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 Posted: Fri Mar 17, 2006 3:47 pm
Vasile took several deep, calming breaths before he came back inside. He opened the door after a short courtesy knock, brining with him two individual wrapped packets of extra strength pain killer.
"The lady said taking double dose would be fine..." he trailed off as he inventories the length of her new form. Should have asked for even more...
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Posted: Fri Mar 17, 2006 3:57 pm
"Thank you." Cassidy took them. Her hands shooks as she unwrapped them, one at a time, and swallowed them.
She took a deep breath. "Is it really bad, Vasile?" It. She wasn't quite ready to refer to any of this as herself. Her fingers were still trailing over her face, her feathers brushing over her chest.
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Posted: Fri Mar 17, 2006 4:01 pm
Oh boy. That was worse than 'does this outfit make me look fat?. "I... uh..." he sank slowly onto the edge of the bed, reaching out to take her hand. "Its the farthest... er, progress or whatever, I've seen. It looked... really painful."
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Posted: Fri Mar 17, 2006 4:04 pm
"So much."
She squeezed Vasile's hand tightly, her free hand over her face, behind bright feathers. Cass wished she could cry, or scream, or something, but she felt as though all the anger had drained out of her.
"I was... I was just getting used to it... the way it was."
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Posted: Fri Mar 17, 2006 4:10 pm
Vasile nodded slowly. "Its... probably not going to be too much longer for me, either. But, ya know... you can relearn, yes? And.. I'll help however I can." He paused. "At least we're not in a tree?"
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Posted: Fri Mar 17, 2006 4:13 pm
Cassidy began laughing, almost hysterically. After all that grief and pain and horror, that little joke set her off and she giggled, almost without reason, just glad for the excuse to laugh.
"No," she said. "No trees." Though, there was a part of her brain which stubbornly insisted that a tree would not be a bad thing at all.
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Posted: Fri Mar 17, 2006 4:22 pm
Vasile exhaled in a hesitant laugh, honestly just happy to see her relaxing a bit. At least he hoped it was nervous/relaxing laugher and not, like, hysterical laughter.
He pulled her into a hug and atroked what was left if her hair. "Anything else I could possibly do for you?" he asked her.
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Posted: Fri Mar 17, 2006 4:27 pm
"I... I don't know. I think I just need to... take it in. I don't know what else there is for me to do." She shook her head.
Awkwardly, she shifted into the hug and rested her head on Vasile's chest.
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Posted: Fri Mar 17, 2006 4:30 pm
Vasile leaned back into a recline and made she was was comfortable...at least as comfortable as she could get at the moment. "Okay..." he smiled softly. "I'm right here." He let his hands trail lazily over the soft feathered on her arm, watching the sheen play in the light.
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Posted: Tue Mar 21, 2006 1:29 pm
Thoughts.
When she was alone, much later, Cassidy inched herself off the bed and crept into the bathroom.
This, in itself, was difficult. More than once she forgot herself and tried to walk, but this did little other than make her feel silly. If she didn't think about it too hard, this long tail of hers seemed to mostly know what it was doing. Instinct, she supposed. Her slither lacked a lot of the fluid grace of a real snake, but it at least got the job done.
All right. On three, she'd look in the mirror. One. Two--
Cass gave a small gasp and ducked down.
Stupid, she chided herself, and looked again.
She couldn't even recognize herself.
Her eyes weren't even the same as they had been a few days ago, let alone how they had been originally. The face had none of her freckles, no hint of her once-hated beaky nose, and the only hair was short and shaggily refused to lie flat.
She had no nipples. How could she not have any nipples? She supposed it was just as well... she wasn't so sure she'd be able to get any of her shirts over these wings.
She would certainly, however, make an attempt.
The feathers would have been pretty if they weren't growing out of her arms.
Cass opened her mouth experimentally, and was startled at how wide it seemed to become, how full of needles it seemed to be.
She sank down on the floor, rather distressed. At least before, she could recognize herself.
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Posted: Thu Mar 23, 2006 8:18 am
RP LogCassidy was lurking at the very edge of the beach, just under the trees. She had half a mind to try to climb one, but the other half of her brain was currently winning that battle, so she just hugged herself nervously. She'd just had to get out of that room, but she couldn't quite bring herself to make it down to the cafeteria in the middle of the day--there could be people. She just... couldn't deal with that right now. So, she'd struggled to pull on a shirt (a success, after a lot of difficulty), and slithered cautiously down to the beach. And while it felt good to be out of the duplex, she also felt horribly exposed. Zachary Bloodstone Zach was sitting at the top of a dune on the beach, staring at the ocean as it came in every time with a roar. His expression was lost, yearning, as though he were looking beyond the huge waves and blue sky. Two weeks on the island hadn't improved him at all. Despite everything he did, he could barely sleep at night, and dark circles formed under his eyes. His mouth was pulled into its usual frown, and his hair was being pushed about by the ocean breeze into a bit of a mess. He was leaning back on the one arm, and the other was somewhat loosely dressed. He was in a short sleeve shirt and baggy pants, and if he moved in certain ways it would be possible to see the scarred shoulder.
He heard a strange noise from above and behind him. Not like feet, which had a rhythmic sound to them, but a dragging sound. With a sigh, he turned around, expecting to see someone - or thing - totally unfamiliar, perhaps even disgusting.
Instead, he saw Cassidy.
He let out a cry of mixed surprise and horror, though he quickly curbed it. The last time they'd met, he'd been frightened of her. She looked even more snakelike than before, and most of her hair and legs had... vanished. Biting his tongue, he waited for his revulsion to subside before he could speak to her, knowing that he'd still probably sound as fearful of her new look as he truly was.
"C-Cassidy?" he asked, tentatively, "What happened?"
Cassidy gave a small squeak. She hadn't expected to find anyone, and had to fight the urge to hurry back the way she'd come. She cringed when Zach cried out, though she could hardly blame him. "I guess I had another injection," she said softly. "I'm sorry. I didn't know you were here." Her tongue flickered, while she stared pointedly at some point in the sand between them. "I'm... I'm a little surprised you actually recognized me," she admitted. "But then, I don't suppose there are very many other people here it could be." Zachary Bloodstone He stared at her directly, feeling his horror melt into pity for the twisted snakelike creature she was becoming. While beautiful, the wings seemed out of place and more of a twisted choice than anything benign. Soon, he realized his impoliteness, and looked down. His words were vague. "It's not your fault."
He gave a nervous laugh. "I haven't met anyone else with parrot wings yet..."
He looked back at her again, avoiding looking her directly in the unblinking eye. She looked so sad... Perhaps she needed company. Well, he had his to offer. He failed to realize the irony of what he said as he waved her over. "Hey, come sit over here."
"Really? You don't mind?" Cassidy brightened a little. She slithered carefully over the sand, her wings half-spread. It felt good under her scales, warmed by the sun, and pleasantly rough. Okay. This wasn't so bad. She could do this. Ugh, it was like learning to walk. For a third time. Sitting posed a problem... while she was relatively sure she had a butt somewhere, she wasn't really sure where it was anymore. Cass turned a moment, and eventually settled herself down into a sort of half-coil which seemed comfortable enough. She gave an embarassed smile and tried to look like she had known what she was doing. "The wings are Dr. Duvert's fault," she said, offhand. Zachary Bloodstone "Not at all," Zach smiled to her. Her appearance was still something he had yet to be used to, but he could hide his fears now.
He watched her strange slithering movements with interest, and once she'd found a comfortable "sitting" spot, he pulled himself into a crosslegged one. He looked over at her at the mention of the name. "They're all insane, aren't they? These doctors... quacks, really."
"Completely insane," she agreed. She shook her head. "You know, he told me he gave me the wings to make it easier one me. Easier!" Cassidy gave a feathery shrug. "I'd like to see him grow them and see how much easier he thinks it is." She shifted a little, and found her gaze drifting to his missing arm. She'd noticed that the first time they'd met, but the scarring surprised her. She'd more-or-less assumed he'd never had that arm, but apparently he had lost it. "I'm sorry," she said. "I'm ranting a little. It's been... an interesting few days." Zachary Bloodstone "Those feathers do look painful to grow... I mean, if the transformations are painful..." He looked away from her wings sharply. "I hope they aren't." Though, Rex had certainly been screaming a lot during his.
He chuckled wryly. "I wouldn't mind seeing that psychopath sprout some feathers, personally. I really don't blame you. Get it all out."
"They had no right-" His eyes quickly swept her outlandish appearance. "To turn you into some kind of... of guinea pig for their twisted amusement." Noticing her gaze, he moved his left shoulder purposely around to hide it. He felt a little heat creep up his face, a product of embarassment. He brushed his bangs back into place with his hand.
"They gave me a book," Cass said slowly. She waved her hands in the air for a moment, trying to articulate her thoughts. "For Christmas. About ket. Kets. Kwet. Quetzalcoatl." She said it slowly. "I think that's how you say it. Some South American feathered snake god I'd never heard of. Like that was supposed to make it better." She punctuated this with a tongue flicker, and shook her head. "I don't know," she said, softer. "I didn't mean to stare," she found herself saying. "I mean, I'm the last person who should be bothered by things like that. I mean, I'm not. I'm really not." Apparently her lack of feet was not going to keep her from putting her foot in her mouth. Flustered, she added, "I should probably just shut up, now." Zachary Bloodstone He nodded. The myth seemed vaguely familiar, like some inane fact he'd learned in high school. It seemed to account for the torturous practical joke they were pulling on her. He winced a little bit at the tongue.
"No no. It's my fault - I really need to stop wearing clothes like this," he sighed. He gave her a sideways glance. "I'm too self-conscious about it, but I just can't help myself. I guess both of us hoped no one else would be at the beach today, and yet..."
She nodded. "That was pretty much exactly what I thought. But you look fine. Really, I mean it. I'm really dumb, sometimes, but you look fine." Cass shifted slightly on the sand. "For what it's worth coming from someone who'd cause panic in the streets, anyway." She forced a grin. Zachary Bloodstone "Thanks," he said, unsurely. He didn't feel fine. His stomach was in a knot much the same way guts tend to be when someone is dreading the inevitable.
He started to say something, but stopped, having another thought. "You're- you shouldn't think about it like that. Cassidy, you're a person... on the inside, where it counts. That's who you are, not some snake or parrot or whatever." God, he sounded so cliche. At least he didn't say aloud how he was having sinking suspicions that neither of them would ever see real streets again. He looked back to the ocean again.
"I know." Cassidy sighed, but her voice was calm. "At least, I know that on a psychological level. And I keep telling myself that. But... that doesn't change the fact that while I'm a lot better about snakes now than when I arrived here, I can't really look in the mirror right now." Ugh. She was depressing herself again. "With that in mind, I suppose it's really for the best that what's left of my hair resists all attempts to comb it into place." She laughed lightly. Zachary Bloodstone He swallowed hard. He knew he wasn't much of a comfort to anyone who had changed on the island... after all, here he was, for all the world looking pretty normal. Well, normal in the sense that he wasn't part-animal. He was somewhat pleased that he was still normal, but it was curbed heavily by his fears of what his change could be. It was a guilty pleasure, taking pride in something others had to give up unwillingly.
"Mirrors never help people to see anything but flaws," he said pointedly. "And your hair looks..." Not much was left since the last time he'd seen her. Though, he could always tell a little lie. "Fine! It doesn't need any brushing, its got a natural curl to it or something. Looks nice."
Cassidy stared at Zach for a moment, then burst into laughter. "It's very nice of you to say so, but it's not true. And I know it isn't. I have hair like a toddler on the run." Still, it was cheering to hear such a thing; losing her hair had hit her hard. With a few stubborn giggles trying to bubble up through her words, she added, "I suppose I'll get used to it. I know I will eventually. But it's still new." Zachary Bloodstone Something about her laughter made Zach momentarily forget his worries, and break out into a real grin as well. He hadn't heard a laugh, a real one without any hint of malice, in a long time. Though t was coming from a woman who was more snake (and parrot) than person, the detail was lost to the moment.
The sun ducked behind a stray cloud that had been caught up in the lazy afternoon. He looked up, in time for the sun to reappear, making his eyes water and forcing him to look back down at the sand. "It's so hot out today..."
"I suppose it is," Cass said. "I really hadn't noticed." Of course, it wasn't much warmer than the thermostat in her room; she'd really be more likely to notice it if it were cool. "If I'd been thinking properly, I probably would have grabbed a book," she said. "Nice to curl up here with nothing in particular to do." Zachary Bloodstone Zach snapped his fingers. "A book! I haven't read one since I got here..."
He had gotten the vibe over the course of the conversation that Cassidy desired some quiet time - alone. He didn't want to bother her, and he did want to pick up something to read. It would take his mind off of everything, namely changing islanders. He did need something to eat, too... he didn't even remember having breakfast that day, and lunch he knew he'd missed.
He got to his feet carefully. "Cassidy, I've got to run. I hope you don't mind if I take off on such short notice..." He shifted on his feet nervously as he spoke. "Take care of yourself, okay?"
He found his way back to the path that led in the direction of the village. He glanced over his shoulder once, but soon Cassidy was lost behind the jungle leaves.
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Posted: Mon Mar 27, 2006 7:51 pm
RP Log
Although Valentine had been intending to find other people, the sound of running water had called to her, and before too long she had found herself walking along the river. It roared along merrily, filling the woman with both yearning and contentment. Her loose, blue top clung to her with the breeze, and her hair, hanging loose, blew behind her.
It was almost a relief, after her walking, to take off her Birkenstocks and sit down next to the river, dangling her feet in the cool water. It tugged her feet along, and she smiled as her feet bobbed and weaved in the froth. Who knew that such a mysterious island could be so beautiful? It was rare to find a pristine river like this at home, and Valentine was almost tempted to strip down and go for a swim. No one was around to see her, after all.
Surely, surely no one would be here. This would be quiet, and Cass could sit and think and be outside and read.
Her tongue flickered as she slithered closer. Someone was here, but not anyone she knew, either. Cass almost turned and headed back, but she clutched her book a bit tighter and pressed on.
She could just catch a glimpse of the stranger, a little ways off, and easier to pinpoint because of her body heat. "Er, hello there!" she called.
Cass wasn't even sure if she could be seen.
Alone in her thoughts, Valentine was relatively startled to hear someone call out. She twisted her torso around, searching the nearby foliage for a flash of color, but didn't see anything. Intrigued, she pulled her feet out of the water and brought her her knees to her chin, hunched into a ball.
"Hi!" the Barbie doll called back, bemused. "Is anyone there? Come closer!" To be sure, the voice was a bit spooky, as there was no body attached to it. The speaker sounded female, though, and pretty far away. Perhaps they just had good eyesight, and could see her when they were still far away...and the ground was flat, so they were invisible. Right.
Cass hovered behind a tree for a moment. Gosh, she was sort of pretty. Was she new?
Oh. Oh, did she ever hope someone had gotten around to telling her what was going on. She slithered out into view, coming closer. She wasn't wearing anything but a halter top, but really, there wasn't much to hide.
She waved a feathered arm. "Um, hi. I didn't actually know anyone was here."
Okay...whatever that thing was that had emerged, it was not what she had expected. Valentine gasped, her eyes widening in shock, and leaned back in a futile effort to get away. Then, with a shriek, she fell into the river, her arms windmilling fiercely in an attempt to keep her balance.
The river was an icy shock of cold water to her mind, even if it was comfortable in the heat. It drove all thoughts of disgust and other emotions from her mind. She bubbled and flailed for a few moment, but pulled herself back to shore with steady, if uneven, strokes. Apparently the YMCA was good for something. It didn't even occur to her to see if she could stand up in the river.
She hauled herself back out, shivering, and sat huddled in a pool of cold water. Now, with her makeup smudged, she looked more like a bedraggled rat than a pretty woman. What an embarrassment.
She hadn't been in the water for more than thirty seconds, but it had probably been enough time to make whatever the -thing- was feel miserable. After all, if it could speak (and English, at that) it was probably capable of higher thought. Still, it was no animal she had ever heard of. In fact, the thing looked sort of...human. Dear God, could it be Zach was totally right?! Still, she couldn't picture herself becoming a thing like that.
An apology was in order, in any case. The woman ran her palms over her face, mentally and physically smoothing any trace of betraying emotions such as pity and disgust away. "I'm sorry that I looked so surprised when I saw you. I just...didn't think the rumors were true. I thought the guy who told me was batshit crazy." She couldn't look at Cass, couldn't let her see her shame. "So...yeah. I'm Valentine. Can...can I strip? These clothes are kind of heavy now." Cass was still an animal, albeit an odd one, in Valentine's mind. She felt no compunction about stripping around the snake-girl that she would have felt around any normal human. Besides, who was around to care?
She continued to talk as she stripped, down to her underwear and her bra. All thoughts of bikinis only came to her mind now. Back at her duplex, she hadn't thought she would need one. "Yeah, I wasn't here until a few minutes ago," she explained. "I was looking for someone to talk to, but I love water, and so I stopped to stick my feet in. What're you reading?" The book in Cass's arms had only just caught her eye - before, she had been too distracted by Cass herself.
Cass put a hand to her mouth in alarm when Valentine fell in, but speed without legs was not a thing she'd mastered quite yet, and by the time she'd hurried over, her assistance was no longer required.
"Oh! You're okay?" Thank goodness she could swim. "I'm sorry, too. I didn't mean to... I know I'm a bit of a fright right now." She tried to look away when Valentine started losing clothes, a little perplexed by anyone so apparently comfortable with their body. "I'm Cassidy. Hi."
Books, though. That was a more comfortable subject. "It's some Asimov. The Ugly Little Boy. Just a little light reading." She held it up, peering over the top of it to hide a tongue-flicker.
"Sorry that I just stripped randomly, but you can get sick from wearing wet clothes, and I don't want to be sick on vacation...even if this vacation is getting a little bizarre." Valentine would have held out her hand to shake, but Cass still frightened her a bit. She wanted to say something appropriate that would smooth over her little fright, but she didn't know what to say about Cass. She was just glad she didn't look like that.
She raised an eyebrow skeptically, giving the book a thorough once-over. "I don't know what planet you're from, but in my opinion anything Asimov isn't light reading at all." It helped to not look at Cass, to pretend that she was talking to a human and the girl's appearance was just a trick of the light. She examined her fingernails instead, picking out the dirt that had wedged itself between flesh and nail. "Speaking of planets...where were you from, before you looked like..." Valentine trailed off, unsure how to continue. For that matter, she wasn't even sure if Cassidy had looked any different at any point in her life. She gave the girl a quizzical glance, as if to say "You were human once, right?"
"Aw, but this is one of his shorter books. It's practically a novella. But to each his own, I guess."
Cass had to grin. Being asked what planet she was from was just about the best thing anyone had said to her in weeks. It fit in so nicely with her fantasy about being a member of an alien race, rather than just a plain old freak. "I'm from Vanderhoof," she said. "But I'm afraid that's not anywhere interesting. It's in Canada, and it's a pretty small town."
She settled herself down at what she hoped was an unthreatening distance, not exactly sitting, but half-coiled in what seemed to be the most natural position for her in an extremely alien body.
Valentine stretched out, having fully stripped, revealing a pair of red boyshorts and a red strapless bra. The sun was pleasantly warm, enough to make her want to bask in it a while longer.
"Vanderhoof," she murmured, "that's a pleasant enough name. Sounds a bit German, actually. I'm originally from Baltimore, but I commute to and from New York and Boston, for business. I'm in pharmaceuticals." She couldn't resist bragging a little, proud of her big-city company.
She fell silent after that, content to merely enjoy the company (however strange it was) and the sunlight while it lasted.
Cassidy was silent for a moment, unsure of how to take this information. "Well. Um."
An acquaintance of Moreau's: either dangerous, or to be pitied. "Well. There are people turning into animals here. It's hard to deny that." She spread her hands to gesture to herself. "I don't know about you in particular."
Eager to change the subject, however (there was a lot of responsibility in being the first to tell anyone this stuff), she continued, "But as for things to do... there's an entertainment room, full of movies and things, down in the town hall. There's the bar." She stared down at the book in her hands, and laughed. "I don't know. I mostly read, I guess. Go for walks. Er." Maybe that wasn't quite the right word anymore.
Valentine's face darkened momentarily, as she remembered her first night on the island. "I guess. You're the first...person...I've met, who's changed. I met this other man, Zach, earlier. I thought he was crazy until you came along. He told me...well, at any rate, I don't know how they do it, but they did give me a shot when I first arrived. There's a variety of things that could have been in that syringe, and I'm not sure what any of them are."
An immediate perk in her mood followed the words The Bar. Not normally a drinker, Valentine nevertheless still had her share of booze at soirees and various other business events. There was a certain lift in mood that accompanied the alcohol, which she wasn't particularly adverse to. "A bar? Where's the bar?" She tried to make the question sound casual, but she ended up sounding a little more eager than she had intended. The sooner she could relax, the better. This island had been one surprise after another since she had arrived.
Cass tilted her head. "I know Zach," she said. There seemed no point on commenting on the contents of the syringe, so she said nothing about that. "I've startled him on more than one occassion, actually. Hrm."
She drummed her fingers on her book, unaware that her tongue was flickering as she thought. "But... the bar. That's out on the main beach. They're usually pretty well-stocked. I've been known to sneak down there for a beer on occassion."
"He seems to be startled easily, I wouldn't be too surprised to hear that you had done so on several occasions." She sounded bitter, she realized, but there wasn't any reason not to be bitter towards Zach. He had told her the island's secret, and she had called him crazy, only to find out just now that he was right.
The tongue flickering was a bit disgusting, she thought, though it was probably unintentional. If Cassidy had become that much a snake, what was to become of her, Valentine? Moreau was bound to be in charge of the operations which made people into those weird hybrids...had he invited Valentine out to the island to do the same to her? The thought sent chills down her spine, even as she reminded herself that he had reformed. Of course, all she had as proof was Moreau's word...and Moreau could nurse a grudge longer than anyone else she knew, assuming he hadn't changed, as he had claimed, in those ten years. Valentine rubbed her arms, feeling her mental chills raise the hairs on her arms and neck.
"As for the bar...Which main beach? West, east, north, south? It's an island, there's bound to be a beach on each side...and do you know if they have cold drinks, right now? I need something icy." Thoughts of a chilled mojito filled her mind, as well as the relaxation that came with the alcohol. She drummed her fingers against the ground anxiously, casting a glance towards her drying clothes. She'd have to go back to the duplex to put them away before she could go have a drink. She didn't want to carry them, though. With a mental shrug and a sigh, she wrung out all the dampness she was able to, and then wiggled back in to them.
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Posted: Thu Mar 30, 2006 11:04 am
RP Log
Cassidy was deep in thought. Her arms were crossed in front of her bare chest--not intending on seeing anyone, she'd given up on shirts for the day. She certainly was no more vulgar than a nude Barbie doll. If she had any intention of heading into the village for long, she would certainly have faced the struggle of clothing.
But here? She didn't expect to find anyone.
So absorbed in her thoughts, Cassidy was almost on top of the two strangers before she noticed them.
"Oh... uh. Hello?"
... why wasn't the younger one wearing any clothes? Oh, right. Neither was she.
Bobby smiled, a little sadly at Colche, "Not very happy, just thinking.... But you are looking much better today; I am glad you are happy."
The woman usually prided herself with good hearing -for a human-, but today two people snuck up on her... her mind was slipping. She needed to pay more attention.
Turning once again, Bobby took in the sight of the newest arrival. Up to that point, she had mostly seen mammals that were far in their transformation. Of course, there was Amaya -who seemed to be adapting, although not the best... and then there was him (Billy) - but she felt he deserved whatever came to him-...
This woman, though... Bobby's heart almost lept to her throat. She was turning into a reptile, but not just any, a snake. And she wasn't really keeping her arms either, they were wings! What a cruel fate the Island had dealt this one.
Bobby smiled and almost sighed at the same time, "Well, hello!"
Colche's blue eyed gaze fell on the new arrival. She didn't know the wom,an, testament to the fact that this island was full of people she didn't know but she was so far on in her transformation that Colche smiled and waved "Hai" she puurred, the tip of ehr tail twitching a little. The fur on ehr neck stood up automatically at the sight of Cas but she stayed still, smiling happily, a slight puurr in her chest.
Looking at Bobby though she gave just a little pout, she didn't like the idea that Bobby was unhappy.
Licking her furry lips she turned to cas again, she supposed this aut to warrent an introduction so she smiled and spoke her name and nothing else "Colche" she stated simply with a little smile, she seemed mostly unphased still by the snake woman though the image of Kaa the cobra from jungle book flickered in to her mind.
"I'm Cass," she said. "Duplex three." She was rather relieved that no one was going to fall into the water this time, or be generally terrified.
It was... encouraging.
"I hope I'm not interrupting. I just came down to... well, not really anything." She fidgeted with her fingers, rather miserably, her arms still firmly crossed over her chest. Her tongue flickered, drinking in their scents, and she added, "I'll leave if you want me to. Really."
Bobby smiled and patted Colche on the shoulder, to put the catwoman's concerns at ease.
When the kitty introduced herself, Bobby almost mentally kicked herself. She was so rude, why hadn't she done that?
She nodded in greating, her eyes bright with welcome, "I'm Bobby, in duplex thirty-four." At Cass's remark, Bobby smiled, thuroughly confused, "Leave? But you just got here. Why would we want you to go?"
Colche giggles and pads forwards her nose wriggling a bit as she walked around the snakey lady, her tail twitching "Like Kaa" she stated with a grin, only she was of course much more green than the brown Kaa from the jungle book. "and parot" her nose wrinkled confusedly "kaa parot" she grinned in a cute kitty manner and grinend "Colche princess Cheetah" she grinned, she loved to tell people that she was acctually a king cheetah but a little girl king was a princess and besides Ambrose had said so. She puurred tilting her head softly, a curious look in those big blue eyes "Me lives, home seventeen" she smiled, her big blue eyes still curiously fixed upon the snake woman though Bobbys angst would have to be sorted out sooner than later, people shouldn't be sad, at leats in her humble oppinion.
"Well, I--" Cass would have blinked in surprise were that still possible for her to do. "I've... startled, more than a few people." Startled was the wrong word, but it was all she could bring herself to say at the moment.
She turned her attention to Colche in some perplexion. "A princess cheetah? That's. Um. Very special. You should be proud." What on earth was... the poor girl. The poor kid was not all there, that much was obvious. She wasn't sure who Kaa might be, though it rang a bell. "I guess I am part parrot..."
Bobby felt she had no reason to really be upset. This was turning to be a good day out, at least for her spirits. Colche reminded her of a young child, and Bobby loved children, heck she had dealt with three and would have had more if it wasn't for her job. As for Cass, well... Bobby didn't feel right to be feeling so upset when others were obviously having it worse.
"There, then," Bobby grinned, "it's settled, you'll stay with us for awhile, for we'll be happy to have you!"
Walking over, the woman grabbed her pack. She was glad she had packed a lot of food. Usually, she wasted some or just kept it for later...she always had food on hand -a habit left over from being a mother for so long. "Alright, I have some food... what does everyone want?" Bobby grinned and winked to the women. Of course, she was assuming they wanted anything.
Colche smiled twitching her tail, she looked at cas again and smiled brightly "kaa a pyfon" she grins and looks at Bobbys pack, that reminded her, she could do with some chocolate cake, she hadn't had her stint for the day. With a grin she padded obver top bobby and peerd around ehr arm at the bag, she couldn't smell any chocolate cake. Pouting a bit she looked between Bobby and cass and gave a sigh of reluctance "No chocolate cake" she stated looking through the trees, she knew if she headed straight thatway she would come out at the cafeteria. with that in mind she grinned at the two "be back, get some chocolate cake" she grinned broadly her mucles tightening as she zipped awa, quuite litterally speeding through the trees, though her foot falls were soon gone and there was no sign of the little cheetah girl in the distance.
Cass watched Colche go, rather perplexed at having been identified correctly as a python. She wasn't sure what Kaa was, though. Maybe just a mispronounciation of her own name? Except it hadn't sounded like that.
She turned back to Bobby. "It's very nice of you to offer, but honestly? I haven't been able to eat anything but rare meat in a while."
And that wasn't even what she wanted, lately. She wanted something warm, and raw, and had until recently been breathing. And that distressed her so much she found herself tugging on her feathers without realising what she was doing.
Bobby slapped her head with emphasis before Colche left, "The chocolate cake! I don't know how that slipped my mind... you get get that..." she chuckled and smiled after the fleeing cheetah.
Turning to Cass, Bobby scratched her head sheepishly, "I must admit, I didn't bring any of that along with me. I wasn't expecting to meet anyone and, well, I am not that much a fan of raw meat, sorry.
Watching the woman tug at her feathers, Bobby jumped forward -dropping her bag- and took Cass's hand in her, "No no, don't do that! I wouldn't want you to hurt yourself."
"It's all right. I ate a while ago, and I can't really chew any--"
Cassidy broke off in surprise when Bobby leapt over to her. "I... I wasn't. Really. I'm okay." There was a startled tongue-flicker. "They're in there pretty firmly... I'm not going to tear them out. Not on purpose. Really."
She drew her hand back, and added, "I'm fine," though she wasn't entirely sure why she had been doing that.
Bobby eyed the woman, although she did allow the hand to leave her grasp -it seemed Cass wasn't comfortable with her holding it-. She was inclined to believe the other woman, though, "Well... as long as you aren't trying to pull them out or anything. I'm sure you still feathers coming out if they are not ready to."
With almost a blush, the woman snorted slightly, "My son would catch pigeons and pull out feathers... he tried to tell me the birds didn't feel it, but I didn't believe him. I made him let the poor creatures go every time."
"It's like pulling hair, I guess. But it's all thicker." Cassidy made a mental note not to do that in the future... just like she had always been trying to not to twist her hair. "I think it would hurt if I yanked it all out in a handful, but I'm not going to do that."
She paused. "You have a son?" But... if she was here... was he here on the island with her? Was he back on the mainland by himself? Bobby didn't look quite old enough to have a grown son.
Bobby almost laughed at the tone Cass used. Not so much that her children were elsewhere and her here, but she felt it sounded like the woman didn't believe she was old enough. Well, some people made that mistake.
"Yeah," Bobby gave a kind of half-smile, both one that was proud and sad at the same time. "He's the youngest, I have two daughters too..." The woman smiled as she eyed the snake, her eyes twinkling, "I am thirty-seven years old...."
"Well," Cass said, a bit awkwardly. "Well."
She bit back questions which seemed rude, especially in the face of that sad smile. There seemed no point to purposely reminding people of what was left behind on the mainland.
"What are their names? How old?" That seemed fairly safe.
Bobby smiled and leaned back. She loved talking about her children. "Well let me see... Patty is 15, Mel is 13, and little Dicky is 8. Married my high school sweetheart after I had Patty..." The woman chuckled, "She was the flowergirl."
After a paused, Bobby sighed, "I am glad the children still have their father. I wish I could have told them how much I truly loved and everyone one of them... now I'll never get the chance...."
Her eyes started to tear up, but Bobby didn't want Cass to see them. Wiping one away, the woman smiled slightly, "Excuse me...." She wanted to add that she needed to be alone, but didn't want to be rude.
Bobby walked back towards the village. She turned and waved to Cass, about to say goodbye but could only offer the other woman a smile as she was afraid her voice would crack.
"Bye," Cass called after her, feeling quite low herself.
She'd touched a nerve, that was clear. Stupid.
She really wanted her sister, now.
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Posted: Thu Mar 30, 2006 12:41 pm
After Bobby left, Cass continued on her slow slither through the woods. She had taken to these, even if they did carry the risk of running into people. Sometimes, lately, she just couldn't feel comfortable in her room anymore. She couldn't even say why.
Her head was full of instincts and desires, and it frightened her badly. She wanted to be high, she wanted to wrap herself around something small and helpless, she wanted to fly...
...which was patently ridiculous. True, Cassidy's sense of aerodynamics was sketchy, at best, and mostly gleaned from science fiction, but she knew you couldn't just stick wings on a snake and expect it to fly.
She leaned up against a tree. The bark felt quite nice against her scales.
She wanted to see her family so much. Especially her sister! She and Cheryl had been close. Cherry had practically been her best friend, if it came to that.
don'tthinkofthatdon'tthinkofthat
Cass found herself staring up the trunk of the tree. There had been a moment... before her last change, while the island had been in lockdown, when she had woken up in the tree... there was a moment of that that had been almost pleasant, except for the confusion.
And she had wanted to try it again, since.
She never had. Not really. It was hard to climb without toes, and she'd never been a great tree climber as a kid. Most of the trees she had access to were either too small, or were pine trees, full of pitch and needles.
And she had never had a good head for heights.
She wanted to. So much.
Cass glanced around nervously, her tongue flickering. Didn't smell anyone. No warmth that seemed appropriate for human (or once human) bodies, though there were a few small animals hiding from her.
She wished she could describe that properly. It wasn't seeing, or smelling, but almost like feeling the warm places in the air. And yet, not quite that.
But no one was around. Good.
Cass turned back to the tree, and stretched up her arms; her fingers found purchase in the wood, and she hauled herself up.
The rest of her followed. Her leg stumps were not terribly helpful, paddling along beside her. They mostly got in the way. The rest of her, however, clung to the bark with surprising ease. She went around the tree in a spiral, not thinking about it, but she could hold on a bit better that way, it seemed.
She'd gone high enough. Cassidy coiled herself around a branch, gasping for breath. She couldn't think why she wasn't drenched in sweat--
--oh, right. Couldn't sweat through scales.
Easier than she'd thought, but harder than she'd hoped. Okay.
Still, it felt good to be up here. There was a lot of tree left above her, but she was heavy, now... no sense in tempting fate.
Cass stretched a bit, and decided to settle herself down to rest. This was amazingly comfortable, wrapped around a branch like a bit of bannock on a stick. She tucked in her wings, more bird-like than she realised, and got comfortable.
Perhaps an hour later, she awoke, disturbed by something. She raised her head slowly.
There was a lizard of some sort, oblivious to her presence, perched on the branch some distance off. The tip of Cass's tail twitched, ever so slightly; the lizard peered, curious at the motion.
Hardly aware of what she was doing, Cass lunged, face first, mouth wide. The lizard scampered away, further up the tree, quite safe from the clumsy attempts of a first time predator.
Cassidy's heart was beating furiously. She hadn't... she couldn't have... no. No way. There was no way she had actually been intending to eat that thing.
She was shaking as she came down the tree.
It was far past time to go back to pretending to be human.
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Posted: Wed Apr 05, 2006 2:51 pm
RP Log
It was the moment of truth. Vasile didn't know why he had been so nervous. I mean, he wasn't afraid she wouldn't like him anymore, right? I mean... given her.. condition. But gah - why did he keep thinking about it in those terms. He hated how people called him 'pretty' or 'lucky." Yes in some ways he was - and a part of him was afriad Cass would resent him for not turning into something hideous.
He walked the jungle, and Anjali's landscpaing, until Vasile gathered a boquet of flowers. He brushed his hair and put on a new pair of clothes. Promising himself he wouldn't get distracted this time, Vasile steeled himself and headed straight to her door. He gave a quick knock before he had a chance to turn back. "Heya. Cass...its me."
Cass cleared her throat awkwardly; she had half-convinced herself that Vasile was avoiding her, and, well, if it came right down to it... she couldn't really blame him, if that were the case. "One moment, one moment," she called, and slithered off the bed. She set her book to one side, straightened out the bedsheets, and made her way to the door.
She hesitated for a moment, her hand on the doorknob. This was... this was silly. She took a deep breath and opened it wide. "Vasile. Hi--" she said, and stopped. She tilted her head to one side, tongue flickering. "They got you," she said, slightly dumbfounded. Cass shook herself. Maybe that was why he'd been absent. "Well, come in, come in. Oh, Vasile..."
Vasile gave her an akward smile as she opened the door, hos teeth locking together in a much more canine way than he was used to. He stepped in with a nod, looking suddenly very sheepish as he extended his arm, presenting the flowers. "Yeah... I'm all.. fuzzy," he stammered. Then winced, realizing how stupid that probably sounded. "I look so... different." Perhaps he was preaching to the choir, but he knew it was the truth. This change was much more drastic than his first - losing all trace of human skin or blonde to his hair. His face felt funny as his muzzle had just barely started for form, and his pads on his hands made his manuel dexterity feel uncordinated.
"Very different," Cassidy agreed as she closed to door. She took the flowers gratefully, smelled them with another flick of her forked tongue. Vasile seemed, perhaps, further along than she had been after her second change, but that could have been her imagination. He certainly didn't look like Vasile DiRossi, Movie Star anymore. She put a hand on his arm--he really was fuzzy, wow--and said, "I should find something to put these in. Do you need to sit down? How long ago was it?"
Vasile looked around and sat down on the edge of her bed, curling his long tail around him and over his lap. He had falling, very quickly, into a habit of stroking his fur on his tail when he got nervous, almost using it a security blanket. His black claws twisted through the silver fur as he watched her place the flowers in water. "I 'unno, a few days ago. I was eating in the cafeteria with Ambrose and then - just out of nowhere, ya know. Right there on the floor. With people watching." The pink of his ears flushed red with a bit of embarassment, though most of his blush was hidden under the fur on his cheeks,
With the flowers safe in water, Cassidy turned back to him, her mouth slightly agape. "Oh. Oh, that's awful." She perched herself next to Vasile, a feathered arm around his shoulders. "I hope it wasn't too bad. If I could have been there for you..." Cass trailed off, not really sure how to finish that thought. Some girlfriend she was. In her agitation, the end of her tail twitched for something to coil around. She settled for hugging him tightly.
Vasile's ears pressed back against his skull. Looking over her, and remember her transformation, there was no way he could possibly think his was worse. It was almost frustrating in a way - he hated that he felt guilty for not changing 'as bad' as she did. But at the same time, Cass was being surprisingly compassionate. Vasile knew that she probably wouldn't resent him now if he complained a bit to her, but it just didn't feel right. "It wasn't, erm.. I mean it wasn't good or anything. But I don't think it was that bad at least." He smiled at her and slipped a arm around her...waist-like area.
Cass laid her head on his shoulder, vaguely enjoying the feel of his fur. She didn't think she could admit that to him, though. "I'm glad," she said. "I still wish I could have been there." He had been so very wonderful during her transformation, and she had been more-or-less hysterical, she thought. "I could've... well. Not exactly helped." What was there to do? "But tried to."
He chuckled softly and reached out to take her hand. "Yeah well, I've gotten very little sympathy from most. Some guy, uh, Zach, I think, called me pretty." He smirked. "Well. he said I looked like Ambrose. But prettier." He shook his head. "So like... I guess its a fox, huh? The only silver fox I've ever seen was on a tack on Rodeo Drive." He stoked the tail again. "Guess its better than a poodle or something."
"Much better than a poodle. And you are pretty." Cass grinned. "But I've always thought so." She gave him a careful look, however, her tongue flicking quickly. "A fox seems very likely. Especially with... well, with your tail. That looks like a fox's tail to me." It looked like it wanted petting; Cass tried to resist that urge. "Of course... well, most of my experience with foxes is having them run across the road at inopportune moments. They're cute, though. I'd think that'd be better than just an ordinary dog."
She hesitated. "Zach said you were pretty?" she asked, and laughed lightly behind her hand.
Vasile scratched the back of his head and gave another toothy smile. The tail thumbed a bit as Cass mentioned it, and Vasile, a bit in embarassed, tangled both hands back into it. "I guess so. Better than a dog, I guess. They're supposed to be all cunning, right?" He let a tipped finger slide over one of Cass's feathers as his eyebrow lifted just ever-so-slightly. "and eat chickens."
But before he could even get off with a suggest eyebrow wiggle Cass giggled and his browline dropped. "I don't think he meant like that! Though now that you mention it, it was Ian who said I was pretty, not Zach. Zach was there he just looked kind of.. I dunno, shocked."
Shaking his head, Vasile took on a more serious tone. "Speaking of dogs, though, you by chance haven't seen Brutus around, anywhere? I still can't find him." Though he tried to hide it - the look in his gave away just got deeply saddened he felt.
"Chickens," Cass laughed. "I'm no chicken. Hell, I could probably join you in that, if there were any around."
But at mention of Brutus, she sobered. "I haven't seen him. He must be around." She only half-believed this, she found. Lately, her mind had been such a confusion of urges and images, and she had caught herself trying to catch and eat that lizard... fortunately for it and her sanity, it had gotten away. While not so long ago she would have scoffed at the idea that someone would have eaten poor Brutus, she wasn't sure anymore. Unsure of how much of this doubt showed on her face, Cass offered, "I'm sure that if anyone knew anything they would say something. He's probably found something to eat and is just waiting for you to come find him."
Vasile shrugged. "Maybe. But he doesn't tend to run off and I haven't sound him since after the lock out. I'm afraid something ate him." His frowned deepened. "Or someone. I heard that Jamal tried to eat some chick... er, Emelyn, I think." His brows furrowed. "And I know he tried to kill one of the staff members. He told me."
"H-holy s**t." Cass shook her head, disbelieving. "I thought it was only me... I hoped, anyway." She tugged idly on her feathers, thinking. "He actually tried to kill Em? And one of the staff? The latter I don't exactly blame him for, but... er. Remind me to be careful around him, if I ever run into him. Is that what's going to happen to us? Are we all going to become that... that savage?"
Vasile shrugged. "I don't know. I mean.." he tilted his head. "Ambrose and like... I heard Pyroth and stuff.. and you and some other people... they've had like two or three injections. ANd Jamal's only had one. And no one else is acting this crazy. I mean... you're farther than me and you're not, like, eating rats whole or anything." He stroked his tail and pulled his feet under him on the bed. "I've had two and I don't feel very different other than how I look. I think Jamal's just.. handling it bad."
He looked around the room and frowned. "Ambrose is afraid that Jamal is going to ruin it for everyone. Do you really think they are going to treat us this well if Jamal kills Dr. Lockheart? I'm all for, I don't know, maybe a more organized approach. But I don't think just attacking the staff on sight is going to do us any good."
"I almost ate a lizard," Cass admitted, her voice barely above a whisper. "I don't know what I was planning to do with it, but I think I was trying to eat it. It got away. I'm sort of glad." Her feathers ruffled slightly, and she added, "Well, I would certainly rather be here with the staff trying to make us happy, as twisted as that is, than have them not care at all about us other than as scientific subjects. I can't imagine much more bribery in the form of books will come my way if they have a change of heart." She gestured to her bookshelf with a rueful expression. "If they really wanted to, they could just put us in a zoo and do their thing. This is better. I.... I don't expect to be rescued anymore."
Vasile's ears pricked forward in surprise, then flattened again as she confessed abuot the lizard. Now that he had stuck his foot in his mouth, he just let it drop, not knowing how to respond.
"Well, I don't want to lose all hope. But I do think that they do a lot for us they don't have to. Obviously they aren't worried about being caught to regulations or anything. They treat us pretty nice. I'm worried Jamal might ruin that for all of us."
"If he does..." Cass hesitated. "If he does, he'll have a lot of people very angry at him. He had better not. I'd be half inclined... but I couldn't, not really." She sighed. "Or someone should at least warn him that it isn't too late for them to add something to his serum, something a lot worse than whatever they've got him on. I know it's not too late."
Vasile gave a solemn nod and looked at her wings. "Maybe it would be for the best. Maybe not something... worse, Heh, maybe a bunny or something?"
"He certainly wouldn't be quite so violent," Cass said with a bit of a smirk. "Or a mouse, or.... I don't know. Something completely unassuming and fluffy. See him try to eat anybody, then."
Vasile chucked and leaned back a bit on the bed. "So, ah... how have you been... er, adjusting?"
Cassidy shrugged a shoulder awkwardly. "All right, I guess. I've been taking a lot of walks in the jungle... well, not walks exactly. You know what I mean. But I thought I wouldn't want to ever go back to the jungle after the lock down, and I've been quite enjoying it." She tugged at her feathers again. "Little things get to me, you know. Like trying to wash what hair I have left--baths aren't really quite as fun when you fill up the tub entirely on your own. Little things. Not a big deal." She looked at Vasile curiously. "What about you?"
Vasile's ear flicked back and he shrugged as well. "Clothing itches under the fur. And shoes don't fit well anymore. I can hear better, and smell everything - oh god thats maddening to try and get used to. But for the most part, its just getting back the physical changes, I suppose."
"I know what you mean about the sense of smell, anyway." Cass's tongue flickered. "It's still so weird, at times. I still feel human, mostly, on the inside... I suppose it just takes time." She stretched out on the bed beside Vasile, grimacing slightly.
Vasile rolled over on his stomach and stretched out beside her, throwing his feet out behind him and resting his chin on his elbows. He scooted closer next to her and let his puffy tail curl over her lap. "Guess so." He let out a yawn and nuzzled his face into the crook of her arm.
Cassidy ran her hand down Vasile's back. He was so... so soft. She'd have to get used to that, she supposed. "You're tired?"
"A bit." He smiled sheepishly. "I been dithering coming to see you the better part of the day." He scrunched his nose. "That sounded bad. I mean, not that I didn't want to see you - I was just, I guess, nervous about seeing you after the change. My change. You know.."
"I know." Cass smiled back. "It's easy to do that, but what can I possibly say about any of your changes that isn't hypocritical? You can sleep here, you know. It's okay."
"I know.. its just. Weird. I'm not used to it... I'm sure I'm just being paranoid. EVerything seems to be changing." He nuzzled closer, and it wasn't very long before he nodded off right then a there.
Cassidy stared distantly up at the ceiling, unblinking. "Everything is changing," she answered, though fully aware that Vasile was asleep. She shifted her arm carefully, so as not to wake him, but to hold him better. She'd take and offer what comfort was possible.
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