholarships were running out, and I didn't want to work the entire summer at McDonalds for the same amount that... well... this "medical study" was offering. Two weeks and $5000 it said." Ambrose commented bitterly. "Right before my two weeks was up, I changed. And, well, there was no going back. They say that even IF I did leave - repercussions to their lab facility aside, and lack of acceptance wherever I went- the lab techs say that it is likely that without completion of the study our cells will go cancerous and likely kill us before too long." He glared at the floor. Anjali Frangipani Anjali raised one eyebrow at that. "A fine complication. Perhaps they even built that in themselves... a self-fulfulling prophecy. I was tricked here too... it was spelled out right in the paperwork, buried in the fine print, but I was so eager about the opportunity that I neglected to read as closely as I should have - just as they hoped, no doubt. And so I am nicely hoisted by my own petard, as they say." She sighed. "I am sorry for your loss." Her gaze flicked over to the picture, then back to Ambrose. "I will be missed, but likely not as much as you..." Ambrose Maurlias This thought had actually not occurred to Ambrose. He blinked a few times, the breath caught in his throat before he spoke up. "You think that's possible..? That the whole cancer thing is really intentional on their part to keep us from even trying to leave?" He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, a glower on his face. "You're right, though. I wouldn't put it past some of them." "I... admit to not having read all of the fine print when I signed up for the study either. But I mean... really... who does anymore? No one assumes that the paperwork for a new car you sign... or an apartment lease... or, hell, a medical study, that you sign up for in reality contains small legalese that signs away your rights and humanity." He nodded, deflating a bit after his mini-rant as his eyes went back to the photograph again, feeling a pang of guilt again... he knew he couldn't leave.... that he'd never see her again... but still.. he couldn't shake the feeling that he was cheating on her. Anjali Frangipani Anjali shrugged. "If you transforming into a wolf is possible, inducing cancer should be no trouble at all... right? And no, nobody expects that... who would? We trust that the world is a place of sanity and not of madness." Ambrose Maurlias Ambrose gave a snorting and unclasped his hands with a shrug. "Touche. I suppose that you're right. The realm of 'possible' has taken a very lenient definition here. But I guess I've been trying to still apply the same rules to the world around me. I think you'd go crazy if you just started assuming that anything could happen." Anjali Frangipani "Indeed. The world is safe when it's predictable - and usually it is. It's the times when it isn't that we are hurt to the core." She smiled sadly at him. "Like now. When I think about never getting to see Shakespeare performed on the stage again... or my family, though we were not very close..." Ambrose Maurlias A frown settled itself onto his face. "I wish I had parted on better terms with mine. I hadn't spoken with them in about a year." Ambrose admitted. "I mean.... it's not that I didn't care for them.... it's just.... It's a long story." "Is that what you think you'll miss the most? Stage plays?" He asked, with no tone of patronization, but honest curiousity. Anjali Frangipani "I have always been fond of the theatre.. although I have no talent for drama, myself. Botany and gardening are my life's loves, but theatre is my favorite hobby... the best way to spend an evening." Anjali grinned at Ambrose, pleased at being given a chance to mention her fondness for the stage. It was obvious to all that she loved plants and gardening, so that was mostly what people talked about - and that was fine, but... Ambrose Maurlias "I've had the pleasure of seeing a few productions on Broadway with my family, but truth be told, most of the theatre productions I see are of the movie variety." He winced. "I mean, I do thoroughly enjoy... or... enjoyed... the theatre." Ambrose still clung to his association with high class society, despite having been a starving college student for the past year and a half. "So you're still gardennig here... even though they tricked you? That certainly does show some dedication to your work." Anjali Frangipani Anjali shrugged again. "If I let them take away my life's work in addition to my freedom... then I would truly have nothing left. Gardening is a pleasure for me, and a challenge... and while the circumstances are not remotely the way I hoped they would be, the work itself is the same as I was promised - other, hm, extras aside... and besides, it will make things more pleasant for us, right? Unless you'd rather not have a windowbox or two." Ambrose Maurlias Ambrose chuckled. "A windowbox is perfectly fine. And appreaciated, I assure you." He glanced to the window, picturing it. "So I guess you're who the gardening supplies I spied in the storage room in the Town Hall are for. I saw them while taking inventory on the building supplies. I just wish I was as lucky as you when it comes to being able to continue on your passion here. Fencing is mine... and while I still can... I can't exactly compete anymore. I've started teaching Amaya... and Greer fences as well, albeit a different style, but... it's not quite the same." Anjali Frangipani "Yes, those would be for my work... I need to proceed with my plans beyond just the blueprints and measurements. I've been exploring the jungle as well."
Anjali looked curiously at Ambrose, then. "Does the transformation affect your fencing work much? I'd imagine it would... your stance if nothing else..." Ambrose Maurlias "I... haven't fenced since I changed last. It was only the other day, my muscles still ache from the transformation. I didn't notice a great deal of change after the first change... but it was no where near this extensive. I... could be imagning it, but it seemed that my reaction speed was quicker. Unfortunately, it's so hot on this Island... under all the padding this fur is miserable" he whined. "I... I just hope that nothing happens to completely impede my fencing. So far.... I think I'm alright. My stance hasn't even changed that much." "I'm glad you stopped by my duplex to measure the windows." He smiled. "It's a small community here.... but surprisingly and unfortunately growing. But this is all we have now.... you know?" Anjali Frangipani Anjali nodded, slowly. "I suppose it is... all that I have now. I've been pouring myself into my work... as though it's easier to ignore what's going on without seeing more than figures in the distance. They don't have fur... feathers... scales that way. They're just moving shapes. And with my own apparent lack of change..." She shook her head. "But it is only possible to build yourself a shell of mundane life for too long, I fear. Perhaps I should get to know the others here - transformation or no, as I've said, I doubt I'll be allowed to leave because of what I have seen." Ambrose Maurlias Ambrose nodded. "I've been... spending a lot of time in my thoughts. Too much perhaps, but the slow pace of life around here has really thrown me for a loop. I always used to think too much - because for most of my life I didn't really have people I felt I could voice them to. Now I have people... which is wonderful... but so much going on up here." He tapped his temple with a finger. "And many of them pessimistic thoughts that I don't feel right dumping on people who are all going through their own issues as well." "But" He redoubled. "I am so thankful for the others here... I know I would not have been able to stay as, well, sane without people to share my feelings with." He eyed her meaningfully. "You bottle fears up too much and they eat you from the inside. THat was a problem of mine for a while... and the problems I had back then were nowhere near as significant as they are now." Anjali Frangipani "Well, until I know for sure that their experiment hasn't failed, I will continue to maintain hope... slender thread though it may be." She smiled wryly at Ambrose, then stood up. "I should be going, I do need to put in a requsition for windowboxes now that I know the size is completely constant between all the duplexes. I can thank your window for that at least - and for your company." She nodded pleasantly. "It has been a pleasure, Ambrose. Perhaps you can come by for tea, sometime - one of the traditions I never plan on losing no matter what I may become!" Ambrose Maurlias Ambrose rose as she made to stand. "It was a pleasure meeting you, Anjali. You have no need to thank me for the company. I wish you best of luck with the landscape design. It will be nice to see the changes wrought by your hand as opposed to the scientists." He winked and reached out to shake her hand again. "And I would love to come by for tea - that sounds really nice. Good luck with your hopefulness - I hope that it gets you farther than it did me." Anjali Frangipani "Maybe it will, maybe it won't." Anjali slipped her notebook and tape measure into her pants pockets as she got up and headed for the door. "I have never yet been hurt by hope - disillusioned, perhaps, but never hurt. Let us hope that continues. It was good to meet you, Ambrose" With that, and a smile, she headed out towards the community center, mentally preparing the list of items she would need to request for this phase of the project. Ambrose Maurlias Ambrose followed Anjali to the door and waved her off. He had been there... not a few weeks ago. Admittedly, She did have a brighter hope than he - not only was her serum more experimental, but she hadn't even had her first transformation yet. Then again, as she had pointed out, if the scientists could do this... why couldn't they do what they intended on doing to her? But he had been honest about him rooting for her. Time would tell, he supposed. He closed the door and walked over to his desk, pulling out the books on wolves, rescuing them from their imprisonment under the lamp.
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Posted: Sat Nov 12, 2005 6:44 pm
November 12, 2005 - Tea Leaves
There was something deeply comforting in the ritual, no matter what was happening - it was a mark of Anjali's British heritage to turn to tea in... well, any time, really, but most especialy in times of trouble. And though the kettle was actually a small coffee maker rather than a proper teapot, it did well enough.
Anjali poured the hot water into her teacup, then made sure the clasp on the metal tea-ball was closed so that the leaves wouldn't dump before putting it in. She carried the cup over to the chair and small table by the window and sat down, looking out the window through the rising steam. Still barren out there, but the plants had arrived and she could begin planting tomorrow. Bermuda grass for the walkways, assorted small decorative palms, banana trees, a few plumeria bushes, some liana vines to climb up the sides of the duplexes, and the windowboxes. Yes.
She gently ran one finger down the supple leaf of the plant on that particular table, an exotic fern, enjoying the feeling of soft, new growth. Would she have leaves like that? It was a bizzare thought-
But, no. Surely it had failed. There was just no way. Animal changes she had to believe, but plant... the cells were too different, as she'd told Ambrose.
Now the question became - what next? If the experiment had failed, would it damage her some way? Would they just try something else on her? The thought was troubling, and from what she'd heard they weren't likely to consult her. Anjali didn't want to fight, as clearly there was no point in it, and no point in getting angry either... but it would be nice if they would be up-front with her instead of skulking around as they did with the others.
She could be reasonable, right?
As she carefully removed the tea-ball from her cup, her glance fell on the intercom... with a connection to the labs, she'd been told.
Maybe she could ask... not for mercy, but at least for sanity. For warning.
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Posted: Sat Nov 12, 2005 9:25 pm
November 12th, 2005 - Cut to the Core
Anjali finished her tea and washed the cup in the bathroom sink, drying it carefully before returning it to the shelf. Then she went over and sat on the edge of her bed, eyeing the intercom thoughtfully.
Well. It couldn't hurt.
She hoped.
Anjali leaned forward and hit the appropriate button decisively. "Ah... hello?" she said into the speaker, feeling a bit awkward. What if nobody was there?
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Posted: Sat Nov 12, 2005 9:38 pm
Aubrey was typing up some lab reports at her desk, her nails clicking quickly across the keys. The cel-phone like radio beeped on her desk. It was three rapid beeps in a row, which meant it was an islander. She hoped one of the lower lab techs would deal with it - she wanted to finish this up and go find Moreau and try to coax him out of the lab for a romantic evening. But the phone beeped again, and she sighed. It was no secret she was one of the few Feral Lab employees that actually liked the islanders, so these calls often were just left for Aubrey to answer.
She finished her thought and flipped open the phone. Duplex 15. She couldn't remember who was there offhand, but it wasn't one of her regulars. She hit the recieve buttom and held it to her ear. "Dr. Aubrey Lockheart, can I help you?"
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Posted: Sat Nov 12, 2005 9:41 pm
Anjali blinked, that was a voice she hadn't heard before - though she'd heard the name. One of the higher-up staff members, she thought. "Ah... hello," she repeated, sitting up straighter even though the woman on the other end couldn't see her. "I am Anjali... Anjali Frangipani, the groundskeeper... I was wondering if I could talk to someone about my, ah. Treatment."
Somehow, she thought it might have been easier if the person she was speaking to had been right in front of her. At least then she could work off of body language. Well, she'd cast the dice - now to see how they landed.
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Posted: Sat Nov 12, 2005 9:51 pm
Aubrey rested the radiophone in the crook of her neck as she pulled up Ms. Frangipani's file on her computer.
She gave a break look-over the important details, frowning. Plant serum. This was definately not her area of expertise.
"Yes, Ms. Fringapani. Uhm, how exactly can I help?"
Please don't ask to just... undo it she silently pleaded.
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Posted: Sat Nov 12, 2005 9:57 pm
Anjali took a deep breath. "Obviously, I know what is happening here - I've seen it, even spoken to Doctor Duvert about it... but nothing seems to be happening. I... can be a reasonable woman, as it seems much better for my own sanity to be so. Would it be possible to know the... er... status of the experiment? Nothing appears to be happening," she repeated, biting her lip and examining the plastic details on the speaker box with nervous detatchment. "If this is to happen to me, I would far rather it be with cooperation rather than with stealth and no warning."
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Posted: Sat Nov 12, 2005 10:12 pm
Aubrey's eyes widened a bit in surprise. "Well...uhm, let me see.."
Aubrey skimmed through the digital file. "Sabin Duvert is your primary overseer, and its his team of scientists that are in charge of your injections. You're using a rather highly experimental serum, so I'm guessing Dr. Duverts sceientist are running extra tests. Or your body is taking longer to adjust to the preparitory injection, Sabin is a notoriously bad note-taker."
Aubrey went to the note section and typed in a few of her own. "But uh.. I'll make a note that you want to co-operate. We can call you in when your second injection is ready."
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Posted: Sat Nov 12, 2005 10:19 pm
Relief flooded through Anjali then, followed by a sudden snap of panic. "So, no needles in the night, then - good to know." She paused, unsure if she really wanted the answer to that. "Do you... do you know if the experiment is, ah, proceeding? Plant cells and animal cells meshing, I don't see how biologically that could begin to work... ah... and I haven't noticed anything..." She quickly looked down at her arms, then pushed up the legs of her pants to study her legs. Nope, no... roots, or bark, or leaves, or whatever was supposed to happen.
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Posted: Sat Nov 12, 2005 10:27 pm
"No no.. if you're willing to cooperate there won't be a need for any nighttime visits. We'll ask you to come down to the labs."
Aubrey scrolled through the file again. "To be honest, I'm not the leading botonist on board here. I really don't know how the plant transformations work personally.
As for your status - you won't notice any effects until after your second injection. The first dose is just a primer to prepare your body for the transformation."
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Posted: Sat Nov 12, 2005 10:40 pm
Anjali's stomach plunged, and she felt ill for a moment - but gagging all over the speaker box would hardly be good at this point. She waited until she felt she could open her mouth without losing it. "So... it hasn't failed then. I was... was wondering about that, since..." Her voice trailed off. "And if it did fail... what then?"
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Posted: Sat Nov 12, 2005 10:46 pm
Aubrey chewed on her bottom lip. "Most likley you would just be violently ill for a few days, and then...well, nothing. The serum just wouldn't have effects." There, that wasn't exactly a lie. They didn't know exactly what would happen if they failed. Nothing was a possibility. So was your entire body breaking down at the cellular level. But Aubrey really didn't want to devuldge that.
She shuddered as she remembered the mess she had to clearn out of the rat cage that one day.
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Posted: Sat Nov 12, 2005 10:53 pm
"No, I mean..." Anjali searched for the right words. "If it fails... do I just get shoved into another experiment? There's no escaping the cycle?" Hope be damned. She had to know - there was a point where hope became delusion.
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