Ellie had been having a strange morning, surrounded by so many confused people staggering about. She'd been spared - thankfully - this time, because after one experience being a man, she wasn't entirely ready to go through it again. Still, it was enough to make her think about what was going on, and how things like this was even possible. It felt like she'd never quite understand how this place worked.
She'd been distracted enough, as she walked down the Compound hallway, that she didn't even realize she was about to knock into someone. She recoiled the moment she smacked into the person, glancing up with an immediate apologetic look.
"Oh, I'm sorry," she said, her expressin sheepish. "I didn't see you. Are you alright?"
Sarah put her hands up, too late to prevent Ellie from careening into her. "No, no," she said quickly, "I mean, yes, I'm fine, I'm - don't apologize, it's alright. Are you alright?" Arching an eyebrow, she looked Ellie over, checking that she was. It hadn't been that bad of a bump, though. Sarah was sure she was fine.
She didn't really enjoy lying to Ellie, but if she was going to be someone else, she had to be someone else with everyone. Then again, it wasn't like this was a real cover. She could always make up an excuse, tell Ellie to keep it quiet because she was embarrassed. It was just too good an opportunity not to make use of it, and better than just being annoyed however long this lasted.
"I'm fine," she said, with a soft laugh, waving away the concern with a grateful smile. "I was just trying to stay out of the way with all the stuff going on today. I guess I wasn't doing a good job, huh?"
After a moment, she remembered her manners, offering the man her hand. "I'm Ellie, by the way. I don't think we've met."
"I'm - I wouldn't actually say that," Sarah said, after only a moment's hesitation. Maybe it was just a sense of fair play. She'd lied to Ellie enough times. Taking a step to the side, she leaned in a little, evidently hesitant, and lowered her voice. "Ellie, it's me. Sarah. Just - just don't tell anyone, okay? It's... kind of embarrassing." It was better, though, than Ellie and Chuck thinking she'd disappeared.
The Compound seemed to be in a state of chaos. Pam just had to count herself lucky, she supposed, that she and Jim hadn't, like so many others, woken up to find themselves having suddenly changed genders. Worrying about anyone else who might've fallen prey to the island's whim would come after coffee, though. With a cup of coffee in her hand, she turned, nodding in greeting at the guy who stood near her -- one she didn't remember having seen before -- with a smile. "Morning," she said casually. "It's crazy around here, huh?"
Sarah reached Pam for the coffee, nodding. "A madhouse," she agreed, glancing around. The area was too public to admit to being herself, not if she wanted to keep up the pretense however long this lasted. There was always someone to overhear, and while breaking a cover she'd made up just for the sake of being someone else would hardly be much of a loss, she didn't want to risk it. Someone who saw her playing this part well and knew who she was might start to wonder what other parts she was playing. "Is it always like this? Morning rush?"
That explained why Pam didn't remember having seen him around before. Though she nodded, she let out a quiet laugh, ducking her head apologetically. At least, for someone new, he looked to be handling it fairly well. She'd have felt a whole lot worse if he'd only just shown up and she'd been assuming he didn't need an explanation. "Well, it tends to be pretty crowded in the morning," she explained. "This is... kind of a weird one, though. I just didn't realize you were new." Pausing, she set down her coffee and stuck out a hand. "I'm Pam. I guess you've gotten the speech already?"
"Eric," she offered, shaking Pam's hand with a warm smile. "And yeah. A couple times actually. People are pretty helpful around here." She did her best to look grateful that, if a little sheepish, overwhelmed by the whole process of settling in. She knew from experience that it was a lot to handle, and it was safe to assume that someone without her background would be more flustered still. All the same, this persona was fairly calm and put together. She wasn't going to waste all her time flailing about like a chicken that had lost its head.
"Coffeeeeeeeeeeeeeee," Jaye groaned as she hobbled into the kitchen. It wasn't her first time as a man, but this was her first time as a man with actual MUSCLE, not scrawny McGee (okay, Roger). She almost felt like she didn't need the crutches, but she wasn't STUPID.
She'd reassess the situation after she'd had some coffee.
Waking up as a man had been enough of a shock for one day. While Sarah could deal with it while it lasted, provided it didn't last long, this took her by surprise. Eyes widening a little, she stepped back from the coffeemaker, her grip on her own cup slipping a moment. "Bryce?"
Even as she said it, she realized that it probably wasn't him after all. He looked the same, but wasn't quite right - something in the posture or tone. Still she found herself staring a little before she glanced back down at her coffee, hoping he hadn't heard.
"Hrmphu?" The articulate noise was followed by a cock of the head to one side as Jaye stared at the guy next to the coffeemaker. Was he going to move further, or was Jaye going to have to risk contact?
Caffeine deprivation was a greater risk than contact, so she stepped forward to grab a mug and get her coffee on. "Wait, what?" she sputtered belatedly, looking over her shoulder at the man, synapses firing late. "Who am I?"
Had she been wrong? Was it just a different body again?
Somehow that was just about as weird as waking up a man. "Sorry," Sarah said quickly, "I thought you were someone else for a moment. Bryce Larkin?" It wasn't out of the question that Bryce himself might have been able to stay in hiding for a while, avoiding detection by her and Casey both, which meant there was the possibility that this was just the same as what Casey had mentioned had happened to Chuck before. But then, she would have found herself in someone else's body, too, and she was almost entirely positive that wasn't the case. Either way, it was silly to think he'd still be going by his own name.
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She'd been distracted enough, as she walked down the Compound hallway, that she didn't even realize she was about to knock into someone. She recoiled the moment she smacked into the person, glancing up with an immediate apologetic look.
"Oh, I'm sorry," she said, her expressin sheepish. "I didn't see you. Are you alright?"
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She didn't really enjoy lying to Ellie, but if she was going to be someone else, she had to be someone else with everyone. Then again, it wasn't like this was a real cover. She could always make up an excuse, tell Ellie to keep it quiet because she was embarrassed. It was just too good an opportunity not to make use of it, and better than just being annoyed however long this lasted.
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After a moment, she remembered her manners, offering the man her hand. "I'm Ellie, by the way. I don't think we've met."
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She'd reassess the situation after she'd had some coffee.
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Even as she said it, she realized that it probably wasn't him after all. He looked the same, but wasn't quite right - something in the posture or tone. Still she found herself staring a little before she glanced back down at her coffee, hoping he hadn't heard.
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Caffeine deprivation was a greater risk than contact, so she stepped forward to grab a mug and get her coffee on. "Wait, what?" she sputtered belatedly, looking over her shoulder at the man, synapses firing late. "Who am I?"
Had she been wrong? Was it just a different body again?
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