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Not for the first time- and certainly not the last... Emelyn gave a silent thank you to Cassidy for her now long-ago gift of so many bikinis. The once bright white top that she'd relied on for so many months was now practically retired- replaced, now, with any range of technicolor tops that she could easily tie in between her spines. The light bluish-grey bikini that she wore as she watched Reuben play in the surf and chase crabs was no exception- its fresh newness seemed almost stiff against her skin, compared to the worn easiness of its cast-aside white cousin.

"Hey, sweetheart! Don't get too deep in the surf! You'll get carried out by the tide!" And then, softer, "And why am I talking to a dog? Holy crap, I need to talk to more people." She laughed as she hunkered down upon the warm sand. Her beloved dog got one more good look for measure- then Em lay back and closed her eyes, her knees up to the sun but the rest of her flat against the beach. It was these lazy days that she loved... and particulary this day, she was determined not to think about the poor little boy she'd just met.

Surprisingly, Thom thoughts--or lack thereof--were along much the same lines as Emelyn's. Ever since meeting the boy, he had felt a pang of guilt for bringing about the realization that Cody wouldn't be leaving. Mind, Cody had taken it fairly well, all things considering, but that wasn't the point. It would have been kinder to just leave the boy thinking he would be seeing his parents the day he was better, whenever that might be.

He was feeling particularly antisocial as a result, but sulking indoors had never quite suited Thom. In an effort to avoid running into anyone, he had retreated to the beach with only his soccer ball for company, as per usual. Walking just at the edge of the waves, lazily dribbling his ball from foot to foot to prevent it from being swept further out, he completely failed to notice Emelyn resting farther up the beach.

The dog, however, did not escape his notice. Indeed, the moment it caught his eye, something within him. The ball lay forgotten at his feet as he watched the pup, a slightly predatory gleam rising in his eyes. And, though all rationality said there was no possible way the pup was edible, the cobra said it was perfectly sized for dinner and, should it approach, would quickly become one.

Reuben saw Thom long before Em ever opened her eyes. She'd drawn her arms up over her ears and arcing over her head to rest in a folded pile above her head- closing herself off to the subtle sounds that Em would have otherwise picked up on. Otherwise, she would have keyed in to the crunch of sand beneath Thom's feet, upon the thud of the soccer ball upon the sand- and realized that the look in the snake-man's eyes was not only predatory, but also... aimed at her dog.

Reuben, on the other hand, was as oblivious that his name was a sort of sandwich as the fact that not all people were friends. The only other two people he'd met had been the fuzzy woman who'd he'd had such fun with, rushing up a tree and exciting him... and the little boy that scratched his stomach so well.

So Reuben ran full-tilt towards the slanted-browed man, his tongue lolling in the heat and his paws pounding in the surf. There was someone... to meet.

The cobra was thrilled, though somewhat wary. Here was its meal running straight for it, but the pup seemed positively overjoyed to be approaching its end. It had seen him, that much was clear, so was the charge an attack?

Thom's lip curled in a faint hiss, baring fangs that had not yet come to exist. The cobra attempted to coil, failed as it realized its limitations, and instead set the man at a crouch to greet the pup. The moment an overly friendly Reuben reached him, Thom's hand struck out and snatched the pup up by the scruff of the neck, lifting him with little effort as he straightened up.

He grinned, pleased with the capture, and made for a deadly bite--but rationality kicked in once more, and he blinked down at the pup before dropping Reuben back to the sand, utterly confused. "Sorry, lad."

"I think something more than a sorry is required. Like, perhaps, an explanation." The voice was edged in ice. If Thom were to turn even a fraction, he'd see the hedgehog-woman sitting alert on the sand, her blue eyes steeled at the man who had just accosted her dog.

Emelyn had been in dreamland- enough so to disregard the sound of the newcomer's feet upon the sand... but she was not so deep into her dreams that she could ignore the sound of her dog barking. She'd opened her eyes at Reuben's run, and watched in some sort of horror as the man she figured was crouching down to accept the dog in an embrace or a pet... instead snatched him up and dropped him again on the sand. Reuben slunk down to the sand, his fours folded practically in bows as he crawled away from the man. He didn't understand what had happened as he went submissively to Emelyn, waiting to be punished. He must have done something wrong.

Thom's eyes followed the dog away, the hungry glaze returning slowly, but at the sound of a woman's voice he abruptly snapped back to his sense. Rubbing his head as if it were sore, he glanced towards Emelyn, looking momentarily baffled before her words clicked. He grimaced, automatically resuming dribbling the ball as he started over.

"Had I an explanation, miss, I would gladly give it. But I 'aven't th' faintest idea what 'appened m'self." Sighing, Thom shook his head and let his hand fall. "Wasn't m'self for a moment there. I am sorry, really. Couldn't've fit the pup down m' throat if I'd wanted to."

Now where had that come from? Thom frowned, surprised by his own comment, and shot a glare to the scales leering from the back of his hand. "Ah.. I suppose I must be hungry."

"Down your throat?" Emelyn calmed somewhat, seeing that the man's eyes had changed since that predatory ...lapse in judgement. Something else about him gave the hedgehog in her a very particular message: this is potentially edible. With that signal, Emelyn had some idea what the man was- beyond somewhat irresponsible with animals and strangely attractive, that is.

"Snake, I assume." She put her hand out for Reuben to come to, and when he flipped belly-up in the sand, Emelyn rubbed his stomach as if to say 'you did nothing wrong'. She still wasn't looking at her dog, however- but focused on the man she knew she'd not met yet.

"As far as I can tell," he admitted somewhat quieter, glare fading to a look of resignation. Pausing a few feet away from Emelyn, he deftly paused the soccer ball, hesitating as if debating whether to sit or remain standing. "An' you are, what, some kind of hedgehog?"

Ahh, here was something he had never expected to see even in his dreams: a hedgehog woman in a bikini. Mind, quills aside, it wasn't a bad view, just...different. A hedgehog woman with a dog. He was half tempted to ask if the pup had once been an islander. "Thom Brinley. You are...?"

"Emelyn. Emelyn White. The biggest hedgehog you're ever likely to see." A small smile crept to her lips- or, rather, what was left of them- and she overruled a strange urge she had to stand and offer her hand to Thom. She chalked it up to the sake of his accent and kept her seat- and hand- steady.

"And this little guy is Reuben." She stroked his white belly gently with her own, furred hand. "And don't worry about... before. He's not hurt. But I suggest to keep yourself fed at all times. The animal instincts are so much stronger when you're hungry."

He cracked a grin at her introduction, nodding politely in response, but there the formality ended. Coming to a decision, he dropped to sit on the sand, placing the soccer ball at his side and immediately sinking his feet to his ankles in the sand. "A pleasure, Emelyn. And Reuben," he added, offering a hand towards the pup for inspection.

"Y'know it's gettin' bad when I start picturin' my football as a rabbit," he complained. "I'll try t' stay, ah, well fed. You'll not be an attempted meal again," he promised, nodding seriously to Reuben.

Reuben flipped over onto his stomach and accepted the offer of the hand to sniff- and while he decided that Thom was a decent sort of animal, Emelyn was remembering that Cody had mentioned a Thom just earlier that day, while telling her which people he'd met that had taken care of him. In those few moments, it took only the Englishman's apology- which she believed was sincere- and the sweet young boy's word that Thom was a "good guy" to accept the snake-man. And, for someone in Emelyn's situation, where the decision of who can be trusted and who couldn't... could be the last decision she ever made... that meant something- beyond animalistic nature... and more than sheer human faith. It was somewhere, nestled- almost protected- in the limbo between the two.

"I believe you. ...And I'm sorry about sniping at you. I'm just very protective of him- especially with the sort that's usually about around here."

Thom seemed pleased by the pup's acceptance, smiling and, after giving Reuben a moment to sniff at his hand, cheerfully scritching the pup's stomach. Briefly the cobra returned, arguing that the pup was completely vulnerable once more, but Thom stubbornly shoved it away, consoling the snake with the knowledge that their next stop would be the cafeteria.

He glanced up only slightly at Emelyn's words, almost immediately returning his gaze to the puppy. Nevermind the fact that a hedgehog woman was the more unusual sight; he hadn't played with a dog in ages, traveling as he always was, especially with the Cup coming up. "Quite alright, an' quite understandable. I wouldn't trust many around him either. I 'adn't expected.. Well, I'll be better prepared now."

Emelyn nodded, assuming by prepared he meant to heed her advice.

"Well, most of the predators have found that the more they eat, the more the instincts let them be." While Thom was focused on the dog, Em was watching him. The excuse she gave herself was one of caution: watch for any instinct of turning, just in case he becomes dangerous... but truly, she knew that it was just that- an excuse. Thom didn't seem to have enough natural weapons to be dangerous, yet- and besides, it was unlikely that where she was staring was possessed of a weapon, anyway- so her defense... quite fell through.

Something about the way his brow folded down, making a near-'V' - caused his eyes to seem all so vivid- even dangerous. Emelyn supposed that it was the animal in him, but the visage fascinated her.

"So... if you don't mind my asking- how long have you been here?"

"It's been difficult lately," Thom replied absently without looking up, much more interested in the puppy at present. "Eatin' correctly, I mean. Nothin' 'as seemed quite...fitting since th' change. I'll 'ave t' just grin an' bear it, I suppose." Despite the unsettling topic, he was already grinning, shifting his scritches to lightly tug at Reuben's muzzle in an attempt to rile the puppy into playing.

"How long?" he repeated, assuring himself of her question. Finally looking up, he shrugged, counting the days in his head. "Been about a month now, I b'lieve. Give or take a few days. You on the other 'and... Some time, I'm guessin'? You're not quite as far as some others I've met, though."

"Well, honestly I don't think I have much further to go. This is... about it as far as hedgehogs go. I've even entertained the idea that I may be done with it. And I've been here for... well, it depends on what month it is. But in any case... August. I was in the first wave. And speaking of waves..." she stood, brushing the sand out of her fur and rolling herself up onto the balls of her feet to stretch. "I hope I can trust you with my dog for a moment, because I'm roasting."

With that, she walked with her head tipped back to the sun, goggles reflecting the sunlight, headed straight for the surf. It hadn't been lost upon her that Thom was more interested in the dog than the conversation- and so, the waves had beckoned. It was a preferable option to becoming irritated with the man. ...She would return in a moment- but at least for now, Thom was on his own.

"It's June," he offered off-hand, then tensed, grin fading. Ten months.. Ten months she had been here. Thom's good mood faded momentarily as the realization that he wouldn't be leaving struck home once more, and by the time his thoughts cleared Em was halfway to the water.

Blinking, he glanced after her, then down towards Reuben, quirking a brow at the pup before climbing to his feet. Expecting the dog to follow, he started after the hedgehog woman, resuming his lazy dribbling as he walked. "If that's th' form you're stuck in, then you're damn lucky," he shouted after her, grin returning. "At least y'still look...mostly human, save a few differences. And fur."

Emelyn stopped at the edge of the surf, the wet, packed sand collecting under her toes as she pivoted to look over her shoulder. Thom had crawled to his feet as well, she was surprised to see. But it was the sound of the compliment that had turned her in surprise. He'd said that she was damn lucky, if this was the 'form she was stuck in'. Emelyn wasn't the sort to blush often- and this was no exception, but she did feel a happy flush in her throat... until he finished his sentence. Then she shrugged off her slight disappointment at the true meaning of the words, and gave a soft smile. He'd meant that she was lucky to be a hedgehog- to look somewhat human... it hadn't been a remark upon her looks, as the hedgehog-girl had originally assumed.

"Oh. Well, yeah. It could be worse. Hold on. I'll just dip under. I don't mean to be a rude conversationalist or anything, but I've been outdoors all day. This fur heats up pretty quickly."

With that, she tipped her head back to her goal- the ever-expanding, inescapable sea, and waded through until she was just above knee deep. Then, as a wave rolled in, she allowed herself to half-dive into the shallow shelf, slicing into the water with ease. It was cool, easy, and refreshing. She gave herself only a minute or so, before coming up once more.

A hidden compliment, perhaps. If one could be covered in fur and spines and still look very, very nice in a bikini, it was saying something. But at the same time, she was...well, practically an animal, and humanoid or not, Thom was still human enough that he wasn't interested in fur. Or relationships. Yet.

...Of course, wet, fur hardly mattered, and one dripping, bikini-clad woman surfacing on a beach was the same as another. He quirked a brow appreciatively, half tempted to join her in the waves, but for the time being remained in the shallows, pausing once the water reached mid-shin. "Understandable, of course. One good thing t'say of scales: I won't 'ave that problem."

Emelyn answered with a nod, rubbing the water off her face in a upwards motion that stopped at the edge of her goggles. She blinked the last few drops off her eyelashes, then trained her temporarily foggy vision to Thom.

"...Have you met Cassidy?"

Thom abused the opportunity to indulge himself in a...few once-overs, though he sobered up somewhat at her question, frowning faintly and folding his arms across his chest. "Mn. Indeed. Somethin' for me t'look forward to, eh?"

"She's done wonders with what she has, though. ...It's sobering to see her- but if you'd seen all the things she's been able to do, I think it actually can be something to look forward to." She was both supporting Cassidy and explaining why she'd asked, all in one. There was no need to frighten the man- but rather, she seeked to possibly empower. At least, up to the shadow of a doubt. He'd obviously transformed once already- and Emelyn didn't envy him the ones that would follow. But at least he could know that there were others to support him.

But he'd already met Cassidy- and he seemed to be... if not at peace with his lot, at least calmed in its midst. It was yet another glimmer of possibility that flickered in Emelyn's mind: how could she bring anyone comfort, or ease anyone's transition, if she was out here, rather than in the village, where everyone was? How could Cody come to her when he was frightened in the middle of the night- who would Fiona turn to if she had some new escape plan to hatch? Emelyn did not think that she was the sole person that the islanders could turn to- far, far from it. But there was something about taking herself out of the line of aid that suddenly felt... selfish to her. Or at least contrived. She was confused, and found herself wading back to shore, nose pointing to the sand.

"I wish I could tell you it's not so bad a place... that you get used to it." Her eyes met his. "The latter... is somewhat true. Acceptance comes and goes- like high and low tide. But you can't get used to it. Just try to find some way to deal with it."

He was silent throughout the entirety of her explanation, glowering darkly from behind green-gold eyes. He had accepted it, yes, however regretfully, but he could see no good in the transformation. Cassidy had done well. He? He would not. After speaking with Cassidy, after experiencing his first change, the thought of the next...terrified him.

From what he had learned, he was farther than Cassidy had been after her first change. More scales, he had a tail, his feet were already going... After the next? Who knew what could be expected. He was quite sure he would lose the ability to walk, at the very least. And he intended to make the best of his ability every waking moment until then.

"It's easy t' deal with things now," he finally replied, lifting a hand to rub the back of his neck. "It's.. th' next change I'm worried about. I can't...not...walk. An' my feet are already goin'." As if to enforce his point, he lifted one foot from the water, gesturing to the nearly unrecognizable area that had once been toes.

Emelyn saw the stubs of feet he now possessed, and in her mind, likenened them to sheathless hooves. She didn't allow herself to linger on them, dragging her eyes upwards to meet his eyes- which seemed inflamed with something- she didn't know what.

"And you've only changed the once?" Her words were soft. Emelyn couldn't recall if Cassidy had been so far along after her first transformation. It had been a long time ago- and back then, so many of them were still in a panic about what was happening to them- not much had been guaged for posterity's sake.

The moment he was sure she had seen, he let his foot fall beneath the surface of the water, hiding it from sight and mind as if doing so would prevent it from being real.

"Just the once," he murmured, nodding slightly. Grimacing, he turned, pacing back towards the shore and attempting to keep his temper in check. "I've spoken t' Cassidy since--she wasn't this far after her first change. Just scales, really, an' tongue. My tongue's still fine, but my feet? My tail?" He hissed through his teeth in displeasure, throwing up a hand. "And, if that wasn't enough, I'm losin' my 'air."

"I wish there was an 'at least' I could tell you. But... the transitions will be rough. Between walking and... losing your legs, it'll be very awkward." She spoke gingerly, even though she was almost assured that Cassidy would have warned him. "But when you're further along- three or four changes into it, I think you'll find that you'll be able to move quickly enough and even use the muscles in your lower torso as a sort of leg... if only to... kick." She couldn't help but notice his constant, almost worrying attention to the soccerball he'd brought with him to the sand, and wondered if that was the source of some of his distress.

"And everyone changes differently. Even with similar animals. Although... truthfully, there aren't many." She hardly knew what to say except what she would have liked to hear, in the beginning. "It's not easy, but it's so much better when you know what to expect. So if you ever need help, I'm always here to answer questions. ...And... you do know about the cameras, don't you? Has someone warned you, yet?"

"Somehow, I'd imagined they would be," he replied sharply, but sighed, grudgingly nodding in agreement as Emelyn continued. "From what I've gathered, those changes'll be a long while in coming. An' th' stages in between will be awkward an' uncomfortable."

He fell silent, remaining so for a long pause before returning his eyes to the hedgehog woman. "I appreciate your advice. And offer. Which duplex are you in? ...And I'm afraid no one's mentioned cameras, no."

"The cameras," Emelyn said, starting in on the easier issue to explain, "are everywhere. In the jungle, on this beach, in the duplexes. The entire island is monitored. Some places are also miked- but I don't know where, exactly. ...I make a note of warning newcomers, now. Just so they know what's happened to their privacy. And... I don't live in a duplex anymore. Mine has been empty since January. ...I live up on the mountain, now." She knelt down next to Reuben, scratching his now-wet fur and dropping her head to rest on his back.

"Brilliant." Thom sighed, wiping a hand down his face. "Good t'know no one else I've spoken with thought t' tell me. Thank you f' doin' so. I'll keep that in mind." It was a way to mock Duvert without retribution, anyway.

"You live..." Trailing off, he raised a brow and glanced towards the quite obvious mountain looming up from the jungle. "...Righto, well, perhaps I'll come hunt you down if m' legs 'old out. I'm in duplex 45 if you brave th' village again. For now... I'm goin' to 'ead back b'fore I eat your dog." He cracked a grin, nodding a goodbye before retrieving his soccer ball and starting away. "Was nice meetin' you, Emelyn."

"And you, Thom. ...Take care of yourself." With that, she watched the Englishman leave, and as the snake-man disappeared into the jungle, she called Reuben to accompany her out to her fishcatch. In this day, she had met two newcomers to the island.

...Her mind would not let her dwell on how many more there must be.

It was a boring, uneventful day. Mostly by Thom's choice. Rather than go off to explore the island, he had remained lurking infront of his own duplex, amusing himself with kicking his soccer ball against the duplex wall. He had been thrilled to discover that the glass of his window refused to break, and had taken full advantage of this trait, punting one soccer ball after another at the wall and responding to each return bound as the angle demanded.

It had never occurred to him that someone might live upstairs. Thus, when he heard a door close over the thuds of his soccer ball, he immediately lost interest in his game. Leaving the ball where it fell, he peeked around towards the staircase, quirking a brow at the woman on her way down. ...And then she tripped, and Thom stepped up to meet her, one hand catching himself on the railing while the other arm rescued her from her fall, drawing her to his side. "Are you all right?"

He released her without complaint, holding up his now-free hand to show he meant no harm. "It's quite alright. Happens t' everyone. And I'm fine," he assured her, grinning wryly. As if this little thing could hurt him, even if she had falling completely down the stairs and landed sprawled atop him.

Thom took a small step back, more to make her more comfortable than anything, but grimaced as his foot landed on something coarse and slimey. A glance down informed him that not only was he standing in trash, but the falling bag had effectively coated his feet in it. Disgusted, he wrinkled his nose, shaking off one foot and carefully stepping to avoid as much garbage as possible. "Ah, no worries. We'll get that cleaned up.."

Thom was not at all pleased by the stinking mess dripping along his bare feet and would have very much liked to retreat to his duplex and find something with which to clean them. However, he felt obligated to stay and help clean up the assorted goop covering the stairs and, stepping down a couple of stairs, began gathering the trash in that area. It would have been rude to just walk off, even if he had kept her from falling. And, as she was his upstairs neighbor, it would probably prove beneficial to him to stay on her good side.

Hands full of garbage, he glanced up when she spoke, eyeing her curiously as she searched for the word. As he followed her point to her own scales, recognition dawned and, nodding, he straightened up, reaching forward to replaced the garbage in the bag. "Scales? I do, unfortunately. Turnin' t'some kind of snake, I'd wager. D'you know what you'll be?"

Chuckling bitterly, Thom bent to retrieve a few larger goops of god-knows-what, dropping them in the bag as well before straightening up and attempting to flick the excess off his hands. "Well, as long as you've still got toes, I'd say you'll be fine."

However, his smile returned somewhat with the offer, though he shook his head. "No trouble, I assure you. An', ah, I wouldn't want t'get...goop on your floor." He grinned, shifting one foot out of the trail of sludge.

"If you insist," he agreed, quirking a brow. Hell, he was perfectly happy not to get rotting trash all over his floor. And he could always help her clean up her floor...if he had to. Until then, the company of a pretty woman was much more inviting than resuming kicking a ball at a wall.

At the unexpected squeaked, he stepped up another step, as if expecting to have to catch her again. When she simply apologized, he blinked, then laughed, offering a hand. "Thom Brinley. S'a pleasure t' meet you, Natsumi."

Ah yes, the muck. He had forgotten for a moment there. He frowned down at his hand as if it had interrupted something important, then, chuckling, followed her up the stairs. As if there was anywhere else to go. The stairs led right to her front door, and there was no other duplex above him.

Remaining otherwise silent, he followed inside, walking awkwardly on the balls of his feet to leave as little gunk on the floor as possible. Upon reaching the bathroom, he dipped his hands beneath the faucet once she was done, then moved to sit on the edge of the tub, acceptng the rag and setting about cleaning his feet. "Thank you."

While she was gone, Thom busied himself with cleaning off his feet. For the first time since his change, he had found a reason to be thankful for his lack of toes: nasty rotting gunk couldn't get between them if he stepped in it. Still, the thought of old horrible germ encrusted garbage coating his feet was enough to make him extra meticulous in his cleaning, especially when one considered the myriad of little cuts on his feet from walking around barefoot. An infection would not bode well.

Thus, he was still cleaning when Natsumi returned, though admittedly nearly complete. However, the perfection of his task would go unfulfilled, for a little squeak from the woman distracted him. Blinking, he looked up, at her expression glancing behind himself as if expecting to find some horrible monster. And so he narrowed his search, eyes scanning the tub area for what might have spooked her. A roach, a spider, something. Certainly not himself.

By the time he returned his eyes to the woman, she was hiding from him, and he wisely made the decision that they should leave the bathroom. Maybe then the ability to speak would return. Setting the rag aside, he rose to his feet, cocking his head at her as if unsure what to make of her behavior. "Ah... Whatsay we 'ead outside? I don't like bein' indoors f' very long. 'Ave you ever played football?" Dumb jock routine. But it was a distraction, at least.

"Then I'll 'ave t' teach you." He grinned, leading the way out the door and down the steps, carefully avoiding the remnants of the garbage spill and making a mental note to clean it up himself later that day. Stepping over to his discarded soccer ball, he gave it another kick towards the window, frowning in mild disapproval when again there was no sign of it shattering. He wanted his window, sure, but it was mildly unnerving knowing the glass was unbreakable.

Brushing off these thoughts, he retrieved the ball once more, scooping a toe beneath it and flicking it up into his hands. Returning to Natsumi, he offered it out for her inspection. "Football. Or, y' may know it as soccer."

"Then y' do know of it!" Thom positively beamed, giving the ball a lazy spin on one fingertip and dropping it back to the ground. "I'd thought you must. Bit ridiculous if you 'adn't, eh?"

Stepping forward, he swiped the trash bag from her grip and moved to deposit it on the ground against the wall of the duplex. Returning to the soccer ball, he lightly kicked it over to her, quirking a brow. "So, now that y' know what it is, ever played?"

"All of my close friends played," he replied off hand, smile faltering momentarily. However, almost immediately he fixed it back into place, even laughing at her exclamation and easily reclaiming the ball, kicking it back to her at about the same speed she had sent it to him. "It's a start, anyway. Not like we can play a real match with just th' two of us, after all. An' don't worry about kickin' it too 'ard, alright?" he insisted, laughing. "I've 'ad worse."

"Well done," he praised, amused, and mimiced her motion to stop the ball as it reached him. After sending it back towards her with anoher easy kick, he struck up the conversation once more. Football was a good ice breaker. "'Ow long've you been 'ere, then? I didn't know someone actually lived upstairs."

"That long?" He seemed just as surprised as she did, stopping the ball with his foot for the moment. "You must've arrived shortly after I did. I'm surprised we 'aven't met b'fore." He paused, watching her thoughtfully, then chuckled and snapped back to the present, punting the ball so that it would pass a good few feet to her side. "Let's make this a bit more interesting."

He chuckled softly as he bustled off after the ball, lazily shifting from one foot to the other as he watched her plight from where he stood. He laughed aloud as she struggled to retrieve the ball, meaning no harm by the gesture--it was just funny. Poor girl. "You can pick it up if y' need to, Natsumi," he explained once she returned, smiling. "This isn't a real game. We don't even 'ave goals. But we could make it more like a game, if y' wanted?"

"If you insist," he replied with a shrug. If she wanted to play balancing acts trying to get the ball from tight spots, far be it from him to stop her. At her question, he nodded, glancing around for marks they could use as goals. "Yes, that's th' basic id--" Her quick movement caught his attention and, on instinct built from long practice, moved to intercept the ball as it was kicked out to his side.

Capturing it with relative ease, he started towards her carefully dribbling it from foot to foot, challenging her to take it from him with a look only to evade with a quick spin and wind up behind her, walking backwards while dribbling the ball once more. "Come get it."

"Ah, but it's perfectly fair!" He argued good naturedly, continuing backwards and away. "I'm supposed t' be gettin' it past you, aren't I? No one said I 'ad t' kick it th' whole way."

Thom flashed a grin in response, pleased that she was finally relaxing and enjoying herself. The poor girl had seemed rather terrified earlier on--or, at least, self conscious and easily embaressed. On an island where people were turning into animals, there was no need whatsoever for that sort of behavior. Much less around a man who spent most of his free time back home challenging friends to make fools of themselves--or vice versa.

Time flies when you're having fun, as the saying goes. The same was certainly true for the night. Thom had hardly noticed the fading lightly until Natsumi spoke up. Slightly out of breath himself, he let the soccer ball roll to a halt, pausing in step and glancing around at the darkening sky. "...Huh. What d'you know," he mused aloud.

After a moment he glanced over to Natsumi, grinning only slightly apologetically. "Sorry f' keepin' you."

"Brilliant!" Grin considerably more genuine, he retrieved the soccer ball and stepped over to her, laughing. "I'd be 'appy t' teach you," he promised, tucking the ball under one arm. "An' we can play whenever you'd like. Lord knows there's nothin' better t' do on this blasted island."

His expression clouded briefly, but his smile soon returned. "Tell y' what, I'm supposed t' be gettin' a tape of th' Football World Cup from th' labs soon. I can hunt y' down when it arrives if you'd like t' watch as well?" It seemed like something she would enjoy, after the hours spent playing that day. And it would be an easy way to explain the 'spin thing'.

Still chuckling softly, he walked with her back to the foot of the stairs. "Brilliant. I'll let y'know when it shows up, then." He paused, glancing up the stairs towards her duplex, then, chuckling softly once more, gestured her up the stairs with a sweeping wave. "Watch y' step. I'll get rid of that trash for you in th' mornin'."

"I 'ave t' take out my own anyway. It's no trouble," he insisted, shaking his head. Once she reached the top of the stairs, he returned the wave, echoing her good night before heading into his own duplex for a shower of his own before bed.