"Awww, why didn't you introduce me too?" Comes a whining voice in Elon's ear and the feline groans lowly, shaking her head with quiet vigor before sighing. [b]"Because nobody sees you. What'd be the point in that? It'd just make me look crazy!" She huffs. "You just don't like me anymore," the voice whines before making all sorts of annoying noises ring through the cat's head only to stop on a harsh sigh when Elon doesn't respond. "Oh- you really are in a bad mood... Sorry...," the voice speaks quietly now and with clear apology which only make the domestic groan. "It's fine, Naarah. I'll figure this all out. I just need some time to recover, okay?" Her voice is husky, tired, and she just wants to lie down for a bit. Her stomach is full now at least, but it's going to take her some time to recover from almost starving in the woods. Odd how the woods used to be her domain and now, in this new dimension, she had almost been it's victim. She'd kill to be brushed right now.

As she feels her friend's presence fade, Elon thinks that the alone time will be a good thing for her. She's someone that values it as much as coin after all, but without a book or a spell to distract her, the cat begins to be crushed by her own worrying thoughts. What if she can't figure all of this out? What if she's stuck in this loop forever. Trapped like a fly in a jar- where she really is right now. Swallowing, Elon squeezes her eyes shut and attempts to shove the thoughts away. When that doesn't work, it occurs to her that she'll just have to improvise. What was that she heard someone call earlier? A... meet and greet? Sounds like a parlor party at one of those damned politician's houses or something for not-so-hot singles, but she'll do it anyway.

Elon takes a few to let her demeanor shift; her lips move into a lazy, confident smile and she lies back on her side, striving to look effortlessly elegant against a small tree near a heavy traffic area. 'Who's a pretty kitty? I am,' she tells herself, before clearing the gravel from her throat to make way for her usual deep, smooth tone. "Someone wanna keep me company? Who's who around here? I'm Elon." Yeah, she met a lot of people when she first arrived but to say she remembers everyone would be a lie and she's sure there's plenty more where they came from.

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© MADI

*retro to injuries*

There had been a lot of unexpected things that had happened in the past couple of weeks. That wasn't a surprise all that much anymore as there were a lot of different unsuspected things that happened in this world on a daily basis. Washington hadn't come to terms with the way that the world had worked, of course, but he didn't want to believe that anything that was indeed happening was happening. He was getting better, at least that's what he thought he was telling himself. He wasn't actually getting better, he just wasn't getting worse. Which was what Washington considered it to be progress. There was still a lot to figure out about how they were going to make their way back to being human. There were too many factors to consider, and the aspect of the aliens seemed a little bit too far-fetched in a world like this. He doubted that if he told the stories of what the aliens were that others would realize exactly what they were capable of. The Freelancer had to worry about his own issues rather than the issues of others, hence why he didn't bother trying to explain his situation to those that he came across. There was never even really a reason for him to do something like that. He was always closed off, just like Carolina was.

When others asked him questions about what and who he was though, the Freelancer would answer them but make it vague enough that they truly wouldn't understand what he was either. There were a couple of animals that lived here that were formerly human, but that also means that they didn't come from the same War-torn world that he came from. Roy did say that he was part of a military, but he wasn't able to completely get the story for the Colonel about if the military was just created so that they could defend themselves in the act of a war or if they were actually at War when the other had been turned into whatever animal he was now. Washington didn't want to stay an animal forever and refused to accept his fate. No matter what he was going to go back to being human. The last thing he had honestly thought was going to happen was a breakdown from Carolina. She had always been incredibly strong, especially through all of the stress that the project had given her. She was the Director's daughter, something that only he knew about thanks to the information given to him by Epsilon. Washington refused to tell Carolina exactly how much he knew about her family and her families life. He didn't want to do that to her, and not only that it had made it incredibly awkward.

Washington did know that there was a connection between Carolina and York in some way. Since he had been stuck in the infirmary, Washington didn't know what had ended up happening with York during the exchange. He had no idea that someone he considered to be a friend was actually dead. He still didn't know this, and when he had found the lighter on the beach he didn't know what was happening. He had only followed Carolina because both of them getting separated didn't exactly mean something that was actually going to help them if they got hurt by something that they couldn't take on in their current bodies. He wasn't the comforting type. Up to that point, he had been using Carolina for her knowledge and strength to potentially get them out of here. He knew that he still secretly was, but there was another part of him that wanted to help Carolina. Was that even possible? She wouldn't accept help from the likes of him that was for sure. Washington didn't know what he could do, but having her up against his chest made him realize that she was still human. She could still feel pain and sorrow. He remembered Elon being there, and he had wondered if Carolina was going to lash out what she had said. Carolina didn't though, and it seemed she had barely acknowledged what she had said. Either way, the lighter had turned out to be fairly important.

He didn't know anything about Elon, and like everyone else in the group, he didn't really care about anyone that was here. He planned on keeping it that way. Where Carolina went, Washington usually followed. Washington approached after Carolina did, making sure that she was going to be okay after everything that she had gone through. He flicked one of his ears inside of his helmet as he sat himself down, taking note of the name of one of the animals here that he didn't know. Gabe. Interesting. Washington was tired and was only taking a break for a couple of minutes before he continued working. He was glad to see that Carolina was taking it easy for the time being, as he knew that wouldn't exactly last long. The Freelancer looked in the female's direction not seeming to care about the other's attitude. "How did you even end up nearly starving to death?" She was a cat, wasn't she? At least from what he's seen before was that cats were capable hunters unless she wasn't used to being a cat. The question was honestly to try and dig for information. Washington was digging for information as usual, and he wasn't in the mood to be making jokes either. He didn't know Elon, and he wanted to keep it that way. He shuffled his dark grey paws as others began to make their way over, and the Freelancer found no reason to introduce himself when she already knew who he was. "speech"

Elon is half zoned out when Margaery approaches but she is quick to snap out of it and focus on the seal point feline before her. Her gaze is quick to flick to the flowers that come blooming from the ground in the woman's presence and she seems heavily surprised as if struck by a revelation. So... magic does exist here. However small this demonstration is, it tells her all she needs to know- that there is hope of recovering her own powers. The white cat almost blurts out a thank you, but stops herself in the knick of time and forces her brain to store this new information in the back of her mind for now. That studious gaze Margaery has and her tone tells Elon quite a lot before she even opens her lips to reply back and she's sure that Margaery is making just as useful observations about her too simultaneously. Luckily; despite how much Elon thinks she's noticed, she is in fact oblivious to the other cat's distance because she has no point of comparison to how involved she would normally be. [b]"Hi. I'm not starving anymore so I'd say that's a great positive. As long as I get food, I think I''ll be just fine." Everything else is secondary really. Elon smiles her lopsided smile then sighs soft from a slight discomfort in her belly as she's still recovering. "You're Suiteheart's wife, aren't you?" People talk and she listens. "I met her and if I had a long lost sister, I would have thought I'd found her." The whole no-pupils thing none withstanding.

Her gaze moves then to an approaching figure and there's a glint of familiarity. She was staring the guy down just recently so he's right, of course she'd remember him when she saw him again. And she's just as envious and fascinated as the first time though she's better at hiding it this go around. "As in Gabriel, right?" She tilts her head to the side and smiles lazily, playfully. "As oppose to.. I dunno; Gabonitus, Gabenator, Gabelicious?" If she was aware of his suspicions she would be more cautious in how she acted, but it's not like she can suppress her personality that much anyway so perhaps it's better that she doesn't. His next words make her scoff and she shrugs hard enough to move her whole form before brushing her forehead with her paw. "No way. To wake up you need to sleep and how could I sleep with all of the attention I've been getting since I got here? I'm expecting an unsolicited proposal any day now." Definitely hamming it up, but she likes to joke because things hurt less when there's humor to be found. In this alien existence and all that came before it, it's a way to stay grounded. "What about you?" Proposals or just attention in general- she's certain his hybrid being has gotten him the second one anyways.

Carolina's appearance comes next and just pushes the feline's humor onward to the point that. The answer to the first question is clearly no and the second clearly yes, so she just decides to deflect them with a snicker. It's more like a cackle really but she would never admit to making a sound like that. "Are you mad that I called you cute or are you accepting it?" Carolina seems like one of those chicks that wants to be taken seriously but Elon can't managed serious all the time. Hell, she can't even manage it half the time, yet the leopard isn't chewing her head off for it right now so that has to be a good sign. Elon won't bring her dirty laundry up in public by asking her how she feels (that and she's sure she wouldn't get an honest answer anyway). Instead, Elon switches up by moving so that her belly is the ground and she can lift her head up high after a little wiggle of her delicate shoulder blades. "At attention, captain." It is intriguing to her to see how militaristic Carolina is, but considering Elon comes from a time where women were only considered useful enough to nurse on the battlefield, it never even occurs to her that Carolina could be an actual soldier of any sort.

Her picking is interrupted then by something about a melon? Elon blinks her empty eyes before moving them around to try to find the source of the little voice she just heard. When she spots the kitten, the white cat smiles with a innocent genuineness that almost doesn't look right on a face like hers. Just as quick it's corrupted though because of the pretty comment. "Oh! Finally it's acknowledged." She would have went with gorgeous, but she'll take pretty. Elon then raises her paw and waves back. "Hey Melody. What's up?" The shuffle of another set of paws catches her attention and she raises her fixes her eyes on this new, distracted looking feline. Elon blinks again like prior, waiting for him to say something and when he doesn't she clears her throat. Maybe he's shy. Or just a weirdo. Whatever he is, she'll give him the benefit of a doubt for now. "Uh, hey. I'm Elon."

For once then, she's thankful that the sound of bigger paws drums up across the grass. When she looks up at the smilodon looking down at her, all she can see is her reflection in his helmet. Well, that'll do just fine. She's not quite sure what she thinks about Wash for now and she attributes that to the fact that she hasn't bumped into him since her joining she believes. He was pretty taciturn then and seemed reluctant to go over there at all but he did anyway so that's an interesting mystery in itself. He did give her that morsel of food which was nice... "Oh, you, thanks for that chest bacon before." That's what she's going to call that jerky that came out of his armor anyway. If she knew they shared similar predicaments, then that would change how impartial she is. Her mentor once told her that the faces they wear doesn't change the impact that they leave on this world, but Elon doesn't want to accept that. She too wants her old form or at least the option to enter it. "Like I had said, it was just a diet," she quips. "And I just don't want to hunt... I don't enjoy killing." Ha, now that is a bold lie if she ever told one. Elon looks down at her paws, flexing out her claws quite capable of killing something small if she got lucky would like. "You know, I don't ever see you hunt either come to think of it." Oh yes, she's noticed that she's not the only one around here who either won't or can't hunt and my, my is that suspicious. A big guy like him not hauling in anything or at least a good portion seems very strange to her.

Washington wasn't jealous with the way that Elon was interacting with Carolina. He was honestly just surprised that Carolina hadn't said anything about it yet. It wasn't his business to care about something like that, although he wondered what Carolina was thinking when she was being told that. The Freelancer considered her to be a coworker, even if he did care about her a little bit more anyway. He just didn't care about her in that sort of way. He never wanted to overstep his bounds because he knew as soon as that happened he'd lost the trust that he was slowly gaining with the other Freelancer. Which was the last thing he needed with everything else that was going on. Washington watched Elon with little interest, and he knew that his time was getting close to being up before he started to go back to work eventually. Something that he didn't mind doing and it kept him occupied. The Freelancer craned his neck to the side until he heard a pop. He had a headache again. Finally, after addressing everyone else, her attention was drawn toward him. He couldn't help but let a low chuckle escape his jaws, although it only lasted a couple of seconds. He had to admit that it was kinda funny. Chest bacon. He had never heard that before. "You can find stuff like that readily around since civilians here cook some of the stuff they catch."

Washington informed the other calm deadpanned tone that he always talks in. He knew of animals going on diets, but that was usually when humans restricted the amount of food that they were given. He had seen plenty of pictures of overweight cats that he thought was funny when he was considered the rookie in Project Freelancer. Which made him raise a nonexistent eyebrow in his helmet as to why a cat would willingly go on a diet. It made some sense as he considered that most of these animals were sentient creatures up to a point. Washington made note that the domestic cat didn't enjoy the fact of killing. Killing to him hadn't really affected him that much, and he doubted he would no matter what form it ended up taking. He had no mercy for something like that anymore after all. Then she brought the question back to him that she hasn't seen him hunting. Really? She had just been here maybe two days. He basically kept out of sight of a lot of animals that ever lived in the outpost. "I don't hunt. Raw meat isn't palatable." Washington stated in a calm tone. He also was still getting used to his body, he doubted that hunting with loud armor would harbor any results. If he had his gun it would make hunting a lot easier but he didn't. He was stuck with the claws he had now. "speech"