*Is waiting for Kierys to post*

Sienna took another large bite, thinking about how she might pull this off... how would Adrian react if she suddenly bolted, just before the sun rose...? Maybe she should just slip away...

Paul woke up with a startle at a cat licking his face, he frowned at the side of his mouth and said outloud "I know, I must smell like a cat but you're really not my type." Paul was getting tired of cats following him all over the place because of his scent. "Can't I just get a simple 'cat nap' without being interrupted?" Paul murmured while getting up. Looking down the streets it didn't seem as busy as before but the crowd still irritated him. Paul examined the area around him and found a couple of boxes piled up next to the alley wall. Paul smirked and pounced ontop on the boxes and climbed up the wall making his way to the roof. Finally reaching the top Paul sighs quietly "Now this is much better." He said bubbly.

<so when do i change to my beast form? at night or day?>

(your animal in the day time)

<ah... so i'm a really wild during the day...>

(day time= animal night time= human-is)

the bars started to bend in his cage...as he started to claw more and more killing 3 out of the 4 zoo keepers that were carrying his cage, he wiggled his body of the cage...but the last zoo keeper tazzered him and kicked him into a open pit cage...his body hit the ground but he was already knocked out

Kimmora watched as the creature tried to rip free of the cage and got tazzered as he was almost free.
"what is he" she thought to herself as she studied him as he lay inside an open pit cage "wont he bring in the visitors"

<yeah wouldnt you pay to see a live dinosaur?>

(yeah i would)

<and now i have to wait till morning>

He cut into his steak, savoring each bite as it passed over his tongue. Mmm. Now this was worth a whole day of screaming kids. Each bite brought him closer to peace, so by the end of his steak he was feeling rather content. Good food was hard to come by, and he had been lucky to stumble across this place, and luckier still that it was so close.

The girl seemed to be stuck in very pensive thoughts, and he chewed his food quietly, giving no comment. He was impressed by her capacity for eating though; most girls her size couldn't eat half of that burger, let alone wash it down with all that shake. His stomach groaned sympathetically. He washed down the last bite of his meal with the last sip of his drink and smiled at her.

"So, what do you think? Did it hit the spot?"

((Sorry for my absence. Lotsa stuff goin on with the holiday and work and the party.))

<idk want to post till the sun rises>

(( I think i'll wait a bit untill the sun rises too, since my character can't really jump into the RP untill other characters meet him. XD ))

Sienna jumped at Adrian's voice, then did her best not to look guilty; she was pretty sure she'd pulled it off. She straightened her face before allowing it to break into a smile.

"Yeah, it did," she replied gratefully. "I don't think I've ever had a better burger that wasn't from Subway."

She glanced at the window, jumping again in alarm to see a very faint, greenish tinge on the eastern horizon. She leapt to her feet, her thoughts of her secret mission swirling around her mind.

"D'you think we should start heading back?" She asked Adrian, fighting to keep her voice level.

He shook his head, glancing out the window.

"We've got a little time left. We really should get you a coat before we go back. Otherwise you'll trip on this one and end up hurting yourself. Plus you would really look better in something that fits you properly," he added with a smile. He knew she must be anxious, it was always that way the first night. Never sure how much time you had, fearful of being caught in the morning rays too far from the zoo. But he knew they had enough time to hit a store and get her something warmer to wear.

"I know a mall that's 24 hours. Not too far from here either. We could get there, find a coat, and get back before the sun breaches the horizon. Don't worry."

He tried to reassure her with another smile while pulling his wallet out, laying some bills on the counter.

"We're heading out, Thomas. Tip's on the table."

Sliding out of the booth, he held his hand out to help her to her feet. The place was winding down, so there wasn't many people left to stare. The novelty of his tail had worn off among those still here.

Sienna blinked; even if there was a possibility that she'd die, she'd feel a little better if she wasn't tripping over Adrian's jacket. She frowned slightly; there was no hurry. She didn't have to try out her experiment now. She could wait a few days. It was nothing.

To cover up her moment of contemplation, Sienna allowed a hesitant smile to draw up the corners of her lips, and she took Adrian's hand. "Thanks," she said, and started heading to the exit. It was only when she was outside that she realised she had no idea where this mall was. She turned back in the direction of the shop, waiting for Adrian.

<waiting...for morning>

He followed her out, smiling at her enthusiasm. She turned to him and he chuckled, patting her on the shoulder.

"This way. It's not far."

He moved forward, following the street right as the corner wrapped around the diner they had just left. His eyes followed the flow of traffic, which was not as thick as it would be in a couple of hours. He looked back to her and wondered what she was thinking. Were most teenagers her age talkative? But she was surprisingly mum.

"Hey...how are you handling it, so far?" he asked sympathetically. There was no need to specify what 'it' was, it was the only thing that mattered. The only thing that would be on their minds for the rest of their lives, until they figured out how to reverse it.

"It's a lot to take in. Must be pretty scary. You doin okay?"

((Sorry for shortness. Gonna go see my brother now.))

Sienna found that she didn't have a real answer. Suicidal thoughts probably meant that she wasn't coping as well as she thought... but she felt completely fine. She wasn't in shock or anything. Maybe it was just a Sienna thing.

"I... think I'm okay," she said truthfully, frowning slightly. "I'm not going psycho or anything, at least."

She glanced at Adrian. "What about you? How long did it take for you to adjust to... this lifestyle?" A lifestyle. What a poor choice of words.

He punched the button for the crosswalk, thinking deeply. How long until he adjusted? Did he ever adjust? Could you adjust to such a thing? His brow furrowed, his lips creased unhappily.

"I've been here a year...." he began slowly, thinking carefully on his words. Regardless of what he felt, she might need to take hope from them. He wasn't going to sugar coat it, but he wasn't going to ruin any hope she might feel that things could be different for them.

"I've been here a year, and I don't think I've 'adjusted'. Because I don't think it's something I need to adjust to. We're going to get out. We're going to get better. We just need time and planning. I'm just bidding my time is all."

He smiled at her as the crosswalk signaled for them to go.

"I'm glad you're taking it well. Some people don't, their first day. We've had...accidents."

Accidents. Could you really call them that, when some poor kid wakes up for the first time like this? How would you react? Wouldn't you lash out? He remembered a girl about his age. She had tiger blood in her, even before the kidnapping, because she was fierce. He knew her. She was taken a few weeks after he was. If only she had been close enough to hear him. But she wasn't, and she attacked the zoo keepers.

They put her down. His voice couldn't carry over the shouting and her furious roars. There was no choice for it though; she had attacked a zookeeper in broad daylight, with the tourists all around, watching. The company could never allow her to live after that. The people would demand the animal's life, deeming it unsafe in a public environment. The mothers would worry for their children, the fathers would pound their fists and demand justice. Her life, snatched away, for defending herself. His face was dark, thinking back on such painful times.

"Oh..." Sienna almost kicked herself; just because she was a weird one and wasn't freaking out all that much didn't mean everyone else was fine and dandy with all this screwed-upness. She should have thought about Adrian's feelings before she'd gone and stuck her nose in. Stupid, typical girl!

She walked across the street as soon as the light flashed from red to green, wondering what Adrian had meant my 'accidents'. She wasn't going to ask this time, of course, but she couldn't help but be curious. Bah. Such was the life for one with an overly-inquisitive mind.

She didn't look at Adrian, worried that he'd be uncomfortable with her prying; instead, she glanced around her at the shops as they passed. She'd never before noticed that so many stores were all squashed into this one street; she'd already passed every shop she could imagine. What more could there be?

It wasn't long before she could see the brilliant lights of the mall. Some of the lights, for small utensil stores and gift carts, wer off; she suddenly remembered that most places, unlike she was now, weren't twenty-four-seven places.

"Will the place be open?" Sienna wondered out loud; it wouldn't be all that convenient if all the clothing stores were closed.

He flinched, the girl's voice breaking his reverie. He was glad to be rid of the dark, tumultuous feelings that were writhing inside his head. He looked down at her, then followed her gaze ahead.

"Yes...it will be open. To be honest, I wondered if the zoo has some sort of contract with some of the stores around here. They stay open for us and they get an exclusive client base. They wouldn't need to know why."

"Of course, that could be my paranoia speaking," he added with a grin. Reaching the front doors, he held one open for her, his eyes scanning ahead. It was quiet, but some people were milling about. Night owls. Early risers. Insomniacs. And, of course, the Changed.

He wondered if his random suspicions held any merit. No use thinking about it. They were convenient, they were open, and he had the means to buy. The why didn't matter as long as they got what they needed. He led her to the open store, the lights' soft glow almost welcoming, yet foreboding at the same time. A clerk smiled cheerfully as they entered.

"Hmm... maybe you're right," Sienna agreed, glancing suspiciously at the overly-happy clerk as she stalked past.

She found the section of the retail store that had women's jackets without much trouble. She'd never liked clothing stores - too much hassle going through all the racks - but she almost swooned with delight at the sight of some normal-looking, warm clothes. Not really caring whether Adrian followed her or not, Sienna dived between the racks of jackets without a second thought. It was a surprisingly short time later that she came out from the forest of clothing with two selections.

One was a calf-length black piece, with huge, shiny buttons on the front a neat-looking bow at the back. The other was a rough-and-tumble wind cheater, which appeared to be made of deer skin. Sienna held up her choices to Adrian.

"Which one do you think would be better?" Sienna asked with a grin. "I actually can't decide."

Following her over to the coat rack, he watched with an amused expression as she dug through the selection, searching for a suitable one. When she emerged, he looked at both selections, tapping his chin thoughtfully. Then, taking a long stride over to her, he plucked the black coat from its hanger and draped it over her shoulders. Spinning her around to face a mirror, he smiled admiringly, then slid the black coat off and exchanged it with the deerskin one.

"I can't choose either. Let's get them both."

Folding both over one arm, he held the other out for her.

"Shall we? Or would you like to look around a bit more?"