Welcome to Gaia! ::

It was what someone could call a lazy day. Kim was laying down on the warm sand, eyes closed and suspeciously looking like if she was asleep. The black-haired girl had probably played her games all night after Bobby had left.

So she laid there, looking completely peaceful and at ease, her ipod plucked in the sand at her side and playing music in what seemed to be a foreign language - probably japanese. With a still-open DS in her lap.

It would probably be amusing if anyone she knew sumbeled on her.

Aislinn hobbled down the path to the beach. Finally, she'd managed to get everything organized the way she liked it. She'd thought about going to the intercom to ask Dr. Duvert about sending a message to her family so that she could have them send some decorative touches for her room...but the beach really had called to her, so she'd put on her swimsuit and headed there instead.

The swimsuit itself was a bikini in bright rainbow shades, a find she'd been quite proud of when she located it as she felt it depicted her own bright nature. The leg brace and cane sort of detracted from the overall look, but she tried not to think about that-- soon it'd all be fixed!

The beach itself was fairly empty, though Aislinn spotted another young woman lying not too far away. She looked perfectly content on her own with her technology, but the Vietnamese woman figured that if she were going to sit anywhere, it might as well be close by. She was still at a fair distance, though, to give the other privacy.

She got out her towel, trying not to disturb the woman-- who appeared to be asleep-- and set about putting it down in the sand. Something was a little disconcerting about her, but at this distance she couldn't really place it.

Kim had always been a light sleeper (at least, as long as foreign noises where involved - the girl had been known to sleep with 3 computers, 2 consoles, and a group of screaming men nearby), so it wasn't long after Aislinn started setteling that she slowly started to stir, and eventually setteling into a sitting possition with still-sleepy eyes, visibely still being somewhere in between sleep and awareness. It took a few more seconds before her presence was actually noticed.

"Oh, hello !" Kim said with a smile, in between two yawns, too asleep to notice the person in front of her was still fully human, and thus, at risk of being clueless about the island...

Aislinn blinked. Something was -really- unsettling about this woman. Dr. Duvert had mentioned something about some of the patients being a little deformed or some such, though, so she figured that that might be it. Besides, she wasn't about to be rude and stare or anything.

Though, what was that on her -hands-?

She tried not to look too closely lest she be seen as antagonistic.
"Hello," she smiled, "Are you a patient as well?"

It took a few more precious seconds before the gears in Kim's head began to surely turn as she finally woke up for real.

... Patient ?

OH s**t. CRAP. THIS WASN'T POSITVE. THE FLEET IS FUBARED, SIR ! SEND BACKUP !!!

...Well, this had to happen. Really. At least she hadn't run off screaming. Yet. Ill't be easier to go along... But Kim wasn't all that keen on lying.

"Ah... hm." She searched her words. "...I came here for that originally, yeah. But, well... This island isn't exactly what it seems to be..."

This was going to suck.

Aislinn blinked. From the way she was talking, she could only guess that the other was a patient for some new psychiatric drug or something.

"Er...right...." she smiled as warmly as she could. She'd never really been around a crazy person before, but she figured, eh, she hated to be treated like she was crippled, so why should she treat another that way?

"It's not?"

This wasn't getting any better.

"I don't think there's a nice way to put this." She sighed. "This island basically turns people into animals. I came here from an ad about an experimental cure for diabetes. Seems like everyone's got a different story to how they came here."

The small girl looked perfectly serious. "I know it sounds crazy, but it's the truth, and I don't want to lie to you more than you have been lied to by coming here."

The woman blinked again,
"Uh..." the island turned people into animals? Wow. This one needed a higher dose of whatever medication it was they were trying on her.

"...You might...want to see about your medication. I don't think it's working," she said. She really didn't want to seem rude, but it would be better to suggest the girl go to Dr. Duvert and let him know that adjustments ought to be made than to have her ashamed of whatever actions her insanity might spur in her.

It took anything in Kim not to go postal at this instant, but it wouldn't do much good. After all, it would only make her more crazy. After a moment to calm herself, she spoke again.

"First of all, I do not really like being called crazy, thank you. Secondly..." She took the silver pendant she wore from her neck, made her way a little closer to the other woman - as seizure-inducing as her bikini might be - and opened it, pointing at the right photograph. "Then how would you explain this ?"

The photograph in question showed two women - one older than the other and both asian in nature. The similitude in between them inplying it was a mother and daughter. Kim matched the younger woman perfectly in build, face shape, and all... Beside the wierd skin, and all the other bits she gained in her year on the island.

"This photo was taken one month before I came here." Kim looked at the picture a bit sadly - more than one would think she would.

Aislinn blinked. Now that she was closer, she could see just what had distubed her about the other woman. The eyes...they didn't have pupils at all, and her head had this large bump that didn't look like anything she'd seen before outside of the Jurassic Park movie...you know, like those big grass-eating long-necked things or something.

But then her -arms-. Those were the weirdest part. She had these huge flaps of really thin skin...like bat's wings, and the largest pinky Aislinn had ever seen. The woman couldn't mistake the animalistic appearance of the other-- she'd been in the veterinary business too long. Still, she didn't look like any animal -she- knew of.

"What the...?" she was leaning towards believing the other, but...it was too odd. Maybe it was just makeup or something? Halloween was coming up....

"Is this a prank? A Halloween thing? What are you supposed to be?"

"Oh, I wish it was a prank. Maybe I wouldn't smack my fingers in doors then. And my halloween costume is less freaky than this." She gave a nervous laugh, visibely not feeling quite at ease herself - she definitively was the last one who should be doing this - the one with the least believeable story.

"And, well, a pterodactyl. Don't ask me how, I don't exactly know. This was what I was told." She said, closing the pendant with a flick of her powerful wrist and tying it back at her neck. "If not the real thing, a mix of many animals to get the desired effect. But Moreau told me im the real thing. Go figure."

She ran a hand though her hairs. "...Im sorry to drop it all onto you at once. It was hard to take for me also, but I didn't want to be lied to, as I doubt you would want to as well."


Aislinn still wasn't sure what to make of this. The girl's story was...unbelievable. But, there was at least some evidence....still, it could be a costume. Her skin -was- awfully shiny. It could just be some prosthetics or something that gave it its tone and shiny-ness and stuff. She didn't know much about all that, though.

The woman's eyes narrowed,
"A pterodactyl?" she asked incredulously, "How exactly could...?" she knew enough about biology and genetics to realize how impossible it'd be to get her to turn into a pterodactyl, even if it were possible to turn a person into an animal at all.

"We don't even know for sure what the damn things look like..."

She lifted a hand towards the other girl, motioning to her hand,
"Do you mind? They look like very good...designs..of whatever fashion they are."

Kim just sighed, and with a roll of her eyes, held up her hand for the other woman.

"Just don't pull too hard." That hand was still sightly sore from a run-in with the cafeteria doorframe a few hours ago, the last thing she needed was this lady deciding she would wring it off no matter what. If that wouldn't prove it, it was definitively hopeless to get anything thought.

"As for how, the doctors weren't so kind to tell me exactly how, for I am just a normal person and way too stupid, apparently." She mumbered, redirecting her annoyance at a much better source.

"Oh, and if that's not enough for you, you can try pulling the headcrest too. Just don't rip my head off. Please."

Whatever the medication was, it was apparently making this woman incredibly grouchy now. She'd seemed nice enough before, but...well, Aislinn had to admit that being questioned so much might be enough to make her unhappy as well. She hated talking about her accident and the results of it, and if this girl was telling the truth...well, no wonder she was getting a bit cranky.

She gently prodded at the skin. It felt exactly like a bat's skin. Strange. She touched the arm, trying to see if she could spot where the skin had been attached...but there didn't seem to be any seams at all, not even that she could feel. She rubbed a bit, to see if whatever powder might be covering the seams would come off, but...nothing.

Her eyes widened,
"This...is really good work..." she said softly. She just couldn't bring herself to think....
"Does..does this happen to everyone?"

...Good work.

Again, it took a few breath for the small woman to calm herself enough so that she wouldn't be screaming.

"Well, not exactly this. I mean, not everyone get the same animal. But yeah. It happens to everyone that doesn't work at the labs. And well, I've been here for a year now. No one's going home."

The girl's touch on her hand was so akward... It wasn't really something she had taken note of or experienced before now. The touch was so warm... So much warmer than an human should be. But she knew that the "problem" wasn't Aislinn. It was her, and the now cold blood running though her. It took alot of willpower to resist getting closer to the heatsource.

Aislinn noticed the other's wince, and looked at the wrist more carefully. There was a slight discolouration-- probably a bruise, though it was hard to tell with the strange skin colour.

She felt a strange haze come over her. A sort of acceptance without really realizing the consequences,
"That'll be hard to explain to the parents when you get back home.." she commented absently.
"...I'm Aislinn, by the way. Aislinn Derry."

"...I probably don't have parents anymore. And I do not think I can ever go back home." She commented sadly, strange eyes casting downward for a moment.

Her mother... Without the only thing that had kept her alive... was most likely dead.

"Kim. Kim Nguyet. Sorry for the sucky introduction." She managed to let a small smile out to break the sadness.

The Vietnamese woman bit her lip. Well, way to go there...she hadn't known the girl's parents were dead or whatever.

"What do you mean, you can't go back home?" she hadn't inferred that she didn't have a home at all, just that she couldn't go to it. That was a bit odd. Maybe Aislinn could get out of here before whatever it was started turning her into an animal.

"I think I may see if I can't go home before I get infected."

"I don't think it's actually possible to leave. There's cameras everywhere in here. Guards and all kind of things like that. It's creepy. I've heard of someone trying to leave and failing, and almost dying in the process. It's messy. And beside... They gave you an injection when you came out of the helicopter, right ? It's allready started then."

...This really sucked.

"That...that was just to prep me for..for my surgery," she stuttered, the haze starting to melt and her eyes focusing a bit more again. She was starting to shiver, though it was warm enough here.

She needed a drink. That was it. That would make her feel better, if nothing else. Perhaps this was just a dream. Well, even if it was, she could go get a little tipsy in her own dream, if she had as much control as it seemed like she did. And there'd be nothing to worry about.

...Suddently the beach wasn't exactly inviting anymore. And the cocktail of emotion - sadness at the girl's realisation of the harsh truth, anger caused by the fact neither of them should be here to begin with... was giving her an headache and making her feel like complete crap. Maybe it was why some people thought lying was better.

"I should get going." She said with a sigh, standing up and putting the DS and the shut-down ipod in her pockets. "If you need anything... Im in duplex 22, okay ? No need to worry about bothering me or anything - you won't."

And with that, the woman left, emotionally drained.

Liamh shoved his hands into his pockets as he walked up to the tent, the music getting louder as he approached. Peering around, he noticed the large crowd gathered... the large, strange crowd. He blinked a few times, and walked into the midst, heading for the drinks table, nodding and smiling at those he passed.

Looks like they've gone all out for us. How kind.

He smirked as he passed what looked like an irate snake in a dress, wondering what that was about, and went to help himself to the refreshments.

Kim finally decided that she was hungry - and headed torward the food table, spotting something very, VERY important - cocktail weenies ! She always had a weakness for those.

She popped one into her mouth and, after putting some more in a little plastic dish, she headed right for the refreshments, and rose an eyebrow at the man there. Completely bald, but it wasn't what caught her attention.

"Hey, nice costume ! Dr, Who ?"

Long live the geeks.

Liamh took his drink - it was some kind of cider, he was pretty sure - and wandered over to look at the food. The first table he passed turned his stomach. Was any of that even cooked? He shuddered and found a table with more palatable foodstuffs, passing some kind of creepy clown with large, pointy teeth.

He nodded, mulling over the fingerfoods. "Hey, sweet. Little sandwich thingies." He took a few and glanced over at the clown. "Hey, I'm Liamh, by the way," He shoved a sandwich in his mouth and held out a hand.

He heard someone's voice behind him, and turned, seeing a strange-looking girl in a nifty chinese getup. "Hey! Thanks, I really didn't think anyone would get it!" He grinned at her.

Alec helped himself at the pickings on the table, being as choosy as a sewer rat as he stuffed his mouth full of the provided snacks. He probably would've preferred a nice raw steak but he wouldn't dare approach the other tables, though the alcohol was looking a little interesting at the moment.

Unfortunately, the approach of a few Islanders to his location quickly reminded the shark boy that it wouldn't do to clean the entire table of its contents. "Uh?" He mumbled and glanced over at Liamh, offering a friendly but albeit creepy smile. "Ay, Alec. Nice t' mee-" The teen stuttered as the bald guy was stormed by supposed friends, feeling somewhat out of place all of a sudden. He distracted himself with a handful of chips as he tried to look nonchallant.

She grinned right back, trying to blow the scroll that came down from her hat out of her face, out of reflex. She would probably stop doing so in about an hour, but in the meantime the reflex was annoying.

"Oh, I watched that show so much that it would have been a sin not to." She blinked as she tilted her head, after hearing someone call out the name the man has just used to introduce himself to clown-guy.

Gallen headed over to the snack table where the odd looking bald man who he was half hope was Liamh was. As he did he looked around at the other guest. So many people. Maybe he would finally meet others here....maybe finally he would even get a chance to see his sister.

Liamh waved over his shoulder at Gallen. "Heya!" He smiled at Alec, remembering to offer his hand again. "Oh, sorry! Alec, nice to meet ya. Been here long? At the party, i mean..."

He stepped aside slightly for others to come in closer to the table and conversation, flashing a smile at the girl who'd called out to him.

"Ah, you're a fan, eh? I loved that show, always scared the daylights out of me when i was little. I like what they're doing with the new version... Which doctor is your favorite?" he tilted his head toward Kim. "I'm Liamh, by the way."

Alec turned back to Liamh and noticed the offered hand this time, responding with a firm shake and another smile. "Neh neh, joos' go' 'ere. Ye?" He turned to include the others who'd arrived so that they could form somesort of small conversation group, though he knew absolutely no one present, it seemed. That was ok, he had food for now.

"Kim." She answered, sending a wave to Alec and munching on a cocktail weenie before continuing. "I didn't get to catch a whole lot of the new one. I was too busy, and then, well, I came here." She refused to let the thought hinder her fun, and so far it seemed to be working pretty well. "As for a favortie... hmmm. I really liked the 9th for some reason. But I pretty much liked any of those that popped in what I watched. 9th stands out more in my mind tho."

Gallen came up and smiled too Liamh, the creepy clown and the young lady. He listened as they conversed about Doctor Who. He remembered the show but did not get too see much of eth new stuff. "I heard Eddie izzard was suppose to be the next Doctor." He looked over to the young lady, “nice ghost costume and your the clown form IT right?” as he smiled and nodded to Alec.

Liamh nodded at Alec. "Nice. I just got here myself, haven't had a chance to try out the festival games yet or anything. Just as soon as i get a bite to eat, maybe... then again, i haven't been too hungry today. Nothing sounds good..." he shook his head, sticking his tongue out.

Liamh extended a hand to Kim, with a grin. "Kim, eh? Kim, this is Alec, Alec, Kim. Right? Right. And i think i keep confusing the seventh and the eighth. I always liked the fourth, for some reason... can't beat the scarf. Hard to keep 'em all straight in reruns, but darn they were fun."

He glanced over at the two of them. "Okay, the scary clown i get, but... What're you going as, Kim? I'm trying to figure out what the scroll thingie's for..." He smiled and rubbed his bald head.

"A Chinese zombie/ghost" Gallen said remembering the horror films and ghost stories form his days in Hong Kong as a small child. "and no you can not beat the 4th's Scarf, hehe." Gallen soon turned to Alec and put out his hand. Gallen Marcuss, nice too meet you."

Kim didn't expect anyone to get the full extend of her costume, so she wasn't too surprised. "Pleased to meet you both." She said with a small bow. "Well, my costume is a video game character, but I can make it a bit simpler to explain I think. She's pretty much a chinese ghost/zombie, and the scroll is used for magic in the myth. For the character, well, the scroll actually has the soul of her sister inside. It's been a while since I played so my details are a bit stretchy.

She turned to Gallen and grinned. "Thanks !" She did look a but surprised that he had actually known.

Liamh took a sip of his drink. "Oh, right, right, sorry, the ninth. Yeah, he's definitely my favorite, i have to say. I heard they were replacing him with a tenth, but i hadn't gotten that far. I think i still have the CD someone burned for me before i.... well, before i left." He shook his head. "Have you seen them? If not, maybe we could both watch it."

"Ahh, chinese ghost!" Liamh's eyebrows - or what would have been eyebrows, if he still had them - arched. "That's clever - i wouldn't have guessed, but i'm just ignorant that way," he laughed.

Alec nodded to Kim and accepted Gallen's handshake, unable to guess what any of them were dressed as. To save himself the embarassment, he'd wait for someone else to figure it out for him. "IT? Heh, mehbeh. A' 'aven't seen tha' n' sooo long. Go' th'clown bi' righ' though!" He smirked a bit, letting his eyes travel past Kim towards the dance floor in time to see Emerwyn's classy slip-up. He couldn't help but sputter a laugh. Parties were never dull when drunks were about.

"Theh's games?" He chirped, having not even noticed the other happenings in the tent.

"Really ? Aw." She did look a bit dissapointed as she heard of the possible remplacement. "I havn't seen a whole lot of them as I said, ill'd love to ! And yeah, I didn't expect anyone to know that the costume was, but I needed something that fit those... things." One of the claws from each hand started wriggeling beside the two other, foam ones - proving they where actually very real appendages. "It was the first thing that came to mind."

Gallen turned back to Kim and smiled, "No problem, I grew up in china and I remember seeing and hearing about such creatures in films and stories." Now that he was closer he looked at Liamh's head, "Funny I do not remember any of the doctors being bald, are you cosplaying your own version?" He laughed as he went back to talking to Alec who seemed quit confused and amused at something at the same time. "You ok man?"

Liamh nodded at Alec. "Yeah, they've got things like bobbing for apples and pin the whatever on the pumpkin, things like that. Carnival fun." he smiled, munching on another finger sandwich. "We should totally go be dorks all over it."

Glancing at Kim's claws, he stopped mid-bite, letting the sandwich dangle from his mouth. "Hrrrnnn," He remembered to chew and swallow, removing the rest. "Well, it's certainly creative... Are you, uh, you're chinese, then?" He smiled. "Great way to tie it in with Halloween, and stuff."

Liamh rubbed his bald head. "Yeah, i'm definitely a sort of mush between all the doctors, i couldnt' decide. I didn't get a wig since it wouldnt matter much - who's stranger than the Doctor, anyway?" he laughed. "I wish i hadn't lost the hair, though.... it's drafty."

"Almost - vietnamese." She corrected. "Close enough tho. I explored most asian cultures however." As well as some other ones, but eh. Ah, so the poor guy went blad during his change ? It was quite common, expecially for reptiles - a grim outlook that she was probably next - but she decided now wasn't the time to mention that. She almost said that he didn't look too bad bald either, but then decided this definitively wasn't a good time to say that. But damnit, she always had a weakness for the cute geeks - which was probably why she never had a date. Eh.

Gallen double taked as Liamh said it, "Lost your hair? oh man you too...errr..I mean...Oh man I am sorry, why did you not call...." Gallen felt embarrassed now...and quickly grabbed some food and stuffed it in his big mouth before he said anything else dumb.

The shark boy nodded towards the entertaining group of tipsy dancers, amused though barely caring to figure out who they were exactly. Turning his attention back to the small group that had formed, Alec listened intently and pretended he knew what they were talking about.

"Hehe yeee!" The youngster grinned at Liamh's enthusiasm, never bothering how stupid he'd look playing lame party games since it was something to pass the time. At his regreatful comment concerning his hair, Alec gave him a reassurin nudge to the arm. "A' 'ad th'coolest 'hawk n' th'fookin worl', now is all FUZZ!" He lifted his wig for a moment to point at the multicoloured leftovers of his previous hairdo with nothing more than a carefree shrug.

"Yeah, all fell out, couple days ago.." he let out a long breath. "But whatever, i'll just be really good at cosplaying Lex Luthor or Picard or something." He grinned. "Who knows, maybe it'll, uh... grow back?" he shrugged.

He peered under Alec's wig as the teen showed off his remnants of mowhawk "Oof, sorry to hear," he said, translating the thick accent. "Least you still got some, right?" he grinned hopefully.

Liamh glanced at Kim. "Ahhh, right, sorry. Vietnamese. I'm really kind of a dunce when it comes to that, but hey, i dont' think i could tell a frenchman from a german, either. You know, aside from the beer and pretzels thing."

Gallen watched intently as Alec pulled up his wig...then it hit him..the guy looked sort of like a..a...a...fish? Then he looked at Liamh, then the young lady, Kim. Through a half mouth full of food, "Yhea, My folks studied Asian folk lore." He soonwent back to munching as the others compared there changes.

Though he was in good company, he still hoped no one would notice his changes. Gallen grinned at Liamh as he swallowed what he had eaten, then he took a deep breath. The air felt thin in the room, but Gallen tried to ignore the pain he felt form breathing. "Speaking of Lex Luthor my fellow geek, can you guess who I am?" His grinned widened as he took a deep breath. His Lung still felt two sizes smaller though.

"Wow, that sucks." Usually Kim didn't really have issues with accents, but Alec's really ought to have come with a manual - it has taken her a few seconds to actually understand what the teen had been talking about, curling one strand of her own black locks around her finger nerviously. All that hair loss talk had her on edge a bit.

Then, Liamh spoke, and she laughed a bit. "Oh, trust me, I wouldn't either, they all look the same."

"Heh, i wonder if they're giving out prizes for the games," he chuckled, nodding at Alec. "I bet you could totally kick ten arses at bobbing for apples. We could team up and make off with the whole pile of candy or whatever they might be giving out... You have a favorite treat, Kim?" He grinned evilly.

Liamh looked Gallen over. "Uhh, hmm." He narrowed his eyes, taking in the black outfit, the scruffy hair, the cape... "Hey! I know! It's Vampire Hunter D?" He looked exultant, then his face fell. "Ah, no, wait, i think he's got a hat...." He leaned back to ponder it.

Gallen laughed, "who is Vampier Hunter D?" He let Liamh ponder over his costume. He felt a little dizzy as he did this, takeing in another deep breath.

"Actually..." She chuckeled a bit. "That would be the apples themselves. Or cocktail weenies. Too much sugar would be too bad for me in the whole run so I learnt to avoid it. If you really want an actual candy however... I would have to say Reeses peanut butter cups. I havn't had one of those in ages." And man did she needed one now. Augh.

Upon Liamh's failute of guessing the costume, she tilted her head in thought as she tried to guess. "Rulling out the "emo kid" answer... Augh, damnit, I know this..." She muttered. The costume was somewhat familiar, but she couldn't find what it was for the life of her.

...and then they started talking about stuff he didn't know a thing about again. Alec reached back to snatch up another handfull of easily-accessible snack foods, filling his cheeks as an excuse to his sparse contributions to the conversation. Luckily he hadn't spotted the bat-man nearby, though he probably would've have been able to correctly identify him if he tried. All-in-all a good thing, of course.

Hr grinned at Liamh and suddenly decided it was about time to stake out the fun and games in the joint, already scanning the area for where they might be hiding. "Wanneh 'ave a try? A' be' a' coul' beat ue's all!" The childish shark snickered, haughtily challenging even though it already had been said that he'd most likely win.

"Mmmmm... peeeenut butter cups..." Liamh said, his eyes glazing over zombielike at the mention of them. "Oh lord, why did you have to mention them... they've gotta have 'em around here somewhere..." he glanced over the table, snagging a peanut-butter covered celery stick. Not the same, but it'd staunch the craving for the moment.

"Heh! You're on, Alec! Anyone wanna go see what they've got? I haven't had any alcohol yet, but i can still make an arse of myself in no time..." He thumped the sharkboy on the back, glancing over curiously as he noted the fin. Ahh, that made sense.

"Yeah, im starting to hate myself for mentionning them too." She eyed the celery sticks, but that wouldn't do. No, she needed the real thing if she was to have anything. Lord.

"I don't think ill be too good, but I can try, I guess..." She said, a bit shyly, but then, suddently, her eyes brightned up. "OH." She pointed at Gallen. "Sandman !!! Right ?"

Gallen smiled, "I am game" He looked to Kim, "Umm miss you want to try your luck too?" he took another deep breath, one game and he might head out side for a bit to get some fresh air. he still was not sure what was wrong with him, sides the scales, pointed ear, claws, and peach fuzz fur. "BINGO!!!, I was worried people would think I was Dracula." he looked at Liamh, "I guess a vampire hunter is close to that though, but yhea I am Neil Gaiman's Sandman, Dream. What dreams can I weave for you my lady?" He bowed. “or would you prefer nightmares" he looked up with an evil grin.

"I only knew that because a guy I went to school with was completely addicted to those comics. And I've had my shares of nightmares, so ill'd rather the first option." She winked.

Alec chuckled at the mention of alcohol, figuring he'd have to hit that table sooner or later. For now, his attention was drawn to the celery stick Liamh had grabbed. He wasn't one for vegetables but he had to admit, they looked really good to his lack of discrimination of food choices. With little regard to his chewing ability, he popped one in his mouth and paused as it automatically created a somewhat sticky and obtrusive mess in his jaws so that he'd try his best to keep his mouth shut until he was sure it was all down. Cursed teeth.

He pointed in the direction of the games, indicating to the group whether they wanted to head over or not.

"Heh, you're right, Kim!" Liamh smacked himself in the forehead - a little too hard. He winced, and rubbed the sore spot. "Totally Sandman, why didn't i think of that...." He smirked, wrinkling his forehead experimentally.

Snagging another finger sandwich, he grabbed the two next to him by the shoulders and then nodded at the game area. "Games! Come on, or they'll find me passed out in a bobbing bucket in half an hour with an apple up each nostril!"

he smiled up to Kim, "Then I shall make a note to chase the bad dreams away from you." he grinned as he felt once more a need to take a deep breath. This was not fun. So was this what it felt like to have Asthma? He tried to ignore it as he stood up straight again.

“it has been a while since I read the comics, but I have them on a file in my laptop, if you ever want to read them let me know. Same for you Liamh, and your ..errr.. creepy fishy clown friend.”

"Oh, what a nice mental image." Kim somehow managed to speak in between fits of laughter at the mental image that had just been painted into her mind. Specifically the apples in each nostrils. "I think that would hurt, so we'll better hurry, shouldn't we ?" She slid an arm over Liamh's shoulder, not really thinking or caring that she might be getting a bit too physical - too happy and distracted to do so.

Alec shoved Liamh's back playfully as they collectively turned to make their way over to the games, making sure to remind himself not to bob for apples. His face paint had been a pain in the arse to do the first time, he couldn't imagine trying to touch it up in the dark.

Hearing Gallen's comment, the teen glanced back over his shoulder. "Ay, 'am no' thaaa' bad." The youngster then let a wide and malicious-looking grin spread across his clown-like features, making sure to allow the fleshy gums to drop down and reveal the rows of pearly blades to complete the look. He was loving his costume way too much already, and the night had barely begun.

Gallen shuddered and the grinned timidly, "I shall have nightmares of that for days to come. Thanks. and I had just got over my fear of clowns." He laughed

Grinning as he rocked back from the shove, Liamh laughed. "Daaannng, Alec. Those are some scary choppers. I think even Roy Scheider would be running if you got ticked off."

He smiled as he found Kim's strangely-shaped arm on his shoulder. "Hey! I hear they've got something called "wrap the mummy", we could give that a try. I vote Alec as the mummy, however it works..."

"Remind me not to piss you off, man." And yet another comment about the teen's teeth. But then, as a shark, it was expected.

"Yeah, that sounds fun !" The young girl grinned.

Alec laughed at all the teeth comments, feeling a little better about his looks when others were deriving amusement him them. "Heh, ye. Joos' mind th'fins mate, a' joos' go' 'em waxed!" He joked about the game and followed the group towards the other side of the tent. He didn't know what the game was about but it sounded fun enough.

Gallen smiled and followed the group, but soon went to a corner and knelt down. "Sorry all, just give me a sec to catch my breath."

Joining the others, Liamh laughed his best evil genius maniacal laugh. "Yeeesss, come, we shall make mischief.... and, you know, stuff our heads in buckets of fruit and cold water. Whichever comes first."

"Don't forget the peanut butter cups. There better be some around here I swear." Kim laughed, eying Gallen with worry as he backed off. "You're ok man ?"

It was hard for Kim to describe what she was feeling as she headed further and further away from the village, a feat that she rarely did, no matter on her own or with others. The farest she strayed was the beach, for the sunbaths. It was the best place. But now, she had no urge to go there, instead going torward the lake.

The last few days had been... hazy, at best. It did seem like she wasn't the only one dictating her own actions, and there was urges that weren't there before. The bunch of animal instincts that had awoken with her last change, that she managed to keep mostly at bay for this long, apparently where a bit more loose. The pterodactyl was hungry - and not for the cafeteria fish. No, it wanted fresh fish. Freshest as possible, which insinuated "still kicking".

Kim wasn't quite aware of that yet, as she simply went along where the feelings took her. After keeping the instincts locked after so long, it had become unbearable, and made "co-existance" quite difficult. She figured that, as long as she wasn't hurting anybody, it couldn't be so bad to give the dinosaur what it wanted. And the pterodactyl had no intention to hurt anything that wasn't a small fish, or anything that made no move to attack it.

Once she had gotten to the lake, the young girl crouched, and watched the limpid water with an unparalleled attention. What... what was the animal trying to tell her ? Of course, it never used words. Kim and her other half communicated with feelings, with reactions and subtile hints. It wasn't exactly like speaking the same language, and miscommunication happened, but Kim figured there had to be worse in the world. The animal was like a second her, and it was likely that it would remain this way - but she was doing her best to make sure an all out war for dominance broke out. This was the closest it had gotten, and deep inside, the small part of her that was not in a slight haze was scared. The pterodactyl knew this feeling, but in a different way - the fear for your own life, or for one of your kin, the fear when a bigger predator was in your steps. As such, the reptile simply did not understand the fear. It had no intention to hurt her - having already understood that hurting her would be the same as hurting itself.

The major issue, in the animal's train of thought, was being rendered flightless - but instincts, mixed with an human's resourcefulness, would probably lead to their goal. Even if said human had no idea what role it was playing in the grand scheme of things at the moment. Maybe she would understand...

Finally, the prey was spotted. A single fish that strayed away from the school to come and breathe. The movement had to be fast... The second the fish emerged, she darted. The first reflex was the human one of graping it with her hands, which of course was stupid. The fish was caught, but wriggled out easily. The second was the animal one to catch it in her jaw and bite down hard. The fish fought, of course, and almost made it way out of the weaker jaw, but then a mixture of the two techniques what was won out - the hands helping with holding the prey until she had made her way back to the ground, very wet, and waited for the fish to die in an almost humane way before starting to eat, a bit awkwardly.

Kim pondered this in silence, as she ate her meal. The pterodactyl... had wanted to fish. It made sense, and she had to admit... this tasted better than the fish in the cafeteria, in a way she couldn't explain. Perhaps it was the feeling of earning her own food... And, oddly, she felt no aversion with what she had just done. It was normal. It was just... natural.

She wouldn't ever be the same anymore after this... She knew. And for some reason... it didn't make her sad. It didn't upset her. It was peaceful here, at the lake, with only her own self there. She wouldn't be the same, but wasn't it the same for the creature she now lived alongside of ? Even if it did not understand the situation, it was not only thrown in a body that was too slowly becoming familiar... but in a whole new area. In a brand new world, with no baring, no familiarity... and no kin left.

Just like her.

"What are you trying to tell me... ?" She whispered in confusion, trying hard to understand what all those mixed feelings where supposed to mean. It wasn't... hostile, or anything like that. It didn't want to be alone anymore. Just like her, perhaps.

If this was what being crazy was... maybe it wasn't so bad. There where conflicts... but not the conflicts, not the potential, complete death of herself that Kim had imagined it to be.

Dictated by the instincts, she picked the meat on the bones clean, avoiding anything that would be lethal, and left the corpse on the ground without a care or a regret. The scavengers would take care of what was left, and the bones would return to the earth, nourish the earth, which will in turn nourish the plants.

A perfectly natural cycle.

"Ok, I get it." She spoke to herself. "No more cafeteria fish, you prefer it extra-fresh. Im okay with that. But we're using a fishing pole next time."

A compromise, maybe. Perhaps this would be what her future would be make of - compromise of both parties to keep balance.

And, right now, with her focus returned and her fear melted... perhaps, this wasn't so bad.

It was better than losing the only thing you had left of yourself.

Christmas Gifts :

So long... it has been so long for Kim. So long since she had gone through the pain of a change.... and along side it, that creeping worry that something might be wrong with her serum. After all, unlike any of the other islanders thus far present.... her serum was different - VERY different. Not a normal animal, not even some sort of genetic chimaera.... but truly a relic from millions and millions of years ago. Even Seth's extinct genetic donor came from a recent sample.

And so, after the months crawled by and with no word or explanation from the labs, she wakes up one morning to a wordless reply in the form of an injection wound on the back of her right arm and a buiding fever.

Your head hurts somethign firece as the day begins.... and gradually that lump on yoru skull begins to grow, lengthening out to a long point towards the back of your head. And in some sort of twisted inverse reaction, your face begins to stretch forward - your jaw and nose both grow into a sharp beak-like point..... and stretching... more stretching - this time your neck, lengthening and yet still managing to support your deforming head.

Your pinkies - or at least what was your pinkies - grow longer and more flexible, yet stronger as the flaps of skin grow as well and thicken - your arms resembling wings more and more... and a new flap begins - this one between your legs - promising to make wearing any kind of pants neigh impossible.

Finally, the changes abate, leaving you less human - and less like any other creature living on the planet.