Aldertree Institute for the Magically Distressed.

[Gateman]

Gideon followed the mute into the house, annoyed as usual. With the arrival of the others shortly thereafter, it became apparent quite quickly that he should try and make introductions, if for no other reason than to try and figure out who would be friendly, who would pose a threat, and who would just piss him off. So far, the newest addition, who called himself Meldito - god, what a stupid name - was the target of his ire. He couldn't understand why, but something about him just stuck in Gideon's craw. He noticed a girl with a similar temperament to his own sticking off to the side, the one who'd called him a sleazeball, and decided to make himself known.

"Hi, don't know you, but thought I'd introduce myself. Gideon "Decibel" Belleran, asshole and sleazeball extraordinaire at your service." He said with a knowing smile. "I'm here because if I make too much noise, everyone around me starts wishing for death. Course, I'm not immune to it, but it didn't stop me from getting rich off it." He noticed Alex starting to get more irritable, and decided to take his leave. "But, I see you're starting to wish death upon me even without my power, so I'll take my leave. Allons-y." He said, quickly walking away.

As he did, he caught up with the girl from earlier and pinched her butt again, smiling as he did. "Sorry, my dear, but you've got quite the cute rump. And quite frankly, you look like you could use a friend at the moment." As he looked around, he noticed a small child keeping to himself, looking slightly confused and apprehensive. At least he didn't look like he'd try to kill Gideon...."Come on, let's go do a good deed and make friends with the little dude." Taking Maddie's hand in his, he led her gently toward the kid. Squatting down so he'd be at eye level, he flashed a smile and held out a hand. "Hey little guy, the name's Gideon. I'm new here, would you mind being my friend?"


Interacted with: @IceQueen, @Red Rabbit, @Ythania

Mentioned: @conman2163

 

[conman2163]

The woman who seemed more like a predatory animal clothed as a human then a true human introduced herself, saying that her name was Alex. Alex rolled her eyes and then scratched her head with what looked like...

Are those claws!?

Meldito began to get more and more alarmed by the minute he stayed here, and hopefully no one had a curse then allowed them to hear thoughts, otherwise they would have heard his rather alarmed thought. The alarm he felt only grew when the woman asked for raw meat or for chains, why she would need either of those was a mystery, as she did not state why, but it did nothing to reduce the stress factor of being around her. Then there was another person who came through, his name was Gideon, asshole and sleazeball extraordinaire. That was it, the first stage of his stress related curse began, and Meldito felt a familiar sludge like substance begin to form in his boots.

Not good, not good, not good! I need to get away form these people.... I hope that Doctor comes soon!

Thankfully the man named Gideon left, but Meldito couldn't help but feel that the Gideon guy just didn't like him for whatever reason, same went with Alex. And while Gideon may have been gone, the feeling of nervousness was not.

 

[Red Rabbit]

"Alex." She nodded once to cover up the fact she had been examining the irritated girl after the initial thought of danger popped into her head. There was something that screamed to stay away from her, though she couldn't quite figure out why. Hazel eyes flecked with broken streaks of green shifted towards movement just around the corner, her lips partially parting in a surprised o. She hadn't realized curses would fall into the laps of poor children, and then she remembered how cruel the world could be. Her mouth set into a hard line before she tore her gaze away to hide any expression of anger that wasn't intentionally directed towards the boy. Her chest felt constricted from the sudden overwhelming and helpless sense of anger. How many others had been affected at such a young and innocent age?

Disgusted with the thought she turned her attention to the third male who also seemed close to her age- Meldito. He seemed nice enough, though there was what she assumed to be stress on his face. She offered him the now mostly crumpled paper that gave an informal 'Hi' along with her name then took several deep breaths while watching him and Alex interact from off to the side. When his face changed to pure panic her optics followed his stare to Alex's claws that were scratching her cranium, her own eyes widening with understanding but not concern for her own well being.

Her shoulders shook with silent laughter while moving over to the far wall to drop her heavy duffel bag that mostly contained her art supplies, leaving her rear wide open for the second pinch of the day. She jumped again then whirled around to smack the back of his hand before taking the time to adjust her backpack over both shoulders, trying her damnedest to hide the visible flush of heat forming on her cheeks from the compliment he gave her. Besides that he was right about one thing; She could use a friend, she hadn't had many since that awful day of ink and screams. Matrona followed him with her hand in his, surprised that he would even touch it after her earlier accident. Once he was crouched she took her pen and wrote on the palm of her right hand: "Hello!" and even added a small smiling face to hopefully amuse the child. She held it out in front of her chest then wiggled her fingers at him, her mouth naturally curling into a smile that exposed her teeth, the expression partially fading at the sound of footsteps echoing from where Clo had returned just moments before.

@IceQueen @Ythania @conman2163 @Gateman @Vaila

 

[IceQueen]

Alex looked around her nervously as the man called Decible walked up to her. "Aha, great, your not helping." She growled, her eyes shifting from him to the kid in front of her, who now had this very terrified look on his face, like he had just seen a ghost. Which with her claws, was probably as close as he was going to get, unless he could see ghosts. Shaking her head, Alex let her body lean against the wall, chest rising and falling quickly as she looked for the quickest way out, which currently seemed to be nowhere in her blurring vision.

Growling, Alex looked around her. "If I where you..." Alex growled, her eyes flashing as she looked around. "I would run, and fast." She growled, hunching over soon after. A low growl came from her stomach, the noise rippling through the hall, and her body. The sound of cracking bones came after, her forearms growling, bones snapping into place. It all looked quite painful, seeing as it was quite painful. Growling, Alex watched herself helplessly as her hands quickly ripped apart into fur covered paws, almost twice the size of her own hand. Fur ripped through her shirt and anything she was wearing, her ribs quickly expanding, her body elongating.

Soon enough, Alex had been replaced by some furry beast, a tiger to be exact, her sharp claws scraping against the ground as the beast rose from the smooth floor. Her lungs heaved, pain rushing through her as she rose from the ground. Glaring up at the boy who was in front of her, a growl rising from her throat. In a second, the growl had changed into a defining roar, her long teeth exposed as she looked up at the boy in front of her. Her new muscles rippled as she stretched her legs, long claws scraping against the floor as her vision whipped from person to person in the room, trying to pick a snack that would be preferable.
@Ythania @conman2163 @Red Rabbit @Vaila @Gateman

 

[conman2163]

Meldito was slightly comforted by the informal hi of the note that the mute girl gave him. It was nice, slightly calming in the middle of all these people. Well, it was calming until Alex warned him that he should run. It froze Meldito in place, the panic starting to grow as he began to hit the limit of the first level of panic. Alex appeared to be changing, and if what he had already seen of her physical appearance and the request for either raw meat or chains was any indicator, she was likely to change into some kind of large predatory animal, maybe a mountain lion. Meldito had encountered a mountain lion once, the thing had mauled him and left him hospitalized for several days, and he had since then grown to have a fear for cats. Particularly the large kind. Meldito just hoped that Alex would transform into something small, maybe a cute and fluffy puppy dog? One that had a penchant for not eating frightened looking eighteen year old boys perhaps?

Meldito watched as the fur began to appear. Meldito's entire body was screaming for him to run, to get as far away as possible, that sixth sense that told you something bad was going to happen going off in his mind. He just couldn't get his legs to move, and just stared at the thing as it turned into...

A tiger, of course she turns into a tiger. Maybe the universe just hates me? Maybe that's all it is?

The transformation wasn't just affecting Alex though, it was affecting Meldito as well, as his body reacted with a fight or flight response, dumping adrenaline into his blood stream as his stress levels rose, and with it, came the worst part. Meldito's skin began to give off a visible bluish gas and the shoes around his feet turned to a blackish sludge, signalling the third stage of his stress related curse. Meldito slowly began backing away from the tiger. Hopefully the gas would work on the large cat as well, he didn't want to become tiger food. He wanted to yell out for everyone to run, but somehow his vocal cords seemed to have stopped working, and all he could do was look at the creature with a terrified expression.

@Ythania @Red Rabbit @Vaila @Gateman

 

[Ythania]

"Hey little guy, the name's Gideon. I'm new here, would you mind being my friend?"

Ryuunosuke seemed to become even more perplexed as more and more people filtered into the front hall, and then curious as one of them - a large, broad man - guided a younger woman with lilac and blue hair towards the little boy. He took a tentative half-step backwards, eyeing the man quietly as he introduced himself and held out a hand. A smile crept onto Ryuunosuke's face as he placed his little clammy palm in Gideon's. "I'm Ryuunosuke, but everyone calls me Roo." he responded - cheerfully, but with the same level of manners he expressed earlier. "Dad told me to make friends when we were coming here, so-...I'd love to, thank-you." His accent was odd, british-sounding and out-of-place in the Californian Institute.

Once he was crouched she took her pen and wrote on the palm of her right hand: "Hello!" and even added a small smiling face to hopefully amuse the child. She held it out in front of her chest then wiggled her fingers at him, her mouth naturally curling into a smile

Ryuunosuke turned to peer at the other woman in nothing short of awe. Her pastel-coloured hair, cheery demeanour and quirky introduction enraptured him at first sight - coupled with the warm and protective figure of Gideon, Ryuunosuke was sold. He peered at Gideon and blurted out "Is she a mermaid?" excitedly, before screwing up his features a little in a wince. He quickly corrected himself and gave Matrona his full attention, carefully introducing himself with "Hello, I am Ryuunosuke, pleased to meet you." Just like any other child he could barely restrain himself for longer than a few seconds - at the very least, giving himself enough time to think through what he was going to say before saying it. "I'm sorry for earlier, but your hair is such a pretty colour. You reminded me of The Little Mermaid; are you mute? Grandmother told me never to jump to conclusions, so I thought I should ask. If you are though, then that makes you even more like The Little Mermaid, so that's a plus." He looked like he was going to keep going; it seemed the duo had really brought him out of his shell. Barely two minutes have passed and already Ryuunosuke was shifting from restrained politeness and courtesy into something much more typical of a little 10 year old.

Growling, Alex looked around her. "If I where you..." Alex growled, her eyes flashing as she looked around. "I would run, and fast." She growled, hunching over soon after. A low growl came from her stomach, the noise rippling through the hall, and her body.

That is, of course, until Alex - his previous object of intrigue - gave him a warning. It was terrifying; where once there was a woman, a tiger stood in its place. Shortly afterwards, one of the newer patients started secreting a blue gas out of fear. Ryuunosuke gripped onto Gideon during the transformation, but when the tiger turned towards him and started to growl, his nerve snapped - tears started to stream down his face as he screamed "DR MAYHEEEEEEW!" in sheer, unadulterated terror. He scrambled away from the beast in his socks, slipping on the floor and banging his knees in the process - giving the tiger precious moments to catch up to him as he darted over to his room and hid under his bedcovers, sobbing incoherently, half-expecting the paltry duvet to grant him invulnerability, half-dreading the fearsome feline to rip his little body in half any moment now.

 

[Gateman]

"Nice to meet you, Roo, and I'm sure Maddox would say the same." Gideon couldn't help but laugh at the kid's question. "You know, I just met her, so I can't say for sure, but she blows bubbles like one, and she's certainly pretty enough, huh?" He didn't get a chance to get a response from the kid before something terrible happened. The angry girl from earlier turned into a large tiger, and the annoying guy started secreting gas like a Star Trek alien eating Del Taco for the first time. As Roo ran off, he shoved Matrona into the room behind him and shut the door tightly. "Don't come out till it's over," He hollered, just quiet enough to avoid activating his curse, "and make sure you and Roo cover your ears!" He liked the two of them, and didn't want them getting caught in his influence.

Gideon walked out in front of the tiger and tried to get her attention. He didn't know how much of Alex might still be in there, but he hoped she could understand him. "Hey Alex, forget to shave?" He knew she didn't like him, so maybe flinging some insults might keep her focus on him instead of the others. Man....from criminal to wannabe hero in a matree of hours; it's almost like he's the subject of some hack writer who didn't know what kind of man he'd created. "No wonder you're so cranky; you must be razor burned fucking everywhere! Tell me, do you get a bulk discount from Gillette?" His mouth was his only weapon at this point, he had to keep talking...

@Red Rabbit , @IceQueen , @Ythania

 

[IceQueen]

Alex didn't really exist much anymore. The desire for food was driving the rest of her senses crazy, like an overload. She could smell fear, lots of it, and some annoying gas and liquid that was starting to seep out onto the floor. Looking up at the boy in front of her, another enormous roar escaped her throat as she stared him down, lowering herself to the floor. Even as the gas flooded the area around them. Shaking her large head, Alex didn't seem to be that affected by the gas, but the liquid was irritating her. Flicking her paws, she threw off her left paw, her muscles rippling as she prepped to pounce. Considering the sludge he was creating was irritating her, he was the first and closest target.

Just as Alex was about to pounce, Gideon stepped towards her like some sort of hero. This only served to irritate the beast more, not as if his words registered to her, but his cocky stance was giving her ample reason to attack. Another roar rocked her body as her strong back legs launched into actions, sending her flying off the ground. Claws outstretched, Alex opened her maw, ready to rip muscles and crack bones, whenever possible. And it appeared as if Gideon was going to be her first victim of the day, unless someone found some meat, or a way to calm her down, which was difficult considering she was showing nothing but her sharp canines and claws.
@Gateman @conman2163 @Ythania @Red Rabbit @Vaila
(for a little bit of help on how tigers roar)

 

[conman2163]

Meldito continued backing up slowly as the tiger began to lower itself to the floor, and let out a massive roar. The gas and sludge was spreading at a rate that was higher then normal, and it soon reached the large predatory feline. Meldito hoped and prayed to every god he knew of that the gas would effect the animal, or maybe, just maybe, the sludge would. Wouldn't that be great? And after all that praying Meldito's prayers would almost certainly be answered, right? Riiiiiggghhhhttt? Meldito stared in horror as not only the gas did not effect the thing, but the sludge only seemed to annoy it even more then it already was. It flicked it's left paw, and began to prepare to pounce, it's massive muscles rippling.

This is it, this is where I die. What a crap show this has been, I spent half my short life cursed and stressed. I hope this thing makes it quick, I don't want it to hurt too much

Just as the tiger was about to pounce however, the sky opened up and god had pity on the poor boy, or perhaps some hack writer who didn't know what kind of man he'd created intervened, in either case, the man named Gideon appeared. A good thing too, as the stress limits were nearly at there highest recorded levels, the intervention of Gideon took a lot of the stress off Meldito, dropping him back down to his third stage. He turned his head to the man named Gideon, hoping that the guy would listen.

"Hey... not to interrupt or anything, but I wouldn't breathe the blue gas, it'll paralyze you. I'd also stay away from the black sludge, unless you want a chemical burn...."

Meldito continued backing up, hoping that Gideon would listen, and returning his attention to the tiger

 

[Red Rabbit]

Maddie had to bite the inside of her cheek to not giggle at the comparison Roo made between herself and a fish-girl who also couldn't speak. The kid was definitely imaginative. Her smile returned when he looked to her and apologized, replying with a casual shrug of her shoulders. His compliments were just as flattering as Gideon's though she could believe Roo much easier- kids usually wouldn't lie about things they like, like her hair. She gave a quick nod at his inquiry, making the unnaturally dyed hair bounce once. She would have liked to further communicate with him, but the words that left Alex's mouth made her halfway turn around just in time to see skin be replaced with fur.

The growl that came from the tiger's mouth coupled with the child's scream sent a shiver down her spine. What the hell kind of a curse was placed on her? Her attention shifted to Meldito who seemed to've sprung multiple leaks, her brows furrowing in confusion. There was some kind of goop seeping out from his boots and an obnoxious looking gas that seemed to be rolling off of him. This place was a mad house.

She didn't have time to act before being forced into the same bedroom as the poor youth who darted under his covers. The woman turned, mouth agape to speak only to have the door shut in her face. What could she have said anyway? Bloop, bloop, bloop? Her head gave an angry shake and she turned back to Ryuunosuke. Ears... Cover their ears? Matrona carefully sat down on the edge of the bed between him and the door to try and not traumatize him further. She pulled the covers back to get him to look at her, doing her best to keep a calm expression on her face while lightly patting her ears to show him to cup his own with both palms.

@Ythania @Gateman @IceQueen

 

[Gateman]

Gideon dig frantically through his pockets, searching for the one thing he valued more than money. Crap, I left them in the damn bag. He was speaking, of course, of his ear plugs, the only thing that made using his curse bearable. Sighing, he resigned himself to what he was going to do to himself. "This is gonna suck...and no one is even gonna appreciate it." Alex certainly wouldn't like him any more after this was over.

As he noticed the cat circling him, he started walking towards it. "Guys, if you value your comfort, I suggest you cover your ears. " He spoke, hopefully loud enough for everyone to hear. "You're fine as is, Gas man. After this is over, we'll have words about you destroying my shoes." He said to Meldito, pointing to the sludge melting the soles of his boots. As soon as he saw an opening, Gideon ran toward Kitty!Alex, leaping onto her back and holding tightly. He knew he couldn't choke her out, but he hoped that bit he'd heard about jungle cats having enhanced hearing wasn't apocryphal. Inhaling as deep as he could, he got close to her ear and screamed.

As he screamed, his head felt like it was being caved in by a lemon wrapped around a large gold brick. It was incredibly intense, and it made him scream again, this time in pain. The resulting blast of agony rocketing through his skull made him pass out. As he fell to the ground, his last thought was that he hoped she would go down too, or at least got indigestion if she ate him.

@conman2163 , @IceQueen

 

[conman2163]

Meldito was quiet and fearful, what did Gideon plan to do? The words about what he was going to do was going to suck made him curious, suspicious, and anxious all at once. He just hoped that whatever he planned to do it would stop Alex. Then Gideon told Meldito that he was fine as is, which was slightly confusing, but Meldito rolled with it, assuming that somehow Gideon could control his curse and the direction it went. Though the fact that they were going to have words about his shoes when everything was said and done was a little worrying, as Meldito did not like the context of that. Meldito waited, then watched as the man ran at the tiger, jumped on it's back, then opened his mouth and let out a sound that hit his ears like a brick to the face. The closest thing Meldito could compare it to was recording a fire alarm, then putting it on a loud speaker and turning it up to full blast. It was bad enough that Meldito dropped to one knee and instinctively covered his ears, but not before the second wave that came. Like it did with Gideon, the wave forced Meldito to blackout and fall to the ground.

@IceQueen @Gateman

 

[Vaila]

By the time it was all over, James and Clo were stood half way down the stairs staring at the commotion. James Mayhew had known this kind of things was a possibility but he'd never really considered that it would happen this quickly. They'd both heard the shouting, screaming and roars that seemed to echo through the institute and they'd set off running back down the halls to see what had happened. The once spotless room was now in tatters with shattered windows, cracked tiles and black sludge caking everything that it reached. It looked like a war zone. It was a war zone.

They'd both cringed at the sound of Gideon's scream, the sound almost unbearable. James cringed and found himself stopping, but Clo continued on and followed the sound. Unlike James who upon hearing the sounds began to feel the appropriate fear and anxiety associated with them, Clo didn't. Sure the pain was there but she felt nothing about it. It was as if it didn't affect her. She knew that it would hit her later when she had to touch her heart, but for now, at least, she was fine. But by the time they both arrived, everything was over. And everyone was unconscious.

~ TIMESKIP ~
​

Hours had passed since the 'introduction' of the new members of the institute, and the sun was already beginning to creep towards the horizon. The new 'inmates' as Clo called them had each been taken to the infirmary before being wheeled off to their new rooms to 'settle in' and Clo was left with little left to do but try and clean up the mess that the others had made. She didn't know why she bothered. It wasn't out of some obligation to anyone here or a desire to make everything spick and span again. She just did it because she did it. It had all started when she'd stepped on a piece of glass and had heard it crunch beneath her shoe. It might have irritated her if she'd cared at all, but instead, it had gotten no reaction at all. But that hadn't stopped her grabbing the nearest broom and sweeping it all up.

James had taken his time assessing his new patients, whether they were unconscious or not. He'd known that he was more than likely to get some more dangerous abilities, and the proof was already in front of him, but now that they were here he worried if he would be able to help them. He knew that each curse was different and as such each cure would be too. For some, they would have to find the witch who had cursed them and convince them to undo it. For others, it would be as simple as a potion or a spell performed by another witch. For others, they would have to learn a lesson for the curse to fall away. But no matter the type of curse, he knew this was the best place for all of them and he would try to help if he could.

As dinner came around, James decided that he would join his guests for once in the dining room and as he stepped in he found Clo already sat down staring at the box where her plate would eventually be. He knew what was inside of it, although she wasn't quite ready to show him or anyone else. Her hair was down for once, falling over her shoulders and hiding her face from view as she watched it and James wondered if perhaps she could feel it even from here through the confines of the box. "Bonsoir, Clo," the doctor said gently, breaking Clo's concentration and her head snapped up.
"Bonsoir, Doctor," she replied, but her voice was quiet and almost drowned out by the arrival of another guest.​

 

[conman2163]

Meldito woke up in the medical bed in a strange room. His head hurt like hell, it was pounding like he had a major hangover. Meldito remembered very little after the first scream. He vaguely remembered being wheeled down his hallway after that, but then he lapsed into unconsciousness once again.

Meldito looked around, and then immediately his hand shot to the crucifix around his neck, sighing when he realized it was there, then holding it in his hand for a moment to look at it, then staring in horror as he realized that the crucifix had a hairline fracture in it, possibly due to the raw amount of sound that had been shot out. After a moment of hyperventilating, and carefully turning it over and studying it, he breathed a sigh of relief as he realized that the fracture was in the middle, and not the edge of the crystal, meaning for the moment it was fine. He didn't want to think what would happen if it broke. It would be bad for everyone, with his curse probably ending up in an infinite loop. He shuddered at the thought.

Meldito stood up and opened his door. It seemed as though his stuff was in the room, and since it wasn't going anywhere anytime soon, he decided not to worry about it and moved down the hallway. After a bit of wondering, he found his way into the dining room, where he was surprised to see the woman who had called herself Clo, and another man, whoever he was. Meldito didn't give a thought to his bedraggled appearance, and instead took a seat at the table, not bothering to say ask if he could sit, or even greet either of the pair in the room. Once sat down he leaned forward on his elbows in an effort to relieve the pounding echo in his ears, not to mention a ringing that seemed to constantly there. Meldito had once heard that when soldiers fired their weapons in close proximity to their ears without any kind of ear protection that they were sometimes left to deal with major healing disabilities over the next few days, and while their hearing returned to normal, it took a while. Meldito wondered if it was slightly like that.

 

[Gateman]

Gideon woke up in a private room and slowly took inventory of his body parts. Nose, check. Eyes, check. Sweetmeats, check. A look over his limbs told him his fingers and toes were still around, along with the extremities they should be attached to. Although, at this moment, he kind of wished Alex had eaten him. His head still felt like it was being caved in by a brick; it'd been about 3 years since he did a blast that strong, let alone two.

He got up out of bed and changed clothes, opting for something comfy after noticing how late it was. He started putting on his boots, only to have the soles separate and dissolve as soon as he tried putting pressure on them. Looks like he would indeed have words with Meldito later, when he didn't feel like eating a bullet. He stumbled out of the room and down to the dining room, noticing the destruction around him as he went. He sidestepped some glass and wondered what the hell must have happened when he went down for the count. His curse was purely psychic, it didn't have any effect on anything that couldn't hear it; that's why he'd told maddie and Roo to cover their ears. The glass and destruction must have been from the tiger or that tosser with the crucifix. He'd figure it out later, right now he needed food.

He came into the dining room and plopped down in an available chair. Meldito had beat him there, and Gideon couldn't help but shoot him a dirty look as he felt the cold floor under his bare feet. Turning to face Clo, he put on a charming smile. "I don't think we've met yet, madame. The name's Gideon, and I apologize for the mess I caused. I saw Alex change, and I did something incredibly stupid trying to keep people safe. I can pay for the damages, if need be." He didn't know what kind of person this was in front of him, so it was best to play polite for now, especially since he was still too weak to scream again.

@Vaila

 

[IceQueen]

The last thing Alex remembered was the stupid idiot guy jumping onto her back, which only enraged her more, before she felt her head imploding on itself, causing her to pitch to the side and black out, her fur covered in black goop. And now, she was staring at the ceiling of what seemed to be a room. No one else was in it, so she assumed that it was that of her own. Her body ached tremendously, and her ears were still ringing a bit as she sat up on her bed. Her joints groaned in protest as she slowly tried to move herself around. Large side effect of turning into a tiger, your body isn't too happy about suddenly tripling your mass and doubling your size.

Rolling her shoulders, Alex looked around herself. 'Alone, I am alone. All alone. Peacefully alone.' She thought, letting out a sigh of relief as she pulled up her knees. She was glad this was a big place, because then she could ask to have the room farthest away form people, somewhere where she could call home. Currently the only thing that smelled natural was the bed, which seemed to be a bit, bent out of shape. Then again beds weren't really supposed to carry temperamental tigers weighing in at over 300 pounds. Rolling over, Alex buried her nose into the white sheets, letting her senses flooding with the familiar scent. Something that she could hold onto to keep her sane. Sighing, Alex rolled around in her sheets, wrapping them around her contently. 'This is the only place I can be happy.' she thought to herself. 'I can't be around anyone. Even people like me.' She thought, closing her eyes and letting the scent surround her. Since the violent transformation, her close were pretty much useless, which she had packed for. Her dark stripes were prominent on her bare skin, mostly on her back though. She had dreaded them ever since she had gotten them. Running a hand along the smooth areas of skin, she observed her stripes before going to her bag and grabbing a loose shirt, undergarments, and a pair of sweatpants. There was no use trying to look nice after what happened, considering she almost swallowed everyone whole.

Alex looked around her room, and found zero evidence of food. 'Great.' She thought, looking down at her rumbling stomach. The thing that had caused her to act so violently in the first place was food. She needed meat, raw or cooked, though raw was better. "The one thing I will never understand is the desire for red meat." she grumbled, sweeping as much of her hair as she could away from her eyes, slapping on a hat and carefully adventuring outside her room. Bare feet padding gently against the wood, Alex made her way down the hall and towards the smell of food. She did her best to avoid people at all costs, as was in her new nature, and she soon found her way to the dining room. She could hear a few people chattering inside, though mostly it was Gideon, who sounded like he had been hit by a truck. She felt similarly, yet she didn't move from her spot just around the corner from the dining room. 'Maybe I should just go back to my room. People would be safer that way.'

 

[Ythania]

Ryuunosuke cringed and whimpered as the covers were drawn back, shuddering in pure fear. Something sat down on the edge of the bed and, upon realising that he was in no immediate danger, the boy glanced up with a tear-stained face to peer uncertainly at Matrona the mermaid. Sniffling, Ryuunosuke followed the woman's example and covered his ears - mere moments before the first scream ripped through the building. Utterly terrified, Ryuunosuke pressed himself onto Matrona's side - he didn't even notice he was screaming and crying underneath all the chaos. The second scream was much harder to block out and it felt like a drill forced through his ears. It hurt immensely and for a brief moment, the chill of dread silenced his sobs as he wondered whether or not his ears were bleeding. Suddenly Roo pushed himself from Matrona and curled up into a ball, clasping his hands tightly over his ears, eyes screwed shut. Even after the chaos was finished, Ryuunosuke could hear nothing but ringing in his ears as he sobbed quietly to himself, the panic starting to abate in the silence following the incident.

Gently, Ryuunosuke pulled his hands away from his ears and the relief washed over him in an instant; there was no blood. The little boy flung himself onto Matrona again; his throat was raw from crying so hard, so the best he could manage were weak little croaks and shivers. Absolutely nothing compared to the horror that the boy experienced today. He didn't even begin to think that the Institute would be so dangerous and his homesickness came back in droves. He clung onto the mute tighter as he remembered his grandparents' house in Devon, going down to the beach during Christmas, his father tucking him into bed every night...All of it was thousands of miles away and Ryuunosuke was left alone, trapped with a group of people, every one of them burdening curses that were as dangerous - if not more - than his own.

With this grim thought in his mind, lying on his bed after the hammering of his heart settled into something fairly normal, the boy's exhaustion caught up with him as the adrenaline subsided. After 15 or so minutes he went limp, lying on Matrona's lap - not unconscious, but sleeping.

Later...

Ryuunosuke woke up in his bed and for a brief moment he assumed that everything eh remembered was nothing more than a nightmare. The ringing in his ears had greatly diminished but it was an ever-present reminder of the reality of the situation and the mere thought alone caused him to draw back under his covers and shudder. Were it not for his grumbling belly and dry throat, Ryuunosuke would have spent another evening locked in the confines of his bedroom. But his hunger outweighed his overwhelming desire to isolate himself from the others, especially when he considered the possibility that no food would come his way as the rest of the staff focus on solving the commotion from earlier.

He stood by the door, took a deep breath, and went out.

The front hall had been all but destroyed in the wake of the tigress, but it seemed like someone tried to clean up. Ryuunosuke pondered over the situation briefly; was he truly as safe here as his father claimed he would be? Nobody came to his aid as the tiger turned towards him-...no, wait. Ryuunosuke remembered Gideon turning to face the monstrous creature as the little boy fled....a surge of gratitude and respect coursed through him. Not only did Gideon throw himself in the jaws of the beast, but he also - presumably - sent Matrona to tell him to cover his ears.

The remains of the battle sent a chill down Ryuunosuke's spine, so he quickly went around the destruction and weaved his way into the dining room. Or, well, he tried to and found none other than the tigress herself. His heart dropped to the vicinity of his abdomen as he couldn't even do so much as a scream, simply bolting past the woman and into the dining room. Initially, he saw Dr Mayhew; he looked a bit stressed but, all things considered, he seemed to be in good shape. Then he noticed Clo, Meldito and Gideon, and his chest tightened with fear as the horrid incident came back, fresh in his mind. Ryuunosuke went right past them however, crashing haphazardly into the doorframe at the other end of the room as he skidded across the floor in his socks. He disappeared around the corner, all thoughts of food forgotten, and leapt into a broom cupboard in the hope that the stink of cleaning fluid would deter a hungry tiger from trying to devour him.

 

[Red Rabbit]

"No wonder where the nickname Decibel came from," Maddie thought after the initial scream that she had protected her ears from. Instinctively, she hunched over Roo when he pressed himself into her side, attempting to shelter him from the second yell that made her hold her ears tighter. Everything in the room became pale and briefly disappeared in whiteness, the ringing in her ears low and agitating. Her vision returned almost as quick as it had faded aside from the small white orbs that filtered it, her optics landing on the boy now curled up into a fetal position. Both hands hesitantly dropped from her ears, the fear of another scream floating somewhere in the back of her head as she reached out to Ryuunosuke. They hovered just inches away while struggling with how to help him and how to ask if he was okay, though maybe in this moment it was better that she couldn't talk.

She watched him, her brows furrowing with concern until he threw himself at her, their high arch returning with surprise. Matrona firmly wrapped her arms around him, one palm softly cupping the back of his head while the other rubbed between Roo's shoulders to try and soothe him. It couldn't have been twenty minutes before the ringing she heard stopped and the child was fast asleep. She stayed with him long enough to make sure he was okay before being pulled away and examined, then shooed off to her own room to get settled.


Her time alone was spent making herself at home in her temporary room and worrying over the others even though they were no more than acquaintances. She saw them in the infirmary while they were there, all out like a trio of drunks. In passing there didn't seem to be any physical ailments, but she knew better than to believe everything was alright from that alone.

More than a handful of thick, blank pages were taped against the wall furthest from the door of her bedroom in a disarray; Beneath them scattered objects such as paintbrushes, pieces of sponge, pencils, small tin cans of paint, and linseed oil sat accompanied by her open traveling bag that had even more utensils just barely peeking out between the open zipper.
Inspiration came and went so it was always better to be prepared.

She changed out of her attire and showered, opting to toss on some undergarments, a tank top, and a slightly over-sized pig onesie to sleep in. Dressing for comfort in the parting gift she received before her trip was just fine in her opinion since she didn't plan on leaving her room that evening. That was until she heard light footsteps pass through the hall. Maddie carefully cracked open her door and peered out at the backside of Alex who was back to her human self. Without a logical thought in her head she turned to grab a small notebook and a pen, tucking them against her chest. Curious about where she might have been heading off to, she followed in silence, keeping a distance of a full length of hallway between them. She even flipped the funny eared hood up over her head as if it might make her invisible, but pink didn't quite blend in with any of the manor's decor.

Just as she looked around a corner the familiar dark headed boy popped out and wandered in the same direction as Alex. She upped the pace enough to keep an eye on Roo, but she didn't want to startle either of them in simply appearing from behind. Matrona watched as he rounded into another corridor, the sound of an echoing crash bringing back that pit of concern in her chest. Her gaze fell on a standing Alex who was almost in front of an open archway, but the boy was nowhere to be seen. Assuming he ran off from the Shifter she stepped forward, scribbling in red ink along a page in her book. "Hey, kitty-cat." She teased in writing. The smell of food that wafted against her nose begged her to ask: "Weren't you hungry earlier? Why're you standing around now? Go eat!" She bit her lower lip, quickly scrawling, "Just not any humans." beneath it. Her cover of stealth was lost when she tore the paper free and simply walked up to the easily aggravated girl, offering it to her from the side.

@IceQueen

 

[IceQueen]

Alex was standing on the corner when a blur came running by, which she assumed was Roo. He was still terrified, she knew it. Everyone should be. Looking down at her open palms, she sighed, letting her fingers trace her nail beds. Now back to her normal nails, she looked just like anyone else in this place. But she wasn't. She knew that. She was meant to be this way.

Turning around as she heard someone approaching with a paper, she spotted the girl with colorful hair from earlier. She didn't look afraid of her, which was a start. Looking down at the paper she had been given, Alex growled slightly. "Don't call me kitty cat." She warned, her gaze shifting up to her's briefly before back down at the paper. Her fingers pressed into the paper, crinkling it significantly. "I would just walk in there but I highly doubt they serve red meat, if any meat at all. Besides, what am I supposed to do. I nearly killed everyone, again." She mumbled, shaking her head. She hated feeling like this, like she wanted to just crawl out of her own skin and be alone. A side effect to becoming a solitary animal. She hated being around other people, even her own family.
@Red Rabbit

 

[conman2163]

Meldito Looked up as Gideon entered the room. The man seemed to be barefoot, probably courtesy of Meldito's own curse. The guy probably didn't like him too much anyways, what with how he had told Meldito he was fine after warning the others to cover their ears, and then suddenly had let out that ungodly sound. The same one that had sounded only seconds later, and caused Meldito to black out. This was actually probably one of the first times he had sat down at an actual dinner table since being locked up in that county jail, and instead of being able to relish the thought of a home cooked meal, he instead had to deal with partial deafness, a constant ringing, and the fact that his curse had all but destroyed one of the few changes of pants he actually had, the sludge having eaten away at it sufficiently enough for him to have to change out of them when he got up. There were a few absences, notably Roo, Alex, and the other girl who had greeted him via notepad. Which, he'd actually would have rather had the stranger, Roo, and the mute girl then Gideon, the robot like Clo, and the stranger. He wanted to all around just avoid Alex.

Meldito decided it would be best for him to just twiddle his thumbs and stare at his hands. Dinner would probably be around soon, judging by the smell.