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Posted: Sat Jul 01, 2006 2:10 pm
Joshua lay back carefully when Colche pushed him backwards, trying to make himself fit on the bed... but failing. He was too tall now, too tall for anything. He shifted, rolling over onto his side so he could tuck his long legs up into the bed with him. It felt strange to let someone else tuck him in; no one has done that for him since... well, he couldn't even remember. Even so, he thought it was cute the way the cheetah girl was trying to take care of him. He chuckled when she brought back the towel to cover his legs, a kind of morbid amusement at his own new problems. Finding ways to fit on his bed were the least of them, he knew.
Joshua looked up at her when she sat down on the bed, and he smiled a little. "I would love to hear a story from you, Colche."
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Posted: Sat Jul 01, 2006 2:33 pm
Colche looked down at Josh settling comfortably she grinned her ears fluttering happily she had this story all mapped out in her mind and she could tell it if she tried really, REALLY hard. Her tail twitched once as she started to speak she was a bit nervou but she had gone overit lots of times in ehr mind she just had to make it cross the barrier in to speach.
"once pon a time" that was the best way to tell stories yanno? with that at the begining. "there was princess whos was called Colche" she giggles, the story was technically her fairy story. "she livesed in a bigs catul an its was in middle ov big forest, scary" She smiles looking at the way Josh was laying she shifts a bit putting his headin her lap and alleviating a bigt of his neck length that way. "a nasty bad witchy lady putted a magic thingie" she paused looking thoughful "SSpell! on the forest an' noone could be comes or goes." She nods saddly looking down at Josh hoping he was enjoying her story.
"Colche was Vury lonleys cause noones could come an play or noffinks, but one days a prince on a white horsey rided past an felled in luvs wif colche, so he travelled through the scary forest to finds her an rescue her and makes her not lonelys no mores" she looks thoughtful trying to recite the rest of ehr very own short story. "so the princ gotted to the castle though it was very dangerous cause the forest was scary an full of mean nasty things,. but the witch was all no you nots have so she turnsed the princessin to a purty white birdy" how she knew about doves was an uncertainty, probably through one of ehr books. "The prince was vury sad cause he couldn't find Colche cause she was in a cage wif lotsa birdies but he haded a dreams an went to the forest and found a mjik rose. then he went to the castle and touched one of the doves, cause it had a ring round it's neck. It turned back in to the princess. but then the witch came and she was all gr arg and the prince touched her wif the flower and she ran away cause all her majiks went byebye, an then the prince married colche and they livded happy ever afters, the end" She grins, it was oprobably the most words she had ever said in one stretch in ehr life, it was her story and she hadn't told it to anyone! Not even Aubrey.
She yawned a bit when it was finished hoping Josh was sleepy now maybe he wouldn't mind if she napped here too? she didn't take up alot of space after all!
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Posted: Sun Jul 02, 2006 12:43 am
Joshua felt uncomfortable when Colche moved his head onto her lap. Sure, the girl had fur - but she was still naked, so it didn't matter. Even so, he didn't have very much room now to move his head, so he supposed he would just have to let this slide and ignore it. He closed his eyes, trying to ignore the dull pain he still felt throughout his body while he listened to Colche's story.
He felt the story was cute, just like a children's fairy tale. But if it was one thing that Joshua has learned about Colche, she did love fairy tales and princess stories. He was also proud of her; this seemed to be the first time she said so much at once to him without reading right out of a book. He was glad that she was improving so well - although she still needed to work on her speech, the improvement from just reading was noticeable.
"That was a very good story, Colche," he murmured quietly, his eyes still closed. By the time she had finished her story, he was already starting to feel tired. The change had definitely been... stressful for him. "Thank you for telling it to me... I liked it."
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Posted: Sun Jul 02, 2006 12:56 am
Colche smiled lightly looking down at Josh. A gentle puurr echoed from her chest as she brushed his cheek with her padded fingers "Thankyous." Her dark hair falls around her face as she holds the man gently in her lap hoping he's comfortable, or at least slightly, she knew what it was like to change, it hurt and made you very tired, of course her changs were never quite as extreme as Josh's she couldn't even remotely imagine her neck growing like that.
Yawning widely she leant back against the bed stead playing with one of Josh's ears as she closed her own big blue eyes. "be better inmorning" she whispers resting her arms around his neck in a gentle embrace.
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Posted: Sun Jul 02, 2006 2:57 am
"Okay," he mumbled, only half registering what the cheetah girl was saying to him anymore. Joshua was already half asleep by now. Normally, he would have made sure he stayed awake until Colche was gone, feeling it was rude to fall asleep while you had a guest over. But he couldn't help himself this time... he was too worn out from the events that happened, and Joshua found he couldn't open his eyes again. He drifted off to sleep in Colche's arms, feeling as comfortable as he could be, all things considered.
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Posted: Wed Jul 05, 2006 4:25 pm
Colche's baby blue eyes slowly closed as she let her head rest against the headboard. She had slept sittign up before, in much more uncomfortable possitions and places than this so she wasily dropped off. A soft puurr echoed from ehr chest as she sat there her soft furry paw like fingers still curled on Josh's chest her head lolled a little to the left ehr cheek resting upon the wall itself. She would just close ehr eyes for five minutes and leave Josh to sleep off his aches and pains.
Little catnaps just didn't quite compute though and she was asleep far longer than even she expected.
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Posted: Wed Jul 05, 2006 9:11 pm
Having just slept right before his change, Josh didn't sleep to long. It was only a few hours later when he began to wake up slowly, his mind still a bit fuzzy from the sleep. What was his head resting on..? It sure didn't feel like a pillow... soft, furry, warm...
He was sure he would remember having a pet if he had one, and even if he did, he wouldn't sleep on it. Slowly he opened his eyes... and that's when he remembered. He sat up abruptly, wide awake now, and looked at Colche. She stayed here? Had she been watching over him? She didn't look like she was very comfortable sleeping in that position. He reached out slowly, putting a hand on her shoulder to gently wake her up.
"Colche..?"
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Posted: Thu Jul 06, 2006 1:50 am
With sleep came dreams and with her story swimming around ehr foggy mind she dreamt of the tower and the witch and the prince on the white horse. She had had this dream a few times though truthfully the princes face was always obscured by his helmet. The visor slowly lifted and she reached forwards her furry fingers searching for the face.. "Colche" The voice broke through her dream, Josh's soft touch pulling her back from her dream world to the reality of this one. Which to some would perhaps infact be of a dream like nature.
Her dark eye lashes batted slowly against her downy cheeks and she yawned showing those long canine like teeth. Licking her lips to rid the fur of that just woke up from nap tase she smiled as Josh swam in to her view. Both of ehr furry paw like hands lifted to he eyes and she rubbed them casting away the sleep there letting out a little sigh she finally spoke her voice airy from her nap "sleep good" it may have been a question, but she lowered her arms stretching them out with a slight mucle stretching. It had been a while since she slept sitting up.
"Betters?" she tilted her head to Josh touching the hand on her shoulder with her cheek.
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Posted: Mon Jul 10, 2006 6:18 am
He couldn't help smiling a little when the cheetah girl yawned and stretched, so very cat-like. When she touched her cheek to his hand, he gave her shoulder a very gentle squeeze. "Yes, I slept well." Or, as well as one could considering what just happened, anyway, he thought to himself. Although, overall, he didn't think he was better. No, being better would include being normal again - and he knew that was not going to happen. He still felt sore - mostly his neck and his new short tail - but it wasn't as bad as it was before he fell asleep, at least.
"You didn't have to stay with me, but thank you," Joshua smiled at Colche. "The way you fell asleep didn't look like it was very comfortable."
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Posted: Sat Jul 22, 2006 11:31 pm
Colche smiled at Josh lightly, her delecate furry features splitting in a cheerful grin as he thanked her. She spoke quietly a quiet falling over her gentle blue eyes that didn't very often happen "slept worse" she states simply a slight shiver rolling down her spine the fur on her shouldersd standing on end as if she were suddenly feeling very defencive of something before her. She calmed quite quickly though casting away the shadows of the past as she always did, though, in a way she wished to tell Josh about the before the island, she wasn't sure if she had the words to speak them, to perhaps even explain why this was home, why there was nothing before, why the pain of transforming was bliss compared to before.
"No be sad okay" she puurrs touching his forehead with her nose her own little 'kitty kiss' which she gave to all whom seemed a little down and out.
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Posted: Mon Jul 24, 2006 7:25 am
Joshua removed his hand from her shoulder when the cheetah girl shivered, noticing her fur standing up on end. He hoped he hadn't made her uncomfortable, that was the last thing he wanted to do. Josh wanted her to trust him, and to be someone she could talk to when she needed help. He wasn't sure how often the girl was able to talk to Dr. Lockheart, but being employed as one of the lab technicians, he was sure that she couldn't always be around for Colche.
He tilted his head down slightly when she leaned in to touch her nose to his forehead so she wouldn't have to lean up as far, smiling a little. "Okay, Colche... I won't be sad," he agreed, although he wasn't sure he could keep that promise. He would, at the very least, try not to let her know how he really felt about the changes.
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Posted: Fri Jul 28, 2006 12:41 pm
Colche smiled lightly. She knew Josh wasn't as happy as she was but she would strive to make him happy. Puffing out her chest she kissed himon the forehead, lifting his head slightly she placed his head on the pillows she had been leaning against and smiled "sleeps more, come back soon" she pouurrs her baby blue eyes fixedon the man. If she was less furry and m,ore human she would have blushed, she quite often felt foolish around Josh these days and very well girlie, there was no other word for it. Smiling shyly she touched his cheek with her paw like fingers one last time before she dashed to the door, she definately needed some alone time to mull through her thoughts. She wanted to tell Josh about her past but she had to think of the words before she could tell him.
"Byebye" she whispered as she opened the dark door and passed through it, closing it behind her and running off towards the beach rather than to her duplex. The sound of the sea always made her think better. Plus, she could use a run to stretch her achey mucles. It had been a long time since she had slept so uncomfortably.
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Posted: Fri Jul 28, 2006 3:00 pm
He smiled to himself when Colche left. She was such a sweet, innocent girl, and Joshua was glad to have met her. Without her, he wasn't sure he would have been able to hold onto his sanity for as long as he has. Every time they met he couldn't help but smile; she was always eager to learn and make others happy, and her attitude was contagious.
With the bed to himself now - although still too small - he closed his eyes. He wasn't sure he would be able to fall asleep again, but he certainly didn't feel up to doing anything else. He couldn't imagine what other people looked like - part rooster? part snake? - but he was certain his appearance would still disturb people nonetheless, no matter what animals the others were turning into.
Joshua was asleep before he realized it, but he didn't dream.
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Posted: Fri Jul 28, 2006 3:05 pm
DIVINE INTERVENTIONStewart Young Stewart had been rather reclusive these past months, he was ashamed of how he now looked and didn't want to be seen by anyone else. But for some reason tonight he just felt like getting out for a walk around the island. Later he found himself in the middle of the village proper, he didn't see anyone else around. He wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing. Joshua Rivers Joshua, too, has been keeping to himself ever since his very first change. His height was making it difficult for him to stay inside for too long, however. While he's been continuing to see Colche for her daily lessons, he has been careful to try and not be seen while sneaking between duplexes. Of course, as tall as he is, staying hidden wasn't so easy. He was bound to run into someone at some point, and today seemed to be the day. He had made a quick detour to the cafeteria for some food, and was now on his way back to his own duplex when he saw the half-goat man. He paused in his tracks, looking down, startled. "Er. Hello," he greeted the other man, trying not to convey his uneasiness. He hoped one day he would get used to seeing new changed islanders... Stewart Young Stewart heard a greeting and when he turned around he stood facing a giant. Sure he had met some very strange looking Islanders, but none so... huge. His eyes widened as he mumbeled "Sweet Jesus, it's Goliath..." Joshua Rivers "Um... excuse me?" Josh asked in surprise. Surely he couldn't have heard him right? He knew he was tall, but... he supposed everyone wasn't as nice as Colche. "I'm... er... Joshua," he said, deciding to leave out his title. It wasn't like he was officially a teacher anymore. His eyes travelled over Stewart, from his horns to his furred legs, wondering what animal the shorter man was turning into. "It's nice to meet you," he said, holding out his hand. Stewart Young "Oh sorry," Stewart said shaking the man's hand "I wasn't thinking, I'm Father Stewart Young". He then noticed Josh eyeing his goaty features, without thinking he reached a hand up to scratch a now furry ear. "H-have you been on the Island for long?" He asked after a short pause. Joshua Rivers Joshua frowned a little as he thought about it. "Not as long as other people. I've been here for over a month... of course, I didn't look like this when I arrived. How long have you been here?" he asked. Stewart Young "Around eight months, I still wonder if people back home remember me" Stewart said looking off into the distance. But his mind quickly wondered to what Josh might of looked like before he came to the island. Was he a normal height? "What are you turning into?" He asked trying to figure out why he was so tall. Joshua Rivers "I'm sure you haven't been forgotten," Joshua shook his head. "I'm sure everyone here is missed by someone back at home..." he trailed off; this wasn't a subject he wanted to dwell on. "I wouldn't have believed it when I was told, but now it's easy to see..." he sighed, looking down at Stewart. "Dr. Lockheart told me that I'm turning into a giraffe." He laughed a little, a bitter laugh. "I can't even imagine... I guess I will be finding out what I'll look like. And what are you turning into?" Stewart Young "A giraffe?" Stewart asked, that did explain why he was so tall now "But aren't they even taller than you are now?" Wow, would he have to stay outside all the time? "A goat" he then added and didn't look too happy about it either, such horrible creatures... Joshua Rivers "Yes, well... I'm assuming that my first change isn't my last one," Joshua said, sighing. "Perhaps I will be getting even taller later..." He couldn't help but wonder how on earth he was going to be able to fit inside the buildings if he did indeed grow taller, or even continue to use the chairs and tables and beds like everyone else. He supposed he would just have to learn to adjust... or request specially made household objects for himself. "A goat, hmm? I suppose this is a silly question, but - how are you dealing with it so far?" He couldn't help but wince looking at Stewart's horns. Joshua's weren't exactly the same, but he remembered it hurt growing them. Stewart Young "It's been hard," Stewart said looking sadly at his now goaty legs. "I can't wear shoes, or even work correctly anymore. But I believe that the Lord is testing my faith by putting me on the Island. So I've been keeping my faith strong. I still can't help feeling like the Lord's punishing me for my past..." Joshua Rivers He looked down at his own feet - it was true, Joshua couldn't even wear shoes anymore either. He could barely make it into his own clothes, let alone his shoes. "What about the rest of us, then?" Joshua asked, looking at Stewart. "Why are the rest of us here? And what would be so horrible as to deserve something like... this... as a punishment?" Stewart Young "Job also was put through many trials by Satan and the Lord, and he was a good man! Ibelieve that sone of us were sent her to repent, and others to test their faith." Stewart said looking deep in thought, but then added "God works in very mysterious ways" Joshua Rivers Joshua looked doubtful. He wasn't a very religious man, but he was raised as a Christian and just accepted that. "Mysterious indeed," he murmured. "Why test the good, faithful men? They already obviously have strong beliefs. Shouldn't the ones who need to be tested be the ones who don't have a strong faith, to help them believe?" He paused for a moment, and then said, "if I am here to test my faith, then I'm not sure I want to believe in the kind of God who would do such things to their followers." Stewart Young The Lord must be sure of one's faith, there is a fine line between claiming to be a man of God and one who is truly devout. You must stay faithful even in the face of despair. Giving up on the lord is exactly what Satan wants you to do. He wants us to revoke our faiths, join his evil ranks!" Stewart said looking up at Josh. Joshua Rivers "I don't feel very evil. I don't want to hurt anyone, I don't want to commit sins. I've done my best to be a good man all my life," Joshua said. He shook his head. "If God exists, why me? Why you? The things they are doing to us, turning us abominations of nature. Half-man, half-human creatures; we are things that God never intended to exist at all, aren't we?" The goat man did seem to have a very strong faith, and Joshua wanted to respect that... but to say the things that were happening here on this island were because of God, he didn't believe that one bit. "Or perhaps we are here because we have already joined Satan's ranks, and we are turning into demons?" Stewart Young He cringed after he heard the man's last remark "No, no" He said shaking his head, that couldn't be!`We-We are al children of God, he may be testing us. But there is no way that he would sell out sould to the Devil. He is merly testing us...Yes, it's all just a simple test" Joshua Rivers Joshua sighed, frowning. "This doesn't seem like some simple test to me. How do you know this is God's work and not the Devil's? How do you know each of us didn't mess up badly at some point during our life, and now we are in Satan's hands?" Stewart Young He had never thought about it like that, Stewart had really messed up before...But did that meand that his soul belonged to the Devil? "I-I don't know" Stewart replied looking down at the ground "I wish I had an answer for all of this...." Joshua Rivers "I think we all wish that we had answers for what is happening," he replied. "There could be any number of them... but I personally don't believe that God or the Devil had anything to do with this." After a moment's thought, he added, "and even if we had answers, would we really be satisfied with them?" Joshua didn't think there was any excuse in the world in where he would agree to this kind of experiment. Stewart Young For Stewart, believing that God or the Devil played no part in this whole mass was almost impossible for him to understand. He had been told his whoe life that the Lord controlled everything, and the Devil was always trying to mess with God's supreme plan. He pause for a second deep in thought before saying "I don't know about that, I mean there are so many possible explinations. But to say that there was no divine intervention...It's so hard to believe... But you do have a point, I doubt that any number of answers could explain why this is happening..." Joshua Rivers "I suppose if you were raised to believe such things, I can see how it would be hard to think otherwise. But why would God allow these things to happen to us? I would say it's one thing to allow us to solve our own every day problems, but this... why would He abandon everyone here?" Joshua asked. Stewart Young "But it's not only God who influences our daily lives," He started pausing "Since we are children of God, the Devil attempts to lead us to a path of destruction. But if you are true and resist the temptation than the Lord will bring good things into your life. I believe that this is still a test of faith" Sure his logic was flawed, but it was the only thing he had be thought. Any other school of thought seemed pagan and unreal to him. Joshua Rivers Test - some test. Joshua had a hard time believing that being here could sway his faith in either direction at all. "Hmm. Well. Perhaps that's true." It was obvious he was still doubting Stewart's words by the tone of his voice. Who was to know the truth, who was to know who was right? No one would know for sure until death, and he was in no hurry for that. "Well, Stewart... I think I'm going to head back to my duplex now, or I'll be late for my tutoring appointment. It was nice to meet you, and I hope I didn't offend you too much with our conversation," he said, smiling. Stewart Young Stewart wasn't too sure what to think of the newcomer... He didn't agree with most of his views, but he didn't feel offended by him. It was almost nice to meet someone with didn't agree with him, life had been quite boring on the island as of late. Finally he replied "Oh, it was nice meeting you too. And I wasn't offended by this conversation. Infact I would like to have another some time soon. Goodbye for now" He said turning back to his duplex, still pondering some of the points Josh made. Joshua Rivers "I would like that very much," Josha agreed politely. "I'm sure I'll see you around again soon." And with that, he returned to his own duplex to get ready for his teaching lesson of the day with Colche.
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Posted: Sat Jul 29, 2006 6:16 pm
DISCUSSING THE FUTUREJoshua Rivers Joshua felt like it was getting harder and harder for him to stay inside. Everything was too small, not quite big enough for him to be comfortable. Beds and chairs were awkward and he still wasn't quite steady with his new height yet. He was, at least, managing not to bump his head anymore - too much. He had realized, for all his time spent here, he had yet to visit the beach. No trees and wide open space, it sounded like a good spot to relax for a while and perhaps read a book. He grabbed a towel and a book on giraffes (he had returned the ones he had already read to the island's "library"), and made his way down to the beach. Yes, it was much nicer here - and far less cramped. He set down the towel on the sand and sat down (slowly, as it seemed it was much harder to sit down the taller you were). It was quiet and peaceful here too, so he stretched his legs out in front of him before opening his book, ready to lose himself in knowledge to forget everything else. Nita MacNeal In spite of her arboreal leanings, Nita spent quite a while on the beach. Most days found her sitting in the shade of a dune, reading or just thinking, as well as occasional jaunts to the beach bar. On this particular day, Nita simply walked along the water's edge, her clawed toes sinking into the damp sand with every step. A long shadow encroached on the left edge of her periferal vision. With a shrug, Nita veered away from the water, curious as to who else might be inhabiting this particular bit of space. She approached quietly, and as she did so, the girl realized just why the shadow was so long. Even sitting down, this man was nearly her height; standing, he was probably close to double her meager 60 inches. And then his face was familiar, albeit changed. "Joshua..?" Nita asked tentatively. Joshua Rivers He looked up when he heard someone approaching, and smiled at the familiar face. "Ah, hello Miss Nita... it's good to see you again," he said, as if everything was perfectly normal and that he barely had to move his head to look at her face. Joshua closed his book, making room for her on the towel in case she wanted to sit down as well. "How have you been?" he asked, noticing that she was... much more furry than the last time he had seen her. Nita MacNeal Oh good, Nita thought. He recognized me. But then, there weren't too many other tiny red-headed girls with braids down to their waists. Changes aside, she was still recognizable. Josh, however, was definitely... tall. Very very tall. Nita accepted the offered spot on the towel, sitting on her feet so she wouldn't seem quite so small compared to him. "Nice to see you," she said. Nita pulled a face. "And, well, I've been okay, I guess. I keep running into new people." Joshua Rivers Joshua cringed at the thought - so the doctors were still bringing more people to the island? He supposed there were plenty of different species to go around, at any rate. He wondered what the purpose of all of this was - what were they trying to prove, or was this just some sick joke? "I'm sorry to hear that... it makes me curious to find out just how many people are on this island. I haven't run into too many other people myself, I've been feeling rather... anti-social," he murmured. "I see that you've changed since I last saw you, though," he said, looking down at her with sympathy. "Do you know how many times the changes are supposed to happen?" Nita MacNeal Nita shrugged and fiddled with the fraying hem of her shorts. "I met a woman last night who mentioned being in duplex 56... So I guess about that many. That's over a dozen new people just since I got here, in April." She looked up (way up) at Josh, sparing a glance for the book he'd been reading. "I see you changed too," she remarked. "A giraffe, I take it?" She shook her head, considering. The mere idea of being so tall was really strange; Nita wondered how he dealt with basic things like chairs and doorways. "I've changed twice now," Nita told him. "I know several people who have changed three times, and heard of a girl who's.. done. So I think that means four, total." Joshua Rivers "Mm, yes. A giraffe... a Dr. Lockheart informed me of what I was becoming before my first change." He looked down at his long arms and legs, sighing. "Even now, I still can't imagine it. She said they also made a special arrangement to allow me to keep my hands since, apparently, other people turning into hooved animals aren't so lucky." "I guess they they are doing me a favor in that sense." Joshua flexed his fingers, wondering if he should clip the thick nails or if they would just grow right back the next time he changed. "I suppose that means you have just two more to go then, hm? What do you think will happen after it's finished?" Nita MacNeal Nita leaned over to inspect Joshua's arms and held hers out to compare. Although they were covered in darkish fur and tipped with claws, her hands were still undeniably human in origin. She didn't want to think what would happen if she lost her hands to hooves. "I hope that works," she said honestly. "I really wouldn't want to not be able to write anymore..." Nita chewed her lip for a moment, considering the question. "I don't know. Hopefully they'd just let us live the rest of our lives in peace. It would be something, at least." Joshua Rivers Joshua couldn't help noticing the difference in length of their arms, and even though he knew everyone else here were turning into animals as well, it still embarrassed him. "Yes, I hope it works too, I like writing... but it sounded to me like this isn't something they have tried before. I can't help but wonder what kind of "special arrangements" they did, exactly." That, and he hoped they knew what they were doing - he wouldn't want to be even more horribly disfigured. "That would be nice, but... I don't know about peace. They are still controlling everything here, and we'll still be animals..." Nita MacNeal Nita shrugged. "But then, how much of any of this have they really done before?" she pointed out. "I mean, it is an experiment..." Yet again the phrase 'one of the lucky ones' floated through her mind. She turned away for a few minutes, staring out at the sparkling sand and the grey-blue-green water. "At least when we're done, it'll be stable. At least we know we'll be the same. And we're not supposed to be all animal... I still feel like myself, you know? I know I look different and all, but I'm still Nita on the inside." Joshua Rivers "I guess you're right. I suppose I will get used to being so tall eventually... I will just have to hope I don't grow anymore, else I really won't be able to fit in the buildings... it's already hard enough." Normally he wasn't the kind of person to complain about things, but in this case, he felt it was just. He wished he could have chosen the animal he'd have to turn into, if he had to become one. Odd as it was, he couldn't help feeling a little jealous of people who weren't turning into quite so strange animals. Nita MacNeal Nita patted Josh's arm sympathetically. "Maybe they could put you in a double duplex. Like two stories without the floor in middle so you'd be more on the right scale. It's the least they could do.. and something for the islanders who need to be in water. My downstairs neighbor is turning into a shark of some sort, and this girl Awen is a manta ray." She sniffed as a rather humorous thought occurred to her. "I should ask for a tree-house. I always wanted one when I was a kid, but we didn't have the right kind of trees in our yard. But now I'd have a good excuse!" The red panda girl grinned sideways at Josh, eyes glinting at her joke. Joshua Rivers He chuckled at the joke, grinning at her. "That's a good point. I think I saw some bigger duplexes around, but they didn't seem to be occupied. There were some that were partially in the water, too - maybe the people changing into aquatic animals will be moved there?" he guessed. "Perhaps I'll ask to be moved when I get back to my duplex. It would be nice to get a bed I could actually fit in." "Besides," he added, "I think my current upstairs neighbor is turning into an unfortunate animal as well... whatever it is, I heard very, very strange noises coming from the duplex above me one night. I might go as far as to say they were a little creepy, I was still getting used to this whole 'changing into an animal' idea." Nita MacNeal "Hm, I don't think I've seen the ones in the water, but I saw some that looked like they were on stilts, way up off the ground. For.. birds or bat-people, maybe? D'you think they could maybe even be able to fly a little bit?" Nita rested her chin on her knees, considering that. "They'd probably be too heavy. Neat to think about, though." When it came to 're-homing' people, she wondered if she'd even want a new downstairs neighbor. As annoying as Alec could be, he'd sort of grown on her, and after his recent transformation they had even come to some sort of accord. At least she knew Alec. "Who is your neighbor, anyway? I think you're in the duplex next to mine, but I don't know if I've met who lives above you." Joshua Rivers "Mmm. Yes, probably too heavy to fly... and even if they could, I doubt that would go over well. If they could fly, then they might be able to get off the island to get help... I'm sure the doctors here wouldn't allow that." Although he couldn't help but wonder if that could be true. Perhaps it could be kept secret from the doctors, and they could escape back to the mainland for help. "Ahh, I believe her name is Kaveri... she was the first person I met here when I arrived, after Dr. Duvert dropped me off." Joshua wouldn't mind being moved away from her, considering what happened on that day. The thought of eating rotten, raw dead animals disturbed him, to say the least. Nita MacNeal "I'm sure that's something they've thought of, and there's always those chips to knock us out anyway." Nita shrugged again; if others did manage to escape, odds were she wouldn't really want to leave. She knew Lauren wouldn't go, and Nita wouldn't leave Lauren. "Kaveri," Nita repeated. "Actually.. the name sounds familiar. Oh, I know!" She snickered. "Not long after I got here, there was a game of Truth or Dare on the beach. Dumb, I know, but it was kinda fun. Anyway, she was there... and I haven't seen her since then." Joshua Rivers "Well, when I saw her, she was changed... lets just say I'm not the only one on the island with a long neck. Hers seemed to be more flexible, though... so I don't think she is turning into a giraffe, too," he said, but he couldn't think of what, exactly she was turning into. "Besides that, she... ate a dead rabbit, right in front of me," Joshua shuddered at the memory. "Not even skinned. Just... raw." Nita MacNeal Nita did a classic double-take. "She ate a raw, dead, rabbit?" She shook her head, a rather disgusted expression across her face. "I know some people eat really rare steaks, but ew. Just.. ew." Of course, her own girlfriend ate bugs, but that was different somehow. Not to mention rabbits were cute. And pets. "And that was the first thing you saw when you got here? That's awful." What a welcome. "What do giraffes eat, anyway?" Nita asked, curious. Joshua Rivers "It was rather tramatizing, to say the least," Joshua grimaced a little. "Thankfully - according to the books provided here on the island - giraffes just stick to various from various trees and shrubs, which shouldn't be too bad. Just like a salad. Except for the cud... but maybe I won't have to deal with that," he hoped. If so, he probably wouldn't be eating out in public anymore. Nita MacNeal "That doesn't sound bad at all." Nita nodded thoughtfully, tracing little designs in the sand with one finger. "Except for the cud, yeah. I hadn't thought about that." Ugh. Chewing cud... ew. One of Nita's worst fears was vomitting, so having to hack stuff up on a regular basis would be absolutely awful. She'd much prefer having random leaves than have to chew cud. "I eat a lot of bamboo. Other vegetables and fruits as well, and occasionally meat, but.. mostly bamboo." Joshua Rivers While Joshua didn't fear vomiting, it certainly wasn't something he liked to do. And chewing cud seemed even worse... "Well, it looks to me like you won't have to deal with that," he said, smiling at her. "And those foods are normal, so it shouldn't be too difficult for you to adjust. Just have to get used to eating less of other things, is all." Nita MacNeal "Oh, I don't mind it, really. And apparently captive red pandas will eat meat, they just.. don't in the wild." Nita snorted. "If I don't count as a captive red panda, then I don't know what does!" She was joking, of course. Mostly. Nita looked up at the sky, realizing how warm it had gotten. "Hey, I need to get back to my duplex before I heat up too much, but it was really nice talking to you, Josh." Joshua Rivers "It was nice talking to you again too, Nita," Joshua said, smiling. "I think I'm going to stay out here a bit longer and get some more reading done. Take care of yourself, I'll see you around." Nita MacNeal Nita stood up carefully so as not to get too much sand on Josh's towel. With a cheerful wave and a smile, she set off towards the jungle. The trees would protect her from the hot rays of the midday sun as she made her way back to the village and her duplex.
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