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 Posted: Tue Mar 28, 2006 9:12 pm
Nothing Personal
That's the second time he's attacked Avery! Zachary Bloodstone Zach sat hunched over the river with his feet submerged in the cold water. Wearing shoes had been out of the question, as he had discovered when he tried to put them on. Not only were his toes still sore and painful, but far too long to fit into his boots. Going barefoot was killing his feet. There was also the minor setback of his tail, which had complicated his attempts to get pants on. However, in the end he had found a way to comfortably wear them with his tail. The new limb in question now lay behind him on the ground and occasionally moved, though the red scales covering it prevented it from hurting quite as much as it should have every time it brushed against something sticking up in the ground. He wore a long-sleeved shirt to cover the scales on his arm. His horns were part of why his head was bent. He wasn't used to the sudden added weight of extra bone jutting out of the top of his skull.
While he was otherwise silent and frozen surveying the river, his yellow eyes followed the fish that went by. He should have gone to the cafeteria, but he hadn't, for fear of meeting another islander. The odds were much lower out here, away from the village.
Avery Calder Although Avery didn't have swimming trunks (yet!), he decided to go out for a swim anyway. He wouldn't dare go out into the ocean by himself, figuring the lake was much safer for one who didn't know how to swim very well. He grabbed a towel from the bathroom and headed out of his duplex toward the river. However, as he approached the river, he noticed he wasn't the only one who had the idea. He couldn't recognize this person from behind, though - who had horns like that? "Hey there!" Avery called out in a friendly voice as he walked closer. "Out here for a swim, too? Don't mind if I join ya, do you?" Zachary Bloodstone Zach looked up suddenly at the sound of Avery's voice. His first thought was to run, but his feet hurt way too much for him to consider it. Perhaps he could ignore the guy? No, he owed Avery an apology. That would be rude. He realized the silence had been stretching longer and longer, and there was nothing to do but speak. If he didn't want to be seen, he shouldn't have left his duplex. He'd made the mistake.
After letting out a sigh, he pulled his clawed feet out of the water and turned around. His neck still bothered him, even though the transformation was over. He scratched it, unwittingly revealing the reddish scales identical in color and texture to the ones on his now twitching tail. "Oh, I wasn't swimming. Go ahead, though."
Avery Calder Avery stopped in his tracks, startled when he saw who it was sitting by the lake. He would have only been nervous around the other man had he night had horns sticking out of his head - as it was, Avery was a little freaked out by Zach's appearance. "Z-Zach? You... uh," Avery trailed off, not knowing what to say. Obviously, the other man had changed. Although he couldn't recognize into what, exactly. "Um... nice horns." Yeah, I'm sure that's exactly what he wants to hear right now, idiot, he thought. Zachary Bloodstone Zach stared sadly back at Avery. It was the first time for him that things were reversed. Instead of being the human who came upon a changed islander... he was a changed islander. He looked away quickly, feeling ashamed.
He winced a little at the horn comment. In his opinion, they were awful, nothing but a nuisance. He tried to steer the subject away from his appearance, all the while his tail starting to curl anxiously. "Duvert's fault, all of it. He's crazy." It was difficult to hide the huge teeth he'd grown, and while he spoke the canines were obvious. "Anyway, Avery, I'm really sorry about what happened at the bar..."
Avery Calder "Duvert?" Avery had no idea who that was... but he could make a lucky guess it was one of the doctors. "Oh... the bar... right," he said. Well, at least he was apologizing... maybe he wasn't a bad guy after all. Rex said he was nice. "It's alright, don't worry about it," Avery shrugged. He wasn't about to apologize for leaving him there on the beach, though. "Mistakes happen when you're drunk, huh?" he grinned, trying to make light of the subject. Zachary Bloodstone Zach narrowed his eyes. "Sabin Duvert. I guess it's lucky that you haven't met him. He's one of the 'doctors' here..." He made sure to add some sarcasm to the name of the profession.
He tried to push some loose hair out of his face, but his claws hit one of his horns. It was still sore, straight down to his skull. "Oh, yeah. Alcohol can mess you up pretty badly. I'm not going to drink again."
He was tempted to look back at the fish in the river, but fought the urge to. He was still confused over the instincts that had come over him, nearly as drastic as the extent of changes he'd gone through. They weren't just a little taste for raw meat.
Avery Calder Avery moved closer to him so he could peer at Zach's new horns and scales. "So when did you change? I only met one other person who had horns too - Lauren - she said it hurt like a b***h when they grew in... hers were smaller, though... did yours hurt to grow?" Avery was really hoping he wouldn't grow horns, too. He had the urge to reach up and poke the horns, but he didn't think Zach would appreciate that very much, so he resisted. Zachary Bloodstone Zach felt like some kind of show dog under Avery's gaze. He knew he looked bizarre, but this amount of interest was making him distraught. So... so he was trapped on the island for good now. He wasn't human any longer. According to the red scales and Duvert, he wasn't even going to be a mammal any longer.
He got to his feet, though it still gave him some pain to stand with his odd-looking toes. "Changed? L-last night..."
The mention of Lauren aggrivated him a little bit, but he said nothing about it. He was glad to hear she was growing horns as well, at least they had hurt her. It didn't sound like it had been that unpleasant for her, though, especially since hers were apparently small. Growing his own horns had been so painful he'd almost fainted from the experience. He could see Avery staring at them, but there was no way he could just hide them from view. He endured it with a growing frustration. "Did they hurt? Did they hurt? Avery, they came right out of my skull!"
Avery Calder Avery's eyes widened a bit. "Oh, well... yeah, that's a good point." Obviously, the horns were a touchy subject. Avery couldn't help being curious though, it would at least help prepare himself for whenever he changed, so he'd know what to expect. "Well, your eyes cool really cool now!" he said, trying to reassure him about the change. "And at least you've got... red scales instead of green..?" Okay, so maybe that part wasn't so much a help... "Did it feel weird when the scales grew in? What kind of animal has red scales?" he wondered out loud. While he was able to resist poking Zach's horns, he couldn't hold back reaching out to touch the scales on Zach's arm, wondering what they felt like. Zachary Bloodstone Everything Avery mentioned had the opposite effect. Zach deliberately closed his eyes. His horrible, yellow eyes. He didn't want any of this. He wanted to be human, to be normal again. His tail stayed curled behind him, safely out of Avery's view. "I'm a monster..."
Zach was about to boy's next question when he was prodded painfully in the arm, right against his new and tender scales. His eyes flashed open again, both annoyed and a little faraway. He'd been waiting for something, hadn't he? Out here, by the river... Before he could figure out what he was doing, he leaned toward Avery quickly and snapped at his face, his sharp teeth clicking together inches away.
Avery Calder "Hey, come on now, you're not a monster," Avery started to protest. He hadn't meant to make Zach feel that way, and he felt guilty. Maybe he should just change the subject altogether. Everyone else here was turning into an animal, so Zach was no different than them. But before Avery could open his mouth speak again, Zach had leaned toward him and snapped his sharp teeth at him, barely missing his face. Avery yelped and stumbled back in surprise, eyes wide in shock. He tripped backwards over a rock and fell right on his a**, looking up at the horned man with a look mixed with fear and shock. "Zach!?" This time, he was ready to bolt if Zach tried to attack him again. Zachary Bloodstone Zach blinked at the empty air in front of him. He'd missed. Looking down, he saw Avery, who was now on the ground (thankfully, not bitten) and gasped. He was confused. This whole 'dragon' thing... he had a sinking suspicion that there was a lot that Sabin hadn't mentioned to him. "Are... are you okay?"
He speedily closed his mouth and put a hand over it, ignoring the claws as they scratched his face. Fearfully, he took a couple of steps backward. He needed to distance himself from the other guy. His tail thrashed to both sides in midair. I just tried to attack Avery... again. What's wrong with me?
Avery Calder "No I'm not okay!" Avery shouted at him. "You just tried to bite me!" Sure, the first time Avery was able to forgive, since Zach had been drunk... but what kind of excuse would he have for nearly biting his face!? Avery slowly got to his feet, keeping a weary eye on Zach as he stood and keeping his distance. "Jesus, what the hell was that for?" Zachary Bloodstone "I did?" Zach's eyes grew wider still as Avery confirmed what he'd done. He couldn't explain why without sounding insane. Avery had touched his arm, he'd felt a need to bite the guy, and all of a sudden he'd just lashed out. He grimaced, taking his hand off his mouth to catch his moving tail, which seemed to move according to its own rules.
Nervousness seeped into his voice."I don't know... it just sort of... happened..."
Avery Calder "Yeah, well..." Avery paused - what was he supposed to say to that? "Look, I'm just gonna... leave you alone for now, then. So you can relax. I"m heading back to the duplexes..." Avery believed Zach, but he still felt nervous around him right now. Maybe because it was so fresh after the change, it was affecting Zach's behaviour... or something. Avery didn't know, but he wasn't going to stick around to find out. "I'll see you around, Zach," he said, backing up a little, before he turned around and went quickly back to the duplexes. Zachary Bloodstone Zach watched Avery leave without any remorse. It was better for Avery to be back in the village, or at least away from here. Zach had little idea what he'd been trying to do when he'd bitten at the kid, and until he did know, he wanted to encounter as few islanders as he could.
After ten minutes of heavy thinking while standing on his recently changed feet, he could feel them aching, and returned to soaking them in the river. He hoped they'd stop being in so much pain. There weren't any shoes he knew of that could fit his long toes.
This random attacking thing was another reason why he'd just have to keep to himself on the island... forever...
To Zach, it wasn't a bad idea.
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Posted: Thu Mar 30, 2006 4:08 am
What. The. ******** from that day on, he never ate salads again. Reserved for the WTFRP with Chert, Colche, and Chubbs.
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Posted: Thu Mar 30, 2006 3:12 pm
Back to the Present
You can run, but you can't hide here. Zach's eyes fluttered open a moment, staring at the grey ceiling of his duplex. What a strange dream that was... waking up after turning into a big red lizard (a 'dragon', he'd been called), then almost trying to kill a couple of people. Even Colche. Poor girl. And poor him, even in his nightmare he'd made the change so agonizing. He didn't know if he would have survived something like that if it had really happened. He was still normal though, he still had a chance to take his own dream-advice and find a way off the island. He moved to get up, but stopped suddenly.
He was in a lot of pain. There was something a little strange though. He wasn't just hurting in the neck and feet, but also in something above his head, and something past his rear. Cold fear turned his insides to ice. It was just a dream... it wasn't real... and he wasn't going to look.
He looked.
There it was again. The scaly red tail moved ecstatically around, though it was bandaged where he'd been bitten by the dream-Colche. This all seemed like something he'd seen before. He reached his hand up to massage his achy neck while his mind froze on "tail". Some brown monster unlike anything he'd ever seen had practically snapped it in half. Why? Well, probably because he'd been trying to make a meal out of the cheetah girl, he figured slowly. He had a tail. This was by far horrifying enough. He had a tail. Hadn't he realized this the other day? He had a ******** TAIL. Why had he not been terrified that he had a tail? People don't have tails. People don't have scales, either, in fact, which seemed to be what his tail was covered in. It was all very red, and very real. In retrospect, he'd taken all of this rather calmly. Shock? Probably shock. However, with a much clearer head he was terrified.
He panicked as the memories returned to him. He'd been eating his salad, yeah. And then some guy came in and they got angry at one another. But something had happened at that point. He remembered being hungry... very very hungry... and the next thing he knew he'd been trying to kill that man and Colche. Only because he'd been knocked out did that pair survive unscathed, though he was far from that. His neck had almost been snapped in two, and it hurt from the clawed grip it had been in. The pounding of a headache got him across the brain. He reached for his meds and pulled out some aspirin with his clawed hand. Yes, claws. He stared, then looked up almost to make a confused face at the cameras in his re-realization. It had felt so dreamlike when he'd woken up after the transformation.
He got restless just lying there in the bed, so he stood up. His funny-looking feet protested but he stood on them anyway. The hell was wrong with them? They looked long, and clawed. He didn't want to stare at them, so he grabbed his shoes and immediately forced them on, one at a time. It was so painful, but he couldn't accept what had happened to him. He'd find a way... to undo it... and he'd find a way... to get everyone normal... who was he kidding? One shoe was on, the toes crumpled inside painfully. Now for the other.
He had to get some hiking clothes on and just leave. Not that there was anywhere on the island to truly go; he'd just make for the mountains and the caves, where he'd be able to stay hidden. Yes, a cave, an excellent place to live. As a... dragon. s**t, this has to be a joke, he thought to himself anxiously as he forced his long left foot into his boot.
All he needed to do was get away from the other islanders. He was dangerous. More of a danger to others, anyway.
He ripped a shirt while changing into it. It snagged on his horn. He'd have to be careful of those damn things. If they got any longer or weirder... he didn't want to think about changing any more, but it was going to happen. He was even going to have wings, according to the psychopath doctor. Wings! Where the hell was he supposed to get wings? The same way he'd sprouted these horns and the tail?
He shuddered and finished changing. Leave now, never return. If he couldn't control himself he'd just stay far enough away from everyone that he'd never have to worry about hurting another person again.
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Posted: Fri Mar 31, 2006 10:24 pm
Reserved for RP with Emelyn.
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Posted: Fri Mar 31, 2006 10:25 pm
Reserved for RP with Chana.
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Posted: Fri Mar 31, 2006 10:27 pm
Reserved for RP with Joliette.
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Sabin Duvert Vice Captain
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Posted: Sat Apr 01, 2006 1:24 am
Zachary wakes up back in his duplex after having been "buzzed" again.
This time, however, there is a platefull of hamburgers on a plate on his bedside table, with a few hotdogs and slices of lunch meat as well.
***
However, written large, across his door (on the outside) in red paint are the words:
"Here There Be Dragons"
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Posted: Sat Apr 01, 2006 2:42 pm
Value Of Life
It's not you, it's me... I think. "PRISONERS OF THE ISLAND - WE HAVE GOTTEN WORD OF YOUR SITUATION. NICHOLAS MOREAU IS BEING APPREHENDED FOR HIS CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY, AND BACKUP IN EN ROUTE TO FREE YOU AND RETURN YOU TO YOUR HOMES AND FAMILIES. EXPECT TRANSPORTATION OFF THE ISLAND AT 1900 HOURS."
The incredibly loud sound of the chopper overhead was what really woke Zach up. However, it was the promise of freedom that truly made him come to his senses.
Return to his life off of the island. It was so close...
And yet it seemed far too late. A couple of days too late, in fact.
Zach practically jumped to his feet as the helicopter's noise began to fade. His bags were a little messed up thanks to his three weeks here, but he could still pack them up, his things would be ready. The room was cloaked in nighttime darkness. How many others had heard? He could go tell them. Wake them up and tell them they could finally-
He stopped where he stood. His movements were causing something uncomfortable on his chest to move around. He felt at it, discovering it to be a rather large couple of band-aids strung across him. Likewise, there was some bandage wrapped around part of his arm. He stared in confusion, his mind slowly wandering to the other pressing question of what he was doing in his duplex in the first place.
Joliette's nighttime attack on him came to mind. It couldn't have been that much earlier, and they'd already dressed the claw and tooth scratches he'd sustained. That vine rope he'd made was long gone most likely. It was kind of strange why they were going through all this trouble when he was a short fuse, ready to attack people at any moment. His stomach made a rude interruption to his thinking - he'd been starving himself for three days now. He didn't see the meat that had been left on the table before he smelled it, and the predator made one final stand as its power waned. Zach polished off the hamburgers before he even realized what he was doing. He felt sick, but he couldn't help himself. Was this what he'd have to do to himself to keep others safe? Eat meat all the time? Joliette had said something to that effect, and it looked like that hadn't even been enough. No respose from his instincts, merely a contented feeling. It had stopped. His need to kill had utterly vanished.
Shaky, he retreated from the sinister plate and moved to grab his belongings to pack them. He could get the horns sawed off. His eyes he could wear contacts over. He just needed to file down his claws and wear some long shoes. But the tail and red scales he wouldn't be able to easily hide. Nor would his reddish skin tone go unnoticed. He frowned as he placed his notebook carefully into a suitcase. He'd spent all those weeks while he was still human awaiting a rescue like this. It had never occured to him how the rescue would feel when he wasn't a human any longer.
And what about those instincts? He could try to get rid of all of his draconic parts of his appearance, but he'd never get rid of the instincts. Whatever Duvert had done to him in that respect, it had been done well. Zach wasn't just a monster in appearance, but in thought too, willing to kill anyone. He couldn't return to society like this.
The island... was his home.
He grimaced. He couldn't leave. He couldn't leave knowing he'd only end up killing someone on the United States mainland. At least here they could stop him before things got too bad. The tail behind him swished. He'd just have to wait it out on the island. Duvert would give him those damn wings or whatever else he thought a dragon was made of.
If he left with the helicopter he'd be sentenced to a life in prison or some kind of useless rehabilitation.
He stopped packing, and reached slowly to fish out his notebook again. He hoped Avery, Valentine, and that man from the cafeteria got out okay, as well as the docile people like Emelyn. He was sure they needed the lifeline. They still had a chance to return to society. Meanwhile, he needed to leave the village again. It wasn't safe for him to be here. Where was there any safety? At the very least he needed a walk.
He slipped quietly out of his duplex door, but something rather red caught his eye. He turnd around when he shut the door to lock it, and turned white under the burnt-looking red of his skin tone. All across the door was written four words. Four large, blatant words. Hiding in the village was out of the question now, that was for sure.
"Here There Be Dragons", eh?
He traced the paint with a finger and found it to be still fresh. He bared his teeth at the message. So he was still nothing more than some kind of joke! If it was a dragon they wanted, they weren't going to get it from him.
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Posted: Sun Apr 09, 2006 9:59 pm
Reserved for RP with Antony.
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Posted: Sun Apr 09, 2006 10:01 pm
Reserved for RP with Chert.
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Posted: Sun Apr 09, 2006 10:02 pm
Reserved for RP with Bili and Rex.
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Posted: Sun Apr 09, 2006 10:02 pm
Reserved for RP with Emelyn.
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Posted: Tue Apr 11, 2006 11:45 pm
Breaking Point
Even Zach has one. Fiona Brooks
Fiona wandered slowly up and down the beach, pausing every once in a while to inspect the terrain, occasionally scratching things into the sand with her foot. She walked up to the edge of the forest, leaning against a tree and appreciating the shade for a moment while she mumbled various things to herself.Zachary Bloodstone Zach looked out at the ocean, the edge of the waves splashing over his feet, as he clutched something small in his hand. His clothing was simple, white, and the sleeve of his shirt was short enough that a lot of red scale was visible on his arm. A pair of sunglasses protected his eyes from being seen. His feet were again bare - it was easier for him to walk on his feet now than it had been for a while, and he hadn't had the misfortune of stepping on anything he'd regret. He scanned some of the roving clouds that dotted the edge of the horizon, as if looking for something. However, with a look of defeat, the object was soon returned to a shirt pocket.
He was about to head back to the village, when he spotted a person he hadn't seen before. From where he was, he couldn't see a hint of change on them. More new people? He didn't dare count how long he'd been here, but he had to admit it was a significantly long time. The doctors like Sabin could easily have ensnared many more people. Frowning, he dug his feet into the sand and climbed up the dune, tail sluggishly swishing behind him.
"Lost?" he asked wryly, his voice a little fainter than normal. He was hoping she'd been introduced to the island already. The last time he'd tried to explain, it hadn't gone over well.
Nita MacNeal Nita lay stretched out on her towel on the ocean-side of a dune, thoroughly slathered with sunscreen, attempting a tan. Not that it would probably work-- she'd turn pink, acquire more freckles, and otherwise remain as white as ever. In any case, the sun felt nice, and it was relaxing. She'd been dozing, moments from sleep, when faint scratchy footsteps caught her attention. She propped herself up on her elbows and gazed around for the source. Fiona Brooks Taking in Zach's appearance with a quick, cursory glance, Fiona grinned and shook her head. "Nope. I'm actually scouting out a good spot to throw a party- you wouldn't happen to know any choice areas, would you? Maybe somewhere a sort of stage could be set up?" She allowed her eyes to dance curiously over his horns and fangs, an unobtrusive smile touching her lips. "I'm Fiona, by the way." The girl extended her hand in greeting, feeling no need to add on her surname. Formalities, pah. Who needed 'em?
Out of the corner of her eye she noticed something on the beach that wasn't sand or scraggly grass and, catching sight of movement, she turned to look momentarily at what she gathered was another person. Holding back the shout of welcome that threatened to spring from her mouth, Fiona waited to see if she would get up and approach or just roll back over. Zachary Bloodstone Zach wished he could disappear. He knew he had to get used to the looks, people attempting to read him like a book by the sight of his horns and tail. Grabbing any excuse to avoid her gaze a moment longer, he gave a quick glance toward the new sound of a person on the beach. Looked like someone was trying to cook themselves in the sunlight. The girl looked paler than even he had been before he'd begun to change color. No changes to that girl, either. He felt a spark of envy. The sunglasses threatened to slip off his nose as he turned back to face the girl, but he quickly readjusted them with the one hand. If anything, he wouldn't let her see his eyes.
After a moment of hesitation, he shook her hand. He tried to keep his fingers gripping hers as lightly as he possibly could, afraid of scratching her with his claws, and broke it off after a couple of seconds. Her reason for being on the beach stunned him for a moment. He forgot entirely about what she asked him, wondering how anyone could possibly have a reason for a party in such a dismal place. "A party? You... do you know what's going on here? Have you met anyone else who looks like an animal?"
"I'm just not thinking today." He shook his head. Probably, he'd have to enjoy this total lack of horror at his appearance for as long as it lasted. "Where are my manners? I'm Zachary."
Nita MacNeal Nita sat up the rest of the way and scooted off her towel, careful not to get sand all over it. Heedless of the sand's heat, she padded barefoot up the dune and over to the pair who'd interrupted her nap. Her sharp eyes took in the details of the man's changes, and she wondered what on earth he was supposed to be. The girl was tall and fair-skinned, and apparently still completely human. Suddenly realizing she was only in her bathing suit, Nita crossed her arms across her chest as she approached them. Picking up the end of Zach's question, she asked, "Are you Fiona then? I saw your sign in the caf." Fiona Brooks She beamed broadly at being identified by the girl. "That's me alright- Fiona Brooks at your service. Pleasure to meet you both." So the crappy little sign had actually worked! "Yep, a party is just what this place needs. Because all this ridiculous s**t is happening, I think people should lighten up and relax, and prove that no matter what the damn labs do to us, we're still human inside and our spirits can't be broken. Besides, parties are fun." Fiona added childishly, excitement leaking into her tone. "There's going to be a bunch of fire pits, waaa-aaay along there," she traced the shore with a finger, "and then somewhere in the middle of it all, a kind of make-shift stage, if I can actually find people to play music. And maybe one big fire to crowd around." Her toes began to curl in anticipation. "Either of you any good at music?" Zachary Bloodstone Zach's new redness hid what would otherwise have been a blush. There was one thing he wasn't used to, and it was the easygoing dressing style of people on the island. While nowhere near as drastic as Colche, he didn't feel comfortable looking at almost-naked girls, this one included. His tail picked up a little more pace from his discomfort. He opened his mouth a moment to say something to her, but closed it quickly as she asked a question and filled the otherwise odd silence.
So Fiona did know. This was strange. This was very strange. He silently mused how she wouldn't be so upbeat when the labs got to her as well. It wasn't a very nice thought, but he hadn't been having the happiest ones lately. The object in his shirt pocket seemed like a lead weight on him, but he'd let go of it eventually. It was keeping his spirits dampened a lot just having it close. Maybe he could just try to pretend things weren't as bad as they were, for the sake of the few sorry souls who'd just arrived. "Uh-huh... Sounds like a big job. When were you going to have this... party... anyhow?"
"You'd be surprised how easy it for them to win," he mumbled, leering at her from behind the tinted glass, though he doubted she could hear every word clearly. Louder, he masked his words with a real answer, giving her a flicker of a smile.. "I'm no musician, sorry."
Nita MacNeal "I'm Nita," she said, offering one hand to shake, then promptly recrossing her arms self-consciously, casting a sidelong glance at Zach. 'I met your friend; you guys live next door to me." Nita had never been the most social creature, but usually she had homework or studying to do. Since that wasn't exactly a pressing issue here, she was actually a bit excited at the prospect. Nita turned pink. "I sing, sort of," she offered. "I mean, I took voice lessons for years, and I was always in choir, but I kind of freak out when I sing on my own..." Her voice trailed off and she wondered why she'd volunteered that information. A simple "No, sorry," would have been much easier! Fiona Brooks Rather oblivious to Zach's discomfort at Nita's state of dress, Fiona stretched and tilted her face to the sky, enjoying the feel of warm sunlight on her cheeks. "Well, not too soon I figure, because I need to get enough people aware of it, and I need to find some people who'll help me dig the fire pits, and cook food and stuff. And of course, I need to root out all the musicians." Here she turned to Nita. "Well, you probably wouldn't have to sing alone. Will you do it if there are other people there with you? I'd offer to sing too, but I'm told I sound like a goose suffocating on a fifty-year-old clarinet." Fiona grinned broadly. Rex Vadnais Rex ran along the sandy shore as part of his daily routine. Clad soley in his jeans, accompanied by his cross necklace and ring, as usual, Rex soaked in the sunshine and enjoyed the sea breeze. His runs often felt repetitive, though they were relaxing and essetially the only thing he could do to keep working out. Back home he went to the gym nearly every spare second he had, the excerise was something he loved.
Padded footfall after another, he noticed three figures standing farther down the beach. Rex squinted his eyes against the sun's blaring light, though the only one he could make out was the red-scaled Zach, he couldn't tell who the other two were.
Eventually he approached the crowd and realized why he couldn't tell who the others were, he'd yet to meet them. Rex slowed to a stop a few feet away, panting, "What's up, Zach." He flicked his head in Zach direction, then looked to the two ladies standing to his side, "And I don't believe we've met, I'm Rex." He grinned friendily and extended a hand to shake. Zachary Bloodstone Zach glanced between the two girls but said nothing. His one hand creeped to cover the scales at the top of his neck, a habit he was starting to form. He was almost going to just leave them to their party planning when Rex arrived.
Rex was someone he knew, but barely. While the man appeared friendly enough, Zach was bothered by him somehow. He couldn't put a finger on it and never tried. Most likely he was still disturbed by how the man had changed from a human into something else, right before his eyes. Looking at Rex reminded him of the man that he'd met previously, and it was simply spooky to see how drastically people changed.
"Hey..." He nodded at Rex. What more could he say? The guy was shirtless in front of a couple of chattering girls. There really wasn't anything one could do but watch.
Nita MacNeal "Maybe..." Nita said, dubiously. Fortunately for her, a distraction! This new guy was considerably more chipper than the rather twitchy Zach, ( and pretty cute, too, she thought very quietly) and also exhibited minor but noticeable changes. "Er.. hi there. I'm Nita." She shook Rex's hand timidly, seeming to shrink back into herself. Why did I leave my towel over there? She twirled the end of one long braid, a subconsciously nervous gesture. Fiona Brooks "Hi!" Fiona said cheerfully, her attention pouncing from trying to lure Nita into her plans over to the fur that was sprouting on this man's rather attractive chest. Since when did she find hairy guys attractive? Ew. Without a single falter, her eyes met with his face and she grinned broadly. "I'm Fiona. I don't know if you've heard, it's sort of a new idea, but I'm going to be planning a beach party some time in the future and I'm trying to get people to come. Would you wanna help dig the fire-pits, or cook food, or play music or something?" A girl on a mission, she was. The other people hadn't had anything interesting to talk about anyways. She cocked her head at Zach and Nita. "That goes for you too, eh? I'll take all the help I can get. Can any of you guys cook? I'm okay at it, but I'd rather be wandering around meeting people and junk. I guess we could have shifts, if there were enough volunteers." Rex Vadnais Rex glanced around the small circle, examining the faces. he'd known Zach and been with him on several previous occasions, though the girls were a refreshing change of pace.
He shook the red-head's hand, "Nita.." repeating her name after the girl so it sunk into his head. But watched as she curiously shrunk into herself. A reserved one, huh? Though his thoughts were abruptly interrupted by the chipper girl next to them, "Fio-" He started to repeat, as always, though was quickly cut off by the girl's recruiting. He smiled, stretching his arms and legs a little bit so he could cool down from the run. He wiped a little sweat from his brow and responded with, "I'll gladly help with whatever. I'm not the greatest chef, but I'll sure help you set up with whatever." Nita MacNeal Nita gave Rex a shy little smile and turned back to Fiona. "Depends what you want to have available. Grilling hotdogs or burgers would be pretty easy, or vegetable kebabs for any vegetarians around." She shrugged, deciding to focus on organization instead of her self-consciousness. "I can help keep track of who's doing what, at least. I'm good at that." Nita nodded again and forced herself to stop messing with her hair. Fiona Brooks "Hotdogs and vegetable kebabs sound perfect," she enthused, clearly happy to have found helpers. "That's great, I love planning stuff but I'm not much of an organizer. I could write up a list for you, if you wanted, of who's doing what. I could like... put a sign-up sheet on my room door. But that's so impersonal." Fiona wrinkled her nose.
"You could help with digging the fire-pits and gathering rocks from the jungle," she said to Rex, obviously taking his fine shape into account, "and maybe help me figure out how to make a sort of stage. If worst comes to worst we could just weigh down a bunch of spare blankets and sheets, I guess, but I sort of wanted to save those for seating." It was then that Fiona noticed the miniature stub of a tail hanging from his pants. What her eyes were doing on that part of his anatomy, goodness knows, but her reaction was instantaneous and irrevocable. "Oh. My gosh. Your tail is so adorable." Rex Vadnais Rex smiled, this was exactly what he'd been looking for since his arrival on the island. SOMETHING TO DO! He'd have to tell Avery as well, he knew that his little buddy had been dying of boredom. Obviously he was some kind of party king-queen back on the mainland. "What about you, Zach? Want to help us out?" Rex grinned broadly and would've punched the man playfully in the shoulder, though there wasn't an arm there to hit and he didn't want to jab the poor guy in the rib.
"I could do that," he nodded, glad he could finally be useful for something, "I'm in duplex 35 if you need to get me any information or something." He'd been lost in the thought of organizing a mental checklist of things to do when his thoughts came to a halt and Fiona's squeal. Rex laughed "Really?" he rubbed his arm bashfully, a cute grin leaking out the side of his lips. He wasn't used to people liking the changes, let alone his own. "Thanks..." a cough of a laugh followed in quick succesion. Fiona Brooks Fiona laughed a little, casting a long, sweeping glance across the beach. "Well, thanks a ton for your help, guys. If you can find anyone else who can help set up, or just spread the word about there being a party in a couple weeks or so. Ooohh, and keep an ear out for musical talents. So anyways, I can feel a nasty sunburn coming on and I'm parched, so I'm going to get back to my room. I'll see you guys again!" She waved, turned, and began the walk along the treeline to the duplexes. Zachary Bloodstone Zach had to admit that the antics of the two women as they fawned over Rex were somewhat predictable. They were girls, after all. Ignoring the reminding weight in his shirt pocket, he smirked at what they were saying. It was so... human.
So why the hell didn't he feel like one any more?
Fiona left before he could tell her he doubted he'd be there, to help or to hang out. Parties weren't enjoyable for him, even when he had been scale-free. Now that he was even more warped in appearance, it would be close to unbearable. He didn't feel right in his own skin. The reflection he'd seen in the river was still fresh in his thoughts, helping to keep him in constant turmoil over what he was really becoming.
He was snapped out of his idle thinking when the chittering conversation was ended and Rex had pointedly spoken his name. The sunglasses just couldn't seem to stay perched on his nose, so he pushed them back where they should have been and glanced at Rex. His voice had gone a little hollow again. "Oh. Oh, sure, I guess. I don't think there's a lot I could do, though..." He shrugged his shoulders, emphasizing his point without another word on the subject.
Zach's tail curled a little as a thought struck him. "Um, Nita... if you don't mind me asking, when did you get here?"
Nita MacNeal "Alright, Fiona, I'll let you know." Nita waved as the other girl left. It felt good to have something to plan. Zach's question took her by surprise. However, she'd been keeping track of the days, so she knew exactly how long it had been. "I got here almost a week ago, on Thursday the 6th. Why do you ask?" Rex Vadnais Rex made his final wave to Fiona, "Bye! It was nice meeting you!" Finally there was somehting to look forward to...
Rex wasn't surprised by Zach's uninterest. For some reason he always seemed awkward and insociable around people, Rex on the other hand adored having company and going out for the occasion drink. Nothing too wild, though. He simply nodded his head at Zach's statement and let him continue on his ways, maybe he'd change over time.
"A week ago? Wow, has everything settled in for you yet? Like, are you.. at peace with th'island?" Rex remembered his conversation with the boy, Alec, who also arrived here recently, though he didn't know an exact date. He merely shrugged it off as some odd coincidence. Zachary Bloodstone Zach's face fell, and behind the sunglasses his eyes went wide with realization. He hadn't had much interest in Nita's arrival, seeing as she was completely used to the island's odd-looking inhabitants. He figured she'd been stuck on the island far too long regardless. The only number he had to go by was the day he'd arrived at this new circle of hell, also, incidentally, on a 6th. He hadn't had the heart to try counting the days after a certain point, and the passing of time had turned into an uncertain and immeasurable blur. That was, until now. Five weeks. Five whole weeks.
"Oh... I don't know. I was surprised you and Fiona weren't bothered by... all of this." He swept his hand upward in the general direction of his horns and other facial changes, the less-than-stoic look in his eyes still hidden. "For your sake, I really hope you can avoid changing, for as long as possible. You still have a chance."
Such bland and blunt wording of what he was sure she already knew well. Zach's gaze jumped to Rex. An... odd choice of words. It sounded more like the lion-man was asking about a terminal illness. Though, in a way, it seemed like they were never going to recover. He leaned his head back as hes spoke, as if to include the sky in the conversation. "We're as good as dead here, huh? Or worse..."
Nita MacNeal "At peace?" Nita laughed nervously. "Not... really. I'm trying not to think about it too much. I was supposed to be away for a couple of months anyway. 'Studying abroad,' they told me." She shrugged and dug her toes into the sand. "I do think Fiona has the right idea. There's no point in moping around all day, and the people I've met so far have been pretty nice." Nita winced at Zach's final pronouncement. She'd been suicidal before... not recently, but such statements tended to weigh on her. Nita bit her lip and made a noncommittal sort of "hnn." Rex Vadnais "Well, I hope that things begin to clear up for you..." Rex trailed off in a lame attempt to be comforting. "It really isn't so bad here, I mean, how many people get to live on a tropical island for their whole lives?" He smiled and looked to the sky, "To me, the whole animal thing is just a set back we're going to have to live with." He shrugged, intense blue eyes looking down to Nita and Zach, unsure if this was helping change their philosophies at all. Rex truly liked it here, the twisted doctors probably didn't like to look at him being happy. Just the thought made a snerk on his face.
Rex yawned toothily and scratched his chest lazily, he'd been sleeping alot more than usual recently. Though Rex forced himself to get up early in order to keep his oh-so-busy scheduel in order. Zachary Bloodstone "I suppose... but I'm finding less and less to be happy about, personally. Very optimistic though, I hope it works for you." The object in his shirt pocket was still quite heavy in his thoughts. Zach shifted a foot out of the sand, his long toes looking strangely off. His head dropped back to its usual angle and he cast his eyes toward Nita for a moment. After a brief pause, he gave an wordless grunt and looked back at Rex.
Zach grabbed the side of his sunglasses and neatly pulled them off, blinking the bright sunlight out of his starkly yellow eyes. There seemed to be little emotion in them at the moment, amplified by the odd color. "Just a setback?" he asked incredulously. Rex's easygoing attitude had grated on him before, but never like this. Just hearing the predicament they were in spoken of as nothing but a little problem seemed insane. He thrust Nita's presence out of his mind as he focused his words on the lion-man alone.
"You are becoming a lion. I'm becoming a... god knows what, some giant lizard. And... I've lost control of myself around several islander who I have nothing against, and I'm pretty sure it has to do with turning red and scaly. It's horrible. I don't know if it's happened to you, maybe it never will. But there's a few people I almost killed here, and to them, I don't think this is just a little setback in their lives. It sure as hell isn't for me."
Nita MacNeal Nita stepped back, alarmed at the bitterness and anger in Zach's voice. "Jeez," she muttered. He'd nearly killed people? What if this twitchy guy was one of those Emelyn had warned her about? And what if whatever she turned into made her lose control like that? Considerably shaken, she bit her lip and started messing with her braids again. "I'm, um, I think I'm gonna go..." She shifted towards Rex, not wanting to turn her back on Zach. "I'm in duplex 42, if you want to do more party planning or anything..." Rex Vadnais Rex simply watched in awe as Zach suddenly turned on him. His big blue eyes welled with anger at the sudden change in attitude, he stood with a shoulder in front of Nita protectively. This was going to be a new side of Rex, he rarely got angry, but Zach tugged at a new thread. "Zachary, what is your problem?! I haven't done anything other than be kind to you since the first time I met you, what do you have against me?! Don't think that I can't see it in you."
Rex's chest welled and suddenly the buff man appeared a considerable big larger. "I honestly can't figure it out, you're always such a negative person! I've been happy, cheerful and accepting to you for as long as I've known you, but whenever you're around things just get dark!" His voice was deep and stern, tail stiffened like a pole and the hair on the back of his neck was on end. "We're never getting off this island, we're never going to be human again and we're never going get to see people on the mainland again, EVER! Accept it!" His voice roared with a low rumble as he spoke and his hands were clenched in tight fists, Rex's claws digging into his palms painfully.
"Don't think that I'm some delusional pretty boy who is oblivious to everything thats going on, I've heard that steriotype too many times back in school. I KNOW WHAT'S HAPPENING HERE! You don't think I want to stop it?!" He paused, breathing heavily as the anger pulsed through his veins. Rex wanted to scream, yell, roar. He wanted to lash out fiercely and strike Zach hard, sink his fangs into the man's red scales.
WHAT AM I DOING?! "GggggrAHH!" Rex moaned loudly, clutching his wild hair with padded hands. The human mind began to kick back into gear. He breathed deep, strong and long breaths, slowly but surely getting back in control. He paced a few breathes back and forth (though still guarding Nita), then dropped his hands limply to his sides, breathed once more and continued in a soft, pleading tone. "Zach... I'm sorry, if I could do anything to change all of this," Rex tossed a hand in the lab's general direction, "I would... but I can't, and I know that." He was panting, eyes slowly getting more and more watery, Rex's emotions were on his fingertips. He felt like just breaking down... where was Julie... she wouldn't like to see him like this...
He continued to repeat the words over and over in a quavered voice, "I'm sorry.. I'm sorry..." Zachary Bloodstone Zach's mind was a blur as Rex snapped back. Almost instinctively, he bared his oversized teeth, and a faint mixture of a hiss and growl emmanated from deep in his throat. Something stirred in him, nothing he could have noticed, but it seemed to be in silent agreement with the rush of anger that had threatened for so long to come out. He took a few steps backward, as if in preparation to run, before he started to speak. "You know what it is about you? You think this place is okay. You think it's just fine to be turned into a- an inhuman freak! I don't think it's fair for you to lie to the new people! This is an atrocity! Neither of us are even halfway to what people like... like Cassidy, or Pyroth, are, but you can sure as hell bet that's what's in store for all of us."
His grimace was replaced by a grin, which tugged the corners of his mouth only the slightest bit further than they'd already gone. "Dark, huh? I didn't think it would be that much of a surprise. I'd like to see how enjoyable your life would still be if I ripped your goddamn arm off right now. It would probably still be happy. You know, I can't even so much as ******** CLAP. How would it feel, Rex? Just another 'minor setback' for you?"
He clutched his hand to his face and made another louder growling sound of frustration. Rex had spoken what he never wanted to hear aloud, no matter how much he knew it had to be true. "Don't give me that garbage either! You just accept it like there's no possible way to win! There has to be a way off of here, and a way to become normal again! I can't believe this! Just... just shut up!"
He took in a gasping breath and leered angrily at Rex with wide, thoughtless yellow eyes. The claws of his feet were trying to dig into the sand as hard as they could, though it sifted around them and prompted further attempts. His tail was lashing wildly, striking up the occasional flurry of sand as it slashed through. Several more times, and he could feel the beginning of a wheeze as he drew in air. The anger wasn't going to hold out much longer, as the first tendrils of regret had begun to creep from his words to strangle his thoughts. He shook his head. "********... I can't believe- I don't care. I'm sick of this... goodbye, Nita. Have a nice life, Rex."
Still wheezing slightly, he turned to clamber up the dunes into the shady jungle. Back to his graffiti-ridden duplex, his twisted reflection in the mirror, and an object of hope that had turned into a nightmarish reminder that he had none left.
For him, it was too late to be sorry this time.
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Posted: Sun Apr 16, 2006 2:52 pm
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Posted: Sun Apr 16, 2006 2:53 pm
Reserved for RP with Kaveri.
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