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 Posted: Sat Mar 04, 2006 4:54 pm
Chana pushed the door of her duplex open and went inside. It was pure bliss, she decided, to be able to do this again. The A/C bathed her face in a controlled breeze, drying the mud.
Mud...ew. Chana stripped off her shoes, they were ruined really, and tossed them over her shoulder and out of the duplex. Let someone else clean them up, or let them rot there. She didn't really care anymore.
She shut the door behind her and headed straight for the bathroom. Starting the shower, she stripped off the rags that had once been her favorite outfit and dropped them in the trash. It was a shame, but there was no way she could ever repair them.
She slipped into the shower and hissed in delight as the steamy water pounded down on her. She could feel the mud dripping down her body, getting stuck in the fur...whatever. Chana sat down in the shower stall and relaxed in the constant spray. All was right with the world again, as far as she was concerned. Anything that wasn't being washed down the drain right now could wait until after she was done in the shower.
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Posted: Sun Mar 12, 2006 6:35 pm
Chana and Lily Reacquainted Lily walks toward the cafeteria from her duplex cautiously, it was after what some would call supper time in hopes of not running into too many people- she just doesn't feel much like saying something else like she said to Joliette last time she was in the cafeteria.
She makes it to the building without seeing anyone, and then she doesn't get a very good chance to look around the cafeteria as she walks in before she coughs. She's been feeling a bit better, but the cough seems quite stubborn. Keeping a hand to her mouth even when she stops coughing, she takes a look around the cafeteria.
Chana was lingering over her dinner; a salad piled high with all sorts of good (and crunchy) fresh greens, vegetables, and some nuts. Chewing her food was such a loud task she almost didn't hear the coughing.
Chana looked up to see...oh, what was her name?...come in, covering her mouth. "You all right?" she called, concern in her voice.
Lily's eyes widen when she sees Chana, and then she lowers her arm. She'd been a little worried about Chana while they were locked outside, she'd eventually heard of so many people- but not once about this girl. She can't even tell that she's changed right away due to the distance.
"I'm fine," she answers, walking toward Chana, "You're fine. I didn't see or hear about you when we were locked out." The closer she gets, the more she notices the change- though mostly just the slightly fuzzier look. Getting better at not staring, she only glances.
She tries to remember her name, but can't seem to recall it..
Chana frowns slightly. She didn't really believe Lily's declaration that she was fine, but dropped the subject for the moment.
Of course, the other woman - what was her name? - would bring up that horrible experience of the past two months. Chana shrugged. "I only stumbled into Joliette's camp once in the whole time. Mostly I just wandered around getting lost." A brief and mostly accurate summary.
She smiles sheepishly. "Y'know...I know this is non sequitor and a bit rude, but I simply can't recall your name. I'm Chana, in case you forgot too."
"Well, I am glad to see you," Lily says in a slightly scratchy voice, knowing it's not exactly a happy subject, being kept from food and shelter. She smiles, trying to figure out the best way to apologize for how she was when they first met when Chana re-introduces herself.
"Oh! I'm Lily," she re-introduces herself as well, "I forgot your name too, Chana, don't worry." She emphasizes Chana's name in hopes it will help her remember it this time.
"I, er, want to apologize for the first time we met," she continues, biting her lip, "I didn't mean to be so.." she pauses, trying to think of a good word but not coming up with one, "Well, rude, I guess."
Lily. Okay. Not too hard to remember...this time. Chana reached for a pitcher of water on the table and poured a cup, pushing it towards Lily. That scratchy voice...the least she could do was drink.
"It's okay," she said, smiling. "We're both equally forgetful, so forget it. Or don't," she added, giggling.
"Apologize?" Chana was genuinely confused. She'd met Lily such a long time ago, she barely remembered the encounter in the face of all that had happened since. "I don't even know what you're apologizing for anymore," she told the other woman. Nor could she even guess, for she didn't see Lily as being the rude or hard-to-get-along-with type.
Lily takes a seat at the table across from Chana, murmuring a 'thank you' as she takes the water. It does make her feel better about forgetting Chana's name knowing her name was forgotten as well.
She smiles at Chana's 'forget-don't forget' comment, clearing her throat before taking a drink of water. How she hates being sick, especially when it's harder to be lazy about it and you have to take a walk to get a drink or something to eat.
"Oh, well, it's not bad not to remember," she says, setting the glass on the table, "I'm just not very good at small talk, I guess." She smiles. She doesn't remember everything that was said, but she knows that it didn't go very well- which is why she remembered she should apologize.
Chana shrugs. "Small talk is a luxury for people who dislike each other, but aren't stuck living with each other. I'm not sure if we can or can't afford that here."
Depressing statement. Chana frowned at her salad and crunched a few nuts. It really wasn't the same as the bark she'd eaten when the power was off...it lacked that fresh green taste...
Abruptly reminded of crazy Sir Deerboy, and how he described the taste of grass, Chana lost her appetite. Chewing the cud...shudder. She nudged her plate out of the way casually. She didn't want Lily to think there was anything wrong with the food or something...that would be mean.
Lily pauses, considering the statement.
"Or when you don't know what to say," she suggests, "But I guess you're right." She does find the statement quite depressing, if anyone finds out why she's here they may well 'dislike' her- and smalltalk is easier if you know you won't have to see people over and over again. She too frowns, but pushes it from her mind.
She takes another drink of water in an attempt to ward off any coughing, noticing the slight gesture Chana makes with her plate, instead of the effect Chana thought of it has the opposite. She glances toward the food thoughtfully..
"Yeah...small talk is a conversation starter, that's for sure," Chana agrees, not noticing Lily's attention for her food. She does, however, notice that the other woman is...distracted by something. At least she's drinking now, and her voice sounds a bit better.
"Something on your mind?" she asks, keeping her tone lightly inquisitive and unintrusive.
"Hm?" Lily looks back from food to Chana, "Not really, I think I might go get some soup or something. Soup's good when you're sick, right?" She smiles.
While she had other things on her mind, that was the most prominant thing, thankfully. And it's much easier to talk about something naturally when you are thinking about it. Besides, she doesn't really think that she's being really obvious with her other thoughts and thinks nothing of deciding to get soup. She stands up.
"I think I will, I'll be right back."
She turns and heads to the counter for soup.
"Yeah...chicken soup's good for the soul, remember?" she commented. Okay...that didn't go so well. Apparently the subject was touchier than she'd thought. Or, Lily was just that oblivious. She'd seen that in kids too.
But Lily isn't a kid. She's an adult, Chana reminded herself and sighed. Things had seemed so much easier when she'd thought this was a camp.
Smiling from the comment, Lily goes and gets a tray to make it easier to carry her food. She makes a stop to get some chicken soup, another to get some orange juice and another for a spoon. It's so much nicer focussing on this, though she still feels the need to be careful about what she says.
She returns to the table with her tray, picking up the glass of water Chana had poured her and setting it beside her juice. She picks up her spoon and tests the soup, wondering if she would ever stop seeming suspicious to people in a normal setting. When they were locked out, everyone was more concerned about other things.
Maybe she's just thinking too much about it, which can only make it worse.
And the awkward silence reigns, Chana thought despairingly. The moment for finding out what was bothing Lily had passed, and if she tried now, she'd look stupid.
She stood up abruptly. "I think I'm done here," she told Lily. "Not that the conversation sucks--it's great, I just, well, um, I need to get ready for Purim."
It was a horrible excuse and Lily probably had no clue what she was talking about, but it was a real excuse. Purim was tomorrow night. And Lily had every intention of spending the night celebrating Esther's bravery and resourcefulness.
She dumped her salad and left the tray before making a hasty exit out of the cafeteria.
Lily looks up, surprised by Chana's sudden decision to depart and how she felt the need to tell her that it wasn't the terrible conversation but rather something.. Lily isn't sure she's heard of before.
"Alright," she says, "It was nice to see you again, Chana." She waves meekly, watching her dump her salad and make a hasty exit.
Is that going to happen everytime she runs into Chana?
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Posted: Sat Mar 25, 2006 12:33 pm
Chana meets Awen and Avery Awen had dragged out the chair from her duplex and was sitting on her front step. It was a nice day and didn't think spending the day indoors was all that nice of an option. But she couldn't yet go swimming because the IV was still attached to her arm. Aubrey said she'd be by in a few days to take it off. So...how long was a few days anyway?
Awen sighed softly sitting on the chair, leaning it back on two legs as she rocked back and forth. Her webbed fingers were on either side of her sleek PSP.
It was a beautiful day, and Chana had decide she needed to get out of the house - er, duplex. She was wandering towards the village in hopes of finding something to occupy herself with, when she noticed somone outside one of the nearer duplexes.
Curious, she veered over to see who it was. To her surprise, the girl seemed to be one of the people she'd seen sleeping in Joliette's camp.
To her horror, the girl had an IV pole with her.
"Hello!" Chana called out decisively, coming over to Awen.
Awen glanced up from her game and blinked. to her knowledge she'd never seen this girl before. Then again she was still feeling a little groggy and could be mistaken. Whoever it was the girl had obviously... been here awhile. Which was good. Awen was getting just a little sick of the looks of shock and horror she had been getting lately.
"Hi there!" Despite the critical thinking that was turning in Awen's head her voice was rather cheery when she called back to the girl.
The girl was definitely...erm...farther along than she had been when Chana saw her. And...the arms were definitely a bit strange. But, overall, just another islander.
"I'm Chana," she introduced herself. "I saw you once before, but you were sleeping in Joliette's camp," she explained, a little sheepishly. It was the way she felt when talking to most people these days, though she couldn't really say why. Maybe she just felt she should know more people by now. It had been what, three or four months?
"Oh! So you're that umm...Chana girl that Joli told me about? The one with the raft?" She tilted her head a little bit to confirm the suspision. "Haven't seen you around before. Um..have a seat..."
She stood up slowly offering her chair to the girl. "I'll get the other one from inside." She started to moved inside but her Iv was being difficult fitting into the duplex..again. "Er... or..." She turned with ehr own sheepish look. "Maybe you could..just go in and get the other chair?"
She shook her head a little bit. "Think I gotta order some lawn chairs or something." she mumbled to herself.
"Yeah...my poor raft that I never saw again," she admitted cheerfully enough. Then the girl started getting up to get another chair. Thankfully, she wasn't being stubborn about it.
"Of course I'll get it!" Chana exclaimed, suiting actions to words and popping back out a minute later with the aforementioned chair.
"Lawn chairs might be a good idea," she agreed, settling into her seat. "Do you mind if I ask how..." she trailed off, gesturing at the IV.
"Thanks a lot." Awen smiled and sat back down in the chair she managed to haul out earlier. She set the game down on the ground beside her though to get it out of the way.
She glanced to the IV and sighed looked back to Chana with a weak smile. "I tried to swim off the island..." She held up a hand quickly incase the girl thought the staff did something to her to cause the IVness. "Um well appearently I'm not engenireed for ocean swimming..." She tapped the clear bag a few times. "I'm not sure what this stuff is... Aubrey gave it to me after saving my life... clearing out my system I suppose?"
Chana's eyes grew wide as Awen described her deceptively simple escape plan and how it had...well...not worked out. When she mentioned she wasn't engineered for ocean swimming, the beaver girl grew thoughtful and tried to think what the other looked like.
She gave up when it came time to reply. "Could be," she responded. "At least you're alive to tell the tale," she added, smiling.
There was also the fact that she couldn't remember what Joliette had said this girl's name was. No...wait, it had been that Joliette had said two names, and Chana couldn't remember which name went with which girl. This was either Amaya or Awen, that much she knew.
"Yeah I'm pretty lucky Aubrey came to save me." Her smiled wavered a little bit as she thought mroe about it. But Aubrey almost wasn't there to save her, Jamal almost killed her.
This whole caged tiger bit was really bugging Awen. She didn't want to leave him, but what could she say, how could she stay with him like that? He deserved a punishment.... regardless of factors he was going to kill someone, intentionally! But to be caged for all to see.
The convorsation with Sabin the day before really twisted in Awen's gut uncomfortably. She couldn't think of a single alternative... so how could she criticise really?
She shook her head and smiled a little bit. "I know I'm not going to go swimming in salt again though..." She raised an eyebrow at the girl. What could her animal be...? Awen had a slight hunch, but Chana wasn't far enough along to reall give it all away. "So...er.. know what you are yet?"
Chana nodded. The girl seemed as distracted as she was. She also remembered that she'd met Amaya before she saw her at Joliette's camp...the memory seemed connected with her blacking out. So this was Awen then.
Chana grimaced at the question, overlarge buck teeth showing clearly. "A beaver. So I guess I'll be joinging you in the fresh water. Maybe we'll do a buddy system," she joked half-heartedly. The flat tail that she kept tucked into her pants twitched slightly, as uncomfortable as she was now.
"Aha! I thought so." She grinned a bit and chuckled to herself. "I figured it's what you were...but other kinds of creatures have large teeth so I wasn't completely sure." Being Canadian Awen could definately understand Moreau's choice of animal. Or at least appreciate it.
But it gave her pause to think about Chana's words about not going in the salt water. "I don't think you'll have a problem.... It's my gills that give me hastle." She nodded slowly. "So you shouldn't have trouble."
Avery decided that he should go find the people Awen asked him to talk to in the note she had left him. He hoped the girl was doing alright...
He left his duplex, heading to the cafeteria first to see if anyone was there. Upon arriving at the Town Hall, however, Avery spotted the housing chart and looked up where Chubbs and Jamal were staying. He headed back to the duplexes and, after receiving no answer when he knocked on Jamal's door, he started towards Chubbs duplex.
On his way, however, he spotted two people sitting outside of a duplex. One of them he didn't recognize, but the other... it was Awen, and she was hooked up to an IV!? Avery jogged over to the two, a worried look on his face. "Awen!? What happened!?"
"Gills?" Chana asked, still unsure what Awen was turning into. She was about to comment on beavers and freshwater when she heard the young man call out. She looked up to see a young, very human man coming towards them. The beaver girl blinked. He looked like some strange surfer or snowboarder.
Clearly, he knew Awen. And what had happened was Awen's story to tell. So she just sat quietly, watching him. He must know what to expect in the near future, if he was a friend of the younger girl...so he probably wouldn't be staring at her. A nice thing to know.
"Hey Avery..." Awen smiled a little bit as she stood up politely as the blond approached. She wasn't quite glad to see Avery but also glad. The sooner she saw him the sooner her failure would come, disappointment to him. She couldn't help but laugh a bit. "Didn't you get my note?"
Letting that sink in a moment she glanced back to Chana. "Yeah gills." She tilted her head to the side to show the beaver the gills running along the sides of her neck. "Manta rays are salt water creatures...." She started explaining to her then looked up at Avery to explain it to the both of them. "So I figured I could swim off the island. I could swim in the lake and rivers no problem after all, I might be able to get help. But we were right to think Moreau planned for such an event.... I can't go in salt water. Well... I can... but I get really naucious and can't breathe that well from the gills. I didn't know this when I went out. Got a few mouthfuls of water into my lungs...barely made it back to shore."
She sat back down slowly and looked up at Avery some tears in her eyes. "I'm so sorry.... I wanted to.... I tried to get you off man....I'm...sorry..."
"Yeah, I got your note..." Avery replied, and he listened as Awen explained what happened. He was, honestly, disappointed she wasn't able to make it - but that was to be expected. If Avery had any way of knowing that this would happen to her, though; he would have protested her trying to go. He didn't want her to get hurt trying to help them... but it seems that she had.
Besides... Rex already changed... that means he's next, right? Maybe it was better this way...
"Awen... it's okay, I know you did what you could..." Avery leaned down and hugged her gently, being mindful of the IV. "I'm just glad you're okay now. I'm sorry that happened... I didn't want you to get hurt trying to help us."
Chana nodded at Awen's explanation. That did explain things...somewhat. It also meant that whoever was...tinkering with their genes was taking special care to keep them here.
Not that Chana would think about escape. At least not physically. The next time she asked for something (a seder plate) she'd see if she could get some books to read as well. Or...wait...hadn't she had a conversation with someone who had books?
It wasn't that important right now. The human guy, Avery, seemed nice enough. "When did you get here?" she asked him, not wanting to be completely ignored.
Awen returned the hug softly and sighed. "Thanks... I'll be fine though. No big. Got a lesson out of it, and better to find out now, ya know? Before instincts got too bad."
Hearing the brunette speak up almost made Awen. Oh how rude of her. She gave the girl an apologetic smile. "Sorry..... Chana this is Avery, Avery Chana." She decided it was infront of her duplex and that made her host...which also ment she should do the introductions. Ease the social tension. But after that she would let Avery get on with his story of whens and probably whys.
Avery turned to look at the other girl, pulling back from the hug with Awen. "Hey, sorry, didn't mean to ignore you like that... it's nice to meet you," he said, smiling a bit at her. "I got here a while ago, while everyone was locked out of the duplexes... fell overboard off a cruise liner and washed up here..."
"It's all right, and nice to meet you too. At least you've already seen people at their worst," she commented, referring to the fact that everyone had been suffering in their own way from the lack of civilization.
But Chana's mind was racing down a different track as well. He'd fallen overboard on a cruise? How far had he swum or been carried by the current? Just because Awen could swim out...there were plenty of others who might be able to...if it wasn't too far. She already knew she wasn't going to try escaping, but it never hurt to have all the relevant information. Just in case.
Awen shook her head solemly. "Don't be too sure Chana." It was after the power was restored that the worst came about in Awen's mind. Because now the staff were back, targets for angry islanders.
"Neither of you have been by the square yet huh?"
Avery sat down on the ground near their chairs before replying to Chana. "Well, actually, the people I met have all been really nice... so, I guess I have yet to see anyone at their worst," he smiled, and then looked up at Awen. "The square? No, I haven't... why, what's there?
A bit of old pain showed briefly in Chana's eyes. "Lucky you," she told Avery.
"The square? Not for a couple of days, but I was heading that way...why?" she asked Awen, curious, but now anxious and unsure. The way she said it...it wasn't very promising. And the anxiety behind everything was starting to rise again.
She sighed a little bit. "I didn't think so..." She shifted her weight a little bit in her chair. "Jamal's there... in a cage." She bit her lip. She would have to explain why, they would ask anyway. "He tried to kill Aubrey." She said in a very small voice. "This is his punishment..."
Avery frowned a bit, looking surprised. He had no idea who Jamal was... and he hasn't met Aubrey, but he remembered Colche talking about her. But what was so terrible about that? Shouldn't people who try to kill other people be locked up? That seemed perfectly reasonable to Avery. "Um... sorry, I don't really see the problem there... but I don't know who Jamal or Aubrey are... so..."
Chana had heard Aubrey's name before...once or twice in passing...but not enough to know who the woman was. But she did know Jamal.
"He tried to kill somebody!? Why? How could he be so stupid!?" she exclaimed, completely shocked. The first time she'd met him, he'd turned out to be so intelligent and reasonable...she couldn't see the rash actions with that man...
...but what about the man who was more animal, the one who'd led her back to the village after the power had come on? Sadly, she thought she could see that new Jamal doing something so foolish. But she didn't want to mention that.
She couldn't really answer Chana's question. An old saying came to mind though 'once you've killed once it gets easier every time'. But she wasn't sure if that was just Hollywood's saying or something real. But she had to respond to Avery's question.
"Maybe so. But putting him in a cage in the middle of the square for everyone to see... It's like... something you'd see in a zoo. It's really an insult to all of us honestly. If a punishment had been administered... if he had been locked up somewhere in hte labs or something I could deal with that. But not out like that...."
Her hand balled into a fist. Despite the talks with Sabin she still had some qualms. "It's their own fault anyway. Putting such a vicious animal in him like that, leaving us out in the wild on purpose." She glanced up. "We were safe the entire time, appearently. If things got out of hand we got medical supplies and... food secretly supplied and stuff. They shouldn't have seen this coming."
Avery nodded a little... she did have a point there. "Yeah, I guess you're right... but, well - I can't say I'm really surprised. My impression of these... doctors... isn't really a good one. They seem like sick, twisted assholes who would enjoy putting people on display like that," he said bitterly. "So Jamal is another injected islander, huh? Then... is Aubrey a doctor, or..?"
Chana's eyes narrowed as Awen revealed that they had been "cared for" in some way the entire two months outside. Avery was right, these were sick, twisted people who had the lives of too many people in their hands. Who did they think they were, anyway? The Almighty? Apparently that or something close enough.
The flesh beneath her fur prickled along with her anger. Chana was reminded of numerous versions of "G-d helps those who help themselves." Her prayerbook had lain in the dust for too long.
"If you'll excuse me...I think I forgot something back at my duplex. I'll see you guys around," she said politely, forcing a smile for the sake of appearances before hurrying off towards her building.
"Um..." her gaze shot up to the beaver and smiled. "Alright. Um nice meeting you Chana. I hope to..see you again soon." She waved a little bit and sighed as she was walking away.
Gesturing for Avery to take the seat she had vacated she smiled grimly. "One thing after the other huh."
"It was nice meeting you, Chana - see you later," Avery waved to her as she left. He glanced up at Awen before standing up, and taking a seat in the now empty chair. "Yeah," he sighed. "Speaking of that... I'm afraid I have more bad news, if you haven't heard yet..."
Avery took a deep breath. It was still hard for him to believe that it actually happened... "Rex changed."
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Posted: Sun Mar 26, 2006 12:49 pm
Crowd at the River
Chana, Zach, Lily, Jamal, Pyroth, Valentine and Moreau (briefly) Chana had been hiding out in two places since Awen told her about Jamal being in the cage. The first place was her duplex, but after a few days, she couldn't stand being indoors any longer.
The other place was the river. There was something about the water bubbling and running over rocks and sand that was calming. That and she could identify a few different kinds of edible plants to snack on.
But right now all of the beaver girl's attention was focused on one thing. Fish. She was standing knee-deep in the water with her jeans rolled up past her knees (to keep them "dry") trying to tickle fish into her hands. So far, it wasn't working.Zach walked down the side of the river, careful not to get too close to the running water. Other than the sound of the moving water and the occasional splashes from farther downriver, there was silence.
He looked up when he saw a girl wading in the river. He stopped, carefully planting his feet in the soft ground to avoid stumbling, and called out to her. She looked rather normal, if a little hairy...
Cupping his one hand near his mouth, he shouted a short greeting. "Hello!"As Pyroth left the jungle, his thoughts were racing to an extent, how bad would those predatory instincts get if he let them? It was worrying to say the least. However, his train of thought was derailed by the sight of a few islanders down by the riverside, one of them was unmistakeably Zach, whom he had spoke to before, the other, female, was unknown to him.
Tilting his head slightly in puzzlement, he shrugged and headed down towards them.
Lily had started feeling a little better after her change- mostly because the swelling in her tongue had gone down enough to speak more naturally. After staying as isolated as she could, she's decided to go for a walk outside- heading for the river because to her it seems like more people would go to the beach and she feels like being around some water.
She stays near the edge of the river as she walks, not sure about if she wants to actually get into the water, which is what keeps her walking. It isn't far before she spots some people ahead of her, and though she hesitates she decides not to turn around. Without calling out a distinct greeting, she only gets closer.
Jamal had felt a little better after the meeting with Pyroth, but not much. He was still very bitter about a great many things. Typical.
Deciding that Pyroth's jaunt towards the river was the best idea, he had followed, only doing so without (or at least trying to do so) without the coyote man knowing. It was when the sound of voices grew to the uncomfortable trill of several persons that he stopped, deciding against openly walking into the group, and instead lingered in the security of the jungle. He recognized a few of them, but didn't want to get involved with whatever was going on. He wasn't a social butterfly to begin with and the tiger only amplified this feeling tenfold. Perhaps they'd all leave and he could have a dip in the river on his own.
For now, he stayed a good distance away, but could still hear the conversation and could see bodies moving about near the river bank thanks to his improved vision.
The tiger approved. It was like he was stalking his prey.
Suddenly the peace and quite was interrupted as the sound of a jeep engine approached. Moreau drove the jeep, with another guard in the car with him. Moreau knew that there were others here too, as he looked down at the personal tracker he had. Good, he thought. He wanted to wait till as many people were around as possible.
The Jeep came into view and stoped next to Lily, who was approaching the group of islanders. Moreau smiled at her.
"Ms. Delaney, I had to come personally and inform you of some unfortunete news. Your stub for your back pay for your time as a member of my staff was misdelivered to Duplex 25." Moreau looked a bit sad at this, but it wasn't his clever acting. It was obvious.
"Of course I was generous and decided not to charge you the $2,687,432.89 in serums you broke that day. Your making that cost up to me right now I suppose." Moreau snickered
"How has it been on this side of the fence instead of the other? I hope your first change wasn't too unpleasant, we picked your serum because it was the only one that you suceeded in not breaking that day." Moreau gave a final grin, as the motor was running, he was prepared to leave as soon as the other islanders started approaching.
Moreau of course made sure that this was in earshot of everyone else and spoke loudly. He had to over the jeep after all.
Lily stopped in her approaching the others when the sound a vehicle came to her ears, not thinking right away that the only person it could be would be the person she'd like seeing the least she looks around for the source of the sound. Her eyes widen when she sees who is in the driver seat and her first reaction is to turn and flee.
She only manages to turn around when the jeep pulls up by her, forcing her to stop. She looks up at Moreau, but immediately finds herself unable to look him in the eyes when he suddenly smiles at her.
Why does he have to be here, infront of others?!
Lily does look up at Moreau when he explains of a misdelivery to Duplex 25. She just stares dumbfoundedly when tells her exactly how much money she cost him.
More than two and a half million?!
"I- wha-" She doesn't manage to say anything. What is she supposed to say? Did he even really want an answer from her?
"Interesting," she finally says as a response to all of what he has to say, trying not to sound dumbfounded or frightened. The grin he has is terrible enough without knowing that you're not even trying to mask what would make it wider. While not pleased, it's an honest response- she's found all of the changes interesting, and knowing why she's turning into what she is is also kind of interesting.
She glances at the others around them, feeling sick.
She doesn't get to say anything else before Moreau speeds away, leaving her being approached by the bystanders.
Chana's first reaction when she heard someone calling out was to be friendly. She'd reached up a furred and clawed hand to wave at the man whose voice she didn't recognize.
But by the time she heard the jeep come up, the beaver had caught enough scents that Chana was annoyed that so many people were intruding on her private time.
Then Moreau --that crazy doctor-- started speaking to Lily. Chana had gaped and listened to him talk, dumbfounded. Lily had...had worked for Moreau!? And...it seemed something had gone wrong and that was why Lily was here, changed.
But she liked Lily, as a person. Chana had been prepared to stick up for her friend...until Lily answered Moreau calmly, saying that the changes were "interesting."
"Interesting!" Chana called out to her. "Is that how you feel about all of us and what we've gone through too?" The raw hurt was clearly evident in her voice and her face. All of this information at once...it was almost too much to take in.
Jamal had to hold back a growl that wanted to force it's way between his gritted teeth. That woman was a STAFF member? And she was still ALIVE? And that...that was the infamous Dr. Moreau? A lightning bolt of anger passed through his body.
He flexed his fingers, digging the tips of his claws into the flesh of his palms as he forced himself to not move. Jamal would have given anything at that moment to wrap his hands around his scrawny neck and show him what happens when you give a man such as Jamal a deadly predator's serum. To twist that neck and hear the vertebrae snap and to tear the veins and arteries...
There was no way to allow a staff member to live among them unscathed. It was Jamal's personal mission to poison the entire island population's opinion of the staff one person at a time. Lily spoke of the changes as being 'interesting'...INTERESTING?! He'd show HER interesting!
Pyroth's ears perked instantly at the sound of the approaching jeep, such a civilised noise, a link to the far off world of the city. It grated on his nerves like nails on a chalkboard, all the moreso when he spotted who rode in the jeep itself. He growled very faintly to himself, he had refrained from placing blame on Aubrey but the doctor, he was another matter entirely.
The half coyote moved that tiny bit nearer to where the jeep came to a stop, his mind suspended somewhere between predatory and civil, on edge, his eyes on the armed guard that accompanied Moreau.
However, before Pyroth could formulate any kind of plan, the man spoke loudly to Lily, well within hearing range of those gathered, talking about an accident which had cost a fortune to the labs. It took him a moment to realise that the girl to whom he spoke must have been working up at the labs, helping to orchastrate whatever eventual fates they came to. A predatorily satisfied smirk sneaked across as he noted her greenish skin, oh if anyone deserved it, it was one of the scientists.
He didn't say anything yet however, merely watching the drama, amused by someone else's misfortune for a change. But when she simply stated "Interesting" as a retort to all Moreau had to say, he couldn't supress his hackles rising up along his back. This was far from interesting.Attempting to shout had caused a bit of pain in the side of his face. The slightly swollen area where Billy had punched him was still sore, but luckily that bizarre hand of his was unable to do as much damage as a normal hand would have. Zach had taken care of it as best he could, but he'd once more lost his ease at the sight of changed islander. Instinctively he rubbed at it, ignoring the twinge of the bruise.
He looked up, snapping out of his thoughts, to see that the woman was hairy for a reason. She had claws. He grimaced, though he immediately winced afterward thanks to the pain in his jaw.
Zach was oblivious to the sounds of the approaching people, but the loud roaring of the jeep engine he couldn't avoid hearing. He turned around, surprised to hear the sound of a car. He listened intently as the driver talked with a slightly strange-looking woman next to his car. Something about money, and serums... she was one of the scientists here?
He turned to the woman in the river, who was shouting angrily, and then back to woman who'd been addressed as Lily. "Hey, you!" he yelled, echoing Chana's sentiments. He fought to ignore the pain he got from yelling. "You've been helping these doctors?"Valentine had been talking downriver with Cass when she spotted the commotion. Normally, she'd mind her own business, but on the island everything was different. On the island, it was crutial to know as much as one could.
She came jogging upriver just as the jeep sped away. Staring after it with a mixture of curiosity, longing, and anger, she waited until it sped out of view, and then turned to the nearest person - who happened to be Zach. Crap. Their last meeting hadn't ending so fantastically.
"Hi Zach!" she chirped, attempting to seem casual. "What just happened?" As she waited for crucial information, she did a bit of surveying. Several people here had strange features, such as claw-like fingernails or green skin. A couple of those people were furry...very furry. Revulsion rose in her throat as she realized that those people who were no longer human were in the exact same boat as Cass, the girl she had just met. Moreau had worked his "magic" on all of them.
All the action seemed to be centered around one woman, the one with green skin. She looked uncomfortable, as if she wanted to just run away. Valentine would have bet anything that she had done something she wasn't supposed to, and it had affected the other people on the island.
Lily watches Moreau speed away bitterly, not wanting to be left alone with such a crowd of people around her. It doesn't surprise her that he's done this to her, after wasting that much of his money it doesn't seem beyond him to make her stay here as hellish as possible. She avoids look at the approaching people, instead watching where the Jeep went- until she hears a familiar voice yell to her in an obviously hurt and angry tone. She reluctantly looks toward Chana, where she sees the others are also coming with angry looks on their faces.
"I didn't mea- I-" she stammers, her eyes moving from Chana to the terrifying and angry looking Pyroth. Then to the source of a second yell, from another person she'd never seen before. Part of her felt maybe they, excluding Chana, shouldn't be angry because they'd never met her, but the harsh reality of the situation is that she's helped put them where they are and she knows it. What the hell is she supposed to say to them?!
She takes a defensive couple steps backward and away from them, despite knowing she wouldnt be able to escape, "I-" she hesitates, knowing there's no use denying it after that display. Would they believe Moreau would play such a trick on her? "Y-es." Her eyes fall on Zach, answering his question because it came last. Her voice isn't steady and her tone is obviously a little panicked and afraid. She doesn't do anything when she notices Valentine, she looked a little out of the loop but Lily knows that obviously won't last.
Chana felt a headache coming on. On the one hand, she wanted to protect her friend from all these people. On the other hand...Lily had helped make these goddamned serums!
She trudged over to the riverbank and sat down, not caring now that she was soaking her jeans that she'd worked so hard to keep dry mere minutes ago. The beaver girl simply sat there, staring at Lily with disappointment and shock. In her mind she asked herself why such a nice girl would do such things...and then brought up all the ways Lily could have been hoodwinked and decieved.
Why did the two lists have to even out? "Why?" she asked out loud, looking right at Lily.
Jamal listened to Chana's bitter words and Pyroth's growls and was heavily pleased to see than they weren't any happier than he was. Good. Excellent even. This woman had to be taken out and the more people who were mad at her, the better. Even Zach looked riled.
He shifted slightly in his hiding place, keeping an eye on the leggy blonde who had just come in for just a moment before turning to look at Lily. Hmm...unchanged. Perhaps not as bitter as the rest of the group...
Jamal etched the woman doc's facial features into his mind for later us; The tiger wanted to be sure he knew his prey.
Pyroth watched with a sort of contented smirk, Lily was clearly upset by the angry crowd in the area. Good. He knew he was a spectator on the events, but wanted to make it clear to her, just by being there, what she helped to create. If he didn't know better, already aware of the riskiness of excercising your right to violence on the island, he'd probably have been up for giving a working demonstration of the lovely fangs he'd been given by the labs.
As it was, he refrained, simply hanging back on the outskirts of the group, watching intently. He wasn't about to question Lily yet, in fact, he had every intention of leaving soon. Let her know she had been observed and that her ruse was known. Maybe that would worry her more.
He paced ever so slowly round the outside of those gathered, impatient.
No way would he ever accept an ex-scientist as an equal. She could have walked away from the project when she knew what it was about, but no, she had only made things worse.
"I hope you rrrrot here." he snarled, his tone more growl than speech. He wasn't interested in hearing a defence, all that would be to do would be to save her skin.Zach glanced at Valentine as she addressed him, losing his annoyance in favor of nervousness. Had she still not seen any changed islanders? She seemed unfazed by the river girl's unusually furry features, and the ex-scientist's green skin. There was always the possibility that neither of them were actually changing into animals at all...
"Valentine! Look!" he exclaimed desperately. He let go of his sore jaw to motion at the two women, though for a moment it seemed he could barely see them himself. "This is what I was talking about! They're... well, you can see them, right? They're turning into animals! And that... that green girl is helping!"
He focused again when Lily stuttered out some answered. So, she didn't deny it. He had nothing further to say to her, and simply turned back to Valentine again, a troubled look on his face. He didn't want to be crazy.Valentine focused back on Zach, looking slightly melancholy as he pointed out the furriness of the river girl, and the green skin of the other woman. "Yes...I can see them, Zach. I'm sorry, um, about calling you crazy earlier." She licked her lips nervously as she went on. "I, um, just met Cassidy." She said the sentence as if it explained her apology, which in a way it did. The girl was living proof that Zach wasn't crazy, though everyone who was gathered in this location could be explained away as hairy or diseased, if not normal.
Pity crept in with melancholy, as well as doubt. The green girl had helped them all turn into animals? That meant she had worked in the labs, worked on whatever-it-was that turned them into animals. The knowledge of that must torment the people gathered, especially if they had once trusted the girl. Valentine knew that from experience. Could the girl also have worked on something that would turn her into an animal? Valentine shuddered and hoped that she would never have to go to the labs again. God, she hoped she wouldn't be turned into an animal. Zach said that she would, though, that she had been given a shot. She shuddered again.
"Who's that, Zach?" She asked, pointing to the girl in the river. She seemed particularly betrayed by the ex-scientist.
Lily watches Chana, her expression making Lily feel just as upset as the other angry expressions and shouts. She covers her eyes with one green and orange hand, though she keeps the fingers open so she can see through. Caught between a rock and a hard place, all she can do is explain herself. Answer Chana's question.
"It was a high paying job I was qualified to do," she answers, thinking back to the ad she'd seen for the job several months ago, her voice sounds steadier but the tone is a obviously masked panic. In an attempted defence she makes one thing clear, "I don't work there anymore!" While this was a;ready clear from the way Moreau had spoken to her, she feels that it needs to be stated, even if in the end it wasn't her own choice that led to her leaving the job. She looks back at the source of a growling curse, taking another step backward- why couldn't they all have stayed oblivious forever? Surely she'd have improved her acting and story if given the chance!
Chana just stared at Lily with the same tortured expression. "Same with the job I thought I was getting," she replied.
This was simply too much! She knew Lily wasn't a sadistic b*****d like Moreau! And yet...there was simply no way Lily could have worked here and not known what was going on.
But Lily was also a friend, and clearly turning into some animal as well. Didn't that make her an islander, not staff? Chana wrestled with the facts, trying to figure out what she thought of the situation.
Pyroth merely snorted at Lily's defense of herself, ignoring the hypocrisy of doing so. After all, hadn't he compromised a significant number of lifes for his own pretty well paying job? It didn't matter to him at the moment though, his vision was clouded over by his anger.
You don't work there now, but you did. That's all that I'm interested in. he thought to himself.
He didn't say anything else though, he felt that any other comments of his would be ultimately superfluous. With another brandish of his fangs, he turned on his heel and stalked off back to the duplexes.Zach was so surprised to hear her apologize that he didn't realize it till a good few moments after. "I mean, I don't know what they're becoming, but they - what?"
He recalled Cassidy. Oh, man, that must've been a real shock for Valentine. He looked down at the ground for a moment to collect his thoughts, his waving hand becoming a fist as he drew it back. "She's... well... I'm not sure. The man in the jeep called her Delaney."
He looked over his shoulder at the greenish woman, and shrugged. "How could you not know about all this? Look what you've done to these people... you're not even sorry, are you? They're just 'interesting'."
He took care not to include himself in his pronouns.Valentine looked down, sheepishly, and continued. "Yeah, I fell in the river when I first saw her." She wasn't too happy about her horrible behavior, and she twined a piece of drying hair around her finger. Her clothing was still damp, but it was substantially drier, due to the hot tropical sun.
Her gaze followed Zach's back towards Delaney, the ex-scientist, making sure she knew who that was from now on. She was surprised to find herself agreeing with everything Zach said, though personally, she knew what it was to be on the intellectual side of a scientific experiment. She didn't notice his omission of himself. In fact, if it wasn't people they were experimenting with, Valentine probably would have supported the research. If it hadn't been her Delaney might have experimented on...
She surprised herself even more, then, by laying a hand on Zach's shoulder. "This may come off as cold and heartless," she told him, "but it is interesting. It's painful, it's horrible, but it's also interesting. I don't agree with what she's done, and I don't agree with her motivation, but I see where she's coming from."
Lily looks back at Chana, staying silent as everyone else falls silent. No one around her was very happy, Chana looked conflicted and she gets a bad feeling from Pyroth's furious expression and stalking off. She crosses her arms, holding onto them, trying to make herself look and feel less helpless. The next question was a logical choice, and her eyes move from where Pyroth had turned and gone to Zach.
Is honesty the best policy? Is there any way to make it believable that she didn't know what she was doing? Even if she hadn't been told what they were doing, surely she'd have figured something out from doing her job. She can't insult their intelligence by saying she didn't know.
"I- Of course I knew," she admits bitterly, her tone evolving from panic to a more defensive one- no one is going to defend her except herself, she can't just take the angry yet valid questions without trying to defend herself in some way hoping that someone may look past it and not hate her.
"I am sorry!" she says automatically at the next accusation, she doesn't comment on the 'interesting' bit- admitting she did find it interesting probably wouldn't help her right now. How was she supposed to control being interested in a project she'd helped with for so many month? She hadn't been given much information on the subjects, seeing it first hand was interesting and enough to make her realize how naive she'd been. Lily's eyes go back to the blonde woman who'd showed up after Moreau had left, looking shocked to hear someone taking her side even just on this minor detail.
"Sorry." Chana snorted and stood up, pants dripping water and riding low enough to reveal her flat little tail. She was hurt, she was proud, she was utterly confused.
"Sorry," she repeated, "is not going to cut it." She looked at Lily accusingly. "I thought we were friends. Couldn't you have said something? Instead of waiting for him to do it?" she demanded, angry.
She watched the one-armed man and the blonde woman out of the corner of her eye. She hadn't heard of either of them...and they were clearly new, but not brand-new here. The beaver girl toyed with the idea of going up to them and saying "Hi, I'm Chana and I'm turning into a beaver." She could almost imagine the Islanders Anonymous scene, Chana thought cynically.
Jamal decided that now would be a good time to come out, seeing that Moreau didn't seem to be coming back. He could let this woman know exactly who she was going to have to deal with.
The black man slowly slunk forward through the brush, making surprisingly little noise as he parted the branches and stepped into sight, his mouth curved into a sinister predatory smile when he looked Lily's way.
"So -you- be Lily," he drawled with amusement thick on his tongue. "I heard 'bout you from someone, but it's a shame we didn't meet sooner." He was being highly sarcastic, yet he continued to smile at her in an eerie 'I know your secret' sort of way.
He didn't say anything to the others gathered around, but gave them each a look of acknowledgement.Zach studied Valentine's face a moment before gingerly prying her hand off his shoulder and stepping back. He smiled a tight-lipped smile, but his brown eyes didn't reflect amusement in the situation. He looked away toward the trees as he mused aloud. "Huh... Maybe Moreau will give you back that finger."
He frowned at the ex-scientist. She didn't look sorry. He looked over at the girl on the riverbank. A tail. Oh, yeah, definitely not human any longer. That girl seemed to know a great deal more about Delaney, so he merely rubbed at the side of his face again tenderly and listened.
Jamal's entrance was startling. Zach turned sharply to see him enter through the jungle, and nodded at the look the man gave him and everyone else there. "Did you break out?" he asked curiously.Valentine had known she was out of line with her comment, but she certainly hadn't expected the response she got from Zach. She recoiled as if she had been hit, clenching her fists. Without thinking, her hand flashed out in a slap, coincidentally aiming for the same jaw of Zach's that had been punched by Billy. "I didn't mean I agreed with what Moreau is doing," she gritted through clenched teeth, "after all, from what I can tell he's going to turn me into an animal too. I wish everyone could go back to being human. But the fact that he's managed to slim genetic science down to such an art is interesting. In the hands of someone else, someone kinder, this could be a breakthrough in metamorphism!"
Valentine heard Delaney's apology, but it sounded defensive and not altogether believable. Instead, she turned her attention to a new arrival. He didn't seem to have any excessive hair, but it still looked as if he had been changed. Zach's comment about escape confirmed it in Valentine's mind. She could only assume that he had done something to one of the scientists. Good for him, she thought. She flashed Jamal an uneasy smile, then shifted her weight on her feet anxiously, as if she was going to run away at any moment.
Lily looks back to Chana when she scoffs at her apology like statement, feeling very small and pained when Chana continues to say that they were friends in a manner suggesting they weren't anymore (not that it surprises her.) She stares at Chana silently for several seconds, trying to decide how to reply.
"It didn't come up," she says decidedly. Chana didn't need to know that she'd lied to the person it had come up with, and probably would have if it had come up between them. Though she knows what she says is entirely true, she knows that it only makes sense that she'd not have told the truth if it had come to it. She doesn't need to think about why she'd waited for Moreau to spill the beans, in her mind she let herself think he wouldn't tell. Her naivety has gotten her into a lot of trouble in the past several months.
Her head turns when she notices something moving, Jamal revealing himself without so much as a warning rustle from the leaves. The sinister smile on his face making her uneasy, she has to try hard to not step backward. Though surprised that he says he's heard of her, she doesn't show it- instead standing still.
Break out?
Her gaze goes from Jamal to Zach and back again, tempted to ask what they're talking about but not daring.
Chana's attention was caught by Jamal as well, and her eyes widened slightly. Had he broken out of the cage? Or...had someone set him free? Either way, the Jamal she faced now sent shivers up and down her spine and made her want to run. Stubbornly, she ignored those feelings, and simply nodded at him.
She knew well that occupation hadn't really come up with Lily...they'd never had too long a conversation. Still...wasn't obstruction of truth something there had been court cases over?
"I'm sure you worked hard to keep it from coming up," she commented coldly. "You could have spent all this time telling us that yes, you might have worked for Moreau, but that you're one of us now. You might even be able to tell us some things to expect from these changes."
Chana's eyes teared up slightly. "All you thought about was yourself and how to protect yourself." Her voice wavered slightly, and a couple tears rolled down to be lost in her fur.
"They let me out. Why, I ain't sure, but I ain't gonna argue," he answered Zach, his tone bearing more amusement than showed on his face. "Dat's just damn fine wit' me."
He was going to say more but he saw Valentine's hand go out to slap Zach and he automatically snarled at her and gave her a very pointed glare, not thinking anything of it. He was tired of inter-islander violence, mostly because he'd been dealing out most of it at highly inappropriate times. Lily coincidently didn't count as an islander at the moment.
"If ya'll wanna fight someone, perhaps ya oughta focus on da staff," he said heatedly as he stalked over to Valentine, the snarl showing his sharpened fangs. He did not look like he was joking at all. "You gonna be jus' like the rest of us, lady, so you best not piss off people 'o' you gonna have a lonely life. Trust me, I ********' know 'bout dat." He said that in a low, seething manner as he got almost up in her face. "There ain't NUTHIN' int'restin' 'bout watchin' yer nails pop off 'n' then havin' bone push through yo skin so ya bleed like you think you ain't neva gonna stop. I don't know where you came from, but s**t is diff'rent herr, I promise you dat." Jamal snorted and pulled away from Valentine, whirling now to face Lily.
A leer replacing the snarl as he gave the ex-technician a sickly sweet smile and lifted a hand to indicate those who were assembled in the clearing. "You lab peeps like ta lie, dontcha? They -all- like ta lie."
He glanced at Chana, giving her what might have almost qualified as a sympathic look had he not seemed to be vibrating with repressed anger. "This b***h ain't no diff'rent then Aubrey or Moreau. They all lie o' gonna lie at some point...this one jus' slipped by until her cover got blown." Zach's attention had been so preoccupied with Jamal's appearance and answer that he didn't see Valentine's reaction coming. He screeched as she slapped him right across the recently-bruised side of his face, and immediately shielded it with his hand, eyes wide and tearing up with shock. He tried to move his jaw, but it hurt too much at the moment to bother trying to say anything. He left it hanging slightly open, as it had been when he cried out.
He continued to walk away from Valentine like a wounded animal, staring in shock, until his back was up against a tree. He watched Jamal sidle up to Valentine and threaten her, silently cheering the tiger-man on, though his jaw continued to hurt furiously.
The furry girl's words was definitely wearing Delaney down, so he looked to their argument instead, wondering what would happen. He figured Jamal was right about the staff - they were liars.As soon as Valentine's hand made contact, it started stinging, and she hissed and rubbed her palm. She hadn't expected his face to be that hard. It truly surprised her when Jamal got up in her face - in fact, it scared her not a little. The slap was a reflex, of a sort. She had been angry, and just...swung. She expected it as much as Zach did.
She backed up as Jamal approached, searching desperately from side to side in order to find a way out of his path. Even without the fact that he was partly changed, large man + black = bad situation for her. "I am focused on the staff," she retorted. "I'm focused on the fact that it's Moreau's fault Zach could make that rude, uncalled for comment about my finger." Her defiance died down a notch as he went into detail about his transformation. She didn't know what to say to that, so she said nothing at all. "And I don't know where you come from," she muttered, "but s**t ain't so different that humans don't have a soul. Leave her alone. She can rot by herself." Her meaning Lily. The woman clenched her hands, and with visible difficulty, got her anger under control.
Chana's questions make her think, the only redeeming thing about being the one to tell them what she was would have been that she said it, owned up to it. It may have made her look more like she was sorry. But part of her still doubted it would have helped much with some of them.
"But I am," Lily exclaims, "I didn't know what to expect, I wouldn't have been able to tell you anything!" Her voice is desperate now, someone needs to believe her, someone needs to understand. Chana may be right to accuse her of being selfish, but she couldn't see any good coming from telling everyone outright about her last job. It didn't matter on the Island- or so she told herself, but she knew hiding it wasn't working in her time as an Islander. It'd been so troublesome to keep it to herself. What would Joli think when she found out? Joli is the only one she'd actually lied to..
Her stomach feels like it's tied in knots when she sees that Chana has started to cry. She listens to Jamal tell off Valentine, and then doesn't verbally respond to Jamal's sinister smile and accusation covering all of the staff from the labs. Lily does take a step back this time, and another at Valentine's terrible comment, thankful and hurt at the same time, wanting to just go away. It's obvious no one is going to listen to any explanation she has.
Chana watched Jamal nervously. There was just too much about him that made her wary now. And Lily looked like she was going to try and run away. Sighing, the beaver girl walked over to her...surreptiously avoiding Jamal.
"But we didn't know that, Lily. There's so much that could've been different if you'd just told us..." Chana bit her lip. She didn't want to repeat herself too many times.
Up close, it was even more shocking and horrifying to see how Lily had changed. It was...disturbing, really, seeing all the little things that weren't quite right.
She smiled, and changed the subject quietly. "How was it really?" she asked, gesturing towards Lily's features.
Jamal had no sympathy for Lily. In his books, she was as bad as the other staff members...she, however, was getting what she deserved. He advanced as she stepped back, his expression never wavering from it's icy countenance. Valentine was mostly ignored; he'd deal with her later if he wanted to.
"You're jus' sorry ya lost yer cover," he hissed lowly to Lily, whiskers flickering forward as he spoke, eyes glinting menacingly. "How does it feel ta like one of us? Get called a freak yet?" He curled his lip in disgust. "At least ya get ta see up close what you ********' did ta all of us. Nice 'n' close. Aubrey got ta see too, only she got da bruises 'n' cuts ta show it. Did ya get ta mess wit' my serum?...maybe I should thank you fo' dis s**t."
He pointed an accusing claw at her, eyes half-lidded in a challenging stare.Zach's eyes darted toward Valentine. He trired speaking. It still hurt, but he could get some words out, a little distorted. "Wasn' so uncall for, considerin' you ugree wiv him an' his isane sperimentin'..."
He didn't want to get attacked another time - this wasn't his first islander injury, anyhow, between Rex's new claws and Billy's fiery temper. He glanced back the way he came. The village was that way, and no one was blocking his path. He eagerly backed away and left as silently as he could. He needed an icepack, or something. His jaw would probably be killing him a whole extra day now.
The four remaining islanders' bickering continued to echo through the forest as he walked away. He didn't look back - he didn't want to witness the scene if Jamal got riled up enough by the ex-scientist to do with Lily what he'd failed to do with Aubrey.Okay, she'd had it. Turning back to Zach, she narrowed her eyes angrily. "I don't agree with his experiments, you ignorant sonofabitch. Didn't you hear me say that?!" She would have charged after him, but she figured her life would be forfeit to Jamal if she did so. Instead, she crossed her arms and spat in the direction he left. She didn't look so classy at that moment, but she was too angry to care.
She knew she needed to calm down and get her anger under control. She didn't exactly feel like being calm, though. She stared at Lily, Chana, and Jamal in turn, then with an angry growl-turned-screech, she stormed off through the jungle to the west in a huff. She was going to find the bar and get good and slammed. Maybe she would wake up and everything would be a dream.
"You didn't know I was a lab technician either," Lily responds to Chana, "You found out I didn't know these things at the same time you found that out, now." It's her only defence for that comment, but she can't do anything except agree with Chana on the second thing. Things would be different if she'd told people, but was it the optimistic different Chana was suggesting or the pessimistic different Lily had imagined? Lying never leads to good... if she had told the truth, even if everyone was this angry with her, she'd have that on her side.
She turns back to Jamal, "No- well-" she almost responds to his accusation. Her first impulse is to deny it, but she obviously didn't want to be found out. Maybe in the end it would be a relief to have her secret out, but for now it's just a terrible thing that all she feel about it sorry it happened. Her eyes widen when he gives a vague explanation of what happened with Aubrey, taking a great step backward- if Aubrey could even get cuts and scratches then she can't hope that he couldn't do anything.
She quivers at Chana and Jamal's questions. She takes a moment to think about how to respond, surprised and unprepared for a question like that. When she finally overcomes this she says the first word that had come to her mind to describe her transformation, finding it kind of ironic that it's suitable to how they probably feel about her now. She watches Valentine storm off before she replies to the two remaining.
"Slimy," she snaps, looking at Chana, and then back at Jamal, "Oh yes-" her tone is an 'I-give-up', sad sarcastic one, with little anger- "Of course, because I worked on all of the serums, and am actually the one responsible for everything happening on this Island." She takes another step back as she speaks, and glances back to Chana briefly before turning around and heading back in the direction of the duplexes.
Chana was embarrassed by how bad Lily clearly felt after all of this. As the red-haired woman left, she raised a hand as if to stop her and call her back, but then dejectedly lowered it. They all needed some space after this, Lily most of all.
She glared at Jamal. "You can't judge her just because of a job she had! Your reaction is exactly why she wouldn't tell us!" Chana gave him another glare before stomping back over to the river.
There was still daylight left...and she still meant to have fish for dinner. Jamal could go hunt somewhere else, she thought savagely as she reached after a salmon.
Jamal was so focused on Lily that he didn't pay any attention to Zach or Valentine's leaving, giving the ex-staff woman a threatening growl as she snapped back at him sarcastically. Not only was she an ex-staff person, but she wasn't very smart.
His predatory instinct urged him to chase after her like he had done to Em, but he had been paying close mind to the tiger's thought patterns and managed to refrain. He'd settle for giving her the creeps for now.
"I'd be careful, Lily," he drawled, his tone as much seething as it was cruel and calculating. "One of these times ya might turn yer back at da wrong time. I know who you be now."
Chana's snapped reaction to his treatment of the woman made him snarl at her and whip his head around. "I kin' judge her fo' ruinin' people's lives, Chana. Unless you LIKE bein' how you is right now." He gave the woman a leveled, chilled stare. "She's jus' anotha' puzzle in dis ******** up place. Seems like what -you- said hurt her mo' anyway."
But whatever. The tiger's dislike of social situations and Jamal's hatred of the staff had combined to an intolerable high. He needed to get out of here and relax. Maybe snap a few animal necks like Pyroth suggested.
Without a word, he slipped away into the underbrush again, melting into the darkness with surprising ease and soon the soft crinkle of leaves could no longer be heard as his footsteps took him away from the river.
Chana cringed slightly at the venom in the tiger-man's tone. And at the fact of what he said. She probably had hurt Lily worst of all today...she'd have to apologize.
She sighed. Why did life have to be so complicated all of the time? And now the sun was setting. She'd have to head back soon.
Chana reached into the water, resolving that this would be her last try. She scooped the fish up into the air and, startled at her success, tried to grab it. The fish twisted and squirmed in her grip and finally wrenched itself free and back into the water. Chana glared after it.
"Why shouldn't I be surprised that I can't even catch a stupid fish," she muttered to herself, and turned to follow the river home again.
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Posted: Fri Mar 31, 2006 2:55 pm
Chana meets Pyroth Chana had been carefully avoiding people since the Lily disaster. It wasn't that she didn't want to see them, it was that she still wasn't sure what she thought. Finally, hunger and a hope of meeting the other woman had forced her out of her duplex and into the cafeteria.
Oooh...what was this? Freshly picked greens, from the smell. The beaver girl loaded up her plate, scrupulously avoiding the fish. Not until she'd caught it herself!
With a satisfactory salad put together, she made her way over to a table.
Pyroth had come back down to the cafeteria out of a necessity, he was extremly hungry and had missed out on his lunch that morning, something which he couldn't really do when he hadn't eaten in about three days.
He slunk into the cafeteria, his nose almost instantly informing him that no, he wasn't alone. However, he said nothing to Chana until he had piled a plate high with rare steak and sat down nearby.
"Hello there." he said with the faintest of grins, pretty sure he had seen the other islander before at the river that day.
Chana watched the man enter with interest...well, could she really think of him as a man? He looked more than half wolf, and that was saying something! Though...she thought he might be one of the people that had been at the river that day? If so...he'd changed since then.
And that was a scary thought.
She smiled sheepishly. "Hey. I've seen you, I think, but we've never met. I'm Chana." And before she said too much, she shoved another forkful of crunchy lettuce into her mouth. Not too bad. Could be a bit stiffer and greener though.
Pyroth nodded, still chewing on some of the food for his plate, swallowing it before answering.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Pyroth." It had been less than favourable conditions that day, he'd been really pissed off, a snarling, bristling ball of anger, actually. At the moment he was a little more calm, more weary after the change, still tender. It would pass but for now he'd bask in the tranquility.
He passed a glance over Chana's less human features and played the usual guessing game, deciding that he didn't have a clue what she was becoming, he'd never known much about animals, this island made you wish you did.
"You were down at the river with that traitor weren't you?" he had no idea if Chana really knew Lily prior to that.
Chana nodded as Pyroth introduced himself. So far so good...
She flinched when he called Lily a "traitor" though. She'd forgotten that while she was more inclined to forgive Lily, not everyone was. And...she studied his sharp teeth, ripping at the steaks...she wasn't going to point out that Lily hadn't actually betrayed the other islanders.
Swallowing her mouthful of salad, Chana nodded. "I was," she confirmed.
He frowned pointedly. "I don't get why she thought she could just go from scientist to islander without any resistance."
Still, he wasn't about to wax lyrical on the whole thing, that would just get him angry again and when he was angry, he had to go hunt something to take his mind off it, in this form, he wasn't the best of hunters.
Instead he opted to raise a brow at the brown-haired woman and change the subject.
"So how did they get you here? Any particular lies?"
Chana frowned. "Would you have told everyone, if you were in her shoes?" she asked acidly before she could stop herself. Frustrated, she bit her lip with her oversized teeth.
She suddenly lost her appetite for her salad. And when Pyroth changed the subject, she wondered why he couldn't pick anything better.
"I thought I was getting a job at a special camp for the mentally retarded," she answered shortly. Hmmm. She still had to eat...Chana forced herself to take another bite of salad. It was really missing something. Maybe some...
...no! No bark no wood no anything like that! She was human, damnit!
Pyroth took another bite out of the steak and gave Chana a toothy grin. "I probably would have lied, but made sure everyone thought I broke the serums on purpose. A martyr of sorts. People like that and would be more willing to beleive lies than the doctor." He wasn't afraid to admit that he was willing to lie to save his own skin.
And then the urge to make a joke out of that comment was incredibly strong, but he resisted somehow.
"Wow, the rainbow of lies they use is pretty vast from what I've heard. They've certainly brought in a vast variation of people, that's for sure. Wish I hadn't been one of the unlucky ones."
He was tempted to shift attention away from the island again, but lately it had been hard not to think about it.
Chana frowned at Pyroth. He certainly seemed to be enjoying himself. She wasn't happy to hear his response to her question or to her answer.
"Well aren't you just the rain on my parade," she muttered, giving her salad more of the attention it deserved, rather than him. Sitting by Pyroth was starting to grate on her nerves. It wasn't just his attitude and (brutal) honesty, but also his appearance. Beavers did not like whatever he was becoming. Not at all.
On the other hand, Chana had been very interested in predators either. She'd avoided most of those enclosures when she'd been conned into going to zoos.
He smirked again, polishing off the last steak efficiently. The real Pyroth was beginning to show through over his politeness borne of nerves that he had displayed on arrival. Being forced into the company of so many people had eroded whatever facades he had. The real Pyroth was a bit of a sarcastic coward.
He pushed his plate away and crossed his forepaws, narrowing his eyes slightly. "You're no mardi gras yourself."
It was only on mentally stepping back that Pyroth actually noticed how snide he was being. He assumed it was the meat, whenever he had a plate of steak nearby he had the urge to snarl at anyone who got too close. That area of personal space extended pretty far.
There was something in the scent of Chana which made the coyote sit up and listen too, familiar. Pyroth merely pushed it to the back of his head for now, his ears flicking back slightly.
Chana finished her salad and glared at Pyroth. "I can see that there's no more real conversation here," she commented, returning her utensils.
Coming back over to the table she surveyed her dinner companion. "Wish I could say it's been a pleasure," she told him, a slight snarl in her voice. Then the beaver girl turned on her heel and left the cafeteria, frustrated and needing a good walk. Or maybe fish. But she wasn't in the mood for all the mosquitoes...a walk it was.
Pyroth merely chuckled as Chana headed out of the cafeteria, she was the first islander he'd met whom he had truly irritated.
Shrugging, he went back for seconds.
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Posted: Fri Mar 31, 2006 2:57 pm
Chana meets Zach The sun was starting to go down, but Chana didn't really care. The jungle didn't scare her that much, not after living in it for two much. As long as there weren't any alligators...
She shuddered slightly and kept walking. The river was too far away for alligators to be here. And she didn't need her overactive imagination conjuring worse for her!Zach was lying with his back to a tree, staring upward at the dimming sky. Occasionally he had to shift his head, the tips of the horns clunking against the tree trunk and sending massive pain through his head. His tail moved slowly in the dirt. He'd been out here for about a day now, and while he was happy he hadn't seen another islander since Emelyn, he was still disappointed. He was purposely starving himself of meat. Eating meat would just be resigning himself to becoming Duvert's twisted idea of a dragon. He couldn't do that. All the same, the predator hadn't lost any strength since he'd changed.
He looked back down when he heard the sound of moving vegetation. Someone, or something, was here. The predator was silent, and so was he, as he watched who was coming. The predator hoped it was something easy to catch.It seemed that Chana felt like someone was...lurking. Watching her, listening to her, smelling her. Hesitantly, she stopped and sniffed the air herself. There diddn't seem to be anyone or anything there...
...but that could just mean they were upwind of her. Swallowing nervously, Chana continued through the jungle. This time she was making an effort to be quiet though. She couldn't quite shake the feeling that something was out there.Zach stopped and shook his head when the other person's noise stopped temporarily. What was going on? He had to stop letting his instincts take advantage of him like this. If someone's out there, I should warn them...
He looked around some more until the sound picked up again faintly. He shouted in that general direction. He was going to prevent the creature within from getting its first kill. Regardless, his warning wasn't thought out very well, and came off oddly. "Um, whoever's out there, try to stay about ten feet away from here! I don't want to kill you, but I... might."Chana hissed and jumped about a foot in the air as a voice came out of nowhere. What on earth!? The meaning of the words sank in then.
"Kill me? What on earth are you talking about?" she demanded of the invisible person. She really wasn't in the mood for silly games...all she wanted was a chance to be by herself and think things over, especially as they pertained to Lily. Should she continue to support her friend? Or should she leave the liar to the fangs and claws of the rest of the island? It was too much to concentrate on some crazy man as well. Besides, he sounded pretty sane, from what she could tell.The predator seemed to lapse into silence. He thought for a moment. The other person out there presented a good question.
"Well, I'm not really sure... it's happened before though... I almost killed a couple of people yesterday." His tail lashed anxiously. Maybe this other person was just imaginary. That could be; he'd tried eating some kind of plant earlier, and it must have been toxic. "Like I said, I don't want to kill you."Chana swallowed. Hard. This guy was...was serious! She started edging back the way she'd come.
"I...I see. Maybe I should...be heading back. Yeah." It wasn't the fact that he had hinted that he might kill her that scared the beaver girl so much. It was the fact that he sounded so calm about it. And that, more than anything else, was screaming at Chana's instincts to get out of there and back to familiar territory.He stared off into the forest. If they were a hallucination, he could probably chase them without worrying. He needed something to satisfy his urge to kill. A figament of imagination would make an ideal prey, since there wouldn't be the nasty business of a dead body. He licked one of his sharp teeth carefully. He could keep them busy, it wouldn't take the predator long.
"Wait! Don't go yet.... please..." Why was he pleading with someone that didn't exist? It didn't matter. He just had to stall them. He used the tree to get to his feet, ignoring how much they were still hurting from the abuse they took shoved into a shoe. If he could convince himself he'd landed a bite on someone who didn't exist, would it all stop? If there was any hope for normality, maybe this was it. His mind raced. His voice grew quick with desperation. Once again, the hunger was driving him and the predator together. "We can still talk or something. What's your name?"Chana bit her lip, this time hard enough to make it bleed. This was getting really creepy. All her anger and frustration left over from her "conversation" with Pyroth melted away to make room for fear and nervousness.
"I'm Chana," she said, finally. "Who're you?" Even as she spoke, though, she was still retreating. Maybe if she kept this guy talking she could make her escape? Hopefully...she really didn't know too much about dealing with killers."Pleased to meet you, Chana." His voice now carried almost a laugh to it as he spoke her name. It was funny, wasn't it? She had a name! This imaginary person had a name!
But who was he? Just some scaly monster who couldn't last a day without trying to draw blood. He took a couple of awkward steps toward the voice and sounds of moving leaves. He'd give her his name. She wasn't real, but it was only courteous to. He took some more steps forward, now hitting some branches himself. "Oh, I'm Zach."
Nothing like trying to befreind your victims. It was downright hilarious.Zach, eh? There was a lot about his voice that was just...so creepy! And...great. Now it seemed like he was moving towards her. Chana swallowed nervously. She shouldn't run...'cause then he'd chase, right? She should just keep steadily backing up...
...and hope she didn't run into anything. The non sequitor of the thought almost made her giggle, but she bit it down. What if Zach thought she was laughing at him? Somehow, that didn't seem like such a good idea.
"So...um...now that we've introduced ourselves, maybe you could try to not kill me?" she asked hopefully, wondering cynically why she was even trying, and why she was giving away her location by talking. Her pulse was racing now, and she'd started picking up some speed."Kill you? Oh yes, that. I'm afraid its too late, I've got to."
Zach rustled through some more bushes, moving as fast as he could on his strange feet. He could hear the movements ahead of him. His yellow eyes were positively expressionless as he scanned the vegetation for a figure. He paused. What if he couldn't see them because they'd been invisible to begin with? This wasn't working. He'd follow the voice. Yes, just find where it was coming from. The imaginary person wasn't going to get away if he didn't want them to. As they picked up speed, he did, until finally-
"Wha?" His long toes caught on a vine and he fell facefirst into the muddy ground. Spluttering, he tried to wipe the dirt off his face. He could hear the other person running away, back to wherever they'd come from. His stomach twisted into a knot. They were real. They were alive. They weren't some hallucination. He'd left the village specifically to make himself stop, and he'd gone after another person. What could he do to tame himself?Chana gasped and bit down on a scream as a man fell tripped over something on the ground and landed facefirst in front of her. She couldn't even tell what he was!
But...it seemed today was a day for getting better acquainted. It was none other than the vocal, one-armed man from the river that day! Zach. She could put the name to a face...sort of now. She hadn't yet seen his face.
She didn't want to stick around to see his face. He'd said he had to kill her. And it was her luck he'd tripped...
And what was she doing still here? She should be running, now, while she had the chance!
"I wish we could've met on better terms, Zach," she told the prone man, and turned and ran as hard and fast as she could for the village, trying not to think of how close he'd come to killing her.He got to his feet again and stared for a moment with his yellow eyes. The woman's voice sounded familiar, but he wasn't going to spend all his time trying to figure out when he'd met her. Everyone he was meeting in this lizardy state he was alienating, unable to control his urges. What was wrong with him? He didn't want to be like this.. He felt his humanity becoming faint, fading. He didn't want to deal any more with the situation. Something else flickered in his eyes, targeted his prey. The predator was happy to keep chasing Chana, and did so.
He launched himself back into his run, wordlessly now. His horns were pointed forward a little, but his mouth was open and his canine teeth caught the last of the sunlight. He'd catch Chana, and he'd kill her.Aside from her fading fear, Chana was doing fine. It was like fitness testing at school again...
...and then she heard something crashing in the brush behind her. Someone that no longer cared if she knew he was there. Someone that wanted her dead.
Chana gulped and pushed herself to go even faster. Her lungs were starting to burn and her legs were aching. She didn't dare take the time to look back. Still...
"This is really stupid, Zach!" she called out, only turning her head enough to be sure that he had a chance of hearing her. Not that she really thought it would do anything...but a chance was better than nothing, right?Not even saying his name could pierce the hungry animal he'd effectively become. He gained some speed, his tail straight out behind him like a pole. They were soon out of the jungle, in the open. This was the edge of the village. Something about it forced Zach to stop and start to move backward slowly. Deep down he thought being in the village was a bad idea.
He looked over at Chana with his mouth still open, down at his clawed hand, and then bolted into the forest as fast as he could.When she reached the edge of the village, Chana had to stop and give herself a chance to recover from the grueling run. Then came the sounds of Zach bursting out of the jungle. Swallowing dryly, she turned to face him. If she had to die today, better to see it coming.
But to her surprise, he also stopped. And turned around. And went back into the jungle.
The shock hit her quickly, and she fell onto her tuchus. What the hell just happened? She could only sit there, staring, wondering why he hadn't come into the village.
Then the beaver girl realized the most important thing. Zach wouldn't come into the village! She was safe from him here! She was so relieved, and probably a bit hysterical as well as the strains of the day caught up with her.
So Chana spent the sunset crying at the edge of the jungle, and she couldn't have said whether it was for fear, relief, anger or frustration.
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Posted: Fri Mar 31, 2006 9:57 pm
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Posted: Sun Apr 02, 2006 4:00 pm
Chana has certainly been through a few twists and turns of poor encounters recently, even since coming back into the duplexes. It seems sometimes that there is no rest - that as soon as one gets comfortable that you've found yourself only at the top of the rollarcoaster and about to take a hellraising emotional tumult. As Chana settles into bed for the evening, she can't get very comfortable. The sheets feel itchy, you feel warm, and overall uncomfortable. If you do eventually slip off into a restless sleep, then your dreams are vivid and disturbing, brought on by the weird serum-fevers that plague the islanders on the onset of a change. And that is precisely what you are on the crest on. The itching gets worse through the night, and by the time you wake, the short, coarse brown fur is spreading over your body like wildfire. It is still sparce, but it leaves no part of you uncovered. As you itch, your nails lengthen, turning black, and your hands as well darken, the skin becoming more leathery. By the strange sensation on your feet that echoes your hands, you can only guess the same is happening down there as well. As the mad itching ensues, your small tail begins to hurt, and you can feel it, moving and straining in your pants, that it is growing - painfully so. However, your tail is not the only thing that strain your close. As if your whole body cried out in protest at once to your clothes, they begin to feel tight just about everywhere as your build becomes thicker, stockier. 
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Sabin Duvert Vice Captain
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Posted: Sun Apr 02, 2006 5:41 pm
Chana sat against the door for a countless amount of time, simply unable to think. It was as if all her thoughts had melted in the wake of so many emotions...and now that the emotions had fled, she simply had nothing less.
She looked up at her bed. It occured to her that it was late, and she should be sleeping. The girl stood up and reached to pull the sheets back when she saw the scratches on her arm. Those reminded her that she should change clothes. A Rick Recht shirt and a pair of worn blue jeans were the closest things to hand.
But she really couldn't get comfortable even after she'd crawled into bed. Everything felt itchy. She thought that she probably should've showered first, but the idea of having to get up, cross the duplex, and then stand in the shower was simply too exhausting to think about.
Still, the sheets felt overly warm on top of her body, making it impossible to sleep. Chana groaned to herself and reached out for the Plaut on her nightstand. As her fingers tapped the cover, the itching intensified. She squirmed in bed as the sensation traveled all over her body. She sat up to see that yes, the second change had begun. The itching was her fur growing at a ridiculous rate all over.
But that wasn't all. Her nails, already long, grew and turned black before her eyes as the skin of her hands darkened and became leathery to the touch. Her toes curled and twitched as similar sensations enveloped them.
Worst yet, her tail began to hurt so incredibly much, and by the spreading pain, Chana could guess it was growing. She'd thought that was the whole thing, until a wave of pain went through her entire body all at once, and her clothes suddenly didn't fit as comfortably.
She sat there, in bed, leaning forward (and off her tail) for long minutes until she was sure that everything was done.
Chana wondered what she should do. Should she look in the mirror in the bathroom? Tempting...but no. She'd remain ignorant as long as possible.
Her stomach growled and she gave it a sour glance. Still...there were still stars in the dark sky, so there weren't likely to be too many people in the cafeteria. The beaver girl grabbed her Plaut and left the duplex. She could read over a nice fish salad.
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Posted: Tue Apr 11, 2006 2:55 pm
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Sabin Duvert Vice Captain
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Posted: Wed Apr 12, 2006 11:02 pm
Chana wakes up to a rather.... nasty smell, especially to your beaver-ness.
But try as you might, you can't find it's source.
Until you open your door.
On the outside of the front door, as if painted with a rather large paintbrush, is a dripping line of blood.
There is a very small note stuck at the base of the door.
Quote: "Happy Passover"
~Dr. Duvert
((While you likely can't exactly tell from its appearance or smell, it is lamb's blood))
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Posted: Thu Apr 13, 2006 8:14 pm
Chana yawned and sat up, wrinkling her nose. She'd dreamt she was in a swamp or something and it reeked...but the dream didn't even compare to whatever it was she scented. And no, it wasn't coming from the bathroom or cupboard, which she could have understood. And it wasn't manure, or any other fertilizer she recognized.
She weighed her options and decided to go with curiosity. So she went and opened the door to look around.
The stench hit her like a sack of stone. There, around her door was a red, wet, thickly painted line. The coppery smell was much stronger than anything she'd smelled before. Chana shook her head at someone's foolery and went to go back inside.
A paper stuck at the bottom of the door caught her eye.
"Happy Passover from Dr. Duvert," she read aloud. The beaver girl reread the note, snorted and shook her head as she went back inside. It seemed the good doctor was a bit of practical joker. She wasn't complaining. Well...except for the trying to keep kosher part. Bagels were a hard thing to live without for eight days.
And she wouldn't mention Duvert's trick or let it worry her. He was just...a bit overenthusiastic, she rationalized.
And he had access to any cameras in her home. He wouldn't see the blood hurting her. He wouldn't know how it affected her. Not if she had anything to say about it.
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Posted: Sun Apr 23, 2006 6:43 pm
The grey of dawn was just touching the sky as a dark shadow made her way to duplex 23 which, according to a list by the cafeteria, belonged to one Stewart Young.
Oddly enough, the silhouetted figure was burdened with something large and rectangular. Reaching 23, the head blurred in the faint light, bringing to mind someone looking around furtively. Then, it set the item down just outside the door and left, continuing on down to the next pair of duplexes.
The rising sun reveals the object to be a large picnic basket. Inside is a thoughtful assortment of leafy green vegetables, a few twigs stripped of leaves, a bagel with a container of cream cheese and a note.The Note Stewart-
I hope you're okay. I don't think you were planning on running off the other night, that is. I missed you on Passover, so I packed you a little care package.
I don't think you're keeping kosher for Passover, so I included one of my favorite chomatz-filled foods. At least one of us can enjoy them this week!
-Chana
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Posted: Sun May 07, 2006 9:24 am
Chana meets Nita It had been some days since Chana had last seen Stewart, and she was worried about him. She hadn't dared look too closely at his duplex as she passed, for fear that her care basket was still outside. That would be unbearable.
So she'd come to the cafeteria on the off chance that she might find him here, but instead she'd come upon an empty room. Sighing, she went to get a tray of the freshest greens and fish.
The beach party two nights previous had wiped Nita out. She hadn't been hung over, but Fiona's speech and the following debacle really put a damper on things. She'd spent the day before in her duplex, not wanting to run into anyone, but now she was hungry.
Dressing quickly and dabbing sunscreen on her nose and cheeks, which, despite her fastidious care, were a delightful shade of pink, Nita made her way to the cafeteria.
The cafeteria was mostly empty, save for a single woman that Nita hadn't met, and that she hadn't seen at the beach party. Probably a good thing. Once she'd gone though the line, choosing a burger and a small salad, Nita walked over, a bit shy.
"Do you mind if I sit down?"
Chana looked up at the unfamiliar voice and scent to see a woman she'd never seen before. "Um...sure. Go ahead," she replied, a bit dumbfounded.
She'd forgotten that the cafeteria wasn't just the easiest place to try to find people, it was also the easiest place to meet people. And now she was here, sharing her lunch with a girl who still looked human that she'd never seen before.
"I'm Chana," she offered, some of her melancholy thoughts seeping into her voice.
"Thanks." Nita sat across from Chana and poked at her salad with a fork. "Nita," she replied. "I guess you can tell I'm pretty new..." The red-headed girl took a few bites of salad.
"At least the food isn't bad," she said lightly. From the look of her, Chana had been here for a while. A beaver, Nita guessed, judging by the prominent front teeth.
"Yeah," she agreed, swallowing another mouthful and berating herself. What was wrong with her? She'd been MVP of her youth group for a reason: she was a people person! And now here she was, dumping her disappointment on some girl who didn't deserve it!
"It's not really that bad," she replied. "It's just mostly the same over time. But it's good enough." She studied her salad, poking the twigs down with her fork so that Nita wouldn't see them. "What do you think of our home thus far?"
"Eh, it's better than the cafeteria food at school... which was pretty much the same thing over and over." Although BuckYuck had had some pretty good pizza... Nita shrugged the thought away.
She looked around the room, pretending to examine it critically. "I do have to admit the duplexes are pretty nice, if a bit boring. The jungle and the beach are really gorgeous though. Not at all like what we've got at home." Nita scratched the side of her nose, which peeled slightly. Ick. Maybe Chana wouldn't notice. She took a few more bites of the salad, which was actually pretty good, with bits of hard-boiled egg in it, just as she liked.
Chana smiled. "Sounds like my camp food." After all, the beef slop only looked regurgitated...
"Well, I suppose if you had posters or pictures you could put them up," she offered, shrugging. Looked like Nita had had a bit much sun...oh well. Chances were it wouldn't matter in the long run.
"Yeah? What kind of camp was it?" Nita finished her salad methodically and started on her burger.
She shrugged. "I didn't really bring much with me. What I really need, though, is some bookshelves. My books are pretty much just lined up against the wall under that intercom thingie."
"A URJ--I mean, UAHC camp," she said, remembering the name change. And she'd been to three of them out of...what was it, thirteen now? Whatever, there were enough of them.
"You could use the intercom to ask for some bookshelves, I bet. The staff seems pretty accomodating in that respect." Though in others they were far from it...Chana just wouldn't mention that as of yet. If Nita wasn't reacting to her appearance, she'd probably had the bad shock somewhere down the line. Chana couldn't imagine that anyone would willingly come here to be a guinea pig.
"UA-what?" Nita asked, unfamiliar with the acronym.
"Heh." She took a few more neat bites of her burger, chewing carefully. "I've heard.. differing opinions regarding the usefulness of the staff. But I was thinking about giving it a shot, asking a few questions and stuff."
Like, 'What the heck am I gonna turn into?' and maybe, 'Can I get some noise-cancelling headphones?' she thought, almost amused.
"The old name was the Union for Reform Judaism. Now it's the Union of American Hebrew Congregations," she explained.
That got a smile out of Chana again. "Yeah...there's a number of opinions out there...but they're no replacement for your own." And that was the closest she'd come to saying anything about Lily, she resolved. Just try to give her a fighting chance against prejudice.
"Ohhh, okay. That clears things up." Nita nodded. She almost said, "Oh, so you're Jewish, then," but figured that was really obvious and possibly a bit rude.
"I'd noticed," Nita said drily, in regards to the 'many opinions' remark. Fiona despised the labtechs on general principle, and while Nita tended to agree, what about Lauren? From what she'd learned, the girl really was better off here. It definitely wasn't a clear-cut, black-and-white, good vs. evil kind of situation. "I try to form my own opinions," she said simply, "Even though it's all a bit overwhelming. I suppose it's easier just to hate the staff in general."
Chana nodded. "The important thing to remember is that the staff isn't just a group. It's a group of people, just like us islanders. The instant we forget that these are people is the instant we take away their humanity."
She grimaced and continued. "And just because their taking our humanity away is no reason for us to sink to that level." To offset her little impromptu speech, Chana took a big bite of salad and chewed it pointedly.
Maybe I should write a d'var torah on that or something, she thought. Now I just have to find a good parashat for the subject.
"That's actually a very good point," Nita replied slowly. She hadn't thought of it quite like that. She added Chana to her mental list of "People Who Make Sense." So far it was a pretty short list.
Nita finished her burger and realized she'd never gotten a drink. With a quick 'be right back' motion, she went to the buffet line and grabbed a soda and a couple of cookies for dessert. She sat quietly, chewing thoughtfully.
Chana finished her salad and stood up. "Thanks for listening to my babble," she told Nita as she put her used flatware and silverware in the proper place.
"Maybe we'll talk again some time," she said over her shoulder as she left the cafeteria. "I'm in 26."
"I'd like that," she said. "And I'm in 42."
Nita wrapped the remaining cookie in a napkin. She cleared away her dishes, reclaimed the cookie and her can of soda, and left as well. Maybe now she would actually try that intercom.
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Posted: Sun May 07, 2006 11:03 am
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