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Island of Moreau Vice Captain
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 Posted: Sat Jun 24, 2006 3:35 pm
The next day, right outside his duplex door, would be a surprise waiting, completely with a big blue ribbon.
A tag hanging off the handlebars would simply say:
To: Cody
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Posted: Sat Jun 24, 2006 4:21 pm
Anonymous Gift Cody yawned and streched out his arms as he woke to another bright morning. The sight awaiting him wasn't a very pleasent one though. The room was still messy despite his yesterday's attempt to clean it up
"Urg, it looks even worst than before" he made a mental note to try and finish organizing things before Newt had a chance to drop by
After cleaning himself up and got dressed, Cody proceeded to the cafeteria to get some breakfast. But he stoped right at the door when he saw the brand new bike waiting outside
He rubbed his eyes in disbelief, wondering if he was seeing things. No, it was still there. Maybe it was for someone else? Nope, the tag was addressed to him
Cody couldn't just believe his luck. A shiny new bike just for him. Back at home all he had an old one he outgrown ages ago and his father's, which was a bit of a pain to ride because it was too high for him (and the seat was jammed, so they couldn't lower it). But now he had his own, a bit big but fitting
Completely forgotten of the cleaning duties awaiting him, and even breakfast, Cody jumped to the seat and darted off down the street
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Posted: Tue Jun 27, 2006 9:02 am
Lessons from a Frog Newton Filinas There was a loud and terrible clunk outside of Cody's duplex, followed by a cry of alarm and pain and the sounds of the trashcans outside being knocked over. Cody Archer Cody had been inside of his room for a good while, recovering from another atack of tiredness, this time provoked by spending too much time riding on his bike
When he heard the sound he immediatly got off the bed and opened the door, soon to find a stumbled Newt
"Are you alright? What happened?" Newton Filinas It was odd how green the janitor was looking in the sunlight as he struggled with his legs, "Ah- ah... I... I j-just.. it w-was n-nothing I j-just-" Cody Archer Cody noticed the odd shade of green on Newt's face. It made him look sick, though he seemed healthy enough
"You sure? You look green" Newton Filinas At that, Newt gave a sharp, manic laugh, crawling backward to lean against the bottom steps, "I'm... I'm f-fine! I'm j-just d-dandy!" He wove a web-fingered hand, his voice a bit muffled by the tongue he still wasn't used to. Cody Archer At the sight of that hand Cody could help to stare. He didn't had those when he last saw him
"Whoa, what happened? You ate radioactive cereal or something?" Newton Filinas "N-nothing! Nothing," The green janitor babbled, half hopping, half trying to take a step from his odd crouched position as he groped for the broom he had dropped at the top of the stairs without climbing if he could. Cody Archer "You're lying. You didn't looked like that the last time. Or walked funny" he said as he got in the way of Newt, and angry expression on his face that clearly said he didn't like people lying at him "What happened?" Newton Filinas "N-NOTHING!" The janitor finally shouted, scrambling back away from the little boy with a look of anger and frustration, "I j-just... hurt my l-legs is all!" unfortunatly, it was at that point that the flies upset by the turned over garbage cans caught his attention. Newt hadn't eaten since his change. He was afraid to, concidering exactly what he had been hungry *for*, "I..." He managed. Cody Archer "LIAR! Liar, liar, liar!" Cody was pretty upset for Newt refusing telling him the truth. If he wasn't really curious about how he chanced so suddently, he'd have locked himself up in his room by now Newton Filinas Newt's stomach rumbled, and instinct took over, although over the course of an evening, his aim had not improved. His sticky froggish tongue shot out, snatching at the air to mearly frighten the flies away befor snapping back into his mouth with a gagging noise and a startled expression. Cody Archer Cody looked half amazed, half shocked at the display. His previous fury completely forgotten
"Wow, how did you do that? It was just like a frog. Neat!" Newton Filinas "It is n-not n-neat!! It is a horrible m-mis-mistake!" Newt groaned, covering his face with his hands again. Cody Archer "Mistake?" he was now looking concerned at poor Newt "Why is it a mistake?" Newton Filinas "I... h-how c-can I.. I'm n-not sup-sup-supposed to have..." Newt shook his head miserably, "C-could you... g-get my b-broom? It's just at the t-top of the st-steps there..." Cody Archer Cody did as told,quickly going up the steps and coming down with the broom on his hands, handing it over to Newt
"What are you not supposed to have? What happened? Please tell me" Newton Filinas "I... I m-must have... p-pricked my f-finger on... on a serum or.. or s-something..." it sounded ludicrous, but to someone as desperate and in denial as Newt, it was as good an explination as anything. Cody Archer "Serum?" Did he meant that odd coloured injection he was given? Was that that cause the changes? "Is that that turns people into animals?" Newton Filinas Newt nodded, using the broom as a walking stick to pull himself up into what he felt was a more human position than the froggish crouch his legs seemed to insist on being comfortable in. Cody Archer "Oh! So is that what's happening to you? It's turning you into a frog? I never tought it made people change so fast!" he tried to help Newt up, though it wasn't easy since he was quite shorter Newton Filinas "A... a F-frog... a f-frog... you... you th-think...?" Newt stammered, looking horrified at the thought. Cody Archer "Yeah. I don't know any other animal able to that with the tongue. And you do look green" Newton Filinas "I d-dont' want to be green!" Cody Archer "It goes well with your uniform" Cody started to chuckle but tried to hide it with a cough Newton Filinas "I.. I'll let th-them know they m-made a m-mistake..." Newt nodded, resolve set. Cody Archer "You said you prickled yourself. But maybe they can turn you back to normal" he shrugged. Seemed liekely. If they could turn people into animals they probably could do the same the other way around Newton Filinas Newt, having no knowladge of how such things worked nodded, "Th-they... th-they m-might... if... if th-they... knew about th-the accident... m-maybe... ah..." Sleeping Gasp and Moreau with a needle. No! No, that was just a silly dream. "I... ah..." Cody Archer "You can use the intercom in my room if you like. But then you're going to help me clean my room like you promissed" Newton Filinas Newt's brain seemed to be hurtling at a million miles a minute, and he just barely remembered what the child was talking about, "Y-your... ah... oh! OH! Ah~ B-blast, I'm s-sorry, I ah... I w-was... b-busy and..." Cody Archer "It's ok. I forgot too... thanks to my bike" he smilled sheepishly, looking a bit embarassed Newton Filinas Newt managed to balance in a comical crouching posture, but at least was managing to stand upright, "I c-could... ah... help you n-now, I suppose..." a little cleaning could take his mind off of things, afterall. And at least Cody didn't spready any furr for him to have an allergic reaction to. Cody Archer Cody opened the door and revealed the still settled mess on his room. It was looking a bit better than he showed last time, but only by little. He had no clue on how or where to start, or how to avoid reaching such chaos again
"I tried tidying it up a bit but... I'm just no good at it" Newton Filinas At the site of the room, his memory was indeed refreshed on the subject, and exactly why he had managed to forget in the first place. "Ah... " Still gripping his broom in a webbed hand, Newt settled back down into a froggy crouch, swallowing thickly, "Er." Newton Filinas "Ah..." No. He'd prove he was a good custodian. They were probably watchign them now. He could do it! Quickly and efficiantly! "W-well...er..." He cleared his throat, trying to at least straighten up a bit if his body was going to insist on sitting in such a way, "F-first... if w-we could c-clear out the garbage... the s-scraps of paper and anything disposable-" Cody Archer Luckly Cody had already done that, with exception for the crumbs scattered around. He went to grab the paper basket where he had put it all, which sadly wasn't much Newton Filinas Newt swallowed. Right. This... wouldn't be *so* hard, "Ah... is... any of th-this laundry... er.. clean?" Cody Archer "Err..."
Cody now looked really embarassed. A good part of the clothes were mixes in piles, dirty and clean alike Newton Filinas "Ah.." Newt had never been a tidy person himself, but found he had a knack for other people's things. "Th-then... here-" He turned his broom around to put the bristles down and pushed an area clean by the wall, "J-just... ah... t-toss everything th-that's clothes here." Half hopping, half crawling, he managed to get to the dresser, using his broom to push it free of childhood debris scattering them to the floor, "Anything p-paper... er... b-book or... n-notebook or wh-what not, p-put here. Alright?" Cody Archer "Alright"
Cody did as he was told, picking up every piece of clothes that crossed his path to put them by the wall and all the comics and books he had lying around in half organized piles to the dresser. It took a while until those two tasks were finished
"What next?" Newton Filinas "Wh-where d-do you k-keep your t-toys?" Cody Archer "Haven't found a place to put them yet. Only got those that were here when I arrived" Newton Filinas "Wh-what about your s-suit case? W-will they f-fit in that? Y-you can p-put your clothes in the dresser once th-they're all c-clean and y-your b-books and s-such on the sh-shelves there... you s-see? Th-then any t-toys that d-don't f-fit in your cl-closet?" Cody Archer "I think so"
Cody hadn't quite explore them yet so they were still where he had been left, in a pile close to his bed, thoughit was a bit scattered from things he had left on top. He picked them up in two trips and took them near the suitcase, by the table, and tried to fit them in. Everything went inside, though the box of Twister and the Uno cards was by barely Newton Filinas wt glanced around, beaming at the improvement, "J-just g-give everything homes, and it'll k-keep your f-floor clear!" Cody Archer Cody nodded, looking at the great improvement. It was a lot simpler with Newt telling him how to do it Newton Filinas Newt nodded, his legs hurting from all of the movement untill he crouched back down again, still leaning on his broom. "D-do you think you can... k-keep t-track of th-this on your own?" Cody Archer "Keeping things in place? Yeah, I think I can" Newton Filinas Newt nodded, chest out proud as he hobbled back. His stomach was roaring now. He still hadn't eaten. "Alright, th-then. I'll... j-just st-stop by again after... after I f-find something to eat... and p-pick up the l-laundry for you... unless you c-can c-call someone to take it." Cody Archer "I have a sandwitch left in the mini-fridge. You can have it if you like, it's chicken and lettuce"
Cody shook his head at the laudry statement. He didn't even knew how to take care of his own, much less know anyone willing to help him with it (he always for got or was embarassed to ask) Newton Filinas The thought of the taste of chicken and mayonase all pressed together in who-knows-how old a concoction turned the janitor's stomach. "Th-that's... alright... I'll j-just... ah... I'll c-come ch-check on you again, d-don't w-worry." Cody Archer Cody just shrugged "When? I don't know how to vaccum or sweep the floor" Newton Filinas "Er... ah... as s-soon as pos-pos-possible!" The janitor managed, still using the broom to help himself find a balance between hopping and walking as he backed out of the duplex, "I.. I j-just... have some th-things I n-need to do now." Cody Archer "Okay"
He couldn't really complain. Without the comics, books, games and clothes in the way the room seemed nearly spotless. Only the crumbs were left unchanged, but they weren't so many to need an immediate attention
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Posted: Thu Jun 29, 2006 1:35 pm
Winged Snakes are Cool Cassidy Smith There was too much to think about, so Cassidy was down on the beach, throwing rocks into the water. She'd once been able to skip them, but she'd lost the knack long ago, and she would never have been able to do it on the rough ocean. Still, it was diverting; she had a handful of pebbles and was tossing them, one by one, as far out as she could, while the water lapped around her tail. Cody Archer Cody was extremely happy with his mountain bike. Not only it helped him beating the tiredness of long walks, but made what he considered the long distance between the beach and the village a lot shorter
He wanted to invite Nita though, but he couldn't remember which duplex was hers nor did he knew where to find that information, so again he went alone
But soon after he arrived he noticed there was someone else on the beach. A well developed anthro so it seemed. A snake one... but with wings?
As he approached her from behind he struggled between shyness and curiosity. He stoped at a safe distance though, not sure how friendly this person was Cassidy Smith Cass tossed another rock into the water, where it made a satisfying splash. Finding this was her last pebble, she stooped down to scoop up another handful, her tongue flickering instinctually as she did so. She paused, picking up an unfamiliar scent on her tongue. She turned around, curious, and quickly spied the young boy some distance off. He was so young! What on earth was a kid like that doing here? Well, he obviously had already seen her. May as well be friendly. Cass waved. "Um, hello there!" Cody Archer "Hi" he waved back and got closer
Cody was looking amazed at Cass. He always found reptiles cool (except turtles) and this lady snake was no exception. But as he noticed the weird looking mass of flesh that once used to be her legs he felt a bit creeped out Cassidy Smith Cassidy tried to smile, as non-threatening as she could possibly be. The last thing she wanted to do was scare the poor kid. "I haven't seen you around before," she said, rather hesitantly. "My name is Cassidy. What's yours?" And she'd been horrified that anyone as young as Amaya was here! Cody Archer "C-Cody. Cody Archer" it took him a minute before her name rang a bell. He knew he had heard it before "Aubrey told me about you"
He smiled back, felling a bit more confident. She seemed nice Cassidy Smith "Did she?" Her grin broadened; what a relief it was to have somebody warned in advance. Cassidy shuffled her handful of pebbles from hand to hand. "I hope she said nice things about me. Have you been here long, Cody?" Cody Archer "She only mentioned you as one of the nice animal-people around"
Cody's expression became a bit hard as he remembered Aubrey. What happened during that call still hurted
"A week or two. I'm not counting the time" Cassidy Smith Cass laughed, despite herself. "Well, I try to be nice, anyway." She gave him a quick, searching glance. A few weeks? Oh, the poor kid. "I hope you're settling in okay, then. It can be sort of hard to get used to this place." That seemed like a safe enough thing to say. "Is that your bike? It's pretty nice. I wish I'd had a bike like that when I was your age." Cody Archer "I haven't had trouble so far. Room got messy but Newt told me how to keep it tidy. And until now everyone I met is nice. I just... I wish I could see my parents again"
Cody has on the verge of tears. Being taken away from his family was by far the worst thing on this island. He tried hard not to cry
"Yeah. Found it on the front of my door with a card saying it was for me" Cassidy Smith Cass dropped down a few inches to better speak with Cody. "I wish I could see my parents, too," she said softly. "And my little sister. But at least we have everyone here. I know it's not the same, but it's something." She gave the bike a critical nod. A bribe, of course, like her books. "They like to give us gifts, sometimes. I think you should enjoy it." Cody Archer Cody just nodded in reply. He knew it was true but still the emptiness on his heart remained
"Did they gave one to you too?" Cassidy Smith "They've given me some books," Cass said slowly. "A lot of books, actually. They know I like to read, I guess." She grinned suddenly. "I think I'm going to see if I can get them to give me a pet snake. How's that sound? You think I should do that?" He looked so sad! Maybe a change of subject was in order, and the snake question had been at the top of her mind lately, anyway. Cody Archer "I hate books. Only like comics. But a pet snake would be really awsome"
Cody's mood srated to shift to a happier side. He always wanted to have a pet, but sadly his mother never agreed on that unless it was a goldfish. But you couldn't play or pet one of those
"But... you're already a snake!" Cassidy Smith Cass winced, ever so slightly. He was just a kid, she reminded herself, and it was true. "I suppose I am, or pretty close," she agreed. "But it would be pretty funny, for a snake to have a pet snake. Tell you what. If they actually give me one--I mean, they might not--then you can come and see it if you want to." Even if the topic freaked her out a little, it seemed to have an opposite effect on Cody; this was good. Cody Archer "Yeah, it would" he chuckled at the thought. It would be a neat pair
"Really? That would be the best" he huged Cass but quickly stoped and let her go. Cody felt really embarassed for doing it, he barely knew her!
A change of topic was defenetly in order "Err.... how come you have feathers?" Cassidy Smith Cass practically beamed after the hug; it was nice to know she wasn't completely a freak. "... the feathers. Um. I don't know," Cass laughed. "Apparently, there is a very old story about a feathered snake. I'm kind of scared of snakes, actually, so they gave me feathers so it wouldn't be quite so bad for me. That's what they told me." This was a horrifyingly positive version of events, she had to admit to herself. "And I guess I'm supposed to look like this guy from the story." She spread her feathered arms out and peered at them critically. Cody Archer "Scared of snakes?" Cass must really be unlucky, to become an animal she was afraid of. At least the feathers gave her a more exotic look
"I don't know that story. But does it work? Making you feel better?" Cassidy Smith "Maybe it helps a little." Cass shrugged easily. "Although I never heard of the story, either, before they told me about it. I guess they're sort of pretty." Cody Archer "Well they look really cool on you" Cody smiled, looking at the nice combination of colors "But I didn't know they could mix animals. Are they parrot's? And can you fly with them?" Cassidy Smith Cass was clearly tickled by anyone showing such an apparently earnest interest in her. "They're macaw wings, which is a type of parrot, I guess. And I can't fly. They're not proper wings... not yet, anyway. I don't know if I'll ever be able to fly. Maybe if I practice." She laughed, and her tongue flicked out quickly. Cody Archer "I hope you can, bet it would be awsome to fly... as long as you don't crash land on me"
Cody was laughting as well when he noticed the tongue flicker. He whispered a cool as he watched it move and returned back inside the mouth Cassidy Smith Cass laughed. "I haven't fallen out of a tree yet, but I will definitely try not to squash you." Her tongue had flicked out involuntarily, and her first reaction when she realised, by Cody's reaction, that she had done it, was to cover her mouth. She stopped herself, though, her hand halfway there, and let her arm drop. "I shouldn't stick my tongue out," she joked. "It's sort of rude." Cody Archer "You climb trees?" that seemed really odd since he didn't have any legs (that he could recognise)
"No it's not, I do that all the time" he sticked out his tongue to prove it, though not completely "But I can't flick it like you can. And is it really splited?" Cassidy Smith "Well, I'm a tree snake." Cass looked a bit bashful. "I like to sit in trees. And probably the bird in me doesn't mind that either." "And it is forked." She extended her tongue slowly for a minute to show Cody. "It took some getting used to." Cody Archer "Oh! But how do you climb? You don't have any legs!"
Cody stared at the tongue, looking at how cool it was. But yeah, he'd found hard to get used to if got one as well Cassidy Smith "No, I don't." Cass looked down at her stubby limbs. "I guess I climb the same way a snake does. Slithering works almost as well going up as it does going over the ground." She grinned. "You're probably more interested in it than probably anyone else I've met." Cody Archer "Didn't know that. But coming from you it must be true" he grinned
The second statment made him blush a little bit, god knows why
"Snakes are cool. I don't get it why some people are so afraid of them. Or of spiders" Cassidy Smith "I guess I never though of snakes as being cool," Cassidy admitted. "They always creeped me out. Spiders, too. It's good that you're not afraid of them, though. Or of me, either. I think I might be a little scary. Hey, when Halloween comes, I won't even need a costume." Cody Archer "You scary? Rabbits are scary. And rats"
Cody shivered as that old but vivid memory came to mind. It was just one of those things that scarred you for life Cassidy Smith "Rats are pretty creepy," Cass agreed. "I don't know about rabbits, but definitely rats. I think everyone's scared of something, though." Cody Archer "All rodents are creppy to me, no matter how cute they say they look. Creppy, creppy, creppy" Cassidy Smith "Well, I guess it's a good think I'm not turning into a rat, then." Cass beamed. "Then you might not want to talk to me, and I like having new people to chat with." Cody Archer "Talk? I'd run like hell!"
Cody was too absorved in his fright to liston to what she said next. He just had a not very pleasent thought
"Are... are there any rodent people around?" Cassidy Smith Cass had to think about that for a moment. "I don't... I don't think so. None that I've met, anyway. I saw one girl a little while ago who looked a little weaselly, but I didn't have a chance to talk to her." She frowned slightly. Cody Archer Cody sighed in relief. He wouldn't know what he'd do if he actually bumped into one. Normal rabbits spooked him already, imagine a human sized one! Cassidy Smith "But generally, even if there are any rodent people around, they might be really great people even if they look a bit scary," Cass tried. "Maybe you ought to give them a chance first?" Cody Archer "It's not that, it's just..." Cody couldn't bring himself to speak out loud his trauma. It kept giving him shivers down his spine Cassidy Smith Cass would've raised an eyebrow, if she'd had one to raise. "You don't have to explain it. Unless it would make you feel better. But we all have things that scare us." Cody Archer "No, it's... it's the teeth. Horrible, curved, huge teeth. And those eyes! Augh!"
Cody was visibly shaking now, seemed he could collapse any second now. The scene was flashing in front of his eyes. The long, sharp teeth and those piercing red eyes staring at him behind the wall of glass. All bloody and fresh. Something out of a nightmare Cassidy Smith "Cody!" Cass laid a hand lightly on his shoulder, and squeezed. "Calm down, calm down. No rats or rabbits or anything like that around here. Okay? Just calm down. Just me. Just Cass." Oh, hell. What was she supposed to do? Cody Archer Cody just got closer to Cass and leaned against her without a word. His breathing was rapid and his whole body trembled. Right now all he wanted was for those ghosts to go away, to feel safe and protected. He was too spooked to even think on what he was doing Cassidy Smith Cassidy was mildly surprised, but she wrapped her feathered arms around him and squeezed. "Shhh. Shhh. It's okay." Poor kid was probably all sorts of stressed, whatever it was that was bothering him; who wouldn't be, in his shoes? "You're safe right now. Nothing's going to happen to you while I'm around." Cody Archer It took a while before Cody calmed himself enough to speak again. He felt embarassed for stressing out like that and looking for confort from someone he just met
"Sorry..." Cassidy Smith Cass let him go and gave him a firm smile. "That's okay. Sometimes you just need to do something like that. Do you feel a bit better?" Cody Archer He nodded and returned a weak smile "Maybe I should go back to my room" Cassidy Smith Cass nodded. "Maybe that's not a bad idea. Go read some comics for a while or something, and relax for a bit. You want to find me, I'm in number three. Okay?" Cody Archer "Okay. I'm in number 51"
Cody grabbed his bike and proceeded down the path, not before he waved back at Cass Cassidy Smith "Bye, Cody! You take care!" Cass waved after him, feeling a bit grim. Poor kid. Hope he was stuck with something nice, anyway.
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Posted: Mon Jul 03, 2006 10:32 am
Not bravery. Innocence Nathan Moriarity Nathan rubbed the bridge of his nose, willing the headache to go away, as he made his way into the cafeteria. He was pretty sure the food he had stocked up in his duplex had gone bad. Most of it made him feel ill, and lately he'd just been avoiding eating, because eating meant having to go outside, which meant facing images of what he might become in the other islanders.
This morning, however, he couldn't stand the flip-flopping of his stomach any more, or the hunger headache, and something inside of him was tugging him out of his place to mingle with others.
He blinked in the flourescent lights of the cafeteria and focused on the food line. "Couldnt' they have put a nice 4 star restaurant on this island?" he muttered as he claimed a tray for himself and set it on the rails. Cody Archer Finally his food storage was completely gone (the food his mother send him for the trip was enough to last him a week). Cody hadn't figured out yet he could bring food to his own room, so the trips to the cafeteria were becoming more and more frequent
He opened the door and picked up a tray for himself. Only when he turned to the buffet he noticed the man there. Another person that had yet to change Nathan Moriarity Nathan groggily grabbed a cup from a shelf and filled it with hot coffee. The sound of a tray beside his made him steel himself to glance over and see what new horror would meet his eyes. He half prayed it would be Alec or Ivy, since the two of them were somewhat familiar to him and wouldn't cause him to grimace offensively. He found himself, instead, looking down at a young boy.
His eyes widened for a second as his brain tried to process the fact there was a child here. My God, he thought, He's just a kid. These people are sicker ******** than I thought they were. He forced a weak smile at the boy and offered a small, "Hey there..." as he dumped a pile of sugar packets on the tray beside the coffee cup. Cody Archer Cody simply looked at him, half embarassed as always when around peoiple he didn't know. But he noticed the reaction he gave him. It wasn't the first, but he hadn't figure out yet why some people looked so startled to see him
"Hi..." Nathan Moriarity Nathan slid his tray down a foot or two to the first of the food offerings. Some rolls felt safe enough to eat. He grabbed a couple and a few pats of butter, though the thought of the spread made him a little uneasy for some reason. He smiled at Cody, too curious to let it slide. "Are you new here too? I've only been here for a little bit. How old are you?"
A sniff at the next vat, filled with macaroni and cheese didn't make his stomach twist, so Nathan emptied a scoop of it onto his plate. "Want some?" he offered to the boy. Cody Archer Cody started slidding his tray too, trying to decide between the food variety while he anwsered to Nathan
"A week or two I think. And I'm ten. You?"
He looked at the macaroni and tried to decide if it didn't go against the diet requirements he had been imposed. Probably if he ate some salad it would be ok
"Yes please" Nathan Moriarity Nathan levered a scoop of macaroni onto Cody's plate as well before moving on a little further, trying to quell a rage that was being born at his very core at the idea that Feral Labs had dragged a 10 year old kid out here.
He grimaced as he looked at the salad. Why it looked so appealing was beyond him, he hated lettuce. He put some on his place anyway once his mouth started watering at the thought of eating it. "Hrmph..." he muttered before gesturing to it for Cody to see if he wanted some rabbit food as well.
"10? Damn. How'd you end up in this place, kid? My name is Nathan, by the way. Dunno if you know what this place actually is or not. Do you?" Cody Archer Cody nodded when Nathan motioned offering some salad as well. Not exactly his favourite thing to eat but at least it wasn't broccoli
"Im'Cody. They're going to cure my MS. And yeah, I know. Dolphin for me" Nathan Moriarity Nathan blinked. The kid was taking this awfully well. He added salad to Cody's plate and moved further down the line. "They told you what you're going to become? No one's told me. Let me tell you a secret...I'm scared out of my wits here. How come you're so calm, Cody?"
He reached for some meatballs and put one on his place, but the smell of it almost made him gag. That was ridiculous. He loved meatballs. He looked a little green as he gestured to them for Cody. "Want any of these?" Cody Archer "Really?" It was a strange concept of an adult being scared. Ok Ambrose had told him he'd been scared too, but it was because he too had been taken away from his family. That was a lot more normal
"I like dolphins, they're really neat" That was all he could come up to justify his calmness. He was still a kid and one who loved comics and stuff. He couldn't find anything to be afraid off in being transformed into an animal (as long as it wasn't a rodent)
"No thanks" instead he went for the seafood section, filling the rest of his plate with calamari Nathan Moriarity Nathan couldn't help but smile at Cody's bravery, or maybe it was just a child's spirit of being invulnerable. Course what kid didn't play at being animals? Disney and Warner Bros made a fortune off of placing human characteristics on cartoon animals, which were targetted at kids.
"Dolphins are pretty neat. Guess you'll be a heck of a swimmer. Have you met Awen? She's something aquatic too." He felt his hands shake a little as he placed a steak on his plate. Dammit he was HUNGRY. He wanted a steak. Why the hell it was making him feel like running and screaming was beyond him. He grabbed some silverware and napkins.
"Would you mind sharing a table with a big old scaredy cat like me?" he asked the boy, with a humorous glimmer in his eyes. Cody Archer "No. Who's she?" now that the sense of familiarity was slowly settling in, Cody's natural curiosity was starting to show
He followed Nathan to a table, looking at him from top to bottom. He didn't lookes scaredy to him at all. He even had a piercing and tattoos!
"How can you be scared if you got that ring on your nose?" Nathan Moriarity Nathan chuckled as he set his tray on the table and pulled out a chair. He slumped into it and took a sip of hot coffee, wrinkled his nose, then dumped a ton of sugar into the cup.
"Well Cody, I asked to have the nose ring put in. It was my decision. And it was a little scary, but it was a choice. This place, I didn't ask to come here and be injected with stuff that's going to turn me into something else. I had a band, I wanted to record a record, I'm not going to get to do that now." He tried to keep his voice light, but the truth behind his words seemed to make him shrink a little from the inside. His shoulders sagged as he poked his fork at his lettuce. Cody Archer "Sorry. I didn't know"
He couldn't help to feel bad for Nathan. He didn't like being stuck here too, but to him it meant no more symptoms and a more normal life Kim Nguyet After the so called basketball game, Kim found herself pretty hungry, and knew she had eaten the last of the sushi she had in her duplex in the morning... So she made her way to the cafeteria, but then froze. There where people here. Two unchanged people.
Oh. s**t. Did they know about what was going on in this hellhole ? Everything in her screamed to leave while she could, but she was really, really hungry.
It was bound to happen. You can do this. You can do this. She repeated mentally to herself before walking in, trying not to look as nervous as she was as she took a tray and went torward the seafood section. Nathan Moriarity "Not your fault, kid..." he murmured, "Don't you dare feel bad for something these nutball scientists did to me." he shoved a forkful of lettuce into his mouth and chewed it in confusion. It tasted amazing to him. He chewed it slowly, savoring the flavor. What the hell....you couldn't get him to eat salad if you paid him before. He looked disturbed as he swallowed the food and opened his mouth to ask Cody another question.
He closed it as he spotted Kim. His mouth fell open again as he tried to process what she was. "Whu...? he mumbled, gawking awkwardly. "What the hell is she turning into? I don't know anything that looks like that..." Maybe the kid would know, kids like all that nature stuff, right?" He shovelled another mouthful of greenery into his face as he stared. It was like a train wreck, he couldn't look away. Cody Archer Cody was about to reply when Kim came in. She looked creepy. Not the bad creppy, but the cool creepy creepy
Though he too didn't know what animal she was. But it wasn't a rodent, that he was certain
"I dunno" he said with a half smile on his face Kim Nguyet Kim definitively knew there was at least one of them staring at her, because of that little feeling she had running though her spine. She shifted unconfortabely along, grapping some rice before starting to add rolls of sushi to the plate. Thanksfully, she hadn't heard a thing of what the two where saying, her tiny tail waving back and forth nervously as she took a pair of chopsticks as she turned to sit away, visibely hoping to make them at least more confortable if she wasn't anywhere near them.
But, now that she could see the two more clearly... one was definitively younger than the other. What was a kid doing on this damned island ?! Nathan Moriarity Nathan closed his mouth forcibly and he frowned. He knew he had to stop reacting like this, because one of these days he'd be the one new people were staring at in horror. He didn't like the idea of that. He pushed back his chair. "Well lets find out. I'm gonna go ask her to sit with us. Be right back."
He strolled through the cafeteria, shoving his hands in the pockets of his leather pants, trying not to stare too much as he approached Kim's table. He gestured back towards Cody and his table with his thumb as he cleared his throat. "Uh, hey. The kid and I wanted to know if you'd, uh, like to join us?"
Inwardly he felt himself hoping she wasn't some kind of carnivore that might think he was a snack, but the sushi on the plate made him worry more for Cody, dolphin boy that he was becoming. Cody Archer "Ok"
Cody just waited as Nathan went over to talk to Kim, eating some macaroni and salad Kim Nguyet "Ah... uh... well..." Granted, with how the tiny woman seemed embarassed and shy now, it would probably be hard to imagine her trying to eat anything that still wriggeled. "Sure, if neither of you mind..."
She got up and took hold of her plate as well as she could, whispering. "I can't believe they put a kid here..." She sighed. Nathan Moriarity Nathan nodded as he walked back with Kim. "I know, but the kid seems like he's perfectly ok with it. Me, I'm scared shitless." He slid back into his chair as they reached the table and smiled a little.
"I'm Nathan, and this is Cody. He's becoming a dolphin, I haven't the slightest idea what those crazy bast- er scientists, have done to me. How about you?"
Wow, he'd never self-censored before. He must just be feeling protective of the kid. Cody Archer "Hi" he waved at her, mouth half-filled with food
Now that he could have a closer look at Kim, he found her really weirdly neat. The face really looked alien, with that crest and everything, but what really caught his attention was that webbed finger. Newt had developed webbing as well, but nothing like this Kim Nguyet "That'll make two of us." She whispered back before they got to the table Cody was sitting, and she took a spot.
"Hey." She managed a smile, heaven knew only how. "Im glad to meet you both. My name is Kim." She paused for a moment, wondering if it was a good idea to tell what the hell she was turning into or not. "As for what im turning into... Well... I don't think you guys are likely to believe it." She scratched her head with the long finger, which made an almost comical scene. "It's crazy." Nathan Moriarity Nathan let out a bitter little laugh. "Lady, I think after the last few weeks I can believe just about anything. " He chewed on a piece of bread and found it less stellar than the lettuce but edible none-the-less.
"So what it is you're becoming? I'm really curious now..." Cody Archer "Aww come on, tell us. It can't be that bad" Kim Nguyet Oh well. She warned them. Her right hand motionned to take the chopsticks, rolling them expertly across her fingers until they where in position.
"Pretodactyl." She announced, before eating one of the rolls of raw fish. Nathan Moriarity Nathan choked on his mouthful of mac and cheese and had to spit it out into a napkin. "A What!? You have got to be shittin me! How is that even possible?Haven't they been extinct for a couple million years or something? Oh Christ are we in Jurassic park or something?"
He couldn't really refute it, the headfin and the fingers were pretty much indicative of those nightmarish bird dinos.
He wrung his hands on the table. "Does that mean I might end up being some kind of Saladosaurus or something? Is that why I'm suddenly liking salad?!" Cody Archer "Wow, cool!!!" now that he knew what she was, it's easy to tell she indeed was a pterodactyl. So much it seemed impossible not have noticed it before
Luckly for Cody he hadn't seem the 3rd Jurassic Park yet, or he could have a much different opinion (though unlikely)
"Maybe they did it like in the first movie, with the fossilized mosquitos. But I don't think there's a dinossaur called saladosaurus. Maybe a triceratops, they're vegetarian too" he chuckled Kim Nguyet Kim couldn't help but feel a bit amused by Cody's reaction. Typical kid behavior. She wished she was still like that, some days...
"Well, I warned you, didn't I ?" she frowned a bit, visibely feeling a bit insulted. Being called a freak was one thing, but a liar ? Even if it wasn't outright, it was still how she took it. "As far as I know, im the only one. The bas- err, Moreau was way too damn excited about it to have dinosaurs growing like mushrooms on this stupid island." Another mouthful of sushi went in, visibely to keep her from rambeling on. Nathan Moriarity "Sorry...I didn't mean...I...Erm... I'm just not adjusting to this whole idea of being turned into something real well. How...how did you find out what you're becoming?" he asked in a more calm tone. HI picked up his cup of coffee and drank down a few more gulps, praying that he could just wake up and be back in New York with a bunch of drug lords chasing him. How ironic that he thought anything would be better than that reality.
"How long did it take before you began to change?" he asked morosely. Cody Archer Cody watched as Kim manovered her chopsticks with interest. He had tried once, but failed miserably. And another thing that caught his eye was the sushi she was eating. He had seen a photo or two, but that was just about everything he knew of the raw fish and rice delicacy
But Nathan's question snaped him out of his gaze. He had been wondering about that too. And how much they changed at once and how fast
He ate another mouthful as he waited for the reply Kim Nguyet The girl shook her head a bit. "Im not taking it all that well either. Sorry."
She placed her chopsticks beside the plate, before she answered the questions. "I called on the intercom to ask. It wasn't exactly pleasant however." She sighed. "I thought I could just talk to some staff or something, but I got stuck with the head honcho himself. It really sucked... If I didn't have a friend helping me I think ill'd have gone crazy. For how long... I don't know, it seems to vary. I came here in november, I changed for the first time in january, then I changed again about... one week ago ? I think. Anyway, I've seen people that came on here after me change faster than I did." Nathan Moriarity Nathan swallowed hard. "I've been here a month. I guess that means...it won't be long before I have some idea of what I'm becoming..." He absently sawed a piece of steak off with a knife and popped it into his mouth. His face went almost green, then white, as he spat the chunk of cow back onto his plate, making gagging sounds.
"What...the hell..." he spluttered. "I used to love steak. That made me want to puke..." he pushed his plate away, his appetite destroyed. Cody Archer "How big are the changes? How do they happen?" he couldn't contain himself anymore. He was really curious to know
He looked at Nathan when he started coughing the steak out "Maybe you're turning vegetarian" he put another pieve of calamary into his mouth Kim Nguyet Kim's first reaction was to hand Nathan a paper towel when he started coughing, just in case.
"It happen... I hated fish before I came here, now it's about all I can eat without wanting to puke. I find it usually has to do with the animal... possiblely vegetarian, as Cody says. And well..." She wasn't exactly sure what to say - the truth might frighten the boy, but lying wouldn't be any better. "Well, when I first changed, I didn't have any webbing at all, the fingers where long, but still well.... looked like fingers... Didn't have markings either. The fin was more like a bump. The changes..." She bit her lip. "...Just happen. They're triggered by more injections, I think, since I found an odd injection mark before my second change happened. If you're sleeping... well, I don't know about anyone else, but I get wierd nightmares before it happen. It always happened at night for me. It... hurts. Alot. My tail was what hurted the most." Nathan Moriarity Nathan accepted the paper towel and he wiped his mouth before swigging more coffee to clear the taste from it. "Pain doesn't scare me too much..." he gestured to the nose ring and his tattoos, "But I've a feeling I'm about to become an insomniac to beat in the face of whoever tries to jab me with a needle while I sleep." He scowled.
"Great, a vegetarian. And maybe this explains why I feel the need to be around people, I usually am not too sociable. And why women...er nevermind that part..." he glanced at Cody, reminding himself of the little one's presence. Cody Archer Cody absorved all the information like a sponge. Amaya too had told him it hurted, but he seriously couldn't imagine anything worse than some of the pains he had had thanks to his MS (not directly but accidents it had provoked)
"Nightmares haren't real. Scary, but not real" this was a phrase his mother had taught him since he had one of those falling dreams that woke you suddenly
"But why is it so bad to be a vegetarian? It's not that bad" Kim Nguyet Kim rose an eyebrow a bit at the man's cut-off sentence, but said nothing. Probably wasn't the straightest nail in the can, so to speak.
"That's right." She smilled a bit. The little boy was so brave... if she had come here at his age, she would probably have freaked out and cried for days on end.
...Not that she didn't do that *still*.
"I don't think he meant that being a vegetarian was bad. Like how eating fish isn't a bad thing." She shrugged. "The surprise, I believe." Nathan Moriarity Nathan looked at Kim as if to plead for help, before he gave Cody a weak smile. "Sorry bud, it's just that I really like meat. Steaks, burgers, ribs, all that stuff. I think I'd miss it if I couldn't eat it anymore." He wrinkled his nose, "and being as the seafood you guys are eating isn't making me feel too great either, I think the vegetarian bit might be right." He tossed his napkin over his plate, unable to even look at the steak. Cody Archer "You'll get used to it. I had to quit lots of things I loved eating when I got the MS. Chocolate, icecream, juice, hotdogs,..."
But he looked at the seafood he was eating. Was he having diet changes too? He couldn't really tell since he always liked seafood Kim Nguyet MS ? What was that... ? Kim didn't ask, however, as it didn't look like something the boy liked to talk about.
"Yeah... You kind of do get used to it. I had to start being careful about those things too, after they found my diabetes." She shrugged. "It sucks at first.... But you do get used to it." Nathan Moriarity "MS?" Nathan asked...not quite as observant of Cody's recalcitrance as Kim. "Multiple Sclerosis? Sorry to hear that kid. Do they think these changes here will stop that?" If Kim was diabetic and the kid had MS, maybe he was dying of cancer or something and no one told him. Great, now he was turning into a hypochondriac. What next? Cody Archer "Yeah.... I hate it. But they said they were sure it would cure me"
He started fidgeting his food with the fork, memories of passed symptoms flooding his mind. None very happy Kim Nguyet Kim still didn't have much of an idea what it was supposed to be, but visibely it wasn't pleasant at all.
She said nothing, not wanting to mention how she hadn't been cured... and how she thought she probably never would. Taking the chopsticks again, she took a small ball of sticky rice and brought it to her mouth without issue. Nathan Moriarity At the seeming despondence of the boy, Nathan found himself resting a reassuring hand on Cody's shoulder. "I've never been sick with something like that, kid, but life hasn't been all grand for me either, so if you need someone to talk to who knows about how bad things can suck, I'm in Duplex #50."
He turned his eyes to Kim and asked "Is that how they got you too? Saying they'd cure you? They sent me a free vacation offer. So they must be going through more routes than just medical ones." Cody Archer "50? I'm in 51!" he couldn't believe they were neighbours and he never noticed it. Strangely this made him feel better
He looked at Kim to see what she would reply. So they weren't just treating people? Actually tricking them? It's was hard to believe Kim Nguyet "Yeah." She shrugged. "But I've heard alot of things. Scolarships, some where offered jobs..."
After finishing her plate, she pushed it aside gentely. "I probably should get going... The ac's starting to make me sleepy a bit." She sighed. This was a bit more present than it used to be. "Im in duplex 22, if any of you need me." 50 ? 51 ? Damn... Was there really this much people stuck here allready.
"Ill see you guys around, allright ?" She smilled, putting away her tray then heading torward her duplex, probably for a nap. Nathan Moriarity Nathan smiled at Cody then he nodded grimly to Kim. "It was nice to meet you, thank you for telling me more about this place. I really appreciate it." I ought to head back myself. I haven't been feeling so great the last few days. I'm worried I might...well the change might come soon."
He rose and pushed his chair back in, picking up his tray to put it in the proper place. "Hey Cody, if you need anything, you just let me know, ok?" Cody Archer "Ok, bye" he waved at them and worked on finishing eating his meal, putting the tray away afterwards Nathan Moriarity Nathan retreated to his duplex, to mull over the situation some more.
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Posted: Wed Jul 05, 2006 6:27 pm
Fellow Water Dwellers Cody Archer It was hot today, way too hot to even travel down the path to the beach on his bike. Bored from reading the same old dolphin books (which were still a pain to understand) and tired of feeling sweaty and hot, Cody decided to go down to the lake to refresh himself
It felt a lot cooler there, the shade of the trees casting their shadows over the shore and the faint breeze spreading that fresh humidity brought by the lake's surface
It wasn't sure if it was the faint influence of the dolphin, or just the urge to cool down the body, but the water seemed specially inviting. Sadly Cody couldn't go for a swim, thanks to his catheter, so he just sat with the water reaching his waist for a while
But when he shifted position, his hand brushed some round pebbles lying on the bottom of the muddy water. He grabbed a couple of them and started skipping them over the water surface, though he rarely did more than two jumps before they sunk. Still it was fun Awen Zyn Awen had been swimming along the rivers for most of the day and was just coming back to the lake before heading home. Everywhere else she'd gone that day had dried her skin out and a day of swimming seemed like a good idea at the time. Awen noticed the rippled from the skipping stones before she realised what was causing them.
Curious, the manta rose from the water right near where the boy was skipping them, to check out what was going on. Unfortunately for her, a rock was flying right for her face. Not having time to react, it hit her square in the forehead.
"Ow!" She splashed as a finned hand move to hold her poor wound. Cody Archer Cody immediatly rose when he heard the cry. He hadn't noticed anyone around and was seriously not expecting to hit someone
"Sorry, I'm really sorry! I didn't knew you were there!"
But only when he gave a better look he realised that person had a blue and white skin. And blue hair! Awen Zyn The manta girl gave a small chuckle. "No, no that's ok--" As she looked up she saw... a little kid? She blinked slowly before shaking her head. There had better be a good explaination of having a kid on the island.
She swam a little closer. "Don't worry about it kid! Until a few seconds ago, I wasn't here." She gave him her best manta smile. Cody Archer He looked at her a bit surprised as well. His mind was racing across his list of animals, trying to figure out which one had that skin color. But he couldn't find any match
It took a while before he processed the question though, so absorved he was on it
"You weren't here? How come? I didn't saw anyone coming!" Awen Zyn She giggled and moved closer, so she could sit but still be in the water. "I was near the bottom of the lake when I felt the ripples. You didn't see me coming because I was too far under, and came up too quickly. Really, no sense worrying about it kiddo." Cody Archer "You were under there?" this seemed really odd, specially because of how long he'd been there by the shore. No one could hold their breath for so long
"And what do you mean you felt the ripples?" Awen Zyn "Yup, just got back from a swim around the rivers and well.. I don't know. I didn't notice it much when I used to swim when I was a kid. But now I just feel them... It's almost like hearing something, vibrations throguh the air and all...." She paued and gave him a sideways glance before holding her hand out to him.
"By the way, I'm Awen. What's your name kid?" Cody Archer "You can really do that? How?"
He was getting more and more interested in her. The blue tone still confused him, but it looked good on her for some reason
"Cody" he grabbed her hand and shock it, her webbing felling odd against his fingers. Speaking of webbing, he looked at the one running down her arm. Looked a bit like Kim's, but white Awen Zyn She didn't answer the boy right away as she just grinned as he inspected her webbing. She let him gawk for a few moments before breaking the silence. "Cool huh? I can swim really fast with these. And look!" She stretched a leg and raised it above the water to expose her fin-feet. "No one on the island can beat me in a race across the lake."
"Or go under water for longer!" She brought the convorsation back around to his original question by tiling her head to teh side revealing the gills along her neck. "Because I can breathe the water in through these." Cody Archer "Wow, neat! So you're turning into some kind of fish? I never seen a fish with webbing or horns before" Awen Zyn She shook her head and let her arm drop and her leg slip back into the water. "Yeah I asked myself the same questions during the first few... I'm a manta ray." She grinned...proudly? She was proud of her transformation?
"I think the horns... are those scooper things, just recently they've bubbled by my cheekbones." Awen touched the bump running down from one of the horns.
She turned her focus to the kid. Speaking about transformations. "Say, anyway Cody.....what... are you doing here?" Cody Archer "Manta ray?" he didn't knew that animal. He'd have to check one of the books back at the enternainment room (only browsing the titles and pictures though. They were way too boring to read)
"Getting cured of my MS. Got the dolphin" Awen Zyn The breath Awen hadn't noticed she was holding was suddenly let out in a sigh. So, they had gone as low as to be experimenting on children? Awen glanced briefly at Cody's tapped up arm and blinked slowly. She didn't know much about MS, but she knew it was bad and it killed her friend's karate teacher somehow...
For a kid to have that kind of thing? It's just horrible. The labs are doing something good by curing the boy, weren't they? Not to mention maybe finding a cure for it al together so no kid, or adult, or anyone would have to suffer through that kind of thing again.
But still... he'll be stuck here for his whole life, and he's just so young....
She shook her head slowly trying to clear the dilhema from her mind. It's too late now, nothing you can do Awen... Have to accept it, like everything else.
She cracked another smile. "Dolphin huh?" At least it wa something the kid seemed happy about. "Can you keep a secret Cody?" Cody Archer Cody was a bit reliefed she didn't asked him about the disease. It was a depressive topic that usually leaded to the acknolegement of being stuck here. Something he was seriously trying to avoid thinking
"Sure" Awen Zyn Awen glanced around and then leaned closer. "For years," She said in a lowered tone. "I was terrified of dolphins."
She thought it would give the kid a chuckle, maybe? She really wasn't sure how to handle Cody. Seriously, a child on the island? Cody Archer "You what!?!"
Now this was completely unexpected. How could anyone be afraid of dolphins? They were one of the friendliest creatures on the planet! And really amazing and everything
"Why?" Awen Zyn Awen laughed adn looked down to the water slowly kicking her feet back and forth. "Because they lived in the water. I hated and feared anything from the water, I even stopped showering for three whole months because I was so afraid of it."
She shook her head slowly. How silly it all seemed to her now. "That's why I came to the island. I came to be cured too. And look at me now, huh? One with the water pretty much." She reached over and ruffled the kid's hair. Alec Derring With all the stress of the past couple of days with Amaya's ordeal and his own personal strife, Alec felt the need to retrea to an area that offered a quiet sense of safety. Following along the river towards the lake, the punk teen didn't notice the quiet voices conversing amongst each other until he spotted the small forms by the water.
Although they were facing away from him, he recognized the distinct form of Awen's unique features next to a much smaller figure. "Aye, 'ow's th'wateh?" Deciding not to risk the chance of startling either of them, he called out the short greeting. Awen Zyn "Half decent actually!" She turned her head quickly to Alec with a big grin. "You should take a dip."
Leaning close to Cody once more she winked. "And remember that little bit of information is our secret okay kid?" She slowly stood from the water and started towards shore.
"Actually though I was just heading home. Got a new book to read and some food to go eat and such... but hye you boys should have fun. Have you met before?" She shook her head in the air. "Well never mind. Cody, this is my friend Alec, Alec this is Cody. Well you're met, and I'm gone."
The manta gave them each a wave before heading off towards the duplexes. She paused for a second and placed a hand on Alec's shoulder. "By the way, you owe me a game of poker. We gotta get on that sometime soon, eh?" She gave him a grin before scuffling off. Cody Archer Cody looked at Awen's quick farewell, shifting his attention to the newcomer. In the end he didn't managed to reply to her
He turned to the guy named Alec, feeling a bit shy in addressing him. The weird bicolored hair got his attention more than any of his changes, strange enough
"H-hi" Alec Derring Alec smirked, waving back to Awen as she made her way back to the duplexes. "Ay, ye bet we will. We go'a finish tha' game!" Still with a smile on his face, the teen turned back and finished traversing the distance to where Cody was now left alone. "Aye kid. 'ow are ye?" His studded brow almost furrowed at the sight of the small child, wondering how on earth he ended up on in a place like this though he tried his best not to show the expression. Cody Archer "Fine..."
He really didn't know what to say to Alec. Right now his mind was filled with his mother's advices about punks and other weird people Alec Derring Alec took Cody's shyness in stride. Kids were always quiet around strangers, after being left alone in the wilderness with one, he figured the instinct would be worse. He was also used to the reaction towards his choice of ... stylish appearance, so it would only be natural for the kid to be nervous.
The teen smirked still as he circled past the young one, spotting a downed tree and balancing across it for fun with one sure foot infront of the other. "Ye new 'ere? 'ou's ye mum?" Perhaps the child was an offspring of a lucky islander who somehow was able to bring their family along. Or maybe a staff member's who was given free-reign to wander the edges of the island. Cody Archer Cody looked at Alec balancing for a bit, before gathering enough courage to fight his hyness and reply
"She's back at home. I came alone" his voice trembled as the hauting feeling came once more. But he tried hard to hold back the tears, though he wasn't completely sucessful. A couple of them rolled down his cheek Alec Derring Alec listened to the child's quiet reply, continuing his task on the makeshift balance beam as if it meant more than anything at the moment. He couldn't help but glance over his shoulder to look at him, the light glistening off of the newly shed tears as they streamed down his face. Something inside of the teen wrenched at the sight, a child torn from his family. Now he'd truly seen it all.
"Ma Pop was a bastehd yanno," He paused shortly, uncaring what sort of language he used infront of Cody. "bu' a sometimes wish a' coul've taken 'im wi' me too." He scoffed with a hard smile, trying his best to offer a touch of manly support. Being in that place so long, he'd realized he wasn't the best in the comforting department. Cody Archer "I liked my parents. Even if mom kept me taking all those medications and do treatments and stuff. And my dad yelling at me sometiems. I love them"
Cody sat on the ground, trying to clean away the tears on his arm, but they kept coming as more memories kept flowing
He didn't like to face the fact he wasn't going to see them again. Lately he had been trying to believe he was going to see them in the end. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn't. IT was just too much for a 10 year old kid, to face the reality Alec Derring Alec quickly realized that his cool attitude towards the issue at hand wasn't going to work. This wasn't some new guy he'd eventually convince to just 'get over it', this was different. Frankly, Alec was at a loss as he listened to the young boy cry.
Turning to slowly walk back across the log, he came to stand next to Cody but made no other motion. He knew the kid wasn't comfortable around him yet , and neither was he, really. "'A c'nt say 'am sorreh cuz... a' din't bring ye 'ere. Bu' a know ye'll be alrigh'." He fell silent and decided to face the lake and take in the scenery. That place was still serene and calming as ever. Cody Archer Cody sniffed and rubbed the tears away again. He looked at Alec again, observing him
"What are you turning into?" Alec Derring Alec blinked, though agreed silently that they should move on. He'd initially brought up the distressing topic, so it was only fair that the spotlight be turned to him.
"A' d'neh realleh." The teen shrugged, scuffing his boots through the pebbles that lined the lake before taking a seat on a large, mossy rock. "Somethin' t'do wi' a' shawk." It sort of surprised him that Cody knew about the 'changes' already, given the way he was acting he assumed he was rather new. Then again, it was only inevitable. He was also getting bored of giving the same uncertain answer over and over concerning his changes. Maybe it was time to talk to the staff...
"Do... ye know?" Cody Archer "Shark?" he didn't really look like a shark, but then again maybe it was too soon to tell
"You mean me? Dolphin" Alec Derring Alec nodded and kicked at a particularly large pebble tha twas embedded in the mud near the water's edge. Upon hearing Cody's retort, he looked at him funny as he was thinking much the same thoughts by coincidence. "Dol'fin? Ye don' look like a dol'fin." What he meant to say, was that he didn't look like the type to be turning into a dolphin. But who was he to judge?
"A' c'n onleh guess anehways." He mumbled in addition to his answer. "No' like 'am itchin t'know. Yanno?" Cody Archer "I asked Aubrey. Unless she's lying that's what I'm going to turn into"
Cody started to wonder if that was really going to be his animal. They had lied to others about coming here. Maybe... no, it was better not to even think about it. She seemed perfectly honest about it over the intercom Alec Derring He accepted the answer and made no comment about speculating on his chosen creature, not wanting to belittle Cody into thinking he didn't believe him. "Ye, a' was tol' a' shoul' ask." He continued with his previous line of thinking, not giving much further thought into the kid's outcome. Instead, he figured he'd get another opinion on the matter. The kid did seem smart after all. "Wha d'ye think?"
As grey eyes trailed off to the lake again, he spotted a dry pebble near his foot that seemed to shimmer in the natural light. Leaning over to pick it up, he tossed it up in the air and caught it a few times before tentatively -almost shyly- asking a question. "Ye skip rocks?" Cody Archer Cody pondered a bit on the question "You should. It's going to happen anyway. The changes"
He looked at the pebble Alec kept tossing. It was nice the way the sun shined on it when it wasn't shadowled by the foliage
"Yeah. I'm not very good though" Alec Derring Alec tilted his head to the side, accepting the opinion at face value. "A' migh'."
Stopping his motion, he held the pebble between his fingers and motioned towards the lake with a mischevious smirk. "A' c'mon. Theh's no real righ' o' wrong way t'skip a rock." The teen snickered and got up from his seat. Well, there was the type of bad throw that just dunked the pebble into a loud 'plop' into the water, but that wasn't the point. Turning to the side, he flung the rock with a twist of his wrist, watching as it skipped 1, 2, 3 times across the water's surface before disappearing into the lake.
Quickly stooping down, he tossed another pebble to Cody. "Ye turn." Cody Archer Cody got up as well, cleaning his shorts from the fallen foliage and other small debry the jungle produced. Then he grabbed a pebble and went ver Alec to do his throw
Maybe the pebble wasn't flat enough, or was too heavy, or even the throw was a sloppy one, but instead of flipping over the water surface it just sunk like the rock it was
"Ah darn!" he kicked the water in annoyance Alec Derring Alec wasn't about to ciritcize the youngster on his technique as to not make him feel inferior, but as he stooped to grab two more pebbles he couldn't help but feel an obligation. "Don' throw down, ye go'a throw i' si'ways. Fla' like th'wateh." For lack of better words to explain, the punk teen made the throwing motion once more with a shrill whistle as a sound effect.
Handing the boy another good stone, he waited for a second attempt. A kid who didn't skip rocks really wasn't a kid at all, in his mind. Cody Archer "Ok..."
Cody grabed the pebble and tried to mimic the movement Alec just showed him. It was far from perfect but it skiped once before sinking
"It worked!" he smiled Alec Derring Alec nodded in approval, stepping away from the water to sit back down on a stump. "Theh, see? Fair play." He couldn't help but make a half-smile at Cody's reaction, pleased that his poor attempt at teaching hadn't turned out half bad.
Glancing down at the water, he remembered he had intended to swim for bit before realizing he had company. It was too bad that the sun wasn't as strong anymore so the water would most likely be too cold for his liking. Cody Archer Cody kept skipping rocks a couple of more times, even getting 4 jumps once
"Don't you want to play more?"
He was starting to warm up in relation to Alec. He wasn't like the ones his parents had describe him, to keep him from picking up bad habits and have unwanted friendships Alec Derring Now that he'd successfully taught Cody the technique, he had figured he would just sit out and watch. He hadn't skipped rocks in years. The action only reminded him of the small creek near his cottage house, of back home.
Then again, he was never one to sulk about something for long. Ever since his mini breakdown he'd been feeling quite numb about the subject of 'home'. So Alec shrugged and stood back up, resuming the acivity. Once and awhile he'd lazily lob a few pebble intentionally so he wouldn't seem like he was trying to show him up. "D'ye live wi' aneh'one?" He asked out of the blue, the image of a lonely child in a stark empty duplex disturbed him a bit deep down inside. Cody Archer Cody tried the best he could to do another 4 skips but it was proving to be harder and harder. His MS was stricking again, leaving his fingers numb. Still he tried to ignore it and toss another pebble, but he barely could even grab it
"I'm in room 51. Newt lives above me and Nathan next door" Alec Derring Alec didn't really notice the pebble slip awkwardly out of Cody's hands, attributing it to childish clumsiness more than anything. He did however, recognize one name that was mentioned and nodded as he listened. "Nath'n, ah see. Well thas good." Fifty-one was a little far from fourty-one, but being on the same island ensured that he'd probably see the kid around in the future without even trying. Cody Archer Cody couldn't keep a grasp on the pebbles anymore now. So he just let them fall, since he couldn't move his fingers with enough precision while the numbness lasted
Instead he just sat on the log, rubbing the hands to stimulate the bloodflow
"Where do you live?" Alec Derring "Forteh-one" Alec answered matter-of-factly, leaning back to stretch his arms. The woody bits on his joints were feeling a little stiff, so the teen leaned over and scooped some water into his palm to wet his elbows a bit. "Righ' below Nita. Near Kav', y'know 'em?" Cody Archer "I met Nita. She's really nice. But who's Kav?"
Only now Cody noticed Alec's dual texture, when he rubbed the elbows
"Is that... wood???" Alec Derring "Kav's a girleh next door, she's go'a big long neck n' stoof." Alec was about to ellaborate on Kaveri's outstanding features from what he remembered of their last meeting, when Cody interrupted with a sudden outburst about his odd 'skin'
"A' d'neh." He mumbled and shook his head, rubbing at one of his elbows like the material was just beginning to bother him at that time. "A' go' i' on me knees too..." The teen shrugged it off, trying to seem layed-back as usual. "Prob'leh joost some si' effect, o' somethin." Cody Archer "Still it looks weird...." A woody shark. Now that was unusual
"Maybe you should ask them if it's really alright. Maybe they give you a bad mix and can fix it!" Alec Derring Great. Not only were people like Nita passively convincing him day-by-day to gather the guts to talk to the staff, now he had a little kid scaring the crap out of him for the same cause. "Ye, a' guess ye righ'." He mumbled a little incoherently, scratching at the back of his neck in a nervous habit. It was getting late.
"Wan' me t'walk ye back?" Cody Archer "Ok. I can't grab he handles of my bike with my hands numb" Alec Derring Alec snickered, getting up from his spot to wait for Cody to follow. The air was growing cool and by the way he was acting, he guessed the temperaure was getting to the much-smaller youngster. He'd realize later that the trek to Cody's duplex was actually out of his way but he didn't really mind. What else did he have to do in the meantime?
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Posted: Fri Jul 07, 2006 7:39 pm
You awaken from a series of odd nightmares, likely revolving around water. When you awaken, you notice that the area right at your tailbone aches horribly. When you slide down your short to check you notice that you appear to be growing a... greyish... slivery tail? The tail continues to grow painfully as the skin around your rear and your hips also seems to change with it. Becomming the same, smooth and almost rubbery. Before too long, the pain subsides and you see that you now have a thick tail growing behind you, your waist and rear feel so different than they once did. Even as your rubbing it it feels like silky, smooth rubber. It does feel sensative though, after the changes. You look down at your feet, and notice that your toe nails seem to be... comming off? As the skin changes they mearly push themselves out and off. Even as your toes start fusing together. Growing a bit shorter as you no longer have definition in your feet. Your ears tingle, when you reach up to touch them you notice they are getting, smaller? Before long they are much smaller than they used to be... looking rather proportional, if you weren't a kid still. Your going through your first life changes, well before puberty. 
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Posted: Sat Jul 08, 2006 2:11 pm
The First Changes It was dark... too dark. So dark it seemed darker than night itself. And it felt tight... no, not tight, just... like he was moving throught something, dense but fluid. It wasn't an unpleasent feeling, just...odd!
Cody kept moving around that thick darkness, unable to tell up from down, left from right. He just kept moving aimlessly, looking for something. But what was he looking for? It was something important, something vital, something it had been taken away from him. He couldn't place is finger on what it was, but he wanted it back
So he kept moving around the darkness, half walking, half swimming. But the more he looked, the more urgent was the need to find it. He was starting to feel traped, lost... and alone. He didn't want to be alone
The urge became more demanding. Something told him he needed to hurry. He was running out of time!
He would run if he could, but the darkness seemed to tangle around his legs, to pull him back, away from whatever he was searching. He kicked and struggled, trying to free himself from that unknown. He didn't want to go there, he wanted to go up. Up was the right direction, but where was up?
Now he was growing desperate. He wanted to get free, he wanted to go up. It didn't matter what he was looking for anymore, he needed to breath!
Something deep down his conciousness was saying, screaming that up meant air. But the darkness was suffocating. What was once fluid was becoming more and more thicker by the minute, trapping his feet, legs, waist, chest, head.... it was drowning him!!!
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Cody woke and stand up on his bed, gasping for the air he couldn't find in his dream. He felt feverish, scared, shaken by this vivid nightmare. It took him a while before the grasp that darkness loosened around his chest, letting him to breath more freely
But he didn't feel alright. It hurted, sitting on the bed hurted. And it seemed to hurt even more as time passed. It was a grinding pain that pulled and stretched his muscles and skin beyond what seemed possible, building new layers of flesh and bone in its wake
Cody looked behind to see what could possibly be causing such pain and he was awstruck as he noticed the slow motion growing tail. No matter how much he had been expecting it it still looked awfully weird... and felt horribly painful
It was like someone was poking every single bit of flesh with a red hot iron, specially under the touch
The pain and tension made Cody curl on the bed, crying and screaming and clawing himself, as the nerves and the brain seemed to be processing much more pain that he could think he could ever bare
Even the unchanged areas seemed to complain, as the stress rushed throught the whole body like a domino effect
But when the pain starting hitting his toes it was when his stomach finally gave away. The sight of his nails falling off disgust him like hell, forcing him out of bed and into the bathroom before the contents of what it seemed the whole week were spilled out through the emergency path
Cody was grabbing the sides of the toilet so hard it made his finger joints go white, when the changes around the ears stricked. Compared to the other changes it was hardly bad, but it still made his stomach complain and let out another wave, though it was only a bit of acid by now
Time crept by in what it seemed an eternity before Cody managed to gather enough strenght to get up and wash away the fowl smell of vomit from his face. Weak, tired and with no food on his stomach (or in the mini-fridge) to regain energies, he did the next best thing. Sleep!
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Posted: Sat Jul 08, 2006 10:21 pm
Help among Peers Cody Archer It ache. Everything ache. Even the unchanged areas ache! But walking ache the most
The recent changes had been a pain to Cody. Not only he had to deal with the pain, but his newest member was making his life a lot harder, specially in the clothing department
It pulled down every single pair of shorts he had, which really made walking difficult (not to mention showing his rear). He had tried to rip a whole in one of the pairs, but then he had no way to keep them from falling down his legs
So for now he settled in using a normal pair tied as firly as possible and tying one of his sweaters around his waist, letting it fall down over the tail
As for his feet he settled in walking barefoot for now. It wasn't pleasent but he was too hungry to think on a proper solution
As he reached the buffet the first thing his brain screamed for was for fish. Not vegetables, not pasta, just fish. And maybe some squid too Amaya Vaughan As promised, Alec had come by her duplex and dragged her outside to the cafeteria for lunch. At first she had a rather hard time getting out the door, the sun being horribly painful to her new eyes but at the same time being extremely refreshing on her scales. Walking was also a little problem now that she couldn't see in front of her, but after a few stumbles and with the punksters help to make sure she didn't run into anything, she got there.
And Cody wasn't the only one with wardrobe issues. Amaya only had one thing that fit her now, an over-sized white t-shirt that only came slightly passed her neather-regions. But when you had nothing down there to show save for a tail as long as yourself, it wasn't as bad... though drafty... and embarassing.
The green iguana's tongue flickered and her head cocked to the side as they approached the cafeteria. "Anyone inside...?" Alec Derring Alec walked along with the unsteady and unsure Amaya, making sure she was ok most of the way as they travelled to the cafeteria. Although he hoped they wouldn't run into anyone while on their outing, a small part of him hoped they would just so that Amaya would be forced into a situation where hopefully she'd end up feeling more comfortable about herself.
As they reached the caf, the punk teen took it upon himself to go first. Sticking his head into the cafeteria, he gave a look around once. "'ELLO, anehone n'- ... Oh, is joost Codeh, c'mon." Without giving the iguana a chance to flee, he ushered her inside and let the door shut behind him.
As they moved towards the buffet, he couldn't help but notice the... protrusion in Cody's backend. Giving him an odd look from behind, the teen approached the boy but kept a few feet to his side just in case. "Aye Codeh... whassat?" Cody Archer Cody hadn't noticed their approached until they were pratically next to him. His brain was still exausted from the changes, only processing at half speed
"Oh! Hi Alec, hi Amaya" he looked at them for a second, but not really paying much attention to the iguana's latest changes. Right now he was only focused in getting some food to appease his demanding stomach
"My new tail...." he blushed a bit in embarassement, not for having a tail, but for the way he was walking around with it. He seriously hoped they wouldn't notice his butt under the sweater Amaya Vaughan Codywhat? Though before she could say anything in protest, she was practically shoved into the cafeteria and the doors were closed behind her. Thankfully her tail recoiled, curling upwards and into the air before the doors could shut onto it.
Silently she watched the two interact, raising a brow at Alec's ever-so-tactful way of pointing out the little one's changes. Poor kid. She walked over to them, tail dragging along the floor behind her. "Hi Cody... are you feeling okay?" She knew how painful growing a tail was. Alec Derring "Ohhh..." Alec let out in a sigh at the child's answer, seeing the obvious embarassment. Apparently the child's fears of changing had occurred sooner than either of them had expected though he didn't look too upset about it. He also hadn't given Amaya any weird but unintentional looks yet. Maybe this meeting would turn out alright afterall.
He fell silent as Amaya asked the same question he was about to, diverting his attention to grabbing a plate and moving down the line towards the meatloaf. Cody Archer "It hurts everytime I walk. But it hurted a lot more when it started growing" he didn't mention anything about the feet or the ears yet. The tail had been by far the most painful
Cody filled his plate a bit more with some clambs. It barely had anything else that wasn't seafood Amaya Vaughan "Yeah, they always do. The soreness will wear off eventually though." Amaya reached up and ruffled his blonde hair gently with a large scaley hand. The fact that he hadn't even given two glances at her deformed face helped more then she could put into words.
She then gathered herself up a salad, a bottle of water, and an extra bowl to drink out of. "Watch out when you sit down too, that got me the first time. You might have to sit on your chair backwards." Ugh, she felt like some vetran now. Though at least she could help others through their changes now that her's was over and done with... hopefully. Alec Derring As he topped the few chunks of the ground meat mush with a mountain of mashed potatoes, he watched the two interact out of his peripheral vision. He couldn't really add anything that was sufficient enough to provide comfort. At this point, Amaya was probably the best person for the kid to talk to, seeing as she had practically been through the ringer and come out alive.
Grabbing a bottle of water as well, he turned and looked for a table for the three of them. As he passed by, he also offered a gesture by patting Cody's back though he still remained silent. Cody Archer Cody tried to unruffle his hair, but he nearly let his tray fall in process
"Ok, I'll do that"
He followed Alec to the table and tried sitting as Amaya had told him. It wasn't easy though because his whole butt ache. The only nearly confortable position he found was by sitting very near the edge, so the tail bended the least possible
Once settle he started to dug in the food, like he hadn't ate in weeks Amaya Vaughan The girl nodded and followed after them, spinning her chair around and sitting on it backwards. Her long tail stretched out behind her, almost reaching a whole different table with how long it was. "Are both of you becoming sharks then?" She asked, her voice still abnormally quiet.
She poured the bottle of water into the extra bowl, placing the empty container to the side before lapping it up with her large pink tongue like a dog. Even though she was still uncomfortable with it... what could she possibly do? Alec Derring Alec was pleased to see that Amaya was finally giving in and changing her methods to better fit her lifestyle. He couldn't really imagine anyone really making fun of her for acting like an iguana... she practically WAS one. Were there people that cruel in this place?
As he grabbed his fork to begin eating, he stopped to answer her question in a mid-bite motion. "Neh. Codeh's g'nneh be a dol'fin, ay?" He casually gestured his head to the boy, going ahead and eating his first bit of food. "E's no' go' me big teef." He snickered with a full mouth. Cody Archer "What Alec said"
For a moment Cody felt like getting up and show the shape of his tail. He had seen an image in one of those dolphin books comparing fish and water mammals tails. But he decided against it, not feeling like having the trouble of finding a good sitting position all over again
He notice Amaya's odd water drinking style. Seemed weird looking at a lizard drinking like a dog. But he din't knew how reptiles drank water anyway
And at Alec's mention of his own teeth he raised his head from his plate and stoped eating. He hadn't notice anything weird with the teeth when he met him. Were they really shark shaped? Amaya Vaughan After she had drank a little, Amaya flickered her tongue and cocked her head to the side so she could see both of them through one eye. "Dolphin? That's not that bad... dolphins seem like pretty happy-go-lucky animals." Alec Derring Alec snickered more at Amaya's description of the marine mammals, though it was no surprise that he knew very little about them himself. "Like Flippeh." He tried not to grin, but a secret of his was that he really liked that childhood movie.
Noticing Cody's abrupt change in expression, the punkster stopped in an awkward half-bite again and looked over at the small boy. "... Wuh?" Cody Archer "Dolphins are cool. But I don't like having to hurt that much to become one..."
Only then he noticed he was staring at Alec, when he gazed back at him
"Sorry!"
He tried to get back to his meal and pretend that didn't happened Amaya Vaughan Amaya blinked, biting some lettuce from her bowl and moving it around in her mouth before swallowing it. She looked back and forth between the two before giving a small smile and gesturing towards Alec with her snout. "Show him your teeth." Shark teeth were cool for little boys, right? Alec Derring Alec looked at Amaya, then back at Cody before beginning a chorus of incoherent mutterings under his breath. Always his teeth. Why couldn't people just look past the fact that he looked like a walking can opener or something? Still, he figured it couldn't hurt. Not like the kid would freak or anything. "Alrigh'." He eventually agreed with a small smile.
Mumbling more about something to do with eating, he placed his fork down and turned in his chair to face Cody before curling back his lips with his jaws slightly agape. It was understandable that the sharp extensions were usually hidden while speaking or eating, but they'd be in full view now. Cody Archer "Wow, cool!" he looked amazed at the row of sharp triangular teeth. They seemed deadly but so wickedly cool still
Uncosciously Cody got up to have a better view, but the lose knot of the sweater's sleeves gave away when he brushed it against the table's edge, slidding down the tail and onto the floor
"Ack!!!" he hastly tried to get the sweater back to place before any could have a good view of his rear. When he got up his cheeks were bright red with embarassement Amaya Vaughan The lizard gave Alec a friendly nudge of her tail on his leg, a gesture to show that she appriciated what he had done. She knew it would cheer the kid up. "Shark teeth are cool, arn't they?" Though as she went to eat again, she watched as Cody's sweater slipped down, though didn't seem phased at all.
"Don't worry about it Cody." She gave him a reassuring smile. "I can't even wear pants anymore." Alec Derring Alec held the stance as Cody got his fill of a look into his mouth, making a mock-growling sound for fun as he snickered and went back to eat. Just as he picked up his fork again, he saw the kid's flustered mishap. He figured that he didn't know that even with all his best efforts, when he'd bent down to retrieve the fallen sweater Alec had gotten a view of Cody's flippery caboose.
Alike Amaya, he wasn't surprised at all. He felt sort of bad that the youngster was feeling so embarassed, knowing that he couldn't hide it for long regardless. "Is ekay Kid, We all got wehd bits. See?" The teen pushed back in his chair and propped a foot up onto the table after removing his clunky boot. There was a mediocre-sized, grey fin protruding from the back of his heel that was rarely ever visible to anyone. Perhaps if he showed Cody something similar, he'd feel less upset about the obvious tail-like appendage. Cody Archer "But I don't like showing my butt to people. This stupid tail pushes all my shorts down" he said, growing even more red as he tried to tie a firm knot
He did looked carefully at Alec's mini-fins however. How come he had them growing on his feet while he got a tail? Amaya Vaughan Amaya smirked. "I don't even have a butt anymore, I don't think." Going to the bathroom had been a... challenge. Thankful she couldn't get red in the face anymore, she ate more of her salad in her own odd, iguana-like way. Alec Derring Alec looked over at Amaya as if she'd grown a third arm, furrowing his studded brow as he stuffed mashed potatoes into his awaiting mouth. "Ye've go' a butt." He retorted as if he was an expert on the topic.
Rubbing his flat nose, the teen went for a napkin. "Can ye move i'?" He curiously -and bluntly- asked, wondering if the child could wiggle the new 'tail' independantly yet. Perhaps he'd be a better swimmer already as a result. Cody Archer "I... I don't know!"
Cody looked back at hs tail and tried to will it to move, but the only response he got was that sharp protest that had been following him since the changes
"Don't think so. Least not while it hurts"
He grab another mouthfull before a sudden question came to mind
"Do you know I can fix my shorts?" Amaya Vaughan The reptile coughed out a tomato she was eating. How the hell did he know she had a butt?! Yellow eyes looked back at her rear, for about the 100th time thankful she couldn't blush.
Though after regaining her composure she ate a little more and then looked up at Cody. "I used to sew... maybe I can figure something out." Standing, she walked over to him. "I know it's embarassing, but let me see." She felt like a mother careing for him like this. Or a big sister. Afterall, the poor kid needed someone to look after him. Alec Derring Alec let the two work out the subject of attire amongst themselves, for several reasons. Mostly he chose to fall silent and continue eating because he had absolutely no sewing or mending skills whatsoever and would be completely useless, because he wanted to give Cody his room so as not to feel uncomfortable, and because he'd rather not get involved particularly with anything to do with clothing. Cody Archer Cody did as she said, though he didn't felt very happy about it. Even though she was a reptile, she was still a girl! But if he really wanted to have this problem solved he had no other choice
He untied the knot and put the sweater on the back of his chair, turning his back towards Amaya, so she could have a good view of his problem
His tail moved a bit against his legs however, as if he was trying to hide his butt with it Amaya Vaughan Amaya kneeled down, her head tilting this way and that. It was a lot harder when you couldn't see in front of you. The base of his tail was pretty large for someone's first change... But the poor guy couldn't go around in the nude or wear a skirt like she could.
Making a measurment on how wide it was with her eyes, she got a pretty good idea for what she could do. "Okay, if I make a hole in the back of your shorts and put a button on top, I think that will work. I'll have to measure you though. I won't do it now since I know you probably want some privacy for that." Patting his shoulder she stood up. "You can come by my duplex, number 22, with your shorts and I can probably figure something out for you whenever you want." Alec Derring In the meantime, Alec was practically licking his plate clean of the gravy as he contently went about his business. Though he was quiet, he half-listened to what they were saying and as they seemed about finished, he slid his plate away. Placing his boot back on, he leaned back again and swung his feet up to prop them ontop of the table, comfortably teetering on two chair legs.
"See? Nothin t'worreh abou'." He finally spoke up with encouragement. Cody needed to learn that people took care of each other around here. They made their own families. Cody Archer Cody felt happy as he put on the sweater over his tail. He was going to have his shorts mended and then he wouldn't have to worry about people looking at his butt
"Tomorrow? I think I'm going to rest today" he smiled at both of them Amaya Vaughan "Sure, I'll be at my duplex all day tomorrow so come by whenever you want." Amaya smiled down at him before taking her seat again to finish the rest of her salad. Alec Derring Alec smiled as well, nodding his approval. Ay, an' if ye eveh need drummin lessons, come t'me place." He laughed, trying to picture himself as a teacher. What was amusing him most was probably that he didn't really see himself as the mentoring type. He had enough problems himself. Cody Archer "Thanks"
He sat down a third time and finished the rest of his meal
"You play drumbs? Neat" Amaya Vaughan Now it was her turn to fall silent.
The teen listened to the two, hoping that Alec could cheer him up more then she could. After all, he had been a little boy once too. Alec Derring Alec stretched out his arms over his head, coyly smiling as Cody asked about his hobby. "Ye... a'm no' tha' good though." He smirked and teetered back and force on the back legs of the chair, obviously playing with his own ego regarding his 'talent'. He never really boasted, but if anyone asked he'd be certain to try and impress.
"D'ye 'ave a 'obbeh?" Cody Archer "Hobby? Soccer"
Actually his hobby had been collecting any soccer related stuff, but ever since he started having MS that kinda was put aside with all those treatments
Cody let out a big yawn. Now that his stomach was full his body was demanding rest. The changes had taken a lot out of him Amaya Vaughan Amaya continued to listen to them, finishing her salad and bowl of water before finally flicking her tongue. "Well, I better head off. My body doesn't take kindly to air conditioning anymore. She stood and grabbed her empty dishes. "I'll see you tomorrow Cody, and see you around Alec... thanks again." Giving them both one last smile and a headbob, she put away her things and then headed back to her duplex. Alec Derring Alec nodded and waved to Amaya as she left. Turning back from the doorway, he reached out to re-obtain the dish he'd been eating off of to put it in its proper place. "Ye shoul' play wi' Thom then sometime." The teen stopped himself, glancing off as he remembered the not-so-pleasant ending to the last game they'd tried playing with the egotistical pro. "Eh, no' sure thas a good idea afteh all." He laughed a bit and got up from his seat. "Anehways, a'll see ye 'round. Take care Codeh."
Despositing the plate at the front of the room, the teen left to head back to his duplex with a full stomach and a calm mind for once. Cody Archer Cody grabed his tray as well to put it away
"See ya" he waved as both left
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Posted: Sun Jul 09, 2006 4:48 pm
Clothing Corrections Amaya Vaughan Like Amaya had said, she hung out in her room the entire day that she expected Cody to drop by, not wanting to miss him. Plus, going out once with company was... a step in the right direction. One step at a time.
She wore the same t-shirt she had before, having haphazardly washed it since then now that it was the only thing that she fit into on her person. And she wasn't about to ask the staff for new clothes. Not yet. ... But she would have to eventually.
For most of the day she practiced sewing, having not attempted it ever since her third change and the lockout. Cody Archer Cody rushed along the street as well as he could, carrying a big pile of clothes. It wasn't easy to keep his balance, his tail shifting his gravity center and the feet nearly unable to keep his steady. But he managed to find the right door without falling
He knocked on the door, trying not to let anything fall "Amaya! It's me, Cody" Amaya Vaughan The green iguana's tongue flickered, the tiny dewlap on her neck puffing out as she turned her head to look at the door. She sat at her desk, where tons of sewing fabric and other stuff was scattered messily around the table. "Oh! One second."
Shifting her weight, she stood up with the help of her tail and walked over to the door. Amaya opened it, smiling down at the little boy while stepping aside. "Come on in. Sorry if it's a little hot in here." Her room was always rather humid due to the special heating they had installed after her first change. Cody Archer "Thanks"
Cody clumbsily made his way towards Amaya's bed and let the pile of clothes fall on top of it. It was mainly shorts, though it a pair of jeans and a couple of swimtruncks too
"Hope you don't mind, but I brought all my pairs. None will fit me now" Amaya Vaughan "That's fine." Amaya closed the door behind him, then walked over and used her long fingers to shift through the clothing. "Lets find something easy..." Grabbing a pair of swim trunks, she held them out and cocked her head. "These will work."
Taking them over to her table, she set them down and then grabbed a measuring tape. "I need you to measure how big the base of your tail is for me. Like this-" Raising her tail in the air, she wrapped the end around it to demonstrate before her tail went back to the ground. "Think you can do that for me? You can go in the bathroom for privacy." She held out the yellow tape. Cody Archer "Sure"
He grabbed the tape and went into the bathroom to do it. It wasn't an easy task since the smooth surface of his new skin made the tape slide off from time to time and he couldn't read the numbers from that position
After several attempts he simple quited and took out the shoe laces from his tennis shoes to do the work
Once done he just pulled the shorts back up again and took both the tape and the shoe laces in his hands, marking with the fingers where it had completed the circle
"It's this long" he said swohing the lenght of the laces Amaya Vaughan The girl could hear the boy having difficulty, but didn't say anything, not wanting to embarass him. Though when he came back out with shoelaces and the tape she raised a brow and gave a tiny hissing laugh. "Alright." She measured the lenght of the shoelaces he had marked with his fingers and haphazardly wrote it down on a piece of paper to remember.
"The first time it'll take a little while. Do you like to draw?" She pulled out a sketchpad and a couple of pencils and crayons she had laying around before holding it out to him. She didn't want him to get bored while she worked, but Amaya would need him to stay around so he could try it on multiple times to make sure she got it right. Cody Archer After Amaya was done with his shoelaces, he just grabbed them back and started taking off the shoes to put them back on
"Yeah, I do. Do you know where I can get paper and pensils? So I can do it back in my room when I get bored"
His toeless, shrunked feet were completely visible now, as he grabbed one of the shoes with his knees, while using both hands to put back the shoelaces. It seemed impossible for him to be still wearing the shoes, since it was clear they were a couple of numbers bigger for his current condition Amaya Vaughan Amaya glanced at his feet and frowned, but only breifly. "No, but you can take that sketchpad and crayons back to your room with you. I don't draw that much anymore." She gave a sad smile. "Just lounge about and doodle, I'll need you to try these on a lot for me so I get them just right."
Once she was sure he would stay occupied, she turned and began to work on his swimtrunks. Cody Archer "Really? Thanks"
He finished putting the shoelaces back on, but kept going barefeet inside the room
He grabbed the sketchpad and crayons and started doodling on the floor, a position that made him feel more confortable, both for his tail and because it was a lot easier to sort thought the pensils and crayons Amaya Vaughan The lizard let him draw in silence as she worked, cutting and sewing and occasionally asking Cody to try them on. Then after looking at them, she would take them back and make more adjustments. After a long time of hard work, she started to finish. "Just have to put on the button and they'll be finished. Sorry about it taking so long, but you can leave your clothes with me and you can wear your swimtrunks around until I fix more up, okay? It should only take a couple of days to finish all of them." Cody Archer Cody kept drawing and trying the shorts on everytime he was asked to. It was a bit dull just to stand there while Amaya did the small adjustments, but he said nothing against it
Once she declared them finished he thorned up the page he had been drawing on and delivered it to her. It was a picture of her playing as goalkeeper
"Thanks" Amaya Vaughan With the button on she held up her handiwork and smiled. There was a hole large enough in the rear for his tail, fitting snuggly around it and an opening was at the top that would have to be buttoned and unbuttoned when they were pulled on above his flippery tail.
Blinking yellow eyes she looked down at the drawing, a couple of pins sticking out of the side of her mouth. Amaya smiled, removing the pins. "Awwww, thank YOU Cody. That's very good." She put it up on her wall, using a couple of the pins to keep it in place there. "Here you go. Try them on one last time and practice buttoning and unbuttoning it." She handed him the swim trunks. Cody Archer Cody just grinned at the praise. He knew it wasn't that good but at least looked like her and not like a green monkey or something
"Ok"
He grabbed the pair of swimtruncks and went into the bathroom again. Trying to get the button in the hole without being able to look at it wasn't easy, but he managed after spending a good couple of minutes at it. He did it 2 more times before leaving them on and adding the others to the pile
"They don't slip anymore. But you can't see my butt throught the hole right?" Amaya Vaughan The teen waited patiently, smiling once he came back out. She gently turned him around and checked. "Nope! I tried my best to keep them as tight to your tail so nothing could be seen without making it too tight. Do they fit okay?" Cody Archer Cody moved a bit around and pushed his tail sideways with his hands to test the fabric
"Yeah, perfectly" Amaya Vaughan "Great!" Amaya said enthusiastically, albeit quietly. "I won't keep you bored anymore. Go on ahead and do whatever you want now. You can stay here and draw, go swim, or anything. Now that you have trunks that fit you right." She smiled and grabbed another pair of pants from her bed. "I'll drop off what I have done at your duplex each day until they're all finished. Which one did you say you were staying at again?" She couldn't remember the number to save her life. Cody Archer "No thanks, I'm going to grab something to eat. And I'm staying at 51"
He quickly grabbed his shoes and tried to put them on again, but it seemed one wasn't fitting properly. He put his hand inside and took out a sock, which he streched out and folded into a ball again, inside the shoe Amaya Vaughan "Alright. Try and have a good day." The reptile smiled at him, her head tilting curiously to the side and her tongue flickering at the whole sock ordeal. But she didn't question it. "I'll see you around, Cody." She reached out and ruffled his hair. Cody Archer Once finished putting his shoes on he embrassed Amaya in a short hug before rushing to the door
"Thanks again Amaya" Amaya Vaughan Amaya was a little surprised by the hug, no matter how short it was but returned it regardless. "No problem, see ya Cody."
Once he was gone, she turned and got back to work. There were a lot of pants here that needed adjusting and the sooner she got it done the more comfortable the little boy would be.
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Posted: Sun Jul 09, 2006 5:32 pm
Tail Lessons Nita had spent several days in her newly improved duplex, watching movies, reading, and spending time with Lauren. For the most part she had avoided the other islanders, still confused regarding her 'loyalty' to Moreau. What had she really promised him? Too many of these thoughts crowded her mind. Nita was in dire need of a distraction, preferably away from her duplex. The beach, perhaps? It was getting late enough (and therefore cool enough) to be outside comfortably... Cody! Nita had promised to take the boy to the beach. Feeling just a bit guilty for forgetting so completely, Nita pulled on her swimsuit and jeans, and padded down the path towards Cody's duplex. Knocking lightly on the door, Nita called, "Cody? You home? It's Nita."
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Posted: Sun Jul 09, 2006 5:39 pm
Cody had spent most of his day trying to reorganize the mess he made during his change. It wasn't easy considering that bending his back made the newly formed muscles complain
But he quickly stoped what he was doing when he heard the knock on the door
"Hi Nita" he said as he opened it
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Posted: Sun Jul 09, 2006 5:49 pm
Nita stepped into the room, at first noticing the mess as well as Cody's effort to clean it up. She smiled. He really was a good kid. Turning to look at him, she began, "I thought I'd stop by and see if you wanted to go to the beach, like I promised we would. Maybe look for--" Nita stopped abruptly as she caught a glimpse of the particularly delphinic tail. "I think I found my dolphin," she said, hiding a grin.
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Posted: Sun Jul 09, 2006 5:57 pm
Cody took a minute to process what Nita was looking at. But then he realised it was his tail
"Ah ah! Very funny. This thing is a pain in the butt. Literally!"
He still was upset by how much it hurted, specially when he bumped into anything or forgotten it was there. Not to mention all the trouble he was having in getting used to put on his shorts
"But you think we can really find them? I've been to the beach twice and haven't seen any yet!"
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Posted: Sun Jul 09, 2006 6:06 pm
Nita giggled and swished her own long fluffy tail. "Tell me about it!" she exclaimed. By this time, Nita had become perfectly used to her tail, although she had had to make some alterations to her pants. Some were low-cut enough that the tail could just stick out of the top, but most of them had ended up with a slit in the back of the waist-band.
"I bet we could," she told him. "It's about the right time of night, I think. D'you want to go?"
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