Welcome to Gaia! ::

Kikue looked up at the sound of someone calling her name. It was... Zach?! She immediately hopped to the guardrail, staring over the edge with her blook clutched in one of her paws. She broke into a concerned smile. "Hi!" she called back enthusiastically. He looks okay!

That revelation hit her immediately, as did the memory of the last time she'd seen him. It didn't matter as much, though, since he seemed to be in one piece. Had it really just been his chip?

She gestured to him to come up to the landing of her duplex, plainly happy to see him.

Kikue smiled softly, leaning on the guardrail with her arms, the book still clutched in a paw. "It's all right," she said, taking in a deep breath of the air through her nose. She flicked her tail out behind her, feeling in a good mood. "I was worried about that...I still don't really know what happened..." She straightened up from the railing. "Are you okay? Did they...take you to the labs?"

She still remembered discussing it with Nita. Was it the chip itself? And what if it happens to other people...I wonder if it's fixed...

"I'm doing okay with them." She continued to swing her tail behind her. "I'm trying to make sure I keep myself fed...but I know that the chip works, so it can stop me from doing anything if for some reason I get carried away..." Kikue tried not to think about that. She knew there was no guarantee if she ate that she wouldn't try something if a situation presented itself -- it was that uncertainty that unnerved her. She had always had complete control of herself before; of her emotions, and how she acted in front of other people. Now she could never be sure. But I...have to try and be as sure as I can. For Nita...for any people that have to be around me.

She moved the book to her other paw, pushing her whitened hair back from her face. She was careful not to let the claws catch. "I was worried...because of the reaction you had. I woke up back in my duplex...someone must have brought me there." Another space of time where she had no idea might have happened to her. Just like the labs and her last change. She shook off the feeling. Blinking, she scratched the back one of her ears just to focus on something else. The claws were sharp, but the fur was thick... "It seemed like...your chip malfunctioned. I visited Nita after I woke up...I'm not sure if you know her? She wasn't sure what happened, either..."

Kikue watched him as he looked over the railing. He seemed so calm about it... 'At least it was only him, and not anyone else.' What about Annie... Kikue buried the thought as quickly as she could.

She focused instead on Zach's change in tone when he mentioned Nita. Raising an eyebrow, she turned her back to the guardrail and leaned back against it, smiling a little secretively. "Are you friends with her?"

"Ah, I see." Kikue blinked slowly. A thin smile tugged at the corner of her mouth, and she held up the book she had been reading. "I've been trying to read, mostly..." She paused there, knowing the other task that had begun to occupy her time only recently. She had meant to tell Zach about it earlier...except for the fact that the chip had interrupted that conversation before it had even started.

Examining the cover of her book, Kikue ran a paw over the it. Thoughtfully, she shifted on her feet. "I've also been working on something with Nita...I met to tell you about it before, when you were talking about the labs. I thought it would be helpful." Kikue raised an eyebrow.

She turned around again, back to facing the railing. Leaning a bit over it, she began to describe the program she was working out. "It's a database. I created it when I first came here...files on each person I met.

"What their serum was...where they were from. What the labs told them to get them here...things that the labs already know, but that none of us do about anyone else... I thought it would be good, to create a catalog like that, for everyone to be able to use...

"I told Nita about it...she wanted to help. So we are making surverys and going to give them to each person, to fill in the database." Kikue faced Zach again, tilting her head. She looked proud, but also curious, waiting to see his reaction.

Kikue was glad to see Zach's interest in the project. Since Nita was the only other person who knew, she hadn't been sure how other people would react. She toyed with the book in her paws, cheerful. "I was thinking we could use it as a kind of directory for everyone. That way we could almost 'send mail' to each other in the village, and before visiting someone a person could know a little more about them, like their serum. Knowing that might even stop a few dangerous situations."

She sighed, flipping the pages of her book carefully with a claw. "It would need to be easily updated though, and regularly, so it stands to reason that it should remain electronic but...not everyone has a computer. So I'm not completely sure on all the details yet." She adjusted her shirt, fanning it a little in the muggy air. Gods it was hot outside.

"Nita didn't bring a computer either, so I'm not sure what to do about that. I don't think the labs will provide them willingly, and it defeats the purpose by asking." She continued to fan with her shirt, her ears low.

"Hmm?" Kikue asked, slightly distracted. Without any control at all, her mouth suddenly fell open, and she began panting. Aware of what she was doing, she tried to stop herself without any result. She rubbed a paw on her neck. "It's nothing...just hot out here...I rarely go outside anymore for long periods, but I get restless..." She kept up the panting, feeling thoroughly embarrassed that the conversation was now focused on her. She tried to think of some other part of the project to bring up, but her mind felt muddled.

...The surveys...

"...Maybe, you'd like to take a survey for the database?" Kikue gestured to the door to her duplex. She knew she was putting herself into another situation by extending an invitation to someone to come into her room...the instinct of it being an invasion of her territory felt like madness. But it was so strong. She had to try and shake it, just this once. I don't think I can stay out here much longer...I don't feel so good.