|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Thu Oct 05, 2006 7:08 pm
RP with Ambrose.
Fear and disorientation. This appeared to be common among new arrivals to the island. Richard had experianced it himself. And it had taken him three days to extract the basics of island life from Tommy and the others. This was far too slow of a pace for Richard, people needed to know what they were up againist as soon as they landed in the village. Richard had decided that he was going to write an intro pamplet of the island, hoping to expand it into a complete history. To check his facts and satifsy this ambition Richard had place himself in front of duplex #1 with a bottle of wine plifiered from the beach bar. Might as well start at the begining. He hoped wolves liked wine. He wraps on the door with his cane.
Ambrose, meanwhile, had been spending most of the afternoon just taking time to himself. The island always seemed to be a strange mix of slowness and boredom, lazy days and lack of responsibilities spiked with sudden, stressful events. Things always seemed to teeter on the brink of fear and chaos, and so somtimes Ambrose liked to take those slow, quiet moments to just relax. Ignore the recent attacks... the killing, the new people whose lives were snared into this mess and pretend that things were normal.
Sometimes he would take his epee out to the beach, or a clearing in the jungle away from everyone and just focus on something so ingrained to his muscle memory that it required very little though. It was his personal take on meditation, and it helped the wolfman immensley. Sometimes, recently, he would take to running through the jungle feeling his muscles pumping as he was carried through thick brush faster than he could have ever run before on a straight track. It was empowering.
But lately, after the rumors of the attack, Ambrose had sided with caution, and remained mostly in teh village. There were books to read, he could spend time with Angelina, and hope that things would cool down enough for the labs to work with him about his wedding plans.
The knock at the door drew him from his revere, but not unpleasantly so. Curious, and not minding company that sought him out, the large wolf man in a large set of baggy sleeppants padded over to the door and opened it with an inquisitve look at the older, still fully human man at his doorstep.
"H...hello?" He asked cautiously, his words well-enunciated even around the canine muzzle.
Richard had mentally prepped himself well in advance of that door opening and seeing the resident of the duplex for the first time. Still when Ambrose's yellow eyes met his, he could not stop his face from flinching slightly. It was barely noticable but Ambrose was sure to note it. Starting with a deep breath, Richard smiled in friendly fashion. "Ambrose right?" Pause. "I'm Richard Harrison. I'm new to the neighborhood." Richard offer his right hand. His left holding onto his cane with the bottle of wine tucked under his arm.
An ear flicked back in hestiance. The flinch, for one who had grown all to accustomed to seeing even some of the islanders who had already begun their changes see him - someone who appeared to all purposes as being more animal than man - reactions of fear or anxiety was unmistakable.
But he tried not to let it touch him. It was added to the bottle of greivances and suppressed emotions that Ambrose had cultivated for many years before ever setting foot on Hell Island. But still, Ambrose always felt a twinge of pain when he knew that his very appearence brought such a reaction when before his appeance had been a well-groomed presentation piece. But Ambrose, in a nod to that cultivated demeanor, couldn't bear to let the disappointment or sorrow that he felt touch his own face. He could be stronger than that and show himself as the man that he was - not the animal.
"Yes.... It appears that my reputation preceeds me?" Ambrose replied, bringing an all-too-lupine 'grin' to his face and extending his hand. "It is a pleasure to meet you.... Mr. Harrison?" Decorum wouldn't allow Ambrose call the obvious elder by his first name. His eyes skimmed the bottle, but he didn't give words to it. "How can I help you?"
The hand shake was firm. Any unease caused by Ambrose's appearence was well hidden away behind Richard's well lined face. It was taking a bit of effort, large dogs had always made him a bit nervious and Ambrose's smile was very toothy, no matter how friendly. "Please call me Richard, Ambrose." He release the hand and lifted the bottle from his other arm. "I just thought I'd stop by and introduce myself." He presented the bottle to Ambrose. "But was wondering if you'd care to humor this old man with a bit of conversation. I've only been here a short time..."
Ambrose took the bottle of wine with a genial smile after meeting his handshake with a firm one of his own, eyes holding Richards all the while.
"Richard... then." He said, a bit hesitantly as if he was doing something he ought not to. "And of course I wouldn't mind.... would you care to step inside and have a seat?" Ambrose opened the door wider and gestured to the chair sitting in front of the desk.
"Thank you very much." With a nod Richard stepped inside the duplex. He carefully leaned his cane againist the desk and slowly lowered himself onto the chair. It creaked slightly under his weight. Richard allowed his eyes to wander around the room. The longest occiepied of all the duplexes.
Ambrose followed him inside, closing the door softly and going to take a seat on the edge of the bed after setting the bottle of wine on the dresser.
The room, despite being so long lived-in still had a bit of the clean-hotel feel. The bed was made, things were straightened. Though it had acquired a small collection of things. The bookshelves were well stocked - mostly books on wolves and a few general bestsellers.
Small statuettes were poised around the room as well, most of them following the similar wolf theme. A framed photograph of a young blonde man and a burnette girl posed in front of a blue background sat on the dresser.
Ambrose looked the man over. He was older, and seemed to be keeping .. calm enough. He wondered how long he had been here thus far. "So out of curiousity, from who did you hear about me from?" Ambrose asked, trying to break the ice.
Scratching his head, "Oh lets see, I believe it was Tommy that first mentioned your name. Amaya might have also mentioned you. My first two days here are a bit blurred together I'm afraid. Duplex #1 usually comes up when I mention I'm in duplex 70." Richard seem well composed, almost bussiness like, he was in interview mode
"Duplex seventy.." Ambrose echoed incredulously. "It's hard to believe that there are that many of us now..." He said with a shake of his head. "And I suppose in a way, my duplex is both a badge of status and a welcome doormat to all the new arrivals. But... I don't mind. It's something to do and I like being able to meet new people, despite the unfortunate circumstances."
Richard noted the bitterness in Ambrose's tone. He was no volunteer that was sure. "Everyone I've met so far seems to be coping more or less." Thoughts of Amaya and Gallen who were both in the less side of the equation. "I'm a reporter and I had the "honor" of interviewing Dr. Moreau before I was assigned my duplex. He was honest during the interview. I skipped the denial phase." Richard looks away, replaying the conclusion of the interview in his mind.
"It's amazing what you can deal with given enough time." Ambrose responded with the same bitter tone. "Some better than others, granted. But there isn't exactly much choice. You can deal with it, and try to make the best you can out of a bad situation... or you can let it get to you - pull you down into depression or madness. And as much as I have been tempted to just shut out the world on more than one occasion, it would be 'losing' to the doctors just as much if not more so than dealing with it. I don't want to lose myself-" He tapped the side of his forehead, "on top of everything else."
"And Interviewed, eh? I suppose that's what he did to snare you here? Spreading bad press on the man?" His ears flicked back as a note of amusement hit his voice. "I thoroughly basked in denial as long as I can. Tried to imagine going home... getting some minor surgery. That boat has long since left now, however."
"I run or, "Richard frowned, "ran a blog that publishes unauthorised biographies of leading corperate CEOs. Moreau appearently didn't like his baby pictures on the internet. He invited me for interview. He infuriated me to the point of physical volience, I rose to hit him and the chair I was sitting in injected me with something unpleasent." Richard sighed again, "Not the brightest move on my part."
"Really?" Ambrose asked with a lift of his forehead. "I must say that that is rather intersting. And between you and me I hope that you had some negative impact on his reputation before he snatched you."
Ambrose shook his head. "I'm sure that even if the interview went swimmingly you would have found yourself out here, anyway. He wouldn't have invited you here otherwise. From everything I've heard, once you come here: staff OR subject, you're not leaving."
That was news to Richard, and his eyebrows shot up. "The staff is trapped as well? But how does he do that? Why do they allow him to do this?"
"What other choice do they have? From what ... Dr. Lockheart has told me, there is no communication on or off the island save through Moreau himself. If the staff complains, then they can wind up out here like the rest of us. They supposedly make a good deal of money.... however he gets it to them... and I guess on the promise that someday they're retire, or he'll go public (not likely if you ask me)... I honestly don't know how he keeps them going on a day to day basis other than through threats."
Richard's voice is low but it is also intended for anyone who might be listening "Do they have chips their heads? Dr. Moreau is but one man, not an olypimian god. They are just as guilty as he, maybe more so."
"I... honestly don't know. I.... I don't think so, but on the other note, it wouldn't surprise me if they were chipped and didn't know it. From everything I've seen, Moreau is a control freak. And this island is his own private world. His morals, his laws. And heaven help you if you go against him or mess with HIS things."
"So I hear." Richard forced a smile to his face, and it appeared genuine. "Anyway the reason I came here was to ask for your help with a little project."
Ambrose cocked his head, brows (or at least where his brows were) creasing. "Project?"
Richard folded his hands together and looked at them. "Its taken me five days to get a handle on what exactly is going on here Ambrose. Five whole days. So I want to help those that arrive after me. Compile a FAQ first and hopefully a full history of the island." Richard flashed a shy grin. "Since you've been here the longest your probably the most knowelegable on the subject of history."
"Hunh.." Ambrose responded ever so eloquently. "I'm... honestly surprised that no one else has ever made the effort to do that before now. I mean, the truth is hard on anyone, and almost as much so for the person who encounters a true island newbie and has the unavoidable reaction of horror at being seen as some sort of monster... I wish the staff would start being honest with them when they're brought here.... but I suppose it would only serve to cause trouble for them."
He waved his hand. "But that aside, I'd be happy to help how I can. Did... you have any particular questions?"
"For the FAQ I think I have most of the basics now, I'd just like to confirm them with you. As for the history, all I know is Amaya and Emerwyn have been here for over a year and Tommy attacked Dr. Lockhart over a month ago."
Ambrose nodded. "Yes... that sounds about right as far as timing... I arrived here last August, and I believe I was the first subject. And all I know of Tommy's attack is from the announcement over the loudspeaker, that he was working with Alec. But for some reason they've both been admitted back into the village now."
Richard thinks for a moment. "Has... any one died from their serum? Has anyone not been able to take the stress of these... transformations?"
Ambrose paused on this one, his eyes wandering away from Richard's and down at the floor. "I... didn't witness it personally.... but it wasn't that long ago.... I heard from Sid - there was a girl named Annie who went mad... she apparently was another wolf ... and attacked and killed her friend Fiona. I have heard other rumors of islanders having bouts of .... well, feral-ness for lack of a better word. Attacking others, but that was the first death. Zachary attacked Dr. Lockheart several months ago and injured her severely - but I dont' know the details of how or why. The fact he's still about makes me think that it couldn't have been premeditated. Jamal - the white tiger - has been dangerous to others on occasion... and I've heard whispers of others."
Richard considered Ambrose's words for a long slience. "So its not just the body that changes is it?" He thought of Amaya. "Amaya made it sound like it was just little things, habits and the like."
"It... honestly seems to vary from individual to individual. Regardles, from what I have seen, there is no one who completely escapes a hint of animal instincts. Even if it's something as innoculous as ... the urge to shake yourself dry... or if you're a social animal, liking to be around people more so than otherwise. Perhaps a penchant for a particular kind of food. It's been my belief that it depends on how much you let it get to you. That you pick your battles and can shape and maintain what you feel is important to you with enough of a concentrated effort. I've heard a lot of other islanders refer to those animal insticts as a separate entity... whispering urges to them. "The hawk" or "The hedgehog"... as some method of coping or isolating the urges." He shook his head. "To me, however, I've always just felt it like whims or urges. They'd be indistinguishable from my own if I didn't realize that the urge would never be something I would have wanted before hand. If you don't moniter yourself, you can find yourself falling to "habits" that you never had before."
Richard looked at his hands, wondering if he was going to lose them. Tommy was lucky that his feet would serve as a replacement, he doubted everyone was so lucky. He gave his head a shake trying to ward off the depressing thoughts of tommorrow. "So what was it like in the begining? Before you knew?"
Ambrose gave a soft snort. "It was.... do you know that lingering creepy feeling you have at the begining of a horror movie? You knew something was off, but you couldn't place your finger on it. All of us at the begining were here for different reasons... but I refused to let myself think that I wouldn't be leaving after my "Two week medical study." ... I was the first one to change. It was like a nightmare. It hurt, and I was terrified. It didnt' make sense, and it seemed impossible. I though there was some horrible problem with the drugs they were testing on me, but I coudln't deny that it seemed too ... wildly unlikely to be a coincidence. I was... mortified, and very scared."
Richard looked sympathetic, "I can only imagine, I at least know its coming. To be completely blindsided by this must have been beyond horrible, exspecially if you were the first." This was getting so heavy that the conversation threatened to transmute the air into lead. Richard reached into his jacket and withdrew a small flask. He offers it to Ambrose before taking a swig.
Ambrose nodded. "Precisely. While others might disagree, I think the newer islanders have it easier in that they can prepare themselves in advance. There are others who have been through the process and they know what to expect: the best and worst case. Everything was an unknown to us. Even after my.... first change... I refused to believe that things could get any worse than they already had. It seemed impossible. Hell, it still seems impossible." Ambrose looked down at his wide, paw-like hands, spreading them.
Ambrose nods as he takes the flask from richard, pouring a small amount onto his tongue. His fur visable ruffles as the burn hits and he gives a small shake of his head as he swallows.
"Thank you."
Richard smiles weakly after downing his own gulp. "I would have brought you whiskey, I didn't expect it to be your style. Wine was safer." Richard chuckled. Time to move past the pity party. "I suppose it ain't all bad, Cody seems to be enjoying himself at least."
Ambrose nodded. "Cody's a brave kid... I'll give him that. One one hand I feel sorry for him, I mean... he's so young... but if the labs really CAN cure his MS... then it is saving his life. I wish that the labs would only bring those that would be more likely to be willing. Too many people here are wrested from their lives. They had hopes, dreams, loved ones..."
"I'll consider my self fortuate then. I'm a widower with no children. Heck I worked at Feral labs for almost thrity years. Some retirement plan." He takes another swig.
Ambrose agreed with a bitter chuckle. "Indeed. At least... you lived a full life... yes? I mean, No one deserves this, but.... at least he didn't catch you as a young man."
Richard nods. He produces a notepad from his jacket. "Sooo back to basics, How long does it take to finish? Are you finished?"
"Supposedly so. And nearly a year. I certainly hope to God I'm done... I couldn't imagine being much 'worse' than I am now. It was bad enough after the third change."
"Aren't there four changes?"
Ambrose nodded. "That's correct."
"How do the labs treat people? The only actual names of the staff I've heared is Moreau and Lockhart.
Ambrose tapped his fingers on his leg, pondering this question. "That... is hard to explain. The labs can be very fickle as a whole. Dr. Lockheart is the only one I've known to be consistantly sympathetic. But in general, one moment they will give you nearly anything you could request - at least as far as material objects go... well, beyond weapons or communication devices.... and the next moment, you're locked out of the buildings for three months as a "psychological experiment"." Ambrose said, making air quotes with his fingers.
"Some of the techs I have heard rumors of doing downright cruel 'pranks'... we're trapped here and they know that they are the ultimate authority."
"Not any real surprise there I'm afraid. From what you say the staff is at some level, enslaved and likely to lash out at those they consider "lesser." On a more postive note we can request things?" Richard knew his suits were not going to handle daily use very well, especially if he did more fishing.
Ambrose nodded. "I never quite thought about it like that, I suppose. Though obviously, that still doesn't make it right. But yes, you can call up the labs through the intercoms. They'll grant most reasonable requests."
"Handy to know that. I wasn't planning on staying for more than a day." Richard stood. "Well thank you for you time. I'm going to write up a draft of a welcome sheet and I'll show it to you before I start slipping it under the doors of the unused duplexes. We'll have to get together again to hash out the island's timeline.
Ambrose rose to his feet as well, his tail giving a quick, 'formal' wag as Richard made to leave. "It was nice meeting you... and I hope that the information helps. Best of luck!" He reached out to shake hands again.
Richard shook the hand firmly and without hesitation. With a smile and a nod he headed out the door. "I'll be seeing you.
"You too, Richard. Take care and I hope that your lot here is a lucky one." Ambrose gave a sympathetic smile. Perhaps it wasn't the best image to leave the man with, but Ambrose would have been thankful for a dash of reality back in his own early days, pessimistic as it might be.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Oct 05, 2006 7:09 pm
Richard writes a letter after talking with Ambrose:
Welcome to the Island!
This document is intended to serve as a "welcome tour" to life on the island. Please read
it entirely before venturing beyond your front door it contains information that is
critical to the island´s day to day operations and to your own survival.
First is your duplex. This is your home, you will find the access code on your dresser,
please note your duplex number. Take care of it, there is no regular cleaning service
here. Note the intercom, dialing zero will get you an operator at the labs, you may
request personal items for your comfort. Nearly any reasonable request will be honored
except communication gear. Dial # + (a duplex number) to call another duplex.
Beyond your duplex is the village proper, the village center contains the cafeteria, it
serves hot food three times a day but is always open for snacks. There is also an
entertainment room with a vast library.
However the most important aspect of the island are the residents of the village. Pleased do not be alarmed by their strange appearances, these people are human beings and do not appreciate being gawked at. They are all the (mostly unwilling) subjects of Dr. Moreau’s experiments that fuse normal humans with animal DNA, producing an animal human hybrid. The changes are caused by a series of five injections administered by lab personnel. The first shot causes no changes. It prepares the body, probably at the molecular and cellular level. The proceeding injections induce physical changes in the body with hours of the injection. The process is incredibly painful.
The villagers are prevented from escaping by the natural remoteness of the island and chips that are implanted under the skin at the base of the neck. They enable the labs to render anyone unconscious at the touch of a button. The chip can also paralyze the subjects.
There are camera’s every where, both in the open and hidden. The villagers are observed 24 hours a day, nothing is unrecorded.
No one to date has escaped. There have been attempts.
This is the reality of the island. Anything else the staff has told you, the reason you are here, is a lie. No one has left the island in over a year and everyone who stays within a duplex is a subject. I’m am sorry but this includes you.
Sincerely,
Richard Harrison, Resident of Duplex #70
If you have any more questions please seek me out. I will answer them to the best of my ability.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Oct 09, 2006 4:55 pm
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Oct 09, 2006 5:19 pm
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Oct 09, 2006 5:50 pm
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Oct 15, 2006 8:46 pm
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Oct 16, 2006 7:25 pm
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Oct 18, 2006 3:47 pm
Richard found it slightly disturbing just how bussiness as usual it had been to order the building supplies for the memorial and bullitin board. He had pressed 0, a polite and professionally bored voice answered with, "How may I help you Mr. Harrision?" Richard told him what he wanted, the man responded with, "Anything else?" in the same tone that a clerk might ask if you'd like fries with that.
Richard ordered a couple pairs of shorts and some short sleeve hawiian shirts for good measure.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Sabin Duvert Vice Captain
|
Posted: Wed Oct 18, 2006 7:05 pm
Richard can't escape tormenting dreams that night, many bringing back all-too-vivid memories of his life past... and his wife. The morning finds him achy and feeling unrested despite the clock's proclamation that he had a full night's sleep. And there's an irritating itch on the back of your left arm.. The rest of the day proceeds fairly normally, except for feeling vaguely 'off' for most of the day. Your heart flutters when doing even normal exertion, and you feel as if you might be coming down with something. However, later, the feelings seem to be building to a head, and you begin to sweat profusely. Your body aches, but specifically your back and your sides, like a side-stich from hell. Then, beneath your shirt... you can feel it... you can see it. A wrenching pain, and a squirming, as if something alive were under your shirt. You can feel the fabric straining agains areas of skin you didn't know you had, four of them, pressing the shirt tighter and tighter as you feel smooth skin against your back and sides. Four totally new apendages are sprouting from your body: two of them on your sides, long flesh-colored limbs - the skin new, soft, and unwrinkled. And on your back, two very long, thickly muscled and smooth, black .... tentacles. The end swells and shapes into club-like shapes with small, circular ridges lining the undersides of the 'clubs. they feel like serpants writhing on your back, and like serpants they are thickly muscled and you can feel a strange, rudimentary bone structure underneath. But unlike serpants, they are slick, and warm to the touch. And you can feel with them - no denying that they are part of you. But after their growth, all of the limbs seem to flail wildly. But that' snot the end of it, your jaw aches, and your canines grow - but only marginally... and your mustache bristles, several of the hairs growing longer and much stiffer. 
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Oct 20, 2006 4:32 pm
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Oct 20, 2006 4:33 pm
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Oct 20, 2006 7:12 pm
Adjustments.
As the duplex door closed behind him, Richard's knees gave out. He put his face in his hands. He wanted to scream, to hit something, to shatter bone. But god damn it he was tired, so tired. He almost died, he had more than half hoped the first change would be too much for his old body to take. It hadn't happened and probably would not. His heart was better now, its rhythm was stronger than it had been before.
He sat there for a moment, breathing into his hands. Unsure whether his watering eyes would give way to tears or his shuddering breathes would cross the line into sobs.
Somehow, he held it together, the eyes dryed, the breathing stablized and thoughts turned to sleep. He pulled himself onto his bed but fail to take into account the vestigle arms. Theycaught on the edge of the mattress and trigged a painful spasm of Richard's new shoulder muscles. It caused him to clutch his side and kneel over. He landed on one of the little arms. Pain shot through his torso from the offended limp. He twisted away, rolling onto his back. The tentacles sprang to life as Richard's weight bore down upon them, failling wildly.
Richard pulled himself into a sitting position, hands protecting his head from the tentacle's crazin motions. Eventually they stopped and when limp.
He couldn't even control his own body any more. Richard carefully lowered himself onto his stomach. He spent the night there. Afriad that any motion might anger the snakes attached to his back. Sleep was slow in coming.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Oct 25, 2006 6:49 pm
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Oct 25, 2006 6:50 pm
Rp with Kim Quote: Richard sat in the entertainment room library, books on aquatic invertabrates piling up around him. His head shook side to side as he scanned the pages of a book completely dedicated to squid species. He'd read it three times already and was no closer to finding his fated animal. Things simply weren't adding up. The tentacles clearly had some type of internal structure besides muscle. But as he had suspected that didn't appear to be the case for natural squid. He figured it might be a single species with an evolutionary oddity at first but hadn't found anything to indictate such a species existed. The other changes, his dimunitative arms, the enlarge canines, the stiff hairs in his mustache just didn't jive with squid. If the little arms were going to be tentacles, why the bone structure? Richard growled a bit in frustration. The tentacles danced behind him, like agitated snakes, ready to strike. Quote: The woman's entrance was quiet to the point that it could have easely been missed. Kim visibely didn't see Richard at first as she stepped it, looking a bit down the weather, so to say. There where no smile on her small face, but a rather gloomy look of someone who had gone though something they disliked and hadn't quite recovered yet. It was the case, after all. Sure, the poor lady hadn't meant it, but being called crazy, repetively, had wounded her more than she probably would have thought it would. How can I blame her ? It did sound crazy. Maybe I -am- crazy. After all, do I even believe myself ? She gave out a sigh, huddeling into the couch and flipping the cover of her DS open and, after finally noticing the older man's presence - holy crap, where those tentacles ? - she lowered the sound of the handheld to mute out of respect for his reading. She didn't really want to speak right now, and kind of hoped he had not noticed her. Quote: Sighing, Richard closed the book and placed it on the table. He told himself it really wasn't important. Whether or not he knew the final destination of this crazy journey wouldn't change whether he reach the end or not. It was a lie, Richard craved information, especially concering information his own well being. He drove his doctors batty with questions about his health back home, even though he had done nothing to correct the problems such as his weight. He rubbed his temples and looked up and saw Kim huddled on the couch, her face looked almost alien but Richard could almost feel the sadness radiating from her. Eager for the distraction from his own troubles, a sort of knowing smile formed on his lips. "Ah, hello miss. I didn't hear you come in." While Richard looked friendly his tentacles did not. They stilled as soon as he spotted Kim and lowered themselves into a striking postition, the clubs just visable over his shoulders. Quote: Kim looked up from the handheld when he spoke, and managed a smile, but it looked, and felt, very fake. "That's okay. Im afraid I am not... the best companion at the moment." She ran her still normal fingers through her long black hair, doing her best to untangle the small knots that had remained after the brushing. It was getting harder and harder to comb them correctly, and she would probably be forced to either have someone comb them for her, or have to get an haircut, before the end of this crazy ride, and it did nothing to lift her spirits. She gave a raised eyebrow at the tantacles - both the sigh of them and their apparently different intent than the man that they where attached to. The pterodactyl in her was on guard, ready for an attack... Quote: When she looked up Richard finally got a good look at the woman. He tried to place what she was becoming, the fingers reminded him of Tommy's hands, they were definitely becoming wings but the rest? The colors were vaguely reptilian but a flying reptile? Nah Moreau wouldn't... No he would... Couldn't? If could do it he would solely because he could. This woman was becoming sometime that did not currently exist on this earth. That had distrubing implications... Richard pushed it away again but the thoughts continued to hover at the edge of his mind. He saw her gaze go past him at the black tentacles protuding from his back through holes he had cut in his shirt this morning. He flex his back and in the proccess the tentacles crumpled on themselves. It was a very crude kind of control and very uncomfortable for long periods, but it was all he had at the moment. "Ah don't worry about them. Their just a bit implolite at times. They can only reach about six feet anyway. Not to bright either, stupid things broke my mirror slamming into my reflection the otherday. Was the most difficult shave of my life. Damn things get hurt when they slam into something solid." Richard chuckled. He hoped the mental image might produce at least a smirk from the girl. "What's your name?" Quote: It seemed to be enough to soothe the girl's instincts, for a moment, and get a sightly more genuine smile out. This man reminded her of when she was young, and her childhood friends had grandfathers that didn't really mind the little girl tagging around. Richard had the same kind of gentleness than them, she thought. "Ahh, I see." She flicked the handheld closed with a flick of the longer finger and let it fall to the side. After all, it would be much more polite to give him all her attention. "Must be quite annoying... Oh, my name is Kim. And you would be ?" Quote: Richard grinned when Kim respond in a positive fashion and then mentally remind himself not to mention the memorial or Fiona. He really wasn't in the mood for that drama today. Yes it was important but Richard didn't want to make a habit of bad news all the time. Besides He thought he had most of the story about that now. Small talk was best for now. "Call me Richard, been here for about a month now. I was a reporter. Now..." Richard looked at the books around him with both frustration and disgust. "Now I have absolutely no idea what I am." Well that wasn't what he really wanted to talk about. He searched the room for a subject of interest, falling on her DS. "So what's that little contraption?" When in doubt, ask about a person's toys and from there you can find a person's joys. Quote: "I used to be a modelist for games. You know, like making the computer models, the settings." She sighed. "And now im the crazy pterodactyl girl. Not exactly what I expected from my life... But can I blame her ? I have problems believing it myself sometimes." There was a moment of sillence. "Oh, sorry about that... Im rambeling." As Richard asked about the DS, it seemed like Kim grinned from non-existant ear to another. "That's a Nintendo DS. Basically an handheld, portable game system." That brought the flashback of Taylor's grandfather thinking that his NES was a toaster... it tooks hours to get all the crumbs out. Quote: Modelist? While Richard was very computer literate for his age computers were tools not entertianment devices. He was unfamilar with games besides solitare. His initial image of modelist was that of a fashion model for video games. He smiled and nodded at her explaination, realizing at least he had not clue as to what she was talking about. His expression changed when she called herself crazy and nodded when she said pterodactyl, putting a word to his suspicions. "Crazy? who called you crazy?" The only crazy person he had met was Gallen. Wonder what happen to the little walking case of denial. "Ah its a nintendo." He had heard of those. "Kinda looks like a cosmetics case to me." Quote: Oh, great. That was a can of worms that she hadn't wished to open. "...Well... People tend to take it quite badly when I say what im turning into. But it's what I was told, and I think the b*****d was too gleeful to be lying. And... I had an encounter with someone who knew nothing about the island yet." She glupped, visibely trying not to look to patheticly affected. "She thought I was stir-crazy. I know she didn't say that to hurt me, but... it still stung." Deep down, Kim had always been very emotional, but subbornly refused to let it show. "But I didn't want to lie to her. And short of just running away there was no other option than say things as I see them, was it ? I mean... I know, a damn dinosaur seems impossible. But for some reason, it is. And it's me." And she was getting a bit sick of dealing with it. Sure, there was a few who took it decently... but the bad seemed to outweight the good. "Hehe... Yeah, I guess it does." And it did, she noted, as she glanced at the white plastic rectangle. "Too bad I don't really wear makeup." Quote: Richard smirked a little. Poor girl, must have run into somebody like Gallen, too scared to realize how impolite he was. "I don't really see how becoming a dinosaur is less feasible than becoming oh say... a squid." He shot one of his tentacles a look of disgust. Richard was fully in dispense grandfatherly wisdom mode now, hoping talking about it would help Kim. "New arrivals are hard. You have to remember their world is crumbling around them and they are prone to their own... Irrationallity or craziness." He winked. "Could have been worse. I met Tommy the first time I ventured out of my duplex. I almost walloped him with my cane. Trust me my dear, your a beauty queen compared to that." Quote: "I know. Im not... mad at her really, more like... hurt, even if it's a bit stupid to be." It WAS pretty stupid, she couldn't help but think. Aislinn hadn't really meant it. "She... wasn't really rude or anything, I mean, she kind of talked like how a nurse would talk to a loon, I guess." The idea of her in a straightjacket oddly made her laugh. "Ahhh..." Her cheeks turned some kind of deeper shade of tan and brown, visibely a kind of blush. "Thanks, I guess ?" Visibely she wasn't too used to those comments. Quote: Richard grinned like a chersire cat as the dino girl blushed. He really hadn't meant it quite like that but it was highly amusing just the same. He pondered how to continue the conversation. He really didn't have alot in common with the girl besides, well being here. Still she seemed like a very decent girl. "I've written letters for the newcomers actually. Try to at least sort them out before they just to wild conclusions and all that. Posted them on the bulletin board. You can just direct them there if you don't feel like explaining." Quote: Letters ? Bulletin board ? She hadn't noticed any of this. "Really ? That's a very nice idea, actually." It was wierd that no one had thought of it. "I don't exactly remember a bulletin board... Is that new ?" Richard really was a gentle man - it was heart-wrenching to think that there might be grandchildren somewhere missing him... Same than with thinking on how Bobby's children missed their mother terribely. This island destroyed so many lives... Quote: There we no children in Richard's life to miss. For the ten years since his wife's death he had always been on the move. From training to reporting at different places all over the world. He has many "Buddies," but no close family or friends. He had never put down roots, nor had he interacted with many young people that spoke his native tongue. The kind grandfather mode was orginally a way to get information out of children but Richard found himself drawn into the role with ease since his arrival to the island. He found he enjoyed it. Conversation without alternative motives was refreshing. "Ah yes its new. Gaius and I put it up last week. Give a place for everyone to post messages to the villagers, maybe organize events. I do hope my letters get seen there. The staff were taking down my letters from the duplexes." Quote: "Yeah, I can imagine they would." She frowned a bit, visibely not having a very high opinion of the staff members in general. "But what if they take it down from the board as well ?" After all, with all the cameras, it couldn't go unspotted for too long. Quote: Richard shrugged, "They haven't yet and I can always put more up. Alot easier than putting them up on thirty duplex doors. Far less stairs." He patted the cane that was leaning againist his seat. Quote: "Oh, yeah. Definitively. Expecially with how many duplexes there are now. There where so little when I came here.... It's sad to think about it." She was trying to not completely fall into her depression bout again. "I just wish people stopped coming here. I wouldn't even wish it to my worst enemy." Quote: Oh dear, that little niggling detail which was already threatening to deprive him of sleep. Optismism maybe? "Now, Don't you worry about things you can't change. We just have to keep living, even if it takes some "adjustment." Richard's smile was a little forced. "Keep together and we'll see the end of this little experiment... One way or another. Quote: See the end ? What did it exactly mean - for them to eventually be killed ? For them to live here for the rest of their days ? The end could mean many things, but she decided not to mention that. "Yeah... This is the least we can do... We have to survive, if only for ourselves..." She couldn't help but think of Cody. If anyone he knew died, what would the poor kid do ? The pterodactyl instinct was stern on that point - the youth needed to be protected at all cost, and it requied of the pack to stay united and live. Even if Kim didn't exactly see it this way. Quote: Richard didn't know what the end would be either. He hoped the staff would implode upon itself eventually. All that could be done for now was to wait and watch. Eventually there would be a mistake that would provide an opening. The villagers had to be in a position to exploit that mistake. There had to be a community here, individual's were victims, but the village as a whole might have enough strength to accomphilsh something. For now... Richard was just doing what he knew best. Searching for answers and struggling to make a difference, in what ever way he could. "Don't just surive for yourself. There are other people that rely on you I'm sure. Personally, my wife would never forgive me if I just gave up. Not a woman you want to have angry at you. Trust me on that one." Richard was astonished at himself, he was talking about Erica without the greif bubbling up. It would hit him later he was sure but right now he was remembering the woman tossing a rude houseguest out on his ear. She had been a beautiful thing to behold. Quote: Ah, so he had been married ? "Oh, I will believe you on that. My mother used to be a bit the same way... At least until dad died. She lost all will to live then." Painful memories - but for some reason, it was relieving to talk about it with someone who wouldn't call her a poor little girl with a pat on the head. "It made my glad that I didn't leave a lover behind..." Of course, she had left her mother behind, which wasn't much better. What had they told her ? Did she even survive the loss ? She would probably never know, and it might just be better that way. Quote: Richard had for the moment, forgotten about the strange new limbs he had aquired recently. His back muscles relaxed, his tentacles peaked over his shoulders again, waving side to side, to an invisable tempo. His small "arms" mimic the movement of his large ones. He looks down at the gold wedding band on his left hand, fingering it with his right. "Oh I didn't leave her behind. She left for heaven ten years ago." The smile was sad now. He could hear the screech of the tires in his head now and darkness that had enveloped them both. He shook his head to ward off the memories. "Better this way, I think." Quote: "Ahh... Im sorry to have brought that back." She sighed. "...It was probably better for dad, too. The doctors said that even if they had saved him, he would never be able to walk again... I think he would have prefered death if he had been given the option. But... enough talk about depressive things, maybe ?" She said with a small, saddened smile. "It's better to cherish the good memories." Quote: Richard nods. "Indeed." He is quiet for a moment. He is pondering something. Quote: Kim also slid into sillence, but it was more because she didn't know what to say than anything else, as she started to "comb" her hairs once again, while trying to think of a conversation that would be a bit happier. Quote: Richard decides againist asking about Fionia, he'd ask her later maybe after the halloween party. Oh the Halloween party! Richard Smiled. "You going to be at this little party the staff is throwing? Quote: Ahhh, NOW this was better ! "Oh yeah. I definitively plan to. My costume is pretty much ready, just need some small, finishing touches. What are you going to go at ?" Suddently, the small girl was much more lively and cheerful, obiviously loving the holiday. Quote: Richard's smile was back. "To be honest, I haven't given it much thought. I'm a bit old for trick or treating." Quote: "Me too, but it's not really what I like. I like costuming best." She shugged. "It's not like I can eat candy anyway, so I only trick or treated with my guy friends when we where younger and gave them all my candy afterward." That would have been the delight of every child, to have something like that for a friend, no ? Quote: Richard looked confused for a moment, "You can't eat candy?" Quote: Kim was used to those kind of looks, so it didn't really affect her. "It's not really a good idea. Type 1 diabetes, I gotta be really careful or else ill screw myself up. Been this way since I was 6. It sucked at first, but I don't even really like candy anymore." Quote: "Ah, hehe my doctors really hoped I'd stop liking pot roast," He patted his slimmer but still rounded belly. "Never happened though." He winked. Quote: Kim couldn't help but laugh. "I never really liked roast myself. But then all that I can really eat lately is fish with a *little* rice and vegetables if I hope to keep it down. Diet soda's getting a stretch." She seemed a bit upset by the fact that she might have no caffeine source soon. Quote: So far Richard had noticed no change in the things he found platable. "I'd still eat Pot Roast if they turned me into a cow." Richard started to push himself out of the chair. The change of topics was making him hungry. "In fact I do believe its about time to feed the ol' bottomless pit." Quote: She simpely couldn't resist but laughing, again, as the mental image was too humorous to resist. "Oh, I don't doubt it ! And now sounds like a good time to stop lazing around and get my costume finished, at any rate. If I keep pushing it back, I will never get it done, no ?" She got up and stretched. Quote: "Well now I'll have to show up to see it finished. Nice talking to you Kim. I'm in Duplex 70 if you want to find me. " Richard wondered about a costume, well there were those old fraterity skills to fall back upon.... Quote: "Im in 22, myself. And sorry, im keeping it a secret until the big time. Ill't be easy to spot, just look for the short girl with black hair that looks like she just landed from China." She gave the older man a playful wink, then went on her way. Quote: Richard watched her go. A smile on his face. Heh. Young people.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Oct 26, 2006 6:48 pm
The intercom was taunting Richard. He had spent the last day and a half in the entertianment center puzzling out his fate. He had come to the conclusion that he didn't have the foggyist clue what his final form would be. The tentacles were a squid's of course but over the last couple days he'd noticed things that just didn't jive. The bristles in his beard which almost hurt when he trimmed them, the enlarged canines. The fact that his little arms were, well arms, and not tentacles. Even the tentacles themselves were strange, there was some type of soft skeleton within them and the texture was just... odd. Not that Richard was unhappy that they weren't cold and slimey, quite the opposite. But was that to come later?
Richard knew he should take his own advice and just live day to day, don't worry about it. But not knowing was a bit like a sore on your cheek, you can't stop poking it with your tongue.
Ambrose had said the labs would tell you if you asked. What would be harm? Just find out and move on. He still had to work do to on the memorial plans and there was this matter of this costume party soon.
Yes, he'd just find out and put his mind at ease. Then move onto more important matters.
He pressed zero.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
