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Chert gave a quiet snort of aggravation and shifted slightly on the tree. Just be glad you're still human... That statement rightfully should have been followed by a "while you still can," as far as he was concerned. He had no idea how much time was left before the serum in his body took effect- days? weeks? hours?- and the question of when had become an increasingly insistant worry. Chert wasn't entirely lacking in sympathy for those that had aleady suffered through the changes, but he wished that people would cease pointing out his humanity as if it were some precious priviledge. It should have been something that was easy to take for granted, like any other day-to-day part of existance. No one worried if the sun was going to come up again or not. No one should have to worry if they were going to wake the species or not.

The mention of Antony's name elicited a startled blink from Chert, but the expression was fleeting and easily missed. "We've met," he said curtly. No need to elaborate on the subject to a complete stranger, especially one that was grinning so tartly. Maybe the two had failed to hit it off. "And it's a nickname."

His condescending tone added a silent "dumbass" to the statement. Chert wasn't about to leap forward and bludgeon anyone with a tree limb, but he wasn't inclined to be polite to the person who'd just interrupted his contemplation... Especially when he still wasn't entirely convinced that person didn't intend to eat him at the first available opportunity. He pointedly didn't ask for or mention that he knew Zach's name, hoping the omission might make it clear that he had little interest in conversation. If the surly tone and the tree branch hadn't made that clear already, though, he tended to doubt such a subtle message would help any.

Zach's approach seemed to cause Chert no small measure of concern, but there wasn't much he could do about it short of chucking his only weapon at the lizard man. However, the last projectile he'd thrown- the heavy ceramic cafeteria plate- had bounced off of Zach as harmlessly as if it were a ball of foam, and Chert suspected pursuing that plan of action again would probably leave him standing on a tree in close proximity with a very annoyed reptile. Not what he would label as an ideal situation. Of course, this current turn of events was hardly favorable; Zach no longer seemed particularly intimidated by the make-shift club, and continued to approach with a new air of confidence. It had never occured to Chert that his surly, unfriendly tone might actually goad the other man into advancing. The aggressive posturing was basically the equivalent of a bird ruffling its feathers- I'm large, I'm scary! Go eat something else!- and now that that strategy was failing, he was momentarily at a loss. Was Zach telling the truth about the attack being an accident? If that was so, why was he so intent upon approaching? The last thing Chert wanted to do was use his club and get tangled up in an encounter with those teeth and claws, but he'd do what he had to to preserve his well being.

"I know a few," Chert said distractedly, eyeing Zach's impressively lethal dental equipment while inching backwards a few unwilling steps towards his former position on the tree. It was like the man had ivory steak knives implanted in his head! "Admittedly, they're substantially less...red."

"I'm a biologist," Chert said, purposely using the present tense. He wasn't quite ready to admit that his visit to the island was a permanent one, but then again... he hadn't grown horns and a tail.

Zach's hesitation in the front of the tree with slightly cheering, though. Perhaps scrambling up the tree roots one-armed wasn't a possiblity, although Chert had initially thought the additional purchase and balance the claws and tail could provide would have made it easier. Ha! For once, he definitely wasn't about to complain about being wrong.

Well, I'll be damned...

The dry remark drew forth the faintest ghost of a bitter grin. Aren't we all? Chert replied mentally, but although Zach's sarcasm raised his ire, he refrained from retorting immediately. If the geologist was stuck on the ground and the biologist was stuck in the tree, the cause for panic was no longer so acute. It seemed like a good time to get some answers.

"Listen," Chert began, ignoring the jab through sheer force of will. "If you're not hungry, then what the hell do you want? I can't imagine you're hanging around for my pleasant company."

NEW RP

Several days had passed and with them had gone Fiona's violent emotion and outrage that had clouded her mind at the outset. Her most recent thoughts had not been of radical change or daring escapes or loud protests. No, they had been unhappy, stranded thoughts very much unbecoming of the fiery girl. In an attempt to combat this and drive away her woes, she had begun to treat her new prison as a vacation spot, and looked to the beauty of nature to gather her thoughts and center herself in order to achieve focus once more. Having explored a little, that day she found herself sitting beside the river and dipping her toes in the mildly chilly water, watching the sunlight flicker on its surface.

The girl turned to watch his approach when the stranger came near, her eyes lighting up ever so slightly. Oh how she had craved human interaction- if you could really call it that anymore. She could meditate and focus and gaze at nature for hours, but it still wasn't quite as satisfying as making a new friend.

"Hey there," Fiona greeted energetically, a smile alighting on her features as she swished her feet in the water, "No, we haven't met. I'm still pretty new. But then, I guess the new people are pretty easy to pick out, huh?" She shrugged nonchalantly, giving him a quick, inoffensive once-over. 'Kinda cute,' her mind commented, 'if you can ignore the fact that he's covered in fur,' The thought, for whatever reason, made her want to laugh. "I'm Fiona. Fiona Brooks. And you?"

"Oh I don't know," she said with a chuckle, taking a liking to the fellow quickly. So many of the other islanders seemed jaded and pessimistic, and this was definately a change for the better. "I lean towards a good salad myself. Vegetarian, you see. Although I'm not sure I'm 'eating off the trees' vegetarian. Even I'm not that hardcore." Fiona grinned, allowing her attention to float between the ripples she was creating and the deer-man.

"So Ian, what is there to do around here?" She steered determinedly away from discussing the transformations, and as much as she wanted to ask what animal exactly he was turning into, it would have served only to make her change more inevitable. There had to be a way out of it. She just wasn't thinking hard enough. "Are there ever any parties, dances, or anything?"

She laughed at his 'leaf and tomatoes' comment, her heart lifting slightly at the stress-free content of the conversation. "It's only a bad joke if nobody laughs." Fiona remarked, grinning. Upon hearing about the events of the Halloween party, she crinkled her nose disdainfully. "Aside from food and shelter, I don't plan on relying on them for anything. I hear even those aren't always guaranteed. But maybe someone should throw a party. From what I've seen, a lot of people here and kinda... gloomy, and lifeless. I mean sure, we're all kinda ********, what with being here and all. But it sucks to sit around and mope, you know?"

She paused, gazing into the river as though it were some crystal ball which would reveal the future. "I can see it now- we could set up a bunch of fire pits on the beach. Bring blankets and stuff, and food. Imagine all the people... I've heard there are like thirty-someodd people here, right? So I bet it'd be like... like a university social." Fiona said, pulling the idea from some television show she'd seen. "Maybe some people here can play music, d'you think? I hardly expect we could import a band, but... maybe we could make one. Wouldn't that be awesome?" Her expression filled with passion- planning events and meeting people was always so exciting!

Fiona just shrugged, a large grin still plastered on her face. "No idea. I would have graduated high school this year. Probably wouldn't have even gone to Uni' anyways." She changed the subject quickly, not liking the idea that she was, technically, a high school drop-out. "Yeah. Maybe we don't even have to ask. We could raid the kitchen!" She flicked her ankle and sprinkled herself with water, shaking her head quickly to be rid of the droplets of moisture. "Or not. I guess we could ask. I just don't like the idea of needing their help to have fun."

The girl scratched her cheek absentmindedly before leaning back and gazing up at the clouds, her legs still dangling over the edge of the bank. "So there's a guitarist here? That's pretty cool- I can't really imagine a band without a guitar. I don't play anything- don't have the patience to practice a lot. But we could like... make posters or something. Stick them around the caf' and junk. It'd be hard for people not to notice, since everyone eats at the same spot. Do you know a lot of people? You'd be surprised how useful word of mouth can be."