Welcome to Gaia! ::

Nicky woke with a yelp, the dream shattering around him as his hand shot to his forehead. He could still felt the shock of getting cracked in the head by the blunt object...a feeling he found much too similar to bellyflopping into ice-cold water. The feeling of unease was only intensified by the fog shrouding his mind. Something was wrong...something was very...very wrong. Everything ached...everything felt swollen. With a quick shake of his head, he stumbled into the first clothing he could find. For once he didn't care what he wore...he didn't care if the meticulously hung and folded clothes were draped over his body in a manner that was sure to leave wrinkles...he didn't care. With a quick motion, he grabbed everything on his night-stand...wallet, pens...and an oddly placed note that he didn't even care to read at the moment.

As he stumbled out of the door, slamming his right heel into his shoe one final time to make sure it was on, Nicky took a gasp of the noon air like a drown victim finally breaking the surface. Getting outside only relieved the intense feeling of unease for a moment as he stumbled down the steps. He had to get away...anywhere...his duplex reminded him of a uniform prison cell and he had to get out. He didn't think where he was going...he just allowed his aching feet to carry him while his mind stumbled along.

It wasn't long until he reached the cafe...the fear of closed spaces had been overcome by an intense hunger...and the smell of cooked meat drove him in. Nicky didn't pause at the door to check if there were other patrons...he didn't look to see the fastest exit or any potential hazards...he just burst in, dress-shirt drenched in sweat. He awkwardly attempted to straighten his tie once he got inside...but he was distracted by the smells around him.

Nicky took a deep breath as he tried to compose himself...with a grunt of effort he stood up straighter and fixed his tie once more. That small act helped give him a small sense of structure to this completely backwards world. It was just then though, that he noticed Richard. Against all of his background and instincts...he gave a small glare, almost like he could feel a sense of self-satisfaction radiating from the Displacer beast. Immediately, he tried once more to compose himself, redoubling his efforts now that he knew someone else was there.

"...monrin'" he said with a scratchy throat as he pretended to be interested in the salad part of the buffet.

Nicky paused once more and gave a full-out glare towards Richard. He could no longer find that calm center...that smirk which almost always graced his face was nowhere to be seen. "Get...away from me ya ********' goddamn piece of s**t squid-cat," he growled out while attempting to shoulder past her. This can't be happening...it happened to everyone else...shut up! It's not going to happen to me! IT'S NOT! he screamed at himself mentally as he dug an increasingly aching hand into his pants pocket...trying to fish out the note he grabbed off of his desk.

With a shaking fist, he brought it out and uncrumpled it. Slowly, he scanned the words...the blood draining from his face. "...interesting...?"

Nicky spun around, eyes ablaze as he realized too little too late that Richard was reading his note. The note from Dr. Duvert...adressed to him and him only. Not Richard! "Get...AWAY!" he shouted out as he backed away, lips pulled back in a snarl. His knuckles shone white as his fists clenched at his sides. He was seething...his shirt drenched in sweat...he wanted only to lash out, but thankfully he was aware enough to know an uneven match when he saw one. Richard outweighed and outgunned him. So, as much as he would love to rip out her throat...his thoughts trailed off as he absently wiped his nose. Blood was left on his hand from the small amount trickling out of his left nostril.

"It's not possible...it can't happen...it's...it's not physically possible!" he shouted out. It was obvious though that he didn't believe his own words. He never really did. It was just a fleeting thought that had been festering for a while. Now that it was out though, it could stay out. One thing that had yet to let him down were his own two eyes...and the sights he had seen on the island had long ago dispelled any notion that it wasn't possible. With a groan, he slumped onto his knees, staring at the drop of blood smeared onto his knuckle. "...Christ..." he sputtered out as he tentatively touched the growing flow of blood coming from his nose...he didn't even notice as a few drops blossomed onto his dress shirt. With shaking eyes, he looked up to Richard...genuine fear in his eyes.

There was a loud crack which broke the eye-contact. He doubled over clutching his face, blood dripping from between his fingers. The hands covering his face pushed out...further...and further. The skin stretching and marred with blood as he screamed.

Choked screams came from behind the hands covering his face as bone-popping noises continued to emanate out of his quickly developing muzzle. The blood flow soon stopped, but the pain lingered. Nicky, as much as he would have hated to admit it, once had his nose broken by a bruiser with a lead pipe. He remembered that searing pain...and also knew that this hurt so much worse than that. His teeth too...reshaping themselves...like a piece of glass being shoved into his stretched out gums. Slowly, he removed his trembling hands from his face...tendrils of bloody drool clinging between his aching hands and his now dog-like muzzle...a very dog-like whimper coming from his vocal chords.

It was then though that a strange sound came from his tailbone as it stretched out to a very thick and un-canine like tail. Add on the fact that his hands thickened, his nails blackened and his ears stretched out...a whimper was a surprising small show of emotion to be shown. It all ended though as his chest barreled out...the popping of sinew and tendons as they reshaped themselves only added a minute fraction of the sounds coming from Nicky as his screams resumed.

When it was all said and done though, Nicky just crouched there on all fours, his deformed ribcage heaving. Sweat and blood dripped off of his face as he clutched his eyes closed. He didn't want to see...he couldn't see...he wouldn't.

Nicky hadn't even noticed the odd bumps...he just took the pain as matter-of-fact when his chest barreled out. Slowly, he raised the back of his changed hand to his mouth and winced as he carefully wiped away the drool dripping down from the side of his muzzle. "In..." he began...the words hurt as his sore tongue touched the tender roof of his mouth. He shook his head slightly, a low growl coming out. "Int...interrrr...." He shook his head once more, slamming a fist into the ground. "INTERESTING!?" he screamed out finally.