|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Mon Jun 05, 2006 6:38 pm
Journal Entry ID ID #: 003 Synopsis: Kikue struggles with the information from Ambrose and what she knows will happen to her. An attempt to 'play' her violin turns into a dream, or is it a nightmare?, and she wakes on the floor much too late at night. Dinner becomes the cold sushi from the fridge. Kikue felt ill. At first she had been feeling too badly to even record the things that she had learned from Ambrose, both about himself and the Island. Just as the changes were undoubtably inevitable, so was the breakdown. She had thought it had sunk in before. She had been sure she had fully composed herself now, and was ready to take on this challenge. That was what it was -- a challenge. Nothing she couldn't handle. But she broke. The emotion pouring out of her was something so rare, yet when it had happened in the past, she had always made sure to be alone. It was like that now. She was tangled in the sheets of her bed, her pillow wet from tears that ran down her cheeks. She did not try to stop herself this time. This time, she tried to lead it all out of her body, in hopes that it wouldn't return. She wasn't so sure she was going to be successful in that. Turning over on her side, she curled up tighter against the covers. The lights were on sporadically around the room. The atmosphere was dim. She just wanted to be alone. Grasping some of the sheets in her hand, she wrung them tearfully, sniffing loudly every few seconds. She had never told otousan where she was going. It didn't matter that he was so damaged. She still wanted him to know she wasn't dead. That she hadn't run away from him. That he hadn't killed her or made her leave. Now he would never know. Just as bad were the flashes of memory in her mind's eye : all image of Tokyo, Kyoto, and some even of Kobe. Of the country, and the city. Of Japan. She could see it. She clung to it, not wanting to let go. Oh please, please, don't leave me. You are all I have. All that was left of okaasan. All that was left of their family was on the other side of the world. The streets, the smells, the people, the places she knew so well -- the walk to school. The subway station; the inside of the subway cars. Tears burned in her eyes. Tokyo. Home. She wasn't done yet. She wasn't done seeing it yet... Then, London. But it fell below Japan on her list, now. It housed her eventual goals and dreams, but everything that had been immediate and present in her life was in Japan. She began to whisper in Japanese to herself, just so she could hear the soft dips and waves the language in her ears and feel it rolling off her tongue. She hadn't been done living the life that was there yet. It had all been so perfect, her plan. To leave otousan and travel here and get well again. Then she would return, and seek him out. She would play again, she would heal him, they would heal together, she would make him proud; she would make okaasan proud, watching over her from a place Kikue could not reach or touch. But oh, okaasan would see her. Kikue could still see her soft smile. Oh, okaasan...Kikue stopped, perched on the edge of the wooden bridge. She was pearing over the side into the rippling water below, where large fish swam back and forth with flicks of their tails. Her eyes wide, Kikue watched a white and orange spotted one, small but quick, turn in lazy circles with the other fish. A hand fell on her shoulder.
"Those are koi, Kikue," her mother said. She leaned down next to Kikue, her flowing black hair dropping over Kikue's shoulder like the waves in the pond. Kikue smiled up at her. "Koi," Kikue repeated, her Japanese strong. "Koi is a type of fish?"
"Yes," okaasan answered. She looked pleased. Kikue felt a warmth in her chest when she saw that look of praise.
"I like that one," Kikue said. She pointed a small finger at the orange and white koi. It opened and closed its mouth at her, and she giggled a little. Okaasan's gracefulness wasn't lost even when Kikue saw her turn and make a momentary fish-face, which made Kikue laugh again. Fish had such funny faces!
Kikue tried to twist her face into a fish's. She pulled out her cheeks and opened and closed her mouth slowly like the koi. Okaasan laughed. She said not to make such faces, or it might get stuck that way. Kikue didn't believe it. "That wouldn't happen," Kikue said logically. Okaasan gave her a mysterious, secretive look, as if she knew about certain things that the laws of nature didn't apply to. That's silly, okaasan, for that to happen...
// That...wouldn't happen... //Kikue stared at the far wall. Her vision was blurry from the tears silently spilling over and down her face, wet and hot. This whole place was one of those things that wouldn't happen. One of the things that was just silly. What would okaasan say if she were here? What if she appeared now and I said to her, 'Okaasan, I am going to turn into a cat.'
Maybe she wouldn't believe me. Maybe she would say, 'Why?'
'Because the scientists decided they wanted me to.'
'Do you feel that way?'
'I know it, okaasan! I've met people, and even they have told me. There is no choice, except from the people above us.'Far, deep in her mind, Kikue even considered her mother telling her that maybe, this was the will of the gods. Kikue didn't believe in the gods; her mother's deities. Her mother had brought Kikue to many shrines, and Kikue performed the necessary rituals -- but never for the gods themselves. For her mother. To make her proud. There are no gods. Even if there were, I would not believe that they controlled my fate. I control it myself. She wanted to say it as strongly as she knew she should. This place made her feel drained; almost wrong. That there might be a fate set for her that she could not control. I won't let it happen. Even if it meant to fight the gods, I would not let them control me.Rolling back over on the sheets, Kikue held her hands up in front of her eyes. The hands her parents had given her were what looked back at her. Hands that had done so many things. One was yet still bandaged, but that didn't erase its past. Her hands. Her mother's hands. Her father's hands. Yet the inevitable was coming...they would disappear. "I can't fight the gods," she whispered painfully into the dim room, tears trickling down her face. The injections would come. She could not stop them. What was there then to do? If she couldn't fight the gods outright, how would she win? How would she take control of her own destiny? She hugged her arms to herself, breaking into a fresh wave of tears. She didn't know how. Her heart longed for home; she only wanted to be able to see and feel it again. She needed the familiar streets back beneath her feet...the air to fill her lungs and nose...the sky to hang overhead... Her mind was lost in the memory. She pushed herself slowly up, pushing her legs over the side of the bed. She stood, her eyes fluttering. Moving over the floor, she went to her violin case, which she had brought next to the desk while she was working on the computer. Pulling it to herself, she flipped back the silver latches on the case. Opening the top slowly, the beautiful wood of her violin came into view, the strings still in tune, the bow in the side. Kikue's hands unfitted both, bringing them to her, placing the violin on her shoulder. A quick hand typed in the password on her computer -- Japanese -- and she chose an icon from the desktop. She clicked a few more places. Then, she moved again. Music began to fill every corner of the room as if it were water. Kikue closed her eyes, holding the bow above the violin. Her crushed hand could not move to touch the strings, but it didn't matter now. The bow floated above the violin, not touching the strings at all, and she twirled in the center of the floor, letting the music guide her. She knew it by heart. She played it silently, the bow zipping back and forth over the air as if it were flying with a mind of its own. She twirled, leaned downwards, walked, stood stock still and played with a passion lighting in her veins. Toccata and Fugue. D minor. The water, the music in the room, pooled around her legs, splashing and twisting into jagged shapes and columns around her body. She twirled slowly, her eyes shut, veiled in a darkness that revealed the rest of the piece to her. She played fast, fiercely yet elegantly, her feet finding their way along the river running through floor. Around her ankles, up into the air like fountains, twirling and spinning and falling like diamonds around her. A roaring ocean, a bubbling stream, the powerful river, strong like the pounding gallop of a horse, yet gentle as a mother's hand over her face. Don't stop. Don't stop.Only live.Something happened. A cat, small as a housecat, walking on its hind legs, stepped into the river with her. A tiny violin was on its own shoulder, and it bowed to her and began to play. It played fast as a fiddle, zipping and jumping and slashing its tail through the air, until it was suddenly as big as she was. They locked mind's eyes, these two, even as she twirled around it so that it blurred, only to become stark against the darkness and the water around them. It played just as well as she, and at first she set out to destroy it, to fight it with her own song, but it matched every chord. They bowed slowly to each other. Kikue paused, as the cat zipped its bow over its own strings, able to play, its own solo reaching a crescendo that caused all of the water to fall around them. It stopped then, opening its own eyes, taking its bow from the violin. Kikue have it a fierce look, turning her back on it. Suddenly feeling she had left her self open to attack, she whipped back around, to find the cat crouching on all fours in front of her, its tail stuck out behind it. The leopard. It leaped. The song was becoming painful. She turned to run from it, but it arced through the air behind her, everything felt as if it was going much too slowly, she saw its paws come out ahead of her -- how did it not sink them into her back? It's going through me --Until its paws were her hands, until she balked and began to scramble backwards, until... The song stopped. And she was sprawled painfully across the floor. Confused and afraid, she pushed herself up -- her hands were her hands -- the violin was safe, untouched, and the bow too, yet she must have fallen... Wha...? What happened?She saw a slipped, misshapen in the dim light, discarded in the middle of the floor. Had she tripped somehow? Had she fallen? "Ughn..." Kikue put a hand to her head. She suddenly noticed the light outside the window -- it was dark. Struggling quickly to her feet, holding her precious violin to herself, she strode to the computer and checked the time. ...It was still on Tokyo time, but she could convert it to roughly what she thought the time was. Nine? Nine at night? Wait, what? Had she fallen asleep?Feet hitting the floor, she wrenched open the duplex door after flicking the lock open. The door swung open, the stuffy tropical air hitting her face. Something like crickets were chirping, and the sky was dark. It was night. Utterly confused, she looked between her room and the outside world, thinking that she must have been playing, fallen somehow, and slept. The confusion was getting to her, and she began to pace the inside of her room after snapping the door shut. She felt restless; the frustration was mounting. How had this happened? And why...? And how had... She packed away her violin, as careful as always, but faster. Flicking the locks over it closed, she walked across her floor over and over again, trying to remind herself to stay calm and relax. Being like this would not solve anything. It only clouded her mind, and therefore muddled her judgments. But she was annoyed by the time suddenly lost, sore from ending up on the floor and having no idea how; her stomach rumbled, too, with hunger. Kikue felt like she had to do something. Yet she had no idea what to do, and that made it worse. Yanking open the door to the mini-fridge, she pulled out a take-out package of sushi and the plastic cover off it. Breaking open a set of spare chopsticks, she sat Indian-style in her yukata on the floor, eating the sushi bland without sauce. Her mind swam still, but she tried to focus on her sushi instead. Tried to focus on something present and existing in her life; something that she could plainly see and touch. She ate in a less refined way than usual, not caring now. She made herself look at the sushi instead, and tried not to think at all. Just eat dinner, and forget.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Jun 07, 2006 4:13 pm
Roleplay ID ID #: 006 Started On: Wed Jun 07, 2006 2:49 pm Completed On: Wed Jun 07, 2006 7:07 pm Characters: Kikue, ColcheOriginal Link: Click. Synopsis: Kikue finds her way to the beach for the first time, only to be surprised as a spunky, spirited girl-turned-cheetah pops out of nowhere. Playing with the girl in the water, Kikue introduces herself to the girl, named Colche. A friendship begins... Yamamoto Kikue Kikue hadn't left her duplex much and she was restless. The heat had forced her out of her yukata today, too hot even for that. She changed instead into short white jean shorts and a white fitted top. Pulling her long hair back into a loose ponytail, she opened the door into the humid tropical world she'd been hiding from recently. The muggy air hit her face. Gods it was hot out here. Kikue had remembered the night before that she was on an island. That had to mean water, somewhere. Only she had no idea how big the Island was. It didn't seem too big from the helicopter. I know I saw a stretch of beach from it, even. How do I get there?She had no idea. So she tried to picture the view from the helicopter, and took off walking into the jungle. The smell of sunscreen was heavy in her nose after lathering up in it. "Too hot," she mumbled, sighing. Just keep walking...it's got to be here somewhere...The walk was a bit long, and Kikue began to worry she'd gotten lost. About to head back to the village, something caught her ear. It was the distinctive sound of waves crashing. The sea!Taking off at a run, the jungle floor gradually made way to sand. Pulling off her shoes as she hopped from one foot to the other, the beach came into view. A long stretch of sand, the ocean kissing right up against it with good-sized waves. "I found it!" she exclaimed happily without thinking. Jogging toward the water line with her shoes in her hand, she dropped into the sand and starting pulling off her socks, too. Ocean! Colche The beach was one of the cheetah girls most favourite places in the whole entire world. Acctually she could probably say ehr favourite. the crash of waves the smooth sand between ehr furry toes, the warmth and tranquility and the feeling of being near something that went on forever.
She hummed a song as she padded through the jungle and off towards the simple palm trees which lined the beach. she knew the way well she liked to pad along slowly enjoying the view, listening to birds singing along some times or even puuring along to the sounds echoeing from the tree tops.
As she stepped on to the sandy dunes though she was surprised to find somone already present. Of course, she wasn't that surprised, this was only a small island ti was more of a surprise that she wans't furry, or scaley or one of the other things that peoplewere these days, aweny, she would dub it that until furtehr notice. Her long tail swayed behind her the very tip twitching in a sparodic manner as she watched the woman before emerging fully on to the sand.
as was the cheetah girls norm she had not a lick of clotheing on. Really noone could blame her the island was exceedingly hot and she had no way to sweat any more bar panting. A cool breeze licked at her tawny and black marked coat and she gave a giggle as she dove down the beach suddenly ina burst of speed that no human, even a true athlete, had ever hit. The grace in her movements was simply beatuful those tence mucles moving in a smooth fluid motion before there was simply a splash closely followed by a giggle. she had jumpped head long in to the waters, turning around to face up the beach and the new girl shehad never met before. "Hai" she grins closing one eye as the sun reflected itself off the water and glareing in to those perfect blue orbs. Yamamoto Kikue Taken completely by surprise, Kikue only saw a blur out of the corner of her eye before the tawny fur dove into the water. Jumping up onto her feet, Kikue stared momentarily as the cheetah girl's head popped neatly out of the water with a greeting. Somewhat stunned at first, it was hard to shake off the apparent cat-ness of the girl's face, but since she'd talked Kikue knew she must be an Islander. She seemed young, but didn't look it. Kikue smiled, still a bit startled. "...Hello," she said pleasantly, sitting back down on the sand. She pulled up a knee and put her arm over it watching the cheetah girl in the water. Wow. She must be one of the advanced Islanders, like Ambrose. She seems so happy though."I don't think I've met you before," Kikue said. She sat up Indian-style on the warm sand. "My name is Kikue." She smiled again. It was so hot out, she almost envied the cheetah-girl for her apparent lack of caring for clothes. As much as Kikue normally didn't like the ocean, she felt she would much rather be dunking herself beneath the cool waves than sitting outside in the heat. I wonder who this girl is...Colche Colche gave a giggle. The girl seemed a little surprised by her apperance but most did on their first meeting. Everyone got used to it after a while after all. Her tail wiggled under the water as she littlened to the girl speak. "Kik--oohh" She spelt out the girls name and loopked thoughtful about it. Smiling her catty features stretched in a grin her white fangs flashing in the sunlight as she sat still facing the girl her leggs crossed the waves licking at ehr back and the base of ehr long jet black locks.
"Colche" she stated after a moment perfectly innocent baby blue eyes oblivious to the envy that the other held for her lack of issues with nudety. Givign a little laugh she padded her paw like fingers ont he surface of the sea allowing sprinkles to splash all over her cheeks causing them to sparkle "Hot" she stated simply with an affirmative nod just to let the other girl know the situation. "wan swim?" she tilted ehr head the apparant cattyness coming through once again in the simplest of mannerisms. Yamamoto Kikue "Colche," Kikue repeated. "Is that your name?" Kikue stood up off the beach, dusting sand from herself. She nodded enusiastically at Colche's invitation for a swim. Leaning down, she pulled her other sock off, and approached the water. First one foot, then the other. Giving Colche a smile, Kikue pushed her arms upward and dove into the sea. Her head popped up shortly afterwards. Ohhh it was cold! But it felt so good! Laughing a little, Kikue played with the water, watching Colche. She wondered how long Colche had been here. "Have you been here a long time?" She tried to limit her questions since the cheetah-girl worked on simple statements it seemed, although Kikue didn't doubt that she understood things just fine. "I'm new," Kikue added, nodding. And I think I'm going to be a cat, like you...Colche "Colche name" she puurrs ehr ears flickering happily as she said it allowing the waves to contune to lick against her tawny fur she floated a bit doing what she aptly called 'the kitty paddle though she couldn't resist splashing Kikue a little. Water games were fun!
Colche grinned gently and nodded "uhhuh foreverlongtime" she knew the sentence wasnt' entirely correct, but as far as she was concerned the past was gone and there was only the island in her life.
"Was Kikue gun be?" she asked as she knelt in the water the salty brine licking up over her shoulders and neck. She loved the sea so, despite the cheetahs protests she wouldn't give up the water Certainly not when she had learned how to swim and the sea was every where, it was a fun and joyous medium for her. "Colche .." She paused, and huffed "I'ma princess cheetah" she giggled and grinned,s eh adored telling people what she was becoming. Being a princess after all was one of those little fantasys that swam though her mind often. Yamamoto Kikue Kikue didn't mind the splashing. She splashed Colche a little too. So her name is Colche. Swinging her arms in the water, Kikue forced a smile after taking in Colche's answer to her other question. The cheetah-girl must have been here for almost as long as Ambrose...although Ambrose had said he was the first. Was Colche on the same level of her animal that Ambrose was on? Kikue dunked her own head beneath the water again and shook her long ponytail. "Me?" she echoed, trying to hold a smile still. The last few days had been hard. "I'm going to be...a snow leopard. A cat, like you are." She wondered what Colche would think of that. "You're a princess?" Kikue couldn't contain the question, even though she was already thinking back to the last couple of days after mentioning the animal that had been in her dreams. A soft smile flickered across her face. "Wow." Colche Colche giggled wiggling her tail under the water "snow leopard" she puurred happily "Kitty!" She grinend broadly, the girl did look like a kitty to her. "Is be nice, good bein' kitty" she stated bluntly. She had no idea what a snow leopard was exactly, but if she was going to be a kitty perhaps it would be a bit of comfort to know it was in ehr oppinion 'fun to be a cat. She knew full well not everyone was as happy as she was here, though this peice of information had only come to her recently. She wanted for everyone to just be happy!
When kikue asked the question though the girl gave a very sweet little giggle "sorta" she puurrs standing out of the waves and turning around lifting her hair she showed the girlt he long striped amrkings down her back. She knew the markings wern't normal cheetah, as most of trhe pictures in the book. they belonged to the 'king' and ultimately a young female king was a princess. "means me princess" she giggles sinking back in to the water and allowing it to lap around her chin again. Yamamoto Kikue "Really?" Kikue asked, feeling somewhat better at Colche's assertion that being a cat was fun. She wouldn't know herself until it happened. For now, though, it was easy to forget -- which was strange, because Colche should have been the constant reminder that everything was not what it seemed. Splashing a little, Kikue stared. "Oh, wow," she breathed, seeing Colche's fur and markings up close. She recognized that they weren't the normal cheetah patterns, but didn't know what else it would be. "You've got different cheetah marks," Kikue said. Reaching out a tentative hand, she touched Colche's shoulder, the fur wet. It felt so real...which made sense, didn't it? Since it supposedly was. Kikue let her guard drop completely, smiling, her hair plastered wet to the sides of her face, she smiled brightly. "I read princess stories. I like them a lot. Do you?" she asked, genuinely curious. The sun was still overheard, but harder to feel now that she was soaked to the skin with ocean water. For a moment, she realized she felt connected to the playful cheetah girl...moreso than anyone she had met here at all. Colche Colche grinned broadly as her shoulder was touched and a soft puurr radiated from ehr chest. Anotehr part of her transformation though she of course was used to the sound which wasn't int he least bit formed by her tongue it came from her chest and throat area.
Of course when Kikue mentioned princess stories Colche nodded vigerously "Uh huh! snow white n sleeping beauty n cinderella!" theyw ere some of her favourite stories and movies of course!"I's learny to read better n speaks n writes" she says with a little embaressed glance at the sparkling salty surface. She knew her speach pattern was far from eprfect! She wanted to be able to speak and understand just like everyone else. it would take time but she was slowly getting there. With Josh's help she was coming along in leaps and bounds. Yamamoto Kikue Kikue was memorized by Colche's ability to purr. Immediately she smiled; the sound was so familiar, and it made her think of home for some reason. It was amazing how Colche could do it. That means cheetahs must purr. Why, I didn't even know that...Pleased with Colche's reaction, Kikue let her feet leave the sandy floor and treaded water for a moment. "I like those stories too," she said, feeling the urge to giggle. It was as if this was the first time she had really sat around giggling with another girl, having been so immersed in her studies as well as occasionally, well, being locked inside by her father. This, by comparison, was even fun. "You speak very well," Kikue said brightly, thinking it was so. Something must have happened to Colche to make her like this, since her body betrayed the fact she was indeed older than she sounded. It must have been very bad, enough that, Kikue suspected, she might not have even known how to speak. She had heard of things like that before. Shivering a little in the water lapping her skin, she was glad at least that though her father had come close to doing such things as locking her away, it hadn't been indefinite. It had felt that way at the time, but she had always gotten free again...whether by his hand or her own... "What's your favorite princess story?" Kikue batted some water between her hands cheerfully. "Do you know the beauty and the beast story? I like that one a lot." And the story of the Prince and the Raven, of course... Colche Colche's puurr grew louder as she was told she spoke very well. She loved to be praised like a child she adored being told she was doing something well it boosted her ego and only made her try that much harder! "Thankyou" she whispers her voice a sweet muurr of a think echoeing above the purur which eminated from deep within her.
"hmm snow white" she smiled softly "oh..uhm skleeping beauty.." She bit her tongue for a moment looking thoughtful "Likes all" she grins sheepishly. She couldn't pinpoint one particular story she liked above them all. Snow white reminded ehr alot of ehrself though she had black hair and blue eyes, she had even spent a week trying to be snow white. That was a fun week.
"like beauty and beast! on dee vee dee" she grins happily, she had watched most of the stories in the media library in the entertainment room and beauty and the beast was one of the nicest ones "tale as old as time2 she hummed the tune happily wiggling her ehad from side to side as she did so. She didn't know all the words but she did adore the song. Yamamoto Kikue Kikue was happy that something so important in her own life was shared by somebody else. Not being able to restrain herself, she answered, "You're welcome." Picking some water up with her hands, she poured over her head and face, and shook her head. She pushed her wet bangs back from her face. "I like them all too. I didn't know there were DVD's here..." Her face lit up. In a soft voice, she moved her hands to the song, singing, "Tale as old as time...song as old as rhyme...beauty and the beast." Stopping, her face flushed red, and she put a hand on her head to push her jet-black hair carefully back nervously. She hadn't meant to go off like that. She was so out of it recently. Colche Colche giggled happily. She enjoyed singing ever so much it was one of her favourite past times. it wasn't very often that she was seenw ithout a song perched precariously upon her lips. For a good few moments she was silent a slight sigh escaping her lips as she looked at the sky. she hadf to leave soon,s eh kenw Josh would be expecting her for her lessons but she was having so much fun with this new girl! Still, her lessons were very important! She enjoyed them alot too.
Slowly but surely the little cheetah girl started to make her way to sure "have go lessons" she puurrs lookign back at Kikue as she shook herself doggy style her fur all puffing out making he rlook like an extreme fluffball for a few moments even her cheek fur puffed up. It was a cute image but soon her fur settled and she grinned broadly "watch dee vee dees soon" she puurrs happily and nods to Kikue "soons" she giggles waving one last time to the woman she had left in the water before dashing on up the beach to her lesson. She hoped Josh wasn't there already!She really didn't have a very good sence of time passing! Yamamoto Kikue "Okay," Kikue replied, not knowing what lessons Colche meant, but understand they were important. She nodded. At hearing Colche's resolution to watch DVDs with her, she laughed, truly happy. "Okay! Soon." She nodded again, watching the cheetah girl spring from the water with a grace beyond normal human reach. She waved Colche off as the cheetah girl sped off to what looked like the village. ...Wow. Kikue stayed in the water a bit longer, swimming lazily, diving beneath the surface now and again to get her face wet. Sometime later, the water began to feel chilly. Striding slowly from the ocean , Kikue's feet hit wet stand. She flipped her hair over her shoulder, wringing it out in her hands. Thoughts swirled lazily in her mind. She was soaked to the bone from the water, but didn't mind it too much. It was still hot out, and she was glad for the coolness of the sea. Not bothering to try and keep herself from getting full of sand, she struck off toward her shoes and socks, left discarded carlessly on the shore. The hot sand clung to her wet skin, caking it. She didn't mind. Cramming her feet into her sneakers, she picked up her socks with a hand and started squishing her way towards the jungle. Until she paused, just for a moment, and looked back over her shoulder at the rolling ocean. The endless sky. And the mysterious cheetah girl who appeared and disappeared, fast as anything. Kikue's feet started walking again. A smile spread across her face as she walked beneath the shade of the jungle trees, heading for her room and a good shower.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Jun 13, 2006 12:29 pm
Roleplay ID ID #: 007 Started On: Sun Jun 11, 2006 8:31 pm Completed On: Tue Jun 13, 2006 12:46 am Characters: Kikue, Avery, BillyOriginal Link: Click. Synopsis: Kikue stops into the Entertainment Room for the first time, tired from trying to get back on a regular sleeping schedule. She meets Avery, who is soon interrupted by a disoriented and ink-spewing Billy. Kikue runs off back to her duplex. Yamamoto Kikue Kikue pushed open the door to a room she had never been in before. A tired look was etched onto her face. After glancing around briefly, it became obvious that this was the room that held the DVD's that Colche had mentioned when Kikue had met her on the beach. Kikue felt only mild curiosity to look through the titles and choose something. She didn't usually watch TV or movies. Instead of sifting through the DVD cases for something, she merely relaxed onto the couch in front of the blank television screen. The room was fairly nice, and the TV itself looked expensive. Kikue didn't care much either way. She leaned her head against the back of the couch, staring up at the ceiling with her haggard look on her face. Try as she might these past few days, she simply could not get back on a normal sleeping schedule. She seemed to always wake up too early or too late; succumbing to sleeping through the middle of the day even as she tried to stop herself. She was in that phase now, having tried to stay awake again. She thought of turning the TV on to see some of the world news, if it would even play that. But did the goings on in the world really even matter right now? She was so tired. Avery Calder Avery felt tired. He was still having nightmares - although not all the same ones, they were still bad, and he was losing sleep over them. He hoped maybe watching something to distract himself from thinking about the nightmares would help, so he made his way to the entertainment room. When he opened the door, however, his ears perked up when he saw someone he's never met before sitting alone on the couch. His head tilted curiously when he noticed she appeared to be completely human. Was she new? He made his way over to the couch, tail wagging behind him. "Hello? Hope I'm not intruding or anything," he said, peering down at the girl. Yamamoto Kikue Kikue jumped slightly, startled out of her daze by the entering of someone else into the room. She looked at him, seeing tiredness on his face, too. She forced a smile, noticing the tail wagging behind him. She's never seen this person before, but they looked distinctively like...a dog. "Hello," Kikue said quietly. "No, I'm not doing much of anything, actually." She noticed the different colors of his eyes. "Feel free to watch something." Kikue hesitated before introducing herself; why, she didn't know. It was only polite -- she had never met him before. "I'm Kikue, new here," she added, just barely audible. She didn't feel much like talking, but didn't mind someone else talking to her. If only she could get on the right sleep schedule. Avery Calder "Nice to meet you!" Avery said, smile still on his face. "The name's Avery." Well, she didn't appear to be afraid of his appearance, at least. Then again, Avery didn't think he looked very threatening. "So when did you get here? You... know about this place... right? What it really is?" he questioned, not wanting to have to explain it to her if she didn't, but also not wanting to keep it a secret. His ears were pressed back against his head now, feeling a little nervous. William Woodrow There was a noise at the entrance, and the sound of scuffing rubber edged with a wet, slithering subtle noise. The octopus wasn't quite sure where he was swimming, but he knew he could find a chair. Had to sit. Had to stop the world from spinning with it's neon edged blurred after image burned into his retinas. As soon as he looked, everything was still, but when he looked away, the world fell away.
Billy had gone back to his rock after his meeting with Frost- but he hadn't taken his pills. He was thinking. He let a day go by, and he hadn't taken any vicodin. Then he took a couple of Frost's pills. The next day he had taken more. Today he was at four. Yamamoto Kikue Kikue had only started to answer Avery's question. "Yes, I know about i--," She stopped there, hearing the sounds of approach, but had no idea in the world what could make that sound. She saw a man, ringed by tentacles coming from his own body, coming in through the door of the room. Shocked, her voice simply disappeared, and she stared, knowing all the while it wasn't polite but not being able to help it. This was the first time she had really seen someone with a serum that was, as they all called it, 'unlucky.' What is he...squid? No. She was too familiar with sea creatures, mainly because they were a common food in Japan, to think so. Octopus. Has to be... Gods.Kikue didn't move. She couldn't. Her eyes flicked to Avery for a moment, and then back to the man entering. She was definitely more awake now, even though the fatigue still hung around her mind. Avery Calder Avery's ears flicked toward the doorway before he turned his head to look, wondering what the sound was. His eyes widened when he saw the octopus man. Of course, he knew exactly who it was, but the sight of him was still... disturbing to Avery. He glanced at the new girl. He was sure the sight of him must be pretty scary. But Billy was... mostly harmless, in his mind. "It's okay," he said to her, attempting to sound reassuring, but it was obvious he was uncomfortable, too. "That's Billy." Then he looked at the other man. "Er... hey there," he greeted him, but his tail wasn't wagging anymore. He didn't notice anything was really off with Billy quite yet. William Woodrow Shadows were speaking to him, stretching upward over the walls, and he felt his tentacles flail outward to catch himself on the air, but managed to catch himself on his crutches instead in a clumsy stumble. Voices were talking, saying his name. Billybillyboy-o c'mere. A woman, a woman in purple with black hair. Still for a moment as he staired, purple eyes wide and glassy, untill he heard the second shadow speak. Yellow yellow all over, it was a dog, it was a beast, it was a man, it was a monster, twisting and groping and warbling in the air, "I don' wan' any," He managed in a shaking voice, stopping dead in his tracks. Yamamoto Kikue Kikue noticed Billy's disorientation immediately, having lived with her father and his drinking ever since they had moved to Tokyo. She had become very good at noticing when something was wrong. She stood up slowly, looking at Avery. Billy. His name was Billy. "I think something's wrong," she said quickly, her gaze flicking back to Billy's writhing tentacles and his glazed eyes. She wasn't even sure who he was talking to, and that was definitely a bad sign. Knowing that he wouldn't recognize her, Kikue was hesitant to try and talk to him to see if she could help. She didn't want to startle him when he was like this. The sight of the man still stunned her, but the overwhelming feeling that he was clearly not all there overrode the fear. Kikue glanced back at Avery, her expression set but worried. This situation was all too familiar...except of course that this man was half octopus. Gods.Avery Calder Avery frowned, glancing at Kikue. "Wrong..?" he peered more closely at Billy. He did seem to be acting strange. He took a small step close to Billy when he stumbled, but he stopped, not going any closer. No telling what he would do if there really was something wrong with the other man. "You don't want any of what, Billy?" he asked, confused. What was he talking about? Avery had no idea what to do, he thought for a moment about leaving, but he didn't want to leave the new girl alone... and Billy was in the way of the door, too. He was starting to feel a little trapped. William Woodrow Billy Billy Billy what's wrong what's wrong Billy? The yellow monster was barking at him, snarling and twisting but when Billy looked away and the world he couldn't see dissolved around him, there was no monster anymore. Just the black haired girl in the funny purple bathrobe.
He had staggered all the way there from his perch at the lake, drawn on some sort of instinct to hone in for food, but after such a long walk, his brain had latched down on a crashing place. Couldn't go back to his duplex. That's what the man wanted. Billy didn't care. He'd show him he didn't care.
His tentacles coiled and uncoiled around his bare legs, the top set from his chest reaching out like arms for something to catch himself on, "Feckin'... chairs..." He managed. Yamamoto Kikue Kikue watched Billy stumble, leaning over as if he were reaching for something. She had no idea what, except that he was on a course for the couch. Quickly making more room for him by backing up against Avery, she watched Billy's rambling mouth and the distant look in his eyes. She couldn't smell alcohol, but something was definitely wrong. "Is he usually like this?" she whispered urgently to Avery. Kikue had no idea how to help him. She wasn't even sure that this spell wasn't from the serum somehow. Should I say we should call the labs? ...No. That might only make it worse.Remembering how her father was during his drinking spells, Kikue silently watched Billy's tentacled hands reaching for the couch. Silence might be best. Avery Calder "I don't... think so," Avery replied as he watched Billy, feeling unsure if he should help him or let him be. "I mean, I don't see him around much... he seemed fairly normal when I did see him, though. Not like this, anyway..." He moved around Kikue, taking a few hesitant steps toward Billy. He reached out slowly to put a hand on Billy's shoulder to help steady him, as he appeared to be a little unbalanced. "Hey, man, you okay? Do you need any help?" William Woodrow At the sudden touch, Billy flinched, nightmare pills surging through his system at full throttle now, sloshing about inside, poisoning his waking conciousness at the higher dosage still. The yellow monster was on him! Grabbing him! Gonna' get him! Bill jerked up, eyes wide and locked on Avery's face as he gave a strangled cry, gagging as ink erupted form his mouth, flowing down his chin and front to splatter between them. Yamamoto Kikue Gasping, Kikue backed a few more paces as she stared wide-eyed at Billy's puddle of black vomit on the floor. She had no idea what it was, only that normally it shouldn't be that color. It was too dark for blood, but she still had to struggle to keep herself from reacting instinctively. She shot a quick glance at Avery, not knowing if this black inky liquid wasn't some kind of poisonous defensive mechanism. Do octopi even have those?Billy needed help. Kikue tried to keep her face set when looking at him, but she was more than worried. He was reacting badly to their presence; this could be beyond her control. At home, she usually shut herself up when her father had started doing something like this. Should she just walk away now? How can I walk away? Something is clearly wrong with him --But maybe being there, someone he didn't know, was only making it worse. Yet he had reacted badly to Avery and supposedly knew him. "Avery," Kikue got out in a low voice, trying not to speak too loudly lest it trigger something in Billy, "should I leave? Should we call anyone about this?" What is that puddle on the floor, all down his front? Maybe I should just leave and call someone about this...Avery Calder "Holy s**t!" Avery gasped, jerking back quickly and stumbling backwards, nearly tripping over his own feet in his haste to get away. "What the hell was that!?" He gasped, staring wide eyed at Billy. Was he sick? What the hell was that stuff!? "I... I don't know what to do," he sounded a little panicked, clearly scared by Billy. He wanted to get the hell out of there, he didn't want to have anything to do with this... whatever was going on. He didn't know. "There are cameras... the doctors would have seen... so..." If Billy was really ill, the doctors would come get him, right? William Woodrow The monster backed away and the octopus kicked his feet to try to swim away, mearly managing to land sprawled on the floor in a clatter of limbs and crutches, tentacles flailing as though to try to swim away, ink still dribbling from his mouth as he coughed and gagged, trying to spit it out, "AWAY FROM ME! AWAY FECKIN' STAY BACK!!" Yamamoto Kikue Instinct kicked in immediately. Kikue's survival skills at home with her father only furthered the need to get out of here. Backing away from Billy, Kikue shot a look at Avery. "Let's go," she said urgently under her breath. "Let's get out of here. If something's wrong they'll come." Billy wanted them to get away from him, and Kikue was only too happy to obliage. Side-stepping the puddle of blank inky fluid on the floor, she made fast for the door. Pulling it open, she slipped quickly outside, making for her duplex. Number 48. Shooting a look over her shoulder, she nodded at her duplex once Avery was out so he might know where she lived, and then she didn't look back. Pushing the key into the lock, she opened the door only to close it and lock it tightly behind her. This is insane.Avery Calder Avery had to agree with Kikue, especially when Billy started to scream at them. What the hell was wrong with him? What had happened!? He didn't stick around to find out. He quickly turned and ran out of the room, not pausing to look back once. He felt a little guilty just leaving Billy there... but what could he do? Nothing, he thought to himself. I couldn't do anything.The doctors would help him. It wasn't Avery's job. He saw the new girl run into her own duplex, and he felt that was a good idea. He rain straight to his own duplex, slamming the door shut hard behind him. He leaned back against it, panting. Why couldn't anything just be normal around here!? William Woodrow And Billy lay on the floor, limbs curling up against his chest as he sat in the puddle of his own ink, hyperventilating as he waited for the monsters to go away. The had left, but their shadows still remained, snapping at him, clawing at his skin, digging it's nails deep down as though to pull what human bones remained in his limbs and pull them out. But painless, painless, just his eyes, just the world spinning. Falling apart bit by bit untill blackness took a hold of him and he fell into his own nightmares.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Jun 14, 2006 1:47 pm
Roleplay ID ID #: 008 Started On: Wed Jun 14, 2006 1:00 pm Completed On: Wed Jun 14, 2006 4:34 pm Characters: Kikue, PyrothOriginal Link: Click. Synopsis: Kikue has more trouble staying on a normal sleeping schedule. In another bout of restlessness, she heads out of her duplex, only to discover the lake as well as Pyroth taking a wash. The two enjoy time talking to each other, before fatigue sends Kikue back to her duplex. Pyroth Ignatius The last two weeks for Pyroth had been traumatic to say the least. His moods were more unpredictable than anything else and it always seemed just when he thought he was getting better, he'd veer off and abandon normality in favour of letting the coyote do as it liked. He'd been living in the jungle near-feral, eating what he could catch rather than interacting with people and as such had gotten more rangy and thin than when he'd left. His fur was stained in places with dried blood and mud. It was this combined with his tremendous thirst that had drove him out of the jungle and back towards the lake where the water flowed clean and fresh to the ocean.
The trouses he'd been wearing when he headed out were now tattered memories below the knee and he bore several deep cuts and scratches received at the angry tusks and hooves of wild boars. He'd barely spoken in days.
Stepping out of the undergrowth, or rather loping/hobbling somewhere between bipedal and all fours he looked around, ears perked for any sounds he headed down to the water's edge. Once there, he waded out to about waist deep in the shallows and proceeded to scrub his paws of their accumulated grime, his back to the shore. Yamamoto Kikue Kikue had resorted to staying in her duplex instead of venturing back outside after her meeting with Billy. She'd eaten most of the food she had stashed in the fridge, although her sleeping hadn't improved at all. If anything it was getting worse. She continually woke up around dawn and dusk after sleeping through the afternoon. No matter what she did, she couldn't shake it. She often felt restless after staying in the duplex for extended periods of time, like now, and it was during those moments that she felt she had to do something. She only had no idea what. It was that same time again, very early still, where the sun's light was pale in the sky. The air was cool and misty. Kikue was awake, and she headed out her duplex door without a second thought, walking quickly into the jungle with no idea where she was going. The close trees and vegetation of the jungle made her uncomfortable. After walking for some time, relief spread through her as she hit a clearing. Reflected in the still water of a lake was the remaining jungle. A lake. It was large and looked like it might be deep. Water wasn't Kikue's element, but she approached it slowly, breathing in deeply the open air. This felt good. Pyroth Ignatius
Pyroth was greatly enjoying his dip in the cool waters, not only because it would mean the whiter parts of his fur would actually /be/ that colour but because he'd now be cooled off for a lot of the day as he dried. Taking off his feather headband, he tossed it onto the shore before diving completely under the water once. It was while he was under that he missed Kikue's arrival at the banks. The coyote wouldn't step out of his depths in the water though, and even just a few seconds of that chilly silence under the surface made his heart race, he couldn't swim when he came to the island and though he could to a degree now, there was no way he'd just go for a lap round the lake, old fears died hard.
Taking a deep breath of air as he surfaced, he shook his fur like a wet dog, making quiet a bit of a racket as he did so. However, it was when he was getting his wet bangs out of his face that he finally spotted a splash of colour nearby.
He swung round to face Kikue, supressing the instinctual urge to bare hs fangs in surprise. He raised a brow, sure he had never seen her before.
"Uh...hello." he stated, his voice like a growl until he coughed and returned it to normal. "Didn't see you there."Yamamoto Kikue Kikue was surprised herself, catching herself from taking a quick step back to see what had just popped out of the water. What was even more shocking was...his voice. For this must be an Islander, because they were talking to her. That information had trouble registering when she saw how completely canine this man was. Unlike Ambrose, he didn't look like he actually walked on two feet -- paws. Kikue would have sworn this hadn't been a person at all, for how much he looked like an animal. The canine head and muzzle, the legs and paws; he almost looked like he walked on all-fours. His wet fur clung to him like a wolf or dog's might. The breath was caught in her throat. "H-Hello," she got out, wanting to kick herself for losing her composure. She should have known that someone would be out here. "I didn't mean to startle you," she added auickly, catching the distinct growl in his voice for the moment that it was there. "...I'm Kikue." She paused again, feeling somewhat uncomfortable. Her human body had yet to change; it probably went without saying that she was new here. She hardly knew what to say beyond that. Pyroth Ignatius Pyroth caught the usual surprise and pause for thought in Kikue's expression as she spotted him. He was getting better at reading body language and subtle facial hints nowadays than he'd ever been as a human. He had been avoiding people for weeks, it was just his luck he'd meet someone as he came back for a short while. Ah well, he wasn't too bothered really.
He couldn't help the grin and chuckle that escaped him as she spoke, doubled over with a sudden bout of laughter. He shook his head and waved away her apologies with a paw before composing himself but still keeping his grin.
"You? Startle /me/?" he raised a brow jokingly "I doubt it. It's me who should be apologising to you for rising up out of the depths like an ocean wolfman." he shrugged his shoulders "I'm Pyroth. Coyote." he felt like adding what he was turning into as an afterthought in case it wasn't obvious at first glance.
Shaking his head again to get some water out of his ears he added in a somewhat more morose manner. "New I see. Don't worry, I doubt you'll end up looking as bad off as me, from what I hear I'm one of the only islanders who has gone....this far over to the other side."
He gave her another nod and a smirk "Been traumatised yet? Besides me I mean. The island is good at that." Yamamoto Kikue Kikue broke into a smile. Just like with Ambrose, she'd forgotten that Islanders who were already changed had probably seen her coming from a mile away. In this case, she had thought she'd surprised him... a little at least. Pyroth...so this is who Ambrose meant. I probably should have guessed. He's much different looking than even Ambrose... And a coyote, not a wolf...Kikue straightened up a bit, still smiling. "Actually, now that you mention it...I ran into an octopus yesterday. I think he threw up ink all over the floor at me. And Avery," she added, remembering that Billy seemed to have been aiming for Avery at the moment. I mustn't have gotten enough sleep to be talking about this so casually. "This is my first time back out of my duplex," Kikue said, meaning it. She took in a breath of the cool outside air and sighed. Pausing, she decided to mention Ambrose. "Ambrose mentioned your name to me when I met him..." Stopping there, she let the thought hang. She couldn't think of what else to say now that she had started to say it. Pulling on her yukata fabric, she sat down carefully on the shore of the lake. She might as well sit down for this, in case Billy was somehow in the lake somewhere... Pyroth Ignatius Pyroth's grin broadened as Kikue spoke of Billy. "Ah, that octupus is called Billy. He's a nice guy, just a little maligned by most of the islanders and staff. Still, I wonder what inspired him to freak out at Avery and yourself." he paused, considered this then shrugged "Who knows? I'll have to ask him sometime. But yes, I can definately see why that would be traumatic for you. Trust me, after a while you just get used to that sort of thing, this place is freaking crazy. Like a cross between a creche and a zoo."
He flicked an ear "I'll say one thing though, it's definately easier to cope if you get out and about, see everyone and stuff. I have a habit of staying in my duplex myself. It doesn't help."
He began wading out of the water, over to where his headband lay. Pausing to reply again "Ambrose mentioned me? I haven't seen that guy in a while. Take it he isn't as bad as me yet?" it was a question he had a feeling he knew the answer to already. "It doesn't matter."
Picking up the headband, he left the water. "Oh." he exclaimed before walking down the bank a bit, away from where Kikue was sitting. Once there he had another conclusive dog-shake to clear his fur of suface water before heading back. He tried to make light of the situation with new islanders, feeling that whining at them would only make things harder for them.
"I'll tell you something, never grow fur, it's an absolute pain in the backside. Like a heavy jacket you can't take off no matter what."
He raised a brow, sitting down a little ways from where Kik sat.
"So, where were were you from originally?" Yamamoto Kikue Kikue, miraculously, broke out into laughter. Calming herself, she wiped an eye for a minute before smiling at Pyroth. "I'm sorry, but, that's exactly what I was thinking when I got back into my duplex last night...'This is insane.' You've summed it up so eloquently." Looking out over the lake, she stretched out a leg, pushing off her sandal to dangle her foot on the top of the water. "...I don't know what made him do it." She hesitated, remembering how Billy had been acting. "I thought he'd been drinking, but it wasn't that. He had no idea who Avery was, or where we were. I was worried something was wrong with him." Kikue bit her lip, memories flicking slowly past her mind's eyes. She moved some of the lake water with her toe, thoughtful. She gave Pyroth an understanding look. "I know. I've been trying to let myself just walk around here. Staying inside makes me feel trapped." Even she didn't know why that feeling was so distinct, but it was there. With a shake of her head, she recalled Ambrose's profile in her head. "Ambrose isn't the same..." she got out softly, picking up on Pyroth's tone of voice that he already knew that that would be the answer. Kikue held her composure, not turning to pity or apologies. She got that the feeling that it wouldn't help. "He told me he thinks he has one more injection left." Still, a wistful smile flicked across her expression. "I don't think I have much of a choice about the fur." She tapped the side of her head. "Leopard. Snow leopard. I think the island is going to get too hot to stand very soon." Sighing, she sat back a bit father on her hands, nodding at Pyroth. "I'm from Tokyo, Japan. What about you?" There were no human distinguishing features about Pyroth anymore to tell where he might have been from. But by his voice, she thought she could narrow it down. Pyroth Ignatius He grinned, glad to have been the source of some sort of amusement. "I've had quite some time to observe things around here, with so many different people of different backgrounds about, you really do get to see some wild disputes and parties. It's not all doom and gloom, only if you let it be. My motto has and always will be "If you don't laugh, you'll cry" I just treat things as far as possible as one big desert island holiday with wacky activities for the residents. Like boar hunting." he smirked. "As for Billy, I wouldn't worry too much, if he didn't recognise Avery or what you guys were, he was probably high on something or other. That b*****d is like a drug baron, I tell you." his tone was playful and joking. "I should find him sometime, see if I can get anything for myself."
He nodded "That's the best thing to do, keep wandering around, soak up the sun and the local exccentrics, maybe take up a hobby, it passes the time."
He didn't comment further on Ambrose, although he felt the panic rise up in him at the idea of another injection. What would that do to /him?/ Would there even be any human left!?
He didn't dwell on it. Couldn't dwell on it. Instead he glanced over at Kikue, surprised.
"A snow leopard? Toasty but not as bad as say, grass, a squid or whatever. From what I hear the mammals are the easiest transformations. I mean, granted, no one wants to turn into a furry thing, but it's better than a scaly or boneless one." he smiled and joked "Just don't huff at me if I growl at you now and then. Gotta keep up appearances for the other canines. No cats, y'know."
"Me? I used to travel around a lot for my work, mainly America but some mainland europe and the UK too. Born in a reservation in Arizona though. Never got to go to Japan. Hear you guys have the best kareoke bars over there. We should get one at the beachbar if the doc feels generous."
Yamamoto Kikue Ahh. So that explained a lot. Billy was probably taking something then...he was barely with us at all. But if he was doing too badly, the labs would have had to pick him up. Isn't he too precious as a subject to just let himself OD to death? She repressed a shudder at the thought. Pyroth was making light of the situation, and she enjoyed it. But Billy's slack jaw, black ink dribbling down his chin, his glazed yet angry and terrified eyes reared up in the back of her mind. She tried to shake it off. Kikue nodded. "I think that too," she admitted, knowing how she had made plans for her studies and all sorts of things to 'do' to keep herself from sinking into a stupor. It had been increasingly hard recently, but there were times... She smiled, letting her foot rest in the shallows of the lake water. "I think all of it is still sinking in...but sometimes I forget when I can get out here. Have you met Colche?" The thought of the little cheetah girl caused Kikue to smile without a second thought. "I met her on the beach a few days ago. I think I almost forgot what I was doing when I was with her. Her cheerfulness is infectious." In a good way, of course...She tapped her foot on the water's surface, sending out large ripples into the lake. "That's actually what I've been telling myself...I know it could be worse." She frowned at Pyroth. "Billy was the first person with a truly 'unlucky' serum that I met. After seeing him...I just don't know what I'd do." Holding up her bandaged hand, she glanced back over the water, lowering it into her lap after a moment. She laughed aloud, almost grinning. "Appearances, huh? I understand, if you do." She paused for a moment and attempted a growl, but it sounded quite fake. She laughed again, softer this time, pushing some of her hair out of her face. "I'll have to keep the cat-ness for Colche. She's a fan." On the subject of kareoke, Kikue couldn't supress laughing again. It was almost as bad -- or was that good? -- as being with Colche. "You like kareoke?" The word itself came out accented for her, being one of the few words that sounded distinctly Japanese when she said it. "We do have a lot of those bars though," she admitted, trying not to think of how many lined the back streets in any district in Tokyo. "I might try you one day. I like it myself." Then she added, "Except for the cocktails." She pretty much avoided alcohol at all costs, after her father. Not that she minded if others had a drink. Smiling, she pulled her legs up to herself and felt a bit of kinship with Pyroth somehow, especially after hearing he had done some traveling. They shared some things in common. Pyroth Ignatius
Pyroth nodded "Yeah, Colche was one of the first people I met on the island when I got here, when was it again?" he looked thoughtful "Sometime in August last year I think. Anyway, she is one of the people here I can rely on to cheer me up, nothing gets her down." he grinned "I can only hope to be as content as she is here. She had a bad background but on the island everyone is like her family."
"Yeah, Billy is a strong guy to keep it together though a transformation like that, all the respect in the world to him for that, I swear." The coyote knew that, put in the same situation, he would have copped out already. He laughed at her attempt to growl and cackled " Hey, it's a start, though I'd wager I've got it down better so far. Colche will teach you how to walk the cat walk over time no doubt."
However it was the kareoke comment that amused Pyroth more than anything else. He was aware of the fact that he was all but tone deaf, as Khan had reminded him almost endlessly in numerous pubs over the years. "He-ey, just because I'm a coyote doesn't mean I don't like to sing. Actually means I like it more like this, you ever heard our howl?" he broke up into laughter again, the coyote's howl was about as tuneless as his voice. "Nah seriously, if you were ever around me at a kareoke, you'd need protective earmuffs, I'm terrible. And worse than that, terribly enthusiastic. Alcohol wouldn't save you anyway."
He grinned.
They had to get a kareoke on the island now, it would be hilarious. Yamamoto Kikue I knew something had happened to Colche. Kikue had expressed an impressed look on her face after hearing that Pyroth had been here for almost a year... That time last year I was trying to keep up with school and my music...to think that this place was still running all the way back then... Kikue smiled softly. "I want to try and be like her, too. She's so carefree." Colche was someone Kikue was hoping to see again soon. Why did she feel so drawn to Colche? Probably for the same reasons Pyroth is, too...how can we be more like her?Kikue nodded slowly, having no idea what Billy must be thinking or going through with the change like that. Pyroth's respect in that instance was surely well placed. Could she really hold it against Billy to be so drugged out of his mind? It probably wouldn't have been where she would have taken herself, but the end would have been the same... She laughed. "Well, I'll have to learn from her. I think she's the only other cat I've met." It sounded strange to say that, but Kikue tried not to think about it. "I've never heard a coyote howl," she said, something like a faint grin tugging at the corner of her lips again. "Just because you don't think you can sing doesn't mean you shouldn't!" Putting her hand over her mouth to stifle the laughter, she was already imagining Pyroth sitting on his back legs, holding a microphone carefully in his paws and howling passionately into it. Ahaha...She gave Pyroth a quick smirk. "What do you say. Whenever they make one, we go at it." It sounded so silly that she could almost picture it. Pyroth Ignatius Pyroth nodded "There are quite a few felines on the island I think, Colche, Jamal and I think there's a lion too. But Colche is definately your best bet to talk to, she likes the company anyway I think."
He grinned wickedly. "Never heard it? It used to drive me nuts at night. S'like this." He threw back his head and let out one single note, a perfect coyote sound, dischordant and feral before grinning. "It's my party trick nowadays."
Regarding his singing, he chuckled "Oh I know, there's been many an occaision where my friend Khan used to plead with me not to sing, but I excercised my right to anyway!" he looked triumphant "We got kicked out of so many bars that way. My secret weapon was always "The road to hell", it certainly was for the barflies anyway!"
He nodded. "Definately. I'll prove how terrible I am." Yamamoto Kikue Pyroth's coyote howl split the air. Kikue simply stared for a minute before breaking into an amused smile, definitely catching the wild tune of the howl. "Wow," she got out, again picturing a long, drawling series of notes from Pyroth on a bad, makeshift stage as a spotlight fell on him. "Impressive. Are you sure it isn't worse than a cat yowling? Because I've heard that too, and it's pretty bad." Kikue was reminded of her grandmother's grey tabby cat, who often sat on the window sill at the front of the house and yowled out of his mind until she came back from shopping. That had to be worse than a coyote howl...perhaps. 'Never heard it? It used to drive me nuts at night.' -- Is that why they picked coyote for you, Pyroth?Laughing again, she nodded hard. "It's a promise. Who knows how my singing will fare by then! We'll have to see." She stuck her hand out suddenly, shaking Pyroth by the paw and giving him a sincere smile. Did that mean all they had to do was convince Moreau to build a kareoke bar? This might be an ongoing project...Pyroth Ignatius Pyroth shrugged. "A cat yowl might be worse, I've never really been subjected to it all night most nights for a few months." the doctor probably never even knew the irony of the injection when he chose it for Pyroth, that of all animals, he thought of coyotes as the biggest pests. Granted, that had changed now, it had to, but he still wasn't the biggest fan of the species. "I'm pretty sure that you'd learn to hate any sound after that long." he smirked.
He shook her hand "Even if your singing is yowly I doubt it will be as bad as mine, I mean I was rotten /before/ the island, you can't one-up that. But definately, if we can bribe the doc to get us a kareoke machine, we'll be off and running." He got to his feet, stretching, his tail swishing happily behind him. "Anyway, it's been nice talking to you Kikue but I'd best head down to the beach and let the sun dry off my fur." he gave her a nod. "I'll see you later on. Take care and if you see Colche, tell her I was asking how she was."
He waited for her reply before finally hobbling off with a wave, in the direction of the beach. Yamamoto Kikue "That's true," she said, still laughing softly. Having been subject to the coyote howl for so long, no doubt Pyroth still didn't like it. And Kikue knew she could sing fairly well...she had thought her voice would stay the same, but with the addition of these strange new abilities. Like growling. She had no idea how to do that right now, though. Kikue nodded, smiling. "I understand. Thanks for talking. I'll tell her if I see her." She too raised a hand, waving him off as he went to go relax. She watched him go, noting his strained, hopping gait. It was as if he was in-between four feet and two. She tried not to watch after much longer, not liking the way the thoughts sat in her head. She stayed alone at the lake alone for a while longer, putting a toe in the water and swishing it around slightly. It wasn't until her eyes began to feel heavy that she knew she should head back to her duplex. It was happening again. The morning was still young; she might not sleep yet. But her body was already to lay down after staying up the night. Why couldn't she get back on her regular schedule? Standing up, she pushed her feet into her sandals, looking back the way Pyroth had gone. He had already vanished. Kikue shuffled off back to the village, looking at the jungle around her as she entered it again. It still felt too close for comfort when she was amongst the close trees and plants...but she kept walking, knowing, she felt somewhat sure, the way back to the village. So...that was who was Ambrose was talking about...Pyroth.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Jun 14, 2006 3:29 pm
On her way back from the lake, Kikue decided to stop by Nita's duplex, remembering what number it was. Since Kikue was awake, she considered this a good -- albiet early -- time to see if Nita was home and awake. Walking up the stairs to Nita's duplex, she knocks softly on the door and waits politely for an answer. Knowing its early, she wants to say hello before the afternoon comes and sleep takes her.
There is no answer at the door.
"Nita?" Kikue called softly, knocking again, a tiny bit louder. She struggles with the idea to try the doorknob, never wanting to intrude on someone. Curiousity overtakes her and she turns the knob : it's locked.
Worry creeps on Kikue. Don't be silly...she could be anywhere, maybe even eating right now. But the bad feeling doesn't go away.
Walking back quickly to her own duplex, Kikue returns outside Nita's door with a note written in hastily written cursive :
Nita,
I stopped by your duplex to say hi, but you weren't here. Just wanted to see how you were doing. I hope everything's all right. I'll come by again later.
Kikue
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jun 18, 2006 4:42 pm
It's nine o'clock on a Saturday
the regular crowd shuffles in
There's an old man sitting next to me
Makin' love to his tonic and gin
He say, Son can you play me a memory
I'm not really sure how it goes
But it's sad and it's sweet and I knew it complete
When I wore a younger man's clothes
Da da da de de da
da da de de da da da
Sing us a song, you're the piano man
sing us a song tonight
Well, we're all in the mood for a melody
And you've got us feelin' alright
Now John at the bar is a friend of mine
He gets me my drinks for free
And he's quick with a joke or to light up your smoke
But there's someplace that he'd rather be
He says Bill, I believe this is killing me
As the smile ran away from his face
Well I'm sure that I could be a movie star
If I could get out of this place
Sing us a song, you're the piano man
sing us a song tonight
Well, we're all in the mood for a melody
And you've got us feelin' alright
Now Paul is a real estate novelist
Who never had time for a wife
And he's talking with Davy who's still in the navy
And probably will be for life
And the waitress is practicing politics
As the businessmen slowly get stoned
Yes, they're sharing a drink they call loneliness
But it's better than drinking alone
It's a pretty good crowd for a Saturday,
And the manager gives me a smile
'Cause he knows that it's me they've been coming to see
To forget about life for awhile.
And the piano sounds like a carnival
And the microphone smells like a beer
And they sit at the bar and put bread in my jar
And say "Man, what are you doin' here?"
Da da da de de da
da da de de da da da
Sing us a song, you're the piano man
Sing us a song tonight.
Well, we're all in the mood for a melody
And you've got us feelin' alright.
["The Piano Man" by Billy Joel]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Sabin Duvert Vice Captain
|
Posted: Mon Jun 19, 2006 7:03 pm
It starts slowly. You've already noticed that the heat of the island is sweltering, and thus, when you start feeling warm... feverish, it is easy to pass it off as a particularly bad instance of the tropical temperatures. After reading of the snowy climates that your destined animal, the snow leopard, was from, it only seemed to make the overbearing summer in the Carribbean worse. Now, the snowy peaks that the cats call their home seem to taunt your mind with the respite as your body begins to sweat profusely. It's likely only when dark rosettes begin to appear on your skin that you realize that what is happening is more than just heat exhaustion. The rosettes spread over your shoulders and down your back - mostly hidden by your clothing. However, the spreading white at the tips of your hair as shock sets in in undenyable. Your fingers and toes ache as your fingernails extend, sharpen, and seem to bore backwards down into your digits as they solidify. While not retractable yet, they are sharp. Your ears ache painfully as they swell and change shape, rounding as a light dusting of white fur covers them. As you call out in shock, your canines lengthen and sharpen. Finally, the changes subside, leaving you one of the "others", no longer completely human. 
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jun 19, 2006 9:42 pm
Roleplay ID ID #: 009 Started On: Mon Jun 19, 2006 9:02 pm Completed On: Tue Jun 20, 2006 12:55 am Characters: Kikue, Joliette, AlecOriginal Link: Click. Synopsis: Kikue ventures to the cliffs that arch upwards from the beach. There, she meets Joliette, and begins to befriend her. They are interrupted by sounds that turn out to be another Islander, Alec. Kikue begins her first transformation, and has to be helped back to her duplex. Delusional and overheated, she is nevertheless grateful to the help of the two... Yamamoto Kikue Kikue had forced herself to leave her duplex again. She knew spending so much time locked inside was bad, but recently she had been having a harder time keeping her spirits where they should be. She'd broken and randomly left her room again, now walking slowly along the rocky cliffs. The air felt strong here, distracting her for a while. She'd been so cooped up, left to think things over in circles in her head, that the exhiliration of the breeze felt like freedom. She wanted to abandon herself to that wind. She didn't want to have to think. Pausing along the rocky ledges, she stopped to lean her back against the rough wall, looking out over the ocean. It felt so good up here. So right. She felt like she could finally breathe. Joliette Rigiel Atop the cliffs was one of Joliette's favorite places to take photographs, not only due tot he view, but due tot he fact there was little shade there and the sun felt very good on her skin, she desired that warmth, if not craved it *clicklickclickclick* went her camera taking multiple photos in sequence of birds and sealife in teh distance using her telephoto lens. Her short figure was wearing a skirt that stopped around her knees with her tail poking out hte back and a light t shirt and she was barefoot, she didn't care about her hair it was pulled back in a loose ponytail Yamamoto Kikue Kikue heard the woman before she saw her. Drawn by that rhythmic clicking of her camera, Kikue rounded a bend in the cliffs, peering around the other side. She saw a woman there, completely immersed in the scenary through her camera lens. Her hair was pulled back; Kikue could see her scaly tail from where she stood. Scales. She must have a reptile in her. I wonder what kind."Hello," Kikue said, hoping not to startle the women or disrupt a photograph. She was interested in this new person, hoping to get away from her thoughts all the more by striking up a conversation. Maybe the reptile woman knew some of the others Kikue had already talked to. The only way to know was to ask. Joliette Rigiel Joliette paused lifting her head a little from teh lens and looked towards the sound of hte voice, one she didn't know. Her tongue flickered bringing her the woman's scent "Hello" she said in her distinctly british accent. She stood more upright, well the woman wasn't freaking out, so she must know she thought to herself Yamamoto Kikue The British accent caught Kikue by surprise, but it was a welcome and even comforting sound. It made her think of London, which made her think of her parents, and home. Pausing for a smile, Kikue came around from the other side of the rock, trying to mask the weariness on her face. She was still having trouble sleeping. "Hope I didn't --" she began, meaning to say "startle you" at the end, but she stopped herself. She'd automatically said that to so many people; it was probably just as fruitless here as it had been with each other person she had said it to. Probably the woman had caught her approach through one sense or another. She cleared her throat awkwardly. "Sorry," she offered, turning instead to introducing herself. "My name is Kikue. I'm new; I've been here for a few weeks now. Nice to meet you." She smiled again, hoping the tiredness wasn't apparent on her face. Joliette Rigiel "Joliette, Not new, been here since last fall, and much as it's a pleasure to meet you, I wish I didn't have to... cause then you wouldn't be here" her name was spoken with a very french sound to it, even despite her British accent. She gave a wry smile and motioned a rock beside her "You are welcome to sit down if you want, the view here is wonderful" she looks at the oriental woman, her 4'5" stature wasn't really tall, and like everyone else she'd met there she had to look up Yamamoto Kikue Hearing Joliette's name brought more memories to the surface of Kikue's mind. The day trips to Paris. The southern countryside. The name of that church that she still couldn't remember; the one that she had mentioned to Sabin... Kikue smiled herself, saying a quick "thank you" that was barely audible as she took the seat Joliette had gestured to. "I know. It's hard not to hear that from almost everyone I meet," Kikue said, thinking again of the people she'd met so far and their expressions at meeting yet another new person. It probably only spelled doomed for those that had been here so much longer. What were they going to think, since it only showed that Moreau must be making progress? She tried not to think about it. Shaking off the thoughts, she nodded, looking out over the ocean. "It is beautiful," she breathed, agreeing completely with Joliette. The wind brought the sea salt smell to her face, pushing her hair back. Cocking her head, Kikue nodded at Joliette's camera. "Are you a photographer?" she asked. It seemed like an obvious question, but the difference between an amateur and a professional was a point of some discussion, at least. Joliette Rigiel Joliette saw her lips move but didn't hear her words until after she'd sat down. "Was a photographic journalist actually, for World Weekly News when I came here, I've done freelance though not just contract" She reaches forward and caps the lens and pulls it off hte tripod and puts the camera down capped lens first on it's large lens then sits ont eh ground. "What did you do before coming here?" Alec Derring "This... definet'leh isn't th'way back." Alec sighed as he stared down from his new vantage point, being above the jungle canopy. A wrong turn again, it seemed. Served him right when he chose to walk with his mind not fully on the task at hand.
He'd never even been near the cliffs before, the mountainous mass of rock usually lost in the simple picturesque background the island provided. The punk teen decided to continue up for a bit more to take a look at what exactly was up here, though he hated the incline of the paths he chose. It didn't help that his 'habit' made it hard for him to catch his breath. "Damn." He breathed heavily, stopping to hold his hands on his hips and wipe sweat from his partially-bald head. Yamamoto Kikue Kikue looked over her shoulder, hearing a few loose rocks scatter. She wasn't afraid, but she was curious. She could hear someone, but they were still not in full view. "Did you hear that?" she whispered to Joli, nodding at the bend of the cliffs that she herself had come from. Standing up slowly, Kikue stood up on her tiptoes, aiming to see around the side of the cliff. "Oh," she whispered back, "I'm a violinist." Then she nodded again at the sound of heavy breathing. For some reason she wasn't scared, but it could really be something threatening, for all she knew. She trusted Joli's instincts on the matter, waiting for her input. Joliette Rigiel Joliette looked around "No... I didn't" she couldn't hear low tones and she knew it. Her tongue flicked a few times "But scent is familiar" she sits straighter "Hello?" she asks Alec Derring The shuffling continued as Alec drew nearer, feet slipping slightly on a patch of particularly loose pebbles when he stopped yet again and coughed. The connection between his low lung capacity and his 'habit' never occurred to him, of course.
When he heard the voice call out he nearly lost his balance and fell backwards in shock, having not expected anyone to be up so high in such a secluded place. He was almost afraid to respond at first, so he held his breath and listened for a moment before replying with a tentative ".... Aye?" from down below. Island of Moreau It starts slowly. You've already noticed that the heat of the island is sweltering, and thus, when you start feeling warm... feverish, it is easy to pass it off as a particularly bad instance of the tropical temperatures. After reading of the snowy climates that your destined animal, the snow leopard, was from, it only seemed to make the overbearing summer in the Carribbean worse. Now, the snowy peaks that the cats call their home seem to taunt your mind with the respite as your body begins to sweat profusely. It's likely only when dark rosettes begin to appear on your skin that you realize that what is happening is more than just heat exhaustion. The rosettes spread over your shoulders and down your back - mostly hidden by your clothing. However, the spreading white at the tips of your hair as shock sets in in undenyable. Your fingers and toes ache as your fingernails extend, sharpen, and seem to bore backwards down into your digits as they solidify. While not retractable yet, they are sharp. Your ears ache painfully as they swell and change shape, rounding as a light dusting of white fur covers them. As you call out in shock, your canines lengthen and sharpen. Finally, the changes subside, leaving you one of the "others", no longer completely human. Yamamoto Kikue It started with the heat. Kikue tugged at the collar of her yukata uncomfortably, feeling suddenly lightheaded. She could hear what must be another Islander responding to Joli's call, but it sounded faraway and muddled. Something isn't right. "Something's wrong," she got out, her voice coming out weak and not nearly loud enough. "Joliette --" She fell onto her knees, feeling the sweat beading up on her face, no, all over her body, trickling down into her eyes so that they burned and stuck to the fabric of her clothes. What --She grabbed her arms to herself suddenly, her back arching, still hearing things like pebbles scattering and voices muttering. Her hair was pooled on the rock and dirt of the ground, and that's when she saw it -- the white. It was spreading on the tips of her hair, not all the way up, but she saw it fade in like a stain. The transformation -- oh no --Not knowing what to do, she tried desperately to keep her eyes from tearing as the burning ache crept into her toes and fingers. Holding them up in front of her eyes, she could see them growing, like claws, digging backwards into her skin, inside of her, a part of her. The sound of the pebbles was suddenly much more acute and defined as that same ache jumped to upwards, to her ears. Kikue held her shaking hands over them, not daring to touch them; she couldn't see them, but she could suddenly hear everything, they must be changing too -- She shouted something in Japanese, Help me, just as the grinding ache resounded in her mouth. Grasping her mouth and chin, she sat on her knees in the rocky dirt, rocking back and forth, trying to tell herself to breathe. The tears ran silently down her face. Joliette Rigiel Joliette doesn't hear Kikue's plea, it's only when the female tumbles tot he ground that she notices hte distress the woman was in due to watching to see who was coming "Kikue?... oh crap" she added in french. She knew from personal experience there wasn't much she could do, but hope the woman didn't become violent like she herself had at one point. "It'll be over soon" she said quietly looking between Kikue and the approaching Alec Alec Derring About to make his ascent on the cliffside where the greeting originated from, Alec was stopped in his tracks by the sudden explosion of a painful scream. If the voice hadn't startled him, this definetly shook him to the core. The teen found himself ducking down, huddling out of sight of the figures above until they disappeared from the edge.
Despite his hesitation, he crouched still and waited even yet until the sound of soft sobbing echoed down the cliffside. "Wha' th'fook's goin on?!" He called out to whoever or whatever was up there, gathering his guts to quickly scramble upwards. Once he'd reached eyelevel with the two, he stared awkwardly from a short distance away without uttering a word, piecing together the scene he'd walked in on.
"...Aye." He repeated the greeting to Joli, but failed to recognize the woman she was holding in her arms. Yamamoto Kikue Kikue couldn't stop herself from crying. She did it softly, her vision blurred, as she had to nearly stop herself from clinging to Joliette. The tears ran down her face. She could hear the other Islander so much more clearly now; it was as if someone had flicked on a switch in her brain that controlled her hearing and finally let everything in. Yet she could barely see him for the tears, and the silent rocking of her body. It hurt. Everything hurt. Her changed fingernails, now so much like claws, dug into her skin as she hugged herself pitifully. She had no idea what to say to the approaching man; all she could croak out from her still-throbbing mouth was, "It hurts." The guilt sat like a cold rock in her stomach. She wanted to disappear; she hadn't meant for this to happen. She already felt that she was imposing herself on Joliette, especially now; Kikue toyed with the idea of just fleeing on the spot. But her body was sore, too sore, and she did nothing except rock. Back and forth. Her mouth, closed or open, hurt too much, and she nearly panted in the outside heat. It hurt. Joliette Rigiel "Alec, she's changing" she looked up at him with a look that said 'uh help...' "perhaps we can help her into the shade, might feel better then the blazing sun on her..." She didn't know what to do, she had no pain killers, just her, her laptop and her camera and camera bag. She did her best not to let her claws dig intot he woman's flesh as she tried to offer her support Alec Derring Alec stood numbly nearby, staring at the two with a blank expression. Suffering. It wasn't something he thought he'd ever have to see living in the small town he'd grown up in. No one there suffered as bad as this. There were always the sick ones, but never such undeserved pain that bordered so close to torture that it made his stomach turn.
He noticed Joli's look, like she expected him to do something. What could he do? The pain was inside, it was an invisible enemy he couldn't fight against.
"Wuh?" He managed to utter stupidly, making it sound like he didn't understand anything that was going on. It took him a minute for it to sink in, for him to draw closer and stoop down to gently grip the girl's arm and brace another on the small of her back in preparation for her movement. Yamamoto Kikue Kikue was shaky on her feet. From Alec's support, she understood she was supposed to stand up. But oh, everything hurt. Her sandals were barely on her feet, the claws plain as day now, especially against the dark ground. She fought the instinct to shudder, fearing the pain it might send jolting into her body. Her hands were sweaty; all she could think about was cold, now, as the pain became a steady throb. It was so hot out here. Her mind began imagining everything, anything, cold, to try and keep her from panicking. Cold. Snow, slush, hail, mountains, ice cream, ice cubes, cold drinks from the vending machine, cold drinks at a dinner party, cold mountain tops, cold snowy crags in mountains. She stumbled a bit, heading for the shade as Alec mostly held her upright. That was his name, wasn't it? Alec? Who was he again? She felt sick to her stomach. Joliette Rigiel Joliette helped best she could to get her it the shade, her opinion it was Alec who did most of hte work, and soon she pulled her own stuff into the shade as well "Do we have anything we can get to dampen? theres a creek near here I think" she was watching Kikue "You ok?" she asked feeling concerned as well as unsure. Alec Derring Alec set Kikue down in the little shade that was available on the exposed, rocky cliffside. He figured her weakness was due to the painful change but as soon as his hand brushed hers he realized she was overheating quickly.
"Uh.." He stammered, stuffing his hands in his short pockets as he searched for something cloth-like. After tossing a few gum wrappers, he successfully produced a bandanna. Holding back the urge to tell Joli to find the so-called creek, the teen turned and strode off in search of some water. Yamamoto Kikue Kikue was aware of her mental daze, just barely, but couldn't get her thoughts to line of straight, which pressed her mind close to panic. "I've got to get back to my duplex," she rambled, knowing that she had the A/C on in it and that it was relatively cold. That was what she needed. Cold. Her body ached, the sweat still coating her skin. She couldn't dredge up the emotions to feel embarrassed or disgusted with herself. Instead she was bent completely on the very singular notion of coldness. Laying down in coldness and breathing it in deeply and going to sleep. She had felt weary before running into Joliette on the cliff. Now she felt exhausted; drained. Swaying a bit, she gripped Joliette's arm with her hand, completely unaware of what her newly-grown claws might be doing to the scaley skin of the other girl. "I think I've got to go back to my room," she said to Joliette, her words tumbling out in a heavy breath. Alec was walking off, she realized. He must have moved a rock, because her ears caught the sound immediately, straining painfully even with just a minute flick. She wanted to call after him, but her mouth was dry and her thoughts empty. Ijusthavetogettomyduplex. That'sall--Joliette Rigiel "Your duplex... uhm " she looked off in teh direction Alec went hoping he'd find the water, hoping it'd help long enough to figure out what to do "Uh which one is yours Kikue?" she really knew almost nothing about the violenist accept her name and that one fact and that in it'self was flustering for the Komodo-girl Alec Derring Alec heard the sound of running water before he saw it, quickly skipping down the rocky embankment to place the rag in the flowing creek. he was surprised to feel that the water was freezing compared to the blazing sun overhead, but he took little time to wet the bandanna before returning to where Joli and Kikue were.
"Go' i'." He murmured and tossed the damp cloth to Joli before he reached them both, coming to a stop a few feet away again. The girl looked horrible. "Now wuh?" Yamamoto Kikue "Duplex 48," Kikue answered, feeling quesy even as she struggled to gain some control over herself. She hadn't a thought in her head about what she must look like now; all she could focus on were the immediate needs standing out starkly in her head : Cold. Dark. Sleep. "Thank you," she breathed, meaning every word, as she saw Alec and reached with a clawed hand for the dripping rag he held. The appearance of her hand shocked her for a moment, and she forced herself, though now shaky, to take the cloth and slap it over her forehead and face. The freezing water ran down her neck, causing dark spots on her clothes. She didn't care. The water felt so good. She had begun to lick it from the corner of rag sticking out over her chin, catching herself only after a half of minute of doing it. It made her already unstable situation worse; her face burned, the heat prickling over her skin. Gods, she had to get out of here. "Can you help me back to my room?" she asked breathlessly, trying to stand. Her legs threatened to give out. They felt like jello. Struggling, she ended up grabbing onto Alec to stay on her feet, which shot pain up through her legs. "It's not far," she breathed, not even knowing what she was saying anymore. "Just number 48." Joliette Rigiel Joliette nods scooping up her belongings quickly and stuffing them in their bag "Alec you are gonna hve to do most of it... I'm a lil short... uh and I have stuff to carry too" she motions hte huge lense which she was hefting over her shoulder. as she prepped to help Kikue home Alec Derring Alec paid no attention to Kikue's seemingly delerious expressions or actions, mostly unfazed by the situation or at least forcing himself to feel that way. He was surprised and flustered when Kikue fell against him though he grabbed onto her waist to hold her up while giving an unsure look to Joli. "... ekay." He tentatively responded, already turning slowly to edge his way down the path while offering support to the ill girl.
It's not fair. His brow furrowed though he tried to focus on his task, glancing back once or twice even though they hadn't made it far, to make sure Joli was following. "Ye.... a' know." He mumbled quietly, uncertain if she'd heard him or not. 48 He thought over and over, seeing it as a finish line now.
How did he get himself into these situations? Yamamoto Kikue She walked with him, Joli's reassuring footfalls nearby. Kikue, uncharacteristically, rambled most of the way back to the beach and through the opressive jungle. At first it was a torrent of thanks to Alec ( she thought that was his name; where was she again? ) and Joli. Then it was about cold things, which had completely taken over her mind. She physically flinched stumbling into the jungle, the heat pressing in on her, the trees like walls closing in. She let out a cry midway through, feeling as if she couldn't take the heat nor the illusion of the jungle crowding in around her, obscuring the sky. It was a struggle to stay upright. Her sandals were barely on her feet. When the village square opened up before them, she was still stumbling, yet trying to go faster. Her eyes flicked from one duplex to the other, feeling panic as she thought that hers might not be there. But it was, and she saw it. Climbing the wooden stairs was especially hard, her feet sending jolts of pain up her legs at every raised step. At the door, she struggled frantically with the key, her clawed hands unfamiliar to her as she fumbled and dropped it to the ground. It was harder to pick up, her hands still thrubbing at the tips. Her damaged hand was especially hurting. Kikue gave up trying and pressed the key into Alec's hands, hoping he understood. "Thank you so very much," she got out again, having said it how many times before she had no idea. Both of the other Islanders had something like pity or worry on their faces, but she couldn't really tell, and her body didn't care. She just wanted to be away. Joliette Rigiel The walk was quiet, well at least to Joliette it was, she was focusing on holding her stuff and trying to help Kikue, she barely even noticed as they approached the duplexes Alec Derring Alec thought he was about to pass out when he saw the duplexes peek from amongst the dense jungle walls, whether from relief or exhaustion from hiking and holding up the weakened girl. His head spun with worry, embarassment and anticipation as they climbed the stairs, each wince or cry from Kikue made him sick to his stomach to hear.
"Almost theh." He grimaced when she dropped her key, indicative of her poor state. "Aye, don't worreh 'bout i', ekay?" He replied in a kittery tone, fighting with his own shakey hands to open her door for her. Once he'd been successful, he gingerly brought her inside and towards her bed. Lying down would help.
"Sleep i' off." He instructed, with the only know-how he possessed. "an' mehbeh take a showeh t'cool off?" The irish teen looked back at Joli for somesort of affirming nod or support. "'Am Alec. 'Am in forteh-woon, Joli's in... twenteh.... tw-twenteh fav. Call if ye need 'elp." With all his nerves he'd nearly forgotten, but managed to muster his memory to remember Joli's duplex number.
Whether she was a new subject or not, Alec didn't care. He treated her as he would anyone else he felt responsible for, unable to think of any way else to help. He'd never rushed out of a room so fast as he exited her duplex straight past Joli and down the steps, heading for a nearby tree to sit underneath. Yamamoto Kikue Kikue was so thankful for his help. Nodding at his instructions, she sat shakily on the bed, the A/C of the room causing goosebumps to poke out of her skin. The sudden change in temperature didn't help her stomach, but she felt like she could finally breath. She forced her mind to focus enough to at least repeat the duplex numbers Alec was stating. "41. And 25. Alec and Joliette. Yes." She turned her grey eyes up to him, wanting for all the world to find some way to express her thanks at his and Joli's help. But there was nothing, no words, except, "Thank you. So much." Kikue watched them go. When the door clicked closed behind them, she curled up shakily on her bed, breathing the cool air deeply. Undoing her yukata somewhat, which only now noticed was still wet with water and sweat, she closed her eyes. She needed to sleep. Just needed to sleep a little. Already sinking into the darkness of her mind, it was only then she realized that she was still gripping Alec's cloth tightly in her head. Tears welled up in her eyes, and she felt all the worse for still having it. She promised herself she would return it...if only she could sleep. And she did.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Jun 21, 2006 2:57 pm
Journal Entry ID ID #: 004 Synopsis: Kikue finally faces herself, alone, in her mirror after changing for the first time. She remembers her transformation and struggles mentally to keep herself strong. She woke up in darkness. The sheets of her bed were clinging to her; the fabric of her yukata felt stuck to her body. Blinking her eyes open slowly, Kikue stretched, a damp cloth slipping from her fingers as she yawned widely. She rolled over on the top of her bed, staring up at the ceiling. Her brain felt muddled; slow. Where was she? ...I'm in my duplex. My room. Sluggishly, memories started to trickle back. She remembered going out to the cliffs by the beach. Peeking around the corner there, and seeing Joli. Scales, on her body. Kikue had sat down on a rock; talked to Joli. Heard something. It flickered in her mind like a an old movie reel caught on something. "Did you hear that?" she heard herself whisper to Joli, her voice sounding like it was coming through on distant speakers. "Did you hear tha -- t?"Once the memories started, it was a wave that couldn't be stopped over her mind. Feeling hot, much too hot. Falling to her knees, hard, on the ground, with her hair pooling next to her. Something was wrong. "Something's wrong -- Joliette --"[/ i]
-- and that's when she saw it -- the white. It was spreading on the tips of her hair, not all the way up, but she saw it fade in like a stain.
Snapping up suddenly, Kikue grabbed her arms to herself. Slowly, carefully, she brought her arms back out, her hands opening in front of her eyes. They were clawed, and sharp. Sucking in a quick breathe, she opened and closed her hands, feeling the transformed nails against her palms. Claws. They were still the colors of fingernails, only it felt like they had dug backwards into her fingers themselves.
Kikue bit her lip...only to regret it immediately. With a sharpness like the claws on her hands, she felt her teeth press on her lip with surprising force. "Ow," she whispered, daring to reach a shaky hand up to her mouth. Opening it gingerly, she fingered what must now be effectively growing out of her upper jaw : much longer, sharper teeth then she remembered having. It wasn't all of them. ...The canine teeth. Kikue fought back a moan. Of course.
She'd changed. Out there, on the cliffs. It had been Joli and Alec that had brought her back -- she remembered. It was all blurry still, but she remembered everything.
...She also felt disgusting. Laying in the dark of her room, her yukata still stuck to her body after being slick with sweat whenever it had been that she had tumbled into bed. The sick smell clung to the fabric. Wrinkling her nose, she pushed herself off the bed carefully, still sore and now stiff from the sleep. Feeling grimy and sticky despite the cool temperature of the room, she headed for the shower.
Kikue felt the carpet beneath her feet give way to the tile of the bathroom as she crossed the doorframe. The mirror hung on the wall in front of her. It was still dark, protecting that reflection with shadow. "I have to look," she whispered under her breath. Emotion churned in her chest. What did she really look like?
Flicking the bathroom light on with a clawed hand, the bathroom lit up, illuminating the girl standing nervously on the threshold. Kikue's reflection looked back at her. She let out a quick gasp of surprising, covering her mouth. Her long black hair, a gift from her mother, was different. She had seen the tips of her hair and up whiten on the ground, but now she saw that the bangs that framed her face had gone the same way. And something else : sticking out from her hair -- her ears weren't human. They were larger, rounder, and covered in...fur.
Raising a hand slowly, she touched the tip of one of her ears, her reflection doing the same. It felt a bit fuzzy between her fingers, yet she could feel it. It's my ears. I mean, it was -- no, it still is, I can feel myself touching them. She raised her other hand, careful of her claws, to inspect her other ear at the same time. There was fur, but not much. Yet these ears were more sensative than they had ever been before, she realized. Experimenting, she noticed that she could even move them, albiet not much.
Kikue's examination went then to her mouth. Opening it wide, she saw the lengthening canines, feeling the most worried about that overall. She closed her mouth and opened it a few times. Feeling hot in the face, she dropped her arms to her sides. Crap. She felt kind of like a vampire, with teeth like that.
Sighing, she did another look over herself. The claws stuck out from her feet, too. Walking forward on the tile made them click, and she was reminded of dogs, not cats. But it didn't matter. The changes were big in some ways, and in other small. Worst of all, even worse than her teeth, was her hair. She stood in the mirror for some time, looking at it, letting her eyes run over the swift change in color as she reached either end of her hair. Why did her hair have to change? It was such a part of her -- she hadn't thought it was change at all. But it had...
Closing the door behind herself, Kikue undid the sash around her yukata. Shrugging her shoulders, she let the clothes fall to the floor. Her eyes grew very wide in spite of herself. Dappled over her shoulders were spots, like the cat, only without fur. It was like tattoos on her skin. Kikue's breath caught tightly in her throat. Turning around quickly, she pulled her hair over her shoulder, staring close to panic at her back in the mirror. The spots extended all the way down her entire back, stopping roughly at her waist.
She tried to keep herself calm. Turning away from the mirror, she held her head in her hands, breathing too quickly. I didn't know. I had no idea, because my yukata was on. They look like tattoos -- only so much more real; like birthmarks in my skin. Forcing herself to face the mirror again, she could only stare. And stare. The blotches -- large, presumably leopard, spots. How had this happened?
How did this happen, she scoffed sarcastically in her mind, reaching back and undoing her bra in an agitated way. Of course she knew it had happened. She'd gotten her second injection -- when, she had no idea. The labs probably had ways of sedating people to keep them quiet during that time. She'd never have known anyway. What mattered now was the present, and it already felt unbearable.
She pulled off everything she had on, naked for her shower. She flicked the water on, still breathing quickly. Her face continued to burn from embarrassment. Look at me. Look at me now.
But Kikue, how can you think like this? Do you remember Billy? Do you remember what he looked like?
She pulled a towel out from under the sink, leaving it folded on the toilet as she switched the water to stream from the showerhead. Billy. She'd rather not think about what he'd look like. He hadn't even really had arms anymore; all tentacles, writhing in fear -- and the ink running out of his mouth and down his chin. She shuddered. Think of what that man looks like. Can you possibly complain about this?
Pain is all relative, she shot back at herself, closing the shower and standing beneath the warm stream of water running over her body. It was her first change. Her hair was turning a bleached white. Billy may have looked awful, and she still harbored pity for the man, but that didn't make her own panic or pain over her own changes irrelvant. No, hers were just as valid, but the thought should stay in her mind always. It was bad now, but it could be worse. She had seen it first hand. Even Pyroth, although a mammal still as a coyote -- he was nearly forced onto all-fours, and could no longer walk upright.
"I know it could always be worse," Kikue snapped, wrestling with her thoughts. "But..." Her eyes were burning. Tears pricked, and she pushed a clawed hand over the side of her head, leaning over to begin to cry. It could be worse. That did not mean this wasn't bad. Otousan. Okaasan. What would you say if you could see me. And this is only the beginning. I don't know what else will happen to me. Would you still accept me?
She hunched over more, letting the shower run down her rosette-covered back. Crying into her hands, she leaned against the wall, picturing her mother in her mind. Her mother's soft, long black hair, just like Kikue's had always been. Her memories took control of themselves, and pictured her favorite things in her room and favorite spots in Tokyo. The subways. Even the butsudan that enshrined her mother's picture.
That memory burned into her mind. She held up her bad left hand. It no longer looked quite as crumpled, yet it was still so painful, as always. She hadn't even registered that pain, after habituating to it for so long. The rest of her body was what she noticed. Still, she tried to flex her hand, only sending needles of pain deep into her arm. Cringing, she held her wet hand to her chest, trying to resist the urge to bite her lip for the pain. Ow. Owwwowowowow--
Rocking back and forth a bit on her feet, she bowed her head into the stream of water, letting her wet bangs hang like curtains in front of her eyes. She could see the water running over her, as if she were no different from before, except that her hair changed color from black to white almost startlingly quickly. Cupping that hair into a wet hand, she felt it between her fingers. It was still hair. Still human hair. Only now it was...white...
She sighed painfully, letting her head drop back, the water pouring over her face. Kikue ran her fingers through her hair, a kind of determination beginning to burn in her chest. Oh, it was bad. She might cry any number of more times after this. But still, she was here, she was Kikue, and whether or not her body morphed before her eyes, her mind was still there.
There was always her mind. Forever, this had been her greatest achievement and downfall. Her mind brought her to great heights, and she outdid many others intellectually. But it had also been the fuel for many situations, with her father and others, in the past. Even her mother. Kikue was always treated differently. Her gifts were what had often alienated her in the past. Yet here she was. Still here, still going. My mind -- they can't touch my mind. They can't take it from me. If they killed the human, would there be much point in these experiments? My mind may have to grapple with new constraints, but it will never yield. I will never lose myself. As long as I am Kikue, I am alive, and I can endure. I can't let myself die. Even if I cry every day after this one, if I can hold onto myself, I have succeeded. Tokyo -- I want to go back... If I can never have that ground beneath my feet again...it hurts so much to even think of it.
But I can't die. I can't waste away. I have to survive.
"You have to, Kikue," she whispered to herself, holding up her clawed hands in front of her eyes. She crumpled, crying softly into her hands as the water ran over her. I have to survive.
...
...I have to.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Jun 22, 2006 5:04 pm
Roleplay ID ID #: 010 Started On: Thu Jun 22, 2006 12:07 pm Completed On: Thu Jun 22, 2006 7:42 pm Characters: Kikue, FionaOriginal Link: Click. Synopsis: While finishing up her wash, Kikue spies a girl walking agitatedly back and forth through the village square. Calling out to her, Kikue begins a conversation with Fiona that not only provides her with new information about the Island but also about the girl's past. A potential friend is made. Fiona Brooks A girl walked through the village from place to place, occasionally consulting a piece of paper before folding it up and slipping it back into the waist of her skirt. Determination stirred in her every step, and she was force to cross through the proper several times on her journeys back and forth. With her she carried a pair of books, and something wrapped up in cloth. Yamamoto Kikue Kikue wore another spare yukata, her hands no longer full of the sheets and clothes she had brought to be washed and dried to the laundrey room in the village. Although she had claws on her feet, she knew she couldn't walk around barefoot safely yet. The long, sharp nails were noticeable from the sandals she wore. Dusting off her hands on each other, she sighed, looking out into the main village. It had taken a lot of courage to step outside her duplex again, but she'd forced herself to do it. She could not stay locked up in her room and stay sane here. On top of that, she felt restless when stuck inside for a long time, and wanted to be out. After the transformation, her sheets and clothes definitely needed to be cleaned. And so today, she saw to that. Standing calmly by her door, she noticed the girl pacing back and forth through the square. Kikue had never seen her before, but she looked changed already. Curious, Kikue leaned on her balcony and called out to get her attention : "Hello." I wonder what she's doing? She looks serious about something.Fiona Brooks Fiona heard the voice and took a moment to realise it was adressing her. Before she even turned around, several thoughts rushed through her mind. The first was that she was busy, and there were important things to be done, and that no time could be wasted talking to people. The second was that this was a new potiential ally, and she needed as many people on her side as she could get. In the split-second it took for this to run through her mind, she turned and looked at the girl who had adressed her, and a new, long unfelt emotion stirred into life. Jealousy.
This girl had begun to change, obviously, but she did so with unnerving grace. For what was hardly the first time, Fiona felt self-concious about her odd, squashed mouth and nose, her awkward feet, and the ugly hair randomly growing on her lanky limbs. This other girl was pretty: the snowy ends of her hair and the cute little ears seemed to suit her, and even the unnatural claws on her hands and feet were delicate and attractive- not like the hands Fiona was forced to call her own. In hardly a nanosecond the red-head had come to the conclusion that nothing in this life was fair, and that this person was most likely some stuck-up airhead who had never fought for something she believed in, or experienced true pain or loss. It was then that she responded with a simple, curt:
"What?" Yamamoto Kikue Kikue raised an eyebrow in spite of herself. It could be that the girl was annoyed at being bothered. Still, Kikue resorted to what she considered the best course of action -- certainly it had gotten her into trouble before, but she stood by it : telling the truth. "I was just...wondering what you were doing," Kikue said, without anger. She smiled slightly. "Or if you needed help." She probably knows where most places are here than I do, judging by her changes. So what could *I* help with? But, it's the truth, that's all.She continued to lean on her balcony, watching the girl curiously. Kikue wasn't always good at understanding why other people were operating the way they were, even though she could often tell clearly what they were expressing to her. Yet, she had know idea about this girl, so it could be anything that was bothering her... She shrugged inwardly. She could just as easily go back inside, but she wanted to stay out, even with the heat. So she would. Fiona Brooks Ugh, she was being nice. Why did people have to be nice, when Fiona was unhappy and trying to stay focused? "I'm... getting stuff together. Just... don't ask," she mumbled, peering around warily, as though if there were a security camera she would be able to see it. Shifting her things in her arms, the girl paused, eyeing the girl suspiciously. Allies. She needed allies, not enemies. "I'm Fiona. You?" Yamamoto Kikue "My name is Kikue." Kikue was now even more curious than before, watching Fiona dart her eyes around as if something was watching her. Was it some kind of new instinct because of her animal? I don't know what her animal is though. I guess it probably isn't a carnivore. Or maybe the girl was just paranoid. Certainly they were people like that... Kikue tried not to think of anyone she knew. Even though the girl had demanded she not ask about whatever she was doing, Kikue was interested to know. The girl looked so guilty the way she was suspiciously looking around that it was like she was plotting something -- and if there was anyone to plot against, well, that'd probably be the staff, wouldn't it? She moved her feet beneath her, the claws plain as day from her sandals. Yet she was distracted right now. Thankfully. Fiona Brooks "Ke-wha?" She asked, suddenly bamboozled. Fiona had never been particularily good with names. Again, she moved the books and parcel from arm to arm, suddenly feeling uneasy with this girl's gaze on her. Perhaps it was the claws, or perhaps it was simply that she was up higher than Fiona was, but a part of her mind (one that was most likely not human) screamed threat! Threat! Yamamoto Kikue "Key-ku-eh," Kikue said aloud, slower this time. She gave an apologetic smile. "It's Japanese." Again she picked up on Fiona's twitching, and nervousness. Putting a clawed hand onto the wodd of the guard rail, she asked carefully, "Are you alright?" She still had no idea what animal Fiona was tied to, but there was something about her that Kikue couldn't put a finger on. As if she knew it, but yet, didn't. Oblivious to the girl's reasons for being so jumpy, Kikue could only begin to hope that it wasn't some kind of condition. Unfortunately, perhaps, she bit her lip at being perplexed. Her lengthened teeth made an appearance then, although she was careful not to bite very hard. She'd already learned that the hard way. "Are you sure you don't need help with something?" Kikue said again, worried. Fiona Brooks 'Predator!' The section of her thoughts screamed, making her heart rate jump. 'No-!' Fiona thought to herself, frowning internally. She was being stupid. This was a person, a human being- barely into her transformation at all. She had nothing to fear from her. She repeated her favourite mantra inside her head. 'I'm not afraid of anything.' And Fiona didn't fear much, that was to be certain- the rabbit, however, did not fit that description.
Angry at herself for acting strangely, she forced her heart rate to slow down again, and stopped fidgiting. "Nope, don't need any help, thanks." In perhaps a subconcious reaction to seeing Kikue bite her lip, Fiona did the same thing before asking her next question. "How long have you been stuck here?" Yamamoto Kikue Kikue looked thoughtful, still strangely alert to Fiona's body language and expression. Thinking back, she realized she must have been here around 3 weeks -- a bit over now. Within the next week, it would be officially one month. "I got here about three weeks ago." She smiled wryily, glancing down at her hands. "I guess that's about the time to get something like these." The sharp claws looked back at her from her otherwise normal hands. She continued on. "I guess in another week, it'll be a month. How long have you been here?" It was probably quite a bit longer than Kikue was. Fiona's changes were significant. I still don't know what animal...Fiona Brooks 'Three weeks... that wasn't long enough ago for her to have been whoever it was that attacked the scientist.' Although she hardly wanted to admit it to herself, that had been the real purpose of asking. "Me? Umm... I'm not sure. Pretty long time... since just after March Break. I don't know what month it is right now, though. One of the summer ones, I'm guessing, but every day here is like summer. 'Cept when it rains, but you know what I mean." Yamamoto Kikue Kikue actually blinked. Hard. March? Well, it was June now, wasn't it? And even almost July... "It's June right now," she said, not sure if Fiona would actually like to hear that. "Almost July..." She sighed in the humidty, nodding sympathetically. "It's so hot here. I have to stay inside for a while sometimes, to cool off." A part of her wanted to add why that was, which was the serum, she knew -- but that some part warned that it might make Fiona angry. Kikue didn't know why, but that was her gut feeling. I guess it wouldn't be prudent to just...ask which she has... Under any other circumstances, that was what Kikeu would have done. Thankfully, Fiona looked calmer, at least. This made Kikue calmer too, even though she didn't know completely why that was. Like so many things, she just accepted it and dealt with it accordingly. It was then that a large tropical bird burst out of the trees nearby, completely catching Kikue's attention before she turned back to Fiona distractedly. There were still stray leaves gliding to the jungle floor from where the bird had erupted into the sky. Uhm, what? Oh, that was it, I was trying to figure out what animal she was...Fiona Brooks "June? Holy s**t! It's been-" she paused to discreetely count the months on her fingers, "Like four months! Oh god... my parents must really believe it, now... must think I'm gone for good..." 'They probably wonder... where they went wrong, bringing me up. I wish none of this had ever happened!' A long, sad sigh passed between her teeth, and Fiona clutched the books and parcel closer to her chest. "I hate this place so much," she muttered to herself, glancing absently at the bird when Kikue's attention darted so swiftly to the avian interruption. Yamamoto Kikue Her mind focused on Fiona again, Kikue gave her an apologetic look. "...I thought I was coming here for a physical therapy program..." She held up her injured hand, stripped of its bandage since her shower the night before. She sighed painfully, sharing Fiona's pain about family long gone... "I left my father and didn't tell him where I was going," she said quietly. Guilt welled up in her chest. He probably thinks I ran away and just never came back. I want to tell him it wasn't his fault...not like that...Giving Fiona a sad expression, she nodded at her. "Why did you come here? What did they tell you to get you to come?" Fiona Brooks Fiona's expression became grim. "They didn't tell me anything. They hit me upside the head with a freaking wrench. I woke up here." She left out the part about breaking into their labs- it made her seem like less of a victim. "They told my parents... they said that we had killed someone, me and my friend who got kidnapped too. Said that I was on the run from police." Her eyes hardened, and her face betrayed no sadness. She was not about to have another emotional breakdown. She would control her god damn emotions this time. Yamamoto Kikue Kikue was shocked. The expression was clear on her face as she put a hand up to cover her mouth, not expecting an explanation like that at all. "They kidnapped you?" Stunned and dismayed, Kikue ran a hand through her hair, mixed emotions filling her. So much for somewhat willingly subjects. It was one thing to lie; that made the trip much easier for the the labs, because there was no fuss. But knocking someone unconscious and dragging them here?"How the hell did they get you?" Kikue asked quickly, swearing for the first time in a while. She so rarely did it, but this time it came out on its own. They couldn't have just broken into her house, surely. Then they wouldn't have been able to tell the parents that Fiona was "on the run." And to say they had killed someone? Wasn't that just a bit extreme? Something was off. Kikue couldn't but a finger on it, but Fiona's story either confirmed that the labs were insane, or there just needed to be more information to complete the picture. What where they thinking? Even if they had gotten her in a park or something...gods! It's such a risk. It doesn't make sense...Fiona Brooks Fiona frowned, realising she would have to elaborate. "My friend Annie and I were on their property at the time. Feral Labs is a real company, with facilities on the mainland, and, well... they have a bad reputation for needlessly testing on animals, and having no regard for cruelty. A lot of the things they do are illegal. We were going to rescue some of the animals... and we got caught."
She sighed. "When I did it, I knew there was a chance I could wind up in trouble for breaking and entering, and might even get a restraining order placed on me and my friend... but I never expected anything like this. The security guards didn't even ask questions. Besides... I didn't want to hurt anyone... and I didn't plan on getting caught." Yamamoto Kikue Kikue listened silently. The information trickled in, piecing itself with whatever else she knew. So, they did have facilities off-island. It made sense, didn't it? But would they really be testing the serums on the mainland? If they were investigated, they would risk losing their cover for this experiment. Fiona was saying they had a reputation in the first place -- for what kind of experiments? What was even more astounding was that Fiona had gotten into one of the mainland sites. How? Had she just walked in, or had it been hard? Maybe they'd only caught her on the premises, not actually inside.Feral Labs must be more widespread than even we know. The clinic I went to must have been associated with them. Are they recruiting subjects all over the world? If so, then what is the animal testing they're doing off this island? Preliminary experiments for the serums? Wouldn't the serums be too precious to risk being seized? It was possible that the Labs was confident enough in their security to conduct serum-based tests off the Island. Risky. And Fiona had been caught... "Were you actually inside the facility?" Kikue asked, her face having grown quite serious as she thought through what Fiona's story might mean. "Or did they only catch you on the grounds?" Fiona Brooks Fiona found herself carefully beginning to like this person. Nobody showed this much interest in the details... not that Fiona had told many people in the first place. "We got inside, through a fire escape," she said, her eyes trailing away from Kikue to rest on the tall, imposing buildings off in the distance. "Annie and I spent weeks planning before we actually did it. We cut open the fence, and got in a second storey window." She paused, the night still vivid in her mind's eye. "There were cages upon cages of animals. Gerbils, rats, mice, dogs, rabbits..." she cringed a little at the final animal, reaching up to touch her elongated ear. "We were noticed almost immediately, though, and the fire escape we got in by was locked when we tried to get back out." Yamamoto Kikue An impressed look crossed Kikue's face in the humid afternoon heat. So she got inside! A fire escape, by cutting open a fence... It was so crude, and yet, that was must have been its triumph. No one would have likely thought that anyone would do it. But still, Kikue found herself doubtful of the facility's security. She felt sure, somehow, that if Feral Labs really hadn't wanted anyone to get in, they wouldn't have. Yet, she likewise chided herself, all of Fiona's actions were such an obvious way to get inside that they could have easily been overlooked. It seemed much too unlikely that the Labs had left all those routes open, just in case someone did try to break in, so that they could use them as a subject. Perhaps the perfect elements were all in line : someone looked away from the cameras, the girls snuck in through the fence undetected. Once they got inside, they had to have tripped some kind of alarm. That would explain getting caught so quickly. "Wow," Kikue got out after chasing her thoughts around in circles a few times. She gave Fiona a genuine smile. "That's impressive." Fiona's slight touch to her ear at the mention of the rabbits... oh!! "Is your animal a rabbit?" Kikue asked before she could stop herself. Immediately she brought a few clawed fingers to her lips. "Oh...I'm sorry," she apologized. She still didn't know if that would upset Fiona. Walking down the stairs from her balcony, Kikue came up to Fiona after crossing the square. She kept some distance between them, but took a seat on one of the benches there. "...Are the Labs known for any specific experiments on the mainland?" She frowned. "I can't figure out what they'd be doing out there..." Fiona Brooks "Yes, a rabbit," she said softly, slipping her books under her one arm, flipping the other over to gaze at the unsightly pads that had grown on her palms. "The irony is hilarious," Fiona drawled sarcastically, but, remembering her run-in with Joliette, added, "At least it's not a carnivore. I'm a vegetarian, eh?"
"I did a bit of background research through my sources in PETA... it was pretty bad, but nothing like they're doing here. I figure they do testing for brand products, so they they get the funding to run this... this big, insane experiment... thing." Her gaze darted from building to building, finally landing back on Kikue. "What I don't get is what the point of it all is. So they can mutate people into animals. So? What good is that to society?" Anger wove sharp tones into the question, and her old passion was brought back to life for a brief moment. Yamamoto Kikue Worry crept under Kikue's skin at Fiona's comment. At least it's not a carnivore. She didn't know what it meant, but she kept it on the edge of her mind, because she planned on telling Fiona what her own serum was. Maybe then she would know more about why Fiona thought that. Kikue nodded her head. That made sense, as far as the other experiments went. But a look of confusion clouded her face. "What's 'PETA'?" she asked, unclear at what the word meant. At Fiona's last questions, there were no answers. "I don't know why they're doing it," Kikue said quietly. "A lot of me thinks that they may even be doing this just because they can. But I'm not sure...I've been trying to think of that answer, too, since I arrived here and found out what was actually happening." She gave a Fiona a warm smile, looking down at her own hands for a moment at the comment on irony. Sometimes, Kikue felt that way. No doubt Fiona's position was much different. Of course they would choose one of the animals she saw in the cages, and had been trying to free... "What about your friend?" Kikue cocked her head. "Didn't you say you went in together?" Fiona Brooks She paused. "PETA... it's an acronym. It stands for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. It's an animal rights organization I used to be part of." When Kikue asked about Angharad, she had to take a moment to turn her face away and compose herself.
"She was... she was brought here too. A little while ago, they... they took her into the labs. I tried... tried to get in, asked to see her... they said she was sick, that something had gone wrong, but I know it was an excuse, that they were lying. When I saw her last she was perfectly fine. They've taken her away from me... either to break my spirit, break hers, or..." Fiona's voice began to crack and waver, "just to experiment on her further." Yamamoto Kikue Caught offguard, Kikue almost didn't know what to say. She watched Fiona struggle to keep herself from falling apart. "She's in the labs?" Kikue repeated softly, gently, wondering what they could possibly be doing to her in there. She was a subject...wasn't she? Too precious to be seriously harmed... right?Kikue hadn't had many encounters with the labs. She didn't know if they were often deceitful...beyond getting people to the island. "I'm sorry," she said, it being the only thing she could think of to say. Then, "...Has she changed at all yet? Was she sick from that?" Fiona Brooks "When I saw her last, she hadn't changed at all... that was... about three weeks ago." The girl glared at the ground, tightening her grip on her precious items. 'I will get her out, somehow. I'll find a way to get past the guards, and get inside, and... I don't know how, but I have to. All the shifting had allowed some of the material to become unwrapped, and the glint of sun on metal could be seen before she quickly noticed and fixed the packaging. Yamamoto Kikue Kikue smiled softly. She hadn't missed the package, or Fiona's determination over her friend. Yet worry crept in... "Fiona," she said, "are you planning to break into the labs?" Fiona Brooks "No," she lied, her tone free of guilt or hesitation, "It might have worked on the mainland, but it would be stupid to try here. They've got electric fences, guards with guns, and the buildings themselves look pretty tough. There'd be no point... even if I got in, how would I know where they were keeping her? Besides... the second they saw me, they'd just fry my brain with the stupid chip." Yamamoto Kikue Quiet, Kikue surveyed Fiona's face. She sounded completely confident in not going in there, and her face mirrored that, too. What was going on in her mind? Kikue couldn't, and didn't, know. Yet she still harbored some doubt about the red-haired girl. For some reason, she was sure that Fiona was going to try it. Maybe not now, but eventually -- inevitably -- she would. Why was her friend being held in there? Was it really just a mind game? Yet Kikue couldn't even be sure everything Fiona had told her was true. Not wanting to be so suspicious of her, she quickly cast away the thought, although it lingered...and she let it. "What do they do with the chip?" Kikue questioned, sounded weary despite her best intentions. Fiona Brooks Her mouth tightened into a grim line. "I'm not sure exactly, I don't know the details. But I've heard from people that there's a microchip implanted into the back of everyone's neck, and that if you attack someone, or are about to, the scientists who are watching the monitors will do something that maked the chip electrocute you and knock you out for a little while. I mean, it sounds like something out of a movie, and I didn't really know if I should believe it at first. But then this girl, Lauren... she was getting all pissy at me, and she had claws and horns and stuff, and she got really mad, and jumped at me like she was about to attack, and slumped down, unconcious, out of nowhere. Next time I saw her, she was fine- and just as bitchy." Yamamoto Kikue Kikue stared. She turned away, biting her lip again. Right. So that was how it worked. Of course they would have to have a system like that. How could tey keep everyone under control? And the carnivores... If anyone started to attack anyone... She remembered Ambrose warning her that Jamal had attacked a number of people already. Uneasy, Kikue said, "...My serum is a snow leopard." The random interjection into the conversation sounded awkward. It felt like there was no good time to confess it. Fiona had probably already suspected some kind of cat... Conscious of her features, Kikue gingerly touched a furred ear, and then quickly put her hands back into her lap. She sighed. "I guess they would have to have something like that, wouldn't they. To maximize security...and make sure no of their 'subjects' accidently try to eat one another." The sarcasm in her voice was blatant. Fiona Brooks Fiona nodded slowly at the admission, but only spoke upon hearing the last sarcastic statement. "One of the scientists was nearly killed a while ago..." she said quietly, ignoring the niggling little fear in the back of her mind. "I think they found out who it was, but... I still don't know. Somebody else might... I tried not to get involved. But... it does happen, obviously. Whatever they're sticking us with, it does more than just change you on the outside." Yamamoto Kikue Kikue eyed Fiona, worry crossing her face. "They were?" she breathed, surprised to actually hear that her own wry comment was, in fact, a reality. Feeling as if she might know the answer, she dared to ask it anyway : "Which doctor was it?" A flash of a picture of Jamal lit up her mind. Ambrose's voice was like a voiceover, saying she should be careful around him. Had it been him? Was it someone else? Are the serums making people do that...?Fiona Brooks "I don't remember... and I still don't know if the person did it because they were crazy, because of the 'animal insticts' or whatever, or if they were trying to get back at the labs. All I know is that the head honcho was REALLY pissed. Put out this message over the intercoms and stuff, saying that if nobody figured out who did it, everyone would suffer, or something to that effect." Yamamoto Kikue Kikue winced openly. Head honcho. That would be Moreau, wouldn't it. He threatened all of them so easily? She frowned, shaking her head. "I've only changed a little so far, I mean, on the outside." She looked again at her hands, completely human, save for the claws. Glancing up at Fiona, she tried not to look embarrassed. "I think a few small things have been affecting me, like when I wake up and fall asleep. But I haven't noticed too many new instincts creeping up on me...at least, nothing that is very noticeable." I hope I don't do anything like that, she thought quickly. She didn't want to try to kill anyone by any means. No. She didn't want that. And the labs wouldn't want it either, would they? Wouldn't they stop her before she did something like that? Inside, she almost wanted to rebel, and say she could stop herself. But at hearing Fiona's tale...Kikue was starting to doubt whether she could or not...the leopard was a predator, wasn't it? Would those wild instincts surface in her mind? She sighed again, frustrated with all the questions. "What duplex are you in?" she asked offhand, as the thought struck her. Fiona Brooks Fiona grinned at this. "To be perfectly honest, I can never remember. I keep my door propped open with a rock all the time, it's not hard to find. It's neaer to the end of the row. Not too hard to find." For a moment, she considered telling Kikue about the changes in her personality, how a new sort of base fear and general agitation had been lurking in the back of her thoughts since the changes... but no. Fiona would never admit that she was afraid of anything, even if it wasn't her fault. She would control it... somehow. "I mean, I like to think that a person with a really strong will can overcome it... but I haven't found out just yet how bad it can be. I think the scariest thing about it is that you don't really notice it." Yamamoto Kikue Kikue broke into soft laughter. She smiled. "Oh, alright. Well I'll look for the rock then if I want to come by and see you." The other thoughts caused a frown. "..." She looked away, nodding as if to herself. "That's true. When I first found out, I did everything I could to try and analyze anything I did that seemed suspect. I just can't tell any of them apart. I don't know what is from the serum and what isn't. It's probably easier if people look at you instead, and can tell you what you can't see yourself." The thought was disheartening. Kikue wanted to believe she had enough insight of herself to be able to distinguish new thoughts or feelings from an outside source. But that was just it, wasn't it? How could you know? The injections...went right into your bloodstream...anything 'suspect' had probably already dug itself so far into her being that it was her now. "I've tried to guess," she admitted quietly. "I've tried to read everything I can find so I can be ready for whatever's coming. But I still can't know..." She gave Fiona a pained look. "My transformation happened when I was out on the cliffs near the beach, in front of two people I barely knew yet. I had no idea it was coming...I have no idea what they think of me now. It was probably frightening. I know it was for me, but also to watch it..." To be helpless.She looked away, off at the tops of the jungle trees. Her mind was awash with feelings, and she looked off deep in thought. Fiona Brooks 'In front of two other people...?' "I... I don't think I'd be able to handle it if I transformed in front of someone else... when it happened to me, I was sleeping, and I woke up, and it was happening already." Something she had long since forgotten suddenly rushed to the surface of her memory. "And I had this awful nightmare, right before... even though it kind of blurred together... it was all like a miserable, freaky dream." She'd completely forgotten about the dream until that moment, and a deep frown etched itself on her face as she recalled its more frightening details, a lurch of her stomach making the girl suddenly want to sit down. Yamamoto Kikue The mention of a nightmare made her curious. Nightmares...maybe they're a warning before changes come... Leaning forward to look at Fiona better, she saw the girl's sick look on her face. Before she had thought it through, she'd already quickly laid a clawed on the girl's arm worriedly. "Fiona? Are you alright?" Fiona Brooks She tensed up at the touch, but forced herself to look at Kikue's face and recognise the genuine human concern there. Fiona signed, and with her breath the fear left her stance. "Yeah... I'd just... forgotten about the dream. Remembered some stuff that I wish I didn't. You know?" She shuddered slightly. "I'm fine." The girl found her eyes drawn guiltily to the labs off in the distance. 'I'm here, okay, fine, and healthy... and you're trapped in there, and I don't even know if you're alive. What can I do? What can I do? I'm helpless here...' Yamamoto Kikue Kikue went to pull away when she felt Fiona's tenseness, but when she relaxed, so did Kikue. She gave Fiona a concerned, small frown, gazing into the girl's wild eyes. She had no idea what Fiona was thinking. It was probably about the labs, as she watched her look in their direction after speaking of her nightmare. Kikue's hand came away respectfully. "I haven't had any nightmares yet. I guess I will eventually..." She looked to where Fiona's eyes were trained so seriously. The labs are over there.She paused, almost suggesting to Fiona for a moment that maybe the labs weren't lying. What if her friend was in there, truly sick? Maybe from the serums...? I don't think Fiona wants to hear that right now. Kikue had had so few close friends for so much of her life, that the gesture of staying silent on something she felt might really be at least a possible case was strange to her. Yet she understood, faintly, that it wasn't the right thing to say right then. "I'm sure your friend will be all right," Kikue said softly, and she put her hand on Fiona's to pat it for a minute. Then her eyes moved back to where the labs were, and she could only guess what was going on inside them. Fiona Brooks Fiona shifted restlessly. "I hope so..." she fell silent for a bit, and then sighed. "I... I need to be going. There are some things I want to do, and it'll be dark before too long." The girl smiled a little. "Thank you. I hope I'll see you around." Well s**t, she'd forgotten her name. Oh well. Yamamoto Kikue Kikue smiled back. "I understand." Oh please don't try and break into the labs... "I should probably do some things too. I'll look for the, er, rock in your door and maybe drop by again." Standing up, she gave the red-headed girl another smile, thinking about all she had learned about the Island from her. She needed to record some of this... Kikue silently waved Fiona off to do whatever it was that she was planning. When the girl had gone, Kikue turned back to her duplex, ascending the wooden stairs back to her balcony. With one last look in Fiona's direction, she unlocked her door and went inside, gasping with relief as the cool air pummeled her on the way in. She felt she could finally breathe inside. With a tiny peek out the door, she closed it behind her and locked it. She wouldn't be able to forget that rabbit-girl any time soon.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jun 25, 2006 9:08 pm
Roleplay ID ID #: 011 Started On: Sun Jun 25, 2006 7:45 pm Completed On: Sun Jun 25, 2006 11:51 pm Characters: Kikue, Nita Original Link: Click. Synopsis: Kikue goes to visit Nita, having left a note outside her duplex a few days ago. She finds Nita home, and also learns why Nita wasn't there before. The two discuss their changes and what has happened to them recently. Kikue believe even more strongly in the girl as a good friend. Yamamoto Kikue Kikue paused outside Nita's door, one arm laden with some fresh bamboo that she'd picked up at the mess hall. She knew that the time between leaving her note and Nita getting it was probably nothing, but that lingering feeling that something had gone wrong prompted her to visit again -- this time with a gift. Hoping Nita was home, Kikue knocked politely on her door and waited for a reply. Nita MacNeal Nita was indeed home, lying on her bed and reading. She was on her stomach, propped up on her fuzzy elbows with her feet up in the air, ankles crossed. Her tail waved lazily, occasionally winding itself around Nita's leg. The knock startled her. Taking note of the page number, she closed the book and got up. Peering through the peephole in the door, Nita was slightly surprised to see Kikue, but.. different. She opened the door at once, feeling a bit guilty. She had meant to go see the girl and thank her for leaving that note. "Hey!" she said, ushering Kikue inside. "It's good to see you." Nita smiled, one brow raised as she inspected the girl's recent changes. Yamamoto Kikue Kikue's heart jumped when the door opened suddenly, and she saw...Nita there, inviting her inside. Only Nita looked much different than Kikue remembered. She'd changed! The girl was outfitted with much more fur than Kikue had seen on her last, as well as a face that would probably become a red panda's muzzle in her next change. The most startling change was Nita's tail, long and poofy with fur. "Nita," Kikue breathed, coming inside with the bamboo shoots in her arm. "You changed, too." She felt a little awkward, but it passed. No doubt Nita could tell Kikue was different since they had last met, too. Conscious mostly of her ears, Kikue forced herself not to raise a hand and touch them nervously. It was stupid to feel so self-conscious, but it was impossible not to. "I've brought you something," Kikue said. She smiled and held out the food to Nita. "Just some food from the mess hall. But I thought you'd like some." Nita MacNeal Nita grinned, an expression that was starting to look a bit odd with her partial muzzle. "Yeah, I did." She twisted around to look at her tail, which was the most obvious manifestation of her latest transformation. "You look good, though," she said. The red panda knew a predator when it saw one, but Nita firmly quashed its objections. Kikue was a friend. She accepted the armful of bamboo gratefully, moving to place them in a bit of water to keep them fresh. "Thanks," Nita said, sitting on the edge of her bed, careful of her tail, and indicating for Kikue to take a seat wherever. "And thanks for the note, too. I meant to stop by and then.." She gestured to herself, clearing meaning her change. Yamamoto Kikue Kikue nodded understandingly, sitting on the other side of the bed from Nita. "Don't worry about it, I was just dropping by to say hello." The feeling again reared up in her mind. She frowned, looking around Nita's room for a moment. "I came by pretty early, so I was worried when you weren't here. Was it the change?" She knew the topic could still be touchy for Nita, even though the girl had graciously invited her inside and didn't seem to be afraid to show herself. Kikue still had a soft spot for her own changed form, and with Nita's now drastic changes, there was no reason to think that it wasn't the same. Smiling at Nita's comment on her appearance, Kikue thanked her softly, barely audible. She let her hand come up to touch one of her furred ears. They were soft. She was still getting used to their strangeness. Putting her clawed hands in her lap, Kikue smiled a bit nervously, only then realizing Nita could probably see her teeth. "Ah," she got out, putting another hand near her mouth. "I hope I don't...scare you." Embarrassment flitted across her face. "I talked to someone else a few days ago, and she had a rabbit in her. She was awfully jumpy talking to me for a little while." Kikue tried not to let her face flush, but it felt like it was already. She hoped Nita wouldn't mind her presence. Nita MacNeal "No, I was... in the labs. I changed a few days after I got back..." Nita cleared her throat. She had already told Emelyn about her medical issues, but she didn't know Kikue as well. But... she trusted the young Japanese girl, knowing that she wouldn't go around blathering. "I went into withdrawal from my Zoloft," she said simply. "It's an anti-depressant. I was pretty messed up." Nita shrugged. "I'm okay now, though. I seriously freaked my neighbor out. Apparently he thought I was about to start climbing the walls or something." Nita made kind of a lame laugh and stared down at her own clawed hands. She was quiet for a moment before Kikue's last comment registered. "Oh no, you don't scare me." Nita deliberately didn't mention the little voice deep down that whispered, Yes you do! A rabbit? "D'you mean Fee? Fiona? She's the only rabbit girl I can think of. Um, she was a bit.. well, high-strung, I guess, even before she changed." Nita quirked a smile. High-strung was one way of putting it! Yamamoto Kikue Kikue wasn't at all surprised to hear Nita's explanation. Although Kikue herself didn't take medication for anything, she had gotten dangerously close to the point where, inevitably, she would have had to resort to some. Her father would have barred that too, no doubt. Shaking her head to clear it, Kikue tried to fight his picture from surfacing in her mind. She didn't want to think about it right now. "I'm sorry to hear about that. Withdrawal can be horrible," Kikue said. She knew about it, but couldn't share Nita's experience with it. I hope she's okay..."I guess the labs have something of everything here." They would have to, wouldn't they? Otherwise they wouldn't be able to support their own subjects. It was that thought that caused a look of confusion to register on Kikue's face. "...I guess you didn't ask them for any more before it happened?" Her voice was far from accusatory. In fact, she sounded worried. At the mention of Fiona, however, Kikue's face brightened. "Yes. That's her." ...And just as quickly, fell. "I don't know what she was doing. I think she was trying to break into the labs to get her friend out." It's crazy. She can't do it...please don't let her try it...Kikeu forced a smile, hearing Nita admit she wasn't afraid of her. She hoped so. Nita MacNeal Nita replied to the comments regarding Fiona first; it was easier. She shook her head. "It wouldn't surprise me if she tried. Or said she would try. Fee's just like that. I dunno what happened to Annie, though. I haven't seen her for a while..." The girl shrugged and sighed. Nita's face darkened into a scowl. "Oh, I asked, alright," she said bitterly. "You learn quick not to trust all the doctors here." Nita looked up to catch Kikue's eyes with hers. "One of them, a Dr. Frost, gave me something she said was my Zoloft. I'd just run out the day before she called me to her office. Some sort of psychotherapist. Told me she wanted to help me, that she hadn't been properly prepared for what was going on here." The girl's eyes narrowed. It was obvious she'd had some time to think on all of this. "Total bull. Whatever she gave me, it damn well wasn't my Zoloft." She crossed her arms over her chest as if literally holding herself together. "I finally figured out something was wrong. I called them up-" she jerked her chin towards the intercom innocuously attached to the wall, "- And the woman I talked to, Dr. Lockheart, said she hadn't even known I'd been given something! So they took me in," she concluded. "Flushed out my system and sent me home with a bottle of Zoloft. I never did hear what I'd actually been taking." The red panda girl sat silently for a few minutes, recovering from the flood of words and emotion. Yamamoto Kikue Kikue was stunned. Part of her wanted to reach out to Nita, but she wasn't sure if the other would become uncomfortable. So, that was it. It hadn't been Nita's medicine at all. What were these people thinking? Kikue was nearly shaking in pent up anger, something so rare for her, yet this -- this was far beyond over the line. "That's -- that's sick." Sympathy filled her eyes; her expression was painful. "I'm so sorry. Gods I...I can't believe..." She faltered, swallowing hard. These doctors weren't afraid to mess around. How could they do this? How could someone so easily make a decision like that? Gods she could have...could have KILLED her. What if she had reacted to it...?Kikue didn't know nearly enough about medications or chemistry to make that call, but the fact it was merely possibly angered her all the more. "Dr. Frost. I'm going to remember that name," she nearly hissed, surprising herself with the emotion swelling in her chest over hearing Nita's explanation. What is WRONG with that woman? She could have hurt her. She could have...Nita MacNeal Nita brushed away a few errant tears. "Yeah," she said a bit thickly. "It's just.. it's a good thing Rex convinced me to call them." Nita took some deep breaths to regain her composure. She had spent a lot of time fuming over what Dr. Frost had done to her and at least the same amount of time trying not to think about what could have happened. Kikue's sympathy and anger helped, as well as her conviction to remember the so-called doctor's name. "Do that," Nita said, nodding firmly. "And if you ever have to go see her... Just.. don't take anything she gives you. God knows what it is...." The warning probably wasn't necessary, but she gave it all the same. She pushed her hair out of her face and attempted a smile. "So that's why I wasn't in my room when you dropped by," she quipped. "But, uh, how've you been, then?" Change of subject? Oh yes, please. Yamamoto Kikue Forcing a smile, Kikue got Nita's hint. She nodded, releasing her hands from her lap -- only then realizing they had clenched the fabric tightly enough to threaten a few holes. Pulling her hands back with some difficulty, she shook the fabric off and gave Nita a bit of bemused, albiet embarrassed, look. Leaning back a little, she sighed and moved on to the next topic. "Well, I've been...I've been alright. I only changed a few days ago...it's still hard." Holding up a hand, she examinined it with a faint curiousity, although she had done so too many times recently to look very closely. Sighing in a way that made her white bangs flutter, she nodded at Nita. "I hope you're feeling better, now...after...all that." Anger flushed her face, but she kept herself composed. Gods if I ever see that woman, I will not let this go unsaid. "When I changed, I actually did it in front of some other Islanders...it was...very hard, afterwards." She wanted to still seem open to Nita's suggestions of what to discuss, but knew if the panda girl didn't want to talk about what had happened Kikue would not press her. Kikue too had her share of things she would rather leave unsaid...at least until a different time. Nita MacNeal Nita hid an almost-smile when she noticed Kikue had nearly punctured her clothing. Her claws were sharp as well, but much more suited to climbing trees than actually damaging anything. She watched Kikue repeat a gesture she made many times, particularly just after a change. "It is hard," she agreed readily. "And I won't tell you it gets easier, but.. I dunno. You do get used to it. Sort of." This time she really did grin. As unnerving as it was to change, Nita found it fascinating. "I am feeling better. I've been out a bit, and talked to a few people. One of them was my neighbor, the guy I freaked out so much when I was all.. whatever." She shrugged. "Ugh, you changed in front of people? Who were they?" Tentatively Nita put one hand on Kikue's knee. "There was someone with me the first time. She really helped, though. Got me to my duplex before the changes actually started. This last time I was alone, though." Yamamoto Kikue Somewhat surprised, yet relieved, at Nita's relative comfort with being near her, Kikue forced a nervous laugh. "Well...it was Joliette, and Alec. I don't know if you know them...I was out at the cliffs and met Joli. And right as I started to change, Alec ran into us..." Kikue's mind was suddenly awash with the memories of what had happened. Again she could see herself, hear herself talking, saying Joliette's name, and then the opressive heat that began to grip her... She shook herself, hard, trying not to go deeply back into the change just yet. It was still too raw to do so without fear. Biting her lip carelessly -- she pulled her teeth back quickly after her lip nearly suffered what her clothes had -- Kikue sighed again. Catching Nita's eye, she went back, briefly, to her change. "The two of them had to get me back here, to the village... I...when I began changing, the heat was unbearable...I felt like I might pass out from it." Nita's changes may be different, but Kikue knew she would understand how instincts took control like that so quickly. It was still a bit unnerving to think about... Nita MacNeal The name Joliette was very vaguely familar, but.. "Alec? Oh man, that's the kid who lives downstairs from me!" Nita almost said something about it being a small world, but then, with fifty people on an island, it would be a bit trite. She laughed inwardly, remembering his reaction when she told him definitively that she was not a prude. Ha! But it was good to know that he had helped Kikue, even a little bit. He really wasn't a bad kid; they just didn't quite see eye-to-eye. Nita nodded, thinking back to how feverish she had felt before and during her changes. She gave Kikue's knee a light squeeze and a quick smile. Yamamoto Kikue Even just a hand on her knee was something foreign to Kikue. As a child, she had not really been touched by her parents -- in the sense of being cuddled, or hugged, or anything similar. She had rarely been in any situation like that growing up, too, which made Nita's act of comfort strange. Yet Kikue forced herself not to pull away, ( although the very sharp eye might notice that she moved slightly at the touch ) because she didn't want to seem uncomfortable -- that Nita would choose to reach out to her like this was something that touched Kikue very deeply; she had never had any close friends. Still, it was different, and had it been anyone else, Kikue would definitely have pulled back from the closeness. She was a stranger in that land. "Alec? He lives downstairs?" Kikue blinked openly at that, distracted from her thoughts. You're kidding! ...So that's where he lives... Kikue dropped her head into her hand. "Oh, I still have his bandana...he gave it to me on the day I changed!" I washed it with my sheets and clothes, but I still haven't given it back. Kikue gave Nita a guilty look. "...I really need to give it back to him...soon." Fatigue was, suddenly, creeping up on her. Kikue blinked slowly, remembering with a jolt that she had specifically decided to try Nita's duplex at the time she did because it was the afternoon and the panda girl might be more likely to be at home. Yet she had known she would have to fight her overwhelming tendency to sleep through the middle of the day...whatever that was still from. Suddenly Kikue became nervous, and she asked, "Do you happen to know what time it is?" Nita MacNeal With another smile, Nita reclaimed her hand. She wasn't necessarily a tactile person, but it was a simple gesture to impart a sense of shared empathy. "Oh yeah, he must be out somewhere, or asleep. Usually when he's at home, you can his music. Or drumming." Nita rolled her eyes, but she wasn't particularly upset. She had almost become immune to the constant noise, and of course her spiffy headphones were a great help. "We arrived at the same time. Same helicopter and all. He's a good kid, even when he does drive me nuts." But Nita had gotten a bit of her own back the other night. She had just been thinking that it was maybe time for a bit of a nap when Kikue asked her the time. "Not really," she admitted. "I keep track of the days, but I don't have a watch or anything. Probably about 4 o'clock though..?" Yamamoto Kikue Kikue was, at least, glad to know where Alec lived now. She would be able to see him again much easier -- with his bandana -- but it also meant she could add more for him to the database she had on her computer. She still hadn't told anyone else about it, but she kept it updated. Maybe she would never really get to use it like she had envisioned, but having it was handy to look people up herself, at least. Frowning, Kikue gave Nita a worried look. "Actually...I've been having a fairly bad problem recently. Almost since I came here, I can't sleep like I should. I always end up sleeping through the middle of the day...I wake up at the strangest hours." Scratching the side of neck ( carefully ), Kikue glanced back at Nita. "I actually came here when I did because I thought you might be home. Although...I'm already starting to feel it -- for not staying inside and asleep." It sounded crazy, but it was the truth. Kikue was actually nervous about the situation enough to attempt to wring her hands momentarily, but it proved too tricky with the claws extending from her fingers. She ended up scratching the back of one of her hands. With a quick "Ouch," she began to lick the cut without thinking. Nita MacNeal Had she known about it, Nita would have been very impressed with Kikue's ever-growing database, and probably would offer to share information. It wouldn't exactly be gossip, since she really wouldn't tell anything too private. But people tended to tell Nita things, even when they didn't know her very well. "Well... are snow leopards nocturnal?" Nita asked. It was the obvious answer. "I know I rest a lot more during the day. Especially since I can see pretty well in the dark now." Yamamoto Kikue Blinking, Kikue raised her head from her hand, completely at a loss as to why she wouldn't have thought of it herself. "I -- I...can't even actually remember. I did a lot of reading about it when I first found out, but I haven't gone back to the book yet..." She frowned, everything about her sleep finally coming together and clicking into place. Of course. She had mostly thought it had been stress up till this point; why had she overlooked something so obvious? It didn't matter now, in any case. She knew the reason. So that's why. Immediately her outlook changed, and she realized she would have to adapt to it. Forcing herself to stay awake would only be unhealthy now. She would have to sleep. "I don't know why I didn't think of that," Kikue confessed. She looked a bit stumped. It was rare for her to brush over something so blatant, yet, if she did overlook something, it was usually something that was in plain sight. She wasn't as surprised as she could be. "I guess that explains it," she got out, her body flopping over somewhat as she sat on the side of the bed. "I've no idea why that didn't come to me. But that makes the most sense. ...That's why I'm so tired." Putting a hand to her forehead, she rubbed her eye in an exasperated way. Stated simply : it just figured. Nita MacNeal Nita laughed aloud. "Maybe because it was the most obvious answer?" She grinned. "Don't worry about it. I did a lot of research, too, and you really can't remember all of it. And then something like that happens and BAM." She flopped over too, narrowly missing the book lying on the bed. "You should take a nap, then," she suggested sensibly. "I take lots of naps." Yamamoto Kikue Kikue nodding, knowing that was exactly the reason she hadn't thought of it. It was always that way. Sometimes, she complicated things more than they needed to be. She nodded again. "I've been trying to stay awake...I shouldn't, though, if that's why." She liked Nita's suggestion. "That's when I've been succumbing to these past few weeks." She smiled, reflecting on the numerous naps from even before her first change. Still...she'd planned on staying longer. With a guilty look, she resisted the urge to bite her lip again. "...I should probably go take one...I know I'll be up at all hours of the night tonight, whether I do or not..." Kikue smiled again, glad that Nita was so comfortable with herself, even since her last change. She resolved to be a bit more like the panda girl, if she could. Like Colche, too. But her changes were still fresh, and she knew they would take time. Nevertheless, she felt a longing to be so at peace with herself as she saw Nita was laying stretched out on her bed. Don't be too hard on yourself Kikue...it's all still new to you. You will get more comfortable, with time.Nita MacNeal "I really do think that's why," Nita said, trying not to laugh too much. It certainly wasn't mean laughter anyway. "Best not to fight it. Besides, I was never well-rested until I got here. With school and homework and crap..." She shrugged, although the movement looked awfully strange since she was lying down. "Really, you're welcome to hang out here, but," and Nita yawned widely, "I think I'm going to nap a bit myself." Yamamoto Kikue Putting a hand behind her head, Kikue laughed nervously, knowing still how silly it was that she hadn't thought of what Nita had pointed out so easily. Yet she definitely agreed, knowing that forcing herself to stay awake was not the answer. With a slow nod, Kikue stifled a yawn herself. "...I did mean to stay longer...but I think I'll take one, too. I'll probably take a quick shower and then go to sleep..." Stretching a little, Kikue stood up on her sandals and nodded at the bamboo left nearby. "I hope you enjoy the food, at least." Feeling actually quite cheerful suddenly, Kikue smiled at Nita. "I think I'll come by again soon. Or maybe you can come over, and I'll show you some of my things." She hadn't had anyone over yet, and the thought seemed nice at first -- and yet, suddenly, Kikue felt something far in the back of her brain, and she suddenly didn't want anyone at all in her room. Wait -- what? Of course I don't mind if she comes... A bit confused, Kikue fell silent, then shook her head and motioned for the door. "At any rate I hope I'll see you again soon." And she meant it. Nita MacNeal Nita stretched her arms over her head and rolled off the bed. "Well, you're welcome to stop by any time, and if we both end up totally nocturnal, we'll need someone to hang out with in the middle of the night." The girl grinned, obviously cheered up by Kikue's impromptu visit. She made her way to the door and opened it, wincing from the blast of heat from the outside. "Ugh, quick! Get to your own air-conditioning! And thanks for the bamboo!" Nita watched as the younger girl scooted off down the row of duplexes. Shaking her head in amusement, Nita shut the door and flopped back onto her bed.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Jul 18, 2006 11:39 am
Roleplay ID ID #: 012 Started On: Thu Jul 13, 2006 8:51 pm Completed On: Tue Jul 18, 2006 4:00 am Characters: Kikue, Alec, Natsumi, Nita Original Link: Click. Synopsis: Kikue leaves her duplex to return Alec's bandana, the first time she's allowed herself to see people in two weeks. She meets Natsumi, the other Japanese girl on the Island. Invited into Alec's room with Nita from upstairs joining them, Kikue talks of her home and learns about a supposedly completed Islander...Amaya. Yamamoto Kikue Kikue forced herself to stay calm. She'd retreated to her duplex room for the past two weeks, going outside at dusk and dawn. She met almost no one, yet made no effort to. For some reason she felt even more than usual the need to be alone. She had considered inviting Nita over, but again, the sudden dislike of the idea of someone staying in her room took over. She had no idea why. But this morning she'd decided to return Alec's banadana. It had been washed and dried with her clothes and sheets. She'd folded it carefully, and stepped outside under the darkening sky to cross to his duplex. If only it wasn't so hot outside...if only she didn't feel like being by herself so much. Maybe this would be easier... Keeping up with my studies is some distraction, at least, she muttered to herself mentally. She knew it was a poor excuse. But it was something. Her sandals flapping, she stopped when she'd reached what she remembered as Alec's door. It's underneath Nita's, right?Hesitantly, Kikue tucked the bandana into her yukata folds. With a clawed hand she was extremely aware of, she knocked softly on Alec's door. Hopefully he would be home... Alec Derring "S'oveh 'ere." Alec mentioned as he walked beside Natsumi past the few duplexes that seperated theirs from each other. He motioned his arm towards the door just as he caught sight of a figure standing outside the building.
His first thought was obviously bad, the teen's paranoia towards the island's staff rising into some extravaggant story in his mind that ended in him being dragged off to be experimented on. He then realized that there was only one figure, contrary to the hordes of jeeps he vividly remembered from that encounter with the red man. Squinting his grey eyes, he attempted to recognize the person as a bit of his courage came back to him. "Kikue?" Natsumi Tanaka Natsumi's face was still a bit flushed from the earlier issues, her hands clasped together infront of her. "Mn." Natsumi nodded, following his gesture to the building... Wasn't Nita's around here somewhere? It was a passing though that was quickly dropped when she spotted the figure outside Alec's door. Kikue was it? She glanced to Alec, inwardly hoping she wasn't about to be in the way of something... She thought about leaving right then but.. she needed that towel he had. Nita MacNeal Nita had been sitting out on her balcony, reading with the last of the fading light. As the sun set, she stretched and put her book back inside before returning to enjoy the cool night air. Moments later, she caught a glimpse of white approaching the duplex downstairs. Kikue, perhaps? No sooner had the thought crossed her mind, when she heard the unmistakable sound of Alec's voice. Curious, she leaned over the rail and waved. "Evening, guys." Yamamoto Kikue Surprised to hear her name, Kikue turned to see Alec approaching with someone she didn't recognize. Barely a minute after that, Nita popped her head over the balcony, too. Oh! ...This might be karma getting back at me for avoiding people for over a week...Kikue felt nervous for some reason; she guessed maybe it was the other person, since she didn't know them. Putting her hand into the folds of her yukata, she pulled out Alec's bandana and held it in her hands. She gave Nita a friendly wave. "Hello...I didn't think so many people...would be out." She turned back to Alec and the girl -- woman? -- with him. Getting a good look at her, Kikue was surprised to note her features. ...This girl. Is she the other Japanese here on the Island?Alec Derring Alec smirked, pleased to see the young woman again. It'd been an eternity since that day on the cliffside and he had been wondering how she was doing, especially since the freshest memory in his mind regarding the matter was the rather tattered state she was in when he left her in her duplex. "Aye, 'ow are ye?" He waved to the felinesque girl just as a certain nosey red-head popped over the side of her balcony upstairs. In the dark, it still managed to startle him a tad.
"EY! .... ya buggah." He muttered amusedly, waving to Nita as well. "Ye, a' bit o' a crowd 'appenin?" The teen chuckled and before he could think to ask Kikue why she'd been lurking about his duplex, he walked over and unlocked his door. "Ye comin' in th'lot o' ya?" Natsumi Tanaka Natsumi shifted uncomfortably, equally noticing Kikue's Asian-like features... That seemed both inviting and at the same time uninviting. The fact she was pregnant was being more and more hard to conceal, not nessicarily because of the size.. but because of her general inability to keep secrets. And if Kikue was Japanese, Natsumi doubted it would be taken as well as Nita had taken it. She would undoubtably be seen as... well. Dishonorable.
Speaking of Nita... Natsumi's smile returned as she spotted the familiar woman, giving a small wave, more mindful of her sweater's limitations now. "Coming in...?" she echoed, turning back to Alec "But.. I.. I do not want to be a trouble..." she fidgeted. Nita MacNeal Nita grinned at Kikue and Natsumi and clattered down the stairs. "Sure, may as well," she said. "I wasn't doing much of anything anyway." Down on the 'street,' Nita gave Kikue a quick hug. It was good to see the girl was still doing well. She followed the group into Alec's duplex, mindful of the debris on the floor. Yamamoto Kikue Kikue was surprised at Nita's hug, yet somehow, she appreciated it. Following the panda girl into Alec's duplex, Kikue cast an eye on the other Asian girl with them. Again, she still didn't know her. Who was she? She looked Japanese; surely this was the girl that had been mentioned to her before? Giving Nita a smile for the hug, Kikue glanced quickly at Alec before addressing the other girl. "I don't believe we've met," Kikue said, with a soft smile. The other girl looked somewhat worried; Kikue felt the smile might help. Maybe...my claws and all...make her nervous.She tried not to worry about it herself. She was really there to give Alec back his bandana, after all. Alec Derring Alec went inside, kicking a wide path clear of all his discarded clothes and items that were occupying the floor of his duplex. Making sure there were some chairs that were free of clutter, he stumbled over to his minifridge to grab a soda. If anyone else needed a seat they could clear some space off of his bed.
"Ah, thas' Kikue." He interjected, pointing towards the clawed woman in the yukata. "Kikue, meet Natsumi." Tossing a hoodie into a pile in the corner, he went and sat down on his bed. "Oh... an' thas Nita." Somewhat of a mumbled afterthought. Natsumi Tanaka Natsumi blinked as she suddenlly seemed to have no choice in the matter of entering the man's room, oh well.. It'd be rude to run off now. She offered Kikue a smile in return, bowing her head as she spoke "I do not beleive so either... I am Natsumi Tanaka." she breifly wondered if she should have went back to the old way of saying her name.. It was hard to tell.
She blinked as they seemed to be being left outside, quickly following the group into the mess. Only to be met with the sudden urge to offer to clean the man's room... She kept those thoughts to herself.
"Kikue.." she repeated the name, nodding to the other asian-woman. "It is nice to meet you..." she turned to Nita "And I know Nita." she offered a slightly wider smile towards her friend, releived that she was there too. It ebbed the nervious awkwardness. Nita MacNeal Nita resisted the urge to start compulsively picking up dirty clothing and throwing away old food. Instead, she picked her way through the mess to an unoccupied chair. She sat quietly through the introductions, since she knew everyone in the room. "Thanks for the mention," she said wryly. "But how're you all doing?" Yamamoto Kikue Kikue bowed to Natsumi in return, pleased to see that this was indeed who she thought it was -- the other Japanese on the Island. "I am Yamamoto Kikue," she said, offering her name Japanese-style, as it was how she commonly said it. Kikue's furry ears flicked as she watched Alec shove things around in his room to make space. Saying it was a mess in here would be an understatement. It didn't bother her too much though -- it wasn't her own room... "I guess we all know Nita," Kikue said cheerfully, breaking into a smile. She nodded. "...I've been...alright..." Instinctively Kikue bit her lip, only to regret it immediately. The large canines were still hard to remember when it came to expressions... "I've been alone for a few weeks...I've been trying to keep studying." Her eyes glanced to the messy floor, and she idly pushed a soda can with the tip of her sandal. The claws had left holes in the soles. "It's hard though..." She sighed. She was sure they knew how it felt, too. Alec Derring Oddly enough, Alec didn't think it was strange to have a gaggle of woman in his duplex at once. As long as they didn't start talking about girl crap. Then he'd be sure to kick them all out.
For now, he simply let them introduce each other at their own leisure as he shuffled over to the minifridge again to grab some drinks for everyone. Forgetting to grab any alcohol to stock for any sort of occasion that demanded it, he figured they'd have to settle for cola. He wasn't educated on the formalities of entertaining so it was a miracle he even thought to offer anything in the first place. "Soda?" He interrupted momentarily, wiggling the can he'd been holding and stacking a few more ontop for them before returning to his seat.
"Are ye feelin aneh betteh now?" He asked this to Kikue, lack of manners preventing him from feeling awkward about butting into the conversation again. Natsumi Tanaka Natsumi was both excited and nervious at the confirmation of the girl's origins. She wasn't alone.. but at the same time, the idea of her pregnancy wouldn't be taken as well as Nita had done.. Or even Alec.
Either way, she ignored that for the moment, finding herself a seat amonghst the mess... She gave it a look over once more, hardly able to help being a bit of a neat-freak. Back at hom she constantly cleaned others messes. Family, mostly her brothers.. and then at work.
The look around had been quick though, before landing back on the Japanese girl as she spoke. Hard.. She wasn't exactly sure what that had meant, at first she thought of the homework.. But something about that assumption didn't seem right. But the idea of the transformation hadn't quite hit her yet, she had practically ignored her own, and done the same with pretty much everyone elses. That was, ignoring her mental guessing game at what they were. Speaking of which, Kikue's few features threw her for a loop.
Before she could ponder on it further she was distracted by Alec, smiling some at the offer. "Yes please..." Then taking the soda as it was passed to her, poping the top, she fell back into silence. She was more than happy to give away attention at the moment, she'd had far too much that night already. Nita MacNeal "Thanks, Alec," Nita said, accepting the drink and attempting to hide her surprise at the gesture. She could give him at least a little credit.. right? She sat back in her chair, making a face at the dirty sock she'd missed in her quick clearing-off of the furniture. She smiled at the girls, wondering if they would take comfort in finding each other. Of course Nita had met several other Americans, but she thought it would be nice to find someone else from Ohio, or even from the Midwest in general. Not that they would necessarily be instant friends, but it would still be nice... Nita realized her thoughts were rambling. Turning her attention back to her soda and the others in the room, she said, "Well, I'm glad you're all doing okay, considering. I know it gets a little tedious, but I try to keep myself busy." Yamamoto Kikue Kikue politely declined Alec's offer of soda before answering his question. "I'm feeling a little better, yes, thank you...I've been trying to work on my studies, and not think about it..." Quickly, while the thought was on her mind, she pulled out his bandana from her yukata folds. It was washed and folded carefully. "Speaking of that time...I need to return this to you..." Beginning to bit her lip -- which she stopped soon enough -- she held out the bandana too him. "Thank for your help back then," she said quietly, giving him a small smile. She felt emabarrased, remembering her transformation in front of him...and Joliette. Instinctively, one of her furred ears flicked at the sound of Natsumi's can of soda hissing open. ...Alec Derring Alec blinked, having forgotten all about the bandanna he's lent to Kikue that time on the cliffs. He stared at her for a moment before suddenly recalling the item she was holding and quickly made an effort to take it so she wouldn't have to hold out her arm for so long or anything like that. "Uh, ah ye. Neh probl'm."
He smiled a bit shyly and looked down at the item in his hands. She'd washed it and everything. It didn't even smell like his anymore, though he didn't exactly mind; it made him feel a little weird though. Leaning to the side, he neatly placed most likely the cleanest piece of clothing in his entire room on a pile of laundry by his bed.
"'Am doin' alrigh'." Since the question had made its rounds, he figured he'd volunteer an answer as well. "Lil' ti'ed. 'elping Amaya ou' an' all. She's a lil' skittish still." The teen rubbed his flattened nose and casually reclined. Natsumi Tanaka Natsumi watched them a moment, before looking away... It was rude to stare right? But now she was staring at Alec's unholy mess... Which was rude as well. Again she tried to find a new subject to look at, only finding Nita. She offered the friend an awkward smile, trying not to let her general nerviousness of the whole situation get to her... Normally, she would have been overjoyed to see someone from Japan... Normally, she was somewhat of a people person... But right now she felt like hiding until the baby was born.
She returned her attention to her host and his friend, giving a sip of her soda. For a moment she missed her water, but it was quickly dismissed by the fact she was just thankful to have a drink to focus her attention on.
She waited a moment more, mentally working up her courage to when the conversation would hit a slope. When the conversation seemed to die for a moment, she took the opportunity. "Aa... Kikue...San." she almost flinched when the girls first name came out, she'd been on the Island so long that she'd picked up a new habit... Bad start. "You are.. from Japan, yes?" she hoped so... How embaressing it had been when she mistook a korean girl for a Japanese once. Nita MacNeal Nita turned to Alec, letting the two other girls talk. "What happened to Amaya?" she asked. She hadn't seen the iguana-girl for a few weeks, but she'd seemed alright then. Nita sipped her drink, absently thinking that some fresh bamboo really would hit the spot. Yamamoto Kikue Kikue was generally relieved once Alec took his cloth back. Offering him a smile, she had only just realized that she was still standing while others were sitting -- when Alec mentioned Amaya. Who is that? I must not have met her yet... Trying to be casual in looking for a place to sit, it was Natsumi that then caught her attention. Blinking for a moment, Kikue broke into a genuine smile this time. "Yes, I am Japanese," Kikue said, remembering only then how much she missed hearing Japanese spoken around her. Natsumi's added "-san" made the homesickness well up in Kikue's chest, but she controlled it. This was no time to get emotional again; she'd been doing more than enough of that in public. "Are you, too, Natsumi-san?" Kikue questioned. The girl's name was definitely Japanese, but she might not be such. It was hard to know these days. But she looked it, which made Kikue feel somewhat comforted. There was a brief, wistful look on her face, before she looked at Natsumi again. Alec Derring Alec had thought his comment had slid past the attention of everyone in the room and was tehrefore a little surprised when Nita inquired about Amaya. He took a long sip of his soda, not really wanting to talk about it. Why the hell did he have to say that anyways?
"She changed." He nodded and kicked at a running shoe that was laying amongst the mess around his feet until it tumbled towards the nearest wall. It was almost as if he was choosing his words carefully for once. "A big woon. She's all iguana now." He spoke mainly to Nita, assuming she was the only one listening. Natsumi Tanaka Natsumi seemed releived when she answere yes, not to mention she was smiling. That was always good. "Aa. Yes. I am.. From the Kyoto area." She smiled now, getting the same feeling of homesickness but keeping it aside for now.. Simply enjoying the fact someone would knew what she meant by Kyoto or anything else she decided to mention.
For the moment, she kept out of the conversation about someone she didn't really know... Besides, it didn't seen Alec wanted to talk about it juding from his short responce. Nita MacNeal Nita's whitened brows knitted together at the news. Amaya had been so.. reptilian.. already. How much more 'iguana' could she get? "Wow," she said softly. "Is she done, then?" Nita didn't particularly mind her own changes, but she knew perfectly well that very few of her fellow islanders were as nonplussed. Yamamoto Kikue Kikue's furry ears flicked. Iguana. She could hear Alec and Nita perfectly, and she registered the information fast. A girl named Amaya. She had finished transforming? And her animal was an iguana? I haven't met her yet...but maybe I should soon...It was Natsumi that brought Kikue out of her reviere. Suddenly excited, she clasped her clawed hands together without thinking. "The Kyoto area? Oh! My mother was also from Kyoto..." She gave a slight, painful pause, but recovered. Lowering her hands, she forced a smile. "My father is from Kobe, but we lived in Tokyo. Have you visited there?" Secretly, Kikue almost wished she could speak to Natsumi freely in Japanese. To hear someone else speak it...how much she wanted to hear the other girl talk to her in it. But not here. It would hardly be polite. Kikue nodded her head slowly at Alec, whether he noticed or not. Amaya. Kikue resolved to learn more about the girl, soon. She already knew what needed to be added to her database. Alec Derring Alec wrinkled his nose in distaste of the topic but continued on with little hesitation. It was about time he'd gotten the opportunity to vent to someone of all the pent-up feelings he'd been unable to show the past week. "'ell if a' know." The teen looked irritated, already pondering fleeting thoughts like if Amaya got back to her duplex ok after that one chat in the cafeteria with Cody. So much stress. Since when was he so stressed out like this?
After a moment he visibly calmed down, mentally cursing the ordeal that had occurred recently which obviously left him acting and feeling a little strange. He hadn't realized how much it had really disturbed him. "A' d'n realleh... know... wha' a' iguana looks like anehways. Bu' a' think it's oveh. Fo' 'er." What exactly was 'over' wasn't very clear by the way he put it, and it wasn't even clear to himself. The big question was, what did happen to someone who can't be changed any further from being human? Natsumi Tanaka "Really?" Natsumi grinned, "We lived just outside an Inari shrine, my parents worked there... And me and my brothers helped often." she sighed a bit, still smiling though. She really did miss them, talking about it both made her homesick.. and yet it also cheered her up. "Tokyo? We had gone once when i was very little." Her tone sounded as though she were impressed that Kikue had lived in Tokyo.
Natsumi mentally frowned at the conversation next to them... She didn't really want to think about what would happen when she changed next. Just ignor it. Nita MacNeal In spite of her promises to herself that she wouldn't think that way, Nita couldn't help but feel like she really was one of the 'lucky' ones. At least she still had her hair... Nita gave herself a mental smack. Poor Amaya, she thought. How was she supposed to help people see the good of the Island when teenaged girls were being turned into giant lizards? Nita shook her head. She would have to think about that later. In the meanwhile, she would do her best to look out for Kikue and Natsumi; both for their youth, and Natsumi for her pregnancy. Even Alec. As much as he annoyed her, Nita sort of thought of him as a younger brother. Exasperating, but not too bad overall. Again, there was time that kind of pondering later. Aware of Alec's wish to drop the subject, Nita simply nodded and turned her attention back to Kikue and Natsumi. "I'd always wanted to visit Japan," she offered. "I took a little bit of Japanese in middle school, but I've forgotten most of it." Yamamoto Kikue "...Bu' a' think it's oveh. Fo' 'er." The words were distracting. Immediately Kikue thought of Pyroth, wondering if he was okay. Had he changed, too? In a way that made Kikue chide herself, she wondered worriedly what Amaya looked like. What "over" meant. Perhaps she shouldn't think about it... Forcing herself to focus on Natsumi, Kikue found herself swept back up into memories at the mention of Natsumi's own past. Her eyes nearly shone. So rarely did she let emotions take control, but that was all that seemed to be happening recently. "A shrine! Natsumi-san, that must have been amazing. I love the old shrines; my mother was so interested in them, too. We visisted Kyoto shrines often." Conversation swelled in her chest. She had so much to say! Memories were churning in her mind, and Kikue had to stop herself from bursting onto a myriad of topics, like how she had packed a few god idols with her and ended up with them here, how she had visisted various shrines in Tokyo, to talk of Kyoto or Kobe's good food... Kikue controlled herself, but it was hard. She wanted to say so many things, and more, to ask Natsumi them, too. Where had she gone to school? What were her favorite Japanese foods? Did she like any singing idols, anime, or manga? What was living in a shrine like? All of Kikue's thoughts came to the tip of her tongue and died. Forcing out a nervous laugh, she pushed her whitened bangs out of her face. "Please excuse me, it's been a long time since I was able to talk about home, it's very exciting..." Hearing Nita, however, caused her again to fall back into the tumult of emotion. "Really, Nita-chan?" Kikue laughed. "You should visit! It's a beautiful country. I love it there. Maybe you still remember some Japanese." A bit of a teasing smile crossed Kikue's expression. I do wish all of you knew it, so that we could all talk together freely..."What about Alec-san, too? Have you ever been to Japan?" Kikue clasped her clawed hands together again hopefully. Alec Derring Alec watched Nita turn away, having not heard her reaction to what he'd said -if there had been one at all. He didn't expect them to care. Hell, he'd give anything not to care at this moment, but it just wasn't so.
Taking another sip from his soda can, he momentarily allowed himself to fall into the background as the girls spoke about home. It was fun to listen to people talk about exotic places he'd never even heard of like i twas nothing at all. It was good distraction too.
At Kikue's question, he couldn't help but snicker a little. Her enthusiasm was uplifting. "Neh, neh." The teen smirked and changed the position of his legs as they hung off the side of the bed. "A' d'neh a lo' abou' Japan o' anehthin'. Joost th' lil place a' come fr'm." Little was an understatement. Natsumi Tanaka Natsumi was taken by suprise at the responce to the shrine... It had always seemed so common since she lived there, but she guessed that her excitment to Tokyo seemed the same.
Still, she sucked up that bit of admiration like a sponge, she was still a teenager, a reserved one, but one none the less. "Aa really? I love our shrine... It was small, but it got buisness still... I wonder if you ever came to ours..."
She turned as Nita spoke, smiling still as she listened to the two say a few words. Though Alecs words were hard to understand... She caught enough to make due. Just smile and nod, right? "I do wish you could both see it..." She let her mind wander on just how fun it would be to take her new friends back to Japan and show them around... How her parents would react to someone like Alec...
Then reality followed those thoughts, how mad her parents would be at her, the changes, and ofcourse the fact they were stuck here... Her smile practically fell off her face, leaving only a small fake one, which she covered up by taking a sip of ehr soda. Nita MacNeal It wasn't that Nita didn't care about Amaya... She cared a lot. She just couldn't think about that just then. Much better to listen to Kikue and Natsumi, even if it brought up some uncomfortable thoughts as well. Nita shook her head. "I hardly knew anything to begin with. Just like, 'hello, goodbye, please, thank you, my name is...' Numbers. That kind of thing. I would love to visit, though." Even if it is highly unlikely that we're ever leaving. And if I did, I'd be a red panda randomly walking around Tokyo. The mental image was almost funny. Yamamoto Kikue Kikue noticed the dropped expressions and forced smiles. Of course. It was so easy to stand here and tell them everything, and to invite them to come with her, but where would she go? Undoubtably that fact was weighing on them, too. The conversation lulled, cold now, and Kikue shuffled her feet openly, rubbing the back of one of her legs with one idly. She was careful to avoid the claws. After a moment, Kikue looked around the room, trying to distract herself by looking at Alec's plethora of...belongings. Even after Nita's wish to visit Japan, the only sound was the sipping of soda. I know what they're all thinking, who am I fooling? She just didn't want to say it out loud. While glancing about the room, her stomach rumbled faintly. Staring down at herself, she would swear she might be blushing as she quickly covered herself. "I guess I'm hungry," she got out nervously, plainly embarrassed. It was true. She hadn't eaten for a while, and with that realization came the intense hunger for what she had stashed back at her dorm : sushi, of course, but various kinds...and the speciality from home, raw deer. "I should probably get back to my duplex," she said quietly, avoiding the eyes of the others. Immediately she chided herself; why was she letting her feelings control her like this? But either way, she felt the need to get back to her own space and eat alone. She didn't know why, but that feeling burned in her chest. It just felt right. Alec Derring Alec also noticed the blanket of quiet that'd fallen over the four of them, positive that they'd had noticed it as well. He felt bad for not having anything to say, having too much on his mind and not even wanting to talk about it. Wha twas the use of bumming out people with his problems? There was enough sadness on the island.
Still, having nothing to say to four perfectly good people was tragic enough. What a shitty host he was.
"Ekay." He solemnly acknowledged Kikue as she took her leave, glancing out at the window to see how dark it was. "Ye wan' a walk back?" It had become almost customary to ask that to people. It wasn't as if he expected anything bad to happen on their ways back -assuming he would be of any use anyways in such a situation-, but the idea of offering one's company almost came second nature. After all, it never hurt to ask.
Remembering that he still had Natsumi's towel, the punk teen quickly retrieved it from where he'd left it. "Ye too?" He asked to Natsumi as he reached out to offer the linen back. Natsumi Tanaka Awkward. That was the word for it.
Natsumi found the bottum of her soda can, pausing to glance around for a trashcan with no such luck. Defeated, she simply held it deciding to take it back to her duplex and throw it away there.
She was distracted by a stomach growl in the silence, glancing to Kikue with a tiny smile, then to Alec as her towel was being returned to her. The slightest blush appeared as she took it, still a bit nervious from having to hug him ealier. "Aa.. Yes... It is late." she noted, pushing herself to a stand, looking to Kikue with a bit of a hopeful look. She really did want to find a moment to talk with the woman freely in her own language... "I could.. walk with you, atleast part of the walk." Her smile widened some, "If.. that is all right?" She turned to Alec as well, since he had offered first.. she didn't want to intrude. Nita MacNeal Nita resisted grinning or rolling her eyes. Apparently Alec's hospitable nature only went so far. She considered sticking around purely to bug him, but she was supposed to be an adult. Just because he was rude (or.. whatever) to her, it was no excuse to be obnoxious back. She stood, glancing around momentarily for a wastebasket. Lots of waste... no basket. Ah well. "I guess I'll go back upstairs then, if you're all leaving." Alec Derring Alec nodded to Natsumi, agreeing with whatever terms she'd stated since he pretty much had nothing more important to do anyways. Turning back to Nita, he gave a wide and toothy grin when he realized what he'd done. Was it possible to tease and make fun without even trying? Now that's talent. "G'nigh' Fuzz." The teen smirked and waited by his door for Natsumi and Kikue with a cocky look on his face. "Don't steal anehthin while a'm ou'."
Kikue bowed to the group as she said her goodbyes, waiting for Natsumi with a cheerful look once she'd heard the other asian girl was coming along. Natsumi Tanaka Natsumi smiled and followed the two, pausing to turn and give a wave to Nita "Goodnight. Pleasent sleep." and so, after mushing pleasent dreams and sleep well into one sentance, she was headed out as well. Even though she was a bit of a people person, she couldn't help but want to retreat back to the solitude of her duplex after the series of awkward moments the night had brung. Nita MacNeal "As if I would!" Nita protested, aiming a (mostly) playful kick at Alec's shins. She left the duplex along with the others, calling, "Good night, and sleep well." Letting herself into her own upstairs unit, Nita tossed her soda can into the trash and got ready for bed.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Jul 19, 2006 10:56 am
Roleplay ID ID #: 013 Started On: Sun Jul 30, 2006 10:32 pm Completed On: Wed Aug 02, 2006 5:40 pm Characters: Kikue, NatsumiOriginal Link: Click. Synopsis: Kikue finds Natsumi at her door, coming for a visit. After a brief surge of instincts, Kikue is forced to continue the conversation outside instead. Natsumi suggests a walk, and the two take a stroll down to the beach. While there, they discuss their pasts, as well as their future -- and Kikue makes an all-important discovery about Natsumi...
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jul 30, 2006 5:22 pm
Natsumi shifted uncomfortablly... Her sweater idea was workign less and less, though the 3-month olf pregnancy magazine had given her some useful tips... Still, she didn't have many resources. Not like she could go out and buy some baggier clothes here.
Oh well... Today would be good. She'd distract herself, once again, from every problem that was trying to present itself to her... Taro, Alec, her baby and her own changes. It was all ignorable for now, she could deal with it later...
With that, she started up the stairs to Kikue's duplex, gently tapping on the door as she got there then waiting.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jul 30, 2006 5:47 pm
Kikue sat in her desk chair, busily outlining the remaining entries to her databse of Island subjects. She had been reserved again, avoiding human contact for another handful of days. Once she started to become reclusive, it was so much harder to break out of her shell and reach out again. What's wrong with me?
Tabbing into a new entry, Kikue began keying in what happened to be Natsumi's name. She had a post-it pad on her desk, listing the names of Islanders she'd recently met. Natsumi was the last that needed to be entered.
But I don't know the kanji for her name... Kikue propped her head up on her good hand, clicking through various kanji in the list. I don't even know her animal, or much about her. I've been doing poorly with following up on what I need to know about each person...
Suddenly, there was a soft knock on her door. Kikue nearly jumped out of her chair. Quickly dusting off her yukata, she hustled over to the door of her duplex. Who could actually be knocking on her door? Maybe it was Nita...
Cracking the door openly slightly, Kikue peeked outside. The sharp sunlight and humid air hit her face hard, but she forced herself to focus. "Yes?" she asked, before she had properly registered who was there. The small Asian girl she had seen before, with slight changes accenting her eyes and face, looked back at her. N...Natsumi!
Kikue pulled the door open wider. Breaking into a surprised smile, she said, "Natsumi-san! It's good to see you again!"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
