[013].

[bonnypiperlad]

[Today, there is a great and terrible beastie roaming the snow-covered hills by the Onsen. Well...if by great and terrible, you mean one that's a good four inches under six feet tall. Otherwise, it's beast-like enough, a reddish-orange sort of fellow with knobbly horns that look a bit like drones on bagpipes, a pair of wings jutting from its back and a series of raised bumps covering its arms, torso and back.

It also happens to have a pair of very human-looking brown eyes, should anyone get close enough to see. Right now those eyes are looking a bit frustrated, and there's a certain tenseness in the creature's shoulders, carrying over into the line of its body even as it paces about. It seems, if nothing else, it's not a terribly happy beastie. And maybe, just maybe, it's staying away from the more populated parts of the Plane for a reason...]

((OOC: This particular beastie is Jamie, transformed courtesy of the pollen. And while he can hear and understand what people are saying, he can't currently do anything other than make various incomprehensible noises in return. As a note, anything he says in his current form would come across as growls or roars or things of that nature unless you're a telepath or happen to speak Unhappy Allergic Scottish Beastie - which if you want to do that, go for it! Just let me know in the tag somehow.))

Comments

[bonnypiperlad]

[Jamie nods - and then realizes what that means. Bless you, Oliver, for having that empathy.]

Aye! I don't know why, but I've changed into this...this beastie.

[There's some frustration, but it's clearly not directed at Oliver - especially not when Jamie goes to sit down on the nearest rock and slumps a little.]

And I don't know what to do about it.

[oliverplus]

You can understand me!? [Oliver stares at the beast as it apparently sits down to have a pout] Hey... Wait! I'm sorry. I didn't know.

[he gets up a little uncertainly, going over to sit across from it--mainly so that he can make eye contact again] Are you...new here? I thought we could understand anyone, but--

[and then it hits him]

Oh god. This is an experiment, isn't it!? Who are you?

[bonnypiperlad]

[That causes his head to whip up, which is handy - although it means Oliver's getting that frustration again.]

Look, I've told ye already, I'm Jamie!

[But it's clear that Oliver doesn't understand him when he talks, so he's got to come up with another way. He looks around for a moment to try and find some sort of inspiration, lifting a claw to rub at his forehead in thought. There's a faint noise as it hits one of the horns - the ones that look a tiny little bit like the drones of bagpipes.

And then, he has an idea. He taps at the horns again, trying to get Oliver to look at them, then mimes squeezing a bag before looking at Oliver expectantly. Would that be enough, maybe, to get his point across?]

[oliverplus]

[the frustration is oddly reassuring, as it implies that he's right about the experiment. he watches Jamie's pantomime, frowning] Yeah, I see you've got horns. Wait! Kiran? [but Jamie is already, from Oliver's point of view, pretending to squeeze something, which makes Oliver doubt his conclusion] No. Uh... [he trails off. sorry, Jamie; he doesn't know what to make of that]

[after a moment of thought, though, he gets an idea of his own] Oh! I've got a list! [he digs in his pocket, pulling out his black datapad, and turns it on. he spends a moment fiddling on it, and then he holds it out for Jamie to see]

Look, can you read this? It's a list of all the people I know on the Plane. I'm gonna scroll through it, and you just point when you see your name. Okay?

[he looks at Jamie hopefully before he starts to scroll. it's alphabetical by first name, so it doesn't take too long for Jamie's name to appear]

[bonnypiperlad]

[There's a brief nod at that - he can still read well enough, thankfully. And as his name appears, he points at the datapad with one of those talons of his.]

Look, there, Oliver. That's my name!

[oliverplus]

[Oliver stares at the datapad--and then he gapes at the creature]

Jamie!?

[bonnypiperlad]

[The pulled to one side expression that follows that statement may be somewhat familiar, even though it's on a monster's face.]

Yes, it's Jamie. Did I not just point that out to ye?

[oliverplus]

But...but... [he sputters for a moment before managing:] How!?

I mean...um... [he looks at the monster worriedly, wondering how he can communicate with him] Could you ty--no, the keys would be too small... Jamie, could you write, maybe? If I...brought something...

[he digs in his pocket as though he might find something there]

[bonnypiperlad]

[Who needs writing implements when you have talons? And dirt? Well. Dirt that he would have to get some plants out of first, but he can do that easily enough, once he takes his feet and uses them to scratch out a space. Once that's done, he crouches down to awkwardly scratch a couple of words that are hopefully legible.]

Like this?

[oliverplus]

[Oliver stops his search and leans down, wondering what Jamie is up to--until he sees the message] ...oh. Good idea! Yeah!

[he takes a deep breath, trying to think of what to ask] Okay, so...how did this happen? Can we reverse it? Or is it the Plane? Do you know?

[he'll figure out that it's better to ask one question at a time in a minute or so. sorry, Jamie]

[bonnypiperlad]

[Jamie glances up, talon at the ready, only to get a rapid-fire string of questions thrown at him. And, not surprisingly, his mouth promptly pulls off to the side again.]

Och, for heavens sake.

[Folding his arms against his chest, he gives his friend a look, not even bothering to try and write anything out until Oliver picks one question and sticks with it.]

[oliverplus]

[realising his mistake, he makes a face] Oh. Um. So...how did this happen? Is it the-- [he stops, clamping his mouth shut for a second before he repeats:] How'd it happen?

[bonnypiperlad]

[That's better. Slowly, he starts to scratch out letters again. It's not the fastest process, though. Sorry, Oliver.]

Look, I don't know. Some sort of experiment, maybe? At least it doesn't itch anymore.

[oliverplus]

[he frowns, not particularly happy with that answer] Damn. Um... [he pauses for a moment, resisting the urge to start spewing questions again] Do you know if it's happening to anybody else?

[bonnypiperlad]

Maybe? There was a lassie who might have been. Said her and at least one other person had been sneezing at this blue stuff, and then they were itching same as me.

[There's a pause so he can stretch his hand for a moment, then he goes on.]

She'd not looked like a beastie, though.

[oliverplus]

[he's quiet while Jamie writes, managing to clamp down on all the questions he wants to ask. when Jamie makes that last comment, though, his brow furrows] So she was just itchy? And what blue---um. [he pauses] You can do two, right? What blue stuff?

[bonnypiperlad]

[Yes, he can do two, although it's going to take a little longer. After giving Oliver a look that hopefully says as much, he resumes writing.]

Well, no. She couldn't see, and the time before that she'd not had any problems with it. And the blue stuff was on Rory, came to the Plane with him.

[oliverplus]

[Oliver looks suitably apologetic] Sorry. [but he reads Jamie's response with interest] So it made her blind but turned you into a...uh... [he hesitates, not really wanting to call his friend a monster] ...alien thing? Wow.

Rory? Then maybe he knows what it is! Or how to fix it. I bet I can find him!

[and he turns around to start looking, as though he thinks Rory might be in the area ready to help]

[bonnypiperlad]

Hey, wait!

[Before Jamie can do anything else to try and get Oliver's attention back, he's already gone and turned around, cutting off his attempts at communication.]

Och.

[With a sigh, he goes to move around Oliver so he can get back in front of him to try and get his attention. It's either that or a flying tackle with talons, which would likely not end well, all things considered.]

[oliverplus]

[this decision is probably for the best--especially considering that the fact that Jamie pursues him means Oliver turns around anyway. but from his expression, he has no idea why Jamie is making noises at him] What? What's wrong?

[bonnypiperlad]

[He turns his hands up helplessly, then makes a writing motion with them - then points back at the ground behind them, with the patch of dirt on it they were using to 'talk' with.

How is he supposed to do that if you go haring off after someone who may not even be on the Plane right now?]

[oliverplus]

...oh. Sorry. [he looks sheepish as he heads back over to the dirt] Was there something else? Or is finding Rory not a good idea?

[he is really having a hard time with this one-question-at-a-time thing, Jamie. you'll have to bear with him]

[bonnypiperlad]

[Well, it is Oliver, so Jamie gets that. However, he's only going to answer one question rather than both, since it's the more important of the two. Or, rather, he's going to answer a question with a question.]

How am I supposed to talk to you if we go looking, then?

[oliverplus]

Oh. Yeah. [he frowns, thinking about this, and after a moment he sighs] Okay. So...we finish talking, and then I go look?

[bonnypiperlad]

Aye. Unless you've got something back home that will work for me to write on.

[It'd have to be something that would work with talons, though.]