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 Posted: Fri Jan 19, 2007 11:20 am
Jordan had just realized it. This was bad! Not now! Why –of all times- now?? Somewhere in the village he’d dropped his list! Jordan couldn’t find it and he was dashing here and there through the village frantically looking for it. There were names, people he needed to see, to invite to the party. Everything had been going so well until now. Why does something always have to happen when plans are going so well??
“Think Jordan! Think! Where’d you last have it?!” he paced back and forth in the village proper, looking distressed, as he recalled the places he’d been to. The cafeteria, the workout room, the recreation room… he’d checked each of these places and he couldn’t find his precious sheet of paper.
The entertainment room! It had to be in there! He thought, as he dashed off in that direction. In an absent-minded act, the list was in the entertainment room. He’d slipped it into the AKC canines book that he’d borrow almost two weeks beforehand and hadn’t realized it was still in there. Well, actually, it’d fallen out of the book and underneath the couch of the entertainment room, to be precise. The list had the names of Awen, Lauren, Colche, Aislinn, Brian, Oz, Sayuri, and Shenzi listed in Aislinn's handwriting, below Jordan's chicken-scratch penmanship with his paws.
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Posted: Fri Jan 19, 2007 11:36 am
Maryke had been in the Entertainment room for almost a two hours now. At first she had come in here to get her mind off of things. Afterall, her body was still sore and her mind was still numb from what she had done with Billy. God...how could she have been so stupid! It wasn't that she didn't like him it was...hard as hell. After what happened in her bathroom she needed...she had no idea what she needed in all honesty. But she did think that watching a movie would take her mind off of things. It would grab hold of her thoughts and pull them into whatever world had been displayed on the screen.
Only it wasn't working. She was still all over the place emotionally. She wanted things she knew she shouldn't be wanted, and she was scared out of her mind for even wanting them in the first place. It was something she REALLY didn't need. So her hazels watched the screen, but she really wasn't paying attention to whatever was on it. She didn't even know what was there. She just...stared. And then she ran a hand through her wavy black and white locks, with the brown still towards the bottom. When she did she heard a small 'clank' of something. Maryke still wore braclelets. She still dressed herself up, even though she knew, and she really KNEW that she would never be beautiful again. When she looked down she groaned.
It seemed her bracelet had somehow manage to snap off and rolled underneath the couch. Perhaps a lot of her jewlrey was now broken or on the edge of broken since her freakout last night. But in any case she got on her hands and knees to fish it out. And when she did she was met with a crumpled paper. Pulling it out, from curiousty alone, she skimmed her eyes over, instantly recognizing the names of three of the people listed.
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Posted: Fri Jan 19, 2007 11:48 am
Jordan pulled open the door and stepped in quickly. His list had to be in here and he needed to find it before the day’s end. Time was running short and he’d already wasted so much time already. The television was on as it usually was in use by one of the multitude of islanders. That tail, the white fur… it was unmistakable who this was. Okay, this was de ja vu. At least he didn’t slam his tail in the door again.
He’d have to say a hello to her in a moment, but for now, he was focused only on finding that guest list. He darted over to the book shelves and started there. It wasn’t likely, but there was the chance it’d been left in the book. He’d done it before. Slips of folded paper made great bookmarks and page-savers. However, he’d slipped it in there for safe-keeping without thinking about it and had forgotten to take it out.
Jordan frantically flipped through the pages, but it wasn’t in the book. He replaced the book and looked around the shelf. “C'mon… where are you? Where are you? This isn’t happening to me…” he slumped against the wall, slapping a paw to his face in frustration.
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Posted: Fri Jan 19, 2007 11:57 am
Okay so this had to be some sort of guest list....or perhaps hit list. She wasn't sure. Maryke couldn't make out the handwriting. One set was entirely illegible, and the other was legible, but she still couldn't read whatever it said at the top. Being crumpled like it was made the ink smear slightly. She was so into trying to figure out the paper and its meaning that she didn't even notice a familar person enter.
Only when she heard some movement at the books did she fully turn around. She frowned slightly at the sight of another person. The only person that had seen her since her newest change was Billy and that....well that was something she didn't want to think about. Not that she was having luck in that department. As she still couldn't stop thinking about what had happened between them.
But she stood to her full height, a hand still holding onto the paper, and took a few steps back, hoping he wouldn't see her at all.
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Posted: Fri Jan 19, 2007 12:10 pm
He spread his paw’s digits slowly as the index finger slid down and he saw Maryke in his line of sight. She was different. And holding a piece of paper with familiar ink bleeding through! He’d not even given notice to her changes as he was so intensely motivated by the list. His mouth opened in awe and his paw fell to his side. At first one might think that it was in reaction to her new appearance; however, Jordan wasn’t like everyone else.
He pushed away from the wall and stepped cautiously forward. Who knows how jumpy she could be right now and he didn’t need to startle her. If she ran away with his list, then he’d never see it again. It’d be useless after today anyhow. He eyed the paper with calm intensity. He had to be sure if it was indeed his.
“Hello, Maryke.” He held his paws up to show he wasn’t going to make any hasty movements. “Can… I see that sheet of paper you have there?” his footpaws were flexing their claws into the carpet. “It’s very important that I know for sure.”
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Posted: Fri Jan 19, 2007 12:19 pm
s**t she was seen! Slowly she stopped and stood, her head dipped down as her hazels stared at the floor. She felt so foolish, disgusting even. He was an animal too, so of course what she looked like didn't matter. But damnit...it matter to her!
And then he asked about the list. Her maw turned into a confused frown. "uh yeah sure...." she said forking it over.
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Posted: Fri Jan 19, 2007 12:37 pm
He graciously accepted the list and scanned it quickly. The names were a bit blurred but this was it most definitely. His worry vanished and a wide fanged smile appeared. He folded the list three times into smaller squares and pocketed it.
“Thank you so much, Maryke. Thank you. Thank you! You’re a life-saver!” he said as he leaned forward and hugged close to her.
He’d noticed the changes and he noticed how she was acting so differently since their initial meeting. Something encouraging. Say something encouraging for her. He leaned his face closer to her fluffy ear and whispered “Your sense of style is cutting edge. No one can take that from you. Maryke, you make it look good.” He pulled back, smiling from ear-to-ear, his elongated canines showing in perfect view.
She had to have changed recently by her shyed reaction. Then it hit him. He knew what would cheer her up. “I owe you an explanation for the list. I’m throwing a surprise birthday party and I’ve been trying to gather attendees.” His tail wagged slightly “I bet a party would do you some good. So what do you say? Interested?”
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Posted: Fri Jan 19, 2007 12:48 pm
A pair of hazel eyes widened at the fact that it had been his list. she was now more curious then ever at what it all meant, but guessed it must be sort of guest list. And at the hug she stiffened, her tail halting in it's light sway. She was about to say something. She didn't want to be touched, she wanted to be left alone as she self pitied over losing her face. Her face and all her beauty along with it.
But then his words hit her like a ton of bricks. Her style was cutting edge? AND she made it look good. His words held more weight then he would ever know. She still toiled and troubled over what she wore. She still went hazy over her appearance, she tried SO hard to cling on what she was, WHO she had been and how hard it was to get there. And....he made her feel good over that fact. Like she didn't have to let go of all that. She'd just have to adjust and make it fit her new.....not so charming, body.
So a wide grin slipped into her maw, even showing the white of her lemur teeth, which also looked rather canine. Oh so it was a party...she wasn't so sure about that. Of course HE made her feel good about the way she looked...but seeing too many people at once....it..god it'd be soo..
No pull it together, Maryke, she inwardly told herself. This would be the time in which she could make or break it. She'd always been one for social events and now wasnt' the time for her to want to be in a dark hole somewhere.
"Sure..." she said, keeping an award winning smirk on her new snout. It really might do her some good.... "Count me in! Where's it gunna be at? what's the dress?" she asked in a series of questions.
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Posted: Fri Jan 19, 2007 1:11 pm
Jordan seemed to have a knack for helping others feel better, knowing one thing or another to say at the right moment. It was a treat to see that confident smirk once again. It wasn’t difficult for anyone to recognize that Maryke was a woman of class and dignity. Jordan wasn’t always the sharpest tool in the shed, but in their last encounter, he’d sensed she was a woman who appreciated the finer things in life, such as style and class in the social crust. Maryke was the Lovey Howell of the island. Even in her changes, she needed to know one part of her life could remain constant.
“Fantastic.” He responded to her positive answer. All it takes sometimes is saying the right thing to give someone their spark back. Apparently, he’d done that for her.
His tail wagged happily. He was learning a few new tricks on the island, namely how to survive and win friends through persuasion. Happy subjects meant happy doctors and when the staff were in a good mood, it meant good things for everyone. Perhaps he’d be rewarded if he kept up the good work. He seemed adept at this. If only he could be this way for everyone he’d met.
“The party is for Kim.” His tail waggled even faster as he mentioned her name and he fidgeted on his footpaws. The claws flexed again. Jordan brought his paws to his face, trying to hide behind them, the backsides hiding his warm, reddening cheeks. “It’ll be… uhm… it’ll be…” he cleared his throat of a ‘frog’ “..in the cafeteria tomorrow. I plan to be in there most of the day setting up. I’ve got decorations: balloons and streamers.”
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Posted: Fri Jan 19, 2007 1:21 pm
Her tail now kept a happy pace behind her, swaying from side to side and then swaying from side to side with it pointing upwards by her head. Lemur tails were fully functional and she was already used to it, and could manipulate the thing to do whatever she wanted or needed to do. Her feet on the other hand were still giving her trouble. She still wasn't used to the feeling of walking on her hands (which is exactly what it felt like), and when standing for long periods of time she began to shift. Like she was doing now.
She didn't know who this Kim person was, never met her, bit instead she just nodded. But then she noticed Jordan fidget and even though he hid his face she still caught the red of his cheeks. She knew that look. It was the look Billy had given her whenever he was flustered and engaged at the same time. Maryke knew it wasn't directed towards her in particular, but she noted it was when he said the girl's name. A coy smile spread across her lips.
"Oh...that sounds nice," she said, though she really didn't find it to be all that 'nice' as opposed to...common. Maryke had never been to a part with balloons and streamers before. She was used to the ones with catered plates, waters, and chittering small talk. But this would still be interesting no doubt. Just as interesting with Jordan's new attitude. "So...is Kim your....friend?" she asked, a brow raised.
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Posted: Fri Jan 19, 2007 1:58 pm
He tried to compose himself, but it was hard. He couldn’t help it. Jordan had never felt this way before. After what they’d been through together, he felt close to the girl. Call it puppy love or a crush, but he was smitten. He felt light-headed in the moment and sat himself on the couch. He nodded to Maryke’s question.
“Yeah.. it is.. I wanted to do something nice for her..” Jordan felt comfortable around Maryke. She was a confidant and someone who made him feel good in her presence.
He arched forward, arms folded across his lap “We’d met on the beach. About a week or so after my first change.” Why did he feel compelled to share his sacred moment? Did.. Jordan hope that if he told her what happened between Kim and himself… that perhaps she could give him advice? “I thought it was someone else at first” he visibly winced at the thought of a murderous wolf ripping him into ribbons of flesh “but then I saw her huddled near the treeline. “I----….” He choked. On his words, feeling that lump in his throat rise “She said she had a fever.. I didn’t experience fever when I changed.. so I didn’t know at first…”
He looked up at Maryke with soulful hurting in his eyes as he recalled the pain. “She started changing. Right there. Infront of me. I’d never seen anyone change before. I held onto her dearly as she rode it out. I felt her changing in my arms. I tried to be strong for her as she cried into my chest, but the pain of my own changes was still too fresh in my mind.” He wiggles his claws as effect “I broke down as well as we never let go. We stayed that way, huddled together on the beach as we watched the sun dance on the water.”
Jordan sniffed and smiled as his eyes watered. “I told her that I wouldn’t leave her. I felt like her knight, wanting to protect her.” Jordan wiped away the watery build-up of tears with a claw. “I walked her home and stayed with her hours afterwards to make sure she would be alright.” He’d just gushed it out to her, even if it had been condensed and simplified.
“I just thought that she would enjoy a party on her birthday, let her know that she’s not alone. That someone cares for her.” Of course, he left out the part where he’d gotten her personal file from the labs…
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Posted: Fri Jan 19, 2007 3:01 pm
She crossed her arms to listen, but didn't expect to hear such a long story. Not that she minded. But soon she sat on the table in front of the couch, her tail adjusting to sit down but still waving back and forth in the air. The more she listened the more she couldn't help but think of Billy. The whole story reminded her of it. But when he finally finished she leaned forward and patted him on the back.
"Doe she know?" she asked, "That you yanno...you've got it this bad for her?"
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Posted: Fri Jan 19, 2007 3:28 pm
He chuckled at her bold question. He sniffled and rubbed his eyes. Whether Maryke had note or not, he was without his sunglasses. She was seeing his changed face unhindered by distraction. He smiled nervously and nodded. “Yeah.. I think she felt it too.. but.. I’ve never felt this way before.. I’m confused.. I don’t know what to do..” he admitted lowering his head into his cupped paws. “That’s why I’m throwing the surprise party. I want her to be happy, but I don’t know how to tell her in my own words.”
He let out a soft breath and lifted his head from his paws. He looked at her admiring her spirit. She was a fighter. A survivor. “Have you ever felt that way about anyone?”
Jordan was seeking counsel in a round-about manner, afraid to say anything directly and unsure of what to ask for his own benefit. He was hoping she could give him sage advice for his situation. He hadn’t thought much about his connections to the labs possibly coming into play as a factor for better or for worse. It had helped him arrange the party, but he was cautious to mention the labs and his employment to anyone. Jordan feared in that he'd be forced to choose -one day- between his work and his heart.. as a test of his own allegiances.
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Posted: Fri Jan 19, 2007 4:16 pm
Maryke had noticed his face, and she tried her hardest not to mention it or even look too hard. She expected the same for her, what with her, as Billy put it, 'big nose'. She always a nice cute nose and now....it was like a dog's muzzle. So yes, whatever she thought about his canine facial features, she wasn't going to say. Though she could most assuredly relate.
"I get it," she said to his first utterance, her head nodding in complete understanding. Jordan was a good guy and even with his dog like features he was a cutie. That would work in his favor. But then the next question reached her ruffed ears.
Her nose twitched, and her tail took to swaying at a faster pace behind her, clearly agitated about something. "Well...." of course she had. There was Alexa, but she never countered her. That...whatever 'that' had been was merely some break and confusion. She had been curious and that was that. That truth came easily to the lemur's mind so she moved on. Billy. Oh yeah, she'd felt the exact same way about the octopus man. She really truly cared about him. But would she say that? Admit it? Feel it to where she was ready to let others know?
Hell no.
"it's complicated with me," she said finally, but continued to pat him on the shoulder to be reassuring. "But I do get what you're coming from. and if you want my advice?"
Maryke was used to giving advice of this sort. It was practially her element. Her business wasn't romance, it was sex, however she did counsel the girl's she pandered into her own lives and more often then not she even helped the men deal with the mundane of theirs. Even on the island she'd offered her own opinion.
"You're right in treating this girl like a queen, remember not to overdo it," she continued, "You don't want it to seem like you're smothering her. Play it cool but let her know you're appreciating her and interested at the same time. When she's had a few drinks to loosen things up......then you pull her to the side. Explain you're feelings, don't make it sound creepy, just be yourself..." her maw slipped into a wide smirk, "After all that she'll be just itchin' for you to be hers..."
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Posted: Fri Jan 19, 2007 5:14 pm
He listened on the edge of his seat, literally scooting towards the edge and holding himself on the cushion with his paws. She was the professor of love and he was the rank novice pupil learning things for the first time in his life. Who would have thought innocent Jordan would be learning how to woo a woman from another woman. He was enthralled by what she had to say, trying to commit every word to memory.
“I’m not the smoothest guy in the world.. hell.. I was hot in high school when I played football for several years and worked out hard every single day. Yet I was too shy to go near anyone.. now, I’m still shy and I’ve fallen into something good.”
He rubbed his arm. It wasn’t the same as when he was in high school. He even flexed it a bit and it looked so pathetic. That was roughly ten years ago. He was only twenty-five and those days weren’t so long ago.
Jordan chuckled as she said to get her drunk and then whisk her off to the side and tell her his feelings about Kim. He wasn’t sure about that option but he certainly wasn’t going to openly object and offend her. She was freely giving advice to the clueless young man.
“How can I know if I’m doing it right? And.. what if she doesn’t feel the same way? What if that day was just a one-time spark we shared in a moment of empathic bonding?” he was nervous about tomorrow and others learning of his feelings. What if she rejected him infront of everyone? “I like her. No one’s made me feel like she has.” His brow furrowed in doubt and confusion.
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