RE: Skill Shapers - Part Two

Heaving up from his chair a little, the man reaches out towards me. His hand trembles slightly as he struggles to hold the jostling pink vial, his fingers lacking much in the way of dexterity as he tries his best to extend the offering out without dropping it to the floor.

With a quivering hand I reach up, taking the sweat slickened vial with a wince. It's hard to tell if the thing is warm thanks to the shimmering pink liquid inside or from the layer of foul sweat that clings to the glass thanks to the grasp of the flabby man across from me.

"Well..." he asks, nodding towards the vial. "If you want to accept your new role go right ahead, otherwise I think were done here tod..."

"No no..." I blurt out, reaching for the label only for it to fall off thanks to the sweat soaking through it. I choke out a faint smile, trying my best to look happy with the situation. I slowly open the lid of the vial, the liquid inside shifting as if reacting to the fresh air slowly streaming inside. As the lid slides off I slowly bring the glass to my mouth, my free hand reaching down to turn the label over.

With the top of the bottle only an inch or two from my lips I slowly squeak out. "I'm more than happy to trying being a...Food Service and Business Owner?"

Skill Shapers - Part Two

Heaving up from his chair a little, the man reaches out towards me. His hand trembles slightly as he struggles to hold the jostling pink vial, his fingers lacking much in the way of dexterity as he tries his best to extend the offering out without dropping it to the floor.

With a quivering hand I reach up, taking the sweat slickened vial with a wince. It's hard to tell if the thing is warm thanks to the shimmering pink liquid inside or from the layer of foul sweat that clings to the glass thanks to the grasp of the flabby man across from me.

"Well..." he asks, nodding towards the vial. "If you want to accept your new role go right ahead, otherwise I think were done here tod..."

"No no..." I blurt out, reaching for the label only for it to fall off thanks to the sweat soaking through it. I choke out a faint smile, trying my best to look happy with the situation. I slowly open the lid of the vial, the liquid inside shifting as if reacting to the fresh air slowly streaming inside. As the lid slides off I slowly bring the glass to my mouth, my free hand reaching down to turn the label over.

With the top of the bottle only an inch or two from my lips I slowly squeak out. "I'm more than happy to trying being a... Travel & Entertainment?" I wheeze in confusion, squinting a little as I try to piece together just what the label means in my mind.

Skill Shapers - Part One

Sitting in the small office, the ticking of the small clock on the wall falling far behind my racing heart, I tap my fingers nervously against the arms of my seat. The well worn padding of the cheap office chair does little in way of providing any sense of comfort, the wooden base of the seat easily being felt beneath me as I shift awkwardly in my seat.

My nails click dully against the coarse plastic armrest, my arms remaining held at my side as I try to take up as little space as I can in the tiny shoebox of an office. Beyond the small desk in front of me sits a rather bored and disinterested looking man in his late forties, a poor excuse of a comb over drawing the eyes to his shiny pale head. His large and doughy frame strains a similarly heavily worn seat, the arm rests jabbing into his sides and squishing his flab as he reads over the forms on his desk.

"Well..." he mutters in a low and huffing gargle, coughing slightly as he clears his throat. "It looks like we may actually have something for you" he muses, moving a set of stumpy sausage-like fingers to his thick walrus mustache before stroking it in deep thought.

Reaching down to his desk he slowly begins to open and close various drawers, a faint clinking of glass and metal echoing out of each one as he strains his beady eyes at the contents within.

"Really!" I croak, a cold sweat quickly beading up on my forehead and back as I watch him search for something in the drawers. A faint glow slips up from each draw as he opens it, an eerie pink light emanating up and over the man's sickly pale skin.

"High social aptitude..." he grunts, his voice coming out in a heavy sigh as he leans further down and forces the air from his lungs. "Educated, a diverse range of customer service jobs in your history. I'm sure we can find something for you in..." he mutters, reaching into a drawer and fishing around with a deep sense of concentration as he is bathed in blue light.

Second Skin, Second Life - Part Four

Skipping and yelping as my feet pound the wet cold pavement I soon find myself navigating the familiar building and paths of my old stomping ground. While the dorms were different and strange, the campus itself was all too familiar after years spent studying and working here.

Panting and wheezing for breath, my muscles burning and my skin soon dripping with sweat, I curse under my breath at my sudden lack of fitness. As I find myself leaving the campus and navigating my way into the still flooded city streets I try to map out the path in my head.

"Left at... at Andrews... then a right... I think... at Kingston..." I pant heavily, my stride slowly to a power walk and then a limp shuffle as exhaustion grips me. "They'll get her off me and... and..." I wheeze, looking into the bin and at my partially buried manhood as I try to work out just what they could do about that.

My mind races with panicked thoughts, the rushed walk barely even registering with me as I soon spot the colorful awning once again. With my heart leaping into my throat I race up to the door before barreling inside, a confused worker holding up my old pants jumping with shock as she recognizes my new face.

RE: Second Skin, Second Life - Part Three

Bleary eyed I slowly feel myself coming to, my muddled and hazy mind struggling as my skull painfully throbs along with my heart beat. I sway slightly, my skin and muscles tensing as if to fight my subtle movements while I slowly come to.

"Why..." I blurt out, my lips slamming shut against my will as I find myself struggling to do much of anything beyond struggle back to a semi-wakeful state.

Suddenly, it all comes back to me in a rush. The rain, the lobby, the thing, and then the fall all as my head begins to pound and ache worse and worse by the second. Blinking rapidly I try to focus, clearing my vision as I feel my eyelids grow heavy and defiant.

As I come to my senses I find myself at my front door as a set of delicate fingers fumble with my keys, curly blonde hair and a massive weight on my chest shifting with each movement. I feel my hands trembling in the cold, delicate and slender fingers fumbling with the set of keys as they try to line it up with lock.

My other hand holds something against my bulging abdomen, wet and sodden fabric pressing firmly against the achingly distended flesh.

In the haze my haze I quickly force the key into the lock, turning it with a loud click as a squeak slips from my lips that is not of my making. As the door slowly opens I feel my heart quickly begin to hammer in my chest, the pounding force growing loud in my ears as I realize just how much bigger my apartment looks.

Second Skin, Second Life - Part Three

Bleary eyed I slowly feel myself coming to, my muddled and hazy mind struggling as my skull painfully throbs along with my heart beat. I sway slightly, my skin and muscles tensing as if to fight my subtle movements while I slowly come to.

"Why..." I blurt out, my lips slamming shut against my will as I find myself struggling to do much of anything beyond struggle back to a semi-wakeful state.

Suddenly, it all comes back to me in a rush. The rain, the lobby, the thing, and then the fall all as my head begins to pound and ache worse and worse by the second. Blinking rapidly I try to focus, clearing my vision as I feel my eyelids grow heavy and defiant.

As I come to my senses I find myself curled up in a large gaming chair, my eyes stinging due to the bright of the screen and my body begging for sleep. Soothing chiptunes fill the room, a set of speakers either side of the massive TV turned computer screen blasting the music straight at me. The bright and vibrant colors on the screen catch the thin panes of glass sitting right before my eyes, the glare leaving my eyes struggling to adjust.

I feel my fingers clutch at a plastic controller, the rumbling device feeling far larger than it otherwise should in my grasp. My fingers twitch and jitter against my will, the tendons struggling to move as if they had a mind of their own. My body feel terrible, my skin coated in a faint damp sensation while my stomach churns and aches with an odd sense of bloating.

"Huh..." I groan, gagging slightly as I feel my tongue lap at the foul taste in my mouth. Sickly sweet and highly artificial flavor of some caffeinated beverage coating the inside of my mouth and lingering in a disgusting manner.

"St... op..." I find myself croaking, my fingers twitching as the guttural wheeze blurts out against my will. "I... can't... ause..." it stammers out again, my jaw aching as I feel it clutch and shift weakly.

Second Skin, Second Life - Part Two

The sound of the rain hammering against the sheet metal roof is soon replaced with the loud screech of straining metal. I'm barely able to through myself back out into the freezing deluge as the thin flimsy metal roof buckles and breaks inwards, rusted fragments soon spraying downwards along with a flooding tide of filthy water.

Scrambling against the stream of water racing down the street I stumble to my feet, my footfalls sloshing through the ankle deep waters as I stagger into the pelting storm around me. I try to whip my head around, desperate to find some sort of shelter from the rain as I practically wonder why I was even out and about in this damned weather.

Suddenly I spot it, a flapping awning stretching out over the street even so slightly with a door right beneath it. With the rain pouring down I stagger into the dark and closed building, finding the door unlocked as I seek shelter from the pelting rain.