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 Posted: Sun May 28, 2006 7:13 pm
"A giraffe," Joshua laughed a little, still not quite believing it even though he was trying desperately to come to terms with what was happening. "I... thank you, I suppose," he said, not sure if he should be thanking anyone in the first place.
At least he would still be able to write. He tried to imagine himself as a giraffe, but the idea frightened him too much, and he quickly stopped thinking about it.
"... alright then. Alright. I need... some time to myself, right now..."
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Posted: Sun May 28, 2006 7:24 pm
"I understand, Professor. Please, don't resitate to contact me if you need anything." Aubrey forced a smile and a nod, flipping off the monitor.
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Posted: Sun May 28, 2006 7:37 pm
When the monitor went black, Joshua found himself staring blankly at the screen for a few minutes longer.
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Posted: Sun May 28, 2006 7:56 pm
 OCCUPATIONAL DISSAGREEMENTAntoinette Devereux The fact that the sun was beating down unrelentingly outside had caused the albino woman to take cover from the heat indoors. It had been a while since she had borrowed some DVDs, or actually watched one in theatre. Suddenly, the rest of her day was planned. With her crutches leaned against the couch, Antony was on her knees in an awkward, cast protecting position as she thumbed through the available movies. All of her tails were moving here and there behind her. She was in a pair of jean shorts (low slung under her tails) and a tank top, per usual. Joshua Rivers It took Joshua hours to calm down after his conversation with Aubrey. It was all so overwhelming - would he ever get used to the idea that he was turning into a giraffe? He didn't want to stay hiding in his duplex forever... and felt that he might feel a little better if he knew what kinds of things to expect. With that thought in mind, he headed out of his duplex towards the entertainment room, remembering there had been a large selection of animal books there. Maybe he could do some research on giraffes. However, he paused in the doorway when he spotted a white-furred woman in a cast kneeling on the floor in front of the movies. And did she have... more than one tail!? He cleared his throat so as not to startle the women as he approached. "Ah, hello there... I don't believe we've met." Antoinette Devereux At the unknown male voice, Antony straightened up and peered cautiously behind her before nodding in his direction. "We haven't," she stated simply, tails continuing their movements after she relaxed somewhat, "And it seems like you've already been, ah, broken in shall we say..." A sarcastic chuckle left her as she dipped her attention back down to the movies on the shelf. "I'm Antony." The introduction was short, but not as curt as one would expect. Probably because she didn't have to play one man freak show. Joshua Rivers "It's nice to meet you, Antony," Joshua said. "Yes, that's one way of putting it... I've only realized it was true a few hours a go," he laughed a little, sounding nervous and still a little shaken. "I'm Prof-- well, you can call me Josh. I suppose I'm not really here to teach, so no need for formalities..." He smiled, a little bitterly, before walking over to the bookshelves. "They told me I'm going to turn into a giraffe. Can I ask, what are you becoming?" Antoinette Devereux "Pleasure," she murmured, glancing thoughtfully back at him when he mentioned that he was a professor, or at least started to mention it. "Besides, I graduated from college a while ago." Though she grinned, Antony was quite curious as to what subject he was a teacher of, and where he had taught previously. Before she could ask her questions, he asked a rather upfront one. It startled her simply because not many new islanders were usually as blunt as herself. "Ah," the squirrel woman began, attempting to imagine him as a giraffe and failing, "Well won't you be tall... I'm turning into a grey squirrel. Albino variety, and Doctor Carrot Top apparently decided I needed more than one tail." Her tone echoed his own, and she gave the appendages a loose glare before grunting and moving to sit onto the couch. Her ankle was aching. Joshua Rivers "Yes, I suppose I will be getting rather tall... I've tried to imagine what I might look like, but..." Joshua shook his head. "I just can't imagine it. Hopefully not nearly as tall as a normal giraffe," he said as he took a book on giraffes off the shelves. He looked over at the squirrel woman, glancing at her tails. "Interesting. I guess if they can turn people into animals, anything is possible..." he murmured with a sigh. "... the answer may be obvious, but is the change... painful?" Antoinette Devereux "Yes," she answered immediately, shifting so that she was facing him more before shrugging, "To be honest, my tails felt like someone was slicing my spine apart and rather skillfully ripping them from my back." Again, she was quite glad that he was respectfully remaining rather honest with her, and as far as she could tell, non-judgemental. "Not trying to change the subject," Antony started, "But how long and where'd you teach... All that jazz." Joshua Rivers Joshua smiled, "I worked at the University of Colorado, I taught English Literature and a few side tutoring jobs for various subjects. I've been teaching for..." he trailed off as he tried to remember when he started his job. "Over seven years now. Lived there my whole life..." He paled, suddenly. He didn't know why it didn't occur to him before - he was never going to see his family or his friends again. He took a deep breath and rubbed his forehead. Don't get upset, don't get upset... Joshua told himself over and over. He hated to lose control of himself in front of others, preferring to keep his emotions bottled up instead. "And... where are you from, Antony?" Antoinette Devereux Part of her inately picked up on his inner anguishings before she actually noticed his forehead rubbing. An eyebrow of hers raised, but she said nothing, instead content to answer his question. "Lived in Maryland, though I was mostly in D.C.," she replied, shifting again so that she could prop her broken leg up on the rest of the couch without bothering him. "Both my jobs were there." There was a brief flicker of sadness, but otherwise, Antony showed no other signs that she was bothered. There was no going back. Joshua Rivers Joshua took a couple other giraffe books off the shelves, and then walked over to the couch, sitting down on the far end so she wouldn't have to move her leg out of the way. "How long have you been on the island? And what did you do there before you came here?" Antoinette Devereux "Since the day after Christmas," she said bitterly, sneering slightly under her breath before taking a deep one in to calm down. The next question was much easier, "A mechanic, mostly auto, and a professional tattoo artist." A look crossed her features that dared him to judge her on either of the two. Teachers in the past had a funny way of doing that to her. Joshua Rivers Joshua managed not to roll his eyes when she mentioned she was a tattoo artist, but he still was obviously not impressed. He never understood the need to mark up one's body in such ways. "A mechanic? That's impressive, those kinds of things are beyond me, I'm afraid," he smiled. Antoinette Devereux She was waiting for it, and picked up on his attitude almost immediately, clucking her tongue despite his next, more positive comment. "Did you teach because you love to or for the prestige?" The woman asked coolly, red eyes held unwavering on his own in a challenging manner. There was one thing that she was sure of, most teachers didn't teach for money, or the status for that matter, though some did. Joshua Rivers "Actually, I teach because I love to," Joshua replied, raising an eyebrow at her. "It also pays well, of course, which doesn't hurt the appeal - but I enjoy helping people, and even more so if they truly wish to learn." Antoinette Devereux "I did my jobs for the same reason, because I loved them... Not for the money, obviously, or because I wanted to 'rebel,'" she said curtly, making quotation motions in the air to accompany the last word. "Trust me, some of the places people want tattoos..." When she trailed off, she made a sort of disturbed face, remembering a few of her more interesting clients. "Better than being a piercer, I'll admit." Joshua Rivers Joshua didn't want to know all the places people wanted tattoos - he could just imagine, and the thought made him cringe. "Yes, I can agree with that. Although, perhaps I just don't understand the appeal - there are much better forms of art than permanently marking up someone's body. And much less painful, as well. Why use skin - why not just use canvas?" Antoinette Devereux "Did it ever occur to you that I have used other mediums for my art? Besides, it's a passion of mine that I can no longer be a part of thanks to this island and this fur." She frowned, absently running her hand through her hair in order to mess it up some more in a nervous habit. If he looked carefully enough, her tattoos would still be visible underneath her fur, and it was obvious Antony was not pleased about the fact that they were covered. "It is not something easily explained to those who don't 'get' the who tattoo 'thing.' Some people view their own bodies as canvas. Same reason some women wear make up and people in general dress a certain way. Unfortunately, people like to judge books by their covers." Joshua Rivers "Of course it occurred to me, I am just curious as to why you picked skin over paper," Joshua shrugged. Now that he was sitting on the couch instead of standing by the bookshelves, he was able to notice the now faint tattoos under her fur - although that didn't change his option of them any. "I'm afraid it's just something I'll never understand, I don't see the point of altering the body you were born with." Antoinette Devereux "Self expression isn't a finite thing," she said clearly, her voice loosing some of its sharpness when he didn't seem to speak negatively about tattoos, just his opinion. "And I just didn't want to waste my life not being myself, but everything changed when I came to realize..." The squirrel woman offered a wave of her hand over her changed features as she turned to stare at something other than him. "Some 'vacation' huh?" Joshua Rivers "Indeed," Joshua muttered. "At least I won't have to worry about finding another teaching job. My contract seems to have been extended indefinitely..." That bitter smile was back again, and as he watched her turn away, he felt almost detected from the whole situation. Here he was, sitting on a couch on some island who knows where, speaking to a woman who was half squirrel about tattoos. If someone had ever asked him where he thought his future was going, this would not have been at the top of his list. "Does it ever get easier to accept?" Antoinette Devereux Antony didn't take her attention away from whatever she was staring at as she replied, "I suppose." It was a rather insufficient answer, but she was trying to find a way to convey some of the thoughts sloshing about in her mind at the moment. Her expression was thoughtful, yet rather unpleasant overall when she finally attempted to explain. "Sometimes I don't feel like myself anymore... I'm more skittish now, and of course there's the damned fur..." She didn't really know what else to say at the moment. Joshua Rivers "So it isn't only our appearances that are changing, then..." Joshua looked down at the books in his lap, studying the cover of the top book silently. He didn't have any idea of giraffe behaviour, and so he had no idea what to expect. "Well... I suppose I have some reading to do," he said, picking up his books and standing up. He paused, glancing at the cast on her leg. "Before I leave, would you like me to put a DVD into the player for you so you don't have to get back up?" he offered. "If you still want to watch something, that is." Antoinette Devereux She shook her head to confirm his statement, and then again with his question, waving his offer aside. "I should probably get back to my duplex before the sun comes out from that cloud," Antony stated with a sigh, skillfully shifting and standing while collecting her crutches and sliding them under her arms. "Pleasure to meet you, and I'm in thirty if you ever need... Anything," a smile all too characteristic of Antony spread across her lips before she made her way out of the building and started towards her duplex. Suddenly, she really missed Owl. Joshua Rivers "It was a pleasure to meet you as well, Antony. I'm sure that we'll be seeing each other around again." Joshua followed her out of the entertainment room and all the way towards the housing area, and waved to her once they split ways to their own duplexes.
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Posted: Thu Jun 01, 2006 3:11 pm
MADAGASCAR Joshua Rivers Joshua had spent some time reading over the books on giraffes he had borrowed from the island's book collection, but found he just could not concentrate - especially because he was reading the books to have an idea of what he would be turning into. Turning into a giraffe.The idea still made his head spin. With a resigned sigh, knowing he wasn't going to be getting any reading done, he decided to pay a visit to Colche instead. He left his duplex and walked to duplex seventeen, knocking on the door to see if she was there. "Colche? It's me, Josh." Colche Cross legged and sitting upon ehr bed the little cheetah girl was thoroughly ensconced in her book. Reading it out loud spelling out every syllable, until of course her thoughts were interupted.
Small round fluffy ears twitched and she smiled placing her book mark between the pages she was reading she looked at the door and smiled, clearing her throat a little puurr echoed from her chest "Josh!" She called simply "Open."
The little cheetah girls long tail swayed as she waited for the teacher man to enter a little smile playing on her lips as she played with a strand of her hair. As an after thought, seh reached for a T shirt which sat on the ottoman at the end of her bed and slipped it over her head. It was a pretty T shirt with kitties on the front, she liked it. Giggling she went back to playing with a strand of that extremely long jet black hair she even, faintly wondered if Josh would like her t shirt, a thought that had never crossed her mind before, she didn't usually care for clothing. Joshua Rivers Joshua opened the door and walked into her duplex when he heard Colche speak, and he smiled at the cheetah girl - and he was relieved to see she was wearing a t-shirt, this time. Well, at least that was a step in the right direction. "Hello, Colche. How are you doing?" Then, after a moment's thought, he added; "I like your shirt. It looks very nice on you." He hoped that complimenting her on her shirt would encourage her to wear them more often. Colche Colche beamed and felt her cheeks become very hot beneath her fur. She had never blushed before but she looked around as if looking for what would make her feel so hot all of a sudden. Not finding the souce of the problem though she turned ehr gaze on josh and giggled in a little girlie manner "Thankyous" she whispers, a puurr radiating from her cheast as she said it her fingers playing with the bottom of the cute little T.
"I'm okay" she whispers looking at the bed instead of at Josh, she had never felt shy before and she didn't understand it to say the least. Joshua Rivers He smiled, and he made his way further into the room, sitting down on the bed beside her. "I wanted to tell you that I spoke with Dr. Lockheart today - your mommy. She asked me to help you learn how to speak like everyone else, as well as read and write. Would you like that?" Joshua asked her. "I'd like to set up a schedule with you, so that we can work on these things together at least once a day." Colche Colche lifted her head and giggled at Aubreys formal name, she had never really heard it spoken. A smile broke her features though as he spoke of teaching her to speak like everyone else and without a moments notice she virtually dove on Josh and clung to him her tail waving behind her in a rather manic fashion. "Wanna learn read, write, speak" she puurrs happily, of course the word schedual meant nothing to her but once a day, well she knew a day started when the sun came up and finished when it went down that meant then between those times she would get to learn to speak, she would get to be just like everyone else.
She snuffled a bit, those tears of joy, she had shed them a few times since she had arrived on the island, and she shed them now in to Josh's shirt, her voice muffled by his clothes "I likes much" that sweet voice whispers. Joshua Rivers Joshua was startled by the sudden - how else could he describe it? - pounce from the cheetah girl. His arms automatically went up to catch her, hands resting on her furry back. He wasn't used to cat girls pouncing on him. Hell, he wasn't used to anyone pouncing on him. He smiled, then, glad they were tears of happiness instead of sadness. He never knew what to do when girls cried. "I like you too, Colche. I'll do my best to help you, okay?" he spoke to her gently. Colche Blue eyes lifted from his shirt and she looked up at Josh with a sweet innocent little smile, those perfect baby blue eyes watching the man who was willing to help her with her dream. Even if it was the simplesta nd probably most base of dreams, it was her biggest one. She just wanted to be understood.
Shifting slightly she sits in Josh's lap tangling her fingers together "Josh good nice man." She puurrs lifting her head up a gentle smile spread accross her furry maw.
Clearing her thaot her ears flattened against her head and she looked at her fingers again "Not stupid" she whispers suddenly, she knew what some people thought, it got her down on occassion though it was hard to keep a good kitty down, she smiled weakly. "not learnd like everyone else" she turned her gaze to look at Josh again then, those sweet blue orbs resting on the man "Wanna learns more 'n' everything" she nods though ehr brow scrunched the sentence didn't sit right but it was close enough for now. One day, she would speak just like everybody else. Joshua Rivers Joshua couldn't help but smile back at the girl, even though he felt very awkward with her sitting on his lap. She was a grown woman, and he didn't expect this kind of behavior from people of her age. "Don't worry, Colche, I don't think you're stupid at all." He reached up and pet one of her fuzzy ears gently. "You've already done so well with you're reading, in fact, I think you're very smart!" he smiled at her again, encouragingly. "Don't you worry. It may take some time, as there is a lot to learn, but you'll be speaking and writing just like everyone else." Colche The little cheetah girl grinned and her head tilted a little as he touched her ear, she liked pettings, at one point she probably would have been frightened of the contact but now, she was pretty fearless, though theer were some exceptions to the rule of course.
Being told she was very smart only made her smile spread further and she gave a sweet little giggle playing with a strand of her hair her gaze averted t the fiddling. She had almost suddenly developed this habbit of fiddling with her hair or tail shen she felt embarressed, perhaps it was because she hadn't really felt embarressed before. "Thankyous, Josh very smarts too" she puurs leaning against the man, her head resting on his chest. Of course, Colche didn't think of her cuddles as anything but that, a friendly cuddle of thanks to somone whom was more than willing and able to help her in fullfilling her dreams. He was quickly becoming an invaluable person to her, just like Aubrey she knew she needed him. Joshua Rivers Joshua chuckled a little at the compliment. "Thank you, Colche." He felt just a little nervous - she was obviously very eager to learn, and wanted this very much. But what if he failed? He was sure that he could help her to read and write, but speech was another thing; that was something he never taught anyone before. He hoped it wouldn't be too different from writing. "So, princess cheetah, have you been doing any reading since the last time I saw you?" he asked. Colche Colche grinned and nodded reaching around Josh she held up the same little book she had been reading the last time. She giggled at being called princess cheetah, she liked the phrase alot and was pleased he had taken to it so easily. The book mark was wedged a page in to chapter two "tryings, better with Josh" She nods an affirmative opening the book where she had slipped the book mark in.
Pausing for a moment she looked at Josh with a curious eye "did Mommy tells you what you is?" she tilts her head softly, she liked to know what people were, it let her define them against her stories. She liked to nickname people, Chubbs was still pooh bear, despite the worry Aubrey had put in her, Madison was Vixey and the other red head Nita was ariel. She had yet to coin a name for Josh, but perhaps his animal would help. Joshua Rivers "Good! It looks like you're doing very well," Josh said when he saw how far into the book she had read. He hesitated a little when Colche asked him about what animal he was going to be. He still didn't like talking about it, and still had trouble getting used to it as fact. "Yes... she did. A giraffe," he told her, again trying to imagine what he may look like - and failing. How could he even stand up straight with such a long neck, without falling over? Colche Colche looks thoughtful, giraffe, her mind was obviously working over time as she thought about this though eventually her maw broke in to a huge grin and she giggled. Reaching up she pulled the glasses from his face and nodded "be a purty giraffe" what Colche said was fact it couldn't be argued with. "Like Melman" she giggled again, the neurotic giraffe from madagascar was nothing like Josh really, but he was a very, in ehr oppinion, pretty creature and Josh would definately be pretty as a giraffe.
She smiled in a perfectly innocently sweet manner at the man, those blue eyes full of honesty, of course it was still a question if Colche knew how to lie. It was obvious by the look though that she thought Josh would make a very pretty giraffe, there wasno arguing with her logic, everyone was very pretty in her eyes, no matter what they became. They just usually needed a nudge to aggree with her. Joshua Rivers Joshua blinked when Colche removed his glasses, trying to get his eyes to adjust, but the cheetah girl was still just a little blurry while she was this close to him. "Like Melman? Who is that?" he asked, having never seen Madagascar. He wondered for a moment if there was another person on the island who was turning into a giraffe. It would be nice to meet them, and see what they looked like, so Josh could finally get an idea of what he should expect. And, of course, he didn't agree that he would make a pretty giraffe - but he wasn't about to argue with Colche about it. Colche Colche giggles wrinkling her nose in a happy rather pleased manner she replaced his glasses and looked a little shocked that he didn't know who melman was "Madagascar!" she giggles, she had watched the film a few times, she liked it alot it was full of animals whom talked and a pretty jungle and a beach, it was sort of like the island they lived on only without the villiage.
"We watch one soonly" She nods again "Melman silly n purty Giraffe" She giggles happily, Josh was already pretty, she always found when people got fuzzy that they were even nicer though, in ehr oppinion any way. Smiling gently she touched Josh's coller bone with her nose, "be happys" she whispers, esh knew the transformations didn't make everyone as happy as they made her, but that didn't mean she didn't want them to be happy. Joshua Rivers "Ahhh, Madagascar... yes, I think I've heard of that movie before." Joshua wasn't really a fan of cartoons, be they movies or TV shows, but he didn't hate them. "We can watch it now, if you like, Colche. Then after the movie, we can do some reading. How does that sound?" He smiled when the cheetah girl pressed her nose to his collarbone, raising one of his hands to stroke her long black hair. "... I'll try, Colche." And he would try, no matter how difficult it was. He didn't want to be unhappy, after all. Right now, however, he felt unsure, unconfident - and a little strange, as if something wasn't quite right. Colche Colche grins and nods, her soft furry ears twitching as she gave a definate nod "Okies. Is good" She grins, and bounces out of his lap holding her furry fingers out to him.
"I be try lots hard for to reads" She grins, she always liked to affirm the fact that she was willing to go all the way and beyond if only she could complete ehr perhaps simplest of dreams.
Leaning forwards for a moment she smiled and whispered, or at least made ehr voice a little quieter "no let eb sad" She grins in a slightly mischevious way as if some where in that overly active imagination of hers she could make sure he would be happy. Joshua Rivers Joshua smiled at the cheetah girl, and he stood up, taking her hand to let her lead him to the entertainment room to watch the movie. "Thank you, Colche... I really appreciate that." He picked up the book to bring with them, so they could work on more reading after the movie was over. He walked with her to the entertainment room, and once they were inside, Joshua moved over to the shelves of DVDs. He picked out Madagascar, and placed the DVD into the player, before picking up the remote and sitting down on the couch, leaving Colche room to sit beside him. Colche Colche sat comfortably beside the professor her furry cheek leaning on his upper arm. She liked this movie alot and didn't fail to point out melman the some what neurottic giraffe as soon as he appeared "see pretty" she puurrs with a little girlie giggle.
She sat silent for the film hopin Josh enjoyed it as much as she did and silently glad he had aggreed or more requested they watch it together. It was always nice to watch a movie with somone. It could be boring alone.
Once the movie drew to a close Colche gave a huge grin "we madagascar" She giggles "more aminals tho" she nods an affirmative, what she meant was she beleived the island was madagascar only with more animals than had been in the movie. After all there was such a wide variety of creatures, or more to the point people turning in to a wide variety of creatures they certainly had madagascar beat.
Her long tail flickered at the very tip as she nested close to Josh. She wasn't tired he was just comfy to lean on. She led her furry fingers out to her book and smiled gently "read now the girl whispers,s h was ready for her lesson, fopr her, learning to read was even more fun than the movie. Learning to read with Josh, well that was prooving to be more fun than she had previously even imagined. Joshua Rivers Joshua didn't enjoy the movie as much as Colche did, but he still liked watching the movie with her. He paid attention to her when she pointed out the giraffe, smiling in mild amusement. For some reason, he didn't like giraffes very much - likely because he was turning into one. If he had his choice, he imagines he would have picked some sort of feline; at least their necks weren't so awkwardly long. When Colche mentioned there were more animals, Joshua began to wonder just how many people on the island there were. Have they all been tricked here? How long has this place existed, and why hasn't it been discovered yet? He smiled at the cheetah girl when she held out her book. "Alright, Colche. Did you read anymore since I last saw you? Lets go over those pages, first, and then we can read the next chapter, alright?" He took the book from her, opening it to the page the bookmark was in. Colche Colche nods and giggles "uh huh reads littles" she puurrs looking at the book and curling up close to the older man. she was ready for her story now to do that little bit of learning she so desperately wanted. She was glad, very glad that Josh was willing to teach her every day.
Biting her tongue she looked at the bespectacled man before speaking a slight fear she held "I no work josh hard?" She tilted her head, she realiesed all to weell that teaching her was hard work, learning was hard work too but she loved and needed it. What she didn't was was for Josh to stop enjoying teaching her, she was getting awfully attached to ler 'learny man' as she would tell people thats what he was. The learny man. Joshua Rivers Joshua was a little surprised at the question, but he smiled at her and shook his head. "No, not at all. Back at home, I used to teach many people, more than just once a day. And... to be honest," he said gently, "I feel like teaching here is good for me. It's something... normal that I can hold onto, in a place where nothing seems to be normal at all." He needed this bit of normality. If he didn't have this... Josh wasn't sure what he would be doing with his life here. This helped keep him focused so that he wouldn't go crazy... but maybe he was already? No, don't think about things like that."Don't worry, Colche. I won't get tired of teaching you, okay? I enjoy this, I think it's fun," he said. Colche Colche smiled lightly at Josh. He could be very wordy at times but she at least caught that he was happy and wouldn't hget fed up with her. She puurred gently and giggleed looking down at the pages in her book. She had managed a page or two since they had last read together but she was obviously glad to go over them again. Josh was a good teacher. A very good teacher.
She smiled softly and gave a gentle happy little sigh which was accompanied by that soft sweet little puurr. Her puurr quieteend a little as she started to read though occassionally she would look up at Josh for guidance or just to peep at him between lines or words she didn't entirely understand.
Eventually she found hs ersel;f playing with her tail tip while she read. It was such a useful appendage to fiddle with when you were feelign a bit nervous. What was she nervous of though? She was a little confused. she was doing well in her reading. Josh said so. Joshua Rivers The older man was oblivious to her nervousness at first, focused only on teaching Colche. He helped her reread the two pages she had read on her own, helping her with words she didn't understand, before moving on to the next pages. He took turns reading with her, Joshua reading one paragraph, and letting Colche read two or three. Eventually, though, he noticed her playing with her tail and seeming a little distracted. "Colche? Are you alright? You seem a bit distracted - do you have something on your mind?" Colche She dropped Her tail in a hurry and looked up at the 'learny man' a she had dubed him. She shook her head vigerously. it wasn't so much that she didn't ahve something on her mind though, she just, didn't know what it was. Clearing her throat the sound strange and raspy with those cheetah vocal cords.
She licked her lips trying to turn her gaze back to the bok and read. She wnated to read so baddly so why was she so, not here today? Putting her paw ont he pages she looked up at Josh with a smile, she had never really questioned anyone before, she had no need to they were here and here was all she truely knew.
A single question burned in her mind and she wasn't so much embarressed to ask it as it was that she had to mull through words to find the question and speak it. "before.." yes, that was the word, she had seen it and read it many times it was only now that she wondered, what people had done before the island? Was there a life outside of this place that wasn't bad? "Island, Josh Happy?" She tilts her head gently. She had recently learned from Ambrose that he didn't want to be here, that the island wasn't his home though it was betetr now that his princess was here. "Josh have princess.. not here?" her brow creased and her tongue stuck out between her furry lips as she questioned him her gentle blue eyes flickering with a little doubt or perhaps it was embarressment? These questions had filtered around ehr head as she sat reading with him and now that the words were on her tongue she simply had to ask them though perhaps they would upset Josh. She knew that Ambrose missed his home, would Josh be missing his not the island place? Joshua Rivers It took Joshua a moment to realize what Colche was asking. "No, I don't have a princess." Of course, he used to... but he didn't like talking about that incident, and he had gone out on a few dates since then, but none of them ended up lasting very long. "What about you, Colche; do you have a prince?" He wasn't so sure he had been happy back at home, but he knew that he would have been happier there than he was here. After all, back at home, he wasn't being used as a lab experiment. "I miss my home, and my friends," he said. "I'm not happy that I'm going to be turned into an animal." He would have asked the same question of Colche, but he already knew the answer to that after his discussion with Dr. Lockheart. Colche Upon hearing that Josh didn't have a princess she almost, almost grinned, though she surpressed it and smiled serenely. Why was she so pleased to know that the man didn't have a princess? Giggling gently at his next question those sweet blue eyes lifted to the man whom she was so swiftly becoming attached to. "No, No prince" she states her tail giving along wide swish as she said it. "mommy says one day" she puurrs the sound sweet and gently echoeing from her chest.
The blue eyes girl pouted a little hearing he wasn't exactly happy though ehr ears twitching a bit "island nice Josh. evryone family" she states a smile lifting her beautiful delecate features her perfect blue eyes filled with that innocent light. The island for her made everything better. Joshua Rivers Joshua could do nothing but simply smile back. Of course, he understood why Colche would be happy here - but right now, he couldn't feel the same way. Maybe, in time, he could learn to like it here. He supposed eventually he would have to, if he was never going to be allowed to leave - or escape. "I'm happy that you like it here, Colche," he said. He couldn't help wondering why he was chosen - was he here for the sole purpose of teaching this girl? Is that why his file interested them? But he couldn't blame Colche. It wasn't her fault - it was no one's fault but the doctors here. If they had truly wanted to help the girl, they could have rescued her and not brought her to this island. It wasn't fair. It wasn't fair to Colche, to himself - to anyone on this island. Joshua placed the bookmark back into the book, closing it shut. "Well, I think that's enough for today. If you can, try to read another page or two, and I can go over what you read with you tomorrow. How does that sound?" he asked her, smiling. Colche Colche smiled lightly and gave a little nod "Okies" she whispered taking her book and holding it against her chest. "I much happys Josh" she whispers suddenly as if she had to define it to him to tell him that she couldn't be happier "Island home. Loves friends, family, everythinks" she smiled and leaned forwards touching the mans cheek with her cool black nose in that little 'kitty kiss' she gave to people whom seemed a little distraught.
She pulled away and looked at her knees shyly before standing "see tomorrow" she puurrs skittering away in a flurry of fur and a blur of colour. She had embarressed herself, she had never felt so flustered. What was this effect Josh was having on her? She was so confused.
She dashed home and in to her duplex closing the door behind her taking solice in her solitude. She sighed heavily and shook her head. She felt silly. Josh was more of a king than a prince. He certainly wouldn't look at her twice, would he? mumbling quietly she scrunched her eyes shut and flopped on her bed curling up with her eyes tightly closed. She was so confused.
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Posted: Sat Jun 17, 2006 12:00 am
You awaken from likely very disturbing dreams, the chemicals involved in the injection often causing strange dreams, or discomfort if awake. Your entire body aches, it feels like it's down to the bone. You look down at yourself and see your arm is... legthening. Something similar happening all over your body. As it painfull begins to scretch and grow. You feel your torso stretch at the same time as your arms and legs. Then you feel your neck stretching, the most painful one of all as it grows long and uncomfortable. The bones on your head stretching as well to form small horn like abrasions. You look down at your fingernails, noticing they've thickened. But that's the least of your problems as you see your toes doing the same thing but not stopping there. Even as your middle toes grow larger and thicker than the rest, the nails on all of them growing to match till they are heavy with dark large nails, the middle toes particurally. You feel your face reshapping, your nose growing larger as well. Even as your body hair thickens and the changes complete.
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Posted: Wed Jun 21, 2006 10:04 am
THE BLUE ROOM He didn't know exactly where he was, or how he got there. Joshua was standing in the middle of a massive room - there were mirrors along the walls on the left and the right, making the room appear endless. The ceiling towered above him, decorated with crystalline chandeliers. What parts of the walls he could see were painted a dark shade of blue. The tables scattered around the room had blue table cloths, the frames around the mirrors were a dark midnight blue. Even the light cast down from the chandeliers was blue tinted, creating an eerie glow on everything around him. And he wasn't alone, no. There were many people here as well, dressed in gorgeous gowns and expensive looking suits - all of them in various shades of blues, with the occasional black and white found in the mix.
They were dancing to some unheard ballroom music, or sitting at the tables talking, laughing, drinking. He couldn't see any of their faces; they were all adorned with masks, not one of them alike, covering their entire face. Again, they were colored mostly in blues. They looked like animal faces; the only parts of the masks Joshua could see through were two holes out for the eyes, and the mask's open mouth, revealing the human mouth underneath.
That was when he noticed that none of the human mouths were moving at all. Everyone was tight-lipped; no smiles, no frowns - just neutral and closed shut. However, the mouths on the masks themselves moved, creating voices and sounds of laughter as they spoke. Joshua felt fear creep up his spine, a tightening in his chest. His breath was coming in slow, short gasps as he watched everyone around him, and he felt frozen in place.
A man sitting at one of the tables turned to look at Joshua; his mask had sharp, fang-like teeth, slitted eyes, and long, curled horns pointing upwards. The dragon-mask spoke, "why don't you sit down with us?" he asked, pointing a clawed finger at the only empty chair at the table.
"No," Joshua said. "I don't belong here."
"You look like you do," the woman sitting beside the dragon-mask said. Her mask had a sharp, pointed beak, with wide, round eyes; very bird-like in appearance, but he couldn't tell what type.
Joshua raised his hands to his face, fingers touching hard plastic. It felt unfamiliar, not at all what his face was supposed to be. He quickly tore the mask off, feeling the string snap and throwing it to the floor. He wasn't one of them, he wasn't anything like any of them. He had to get out of here, had to escape. He would not become them...
His eyes quickly scanned the room, searching for an exit, a way out. There, directly in front of him, was a large intricately decorated door, reaching nearly as high as the ceiling itself. And that was when Joshua felt it. Someone - something - was staring at him. Watching him; stalking him silently. He turned around, but all he could see was the crowd of masked people behind him. Still, the feeling was there, and made his breath hitch in his throat.
He began to push his way through the crowd, walking towards the only door in the room; hoping, praying that it was an exit. Every now and then he would feel someone grasp his wrist or his arm lightly, as if trying to stop him, but unable to hold on tight enough. Still the feeling lingered; something watching him, following him as he got closer and closer to the door. Joshua tried to concentrate on the door in front of him - he knew he was being stared at by the masked people, but he felt as if he looked, their faces may drive him mad.
He was almost there now, nearly arms length away - he felt hot breath on the back of his neck, but he was too afraid to turn around; he didn't want to see what was after him. Joshua reached out, grasping the handle - and for a brief, heart stopping moment, he thought that the doors might be locked - but he pulled, and the doors gave, opening wide before him like a gaping mouth...Joshua awoke with a gasp, his hands clenching the bedsheets tightly and his body covered in sweat. What had that been about? He raised his hand, rubbing his face for a moment, before letting his arm drop back down beside him. Just a dream... just a horrible nightmare. But why did he feel so sore? He sighed, sitting up slowly and wincing. Maybe he should take some aspirin. He reached down to the floor to pick up the book he had been reading before falling asleep, thinking that perhaps reading Edgar Allen Poe before bed was not a particularly good idea - although the stories have never given him nightmares before. Clutching the book in his hand, that was when he noticed something was... wrong. For a moment, he stared at his arm blankly, his mind not quite registering what was happening. Was his arm was... growing? What's going on? This can't be possible!But the intense pain he felt told him otherwise. The same, sickening fear he felt in the dream was crawling up his spine again, gripping him until he could barely breathe, gasping in gulps of air. He cried out as the pain became too much, slipping down off the bed onto his hands and knees, the book falling to the floor in front of him. He felt like his body was being pulled in every direction at once, stretched out to the breaking point. Except he didn't break... he just kept stretching, and stretching - it seemed like it would never end. He almost didn't notice his feet and hands changing over the pain of his legs and arms stretching out. But he felt, much to his own horror, his toes growing larger and the nails growing thicker, and thicker, until his feet almost - almost - resembled what appeared to be... hooves. He saw the nails on his hands growing too, and wondered for a moment if they, too, would change to resemble hooves. But then his neck began to grow, and all other pain was forgotten. Joshua had never felt anything like it before. It was the most horrible thing he's ever felt in his entire life, he was sure. It felt like his head was going to be torn off, split right across the center of his neck. He could hear someone screaming, a sound so tortured it was almost shocking to hear it coming from himself. Even though his neck didn't grow nearly as long as his legs and arms, it felt like forever. And even as his neck stretched and grew, horns pushed up out from the top of his head, and Joshua wasn't sure how much more he could take. Too much, it was all just too much... as his ears grow longer and his nose grew larger, Joshua's eyes rolled back in his head, unable to handle anymore. He was unconscious on the floor for hours, no longer human...
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Posted: Sat Jul 01, 2006 11:29 am
COMING TO TERMS? Joshua wasn't sure how long he lay on the floor unconscious, but when he finally did awake, he was no less sore than when he had passed out. Did he just have another dream..? He was afraid to move, afraid to look down at himself to see if it had all been true. He closed his eyes and slowly rolled over, bumping his his elbows into the floor as he tried to get used to the new awkward length of his arms. He pushed himself up, standing... standing... even with his eyes closed, he could just tell he was taller. Finally, when he stood himself up fully, he hit his head - hard - on the ceiling. He winced and ducked his head with his long neck, reaching up to rub where he hit... and his hand touched the new horns on his head. He jerked his hand back as if he were burned, finally opening his eyes. God, he was afraid to find a mirror to look at himself. He could just imagine how... freakish he must appear. A giraffe... He couldn't even figure out how to react. He felt so different from himself that he nearly felt like it wasn't even real. Like the masks in the nightmare... the real him was hidden right behind his new form. All he needed to do was escape this new skin and he would be normal again. That's it. Maybe he was just dreaming. All he needed to do was wake up and he wouldn't be stuck in this hellish place anymore with strange half-animal people, and he wouldn't be turning into one himself.
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Posted: Sat Jul 01, 2006 12:05 pm
She had sat in her duplex almost all day waiting for josh, the book clasped in her furry paw like hands. Where was josh? He usually turned up every day at this time for lessons! She couldn't tell the time but she knew about now was lesson times. Josh didn't come though. She was a little sad and a touch angry at first though this swiftly melted away to concern. What if one of the bad men had hurt Josh like they did Aubrey? Taking a deep breath and keeping her book firmly attached to her chest she stepped from her own duplex and on to the path to a duplex she had never been to before.
The number rang clear in ehr head. She knew what numbers were now ttheyu were simple enough, number one was Ambrose then there was two three and four, then there was five which was pyroth. The one she approached though was Josh's and her ears perked as she approached hearing a slight dull thud. Tilting her head she gazed at the door curiously and as a cat would scratch at the door for food, she did a similiar action scratching the door with a tap tapping of her nails, she'd never really gotten the whole knocking hting either.
She waited silently for a moment her nose twitching, something smelt new she could smell Josh every where his familiar bookish scent filled the whole placwe but something alien invaded the space she just couldn't put her claw on it. "Josh!" she called at last pushing against thje door to see if it would open...
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Posted: Sat Jul 01, 2006 12:20 pm
Joshua's turned his head to look at the door when he heard someone scratching on it. What on earth was that? He was glad that he always keeps his door locked. But when a familiar voice called out his name from the other side, he walked slowly over to the door, feeling unsteady on his long legs. It was almost like walking on stilts that were attached to his body - with each step he felt like he was going to fall over. Thankfully, his larger feet helped him keep his balance enough so he didn't fall.
He reached out, hand hovering over the lock on the door. He wasn't sure if he wanted to let the cheetah girl inside. How would she react to seeing him like this? Hell, even he didn't know exactly how he looked now. But out of the few people he has met, Colche seemed to be the only one accepting these changes, even welcoming them. If anyone were to see him right now, he would be thankful that it was Colche.
With a sigh, he turned the lock, and pulled open the door for her to come in. He tried to stay out of direct view in the doorway, just in case someone else might be walking by, so they couldn't see him. "He--" his voice broke off into a cough; his throat felt sore when he talked. He cleared his throat, and tried speaking again: "Hello, Colche... you can come in, if you like." His voice sounded scratchy, as if he were sick with a sore throat or was recovering from a lost voice.
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Posted: Sat Jul 01, 2006 12:33 pm
Colche smiled as the door opened a slow puurr escaped her. Of course tilting her head to meet Josh's face made her smile all the more but as was the norm with changes, the cheetah girl took it in her stride padding in to the room, as he seemed uncomfortable standing at the door.
Looking around the room which was very much like her own she set the thin novel on his bed and turned round wrapping her arms around the highest spot on him she could which was some where around his chest. She rested her chin on his coller bone and looked up at the very tall man with a constant smile on her sweet kindly features, those big blue eyes sparkling. "Very tall" she stated suddenly a grin lining her fuzzy features as she said it.
Pulling away from him ever so slowly, she took his hands and sat him on the bed. "Neck hurting" she giggles and touches his cheek with her nose her kitten kiss she gave to people when they didn't seem too happy. Standing on her very very tip toes the short femme whom had already grown a good few inches with her transformation in to a cheetah nibbled her tongue, she was unable to hold this stance for very long though so she stumbled and sat on the bed "I wanna be higher" she states with a blue eyed smile, nothing phased her.
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Posted: Sat Jul 01, 2006 12:51 pm
Although his room had the same layout as all the others, everything was still kept very orderly. All his books were kept in alphabetical order on their shelves, all his clothes were neat and folded in their drawers and hung up in the closet. Even his dirty cloths were folded and kept neat and tidy in one corner of the room.
When Colche stepped into the room, he closed the door behind her, deciding against locking it since he wasn't alone in the room now. He felt a little awkward when the cheetah girl hugged him. It felt different from the times she's hugged him before - he was taller now, and couldn't reach as high anymore. He returned the hug - very briefly - before she pulled back from him and led him over to his bed (which, for once, was not made). He walked unsteadily, slowly sitting down.
In a way, he was glad the girl was so accepting of everything. It almost made him feel better... except that he knew this way, he wouldn't actually come to terms with it. He would just listen to Colche and he wouldn't argue, as it always was with her. He felt her nose touch his cheek, and he looked down at the cheetah girl. "Well, I think there is a difference between being tall, and being too tall... like me... I don't think you need to be any higher, Colche. You are a perfect height." It was pointless to say he wished he was shorter, now.
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Posted: Sat Jul 01, 2006 1:05 pm
Colche giggled she had never been called perfect. She knew the word "Not like mary poppins" She grins broadly once again her characters came in to every day life for her they probably always would "Josh perfectly high, I likes!" She wouldn't of course be argued with on this point to her changes on the outside had nothing to do with who you were, though her own changes had changed her immeasurably from a dithering child to at least a partially confident young lady who saw the silver lineing in every situation.
Taking the mans now some what odd hands in ehr own furry paw like fingers she smiles gently up at him, obviously Josh wasn't in the mood for laughing at her innocent wit. "Don't worry, be happy" she blinks a few times her ashen lashes bruushing sfoftly against those tawny and black marked cheeks. "Giraffes is vury purty" she puurrs, this little pep talk didn't always work she knew she had tried it on Amaya, of course she looked at her own hands as she held on to Josh's "I still likes.." she trailed off at this and perhaps beneath all that fur she blushed though she looked rather sheepish instead her tail twitching in an aggitated manner. Her tail was certainly taking on a mind of it's own of late it did as it pleased or so it seemed to her, showing off aggitation embarressment and even happyness with each subtle flick.
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Posted: Sat Jul 01, 2006 1:38 pm
Joshua couldn't help but smile a little. "Thank you, Colche. I'm glad you still like me..." Although, he didn't agree with her about giraffes (even more so now that he was becoming one), he wasn't about to argue. He knew that he couldn't win against her. Gently, he gave her hands a small squeeze.
"I see that you brought your book... I'm sorry, I must have kept you waiting. I was... preoccupied, with what was happening to me." And, in truth, he had completely forgotten after his change. Teaching had been the last thing on his mind for once. He wasn't quite sure he felt up to teaching right now, but if she wanted to, he would certainly try...
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Posted: Sat Jul 01, 2006 1:47 pm
Colche smiles gently, looking to her book she gives a soft shy little nod and turns her blue eyed gaze on the now very tall man. "Thought forgot, sleeps today Josh" she states, it was a simple enough request or perhaps an order even from the little cheetah femme at least it held a note of demand in it. She pulled his hands to her cheek and snuzzled them softly her soft downy fur brushing gently against his nuckles "no be sad okies" she paused, it had only come to light recently that poeople wern't happy here and she guessed that Josh was in a similar situation, she didn't understand the world outside the two places she knew.
Getting up from the bed she pushed Josh gently baclwards with a giggle looking at his legs neck and head. "Need new bed" she raised a brow carefully attempting to tuck the man in and failing mostly the blankets only coming to his upper legs of course. Biting her tongue she looked thoughtful and zipped in to the bathroom bringing out the biggest bath towl which she draped over his legs proudly. Giving a nod she sits on the bed picking up her book and holding it against her chest "want story for beds?" she blinks owlishly. Some time ago Emelyn had told her she could invent a story all of her own and she had nearlly gotten it all down, at least in her thoughts and dreams, but maybe Josh didn't want to hear it...
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