Welcome to Gaia! ::

Since his encounter with Jordan the previous day, Thom had been wary about returning to the village. He wasn't scared of the dog man, certainly, and even less so knowing Awen and Dee had been there and probably talked some sense into him after Thom had left, but... It was rather unnerving, knowing he was on the bad side of the infamous Doctor Moreau.

Of course, if it was really all that serious, Jordan wouldn't have been sent alone to detain him, right? Anyone with any sense should know that Jordan alone was not going to get the laptop's location out of him. And Jordan had seemed pretty defeated when he'd fallen--and Thom hadn't even done anything! So there couldn't be anything to worry about, right?

Nonetheless, in the open area of the village, it was that much easier to run into guards here or there, and, if he really was on Moreau's bad side, he didn't want to be anywhere where he could be targeted. The jungle allowed for some safety, at the very least. Even if they could track of zap him, he was in his own element, and that gave him the upper hand if confronted.

Most of his free time, as a result, had been spent hanging about the river, and today was no exception. He was heading towards the water for a swim of his own when the smell of....something reached him. It was very strong, none too pleasant, and disguised enough by sweat that it was difficult to make out the actual creature. Briefly he entertained the thought that it might be the wolf, and that he should probably abandon the location before she caught on to his presence, but curiousity got the better of him and he edged on towards the water.

The cobra raised a brow when the river revealed not the wolf, but the gorilla, and, quickly straightening up, he lifted a hand in greeting--failing to notice that Oz was unclothed and probably would have preferred solitude. "Oz?"

Possibly because Thom was stark naked himself, though it hardly mattered nowadays. The cobra flinched at the shout, quickly lifting both hands in a gesture of innocence, though he was half amused to see Oz jump back and cover his chest.

But was it from surprise, or was it from fear? Thom had briefly forgotten Oz's fear of snakes, and remember only when the gorilla's wary expression remained even after the greeting. He let his hands sink back to his sides, hesitating, then gestured back the way he had come, cracking a grin. "Sorry, didn't mean to interrupt. You smell 'orrible, got curious about what it was. I can go."

His words weren't meant to be witty, but they were meant to provoke a smile, which they did. That was good enough for him. The odd ridge on top of Oz's skull was noted, but otherwise igored. Thom wasn't one to talk. Even if his hood was hardly noticable when not flared, for months following his second change it had been all too clear jutting out of his neck and no one had said anything. Changes were something people avoiding poking fun at...unless they greatly disliked the other person, which wasn't the case here.

"Ah, now that's not fair," Thom countered, slipping closer to the water to 'sit' near the bank, tail coiled around himself. "I've met some lovely pigs." He grinned, then nodded towards the soap suds floating downstream. "Somethin' wrong with you shower?"

Oz seemed a bit more at ease now, for which Thom was thankful. It meant he could actually sit and have a conversation, rather than hurry off again after a moment or two. All of his meetings of late had ended in violence. It was nice to have a chance to talk without being threatened--or having to threaten in return.

"Ahh, I wouldn't 'ave thought of that," he admitted, looking surprised. One benefit of being legless was that it was easy to adapt to whatever height necessary. Thom usually found himself to be the same height of whoever he was talking with, and didn't think twice about it. "But at least th' river's clean enough? It's 'ard to shower for all the tail. Doesn't like to fit in th' tub. But I don't mind bathin' in th' river. I spend most of my time out 'ere as it is."

"That's not a bad idea," Thom pointed out, chuckling. Poor Oz. Two benefits to becoming a reptile were the lack of fur and the lack of sweat. There were downsides to both, of course, in that he was rapidly balding and had to be careful about staying in the sun too long or not enough, but on the whole it was easier. And less smelly.

The question caught him off guard , and he didn't immediately reply, frowning more for considering his answer than that Oz had asked the question. "It's...well, it could be worse." He shrugged, lifting a hand to rub the back of his neck. "It can be difficult. I've closed it in th' door a time or two. I can't move as quickly as I used to, an' 'ave to remember that it's followin' be'ind me before attemptin' anythin'. But it's damn useful in th' trees, an' better than legs for swimmin'... Heh, if I could still play football an' didn't look..." He hesitated, gesturing vaguely to indicate the snake features. "...so different, I'd welcome it."

"Takes some gettin' used to, doesn't it?" He laughed softly, trailing off with a sigh. "But you get used to it. Everyone adapts. You don't 'ave much choice on this damned island."

Thom shook his head, but dragged back a smile, glancing up towards the trees. "I can climb better than I'd 'ave expected, and it's good for ensurin' that I don't fall out of th' tree once I'm up there. I usually sleep in th' trees now, when I'm not back with Natsumi."

He paused, then shook his head once more. "Can't say I 'ave, no. She been around long? I might 'ave seen her in passing."