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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
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.
no subject
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.
no subject
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.
no subject
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.
no subject
I think the goals we have are the same but the methods may be different. While I have no objection to your age, the differences in our experiences and mindsets may mean we have very different ideas of how this should all go.
[She likes the way he looks when he speaks to her about this, however. The way his voice sounds, the draw between them. It's more intoxicating than the wine ever could have been.]
So, slow might be best as we feel things out in that regard. Besides, I'm still finding my way here, and have no interest in doing anything that could make things harder for you. [Her hands pause in their motions as she glances up at him briefly.] Do you have an idea of why or how this may be a problem for your wolf?
no subject
When he speaks again, his voice is soft: ] I was mated once to an Omega. She was human when we met and we had Hussan before she was Changed.
I had not known at the time that she was Omega, only that even as a mortal she brought me peace. She grew ill and my wolf refused to lose her - so as difficult as it is to turn someone who inspires in you an intense need to protect, I was able to.
[ He has "mellowed out" over the years. As an Alpha he had been brutal, prone to ensuring that none would question his authority. Love for him was double-edged. He is thankful that he and his son have reached their own kind of compromise, allowing them to meet as equals and not just father and child. There too, was the humbling experience of fearing for his life when the witch had taken Sarai in her madness. ]
Carry on as you will, niña. But I hope... you will understand when I make myself scarce when the other wolves are about. Our newfound friendship cautions me not to give Bran reason now to put me down.
[ He smiles, ruefully. ] I do not think you would appreciate me being prematurely territorial.
no subject
In this sense, Asil's age somehow works in his favor. He could not be as old as he is, with a son of his own, and not have had someone in his life before. It does not bother Eun to hear about her, despite all of the stories implying that surely she might. That it would be the most common response. Similarly, she thinks that another woman would feel more horror to the casual way that he speaks of his own desire for death.
Perhaps there is something in her that is broken, that she merely takes these things in stride as parts of him, rather than something to inspire panic. Or perhaps there is something that is not broken in her, and that same something is what causes her to appreciate him more than any of the young men she's been around before. There is something real to Asil, a weight about him that feels steadying. He is not a man who would lose himself in trivialities and Eun likes that a great deal.]
After what happened with the pack in California, you're right, I wouldn't appreciate that prematurely. But I appreciate knowing and understanding since I think more often than not I assume the worst. [She turns his hand over in hers again, holding it palm up as she resumes her exploration, tracing the lines there.] It may work out better for us both anyway. It's a small community here and I don't relish being their entertainment as we spend time together. Will it be a problem for you if I show my interest in you in front of others? If it happens you haven't made yourself scarce?
no subject
[ He curls his fingers inward. Her touch is soothing - it surprises him a little, because she is dominant. But perhaps it shouldn't. Everything she's shared points to a highly empathetic personality. ]
Are you sure? It will scare away prospective suitors.
Most of the wolves step carefully around me, with reason.
no subject
The wolf inside her is pleased by Asil. Wary, yes, it can sense that something is off, and yet he holds still for her as she captures his hands in perhaps a less obvious way. He stays still for her.]
When I was human I dated around a lot. Many first dates, anyway. More one-night stands and short-lived flings than dates, if I'm being honest. I communicated with my partners and they all understood that I neither expected nor wanted commitment. They felt the same. It's easy enough to seek company and pleasure if you want it when both parties agree to a lack of strings or attachment. It made things simpler for me. I scratched my itches when I had them, and focused on building the life I wanted without anyone else to account for.
[There's no shame in her voice, no apprehension of how her truth will be taken by him. These are different times, and if they're going to get to know each other, then Asil will have to learn who she is. Who she was before she was Changed.]
If the pack I left had that understanding, then perhaps I wouldn't have minded the attention they gave me. Pleasure for pleasure's sake is something I'm used to. But they all wanted to lock me down. Call dibs. Frankly, they were exhausting, and likely would have been even more if I'd agreed to let them all try to win me over. [Eun shrugs her shoulders lightly, fingers slipping over his palms until they settle inside the curl of his fingers.] That you and I are even having this conversation should be taken as an indication of how strong of an impression you've made on me, Asil. I'm used to living my life with no suitors. No boyfriends. If we're going to take the time to get to know each other then I have no interest in splitting my time and energy among two or more of the pack for the sake of seeing what my options are.
[She looks up at him again, chancing to meet his eyes just for a moment, for emphasis. She hopes that in the steadiness of her gaze and her tone, he'll understand how sure she is.]
I like you, enough that I noticed and cared when you were avoiding me, and enough that I will welcome the first opportunity I get to make it clear I'm not interested in anything but friendship with the rest of them. I don't want you to get territorial with me, but at least for my part, I'd enjoy showing my interest in you regardless of whether there are others around or not. If it has the added effect of preventing any future, awkward complications from a third party then so much the better.
What I don't know is if doing that will send the wrong message, or have some unintended effect. For you, your wolf, or the rest of the pack. [Eun pauses a beat, wetting her lips with the tip of her tongue, before adding.] That's why I'm asking if it will be a problem. My experience is limited entirely to humans and a very different kind of situation.
sry not sry
[ He likes the way her hand feels in his. His wolf likes it even more.
Strange, for all their flirtations, his wolf had never let Sage get too close. He had dismissed it before as a sign of his sickness and a general disinterest in cementing new relationships. But now, in the presence of a young and dominant she-wolf, he wonders if his wolf had simply not trusted the way Sage invaded his space. Given her traitorous intentions towards the pack and their knowledge now that she had hoped to ferret out the wolf formerly known as Wellesley; it is occurrs to him not that Sage had not approached him until Bran declared that beyond himself and Leah, the Marrok trusted no other wolf to visit the wildlings in their neck of the woods.
He gets none of that subterfuge with Eun. Even if he hadn't done some poking around on her background with the California pack and it's members, their interactions have revealed to him that she is honest and straightforward.
Asil does, however, offer her an apologetic look. ] But you might as well know that some of the Old Ones, the more stable ones, will not risk crossing me unless you outright tell him that what we have is nothing but friendship.
I do not know if that is acceptable to you - even if friendship is all we ever have.
[ He lets it ring in his words that something more than friendship is definitely on the table. And just to be transparent, he adds: ] Forward as this is, querida, I will be honest with you. The last week and your muffins have given me enough time to wonder what it would be like if I kissed you.
[ He feels his wolf rise in his eyes, just enough to show that they are both in accord, for better or ill.
He shuts his eyes and takes a deep breath. When he opens them his eyes are his own again. ]
But I am a gentleman schooled in ways that some may call Victorian. [ A quick smile now. ] I can wait until you decide that you wish to kiss me too.
no subject
Perhaps, until she is sure, she is better off thinking about this more before taking that step. It has been a week, and they have yet to spend time together that is not quite so fraught with baggage, apologies, and feeling each other out.
Especially with them both saying without saying it outright that this period of getting to know each other comes with the possibility of being together.
Eun's expression is thoughtful, as she considers this, as they sit in the quiet of the kitchen together, feeling entirely separate from the rest of the world. She has forgotten, and continues to forget, that there is another wolf in this house who no doubt can hear their entire conversation.
But who could think of Bran at a time like this, when the most compelling man she's ever met in her entire life tells her that he thinks about kissing her. Eun, who has done a number of things that would have made those Carmelite nuns blush and cross themselves, feels her heart beat faster for a moment. Heat rises from her neck to her cheeks, and her own wolf responds to his, coming to the surface as well.
He seems to blink it back all too soon, leaving Eun off-balance once more, simmering in the warmth of her own desire. Her fingers twitch against his as she exhales softly, staring down at their joined hands instead of him. He unsettles her, but perhaps that's exactly why she wants to spend more time with him.]
I do want to kiss you, Asil. Badly. [A sharp laugh bubbles and bursts from her as she shakes her head.] I would not have teased you in the car the way I did if I did not then. And now, after tonight, that desire has grown into something less playful. But...
[How does she put this? She's never felt this way before and it makes it hard to put it into words. There's still something of the wolf in her gaze as she speaks, but also something more unexpected. Not just desire, but longing.]
Even aside from the way I feel drawn to you, I think between habit from when I was still human and the fact that holding your hand is the most I have been touched in this last year, I would find it too easy, too tempting to lose myself in that kiss. All of my good intentions to take things slow, and not only get to know you but let you get to know me, might get cast aside very quickly.
[Even now, she wishes she hadn't said any of that. That she'd just told him to kiss her and nothing about how she's not sure she can control herself around him once they take that step.]
no subject
He's skittish, he realizes. It's been a very long time since he thought of having anyone share his bed, and she smells lovely in all the ways that matter. ]
Let's agree to not jump ahead and ruin our fun then. [ Yet even as he says that, he curls a finger over the vulnerable flesh of her palm. Yes. It's been too long and the idea of a game of chase appeals to him very much. ]
Come tomorrow. [ His voice is low and coaxing. ] Bring whatever you wish and you may have free reign in my kitchen.
And I promise I will do my best to behave.
no subject
It doesn't really work very well, and she laughs low in her throat, entirely at herself.
What a mess she is over him already.]
It is a terrible, terrible thing, how glad I am that you only promised to do your best, but not guarantee good behavior. But yes, of course I'm coming tomorrow. I would not miss the opportunity to see where your beautiful flowers came from.
[She'll bring something to make them for breakfast, something she can mix up tonight and just pop in the oven tomorrow at his home. In the morning she'll bring over one of her new novels she has yet to start on, and her favorite book of poetry. Perhaps he would welcome hearing more from it...]
But also, for tonight, I think perhaps you should let go of my hands, because I apparently cannot bring myself to do so first.
no subject
He'll indulge in one last thing before he lets her hand go: a chaste kiss over her knuckles again. A gentle brush of lips and no more.
He's given his word to her that he will do his best to behave. That begins now, because as much as Bran offered them privacy in a space that Asil would be sure to keep his wits about him, he's far too pleased that tonight has gone so well. ]
I will look forward to it then. [ He'll ease talk elsewhere now. Gently, so that he can help minimize any awkwardness from their rather... intense exchange. ] If wine is not your preference, perhaps you can let me know what is.
no subject
I enjoy wine, but I wouldn't say that it's my first choice, especially now that I drink entirely for the taste. [A wry smile crosses her lips, finding it all too easy to talk about alcohol.] Whiskey is still my favorite, even though it doesn't have the intended effect anymore. Plus it mixes well with hot tea, which is sometime I used to enjoy often on cold nights.
[With her hands freed, she picks up her wine glass, still bearing a couple sips left inside.]
Cold, white Belgian ales and shandies in the summer. Cocktails year round, since I now drink mostly for taste these days. What about you? Is red wine your favorite?
no subject
I used to drink alcohol mostly for celebrations. But outside of wine - beer and cava are personal favorites.
[ He knows he does not look like a beer drinker - at least, the way beer seems best associated with young men who indulge beyond their limits. But cerveza is a drink that has always been enjoyed in the company of friends, over laughter and stories and food. ]
Mostly now I stick to tea. [ He makes a face. ] It never brews right in this climate, so I tend to overheat my water.
no subject
I appreciate the warning. I usually drink tea in the morning unless I need something stronger. Maybe I'll have a knack for it.
[She lifts her glass to her lips and sips, now appreciating the taste of the wine since she and Asil have gotten past the more intense portion of the evening. The old alpha back home would be jealous his own wine doesn't taste quite as good.]
Cava is a new one to me. Is it similar to beer or something else?
no subject
Cava is often called Spain's answer to French champagne. [ He squints a little, relaxed as he is in his seat and then admits: ] I only had it once and that was fairly long ago. And since I am lazy, I have never really looked for it once I settled here.
It is light and bubbly. I prefer the rosé variety between that and white.
no subject
[Eun grins as she responds, sounding positively fond at that fact.]
I happen to prefer rosés to white wines as well. Or cava, most likely. If you happen to stumble on a bottle sometime, will you let me know? I'd be curious to try it.
[Not interested in getting into a lengthy conversation about alcohol, she cants her head to one side, considering him thoughtfully.]
I enjoyed the poem you sent with your earlier letter. Did you find it because I enjoy poetry or is that an interest we have in common?
no subject
[ He does not remember the date or reason anymore, only that it was a celebration at a time when there were no wars to fight and only the open road for him and his pack. ]
Si. I shall do that.
[ Or perhaps he should look if he can order some, just because he can. ]
It is. [ He takes an idle sip from his glass. ] I am unfamiliar with the newer poets, but now and then I pick up a collection if the cover intrigues me. I suppose it is because I used to fancy myself a musician. And what is poetry but music given shape and speakable form.
no subject
I was leading up to offer to bring some of my favorite poetry with me if you were interested to hear more like the one I sent, but I think now I'm going to have to ask you to play for me sometime. It's not something that you do privately for yourself, is it?
[Eun thinks that perhaps, if he's willing to claim he's a musician, with the years he's been alive he must be at least reasonably competent. More than that, she cannot imagine someone who speaks and thinks as he does performing in a way that does not have heart and soul to it.]
no subject
Before Kara, he had long stopped playing the guitar, though his hands still remembered how to coax music out to dance. When her parents started visiting more frequently, the story of his magical rose and the funny little Spanish song he'd written for Devon's daughter was a favorite story of hers to tell. And when they'd learned of Devon's passing - John and Liza had, in fact, driven up to pay their respects to the Marrok and his wolves. Even if there was no need for it.
They'd left Asil a guitar as a present.
It had been a small act of kindness. One he'd not known what to do with. But he plays occasionally now, especially when Liza visits accompanied by her daughter. They trade blooms, he fills her in of her daughter's exploits, and he keeps the wolf leashed so he does not frighten her too much. ]
I do not think I will be playing in public settings. But I may be persuaded to do so for you.