The Moreau World (open to all)

OOC: For anyone who follows the Wizards of the Coast game company, I've always been intrigued by the Genetech campaign from the d20 Future sourcebook.

Hence, I wanted to try a thread that blends this with some of the conventions of anime. So I've imagined a near-future world in which humans share the world with a new species of genetically engineered anthropomorphs commonly known as Moreaus. Trouble is, the Moreaus haven't been fully accepted by society yet.

I don't know how far this will go, I just wanted to do something that involved cat girls somehow. (shrugs) Just have fun with it.

OOC Thread

Vic strode down the halls, hoping like hell his last class was cancelled and he could go home early. But that wasn't likely. He was just thankful he could leave this worthless hellhole they called a school in just another month. After graduation, he was free. He adusted his shades and reshouldered his backpack, trying to avoid getting caught up in the crowds.

Among the swarm of humans, there were only a handful of Moreaus. Not many lived in this town anymore. Most had left for the big cities where they were more likely to fit in. A massive bear Moreau stalked silently past Vic. He was one of the more extreme examples, his skin covered by a rich brown pelt and his ears rounded. His nails were black, most likely claws he had trimmed down to avoid awkwardness.

Out of a nearby classroom stalked a canine Moreau. She had an angular face and folding triangular ears, much like a greyhound. Her long legs were further evidence of that theory.

Vic turned a corner to see two guys from the lacrosse team dragging a cat girl from one of his other classes into the bathroom. Shit. They were getting really bold lately. The anti-mutt movement, as those who disliked Moreau's referred to themselves, had been getting more agressive in the last year, but this was just insane that they could now attack an innocent in public like this.

Behind his shades, Vic's mismatched yellow and blue eyes dilated in anger. Very few people knew that his mother was human, but his father was a lupine Moreau. That made him a half-breed, not quite human and not quite Moreau. Though the law may classify him as having the same rights as a human, the general public still saw him as a mistake.

This happened to be one of those worthless towns where society hadn't yet accepted the fact that if it talks it can think. Unlike other Moreaus, Vic could hide his heritage and most people just dismissed him as weird. Others, like the girl being dragged into the bathroom, weren't so lucky.

Vic was hardly a troublemaker, but he wasn't afraid to end other people's mistakes.

He strode into the bathroom and dropped his backpack to the floor. "There a problem, pindicks?" he snarled. The two jocks had the poor girl pinned to the wall and it was pretty obvious what they intended to do.

"Fuck off, man," one of them snapped. "This has got nothin' to do with you."

Vic furrowed his brows in anger and rolled his shoulders and neck to loosen them up. "It does now."

The two jocks nodded to one another and the blonde one turned ad advanced on Vic. He threw a right hook that Vic easily dodged. It was obvious from the start that Vic held the mobility card in this fight. Part of the advantage to being a half-breed was his loose, flexible joints and sinews and natural strength and endurance.

One uppercut snapped the other guy's jaw shut and sent him reeling back. Vic threw a side kick into his stomach, knocking him over into an empty stall where he smacked his head off the wall and passed out.

The other guy was wide-eyed in shock, but tried to go in for a sucker punch. Vic canted his head out of the way, grabbed his opponent's shirt, and headbutted him in the face, causing the crunch of a nose breaking to echo slightly in the room. A knee to the groin and another headbutt was all it took to finish the schmuck off and he collapsed to the tile floor in a crumpled heap with the blood from his nose leaking down into the drain in the middle of the room.

Vic snorted and tossed his long dark hair over his shoulder. He turned to the cat girl laying against the wall, still obviously shaken and upset from what had happened. He couldn't blame her. It's not like anybody but another Moreau would have come to help her. And most would be afraid of retribution anyway. Vic didn't care though. He was leaving town this summer and never looking back.

He walked up to the girl and kneeled beside her. "You okay?" he asked softly.

Cassandra Tobermory

Cassandra Tobermory's eyes were wide with a combination of both horror and wonder. A "pink" had actually defended her! She immediately chided herself for being jaundiced, but even here -- especially here -- in Jacobstown, it just wasn't done. At least not publicly.

"I don't know how to... " Cass blinked, fighting back tears of rage at the indignity of it all. "Thank you." Simple words that were never used often enough. Please and thank you. And you're welcome. Magic words, her grandqueen called them. When he smiled, she thought purrrrhaps her grandqueen was right.

"You okay?"

She nodded, unable to stop herself from shivering. "If you hadn't come when you did... " Her tail swished.

He nodded solemnly and offered his hand to help her up. "Thanks," Cass repeated, accepting it and rising to her feet. Smoothing her hands over her clothes, she struggled to neaten herself while she considered whether to go late to class and face the mockery of Professor Jenkins or to go to the infirmary and have the nurse call her parents.

"My name is Cass. Cassandra Tobermory," she said quietly, her eyes flickering in the direction of her moaning assailants. Cass knew that this was far from over. It would happen again and again until humans finally realized that Moreaus were not going to go away. They were a fact. "Please? I'd like to leave... "

Vic glanced down at his watch before picking up his backpack. "Tell ya what. How about we skip and I'll just walk you home. Probably be better if you aren't anywhere nearby when these two hog-fuckers wake up."

He turned to leave the bathroom and glanced out ot make sure the hall was empty. "I'm Victor, by the way. I recognize you from physics, 3rd period."

Vic did genuinely feel bad for what had happened to Cass. He wasn't much for social interaction or graces, but he had a sense of right and wrong. There was the old cliche 'With friends like that, who needs enemies.' Lotta bullshit. Nobody needed enemies, but everyone seemed to have them. Friends on the other hand...

Cassandra Tobermory

That Vic had noticed her before today came as a bit of a surprise. Cassandra tried to keep a low profile in her classes despite the encouragement of some of her teachers to speak up more often. Her grades were exemplary, her supporters said, and others would do well to learn by her example. They were kind, but they just didn't understand.

Her ear twitched when she heard Vic's offer to walk her home. It was nice, but she wasn't sure he should. "I think I've caused you enough trouble for one day, don't you think?"

Vic shrugged as if the debacle in the lavatory had been nothing. "No worries. C'mon."

Cass slipped her own backpack over her shoulders and nodded. "Well... only if you're sure."

"I am. C'mon. Let's go before someone sees us."

Another time Cass would have giggled. She'd never cut school or even a class before. Okay. She had a valid reason for leaving, but she was going to have to do some major explaining to her parents. Her mother would be tearful and fret over her while her father was going to be furious. Cass took a deep breath. No matter how she looked at it, the confrontation was not going to be pretty.

"Okay," she said, smiling weakly. "Let's go."

Vic nodded and led the way, Cassandra close on his heels. "I live way over in the... " She left the sentence unfinished. Of course he would know where she lived. Or at least he'd have the general idea.

When the Moreaus first started arriving in Jacobstown, things were a lot worse than they were now. Humans didn't want this strange breed of genetically-engineered human-animal hybrids anywhere near their homes or families. Or their children. Of course it was all well and good when Moreaus were used to fight the war so that fewer humans would lose their lives. Her great grandtom had been one of the first to arrive here and her father still told stories that he remembered as a youngster. "Never forget," he often said to her and her littermates. "We didn't ask to be created, but we shouldn't be ashamed of what we are."

The government that was incumbent at the time rewarded all communities who accepted the hybrids into their fold. It was all lip service of course -- who didn't want tax breaks or a little extra in their bank accounts? Nevertheless, the townsfolk segregated the Moreaus from the main of Jacobstown, creating a small suburb that still existed despite the fact that many Moreaus had taken the initiative somewhere down the line and relocated into the mainstream population.

Vic nodded again. "I know it. It's a lot nicer than some of the others."

Cass couldn't help the surge of pride that rippled through her at his words. It was true. Moreauville was a lot nicer than some of the other areas of Jacobstown. In fact, it was nicer than most -- with its carefully cultivated lawns and freshly painted houses. The Moreaus took pride in their surroundings as well as in their origins.

"I live over in Southfield, in case you were wondering," Vic thought aloud. Southfield was one of the upper middle class neighborhoods in Jacobstown. People there mostly kept ot themselves, which made it easier for Victor's family to fit in. Much less effort put into hiding. It was odd to think that the Genetech Wars had been over for several generations now, but people still couldn't let go of their old fears.

But then again, Vic's mother once told him how her grandparents had grown up during WWII in the twentieth century and were still wary of Germans and Japanese right up to the day they died.

Leaving the school was easy enough. With classes in session, few people were about. Those that were never paid any mind to the pair, no matter how strange it may have been to see a human walking with a Moreau.

Once they were outside in the pleasant spring air, Vic immediately felt much better. The halls of that school felt like a prison and he was glad to be free of it early, if only for today. He adjusted his shades and walked down the road with Cass to where he knew her neighborhood would be. "Do you have any plans for after graduation?" he asked casually.

Ah, Jacobstown... never changes. Daniel Regalis wandered through the streets of his old home town. He was on vacation from MIT where he studdied semi-human DNA. He was heading for his old high school to see how it was holding up after these few years. On his way there, he saw something he thought he wouldn't ever see in a bigitous place like Jacobstown: a human walking with a moreau. He was about to cross the street and say "hi!" when he noticed two angry looking young men moving very quickly to the couple. Daniel quickened his pace and intercepted the young men before they could reach the two other kids.

"Where do you guys think you're going in such a hurry?" Daniel asked when he got to them. "Not that it's any of your fucking buisness, but we're gonna stomp us a mutt!" one of them rudely replied. "Mutt? That's pretty harsh terminology, especially when you're talking to a 'mutt.'" With that said Daniel's eyes turned to that of a snakes, his jaw unhinged and his long, split tounge agilely slid from his mouth. He strode around them like a shark, and they were so startled that they didn't move. His tounge and jaw returned to normal enough for him to speak but his eyes remained creepy as ever. "Have you ever met a serpentine moreau? I don't guess you have, we're pretty rare. Let me fill you in, our venom is dedlier than any snakes, and we can eat people whole!" By this time, Daniel had rounded infront of them. They both took a few tentative steps back before retreating all out.

Daniel's eyes were reverting to their normal icy blue as he turned around to see the two had defended looking at him, they had apparently seen the whole thing. "That's all nonsence, most of us don't have venom, and although we could, techinically eat a person whole, it isn't an appetising prospect..." they stared at him blankly. "Oh, I'm Daniel, who were those guys?" He introduced himself as he approached the two kids.

Cassandra Tobermory

"I know what I want to do but I'm pretty sure my parents have something completely different in mind," Cass replied. "My father works for Cerebrex Tech. With my grades, I'm sure to get accepted in a good university and... " She couldn't help blushing. "I just don't think I want to work in a place like that. Wha... "

Vic and Cass watched yet another altercation begin to unfold on the opposite side of the street. "This whole town is going crazy," she said quietly to Vic as the Moreau who had sent the two humans running approached them muttering something about venom and, "I'm Daniel, who were those guys?"

Moving closer to Vic in case this guy was looking for trouble, Cassandra tried to remember if she'd ever seen him before. He certainly didn't look familiar. "I'm Cassandra Tobermory and this is my friend, Vic," she finally said. "I don't have any idea who those guys were, sorry. It's just been one of those days I guess." She smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes. "We were just... Well, Vic was walking me home."

Vic folded his arms over his chest, expression remaining neutral. "I doubt it helps things, though, when you pull shit like that. The last thing the Moreaus need is the stereotypes being reinforced."

Vic was tempted to bring up his father's name, but he didn't want to chance that. Stanley Hartigan was well-known as an advocate for Moreau rights and equality. He had done a lot of work for the cause of his people in the legal wake of the Genetech Wars his parents had suffered through. If either of these two knew he was the son of Stanley Hartigan, they would figure out he was a half-breed before long. From there, it was difficult to say which way things would go. Even Moreaus who had come to tolerate humans had a hard time stomaching half-breeds. Where humans called the Moreaus mutts, and Moreaus called the humans pinks, both communities referred to the half-breeds as mongrels.

Well, wasn't this one a bit uppity. "Steriotypes? What are you talking about? Those guys were looking for trouble, and I helped to avert it without violence, that's all." At least the girl seemed sane enough. "It's good to meet you Cassandra. I'm sorry if I have interupted your conversation. I'll leave you and your boyfriend on your way." As he turned to leave he couldn't help thinking to himself: Too bad, she's kinda cute. Oh well, I'll bet she's too young for me anyway

"Stereotypes like Moreaus eat humans," Vic grumbled as Daniel left.

He snorted dismissively and continued walking with Cass.

"So what are you planning to do after graduation?"

Vic glanced over at her through the corner of his eye and shoved his hands in his pockets. "I'm getting the fuck out of this pissant town, for one. I thought maybe I'd try my luck in LA or San Francisco."

He puffed out a breath and let a moment of silence settle in. "What about you?"

What did this human know about steriotypes? Sometimes you've got to use people's fears against them to survive. Daniel thought to himself as he walked away. Well, the cat-girl seemed kind enough, but he didn't need preachy humans telling him how best to help people out. "oh well." Daniel said outloud, but not to anyone, "I wonder how my old school is doing." He set off for his High School to see if any of his old teachers were still there.

Linda Moore

Linda watched in amazement as a Moreau confronted and then chased off Jake and Tom Bailey, startling as someone's hand closed tightly around her wrist and took the coffee pot from her hand. "Hey! Pay attention to what you're doing, girl!"

She blinked, blushing when she noticed that she had overfilled the coffee cup and it had nearly overflowed the brim of the saucer as well. "I-I'm sorry, Mr. Grant. I... "

He nodded, setting the pot down on the counter. "I saw it, too, Linda. Odd, isn't it? I mean most of the old timers have accepted Moreaus living here in Jacobstown after all this time only to have the youngsters rekindle the hate and the fear."

Linda nodded, thinking that neither of those "youngsters" would likely back down next time, despite the way that Moreau looked when he got angry. No. Next time they would use weapons. They had to save face, after all. Just in case someone was witness to them running off. Escalation seemed to be the word of the day.

"Let me clean this mess up. I'm really sorry. And... thanks."

"It's okay. He was... formidable. Wasn't he?"

She nodded again, but her curiosity had been piqued. She'd never seen a cross with a snake before.

Francesca (Frankie) Anderson

Frankie sighed as she attempted to push her way through the crowd as the bell rang. She just wanted to get to her locker and get out of the school. "Her Kind" weren't accepted, let alone appreciated, in this small suburban town.

Frankie was used to city life, where Moreaus were welcomed into any social circle. Especially pretty Moreaus, like herself. She was a partial fox Moreau, with pointed animal ears, high cheekbones and sharply curved chin and nose. Her eyes were a reddish-brown with small animal-like pupils and extremely long lashes. She had long red hair that fell straight to the middle of her back and a tail of the same color fur with a black tip.

Frankie's father had moved her here because he didn't like the way Frankie was growing up in the city, whereas Frankie couldn't stand living in the middle of nowhere. Her father, a human, worked for a leading law firm just outside of town and was completely oblivious to the violence and prejudice that went on in town, even though Frankie sometimes came home from school bruised from being hit with large sticks and told to go back to her den. In any other circumstance, she would have spoken up, but her father seemed so happy here and she couldn't bear to take him away from that for her sake. Besides, she only had to finish the school year and then she could move back to the city. Her mother had died when Frankie was young, and was the one who had given Frankie all her Moreau traits.

Frankie grunted as she was shoved violently into a locker on her way to get her books. Just sneak in, and sneak out. Nobody will notice you. Just sneak in, and sneak out... she told herself repeatedly. No such luck today, though, because just as she reached her locker, a football player came lumbering her way.

"Hey Foxy," he said, and guffawed loudly with his friends. Frankie ignored him, focusing on her locker combination, instead. Sometimes, if she ignored them, they got bored and went away. This particular football player, however, didn't like being ignored. He placed a hand on her trim waist and shoved her back against the locker. Pain shot up her spine as a lock dug into her lower back. "What, you think you're too good for me? You think you can just ignore me like I'm down at your level, like I'm one of you?" His hand gripped her waist tightly, and Frankie's breath caught in her throat. She hoped to God, if there was one, that the football player would be quick with her and had no weapons.

A low, growling voice interrupted the scene.

"If she's not of your level, then how about you let go of her?" The group turned their heads to the left. There stood what looked more like a young man than a teenager. He wore jeans and a jacket, with a checkered shirt under them, and reddish leather shoes. It was easy to see that he was not exactly human, even at this distance. His shoulders were wide, and his legs long. His arms could not be seen because of his jacket.

"And who the hell are you?" The football player didn't release the fox girl, instead rather interested in the young man. His eyes had yellow pupils with a vertical slit in them, like those of an animal. His features were sharp, and his hair seemed to be greying... at his age?

"I'm the new grounds keeper, and the guy who's gonna rip your throat out if you don't leave."

The football player rose an eyebrow, in a display of cockyness. "Oh, yeah? What do you care? Don't tell me you're a mutt too!"

The man yanked his jacket off with a swift motion. His arms bristling with muscles made a few of the group start to step away cautiously, then walk away as if they hadn't been a part of the group at all. Specially when he started walking ponderously towards the player. Number 15 in the football team tried to save face, which was kinda hard when he stepped away the same the others did, by simply keeping his eyes fixed on him.

"I'm not a mutt, and I don't like being called that. My mother was a human, and my father was a were-wolf. And I'm rather proud of them."

Were-wolf was a kinda novellistic approach at it, but it had its effect. Half the group had already left, and the man and number 15 stood in front of each other. 15 grinned nervously.The man's furry, gray tail was unmistakable now. It was puffy, usually. Now, the hair on it was standing straight, a clear indication of his aggresiveness in this moment.

"You dare touch me, and you'll get castrated..."

The man's eye-slits turned narrower, before he grabbed 15, smashed him against the lockers, and punched his guts. Then, he threw him to the floor, and stepped on his knee. He pushed it down tentatively. It was stupid to think that he could break someone's knee like that... but even the most remote possibility found its way into the kid's psyche. The man growled, baring his teeth. Two of them were fairly prominent fangs.

"Justice works two ways. If I said it was in self-defense, which it was, who would the cops believe? The cocky football player, or the oppressed minority defending itself, huh?" The man grinned in a very wolfy manner, the kid trembling under him. When he moved his foot off the kid's knee, 15 made sure he was standing before he spat at the floor.

"Clean that, grounds keeper!" He looked at his group, expecting them to laugh at the cheap joke, but none of the kids left was in the mood to laugh. They all moved away, trying not to establish eye-contact.

The man turned around, his face as normal as you could get without taking his eyes into account. When he spoke, there was no trace of growling in his voice. It was a very sudden change in attitude and behaviour, surprising. First like a human-shaped wolf, then just like a human. His eyes denoted a certain boredom or grimness. The kind that said he was tired of dealing with this every day. His tail was down, now, hanging calmly.

"You Ok?"

Daniel was disgusted. He had no sooner stepped foot into the building than saw a display of moreu/human violence before his eyes. At leat the moreu did it to defend someone else. These human kids were really getting bold, and things here were getting out of hand. "Fuck it" Daniel said to himself, "I don't want to see any more of this mess." He turned around and went right through the door from which he had entered.

Thinking back, Daniel remembered a cafe near where he had confronted those two punks. He was hungry and wanted something to eat. He walked in and sat at an open booth near the window, and was soon greeted by a pretty waitress.

Frankie watched the exchange with a mixture of awe and horror. She had never seen, let alone met, this man before and he was standing up for her, not to mention potentially putting himself in danger? Her eyes were narrowed to slits and her ears were flattened against her head until the last football player was out of sight, when she allowed herself to relax slightly and let out a slow breath.

"You OK?"

When he spoke normally, his smooth baritone calmed her. "Yes, thank you." she said as she pushed herself away from the locker. "Tonight I'll go home with a few less bruises." she said grimly, holding a hand to her waist where she was sure she would find five unmistakable bruises that night. She shuddered slightly, thinking of all that could have happened, but didn't. "Thank you." she said again.

She shrugged her bag over her shoulder and smiled at the man. "I'm Francesca. But, I prefer Frankie." she held out her hand, which looked like a doll's hand next to this man's. "I've met a few were-wolves in my time, but none that would rush to the rescue of a different species. No offense, or anything." She mentally kicked herself, hoping that he wouldn't just leave because she stuck her foot in her mouth. "Sorry, I just tend to ramble a little bit. I'm still a bit shaken up from those dicks."

Adam Grimshaw

x-willow-x said:

"I'm Francesca. But, I prefer Frankie." she held out her hand, which looked like a doll's hand next to this man's. "I've met a few were-wolves in my time, but none that would rush to the rescue of a different species. No offense, or anything."

"Sorry, I just tend to ramble a little bit. I'm still a bit shaken up from those dicks."

Click to expand...

Now the group was gone, Adam allowed himself to take a better look at the Moureau he'd helped ("saved" sounded a bit too petulant). She was... quite pretty. And he picked up the few details that distinguished her from a normal human. He couldn't tell what species she had been mixed with... she seemed... looked like some kind of... fox? Or maybe a dog... noooo, definitely a fox.

He accepted her hand calmly, and barely shook it. Not being fast about it, more like being delicate. He didn't trust himself enough on the strength department, unless it was using it on the extremes.

Adam rose an eyebrow at her remark about were-wolves... but it was more out of surprise about her meeting some, than her scathing remark about them. It was sort of... true.

"Francesca? Nice name. I'm Adam. And don't worry. It's not like I'm not a bit shaken too..." Just then, he noticed he was still holding her hand. He shook it playfully as if it were that slimy thing in Flubber. "See?" He smiled at her. It was an easy joke, but it sort of calmed him, and hopefully her. This time, he remembered to let go.

"Anyway, don't worry about the were-wolf thing. It's true, not all were-wolves help other people..." Adam took his jacket, and put it on again. "Then again, I would think that's a flaw in any kind of person, not just in were-wolves. You would be surprised how even normal humans or other Moureaus might not bother helping people..."

He walked back to her, and made her step aside with a soft pat on the waist. Adam blushed just a bit, remembering the bruises she might have, but he was focused on checking the lockers. Damn kids... her locker was Ok, not even much bent, maybe just a few millimeters. The other one, though, would require some careful hammering on the inside... supposing the material could take the punishment. He sighed. His first day, and he already had work to do. He'd have to wake up half an hour earlier tomorrow to fix it.

"Anyway, I live with a simple phylosophy. You reap what you sow. If you help others, you are bound to be helped in return by someone. Karma, I guess. And I must say that's held truth for most of my life, so I don't intend to stop now."

Adam turned to look at her. Her tail was nice to look at. She IS rather pretty... Adam knew he had to do this, but he was pretty sure he'd scare her away. Still, she probably needed it...

"Say, if you want, I could get you home. I've been told these guys have been somewhat active these days, and I wouldn't want to sav... to help you now just to leave you alone on the way to your home. Shall I go with you?"

He blushed a bit, and looked away. The problem of looking away was that the person in front of you didn't inmediately get blinded by that. He would see him blush... and he would blush harder. He imagined his cheeks blowing up like the Hindenburg...

Cassandra Tobermory

"San Francisco... " Cass whispered the name of the one city stateside she'd been longing to go to for as long as she could remember. "Well... Given my druthers I'd choose Paris or London or Athens or... " She giggled. "That's tops on my list for here."

She stopped walking and knelt down to retie one of her shoes. "I want to write," Cass said boldly, thankful that the blush on her face was nearly hidden behind her hair as it cascaded down over her face. "Children's stories."

Vic didn't say anything and in a way she was glad. Her parents strongly disapproved of this brainstorm of hers and would never permit it. "I know it's silly but it's just a pipe dream," she sighed, standing back up. "My house is up there."

Cass didn't remember the walk home ever going so quickly before, but go figure. Maybe they could walk slower or something. Maybe...

"So what are you going to do when you get to LA or Frisco?" If she couldn't do it herself, at least she'd be able to imagine someone else living out their dream.

His awkward demeanor calmed her and made her smile. Simply being around the man made her feel safe, not to mention he was rather nice to look at. she liked the way he held her hand like she might break if he gripped too hard. Frankie enjoyed listening to him talk, he was extremely intelligent, but didn't let on that he knew it.

He moved her out of the way slightly and she winced, mostly because of the way he looked at the locker. It was just occurring to her that he would have to do extra work to fix it. She didn't realize that she had been pushed that hard.

"Say, if you want, I could get you home. I've been told these guys have been somewhat active these days, and I wouldn't want to sav... to help you now just to leave you alone on the way to your home. Shall I go with you?"

She smiled, relieved that he asked before she had to. He was blushing, embarrassed, probably thinking that she wanted nothing to do with him. She was drawn to him, however, for inexplicable reasons. She placed a hand gently on his arm and waited for him to face her.

"I would absolutely appreciate you walking me home, Adam. But, you don't have to feel obligated to, because it's kind of a long walk. I live clear on the other side of town."

Leo was an oddball. Even by Moreau standards. He didn't try to normalize himself, didn't try to be more human. He was himself. He was kind of a loner,except when it came to females, always noticed when he went about. If anything he might be called a Goth, at least in dress.

As the early afternoon light filters through the windows it bounces off his fur, while being absorbed by the long black shorts and metal studded chokers he wears about his throat and wrists. He watches the going ons, some nasty, some mundane. He isn't messed with. Unlike Jonesy, the bear Moreau, he refuses to blunt his claws. They're weapons and thats exactly what he uses them as when he needs to. And the school can not do anything about it unless he attacks first, which he does not.

His movements are full of fluidity and grace, his lean form moving quietly, gracefully, even with black combat boots on. He makes little noise, though his pointed ears are perked, picking up all the sounds around him. He passes by the teacher's lounge. Seeing Ms Knowles, a teacher he always enjoys talking to he stops, giving her a soft smile, a curving of his lips and a soft purr, his way of showing pleasure. To him a grin is a bad thing, means he's about to attack.

"Hi...Are you busy? I know you said to come by your class about this time. You said you'd be able to help me with the assignment?" He isn't always that sociable but he is intelligent, very much so and those who feed his mind usually become rather close. Ms. Knowles is one such. He seemed always to do well in her class, devouring every bit of information she would offer up.

x-willow-x said:

She placed a hand gently on his arm and waited for him to face her.

"I would absolutely appreciate you walking me home, Adam. But, you don't have to feel obligated to, because it's kind of a long walk. I live clear on the other side of town."

Click to expand...

Adam smiled nervously, but her own smile calmed him down a bit. He hoped she didn't think he was a pervert or anything... which made him wonder if he was being one. I mean, Ok, she was very pretty, but it wasn't like he wanted to... no, it was about helping her... right?

"Oh, don't worry! I don't have a place to stay in, anyway, so it's not like it would be pulling me away from whatever place I got..."

Oh, real smooth that. He'd just told her he had no place to stay at. He could have just let his jeans fall and skip the formalities! And what if the distance to her house was an excuse to get rid of him? He tried to calm himself down again, as his blush renewed.

"Uuuhhh, look, I can imagine what that sounded like, but I seriously don't intend to... well, eeeeh...

Errr, I mean, sorry. Ok, let me start again."

He took a deep breath, and let his diafragm reposition itself very slowly. His whole body burnt in embarrassment.

"I would like to go with you to your home to make sure you get there safely, nothing more, nothing less. If you accept, then fine, if you don't, I will understand."

Vic shrugged. "Hopefully make some movies and get a band together. My dad wanted me to go to law school, but I'm more of an artist than a white-collar type. He's cool with it, but I know he still wishes he'd had someone to take after him."

Ten years ago, Vic had moved his bedroom into the basement and turned the whole thing into his private studio. His father wasn't too pleased at first, but when he saw the saw the sort of things his son was making, he knew that he couldn't ask his son to throw that talent away in pursuit of a career he didn't want.

"I was going to actually drive up to Frisco this weekend to look at some houses... You wanna go?" Vic was a little surprised by that. Since when did he ever want company? Still, it was already said, and he didn't really want to take it back.

Katamari Roller said:

"I would like to go with you to your home to make sure you get there safely, nothing more, nothing less. If you accept, then fine, if you don't, I will understand."

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Frankie laughed lightly at his awkwardness. For such a "vicious" guy, he really wasn't that scary. "Thank you, I would love for you to walk me home." she said, smiling up at him softly. She shrugged her bag over her shoulder again and walked out the door with him.

They walked close together and Frankie was comforted by his nearness. She felt safe with him and enjoyed looking at him as well. He was, after all, extremely attractive. "So, Adam. What brings you to Jacobstown? I mean, really, of all the places you could choose to move, especially without having a place to stay beforehand..." she trailed off, hoping she wasn't being too nosey.

She was curious about him, though, and hoped he would tell her a bit about himself. Sure, Jacobstown had its share of Moreaus, but it wasn't every day you met a partial were-wolf.

Eddie LaRose

Nearly as unpopular as Moreaus were the "furries," human sympathizers. It wasn't that Eddie had any particular interest in sexing up a Moreau, mind you. But how could you expect the haters to pass up an opportunity to villify their opponents? Truth be told, Eddie was about equality. Peace and justice between all peoples. There was a harmony he felt with the world that he simply wanted to share with everyone he met. If he could offer the world a blunt and ask it to chill for a while, he would.

Eddie meandered through the halls as though he were oblivious to the multitude of glares he was recieving. The few students that didn't recognize him as a budding Moreau-rights advocate learned with a simple glance. It was an issue Eddie truly felt passionate about, and he quite literally wore it on his sleeve. Safety-pinned to his beaten, brown, imitation-leather jacket was a black patch with the phrase, "SAVE THE MOREAUS" boldly embroidered in hot pink. Another patch found itself on the inside of his equally torn and abused grey jeans, this one reading, "FURRIE." Eddie wasn't a pervert, just a sucker for shock-value. His classic black canvas sneakers squeaked quietly as he sought out his locker.

There was no doubt the cause for his activism was his parents. 10th generation Chinese, the first of Eddie's family came from China to work on the railroads. They came of their own free will and obeyed the law down to the last letter, but that didn't prevent the "natives," Europe's descendants, from looking down on them the same way the looked down on black slaves. His entire extended family had spent time during WWII in concetration camps. Yet interestingly, his pureblood Chinese grandparents looked down on his father, a man of french heritage, as well as their daughter for choosing such a man. The world was a crazy one indeed.

It was a huge relief that he had yet to see any racial violence today. As high as tensions were, he was nearly giddy that it was this late in the day and he still couldn't account for one act of hate greater than a few stares and muttered words.

Perhaps people were starting to come around.