Waking up in. .. Vegas? (Open)

[MAL BLACKNEST]

Can I Help You Tonight?

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Well, it did, at least, seem as though she was going to trust him, and he relaxed slightly at that knowledge. He would have understood if she hadn't, him still being largely a stranger to her. Fortunately, for both of them, she stuck to the logical belief that if he had saved her life, he was reasonable to be trusted, at least inasmuch as allowing him into her dorm. It also clarified a few things for him. A dorm meant that she was a student. That, combined with her familiarity with the doctor and her clarity about her wounds, led him to believe that she was, in fact, a medical student. Not that that really told him much of anything, but it could be a mildly useful bit of knowledge in the future. When she mentioned a roommate, he winced slightly. Even if said roommate wasn't able to listen in, what would she think about Noelle bringing in a man covered with blood into the dorm. Nothing good, certainly. Hopefully, he'd get the chance to clean up a bit before this little conversation. Blood might not worry him, but it was getting to be a tad bit annoying, caked and dried on his arms like this. Fortunately, there just happened to be a restroom adjacent to the exit, so he ducked in, making sure there were no other occupants before rinsing and scrubbing his arms clean, then removing his shirt and getting most of the blood out of it as well, drying it somewhat with the hand dryer. Sliding the shirt back on, he hurried out to join her.

As they walked out, the slight sense of pride he felt in his reasoning that someone would have gotten her a car was quickly crushed by the growing apprehension as they approached said vehicle. It was a trip he simply knew he wasn't going to enjoy. Mal hated cars, and stared at the yellow vehicle with a sense of dread. He suffered transportation only when his feet couldn't carry him somewhere, which usually only involved a trip between continents. At least on a plane, he could just curl up into a tight ball and sleep away the trip. He slid into the seat after her, already feeling cramped as he shut the door behind himself. He was too disturbed to hear her tell the cabby where to go, and his hand tightened on the door handle slightly as the cab slid out into the street. His breathing quickened with his pulse. How could they feel so comfortable in a contraption like this?

For a short time, he bore the ride in its excruciating silence, but before long, he felt the confining walls of the tiny space closing in on him. He was not generally a claustrophobic person, but the smell of the car, the oily metallic scent, was almost nauseating to him this close. With a grimace, he spoke up, trying to keep the unease from entering his voice. "So... How long is this drive, exactly? I'm not really... great with cars." He glanced out the window, wincing as the bright colors of the city moved past. There was just something... wrong about all of this. The car, not her, though her wounds could also be construed as being...wrong...in a manner of speaking.
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Please Say I Can...

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[noelle adrienne cooper]

I open my eyes I try to see but I'm blinded by the white light I can't remember how, I can't remember why I'm lying here tonight And I can't stand the pain And I can't make it go away No, I can't stand the pain How could this happen to me? I've made my mistakes Got nowhere to run the night goes on As I'm fading away I'm sick of this

can't erase the things that I've done no I can't

reat. She was stuck in a car with a man she barely knew and she hardly even knew how to talk to the people she did know. What kind of conversation were you supposed to hold? Should she ask him some questions? No, that was a dumb idea. . . . She’d look like a complete freak if she started asking him what his favorite movies were or what he liked to do in his spare time. . . .

Don’t even get her started on talking about the weather.

The awkwardness in the car just grew until finally Mal said something and broke the silence at last. Noelle tore her gaze away from the window and the outside world to look at him, and she just realized that he was a little bit uncomfortable in the car. Well, it was easy to tell that when he announced that he didn’t do well with cars. . . Noelle sighed and congratulated herself for being such an observant person and then glanced out the window again.

“Ah. . . ,” she stumbled, trying to get her bearings and a decent guesstimate about how long they had. “Well. . . . I think around ten or fifteen minutes. Did you. . . did you just want to walk?” She was probably in no condition to be walking too far, but if Mal was really that uncomfortable in the car she could probably walk for him.

TAGGED: Mal WORDS: two hundred forty three OUTFIT: Here NOTES: XP Omg it sucks sorry. CREDIT: Crayola did the template and the image. LYRICS: Simple Plan

[MAL BLACKNEST]

Can I Help You Tonight?

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Ten to fifteen minutes. He could make it that long. With a soft smile in her direction, as difficult as it was to bring out, he turned to glance out the window at the whirling colors of the city. He was breathing quietly through his mouth now, closing out the world of scent through his nose. It was almost like intentionally blinding himself. His sense of smell was his most powerful sense, and viewing the world through his eyes and ears was like starting at a painting where the colors had been blurred and muted, making everything vague. At least in one way, the bright neon colors of the sign were a relief in that regard, providing some distractions to an otherwise dull visage. Despite all of his reservations, humans could, at least, show a lot of variety in what they did. So many colors twinkling merrily in the city. He understood somewhat how the city never slept, because of all the noise, the light. It never ended, and that was precisely why he wanted, ached, to leave...

He glanced back at the girl beside him, trying to think of something to say. Interesting, the nighttime city might have been to him, but she had doubtlessly seen it all before, and he knew full well the awkwardness of sitting in silence with someone. "You said you were a student?" He asked, his emerald eyes shining in the light of a passing sign. "What are you studying?" It was more a question for her, than for him. He knew, or thought he knew, what she was studying, but he really wanted to break the almost palpable tension in the air around them. It was stifling to him.
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Please Say I Can...

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[noelle adrienne cooper]

I open my eyes I try to see but I'm blinded by the white light I can't remember how, I can't remember why I'm lying here tonight And I can't stand the pain And I can't make it go away No, I can't stand the pain How could this happen to me? I've made my mistakes Got nowhere to run the night goes on As I'm fading away I'm sick of this

can't erase the things that I've done no I can't

Pursing her lips, Noelle looked from Malcom to the window and then back again. He said he didn’t want to walk, but she felt bad for making him sit there in the car with her. It was a normal thing for her so she wasn’t really sure why he’d be so uncomfortable. . . . Maybe he just got car sick really easily, or didn’t like tight spaces. . . .

After scootching over just a little bit more to try to give the big man his space, Noelle felt around on the door to her seat until she found the button for the window. It hissed as it moved downward a couple inches and air immediately rushed through the cab. The driver looked back in his rear-view mirror looking a little annoyed, but Noelle completely missed it and just turned back to Mal, hardly noticing that it was a tad bit easier for her to see him despite the dark.

“Is that any better?” she asked cordially, attempting to smile but failing to do so. “I can put it down further if it’d help at all. This is supposed to be a good way to fix car sickness. . . .” It was also what she did for her dogs when they were in the car with her, but she figured that would be a little insensitive.

She wasn’t a complete social reject.

He asked her what she went to school for and she patted her chest gently—well, as gently as she could—and managed not to hurt herself in the process. “I’m a medical student. . . . I want to be a surgeon, but I’d settle for ER doctor like Dr. Chavez if I can’t do surgeon,” she replied, rubbing her palm along the bandages on her arm.

TAGGED: Mal WORDS: three hundred and two OUTFIT: Here NOTES: You can have them arrive at the dorm in your next post if you want. CREDIT: Crayola did the template and the image. LYRICS: Simple Plan

[MAL BLACKNEST]

Can I Help You Tonight?

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He shot her a grateful glance as she lowered the window, finally able to breathe properly again. the smell of the car was still there, but it was masked somewhat by the rest of the city. Enough for him to bear it, at least. It really was a busy place, New York. Even this late at night, the place was teeming with humans. He could see them, scurrying by on the sidewalk. He could smell them as the cab drove on. Humans. The epitome of evolution. Top of the food chain, or so they said. What would she think, once she found out? Would she revel in her new power, and fall to it? Or would she accept it, without the attempt to abuse it. Both a gift and a curse, she'd find it, as did all new turnlings. Everyone she knew would grow old and eventually pass the final marker. That was the true pain of being turned, the pain that Mal could never have experienced. You had to leave the life you led behind, he'd heard another turned were say once. Let go of your connections to the world you once knew. Would someone like her be strong enough to handle it? He couldn't be certain, but he knew almost nothing about her. She was clear-headed in a pinch, and that comforted him, if only a little. Then again, as a potential surgeon, she would probably have to think logically, as well as quickly. His emerald eyes narrowed slightly as he rested a cheek on his hand, propping his arm on the lowered frame of the window. She would make it. He didn't think she was the kind to give up.

Looking back at her, he tilted his head slightly, curious. "A surgeon? Any particular reason you decided to pursue an occupation in the medical field? Something that happened in your past? Or just an arbitrary decision with no real purpose behind it?" He was trying to pass the time. Silence was almost painful to him right now, because of how awkward it was. Time really didn't seem to have much meaning in this car. A minute might well as easily have been a second, or an hour. He waited for her response as time crawled slowly by, trying not to feel the uncomfortable sensation of the car beneath him.

It was with no small relief that he felt the cab finally slow, then stop. At last, they had reached their destination. He slid out quickly, happily stretching in the night air, then offering a hand to her as she got out of the car. "So, Noelle... Are you ready to hear the truth?" He asked, almost playfully, unable to keep his spirits from rising after finally being freed from the metal, oily prison.
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Please Say I Can...

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[noelle adrienne cooper]

I open my eyes I try to see but I'm blinded by the white light I can't remember how, I can't remember why I'm lying here tonight And I can't stand the pain And I can't make it go away No, I can't stand the pain How could this happen to me? I've made my mistakes Got nowhere to run the night goes on As I'm fading away I'm sick of this

can't erase the things that I've done no I can't

oelle smiled, glad that Malcolm’s discomfort seemed to get almost literally blown through her open window. Well at least she had managed to make some use out of herself despite the fact that she hadn’t the slightest clue as to what to talk about.

Malcolm—or Mal, wasn’t that what he said he preferred to be called?—seemed to carry the conversation though and for that Noelle was grateful. He asked about her choice in a career and she had to think about it for a moment, thinking back to the initial decision and the situation that she had been in. . . . Hadn’t it been when she was sick? Yeah. . . Yeah she recalled correctly!

“Um, when I was in high school I got pneumonia and had to be hospitalized. I suppose it was at that time that I, um, decided, I guess. Dr. Chavez wasn’t an ER doctor. There’s no, um, real meaning behind becoming a. . . um, surgeon. I wouldn’t be too torn up over it if I didn’t become one. I’ll just have to, um, see where. . . it takes me,” she replied, fidgeting with her fingers and keeping her gaze locked on her lap. Was it strange for her to want to be surgeon or was he just trying to take a mild interest in her life?

Slowly the cab pulled up in front of her little dorm and Noelle pulled the twenty dollars that Dr. Chavez had given her and handed it over to the cabby, telling him to keep the couple dollars in change. Malcolm offered her a hand and she stared at it for a moment. The back of her head was telling her he just wanted to help her out, but she gave the hand an uneasy look and just stood up without his help, somewhat afraid of what would happen if she took his hand. It was just a kind gesture, and as soon as she stretched her body to get up on her own Noelle wished that she had taken his hand: it stretched the stitches and hurt.

Noelle reached by her side for where her purse would normally be, then she remembered that she had lost it after the attack. Sighing, she rubbed her stomach and looked around to locate the front office. “Almost. . . . My key was um, in my purse, so I have to go tell the front desk that I need a new one,” she muttered pathetically, setting off toward the front office. She just assumed that Malcolm would follow her.

It took only a few minutes and a small little bit of paperwork, but her request for a new key was filed away and Noelle was told it would only be a couple days before she got her key. Until then she would just have to rely on her roommate in order to get in and out of the dorm room. It was on the second floor and Noelle led her new acquaintance up a set of stairs before she got to her room. Looking a little chagrined, Noelle knocked on the door and waited a little bit, then knocked on it again hoping that her roommate was there.

Finally, though, the door opened and a girl with dark hair not unlike Noelle’s—it was notably shorter, though—answered, looking rather tired and groggy. “What the heck do you w—oh it’s you. Did you lose your key?” the woman asked, rubbing her eye. Slowly, though, she caught sight of Malcolm and gave him an appraising look with weary eyes, glancing back and forth between the two. “Who’s this?”

Noelle nodded her head and muttered an apology, then looked up at Malcolm, her face reddening visibly. “Um, he’s. . . um. . . Malcolm. . . . He, um. . . well. . . . I was um, attacked by. . . some. . . um, animal or something. . . and he took me to. . . um, the hospital and wanted to make sure I. . . um, got home safely,” she explained quietly, staring at her feet and running her fingers nervously through her long, sleek hair. “Sorry if. . . it’s an inconvenience, Jackie.”

Jackie looked Noelle over with concern and then stepped aside to let them in. “You’re kidding right? You were attacked? Is everything okay?” she asked, closing the door behind the two once they were inside.

“Yeah. . . . Just a few stitches, that all,” Noelle muttered, rubbing her bandaged arm. “We’re going to go. . . to my room for a bit so we don’t bother you while you’re sleeping.” Not once did she ever look her roommate in the face, and her slow shuffling steps led her and Malcolm to a closed door that could only be her room.

A smirk etched onto Jackie’s face and she snickered. “Gotta repay the man’s favor eh, Noelle? I had no idea you were like that!” she teased mercilessly, opening the door to her own room while looking Malcolm over again. He wasn’t too bad looking for his age, but she still debating calling the cops on the man for being some sort of deviant taking advantage of her dear, naïve, easily manipulated roommate. Some people had no shame!

In response a normal person might have given Jackie a dirty look, but Noelle just blushed deeper and she tightened her soft grip on her arm, making herself wince. “I—he, we’re not. . . why would—um. . . um. . . .”

TAGGED: Mal WORDS: nine hundred thirty two OUTFIT: Here NOTES: wow a decent post. thought this was a good place for him to step in. CREDIT: Crayola did the template and the image. LYRICS: Simple Plan

[MAL BLACKNEST]

NEver felt this way before...

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He felt a slight pang of rejection and irritation as she didn't take the hand, and immediately felt bad about it afterwards. She didn't have to trust him. She just had to believe him, and he had plenty of ways to make her do that. It would be a lot less difficult, however, if she could trust him. If she didn't want help, however, then he would leave. Gods knew he had done it many times before. Moving on was as much habit for him as it was an act of practicality. But the least he could do, if she allowed him to do so, was to provide her with the truth. So he followed her, silently, into the building, leaning against a wall while she apparently applied for a new key. In some ways, he was concerned about his presence here, even if he was trying to help someone. He held no responsibility for this girl, and he had already saved her, so surely he could be justified in leaving, right? She was merely a turnling, still mostly human in body. If he left now, she could simply struggle through whatever trials came. She would survive, but there might be some collateral damage, especially amongst her friends and family.

He sighed to himself, his eyes flashing for a second to a wild golden hue before fading back to their normal, human, green. He felt confined here, caged. Locked into a world where he didn't belong. He had never turned a human being, never had any inclination to. He knew that many weres preferred to run in packs, but it wasn't his way. Nor had he ever taken a mate and sired any children. Five hundred years old, and not a single child. It was an interesting thought. Not that he was a particularly paternal figure, but there was no reason he couldn't be. He mused about it while she led them up the stairs, smiling to himself. What did he know about being a father? He hadn't ever had one to compare himself to.

As the door swung open, his green eyes glanced once over her roommate, noting upon the similarities. In appearance, anyway, but not, apparently, in personality. His eyes narrowed at her teasing words, and his eyes flashed gold, but he kept his face away from Noelle so that she wouldn't see. "No. She is not repaying me any favor. I am here simply to help her understand the nature and the extent of her injuries. Trust me, I will most likely be gone in fifteen minutes, so you may stop worrying about your roommate." His voice carried a slight hint of disgust. He was irritated that she would even think of something like that, after everything he'd done.
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Why do you make this so...

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[noelle adrienne cooper]

I open my eyes I try to see but I'm blinded by the white light I can't remember how, I can't remember why I'm lying here tonight And I can't stand the pain And I can't make it go away No, I can't stand the pain How could this happen to me? I've made my mistakes Got nowhere to run the night goes on As I'm fading away I'm sick of this

can't erase the things that I've done no I can't

h now things were getting heated. She had known that Jackie had just been kidding, but Noelle suddenly got the idea that Malcolm might not have known it. . . . She lifted her hand slightly and her mouth dropped open as if she was going to try to diffuse the situation, but she dropped her hand and closed her mouth and took a few steps into her room as if to just excuse herself.

Jackie, however, was not as pleased. She crossed her arms against her chest and leaned backwards slightly, her entire posture just screaming “sass” as she pressed her tongue against the inside of her bottom lip and looked the man over once more. “Chill your boner dude the girl knows I was just teasing. What the heck kind of girl do you think I am? Geez Louise I hope you are gone in fifteen minutes. . . ,” she snapped back with a few little rocks of her neck before turning around and receding to her room.

Not without muttering “Jackass” under her breath though.

Noelle waited for Jackie to close her door—or rather, slam her door—before she poked her head out of the doorway and gave Malcolm a sheepish, repentant look. “Um. . . she really was. . . um. . . kidding. I’m. . . um, sorry. . . about that. She’s. . . she’s just, um, tired. . . or. . . I don’t know,” she warbled, practically hugging the doorstop as if it was going to save her life.

“Please. . . um, come in. . . . I’m sorry for the, um, mess.”

Inside her small room was a single twin bed, three bookshelves and a small dresser doubling as a bed-side table. Despite there being three four-shelf bookshelves, though, books still littered the bedroom floor and a single chair that really wasn’t even there to sit in, just to be used as another bookshelf. However, Noelle removed the four books and set them on top of a different pile so that Malcolm would have a place to sit while she situated herself on the bed.

Biting her lip, Noelle pulled her knees up to her chest and set her chin on the caps, subconsciously trying to make herself look small and non-threatening. “So. . . um, you had. . . you had an, um, explanation?” she began, fidgeting slightly while she tried to get comfortable against her pillows.

TAGGED: Mal WORDS: four hundred and ten OUTFIT: Here NOTES: adljgnjjb blah CREDIT: Crayola did the template and the image. LYRICS: Simple Plan

[MAL BLACKNEST]

Never felt this way before...

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Mal's eyes narrowed slightly at the entirely expected show of young woman sass, and he had to bite the inside at his cheek to resist making one more comment. Fortunately, he was an antisocial soul at heart, which made it relatively easy to ignore his desired rebuttal and simply look away as she walked out. He winced slightly at the epithet his ears caught muttered under her breath, but merely frowned. He didn't... care... right? The thought nibbled at his mind for a while. Gah, what did it matter. This entire night was winding his nerves so tight he felt that if one person jumped out around a corner, he'd wind up fainting from sheer nervous exhaustion. He nearly did it anyway as Noelle's head came out of her doorway, making him leap backwards about a foot, then blush. " I'm... sorry. I tend to make people dislike me, especially when I'm...stressed..." He didn't mention that the only reason he was stressed was the entirety of the night. Still, he followed her into the room, sitting down when she opened up the chair. Nonetheless, his gaze flicked around the small room nervously, as if he were slightly afraid of the small space. It wasn't really claustrophobia, but merely a reaction when most of his life had been spent outside.

He sighed slightly at her question, taking a deep breath before launching into his explanation. His voice was quiet, and for those with the mindset to notice it, there was a hint of nervousness in it. "I did, didn't I... Look, Noelle, I'm going to have to warn you, there's going to be a good chance you won't believe me." He bit his lip lightly, then started again. "The thing that bit you...and clawed you... wasn't really a creature that most people believe in right now. A while ago, back when I was born, they knew about them, and the rumors still exist." He couldn't stop now, the words flowing out of his mouth. "You see, the thing that bit you was a werewolf. I should know, seeing as I am one..." He stopped, emerald eyes looking at her. "If you... need proof... I can show you...or if you want me to leave... I can do that too..."
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Why do you make this so...

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[noelle adrienne cooper]

I open my eyes I try to see but I'm blinded by the white light I can't remember how, I can't remember why I'm lying here tonight And I can't stand the pain And I can't make it go away No, I can't stand the pain How could this happen to me? I've made my mistakes Got nowhere to run the night goes on As I'm fading away I'm sick of this

can't erase the things that I've done no I can't

oelle tilted her head to the side and then hunched her shoulders. “St-stressed?” she muttered, fidgeting with her fingers. Oh great. . . she was making this poor man’s life terrible! Way to make a person feel bad. “I’m. . . sorry. I didn’t mean to put you out like this.” Oh geez. . . she’d just have to make sure she let him leave early enough that his stress levels would leave. . . .

She took a deep breath and waited for a moment or two while Malcolm gathered his thoughts, then told her that she probably wasn’t going to believe him. Biting her lip, Noelle glanced around the room again and made sure that her door was closed. She didn’t really think that Jackie would be the kind of person who would eavesdrop, but if the door wasn’t closed she might overhear. However, it was closed so the problem was solved before it could even start. “What could be so unbelievable about it?” she asked quietly.

“The thing that bit you. . . and clawed you. . . wasn't really a creature that most people believe in right now. A while ago, back when I was born, they knew about them, and the rumors still exist. You see, the thing that bit you was a werewolf. I should know, seeing as I am one. . . ,” he explained in a rush, though not so fast that Noelle couldn’t let it all sink in at the same time his words left his mouth.

Not even remotely at eloquent as Malcolm, Noelle spoke. “W. . . what?”

A werewolf? A real werewolf? And the only reason why he really knew it was because he was one, too? All she could do was sit there on her bed, knees to her chest and arms around her legs while she stared at him with a deadpan look. She really couldn’t completely understand it. Was he being serious? Or was he just teasing her? Making fun of her and trying to make her look like a complete idiot?

Noelle almost started crying as she stared at him, convincing herself that some sort of dark prank was being pulled on her. “A werewolf? What—you can’t—I’m not. . . I’m not. . . stupid,” she muttered, tightening her arms around her legs and clenching her fingers around each other. “They’re not real.”

If you’re not going to tell me what happened, you can just leave, she thought bitterly. Noelle wanted nothing more than to tell him that out loud instead of just thinking it bitterly in her mind, but she was far too kind to do anything like that and maybe when he realized his sick little joke wasn’t going to work he might actually tell her the truth about what happened to her tonight. Werewolf. . . did he think she was born yesterday?

TAGGED: Mal WORDS: four hundred and eighty four OUTFIT: Here NOTES: D'aw you upset her. CREDIT: Crayola did the template and the image. LYRICS: Simple Plan

[MAL BLACKNEST]

Never felt this way before...

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From the moment the words left his mouth, he could tell that she didn't believe him. It was obvious from the way her eyes changed immediately from curiosity to doubt. Hell, there was likely even a little anger in there as well. It was understandable, of course. No one wanted to believ that the entire world as they knew it was covered by a veil of lies and half truths. Sure, those serial killers that one might see on TV were real, but they weren't human. Half of the time, their victims probably weren't either. Sometimes, people needed to see what was actually there to see, rather than the lies that they chose to believe. He wasn't stung by her disbelief, not really. He couldn't expect to say something so unbelievable and expect her to turn all of her own thoughts around. After all, he was still a stranger, despite having rescued her. It was the city, and bad things did happen to good people.

With a sigh, he stood. "I'm sorry, but might I use your bathroom for a moment? You have my assurances that I will not touch anything..." Quickly, without really waiting for a response, he ducked through the doorway, closing the door after him. There was really only one option he had left. He didn't want to do it in front of her, lest he lose the only pair of clothes he had left. Mal was slightly uneasy about shifting in general, given the small size of the room, but he had run out of options. Heaving a quiet sigh, he stripped off his clothing, folding it on the floor and attempting to ignore the fact that he was naked. Then, with a slight frown, he began to shift. Hairs sprouted from his skin, a sleek white that spread and thickened rapidly. Bones popped in and out of place, his body structure growing and changing. His face shot out, elongating, teeth growing and grinding together. Claws scraped on the floor as the change finished, golden, wild eyes moving towards the door.

He paused, paw outstretched, taking a deep breath. Noelle, I'm coming out now...

[/u][/color] The thought was soft, directed at her mind, as he turned the knob and stepped out into her room, having to bend nearly double to get through the door. For a moment, he stood there, looming over the room. Believe me now?[/u] he asked, unable to keep the bitterness out of his thoughts.
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Why do you make this so...[/u]
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