|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Mon Nov 06, 2006 12:43 am
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Nov 06, 2006 6:48 pm
On Gaius's nightstand, the next time he wakes up, is a folded message in Feral Labs stationary. While the handwriting is formal, and the handwritten note informal, the message is anything but casual: Quote: Gaius, While our first meeting was pleasant, make no mistake that I am not a man to be trifled with. You may or may not be aware, but Zachary is MY project. I will not tolerate his abuse or harrassment. After all, it is only hypocritical given your own fate. I do not want to see any conflict between the two of you. I am usually not generous enough to issue warnings, so do not make me regret this courtesy. ~ Dr. Sabin Duvert
|
 |
|
|
|
|
Sabin Duvert Vice Captain
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Nov 08, 2006 1:28 pm
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Nov 09, 2006 12:09 am
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Nov 09, 2006 12:47 am
Have A Little ImaginationAn intercom RP with Sabin, Gaius finally asks the question that's been nagging him since his first change...Gaius Harper With the excitement of the past days - Annie's attack, Marshall's change soon after... Gaius hadn't noticed the paper sitting on his nightstand, or at least not enough to take the time to read it. Now, in the late afternoon, Gaius sat on his bed, alone in his duplex. He picked up the paper, noting the logo at the top with a raised eyebrow, and scanned over the contents. By the end of it, his lips were drawn back tight in a distasteful sneer. He crumpled the paper in his hands, pulling back to throw it across the room, then stopped. Instead, he pulled himself to his shaky feet, leaning against what furniture he had as he pushed himself over to the intercom and dialed '0'. Sabin Duvert There was a series of a few clicks instead of the normal immediate beep that patched islanders through to an often-bored desk clerk. Gaius was one of the islanders that Sabin had provided a list of that he wished to speak with directly if he were available and they called in. There was a slight pause of about thirty seconds of dead air that almost made it seem as if the call had been dropped or the intercom disabled, but then, loud and clear through the speakers in Gaius's room, a French-accented voice greeted the horse-man. "Gaius... I see that you received my note, yes?" Gaius Harper Gaius wavered at the silence, wondering if he should really be doing this, but the voice caught him by surprise. Too late! Ears flattening back, Gaius leveled his glare at the intercom to which he was speaking. Of course it was Sabin. "It's not my fault. He's the one who started the trouble in the first place! If you want me to stop fighting with your pet," he spat out the word, "then tell him to stop harassing me! It's not like I ask for it!" Sabin Duvert "Whoa whoa whoa!" Sabin interrupted the beginings of what was soundling like a heated rant. "This is not kindergarden, Gaius. I do not care who "started it." I want you to stop harassing him or spawning these situations that get you both into trouble. And last I checked, YOU were the one who punched him. Despite Zachary's attributes, I have been very proud of him that he has NOT been getting himself into brawls. Trust me, you do not want that." Gaius Harper Gaius took a deep breath, temper simmering. The brump on his cranium hadn't fully disappeared yet, and the memories were still fresh. Rubbing the arch of his nose-bridge, he growled, "Alright, alright... sorry. I know I should have better control than that. He just manages to get under my skin like a cockroach..." Sabin Duvert "If he bothers you so much, then I reccomend that you two avoid yourself. Do not make me separate the two of you as if you were children. Believe me or not, but I wish to see neither of you hurt." Gaius Harper "Easier said than done," Gaius muttered under his breath. Still, there was something that'd been bothering him about the note. Arching his neck to look down at the crumpled note, he asked, "...you said our fighting was 'hypocritical givern your own fate'..." He paused. It'd been something he'd been avoiding ever since he'd arrived, avoiding asking that question, just like he'd avoided contacting Sabin. "...What did you mean?" Sabin Duvert There was a pause, then finally, a rather dumbfounded voice replied. "You mean you have not figured it out yet? Gaius.... I thought you had more imagination than that..." Sabin said with a note of disappointment. Gaius Harper Gaius blushed and ducked his head. Judging by Sabin's voice, it was clearly something painfully obvious that he was totally missing. "I-I, uh... well, with the neck, and the feet... and the ears and tail... I guess a horse-stork-rabbit?" Sabin Duvert "Oh come now, Gaius..." There was an audible sigh that huffed onto the microphone. "You don't have much hands-on experience with animals, do you? Horses have big ears my friend. Especially when compared to a still human face. But here... I shall give you a hint..... how well do you know your Greek mythology?" Gaius Harper "Mythology?" Gaius rubbed at the back of his neck, fingers catching in the mane. "Definitely don't think I'm a lion of any sort or a minotaur... Freddie kept making horse cracks, so I guess that'd be something... but the wings, I dunno." His small appendages gave a small twitch as he glanced back at them. "They threw me for a loop. I mean, I don't think I know of any animal that has a horse body and chicken wings." He frowned, furrowing his brow. One could practically see the wheels turning as Gaius mulled over the dilema. Truth be told, he hadn't actually given it much thought, beyond the strange combination of animal features. His mind had been stuck in the existing animals. It made sense, though. The ears, neck, and tail... so like a horse... but where did a horse have... Gaius' head jerked up suddenly, eyes wide with realization. "Wait, you don't mean a pegasus?!" Sabin Duvert Sabin was positively giddy being there while Gaius searched his mind for what he might be becoming. He had to tap the mute button to keep his delighted chortle from going through the intercom. He loved these moments, these reactions. And even better, hearing him list off some of his own favorite myths in the process. Finally, the moment of epiphany, Sabin unmuted the intercom and the sound of a one-man applause carried over. "There you go! See! I knew you could do it, my boy. After all, your imagination seemed so keen when we first met. I figured that you would have had it sooner than now, but I suppose that I might have misjudged. I thought that you might appreciate the pick, after all." Gaius Harper Gaius' ashamed flush returned with the applause, unable to shake the feeling of being mocked. "A horse with wings? How was I supposed to know! I mean, a dragon's one thing, but this... it just doesn't make sense! Horses weren't made to fly... As if I'd appreciate getting turned into any animal..." The full implications blindsided Gaius then. A horse. He was a... no, he was going to be a horse. The hand not supporting him against the wall went to his face, to the bit of ebony hair that'd been getting in the way since his last chane. When he spoke again, his voice had lost the previous heat, wavering with uncertainty. "...H-How far does it go... I mean... two injections... will I still walk upright?" Sabin Duvert "What do you mean? The Pegasus is a classical mythological figure! And a far simpler serum than Zachary's for that matter. No, granted, I doubt that you will actually be able to fly. But who knows - it will be utterly fascinating to see, no?" The man was completely unphased by Gaius's indignant outburst, instead giddy in his revelation of his fate. "As far as how far it goes, you will be like the others. For the most part, our projections are based on the final results being the subject be fully capabable of upright locomotion with vocal capabilities and the use of their hands. Colche would be a good example of the sort of physique on a completed islander that we aim for. But.... I believe you have seen that the precision of our results is not always the most reliable." There was almost a smile in the voice. Gaius Harper Gaius groaned. He didn't much like that possibility, particularly with his current state. But that wasn't something he could dwell on. "Pegasus, dragon..." he muttered, fingering his bangs as he looked past the intercom. "Who even makes these crazy serums..." Sabin Duvert "Hey!" The voice clipped. "What do you mean by that? You see these as worse than receiving a serum for a standard animal? Moreau is creating animal-people. I.... I am bringing myth to Life!" Gaius Harper Gaius jumped at the interjection - ack, he'd been speaking out loud! - and stared at the little speaker. "Nothing! I mean, just... why me? Why'd you even bring me here?" Part of him wasn't surprised about the man behind the serum. He still remembered how excited he had been as he spoke of the island 'park.' How easily Sabin had lured him in... "By the way..." he added with noticeable sarcasm, "Thanks for being so honest about the park project..." Sabin Duvert "well, I was not the one who selected your file. You have the big man upstairs to thank for that, as well as the lure to get you here. However, who was I to deviate from a plan? After all, which is worse, being fed a pretty lie since you set foot off the helicopter, or shooting you with a tranq gun, injecting you and leaving you to figure things out when you wake up in your duplex?" There almost was a not of concern there.... but a few moments later it broke. "After all... it is much more entertaining to see the reactions of newcomers to the 'horrible truth' when they are so excited to be here for a separate reason, or one that might even explain the islanders?" Gaius Harper The horse-man's face fell as he listened to Sabin's explanation. All a pretty lie, one that he'd believed so easily. And part of him agreed, it was better than the tranq... which only shamed him more. The comment about the newcomer crashed into his train of thought, bringing with it too vivid memories. Anger flared inside him, stoked by the shame, and his ears flattened back as he growled. "And now I'm a part of your freak horror park. Thanks a lot, you lying a*****e!" With a burst of temper, Gaius pounded the disconnect button, cutting off the call. "See if I care about your stupid dragon pet!" he snapped at the silent intercom. In a huff, he turned and staggered toward the door. He needed some fresh air.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Nov 09, 2006 9:28 pm
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Nov 11, 2006 10:48 pm
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Nov 12, 2006 5:31 pm
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Nov 17, 2006 11:13 am
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Nov 17, 2006 11:16 am
Pushing the Limit of LaundryGaius reinstates his title as the master of stupid-obvious questions, hitting not one, but two bad conversation topics with Natsumi, all the while oblivious to the emotions the poor girl struggles with internally. And there is laundry to be had.http://www.gaiaonline.com/guilds/viewtopic.php?t=6597733
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Nov 20, 2006 10:58 pm
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Nov 21, 2006 1:28 am
Alone in the Night
A solo post
Gaius leaned back in his chair, stretching his neck back and rolling his shoulders as the long-still muscles complained. Done! The plans, at last, were finished. On the desk before him, held down at the corners by rulers and pencil holders and other paper weights, were the plans for Billy’s theater, stage, sitting, and storage all included. If that couldn’t satisfy the octopus, he didn’t know what could.
Not above abusing his own creations, he tilted the chair, specially made to fit his tail and wings in their current state, back on its back legs. The proud grin faded suddenly as, to prop himself up, he rested a foot on the desk. In times past, it wouldn’t have made him pause, but now… The massive length of foot stretched up well above where his heel pressed against the edge of the desk. Massive, clown-like, ridiculous, silly, grotesque, bizarre feet… and they belonged to him.
He remained propped up, mind wandering internally, a contemplative frown on his widened face. Then, he sat back up, sliding the foot off the table before easing back down. Outside, things were dark, and the only thing keeping Gaius’ duplex from being the same was the small desk lamp beside him.
So long… Three months, he’d told Shenzi. Three months on this hell-hole. Two changes… And how many had he witnessed? Marshall’s feathered, tear-streaked, pleading face surfaced in his mind. I don’t’ want to die… I don’t want to die… He hadn’t seen the guy in several days… He hoped his friend was doing okay.
On his desk, besides the mess of tools he’d brought out for the plans, was a stack of books he’d borrowed from the entertainment room’s selection. All of the ones on top bore the same animal galloping across their covers. Horses.
His stomach clenched. Though he’d picked them up earlier, he’d not had the courage to actually look at them yet. He just couldn’t connect himself with the animals shown there. It was impossible to turn a man into anything else. Yet his very body said otherwise by its mere existence. Gripped by a sudden impulse, he pulled the top book over, flipping it open. In the middle of the page stood a thoroughbred, posed for the full-body profile photo. His fingers traced over the curve of the neck, his other hand lifting to rest against the side of his own, and hesitantly moved over the smooth skin. No matter how many times he happened to touch it – deliberately, or an accidental brush – he could only wonder how it could possibly be his. The diameter was so thick, he couldn’t possibly get both hands around it. It had absorbed much of the width of his shoulders and back into the thick muscles and been the bane of his recent struggles with gravity. The thing, which he fought to think of as his neck, was heavier than one would have thought. But it was strong.
Gaius’ attention shifted from what the problems he was already dealing with to what brought worry every time he saw it. His fingers trailed down the horse’s face, that long, gracefully sloping muzzle. A muzzle that never belonged on a human face. He’d been mercifully spared any facial changes aside from the nose, which he did admit looked strange with its broadness, and the subtle widening of his jaw and mouth. How, how could he picture himself with that equine face? The exploring hand he’d let drop went up to brush along the length of his nose, as if reassuring himself it hadn’t grown while he wasn’t paying attention. Ambrose had said growing the muzzle was worse than the tail… Gaius could imagine that was true… in more ways than one. Losing one’s face, losing one’s identity… Would anyone ever equate him with the guy that smiled from the photo sitting on his bureau?
Yet that was not the greatest of his fears. Horses, as anyone knows, have hooves. Ambrose, being a wolf, had hands much like paws. True, they had claws and pads and looked bulkier than most human hands, but they were separate digits, at least. Gaius didn’t have that luxury. He twisted the hand resting on the table around, clenching it into a fist. A hoof… hard, unmoving… He’d already seen the fingers of Marshall’s right hand sacrificed to the change. What was to say he’d be any different?
He sighed, flipping the book shut and clicking off the light, but the damage was already done. The images would be flashing through his head all night.
Pushing himself to his feet, Gaius steadied himself against the desk as he pulled off his pants, leaving them on the floor as he stepped out of them over to his bed. Balance was beginning to come more naturally, his calloused feet protesting less to the weight his toes sustained.
He flopped face-first onto the bed, his grunt muffled by the folds of sheets. Pushing and writhing, he rolled over onto his side, the only position he could comfortably sleep in now. Stretching his neck and legs out on his chest left him nose-to-board and toes dangling far over the far end of the bed, and the wings made anything on his back impossible, so instead he curled himself into a fetal position.
Suddenly in the dark and alone, Gaius found himself feeling strangely uneasy. Along with the images of horses snorting and rearing came the shadowy, twisted figures from the failed menagerie of the Halloween trail, leering at him from the dark corners of his duplex. Like a child, Gaius pulled the covers up over his head, trying to block the images out, but that technique only works for real children.
“I… don’t want to die… either…”
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Nov 24, 2006 2:01 am
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Nov 25, 2006 1:14 am
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Nov 28, 2006 12:12 am
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
