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loccent2020-04-02 01:35 pm
thelittleone) wrote in loccent2020-04-02 01:35 pm
Entry tags:
run with wolves | open post.
Characters
Asil, The Moor
A very, very old wolf and a member of the Marrok's pack.
A very, very old wolf and a member of the Marrok's pack.
Jang Eun
Previously of Carmel Valley, sent to Aspen Creek by her former Alpha.
Previously of Carmel Valley, sent to Aspen Creek by her former Alpha.
Jesse Hauptman
Daughter of the Alpha of the Columbia Basin Pack
Daughter of the Alpha of the Columbia Basin Pack
Joshua Brennan
Burden-bound. A Sin-Eater paired with the ghost of a long-dead soldier.
Burden-bound. A Sin-Eater paired with the ghost of a long-dead soldier.
PREMISE
All the stories are true. Years ago, the Fae came out because technology was making it harder and harder for them to hide, and it's been a couple of years since the werewolves did the same. The world is changing day by day. Humans and the paranormal live side by side, but it's not easy nor is it simple. While the Marrok has taken great lengths and care to preserve the werewolves' PR front, everyone - wolf, fae, vampire and other - know that it's only a matter of time before the humans start thinking that perhaps the other stories meant to warn of the dark are true.This is an open post set in the universe of Patricia Briggs' Mercy Thompson series. The books are amazing and you should definitely check them out. More information via this Wiki link. The rules are simple: Drop a prompt, leave a tag, and let's play!
THREAD TRACKING
for eun.
"I like her," the Omega had told him casually, slipping in the remark while she and Kara kept him company in his hothouse by deadheading roses.
"Eun? Yeah, she's cool." His little prinsesa had chirped cheerfully, before the conversation continued into how their newest wolf had indulged her in a discussion on Korean Boy Bands.
They had dropped in to check on him. It was not unusual, since Anna often came to him to pick his brain on what knowledge and experience he had about Omegas - and Kara enjoyed indulging her green thumb. But as they continued to bring up the subject of the pack's newest member for the next few months, he could not help but wonder if this was because he had declined three invitations for dinner held at the Marrok's home.
It's not that he was not prone to hermiting - but evidently it was interesting enough for Bran to stir himself into calling "just to check in."
Tuning both of the young women out, he focused instead on giving his vegetables his full attention. He would need to harvest soon enough if he wanted to can several of them and replenish his stores. But his mind was not entirely set on the task, as he found himself trying not to think on the last week… with very little success.
After he had dropped off Eun off at her lodgings, Asil had driven home and gone for a run. Normally, shedding his human skin while maintaining control allowed him to bask in the peace offered by the forests that spread across the Marrok's domain. He ran and chased small prey until the sun dipped behind the mountains and the stars came out. But when he finally returned home, he found that he could not focus on his flowers.
So he set to work on the financial spreadsheets sent to him by a firm based all the way in Germany. When he was content that he had all the numbers neatly balanced, he settled in for bed - only to catch his thoughts lingering on the morning's walk in the woods, the weight of the young woman's hand in his own; and the way she had fit against him just before Tag ruined the moment.
Remembering their brief, if pleasurable exchange had left him feeling strangely guilty. It was not a discomfort borne from a sense of disloyalty to his long-dead mate, Sarai. He had laid her to rest after Anna had killed the witch, Mariposa, who had long hunted him. No. His guilt stemmed from the knowledge that Eun was young, attractive, and had shown him kindness in the face of his instability. That she was Anna's age. While he had, once upon a time, presented himself as an interested wolf prior to her mating with Charles was irrelevant.
But even as he tried to hide behind his reasons - he knew it was because he had not thought that he would ever again think of a woman the way he found himself thinking of Eun.
So he had made himself tea. And spent the rest of the evening suffering quietly in the dark.
But where was he? Ah, yes. The reason he blames Anna.
"She's probably wondering where you are." Anna had lingered after Kara's mother had picked her up. "The other wolves have been chatting her up, but it's obvious that she's not up for their company."
Guilt is a magical and inconvenient thing. It is also very effective when an Omega wields it with expert finesse.
"Aspen Creek is small, Asil. Be careful or she'll catch on that you're avoiding her - come to think of it, why are you avoiding her?"
And this is why you will find a present waiting for you on your front porch: an insulated picnic basket containing homemade bread, fresh vegetables, canned fruit and a selection of spices - the latter of which should last you a month.
Oh yes. And flowers - specifically yellow roses wrapped in paper with a note in calligraphy-esque script:
It is the least he can do given his behavior. ]
no subject
She'd noticed Asil's absence, but considering he'd gone to tend to other things, his roses and the like, she'd decided that waiting for and escorting her must have been all he had to give of his day.
In light of the way she'd teased him, how they'd gotten along, and his own mention of inviting her to see his kitchen at some point, she'd thought perhaps he might visit the next day. She'd spent most of it indoors, settling her things into the cabin and beginning her searches for jobs and the like. When no one had visited her by lunch, she'd taken herself for a walk among all the cabins to get a feel for her new home, and in the process met several others.
The male wolves were attentive, but without the persistence of her old pack. She was grateful for that, though it was clear they were interested in getting to know her. Eun had never been one to shy away from others, certainly no one of her old pack, but all the same she found the repeat of the same getting-to-know-you conversations over and over again to be exhausting. And truthfully, none of them had been as engaging as Asil.
That evening she had dinner with Anna and Charles alone, a simpler, easier dinner. Anna makes for an easy conversationalist, and while Eun found herself careful of Charles as she got to know him, it's clear that he warms considerably in the presence of his mate. Their adoration for each other is obvious, and for once Eun finds herself wondering what it might be like if she had something like that for herself. Asil comes to her mind again, as if summoned, and she quickly pushes him from her thoughts again. A first meeting shouldn't linger in her mind so much. It's not as if he's the only person in Aspen Creek whose company she's been enjoying.
Still, by the end of her first full day in Aspen Creek, there's no word from him at all.
The next several days pass without him. She meets Kara, and immediately finds her delightful, as well as her parents. They talk of K-Pop groups (which Eun has only a little knowledge of) and a few Mando Pop singers that Eun does know. It's clear that the latest craze has swept Kara up, and Eun finds her enthusiasm endearing. They watch a few of Kara's favorite music videos before Anna rescues her, offering to take her into town as she does a grocery run.
With the first of her groceries she makes the Marrok a tray of maple scones with a sticky icing on them that she hopes will please he and his mate Leah. The next day it's chocolate chunk cookies for Anna and Charles. The day after that, a trio of red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting for Kara. Her mornings are spent drinking tea and baking, and her afternoons among the pack that will be hers, at least temporarily. Eun begs off the dinner invitations after the third night in a row, and eats alone.
And realizes after Asil's conspicuous absence that he is avoiding her.
Eun goes over the moments of their meeting together in her mind several times. The conversation. Their reactions to each other. The way he held her hand—the way she let him—and the way she teased him by blowing on the back of his neck in the car. She thinks of the way he told her he'd come to Aspen Creek to die, something that would be so deeply personal to tell a near stranger, and wonders if that is why he avoids her now. That he told her too much.
It doesn't seem right, however. Her mind lingers back on her tease in the car, when Tag had picked them up, and his lack of reaction to it. Was that it? Had she taken something too far in the moment? Or had her griping about the male pack members of her last pack rubbed him the wrong way?
She spends a day feeling indignant about it and stubbornly unhappy.
And then the roses arrive. They're beautiful and fresh, each one perfect and fragrant, and the basket is full of so many goodies. She looks over each offering with care and growing delight—
—and realizes after she's put half of it away to enjoy later that he didn't stay to deliver them in person. Eun doesn't like the uncomfortable feeling that lodges itself in her chest, and rather than prompt her to worry and fret, Eun finds a flare of anger rise in her that his actions have made her feel that way at all. She shouldn't care, she knows she shouldn't give a damn, but the fact that she does only irritates her more.
A half a dozen ways to respond to his behavior spring to mind as she mulls over the situation. She could walk over there and return his emptied basket with a terse thank you. She could call him on the phone and do the same. She could simply walk over there, no excuses, and ask him what she did to warrant being ignored. To ask if he's so busy he couldn't even spare five minutes to say hello.
It all feels desperate. Too desperate for someone that she's spent an hour with at most. Rubbing her face with her hands, Eun decides that she doesn't need to complicate things. She's been here a week and if Asil doesn't want to see her then he doesn't have to. She grabs a piece of paper from a pad near the phone and a pen. Her writing isn't as classically nice as Asil's, but the scrawl is artistic and still aesthetically pleasing. She grabs a paper plate from the pantry, loads a few of the muffins she made for her own breakfast onto it, and covers it in tin foil before marching over to Asil's home.
She knows which one it is, only because Kara pointed it out to her, but even as night falls she makes her way there with ease. Eun walks up to his front step and leaves the plate and the note. She's glad that most people are eating dinner at this point. No one will see her deliver the muffins, or knock on Asil's door. They won't see her slip away into the shadows and out of sight, heading back to her own cabin before Asil can even get to his front door to find them.
The muffins are blueberry.
The note is simple, and offers no warmth, no sentiment, nor any invitation whatsoever.
Thank you. —E]
whoops i wrote u a novel in return
From a dominant young wolf, evidently, it is irritation.
No, he didn't miss the faint whiff of anger lingering on Eun's note. The blueberries were delicious, and he would have enjoyed them immensely. But there is something in the manner they were made that brings to mind that book Kara had lent him recently. The one written by a Spanish writer with a premise where food conveyed whatever emotion the cook was feeling. It was a surprisingly mature piece of fiction that made him wonder if John and Liza were aware of their daughter's reading habits.
He suspects that he knows the root of her irritation. Anna had warned him well enough. Still, he finds himself pacing his home, losing himself in his plants and wondering if the yellow roses had been a mistake - and bleakly wondering if his penchant for casual flirtation had given her the wrong impression.
His wolf, surprisingly, had snorted at him. And in images rather than words, it conveyed that no, it was useless to deny that the flirtation wasn't an accident. They had both found her intriguing enough to play. And when Tag had driven up and interrupted them, they had both felt irritation that their careful hunt had been cut short.
When he finally manages to brew tea without breaking the delicate handle of his precious china, it is true dark and someone has rung the doorbell to his home.
---
The meeting among the wolves does not include the young ones. Poor Juste has taken shelter beside Charles - which signals the other wolves that Asil's silence means he is not quite at peace. The discussions are relatively brief, news from Europe given Juste's continued communique with his old pack; business that does not require the women as of yet.
When they disperse, Asil busies himself with keeping his gaze and attention from the nervy and watchful exit of the other wolves. He straightens out the furniture in the Marrok's main room, trying not to bristle at the weight of Charles' gaze.
"Go. I need to speak with the old Moor in private about some concerns raised by Hussan."
And then they are alone. It is the mirror on the far wall that shows him the thoughtful look on the other wolf's face. "Your son asked after the package you received. He's been waiting for your phone call."
Ah. So there is nothing wrong with the Spanish wolves. No doubt Charles heard the way his father skirted the truth, but the nosy busybodies who lingered would not know that.
"Want to tell me what's got you so wound up that Juste was quaking in his boots even if you drove separate cars?"
He sighs at that, and lifts a pillow off the couch so he can sag into the cushions.
---
The next flowers left on your doorstep are more yellow roses with a handful of pink rosebuds - and some Calla lilies, which he'd driven to his favorite flower shop Missoula to acquire.
He hopes Bran is right and that he has not damaged what little rapport he had built with you with his carelessness. ]
it's perfection
She hopes to wake up leaving behind the part of her that cares that Asil has ignored her all this time. That he apparently cannot bear to face her. She doesn't know why he's kept his distance, whether it's something she's done or something he feels, and if he won't speak to her then she would be better off believing it a mystery that will never be solved. They spent an hour together. There's no reason for her to linger on this any longer than she has.
When she awakens, Eun begins her day with a run. The change hurts, but the pain wakes her up and is worth it for the opportunity to stretch her legs. There are large swaths of land that allow her to run free, so fast, so hard that her heart pounds in her chest and adrenaline makes her feel alive in a way that nothing else ever has. It feels like a fresh start for her morning, something for herself. She has freedom here she did not have in California, and a run like that reminds her that it is more than just the land that is better suited for her. The lack of pressure from the pack, however intrigued they may be by a new female wolf, has meant more to her than she ever realized it would.
Eun takes herself into town for lunch, still traveling with a rental car as she waits for her motorcycle to arrive. With her belly full, she checks out the locations of a few places offering jobs, checking their neighborhoods, how busy they are, and even the feel of how well the employees seem to get along with each other. How at ease they are in their place of work.
She eats dinner alone that night, content with the events of the day, and that she's only thought of Asil twice during it.
Eun wonders if she will get a response from him, but there is nothing on her doorstep, even in the morning.
Midday is another matter. She finds flowers again, yellow roses once more, but with the addition of pink roses and lilies. They seem brighter, specifically arranged to set of each others beauty. She loves them even better than the yellow roses she didn't have the heart to throw away, even in her pique.
It's the letter that holds her attention.
She doesn't recognize the poem for whose it is until midway through, and wonders if she flatters herself to think that it may be very fitting for them both. It is not a comfortable sentiment in the poem, but she and Asil or not in a comfortable space with one another. She despairs at the fact that she's pleased to hear Asil has spoken of her at all to another person. He's kept his distance from her, made her feel like an afterthought with his delivered basket (her thoughts are uncharitable, but she cannot help them sometimes) and still he learned something about her from Anna.
The poem is beautiful, one she'll mull over for a while still, but his apology is what softens what flash of irritation she felt at the appearance of the flowers. She can't withhold forgiveness with his explanation, even if she thinks that perhaps it was more than poor control that kept him away. His poem, if its words hold meaning from Asil, certainly imply as much.
Patience is a virtue, apparently. Eun knows she would have liked some from those of her pack, so she tucks the note away somewhere safe and pulls out a piece of paper in her cabin to pen her own in return.
She sends the letter with Anna, deeming her a more trustworthy messenger who will likely only gossip to her husband, rather than Kara who may very well tell everyone in her teenage exuberance.
And the next day she arrives at Bran's for dinner as expected, gaze slipping to the front door far too many times to wait for Asil's arrival.]
i am ded, i hope u know that
He knows that Bran does not like to dwell on the past - so he does not push for tales older than fifty or sixty years ago.
"You're allowed, you know." Bran's voice is soft as they idly watch for the birds in the trees. "I know you still want to die, but sometimes, the universe is funny about giving you more tomorrows."
He opens up a little about Sarai then - a topic they had set aside after the incident with the witch. Bran listens, even when Asil slides into Spanish, the words relaying better what English cannot.
"So," they end up skipping stones on a stream, Bran finally breaking his silence. "You liked that she didn't flinch from you. And from what I hear, you behaved well enough when she blew on your neck."
Gossips. Werewolves are the worst gossips. Perhaps Mercedes was right. They should find better things to do in their idle time.
"It doesn't have to mean anything, old man. No matter what everyone else might whisper. She's young, stubborn as a barnacle on an anchor. And I think it's a good thing, that she's keeping you on your toes. Go and make friends, Asil. We're old. But not so old that we can't make the occasional new one."
You'll hear them laughing as they come up the drive. Something about Devon and the Wild Hunt and Tag falling through the ice in the middle of winter, and one of them indignantly declaring that wolves should know better than to looking for Ymir. ]
Eun. [ He nods deferentially, his movements cautious. ] Were you waiting long?
the feeling is absolutely mutual uwu
And yet all of her armor doesn't keep her heart from beating a bit faster when they arrive, and she realizes two things in that moment. She's a little nervous, and no, she didn't somehow build up everything in her mind. Her interest in spending time with him is almost palpable and she doesn't know what to do with it other than pretend everything is fine.]
Not at all, just got here a few minutes ago. [She glances over to Bran and offers him an easier smile, even lifts her hand in a little wave.] Was that story one of those "you had to be there" kinds?
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"I'll be in my office. Feel free to make the most of the kitchen, Leah won't be home until late."
Asil watches him go, before he steps close to Eun, giving her space enough to decide whether he should approach a bit more. ]
Devon was one of the wolves who passed away not too long ago. [ His voice is soft. ] He and I shared a love for flowers and he was one of the few wolves whose company would not mean unnecessary bloodshed.
no subject
Still, she does nothing to push him away, to tell him to keep his space. She remembers the warmth of his hand holding hers far more vividly with him there.
Asil's reply manages to have the same effect as a bucket of water dumped over her. He and Bran had been laughing, but the story had been about someone they had cared for and lost. Smile dimming somewhat, she nods her head.]
I'm sorry for your loss, but maybe he'd be glad to see you both enjoying a story about him in spite of his absence. [Eun breathes in deeply, a pause in her words, and almost regrets how easily she takes in Asil's scent in doing so.] You seem well today.
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I am not proud of my bout of pettiness and I've offered apologies since.
[ Before he can talk himself out of it, he offers her his hand. ]
Come. Bran has some excellent wine in the back. I wheedled for a bottle that we can share.
no subject
Her brow lifts in silent question, and her expression stills at the offer of his hand.
It feels a little like getting used to the drop on roller coasters for the first time, all over again, the way her heart almost jumps into her throat. There's only a brief delay before she takes his hand, eyes lighting up a little at the mention of wine. It's almost enough to distract her from the pleasure she takes in the skin to skin contact, the warmth from his hand and the fact that he's offered it at all. He took her hand in the woods when they first met in an effort to help her keep her balance as they traveled. There are no rocky paths or uneven ground to trip her up now, but he offers her his hand anyway.]
Wine sounds like a great idea right about now, though you'll have to excuse me if I only know the names of the different kinds and not what makes one particularly good.
[She almost volunteers that she's more of a whiskey drinker normally, but she doesn't want him to feel obliged to find her that instead, when wine seems a better choice for the evening.]
no subject
Speaking to Bran of his worries was a good idea.
Sarai had been much younger than he when he'd wooed his late mate. But that was a different time with less noise about what is proper and what is not. The wolf is a practical creature, Asil. You know this - but I'm reminding you because you get caught up in the past more than I do.
He laughs - a soft sound. ] Is there a story behind this?
[ He'd done a little research of his own (guiltily, he might add). Her Alpha owns vineyards in California. While he is not personally familiar with Mason Conway, what he found had left him with an impression that the man was likely pedantic about his grapes. ]
no subject
She likes the sound of his laughter, and that she has anything to do with it.]
A little bit of one. The alpha in California owns a winery and I used to be a bartender even before my change. The alpha tried to teach me about wine to see if I could work at the winery helping with tastings. I could probably make a passable attempt to describe the taste of a wine, but he deemed me hopeless in determining what was "good" and what was "bad" when I claimed to enjoy a glass of boxed wine he'd sneaked into a taste test better than the one from his own winery. [Grinning a little wider, she shrugs.] I can tell the difference between a white wine and a red by taste, and the difference between say, a merlot and a port, but I'm afraid I'll always just be pleased to take a glass of wine rather than judge its qualities.
no subject
[ He was like that with his roses, though he rarely ever assumed that people - wolf, human or otherwise - would be so particular with understanding things like the language of flowers or the tending of a garden.
Bran's kitchen is outfitted to feed a large contingent, with an abundance of seats and small nooks for more private conversations - not that there were many of those among the wolves. Asil leads her to a breakfast nook, one with a beautiful view of the forest in Bran's back yard, before he strides to where Leah keeps her best crystal right beneath some honeycomb shelving that display an array of bottles.
The wine he selects is rich and red and he pours her a glass. ]
I thought you would be more cross with me. [ Softly now, ] I am sorry that I did not say hello in person before this evening.
[ He's not lying. Nor will he deny that avoiding her was deliberate. But he is, in fact, truly sorry. ]
no subject
She sits where she's lead, attention temporarily taken by the details of the room, letting Asil free his hand to fetch them glasses and wine. Glancing over, she notes the red wine pouring from the mouth of the bottle, and finds she's glad for the choice. White wine has never felt warm to her somehow, and it doesn't feel right at the moment.
Her gaze lifts to Asil's face as he speaks again, and she looks away, not entirely certain of what to say. She feels terribly off-balance and is beginning to hate that enough to try and work through it.]
I told you that I'd forgive you if you came tonight, if you didn't change your mind. I can't really say that I've forgiven you if I'm still upset, can I? [She's more glad that he came than she is angry at his avoiding her. But seeing him now, discussing it, there's a point she just can't let go.] Someone might say that I didn't have a right to be upset in the first place, in light of the reasons you offered and the fact that we'd only shared a single conversation. You didn't owe me anything, Asil, and still don't.
[A fact she'd only realized after she'd had more time to mull things over. Whatever kinship she might have felt at that first meeting didn't entitle her to anything, or commit Asil to a schedule.]
no subject
But it was rude of me to deliberately make myself scarce without so much as a by your leave.
[ He's not beholden to her for anything, he knows. But truthfully, if Anna or Kara had done something similar, it would bother him a great deal. ]
Wolves are social creatures. [ He toys with the stem of his glass. ] You already know this.
But I've... [ he shakes his head. ] I believe my own press with very good reason. Among familiar faces, I can relax. Bran and Charles are more dominant than I and can bring me to heel. Anna is an Omega. And the other wolves leave me to my own distractions.
[ A grimace flits over his features. ] I... I do not like getting attached to people. I am no longer an Alpha - I am done with responsibility. But the wolf only knows what it knows and connections make it forget that we left Spain for the safety of others.
no subject
Eun picks up the glass of wine in front of her, toying with the stem. She takes a sip from it, letting the familiar taste wash over her tongue and warm her from her throat down to her belly. Everything he says ought to have her giving him the distance he thinks is necessary. She should be running for the hills. But some part of him must not want that for him to hold her hand again tonight, and Eun is drawn to him in ways she doesn't fully understand yet. Her wolf is in accord, though equally cautious.]
And is it better for it to forget, or to remember that fact?
[Maybe if she were older, a werewolf for longer than a year, she might understand what he's trying to say without having to ask questions.]
no subject
He folds his hands together, leaning his elbows on the smooth, cool surface of the table between them. He's like that for a spell, turning the words over in his head.
When he looks up at her, he allows himself to meet her eyes. There is a tiredness there, that has everything to do with age and living. ]
Before I answer that: what have you learned this last week about Aspen Creek?
[ He has ears - and a chatty teenaged wolf who has deliberately kept him apprised of everything he chooses not to stick his nose in. ]
no subject
It's that look in his eyes that has her holding her tongue. In that moment the last thing she wants to do is talk to him about what she's learned about Aspen Creek, and instead figure out what could erase that tiredness.
But perhaps that is why he's asked her. To help ease whatever it is he's feeling then.
So she takes a sip from her wine glass and starts at the beginning. She tells him about the dinners he missed, not to guilt him but to fill him in. The visits with Anna, her first meeting with Kara and her parents, and the various things she's baked and for whom. Eun talks about her trips into town and her job searching, her constant tracking of her motorcycle which is on its way here to Aspen Creek. She talks about the places she's run in wolf form, and each of the wolves she's met. And because she cannot help herself, she edges around hints of some of them having flirted with her at the dinners.]
I put your yellow roses on the end of the counter in the kitchen, by the way. The other bouquet goes well on the nightstand in my bedroom. They're lovely to wake up to in the morning, so thank you again for them.
no subject
None of them gave her flowers that she keeps in spaces of significance. ]
You are welcome to my flowers, Eun. [ He likes, he realizes, the way her name rolls off his tongue. ] I shall have to send you more.
Although I think it would please me more if you visited and not just to leave me muffins.
[ He'd sat on his front steps for a while. He always was a sucker for punishment. ]
But you asked me a question. [ He straightens up and takes a long sip from his glass. ] Bran believes it is better to remember - but selectively, so that we do not lose ourselves in the past.
[ He pauses and takes a steadying breath. ] Yielding to my wolf's need to protect is a little like walking a tightrope. But the connections I have built in the last few years have helped to make that less daunting.
[ He lays his open hand face up on the table. ] I like your company, niña. The last few hours have made me realize that perhaps that is why I worry that you will not enjoy mine.
no subject
Later, she'll tell him that cut flowers are beautiful, but that flowers growing in the hothouse would please her just as well if she's allowed to see them. For now, she accepts the way the conversation returns back to her question. She's beginning to get a sense that interactions with Asil are something like the endless tides, crashing on shores and slipping away again. She can adapt. She isn't just agile in body, but in mind. The old wolf may be intelligent and clever, but so is she.
Her eyes rest on his open hand when he offers it again, and Eun lifts her left hand to take it, to hold his and squeeze it this time. Gaze rising to meet his eyes, she allows her lips to curve up.]
It's probable that at some point there will be a day or a week when I don't enjoy your company. I'm opinionated and stubborn, and don't always know when to bite my tongue. If I'm in a sensitive mood I can take exception to the smallest things and blow them out of proportion. You're not a simple man, and no doubt despite your transparency so far, there are likely other things about you that will grate on me as well. That doesn't mean I'm going to call it all a wash before we've even had a chance to really get to know each other.
[It's with her eyes that she tries to add emphasis, to drive her point home.]
I like your company. You're the first person whose company I've truly enjoyed in a very long time, and I think you're going to have to come up with better reasons if you want to keep your distance from me, or try to somehow convince me to stay away from you.
no subject
He lets his thumb caress her skin, drawing idle circles as his own lips quirk.] I am temperamental and, according to those who call me friend, given to histrionics that are not baseless. I am very old, Eun. I have mentioned this enough times, I believe.
[ It flatters him that she put on make-up for a simple talk over wine. Whether she did that for him or if it is a habit of hers matters little. She looks beautiful in the soft light of Bran's kitchen, and it is very tempting to brush aside the errant strand of dark hair that keeps on drawing his attention to her collarbone.
His voice is softer when he speaks again: ]
I have not found myself attracted to another woman in a while, chica. I appreciate beauty - but have seldom found a need to do something about it.
[ He straightens, but does not withdraw his hand. ]
Come by my house tomorrow. I am usually up before dawn to tend to my flowers. Have breakfast with me and you can read a book while I tend to my errant tomatoes.
no subject
Before her attack, Eun's life involved a series of one night stands, a parade of friends with benefits, and a general lack of interest in romance. No, that isn't right. There was a part of her that longed for romance then, if the books of poetry she reads are any indication, but the guys who made their way through her life had not been worthy of her attention. Not in that way. She barely knows what to do with herself now that someone has come along that has piqued her interest. She barely feels like herself, and in the moment she doesn't mind the confusion as the price to pay for his attention. Her lips part slightly at the touch of his hands.
It makes her wonder how it would feel if he touched her anywhere more than that.
It seems to also be her luck that the moment the thought crosses his mind is when he mentions he hasn't found himself attracted to anyone enough to do more than appreciate their beauty. His statement does not come with an addition, citing her as a rare exception. Is it implied that he mentions it at all, or is he trying to set expectations? A look of confusion crosses her face, and Eun's hand grows still and slightly tense in his.]
I'd like that, but I think I have to ask first for a clarification before moving forward. Were you trying to tell me that you're attracted to me Asil, despite it being a rarity for you, or were you trying to let me down gently, that you think I'm beautiful and you enjoy my company but have no desire to act on it? That it's you, not me?
[Now would be an excellent time to drink more of the wine he's poured for her, but Eun holds back, if nothing else than to avoid looking even more insecure to lean on such a crutch during their conversation.]
I won't be offended if it's the latter but if it was the former you might consider in the future making that clearer.
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Still, he's kept her words from a week ago at the fore of his thoughts. She'd been pursued for the sake of the pursuit, for competition. He does not wish to give her the impression that he would do the same - but he does not wish to scare her off either. His wolf does not see the pups in Aspen Creaak as competition. Part of it is vanity, another part is arrogance.
He takes moves his free hand up over the table, so that he ends up cradling her one in both of his. ]
I am out of practice in the dance of courtship. You may have to bear with me.
[ --And then he presses a lingering kiss over her knuckles. He breathes in the scent of her skin. Of the faint whiff of his roses.
Eun is attractive and intelligent and has been bothering his dreams of late. It has left him off balance. ]
I am very attracted to you. I also wish to respect your independent streak.
[ He leans back, but his hands stay cupping hers. ] That and I am not sure how you might feel about much older men.
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The human men she'd dated and slept with before had only been marginally better, though her expectations of them and they of her had been lower.
None of them have cupped her hand in theirs like it was precious, played on the sensitivity of her palm and fingertips, and taught her that her knuckles could be used for a kiss rather than a punch. There is nothing platonic about the way Asil kisses her hand, and Eun wonders if the wine is getting to her because her head spins. She's pleased with the kiss, with his mention of courtship and the confirmation that yes, he is interested in her. Like she wants him to be.
There's life that enters her eyes again with a thrill of this new development, and Eun cannot tamp down the flash of smile she offers him. Her pleasure only increases as he speaks of respecting her independent streak. She knows without him saying as much that he wishes to respect more than her independent streak, but her, which builds upon the regard she has for him already. The trust.]
How I feel is unimpressed by the men who are around my own age, and if your concern for your age is the number itself, it's a non-issue for me.
[That much is the simple truth. She would have dated more or had a boyfriend in her 20's if any of them had been worth her time. Age matters much less now that she is a werewolf, and her life expectancy has either drastically shortened or drastically lengthened depending on how lucky she gets.]
I want to get to know you better. I want to drink wine with you tonight and have breakfast with you tomorrow morning, and yes, see what your version of courting is like. [Her smile widens a little more as she shakes her head somewhat.] Or wooing, as you called it, didn't you? The attraction you feel is mutual. I want to get to know you and see where it might lead us.
[Only then does she reach out for her wine again, taking a sip to enjoy it as much as to deal with a dry mouth. The other stays settled in his hands, fingertips brushing against his skin lightly.]
I never accepted any of the wolves in my last pack, however, so you'll have to tell me if there's anything I should expect that's different from humans when they spend time together at the start.
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He keeps her hand in one of his, and lifts his glass with the other. Alcohol no longer affects him, so he relishes the taste instead. ]
Unless courting rituals have changed so drastically I doubt it's very different. I'd like to spend time with you to get to know you a little better, and hope that you also will get to know me.
[ Sheepishly, he adds, looking like a young man rather than a 1300 year old werewolf: ] We can take things slow. If anything, my greatest worry is how my wolf will react to this new change.
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sry not sry
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