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 Posted: Tue Jan 16, 2007 8:56 am
Jordan was on cloud nine. He’d slept well, felt fantastic, and he was a young man with someone special on his mind. And now he had the task of finding guests for the Kim’s surprise birthday party while he waited for the decorations and her gift to arrive at his beach duplex.
His tail was wagging on overdrive at the happy thoughts of surprising her on her own birthday and for the labs being so very cooperative in his secret plan. He’d been running around everywhere trying to find someone he knew, but it wasn’t shaping up well. He didn’t know too many people and he was rather shy around those that he didn’t know too well.
He wasn’t going to let this setback get him down, though with only four days to find a few party guests, he was beginning to feel the heat on such short notice. So, he got himself something to eat. A big plate of juicy, hot hamburgers piled high. He was picking them up with his claws because his paws’ dexterity was still very unrefined. He had to use both paws to hold onto his food and the piece of paper that sat next to him with one of his best fountain pens lying on top was testimony to the chicken scratch writing with paws produced. Even he had trouble reading the names.
“Okay…” he said between bites “There’s eighty-some-odd people on the island..” *munch* At least one of ‘em’s *munch, gulp* gotta know Kim.” He was shoveling the food down pretty good in his high-energy pace that drove him to be so focused. “Maybe…” *munch-munch-munch* he scarfed an entire hamburger that time “Awen has at least heard of her… or even Colche.”
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Posted: Tue Jan 16, 2007 9:14 am
Aislinn was managing. That was about all that could be said for her, though. She'd been in a bit of a funk the past couple of days, angry and upset over being unable to walk properly. She had, in fact, not even bothered to stop by Brian's Duplex in a little while because she didn't want to get -him- down.
But she was feeling better now. She'd gone for a walk in the morning and was maneuvering the walker quite a bit better and faster now. She could walk at a rather normal pace, though angling her large posterior around her Duplex was still difficult.
She'd run out of her stockpile of food in the Duplex a while ago and hadn't figured out a way to get food back in there again given her inability to really -carry- anything. So, she'd taken to visiting the cafeteria whenever she had to eat.
Her own plate was the opposite of Jordan's, piled with apples in particular, but other fruits and vegetables mixed with the slices she'd cut and turned it into a lovely little concoction.
She had the plate balanced on her walker. It was rocky at best, but she'd learned to lean forward and balance it a bit against her chest as well so that it wouldn't fall when she walked. Slowly, she made her way to the nearest table and sat down...just in time to hear Jordan muttering about Kim,
"Well, I don't know Awen or Colche," she informed him, "But I do know Kim."
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Posted: Tue Jan 16, 2007 10:31 am
Jordan so focused on his meal and the party to pay attention to the presence of anyone else. His ears twitched a bit at most. He was mid-bite with another bun-less hamburger in his bare paws, when he’d heard Aislinn say she knew Kim.
He gulped hard, almost choking, pounding a fist on his chest to force it down the rest of the way. He dropped the other half back on his plate and went wide-eyed- not at her appearance, though that was the most different variation he’d seen to date.
“Oh my god! You actually know Kim??” his surprise turned into elation as his chair toppled precariously backwards, almost sending him crashing to the floor. Jordan’s claws scraped along the table to catch himself and keep him from falling onto the hard, tiled floor.
Jordan suckled on his claws more- hurriedly than usual- to get the last remnants of juices and flavor from his paws and scurried over to Aislinn ASAP. Jordan busted on the floor when he bolted around the table too quickly causing his paws to lose their footing. “Whoa!” he said, followed by a yelp as he felt on his tail. No matter, he recovered on his paws in no time and was sitting on the other side of the table from Aislinn panting with a half-canine smile, literally showing off his elongated canines.
“That’s so great that you know Kim! I’ve planned a surprise party for her birthday in four days and I desperately want to find guests. I know she doesn’t like big crowds, but familiar faces would surely make her day better.” His partially-canine nose was sniffing, both at her and her fruit.
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Posted: Wed Jan 17, 2007 6:53 am
Aislinn had to smile at Jordan's antics. His canine attributes brought her thoughts briefly to the African Wild Dog she'd neglected to visit with over the past few weeks, and she made a mental note to catch up with him again as soon as possible.
She moved over a bit when he fell next to her-- normally she would have reached out to try and help him, but as it was she wasn't really in any condition to help.
"Sure, I met her when I first got here and then again a little while ago."
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Posted: Wed Jan 17, 2007 7:36 am
“Oh where are my manners.” He smiled gentlemanly, offering a paw in greeting “My name’s Jordan. And I also know Kim.”
His tail wagged excitedly as he crossed his arms on top of the table, leaning forward hopefully. His cheeks flushed red, a stark contrast to the white fluff on either side of his face. He was happy as could be to find someone the pterodactyl would recognize. Jordan tried to calm himself in a moment of great excitement, though his tail had an independent mind and didn’t obey.
“Would you be interested in coming to the party? It wouldn’t be much of a party if it was just me and Kim.” Though if it were just the two of them, it’d be just as special. “It’s going be here in the cafeteria and I’ve got party decorations, a gift on the way, and there’ll be food and cake as well.” He smiled proudly at his efforts to bring some sunshine into someone’s life.
“I know this will brighten her day.” His nose twitched as he bit his lip, with an elongated canine, momentarily before speaking once more “She could really use the company of friends on her birthday.” He was hesitant and wary to mention Kim had recently changed- huddled tightly in his arms.
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Posted: Wed Jan 17, 2007 7:50 am
Aislinn smiled,
"Oh, sure, I would definitely come," She didn't know the other all -that- well, but it wouldn't hurt. There were only so many people to choose from on this island, afterall, as far as friends went. And really, she rather liked Kim.
"Would it be allright if I brought a friend?"
She didn't know if Brian knew Kim at all, but she figured if he wanted to boost the numbers it wouldn't hurt to invite him along. She really did need to talk to him soon, though.
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Posted: Wed Jan 17, 2007 8:00 am
“Oh yes! Please, bring a friend. That would be fantastic.” It’d also give him a chance to meet some of the other denizens at the same time. Parties were good for bringing people together and if they all left with new acquaintances-turned-friends, then it was all for the better. “The more the merrier, you know?”
Jordan was all smiles at this point. His ears flicked as he remembered his pen and torn sheet of paper. He lifted an index finger as best he could as he excused himself a moment, returning with them in his paws. Jordan chewed on the pen and twisted it in his fangs, making the pen click.
“I’m making a guest list.” Though it was horrendous. Even a doctor would have trouble making out his handwriting. It embarrassed him to admit that his penmanship had gone to hell as he awkwardly fumbled with the pen. ”May I have your name? And that of your friends’?”
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Posted: Wed Jan 17, 2007 8:02 am
Aislinn blinked, looking at the list,
"Would you like a hand with that?" her hands, at least, were still fully intact, even if it was difficult to write and hang on to the walker at the same time.
"My handwriting'll probably be easier to read. Anyhow, my name is Aislinn Derry and my friend is Brian Grant."
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Posted: Wed Jan 17, 2007 8:10 am
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Aislinn.” He almost called her Miss Derry.
His ears flicked at the offer, even more embarrassed to admit that he needed help, but he conceded to her offer and shifted the pen and paper over to her begrudgingly. Jordan slumped forward, his head falling onto his folded arms.
“Oh.. is it safe to assume you’d prefer more herbervorous food at the party? And… what of Brian? What do you think he’d prefer?” It was an awkward question to ask and possibly a bit insensitive, but it was important to have the details covered. “I want to make sure everyone is catered to so all can enjoy.”
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Posted: Wed Jan 17, 2007 8:13 am
Aislinn grinned, writing down her own name and Brian's on the list. She wasn't sure about the rest of what was written, so she didn't translate it just yet,
"I prefer healthy foods," she nodded, "Which includes a lot of fruit and veggies, but I will eat some meat as well. And Brian...well, I'm not sure."
She twirled the pen in her hand thoughtfully,
"He's turning into an African Wild Dog, but he's not very far along yet. He'll probably have a bit of both, really."
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Posted: Wed Jan 17, 2007 8:25 am
He perked up again as he heard what Brian was becoming. Another dog? Even if it were a wild dog, was still canine!
“Oh really? African wild dog, you say? I haven’t met another canine yet and I’d really like to.”
And that thought made him happy. The concept of alpha was in his mind. There couldn’t be an alpha without a pack and pack mentality. He was suddenly feeling less uncomfortable about his bad handwriting and even offered to help her out by pointing a claw to the various scribble-scratched names.
“Thank you for your help, Aislinn..” he wiggled his paws “I’ve got to learn to reuse my han—paws. But it seems we all go through an adjustment phase.” He tried not to make her current physical condition the focus of his statement as he noted her walker.
“The first name is Awen. She’s the first sub—“ he caught himself saying subject and quickly choose a different term “islander I met here. She’s really nice. A manta ray.”
“The second there is…” he scratched the fluff on the side of his face with a claw as he tried to remember who was written second. “Uhmm… I think… was it Lauren or Colche?” he couldn’t read it, nor make any of it out himself. “Lauren brought me out of a bad funk. She gave me a better perspective on the situation and I’m grateful to her for that. Colche is a cheetah. She calls herself a princess cheetah.” He chuckled as he was informing her on why he’d wanted to invite certain people. “Everyone on the list I consider a friend.”
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Posted: Wed Jan 17, 2007 8:34 am
Aislinn nodded,
"Yes, an African Wild Dog. His fur is beautiful...."
She paused a moment, smiling at the thought of running her hands through his hair again, then shook herself out of it,
"Ah, yes..." she transcribed the names as he said them, "It's true there are a lot of things to get used to...but hard work gets through it most of the time."
She didn't want to bring up the walker. She hated that thing,
"I'm sure you can get used to using your paws. Might talk to Brian about it, in fact, as I know he does some writing and his hands are getting very pawlike."
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Posted: Wed Jan 17, 2007 8:43 am
“I’d like that. It might help me to know what to expect from another canine.”
Jordan smiled at the pleasant manner she spoke of Brian’s fur. It made him giggle inwardly. Having hands-on experience with animals in the zoo and being familiarized with a wide variety, he could picture the fur and nodded in agreement.
“Oh, there’s one more name I’d like added to the list, if you wouldn’t mind too terribly much, and then I won’t trouble you to write further. Sophie. She’s a sweet girl. Couldn’t have been here more than two weeks now.. I met her in the cafeteria on her first day here.. unfortunately, she witnessed my first change into what you see me as now.”
He quickly changed his tone and went with the subject of fur color and canines.
“I’m not sure if my fur’s going to remain all white or develop other color patterns to it. I haven’t quite figured out which breed of dog I’m changing into yet. I became side-tracked after meeting Kim.” He couldn’t help but blush deeply, bringing his paws to cover his face. Stupid! Why’d you say that?
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Posted: Wed Jan 17, 2007 8:48 am
Aislinn grinned, noting down the other name,
"I can add in a couple more to invite if you like. Oz, Sayuri, and Shenzi are also really cool. You could try them anyhow. I don't know if they know Kim, but I'm pretty sure Shenzi at least will show up if you tell her I'm coming and it's a party."
She stretched the arm that wasn't holding onto her walker a bit, and set the pen down, looking him over,
"I couldn't really say either. You don't really have any of the distinctive features of any breed just yet," she'd had plenty of experience trying to figure out what breeds peoples' mutts had in them,
"And there are a lot of breeds that are all white. Brian just knows he's an African Wild Dog because he studied them last and he has some very distinctive colour patterning."
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Posted: Wed Jan 17, 2007 9:07 am
He nodded at her eager-to-help suggestion. “Sure, in case someone can’t make it, it’s always good to have a few extra guests and back-ups.”
This was shaping up quite well. Jordan was pleased with the growing guest list. It’d be a celebration to remember. He’d never been in charge of a party or even a friendly get-together, so this was fairly new and a big task that was taking care of itself.
“Ooooh wow..” his eyes lit up when he learned Brian had actually studied among African wild dogs. Field study… what a lucky … uhm… dog. She had his full interest in who Brian was and the work he’d done. “I really want to meet him now. I used to work in a modest zoo.” He offered proudly, though it was nothing compared to putting yourself into the field, in the wild. Maybe he’d come out with a new canine friend from this!
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