A Penny for Your Thoughts {OPEN}

[kayla]

This was the first time that Kayla had been out here. The lake was calm, water lapping gently at the sandy shore. The waters were a deep blue, fish could be seen swimming to where ever they had to go. The surrounding forest was teeming with life, squirrels chirped in the trees and birds flew about overhead. It had just rained, the smell was still thick in the air and flowers had started blooming. It was the perfect place for someone to unravel their thoughts. That's exactly what Kayla had come for.

She sat on the beach, taking off her shoes and dipping her feet into the cool water. There was a lot she had to sift through, which is why she had come here, for the privacy and quiet. First of all were the dreams that kept appearing. The ones with that devil thing. She'd looked the creature up on the internet. It was surprisingly similar to her, wild, vicious. But in her dreams it had talked, something about Hunters and Innocents. It's what had brought her here, to the middle of nowhere. It had said she was an Undecided, that she must choose. By what it had told her, she figured the Hunters sounded more fun. But... oh, it was all so confusing. She sighed and put her head on her hands, staring into the waters.

This lake wasn't helping. All she saw in the water was that stupid Tasmanian Devil. She had to admit, it was a cute little thing but still... it was the root of all her recent problems. Kayla had been fine in Vancouver, working at a bar, partying, living life day by day. Then the dreams had started and they'd told her to come here. She had and there was nothing. It was frustrating, wondering if she had made a mistake. She closed her eyes in irritation and laid on her back, enjoying the feeling of the sand. She stared up at the clouds, hoping someone would give her some answers. Or she'd have to start taking them.

[Melissa|Tristan]

((OOC: How could I resist RPing with our newest member?? ))

The weather was beautiful today, and the breeze was surprisingly pleasant on Tristan's bare arms. He'd opted for a t-shirt instead of his usual hoodie today, making the decision on a whim. Okay okay, and maybe part of it had been because Mel had mentioned him being slightly pasty after the long winter months. Since sunbathing wasn't in any way Tristan's style he figured why not get some excersise and take a lengthy walk in the woods? After conferring with Melissa she mentioned a lake with a nice view, and he figured that it was as good as any other destination today.

Thankfully his shift wasn't until tonight, when most of the emergency room action happened. It was the best job in the world (in Tristan's opinion) to be able to help people the way he did as a paramedic. He especially loved the hustle and bustle of the hospital, which never truly seemed to let up. Sometimes in the wee hours of the morning when he was feeling lonely, that same movement was very comforting. It let him know that he wasn't alone. So he'd snatched a granola bar from the cupboard, tucked an apple in one of his others and set out. Within ten or fifteen minutes he was beginning to sweat a little, so to cool off he simply pulled his shirt over his head and slung it over his shoulder. Temped as he was to simply shift and cover more ground that way, Tristan resisted for another ten minutes before succumbing. His talisman was overjoyed at a chance to be feed from it's all-too-short leash. After trotting for another short length of time the trees thinned suddenly and there was a beautiful lake just as Mel had said.

To Tristan the water looked cold so he intended to stay dry, but his talisman had other plans. After seizing control for a minute amount of time, they had charged into the water until the liquid was chest deep and swirling all around them. By then Tristan had resigned himself to the wet with a sigh. Ordinarily Tristan loved swimming, however like most people the cold wasn't something he was very fond of. Since they were in anyways though . . . he gave a mental shrug, kicked off from the bottom and began swimming along the shoreline.

As he rounded a curve in the lake, a small beach came into view and Tristan made for it, hoping to rest before continuing on his way. Apparently swimming with four legs required more coordination -and therefore more energy- than regular swimming. And the beach was already somewhat occupied...a girl Tristan had never seen before was lying with her feet in the water. Being a paramedic, his first thought was if she was okay. The position she was lying in seemed to indicate that she was hurt, perhaps unconscious. Either that or she was sleeping. To better assess, the horse charged out of the water, flinging spray everywhere until he was facing her head. Lowering his own, he blew into her face gently, hoping to arouse her if she was sleeping without panicking her. If she was hurt he would instantly shift and attend to her injuries, but there was no need to show himself if it wasn't necessary. As he took a closer look at the girl, Tristan had to admit it to himself . . . Melissa had been right about the view.

[kayla]

((OOC-Why thankyou. ))

Kayla had been lying in the sand, contemplating the mess that had recently become her life. Then she heard splashing and the occasional snort. It sounded like a horse. She was too lazy to investigate further and instead decided to stay as she was, lying on the warm sand. It was quite comfortable really, and the water felt good. Maybe she'd take a swim later. Then suddenly water hit her and she shivered involuntarily. Warm, stinky air was blown in her face. She scrunched her nose before opening her eyes.

She was staring into the face of a huge horse, it's breath wafting over her face. "This is new." she thought as she got up, rolling away from the horses hooves. She brushed the sand off of her back before approaching the horse. It was almost cute, in a friendly but cocky kind of way. She stroked it's nose, sighing in irritation. The fur was a bit coarse but got softer till it was silky velvet around the nose. "What are you doing all the way out here?" It's eyes had an almost human quality to them. It made her smile, though her smile didn't reach her eyes.

She stepped closer, wriggling her toes into the deep sand. "I'll tell you why I'm out here, but you can't tell anyone, ok? I don't trust people to keep my secrets but... seeing as you can't talk, I think we're alright." she smiled again. Maybe talking to the horse would help her figure things out... it was at least worth a try. "See... I lived in Vancouver till recently. Then I got this dream, where a little Tasmanian Devil started talking to me... I know it sounds crazy. It told me to move here. So of course I follow the instructions that the voice in my head gave me..." she laughed sarcastically, her voice filled with regret. "Now I work as a bartender and I basically don't have a life. Hence lying on the beach. Interesting, huh?" It was good to say her problems out loud. If only this horse could give her those answers she so desperately wanted... she sighed and stepped away from the horse, turning her back on it. She crossed her arms over her chest and looked at the lake, a breeze ruffling her hair, tickling her skin.

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[Melissa|Tristan]

It was most expected when the girl in question's face wrinkled up. What Tristan hadn't expected was the girl's very pretty brown eyes opening widely and turning their dark gaze on him. Thank goodness he was in his talisman form otherwise Tristan was sure his mouth might be hanging open.

The girl seemed to take his appearance in stride, lightly speaking to herself as she got to her feet. His head moved upwards with her until it was level with her face. He watched and waited as she brushed the dirt off that had stuck to her back, noting that she moved fairly easily. It was obvious that she wasn't hurt at all, and had perhaps only been resting or sunbathing. He took the opportunity to shake his mane and take a deep couple of breaths after his swim.

As she came close -and then closer- Tristan began flickering his ears forward and backward nervously. He'd been this close to a girl before, but never this close in his talisman form. Melissa didn't really count since she'd helped him when he had first transformed and gotten stuck accidentally. After that whole experience he didn't feel closer to anyone. This girl though, was as close as anyone had ever gotten before. Oddly enough as the girl stroked his nose, Tristan would have been content to stand there forever and let her pet him. As she questioned where he had come from Tristan decided that no noise was probably best at this point. Instead he simply gazed at her with his striking blue eyes, wondering just what she was doing here.

And still she came closer! It couldn't possibly be because she somehow felt that he had a talisman, could it? According to Melissa, sometimes people who had a certain sixth sense -and listened to it- could recognize when another person had a talisman, even going so far as to be able to tell the grouping of the species, be it a mammal, a reptile or something else. Perhaps this girl had that same sense?

With that the girl began talking to him, as she continued softly stroking his face. "I don't trust people to keep my secrets but... seeing as you can't talk, I think we're alright." Ooh, great. Tristan shifted his weight from one foot to the other uncomfortably, unsure as to what to do in this situation. His ears had focused in on the sound of her voice as her story unfolded before him. As she finished his mind was churning a thousand times a minute as he soaked it all in.

Now that she had confessed the girl looked marginally more cheerful. Tristan could instantly see her dilemma and was sure that there must be something he could do to help her. He softly nudged her face with his nose, hoping to offer some comfort as she paused to laugh at her own expense. Unfortunately it didn't seem to work much, since the girl pulled away, turning her back on him and crossing her arms in a vulnerable, defensive manner. He quickly moved so that his face was next to her shoulder, snuffling in the hopes that she would possibly give up whatever else was bothering her. He was positive that this wasn't the whole problem, and was going to do his best to get her to face up to whatever was scaring her so badly.

[kayla]

Kayla had noticed the horse's slight discomfort at her proximity to it. She didn't want to scare away her new friend and took note, intending not to get too close next time. She smiled bitterly to herself. She didn't trust any humans so... instead she talks to a horse. Maybe she was just going insane. It was possible, she'd done enough stuff in her life to deserve it. She probably deserved much worse than voices in her head and her newfound friend. Though it was just one voice... that stupid little animal. What did it have to do with anything? She'd never even seen one in real life, she hated zoos and nature shows. What did it mean? She bit her lip absently, like she did every time she was deep in thought.

Then the horse came up behind her, nudging her softly. This creature was obviously a bad judge of character. Kayla smirked at the thought. She knew she wasn't the friendliest person on the block. Her agenda usually got in the way of friendships. Over the years she'd learned that the most important person in her world was herself. That way she didn't get hurt, that way she didn't get stabbed in the back. That was the reason she was talking to the horse and not a human.

She turned and looked into the horses huge blue eyes. They really were very much like a humans, deep and soulful. It made her wary. Maybe it would tell her secrets after all... she dismissed the thought, choosing to think it was just a dumb animal. That way she could still talk to it. "What? Was that not detailed enough for you? Believe me, it's not detailed enough for me either." she sighed, searching for something that would make sense of all this nonsense. "That Tasmanian thing said that I would change soon... become my 'talisman.' What the hell does that mean?" she asked the horse and herself. The worst part was that she didn't know the answer to that question, she was entirely alone, in an unknown world.

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[Melissa|Tristan]

At least the girl was smiling now. Tristan allowed that thought to comfort him, even though the girl still didn't look truly happy. Poor girl. His equine instincts wanted to make her feel better about the problems that seemed to be overwhelmingly huge. It sounded like she was having a rough go of it . . . Tristan was unintentionally reminded of Melissa. Though he still didn't know her full story -he was almost positive she'd never told the whole thing to ANYONE- this girl seemed to be similarly distressed by her new situation.

Her confusion was completely understandable. Tristan remembered just how upset and unsure of himself he was when he first became aware of his own talisman. And perhaps hers was less amicable than his own. The mare in his mind's eye pricked her ears up and faced him straight on, silently urging him to do something to help the struggling girl out. Well do you have any ideas? It silently shrugged at him, it's blue eyes still focused on the girl, but continued the gentle silent nudging. Not that it was taking much nudging, since Tristan's sense of duty had focused on this girl.

The girl turned and looked him straight in the eyes, causing him to focus on her dark eyes. As she questioned exactly what becoming her talisman meant, Tristan decided that he could no longer let this go on as it was. He subtly shifted backwards several feet as she turned her back to him again. He was strangely apprehensive, and hoped that she wouldn't be too angry with him for not being what she thought he was. His ears were still flickering backwards and forwards unsurely as he shifted back into his jeans and t-shirt, tail shrinking until it disappeared, nose shortening to proportionally fit his face. After switching back to being a human again he walked forward until he was just out of arms reach behind her.

She definitely looked like she could use a big hug and a nice meal. "It means that you will become the creature inside of you. And that you won't be leaving Noatak anytime soon." Wincing as he spoke he fully knew that she was going to be mad. Or maybe she'd accept a hug because she needed one so bad. Giving his most innocent, big-eyed look, Tristan hoped against hope that she wouldn't be too angry with him.

[kayla]

Kayla stared at the lake, enveloped in her thoughts. Part of her told her she was being selfish again, thinking about herself. "Who else is there to think about?" she asked herself critically. There was no one else, she'd left the few friends she'd had in Vancouver. She was along here, the horse had even grown tired of her, moving away from her. She scowled to herself, knowing exactly why she was all alone. She didn't trust most people, preferring to keep people at a distance. It was easier that way. No one could hurt her and she was free to bail whenever she wanted. No one too tie her down, make her stay, no one to come back to when she was lost.

She shook her head, clearing such thoughts. Her life was fine, or had been till the dreams started. Then a voice sounded behind her, answering her previous question. She turned around quickly, her scowl turning into a snarl. Instead of the horse, which had strangely disappeared, there was a man standing just out of reach. She listened to his words with caution and confusion. So... did that mean he was the horse? This didn't make any sense and she let her face show that, though she stood in a defensive pose. "Become the creature inside me? Really?" her voice was sarcastic and filled with skepticism. "And who are you? Where'd the horse go? And what do you mean I won't be leaving anytime soon? I can go where ever I please." She wasn't about to let this, admittedly cute, guy get away without answering her questions.

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[Melissa|Tristan]

Tristan shoved one of his hands into his pocket and turned his body so that he stood at an angle to the girl. It was obvious to him that the last thing she needed right now was to feel even more threatened. Remembering how gently Fulong had told him about the existence of his talisman, Tristan tried to imitate the man’s gentle manner. In his minds eye the pretty paint mare was still intently watching the girl, guarded but willing to help the poor thing. Tristan could feel the talisman’s gentleness and compassion separate from his own, though just as strong.

The girl’s defensive stance had Tristan feeling even more terrible for her. Now another person was helplessly caught up in the world that he himself had only discovered months ago. Unfortunately there was also nothing he could do about it. We could answer her questions, as best as we know, his talisman offered. And sure enough, the girl fired off a few merely seconds after the mare’s suggestion.

After deciding to ignore the first sarcastic question Tristan listened to the others, thinking carefully before answering. As he did so the man turned his body back and gazed at the girl’s face. He was sure that she was very pretty when she smiled. Unfortunately it didn’t appear that she’d be doing any of that for the next few minutes. “My name is Tristan and I’m like you. The horse . . . she’s my talisman. She’s inside me.” He paused, letting her absorb this new information. “What I meant by you not leaving was only this; Noatak has many people like us. You were drawn here for that reason.” He gave a small shrug, knowing full well the inexplicable pull that she was experiencing.

The rebellious tone she used at the end mocked the attractiveness of her voice while the words themselves appeared confrontational enough to cause him to look into her eyes. Fortunately her expression wasn’t completely in agreement with her tone and words, giving him hope. She looks afraid. The mare’s eyes appeared worried now; she wanted to help the girl very much. When Tristan spoke again his tone was very gentle and compassionate. “What is your name?” He was very much hoping that she would answer because if she didn’t there would be no way he could help her, whether he wanted to or not.

[kayla]

Kayla listened to the guy, Tristan he said his name was, talk about the talisman thingy. Well that would explain the dreams, and the occasional voice in her head. Though she was still skeptical. People didn't just suddenly turn into animals, not normal ones anyways. Though the proof was there, staring her in the face. If this was what every truth looked like, Kayla would give up lying forever. Her lips turned upwards slightly at the thought.

He was cute and, god, did she want to believe him! It would mean there was an explanation to all of this... this mess. Then his next words took her by surprise. "So there's more like me, like him?" she thought, silently hoping that was the case. Maybe she wasn't crazy after all. It was a comforting thought, one that made her relax slightly, though she crossed her arms, not ready to forgive him for appearing out of thin air. Not yet.

Then he asked her name and when she replied her voice was quieter, less defensive. She liked Tristan. Scaring him away with her normal brash behavior wouldn't be the best thing to do at this moment. "Kayla. So... what's next? When do I get to become... my talisman? That Tasmanian Devil thing?" She smiled slightly, hoping that he would just ignore her previous remarks. She, for the first time in forever, needed this kid. That was a startling realization, to say the least.

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