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In truth, Jamal was still trying to take in her change himself; it was such a drastic jump from her first one that it caught him offguard. He wasn't repulsed but maybe he was growing complacent with the fact that the changes were coming and to deal with them when they happened. It didn't do him any good to worry about it now. Even during the lockdown, the staff made it clear that they wouldn't be stopped.

"I guess it's jus' gonna take time," he offered weakly, having no other solution, and ran a hand through the furrows of his cornrows. "I can't force ya ta feel better about yo'self. If I could, I woulda done it already I wasn't tryin' ta make ya feel bad wit' ma comment 'bout bein' beautiful. s**t...I'm a guy fo' christsake. I don't wanna be beautiful."

Jamal slid back onto the bed, sitting next to her on the edge once more, a troubled frown on his face.

Jamal sighed and rubbed his face, deciding he'd give up on trying to talk her into feeling better. However, he had another idea.

"I think it sounds like ya need a good back massage, if anythin'," he commented drolly as he clambered fully up onto the bed. "'n' don't tell me ya don't want one. Rememba', I got magic fingers. Ya can either stay layin' down or sit up. Yo' choice." He knew she liked back rubs and he'd be damned if she wasn't going to at least feel a LITTLE better.

Ah hah, he knew that'd work. Yay for subject change!

He carefully took up position by straddling her lower back, careful of her twisting tails as he did so, and carefully pressed the pads of his fingers and palms to her back. He'd gotten good at manipulating his hands without worrying about his claws, though he'd be relieved when he'd be able to retract them.

He started below the nape of her neck and went to work there and at her shoulders. His own back and arms complained at the extra work he was putting them through, but he ignored it as best he could. It'd go away eventually.

Jamal worked away at each little knot one at a time, moving in a methodical path a bit lower down her back once her shoulders were properly eased.

"No, it don't," he said matter-of-factly without much of a pause before it as he glanced down at her turned face. Tentacles would have bothered him a bit, but thankfully she didn't have those and he kept that comment to himself anyway. It was best to keep his replied simple unless she inquired further.

He smiled a bit now that she seemed to be feeling a little better and turned his attention back to putting full effort in working out a particularly stubborn knot. Hopefully he wouldn't lose dexterity in his hands when he transformed again...he'd be unable to try and bribe her back into good spirits with backrubs if that was the case.

It was kind of nice not being stuck in his duplex or out in the jungle by himself another night....though he wouldn't mind running into Pyroth again and having another hunt. He still had faint traces of bruising lower on his abdomen from the boar's hooves but with his dark skin-tone, it was hard to see unless you were up close.

After several more minutes of 'magic fingers', Jamal finished the rubbing only because now his fingers were starting to hurt along with every other muscle in his body.

He was, of course, a fan of the bellyscritch and grinned until she noticed the marks on his stomach, which she was now running her fingers over. They weren't tender anymore, thank god.

"Jus' leftovers of a jungle trip," he said vaguely, giving her a furtive look before looking at the bruises himself. He wasn't lying, but he wasn't sure she'd want to hear the details of a rather feral hunting escapade either. It didn't seem like a good time.

"I gotta do a lil' more practicin' on swingin' from tree ta tree so I don't hurt ma'self so much," he said with a grin as he settled on the bed, grateful she didn't pry into the real reason for the bruises. Maybe another time.

He propped his head on a hand and considered the question mutely before shrugging. "I didn't have any plans fo' tonight so I don't mind stayin'...Unless da stolen movies are bad ones. Like chick flicks o' sumthin." He gave her a fangy smirk to show he was just kidding; he'd suffer through girly movies if he had to.