meet-and-greet | January 2016

[governors]

The Governors do this, sometimes; they hold a meet-and-greet for the new arrivals to help them get acclimated, and also to distract them from destroying their rooms. A message goes out to all the new arrivals informing them of a party with free food. Everyone likes free food, right?

In one of the recreation areas - sadly, not one of the ones accessible by slide - there are some chips, dip, some sodas and Solo cups, several large pizzas, and a surprising amount of Oreos.

Party.

Comments

[bostonhowler]

He's graceful. She'd noticed that earlier. Maybe he is the cat? Either that or he never changes the litter, because he just smells that much like cats.

And what does he know about smells and muffled sounds? Honestly, humans and their weak noses know nothing about strong smells. Try riding the T with hightened senses at rush hour.

But then he says under his paws. That makes no sense at all. She looks him over and raises an eyebrow. "Paws?" She asks. He doesn't have paws.

[allthesame2me]

Ew. Alex most certainly didn't smell like cat litter and thinking he might would have him soaking in a tub for hours. He's uncertain if she is quite hearing him, or if she knows what it is she's speaking to, until he says paws. The look she gives him is incredulous and he laughs softly, nodding and scratching beneath his besides crown of hair.

"Yes," and then, because he's certain about what she is to his core, he begins to shift where he squats a short distance away. The change is like watching liquid move, so fluid and fast, muscle moving and golden, spotted coat forming beneath the gauzy tunic and harem pants Alex is wearing. He grows in size, filling out in muscle even as a tail elongates from the base of his spine to begin casually flicking behind him. He remains squatting in his half-beast form, balanced casually on his digitigrade paw pads, arms braced against his knees.

"Paws." His voice is deeper now, and where his human form is androgynous, erring on feminine, this form is unmistakably male. He flashes a grin, whiskers fanning around his muzzle as his fangs flash briefly. His cupped ears swivel forward and his posture is wholly relaxed.

[bostonhowler]

Brigid isn't sure what she was expecting. But the tail? The actual paws? No, she isn't expecting those. Her eyes go wide. She almost jerks backward, decides that's rude and just stares for a moment.

One hand reaches out, as though to pet him, but she draws it back. That's very rude.

She shutters her eyes, wanting to flash her eyes at him, but decides that's going too far. "You have enhanced senses in your human form?" She asks, instead. Because that would make sense. It makes his comments seem a little more camaraderie and less like a human intruding.

[timid_kitty]

Alex doesn't press her space, keeping approximately a body length between them at any time. He seems her pupils shift and shrink, the muscles tense, but instead of jerking awake like he expects, she holds hersel still and stares. He meets that gaze calmly and patiently, whiskers fanning again as she begins to extend a hand toward him, before drawing it back again.

He nods at her question, whiskers flattening back against his muzzle for the most part. His form seems to go liquid again, though this time it's drawing in on itself and he shifts his clawed hands to the floor. When the change is done this time, he's no longer humanoid, but wholly leopard, although there are noted differences.

Where a male leopard would weigh roughly 70lbs, Alex looks closer in size to an adult lioness, roughly 300lbs; which, while intimidating, might be a little less so with a gauzy blouse and pair of pants hanging from his feline form. He shifts to sit on his haunches, but instead moves in and bodily bumps his blocky ass head against her hand, inviting he touch she'd pulled away before.

"In all forms," he rumbles out, and while it's not as clear as either his human or beast forms, the words should be mostly understandable. His blue green eyes open and settle on her face, whiskers wide and fanned and he finally plops down on his haunches and then all the way to the ground, right next to Brigid. Isn't he a pretty princess? All ferocious muscle and claws, wrapped in light gauzy women's clothing.

[bostonhowler]

"You can speak!" She's utterly charmed. Completely charmed. Her hand flattens against his head, petting down his neck. She even scritches behind his ears. She's never pet an animal before. No one in the pack had even had a parakeet or a goldfish. Animals didn't like wolves, really, so they just never had any in the pack, because of that.

"I'm sorry. That was rude. I just didn't expect you to be able to speak." She admits, somewhat sheepishly.

"Do you prefer this form, or do you prefer being human?" Now, she's curious. She'll probably come up with a whole lot of questions for him.

[timid_kitty]

Alex nods, a pure rumbling deep in his chest. "I can," he answers, the words rich and throaty. "Though it is hardest in this form... least human."

With vocal chords not made for speech, it had taken both focus and time to learn to do so in his leopard form.

Alex himself is in kitty cat heaven, eyes half-lidded and purr rumbling with every inhale end exhale as his enormous forefeet knead against the floor. Whether or not she's ever owned a pet, by body language alone Brigid should know that he's content to stay here all night.

"It took time to learn... to train my throat... not all can." It's not boasting or prideful; simply the truth. "No need to apologize."

He cups his ears back, her voice and presence far more reassuring than she might realize. He turns his head slightly at the last question to look at her at fully. His tails gives a lazy half curled flick, twitching near his splayed out rear legs.

"I grew up human... changed about five years ago for the first time... Some are born as lycanthropes in my world... others come to be through infection... I was one of the latter." His whiskers fan widely, nostrils flaring before his rough tongue snakes out and smoothes over his muzzle. His cupped ears flick back and then forward again, his blue-green gaze never leaving Brigid's own.

"But I think, perhaps, I am happiest with fang and claw..." His purr picks up again beneath his words. "Though I cannot complain about my human life... this has opened my eyes to so much. What one thought to be a curse... I consider a blessing." And there seems to be nothing but sincerity in his rumbling tone.

"Though I remained in human form much of the time before... the humans..." He pauses, ears flicking back, "protested our existence... It was safer to remain hidden."

His ears swivel forward again, head tilting slightly. "Which do you prefer..." he pauses again, feline eyes widening a touch. "I never asked your name..."

[bostonhowler]

Happiest in this form. She can see why that would be a thing. She wishes that she had the ability to shift into a wolf, but that is reserved for the strongest Alphas. Not even her Alpha can do it and he's actually one of the strongest along the Eastern Seaboard.

"Remaining hidden is always preferable." She agrees, petting his head. When he asks her name, she smiles. "I'm Brigid Finn." She says, still stroking his head. "And I don't have a second form. Yes, there are fangs and claws, should I wish it, but I still look somewhat human." She admits. Her eyes flash bright blue, just for the quickest of moments, because that she can do without too many people seeing.

[timid_kitty]

He thrums low in his chest, paws kneading against the floor as he leans contently into her hand. "I would prefer if it were not needed... to not have to hide what I am..." He turns half lidded eyes back to tegard her. "Maybe for that reason... being here is the best."

He listens as she continues, nodding his big, blocky head. "That makes you no less extraordinary," he rumbles with throaty warmth. He takes in the brief flash of her eye color and rumbles approvingly. "It is my absolute pleasure to meet you, Brigid Finn," he says, whiskers fanning wide as his ears cup forward again. "My name is Alex... Alex Marsters."

Alex tilts his head, tail flipping lightly. "We should run together sometime... It's been forever since I hunted with any wolf... I've missed it."