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RP Log

It was the moment of truth. Vasile didn't know why he had been so nervous. I mean, he wasn't afraid she wouldn't like him anymore, right? I mean... given her.. condition. But gah - why did he keep thinking about it in those terms. He hated how people called him 'pretty' or 'lucky." Yes in some ways he was - and a part of him was afriad Cass would resent him for not turning into something hideous.

He walked the jungle, and Anjali's landscpaing, until Vasile gathered a boquet of flowers. He brushed his hair and put on a new pair of clothes. Promising himself he wouldn't get distracted this time, Vasile steeled himself and headed straight to her door. He gave a quick knock before he had a chance to turn back. "Heya. Cass...its me."

Cass cleared her throat awkwardly; she had half-convinced herself that Vasile was avoiding her, and, well, if it came right down to it... she couldn't really blame him, if that were the case. "One moment, one moment," she called, and slithered off the bed. She set her book to one side, straightened out the bedsheets, and made her way to the door.

She hesitated for a moment, her hand on the doorknob. This was... this was silly. She took a deep breath and opened it wide. "Vasile. Hi--" she said, and stopped. She tilted her head to one side, tongue flickering. "They got you," she said, slightly dumbfounded. Cass shook herself. Maybe that was why he'd been absent. "Well, come in, come in. Oh, Vasile..."

Vasile gave her an akward smile as she opened the door, hos teeth locking together in a much more canine way than he was used to. He stepped in with a nod, looking suddenly very sheepish as he extended his arm, presenting the flowers. "Yeah... I'm all.. fuzzy," he stammered. Then winced, realizing how stupid that probably sounded. "I look so... different." Perhaps he was preaching to the choir, but he knew it was the truth. This change was much more drastic than his first - losing all trace of human skin or blonde to his hair. His face felt funny as his muzzle had just barely started for form, and his pads on his hands made his manuel dexterity feel uncordinated.

"Very different," Cassidy agreed as she closed to door. She took the flowers gratefully, smelled them with another flick of her forked tongue. Vasile seemed, perhaps, further along than she had been after her second change, but that could have been her imagination. He certainly didn't look like Vasile DiRossi, Movie Star anymore. She put a hand on his arm--he really was fuzzy, wow--and said, "I should find something to put these in. Do you need to sit down? How long ago was it?"

Vasile looked around and sat down on the edge of her bed, curling his long tail around him and over his lap. He had falling, very quickly, into a habit of stroking his fur on his tail when he got nervous, almost using it a security blanket. His black claws twisted through the silver fur as he watched her place the flowers in water. "I 'unno, a few days ago. I was eating in the cafeteria with Ambrose and then - just out of nowhere, ya know. Right there on the floor. With people watching." The pink of his ears flushed red with a bit of embarassment, though most of his blush was hidden under the fur on his cheeks,

With the flowers safe in water, Cassidy turned back to him, her mouth slightly agape. "Oh. Oh, that's awful." She perched herself next to Vasile, a feathered arm around his shoulders. "I hope it wasn't too bad. If I could have been there for you..." Cass trailed off, not really sure how to finish that thought. Some girlfriend she was. In her agitation, the end of her tail twitched for something to coil around. She settled for hugging him tightly.

Vasile's ears pressed back against his skull. Looking over her, and remember her transformation, there was no way he could possibly think his was worse. It was almost frustrating in a way - he hated that he felt guilty for not changing 'as bad' as she did. But at the same time, Cass was being surprisingly compassionate. Vasile knew that she probably wouldn't resent him now if he complained a bit to her, but it just didn't feel right. "It wasn't, erm.. I mean it wasn't good or anything. But I don't think it was that bad at least." He smiled at her and slipped a arm around her...waist-like area.

Cass laid her head on his shoulder, vaguely enjoying the feel of his fur. She didn't think she could admit that to him, though. "I'm glad," she said. "I still wish I could have been there." He had been so very wonderful during her transformation, and she had been more-or-less hysterical, she thought. "I could've... well. Not exactly helped." What was there to do? "But tried to."

He chuckled softly and reached out to take her hand. "Yeah well, I've gotten very little sympathy from most. Some guy, uh, Zach, I think, called me pretty." He smirked. "Well. he said I looked like Ambrose. But prettier." He shook his head. "So like... I guess its a fox, huh? The only silver fox I've ever seen was on a tack on Rodeo Drive." He stoked the tail again. "Guess its better than a poodle or something."

"Much better than a poodle. And you are pretty." Cass grinned. "But I've always thought so." She gave him a careful look, however, her tongue flicking quickly. "A fox seems very likely. Especially with... well, with your tail. That looks like a fox's tail to me." It looked like it wanted petting; Cass tried to resist that urge. "Of course... well, most of my experience with foxes is having them run across the road at inopportune moments. They're cute, though. I'd think that'd be better than just an ordinary dog."

She hesitated. "Zach said you were pretty?" she asked, and laughed lightly behind her hand.

Vasile scratched the back of his head and gave another toothy smile. The tail thumbed a bit as Cass mentioned it, and Vasile, a bit in embarassed, tangled both hands back into it. "I guess so. Better than a dog, I guess. They're supposed to be all cunning, right?" He let a tipped finger slide over one of Cass's feathers as his eyebrow lifted just ever-so-slightly. "and eat chickens."

But before he could even get off with a suggest eyebrow wiggle Cass giggled and his browline dropped. "I don't think he meant like that! Though now that you mention it, it was Ian who said I was pretty, not Zach. Zach was there he just looked kind of.. I dunno, shocked."

Shaking his head, Vasile took on a more serious tone. "Speaking of dogs, though, you by chance haven't seen Brutus around, anywhere? I still can't find him." Though he tried to hide it - the look in his gave away just got deeply saddened he felt.

"Chickens," Cass laughed. "I'm no chicken. Hell, I could probably join you in that, if there were any around."

But at mention of Brutus, she sobered. "I haven't seen him. He must be around." She only half-believed this, she found. Lately, her mind had been such a confusion of urges and images, and she had caught herself trying to catch and eat that lizard... fortunately for it and her sanity, it had gotten away. While not so long ago she would have scoffed at the idea that someone would have eaten poor Brutus, she wasn't sure anymore. Unsure of how much of this doubt showed on her face, Cass offered, "I'm sure that if anyone knew anything they would say something. He's probably found something to eat and is just waiting for you to come find him."

Vasile shrugged. "Maybe. But he doesn't tend to run off and I haven't sound him since after the lock out. I'm afraid something ate him." His frowned deepened. "Or someone. I heard that Jamal tried to eat some chick... er, Emelyn, I think." His brows furrowed. "And I know he tried to kill one of the staff members. He told me."

"H-holy s**t." Cass shook her head, disbelieving. "I thought it was only me... I hoped, anyway." She tugged idly on her feathers, thinking. "He actually tried to kill Em? And one of the staff? The latter I don't exactly blame him for, but... er. Remind me to be careful around him, if I ever run into him. Is that what's going to happen to us? Are we all going to become that... that savage?"

Vasile shrugged. "I don't know. I mean.." he tilted his head. "Ambrose and like... I heard Pyroth and stuff.. and you and some other people... they've had like two or three injections. ANd Jamal's only had one. And no one else is acting this crazy. I mean... you're farther than me and you're not, like, eating rats whole or anything." He stroked his tail and pulled his feet under him on the bed. "I've had two and I don't feel very different other than how I look. I think Jamal's just.. handling it bad."

He looked around the room and frowned. "Ambrose is afraid that Jamal is going to ruin it for everyone. Do you really think they are going to treat us this well if Jamal kills Dr. Lockheart? I'm all for, I don't know, maybe a more organized approach. But I don't think just attacking the staff on sight is going to do us any good."

"I almost ate a lizard," Cass admitted, her voice barely above a whisper. "I don't know what I was planning to do with it, but I think I was trying to eat it. It got away. I'm sort of glad." Her feathers ruffled slightly, and she added, "Well, I would certainly rather be here with the staff trying to make us happy, as twisted as that is, than have them not care at all about us other than as scientific subjects. I can't imagine much more bribery in the form of books will come my way if they have a change of heart." She gestured to her bookshelf with a rueful expression. "If they really wanted to, they could just put us in a zoo and do their thing. This is better. I.... I don't expect to be rescued anymore."

Vasile's ears pricked forward in surprise, then flattened again as she confessed abuot the lizard. Now that he had stuck his foot in his mouth, he just let it drop, not knowing how to respond.

"Well, I don't want to lose all hope. But I do think that they do a lot for us they don't have to. Obviously they aren't worried about being caught to regulations or anything. They treat us pretty nice. I'm worried Jamal might ruin that for all of us."

"If he does..." Cass hesitated. "If he does, he'll have a lot of people very angry at him. He had better not. I'd be half inclined... but I couldn't, not really." She sighed. "Or someone should at least warn him that it isn't too late for them to add something to his serum, something a lot worse than whatever they've got him on. I know it's not too late."

Vasile gave a solemn nod and looked at her wings. "Maybe it would be for the best. Maybe not something... worse, Heh, maybe a bunny or something?"

"He certainly wouldn't be quite so violent," Cass said with a bit of a smirk. "Or a mouse, or.... I don't know. Something completely unassuming and fluffy. See him try to eat anybody, then."

Vasile chucked and leaned back a bit on the bed. "So, ah... how have you been... er, adjusting?"

Cassidy shrugged a shoulder awkwardly. "All right, I guess. I've been taking a lot of walks in the jungle... well, not walks exactly. You know what I mean. But I thought I wouldn't want to ever go back to the jungle after the lock down, and I've been quite enjoying it." She tugged at her feathers again. "Little things get to me, you know. Like trying to wash what hair I have left--baths aren't really quite as fun when you fill up the tub entirely on your own. Little things. Not a big deal." She looked at Vasile curiously. "What about you?"

Vasile's ear flicked back and he shrugged as well. "Clothing itches under the fur. And shoes don't fit well anymore. I can hear better, and smell everything - oh god thats maddening to try and get used to. But for the most part, its just getting back the physical changes, I suppose."

"I know what you mean about the sense of smell, anyway." Cass's tongue flickered. "It's still so weird, at times. I still feel human, mostly, on the inside... I suppose it just takes time." She stretched out on the bed beside Vasile, grimacing slightly.

Vasile rolled over on his stomach and stretched out beside her, throwing his feet out behind him and resting his chin on his elbows. He scooted closer next to her and let his puffy tail curl over her lap. "Guess so." He let out a yawn and nuzzled his face into the crook of her arm.

Cassidy ran her hand down Vasile's back. He was so... so soft. She'd have to get used to that, she supposed. "You're tired?"

"A bit." He smiled sheepishly. "I been dithering coming to see you the better part of the day." He scrunched his nose. "That sounded bad. I mean, not that I didn't want to see you - I was just, I guess, nervous about seeing you after the change. My change. You know.."

"I know." Cass smiled back. "It's easy to do that, but what can I possibly say about any of your changes that isn't hypocritical? You can sleep here, you know. It's okay."

"I know.. its just. Weird. I'm not used to it... I'm sure I'm just being paranoid. EVerything seems to be changing." He nuzzled closer, and it wasn't very long before he nodded off right then a there.

Cassidy stared distantly up at the ceiling, unblinking. "Everything is changing," she answered, though fully aware that Vasile was asleep. She shifted her arm carefully, so as not to wake him, but to hold him better. She'd take and offer what comfort was possible.