December 13, 2002.12.13.02. - what it's like when worlds collide [mae-eliza][pine barrens]
(james)
he doesn't remember how he made it to the couch
he's not even exactly sure what he was doing to warrant it
just suddenly the world started rotating the other way
time. for James. to lay down.there's a vague inkling of looking up at two Decker's growling something
and when eyes slowly crack open
the Modi isn't there anymore
and hesitantly the Gnawer begins looking around again
the mid-morning sun as it creeps through the slight parts in the drapes
the slinkslide of brilliantly bright (it always is brighter out here) light tiptoing across the floorboards
that's about when he risks a stretch
and his head. throbsRule #1.
Get drunk in the city.
Pine-sol and clear skies suck for hangovers.he can smell the Skald
but that scent's long gone
he must have left earlier in the morning
and finally limbs begin to recoordinate themselves
the Gnawer sits up
dreadlocks falling forward
head instantly in hands
move instantly regretted(eliza)
"Must o' been some night, eh..."The smooth teacher-ma'am voice drawls sardonically from behind him as a glass of putrid looking something (at least it was liquid) came into view over his shoulder. The hand was old and the skin was wrinkled and weathers by a long life of work. Mae... the matron from the night before... Right. If nothing else, she sounds vaguely amused at his pain, which is what most people felt when they saw someone inflicted with a hangover while they weren't.
If it wasn't bad enough that she handed him a glass of foul smelling liquid (it probably would help his hangover, if he could keep it down) she then proceeded to flush open the curtains, allowing a stronger warmer stream of sickly winter morning light into the living room.
"Eh, yer need ta learn how ta drink, laddie, like my Liza does."
Not that Eliza was probably faring any better than James this morning, being that she drank on into the night after the Gnawer had fallen asleep (passed out) on the couch.
(james)
there's a blink as the cup of...... something.... is suddenly hovering infront of his face
but he takes it anyway
seeming to just know it'll make him feel better
aunti mame's don't come without home remedies
breath held and he chugs the foul thickness down
it's an excuse to close his eyes as the curtains are flung open
(oh. my. god.)
breath heaving after about swallow four
time for a break"Thanks.... and I'm not sure" there's a wry chuckle "I seem to have passed out before the fun really started."
he knows he can't drink
that, coupled with the sedative calm
and he was a gonervoice thick from the hangover, sleep, and..... whatever it is she gave him
doing his best to keep the reactive face from being too obvious
that's strong shit
even if he's sure she'd just cackle at him anyway
somewhere, in the haze, a grin finds its way to the surface"And I think no matter how hard I try to learn, her tribe gives her advantage."
(eliza)
"True, true..."A faint chuckle, for it was well renown that the Fianna were all drunkards, or so the stories went. She places her fists on her hips and looks him over, eyes shrewd and decisive.
"Ya wouldn't be knowing then what's wrong with my Liza?"
Moving around the Gnawer, she is tidying and cleaning up, prodding him occasionally to make him move over on the couch so that she could fluff the pillows on one side... prod prod... and then on the other. She folds the blankets and pillows that were used by the impromptu guests, taking them out of the room and then returning with a thick towel which she held out to him, eyeing his hair at the same time. She looked like she wanted to take a pair of scissors to the dreads.
"Yer coat's in the wash, long with them gloves. Tsk."
(dire)
*he comes padding out of the bathroom in lupus sniffing and looking around*(james)
he seems to be used to it
moving over without protest
sometimes anticipating what she's going to do
it seems he's very used to having someone like Mae around
reminds him of Momma Ruggs
there's a knitting of brows that's from confusion as much as the foul tasting swallow"There's something wrong? What do you mean..."
he trades the empty (glech) glass for the towel
standing to go gather toothbrush from his pack by the door
then just stares at her"You. Washed. My. Coat?"
it's not that he doesn't agree it probably needed a wash
he hadn't done that for a couple of weeks now
and he's pretty sure it won't fall apart with the cleaning
but with the way she's eyeing his dreads
(touch 'em and die, woman)
he's suddenly quite worried about his Stuff in the pockets(dire)
*He looks up between the two of them. Dark ash gray Get with the tattoo over his left brow. His tail wags gently.
Streching his jaw he does that "Man that tasted funny" Thing canines can do with their tongues. THe blue water in the toliet LOOKEd clean*(eliza)
I don't like this woman, she can read miiiiinds... A quirk of a wry smirk as she eyes the Gnawer and then tosses her head towards the dining table."Yer stuffs on the table, lad."
And indeed it was, all neatly piled and, save for being removed, hadn't been pawed through. She had some manners. She still eyed his hair with some distaste as if he had some bizarre half-sentient growth sprouting out the top of his head. She shakes her head and cliks her tongue, turning to walk out of the living, saying over her shoulder in a breif pause. If Eliza had a 'shut up and eat your vegetables' tone that could make most people do it... Mae had that commanding matron tone that said she would take a wooden spoon to even a full-grown Garou's asscheeks if they gave her lip. She wore the britches in the family home, thank you very much.
"When you have had your shower, breakfast will be ready."
Her tone brooked no arguement.
(dire)
*He sniffs the air at the mention of breackfast. His ears rotating forward*(james)
his shoulders relax immediately
relief simply flooding
he doesn't seem to mind that she just plucked his thought out of thin air
again, it seems like he expected it
strong women are a norm where he grew up"Yes Momma."
it's not condescending, like yes ma'am would have been
it seems, more, a term of respect from the young Gnawer
especially with that grin raking over his lips
whether or not the matron gets what he means is yet to be decided
but toothbrush is gathered
and he wanders back towards the bathroompausing by the table
he shuffles through the items there
the slingshot, brass knuckles, various little stuffs he's picked up
those he leaves behind, for now
plucking out the keyring with more keys than seems useful
that's slipped into BDU pocket
and he's off to the bathroom
passing the large wolf"Mornin' Dire."
(dire)
*He watches the interplay betwen the gnawer and the kin and tilts hius head. He knew Gnawers were omegas but damn.... *he shakes hishead and nibbles a forpaw. Then they split up and he looks up. Chuffs softly to James in wolf tongue* ~WS~ Mornin' Drums. * He walks into the kitchen and sniffs around*(eliza)
Upon entering the kitchen Dire is met with a wooden spoon that stops just before it smackes him between the eye sna ears. Mae, the older Fianna kinfolk woman that was Eliza's only assistance with her young children, glowered at the lupus form and used the spoon to point at Dire and then point towards the living room."Out! Out! Ah won't be havin' yer in tha kitchen while ah'm cooking, young man."
She spoke to him like she fully well knew that he could understand her, even if it looked particularly odd that she was doing so with a... wolf. She waggled the wooden spoon at the Skald, her other hand on her hip. Glare of Doom.
(dire)
*He snarls and damn if he doesn't move like lightning uncoiled at something comeing twords his face SNAP SNAP SNAP!!! The spoon falls in 4 pieces and he growls softly. Not that he's overtly mean at the monent but you don't just go swining at a get. No matter how good natured he is. Especially when he's in lupus and closer to the wolf. He slinks around her with those Icy blue eyes daring the kin to try wacking him again*(eliza)
"Eat 'nother of mah spoons, young man, en' its canned dog food for you. No pancakes, no sausages, no nothing. Dog food. Now git..."That was her favorite spoon too. But Get or Gnawer or BSD even. She was the matron of this house, this was her kitchen, her territory. You don't mess with a woman's kitchen. Not unless you wanted to be fed worms or something.
(dire)
*He snrarls again and folds his ears back. Not that she could speek wolf but... what'd you expect.. He wasn't white fang he was a wolf, a real one. He snorts after getting his nose full and with his head held high, mayby in defiance he trots on out of the kitchen. He smelled what he'd wanted to any way. One large paw "Accidently" stepping on and kicking a piece of the spoon clattering acroos the floor as he goes to the table and useing his head pushes out a chair and hops into it*(james)
water blasts steaming in the shower
between the foul wake-up breakfast shake and the glaringly blindingly bright sunshine
the darkened little cave of the bathroom is a welcome retreat
all warm and steamy and darkRule #2.
Don't argue with matrons.
They, more often than not, know what is best for you.
If not, stinging skin will convince you that, yes, even that is good for you.
Whether you believe it or not. You will.but he didn't argue
whether or not the kin was supposed to be a lesser being than him
it didn't matter - it was all about respect
those that outranked you or those that were below you or more of an elder than you
in a safehouse like this? everyone was equal
his ingrained reaction to matronly figures probably helping quite a bitand sooner than he'd like to exit the warm, steamy retreat
he does
climbing back into his clothes and boots
towel hung neatly over the curtainrod to dry
so back into the hallway comes one clean Gnawer
teeth brushed
skin scrubbed
dreads in towel-dried disarray
pausing just at the door of the kitchen
(you'll note the graceful avoidance of actually entering at the careful placement of boot toes)
brow lifting at the spoon splinters on the floor"Need me to do anything?"
yes, he helps out in the kitchen, too
(eliza)
"Ya can haul Liza in from wha'ever she's been doin' all mornin' out back."A man in her kitchen? She so does not think so. He'd probably get underfoot anyway, being that is wasn't an ample space and while she knew how she wanted to get everything accomplished, he didn't. No, this wasn't his place to stick himself. Not without getting a firm rap on the knuckles with another one of her wooden spoons. No taste testing!
She wiggles a spoon over her shoulder towards the unlocked back door without looking at the Gnawer, too engrossed with the flipping of eyes and sausages and the like. It looked like it was going to be a herty 'brunch' indeed. Stuffed fat and full and content by the end of it, hopefully.
(dire)
*He sits in the chair licking his chops. Sniffing alot. He turns to look out the window at the mention and his ears rotate forward*(james)
oh no
he didn't expect to be let in to the kitchen
but he knows how to set a table
and a handful of other useful things
and fetching Liza?
no worries there
he can handle that too
much better than fencing off that wooden spoonhe's not about to be cooked breakfast and offer nothing in return
weight shifts and the Gnawer turns
taking a breath before opening the back door
(one.... two..... three... the light! the light!)
squinting at how impossibly bright it is
even in the shadow of the trees
making sure to close the door behind him
shiver running down his spine
(it's cold with a headful of wet dreads)
taking a deep breath
(gah, pine-sol)
but following that hint of Liza's scent(dire)
*He watches though the window. Ears twitching and turning to follow the sound*(eliza)
She'd spent most of the morning at the back of the property, perched among the trees that bled into a patch of thick forestry. She was dressed warmly enough, barely, for the weather outside, the shadows beein cooler than the stream of watery sunlight that warmed James' back during his trek down the length of the 'backyard'.King was nearby, rolled onto his back with his legs in the air (and proving that he was very much NOT an intact male Rottweiler) and his tongue hanging out as he dozed. He'd managed to find a spot where the sun broke through the trees and his stomach was glowing in the warm sliver of sun. Ahhh... the dog's life.
Her hands were splayed, fingers digging into the moist soil around the tree that she sat in front of, had tilted back and resting against the rough barked trunk. Silence. Quiet breathing.
(james)
he figures she heard the door close
he figures she can hear his bootsteps on the frozen ground
he figures she's ample indication of his approach
so he doesn't feel like he's sneaking up on her
even if she can't see himbut he makes a point to catch errant twig beneath his boot
just so that it quietly snapsas relaxed as she seems to be
he doesn't want to surprise her
and tense away all that quietly breathed goodness
his voice soft as the now awake King rolls to look at him"Eliza?"
(dire)
*He watches*(eliza)
"Yes, James?"The timbre of the Gnawers voice was recognizable, like a finger print in her mind, just as others would know the man by his features, she knew him by sound and smell. Although he smelled a lot better now than he had this morning (alcohol reek) when she'd ghosted through the living room past him and the form of Dire still curled up by the fire. She doesn't open her eyes (no need/pointless), but she does pull her fingers out from their sorting carress of the soil and wipe them across the front of her faded jeans (knees long ripped and only just kept out of the darning hands of Mae).
(james)
there's something of a study
of how she recognizes him
of how she reacts to him
while he's pretty able to figure it out
he's simply learning more, now
he's never been around a blind person beforelong body folds to a crouch beside her
hand extended for King to sniff the back
then a quick salutory tickle of fingers over fur"Mae is making breakfast, she wanted me to come outside and get you."
though he's pretty sure Eliza can smell it cooking
he, for sure, can
so perhaps in hand with the question the matron had asked him earlier
he might be catching on there's another reason behind it(dire)
*He snorts and hops up and walks to the door. Paws at it a bit untill some one lets him out and he goes trotting off into the woods for a morning run sort of thing*(zoe saldana)
Silence. . . Always silence here. Always colder here. Always darker here, even in the day. . . but she walked it nontheless, small feet making ever so quiet crunching sounds as she breaks through the snow slightly. . .
crunch crunch crunch
. . . Early daytime wane sunlight fighting winter cloudcover valiantly. She could almost thank it for that effort, even if it wasn't warmer for having it. Thick fleece jacket, long dangling scarf, little gloves, and hiking boots. She was dressed for a walk. . .
(eliza)
She holds out a hand out to him as her only response to the comment about Mae and breakfast.Her expression was unusually sombre, not that is was something that James would necessarily know, being that he had known her for a relatively short amount of time.
(dire)
8his dark paws fly over the snow as he runs. A large ash gray wolf. Not giant sized. he wasn't an overly large man. Just large normal sized wolf which means not small. He runs though the snow like a darking bluur. His nose picks up a scent and soon he spills out on a path turning to follow it*(james)
whatever it is she reaches out for
to silence him, or something he may never know
his hand moves up to reflect
rough and scarred knuckles brushing against her palm
dreads whispering over his sweater as head tilts
boots scuffing as weight settles from crough to sitit's a breif touch - but one nonetheless
he may not have known her for long
he may not know the ins and outs of her personality
but he knows sadness
he knows how emotions make sculptures of faces
even in the most minute of changes"What's wrong?"
fully expecting to be told to mind his own business
his is, after all, a Gnawer
and a stranger(eliza)
"You fight a lot with your hands, don't you?"She answered his question with one of her own, her voice sound contemplative. Some emotions that were held by people can be instinctively felt: misery loves company, as the saying goes. Sadness reaches out to sadness, as those who have felt loss can see the pangs of it in another person, even one they didn't know well. Especially when those people chose not to hide the pain convincingly. She takes the hand that he had brushed against her palm, having heard his movements well and guessing where it would have been lain after the movement. She holds it between her fingers, her thumbs rubbing across the scars and rough skin. It was as if she could read his history through the old lacerations that riddled his skin. Skin tells much.
(james)
"Yeh.... I've boxed, studied Kali."old scars
lacerations
thickened skin of callouses
strong lines of muscle and tendon beneath
skin tells very much
he knows, to her, it reads as braille"Grew up on the streets, drummer, too."
as if narrating the textures she feels beneath as thumbs move
humoring her contemplating switch of directions
the question that answers a question
every road leads somewhere, even if it's not the one you first thought to take
for as much as she sees in him without the benefit if sight
he can see the same, in this careful study
a silent catharsis(eliza)
"You're how old... early-mid twenties?"She cradles his hand between both of hers, thumbs trailing down to the tips of his fingers and then back up, feeling the calousses and rubbing across each scar that she comes across before she lifts his hand, pressing the back of it against one cheek. A whisper of her lips across the knuckles as she turns her head, smelling the linger aftertone of soap before resting her forehead against that upheld hand of his.
"Mae's special: neroli and... hmmm... rosemary... soap. I can smell a hint of it lingering."
(james)
there's a soft, soft laugh
Rune had him pegged as younger than Decker
now Eliza's casting him towards a quarter century"I'll be 22 next spring."
he's sort've glad she can't see the sudden jaw drop
he wasn't expecting that close an inspection
and he's pretty certain she can feel the slight tremble when warm breath casts over his knuckles
he doesn't pull away - that's just the weight of muscle against her hands
the heartbeat traveling through capillaries as they flood skin against her cheek"Yeh."
muuuuch softer now
even shy
she's a stunning woman, no doubt
but there's a beauty in the way she reads him"I had a feeling there'd be no breakfast until after I took a shower."
(eliza)
"Mae can be that way, sometimes. It's best not to argue, I've found."A faint chuckle of sound, brushing her forehead against the back of his hand again before she leans sideways, back sliding against the rough bark of the tree and leans against his crouching figure, head against the round of his shoulder with her eyes still closed. She lowers his hand away from her face, held between her hands still, but now resting in her lap as her fingers curled around his.
(james)
there's that soft laughter again
fond, nostalgic"Momma Ruggs was the same way. We didn't have shower so readily at our disposal.... but I know it's better to obey a matriarch than it is to try your luck at dodging the punishment. She's really fond of you...."
he lets his voice drift away
fairly sure she knows about that
fairly sure she knows where that statement was going to lead
he's startled a little, again, at the sudden closenesshe's well aware he's not the most offensive of the Garou that have been around in the past eighteen hours
but it's still that fact that they're near perfect strangers
and suddenly she's cuddling close
his fingers lace with hers, though
recognizing that need for closeness
even when it's from someone you don't know
sometimes, that's better than anything else"..... and may skin me yet for staying out here while breakfast gets cold."
soft chide
half-feeling they're being watched anyway
and the mame knows what's going on(eliza)
"You're... right."A bare sigh escaping as she pulls away, releasing his hand from her own before she uses the tree as her guide for standing. She brushes her hands across the seat of her jeans then rubs her palms (agitated) down her thighs. King watches, upside down and seeing the world from a whole new perspective, but when his Mistress stands, he does so also. He rolls onto his side and then up, flinging the clinging soil and dead leaves from him with a brisk shake. He pads up to Eliza and leans against her leg till she drops a hand to stroke the flat of his forehead and give one of his ears a soft, affectionate tug.
(james)
oh, that was brilliant, James
and sigh a gruff sigh he stands
dusting off his pants in afterthought
step taken to catch up with herone life-scarred hand reaching
fingers light against the bulk of sweater sleeve"Hey..."
waiting for her to turn
helping out with a gently guiding touch
and the tall Gnawer stands before her
finger crooked beneath her chin
just so she knows exactly where dark eyes are that look into hers
her agitation more than obvious
and his voice still so damn soft"Let it get cold. Talk to me.... or tell me to piss off and I won't bring it up again."
dammit James, why are you getting into the middle of this?
(eliza)
Slowly she opens her eyes, which she hadn't done so, even when she had pulled away and stood up. Deep doe-brown depths stared back at him, but saw nothing. Where emotions may have been reflected in others eyes at a time like this, her own were a blank canvas. Mere color and no more. Nothing to see here... nothing to guess from. It left only body language and sounds. A faint smile tries to grow at the corner of her lips, but doesn't quite make it."Close your eyes."
(james)
she can't see him look back at her
she can't see his study of her blank eyes
(he's never seen eyes like that, it almost unnerves him)
she can't see the flick of his attention down to the attempted smile
slowly, deep umber irses hide behind falling lids"Okay."
(eliza)
"Stand still."She steps back away from her, clicking her fingers so that King followed her at least a yard away from the Gnawer. The Rottie did so willing, although cocked his head, slightly confused as to what was going on.. Eh... crazy monkey-people.
"Keep them closed." she repeats her original request, "Tell me what you see."
(james)
"I don't see anything."a soft, flat statement
silence then reigning between them
then his head slowly tilts
dreads rustling across fabric as they rearrange
and she can hear him take a slow breathdevoid of sight
he opens everything else"I can feel the trees behind me..... and off to the left. I can hear King breathing, and the brush of his fur against your jeans, you're about a yard or so away. I can smell Mae's breakfast over and above the pine-sol. Altogether it creates a mental picture, but I'm not sure if that's what you're getting at."
(eliza)
"Lose the color and what you know things look like: what I look like, the colors of Kings fur, the image of the house."Her voice had moved from where it was before, further away and to one side. She was remarkably quiet at the moment even as King padded after her as she walked around him to another point in the yard.
(james)
"I.... don't know how to do that."his head turns to follow her voice
instinctual to look at someone when you're talking to them
even if he can't conventionally see her"It would just be darkness with sound and smell...."
(eliza)
"Go back in your mind... say... ten years... impose that darkness over everything. Remove the visuals of your memories. Cast aside those thoughts you've had based on what you have seen. For the moment, pretend they aren't real."She continues to move around him again, and not in a continual circle... around once, back slightly in one direction... some steps backwards, then closer then around him another way. It was bound to start getting him vaguely turned around, even for his good hearing to help him along, as he followed her voice by moving himself to match.
(james)
he was just moving his head
but you can bet he's getting a little dizzy
even Garou balance gets thrown off
and he thinks about that
the way her words are constructed
and what they may mean"You weren't born blind, were you...."
(eliza)
"No..." A pause. "There was an accident when I was younger."Silence for a few long moments that seemed to stretch longer in the self-inflicted darkness that James had taken upon himself. She keeps moving around and back and forth, making him lose track of which way was what, especially as he concentrated on what she was saying, rather than outside disturbances.
"Now imagine having two beautiful children and not being able to picture, clearly, the color of their hair... not seeing their first steps... not seeing the way they smile at you. Or the pictures that they draw, just for you, forgetting in their enthusiasm that you won't be able to see the green suns and pink dogs and the yellow house."
Another pause. More movement.
"Remove all your close friends and family, then blot out your lovers and partners."
(james)
too bad she can't see the sardonic smirk
he's done that before, just not in the way she's requesting now
he's stopped following her movements
now just facing straight ahead"At least you have your children."
struck a chord there, didn't she
"What're you getting at."
(eliza)
"Not all of them..."Buttons can be pushed by both sides, without knowing it, especially when so little was known about one another. It was just a fact of conversation.
"You asked me what was wrong... I'm showing you. Piece by piece."
(james)
there's a nod
then he remembers himself
he's only being shown
they haven't traded places
and he just drops the kid thing"I understand."
(eliza)
A length of silence before he can feel her presence, the warmth of another body (two if you count King) up close to his. Less than a foot away. Enough to feel the rush of breath across her face. To smell the faint hint of spices, the cling of small children, and a presence of aromatic oils. He might flinch, not expecting it, but she touches one of her hands against his cheek. Sort and gentle. Just resting there, barely brushing his skin."My world is this world."
Touch, smell and sound... in a society where casual touch wasn't always welcome and with most of those that she knew, was taken the wrong way and unwelcome (thank you Decker).
(james)
he doesn't flinch
he doesn't pull away
he doesn't recoil from her touch
he seems rather comfortable in it
the casual touch now that he understandshe would say something
but he's been in this situation before
he knows there's nothing to say that offers the proper consolation
because even though he understands it?
it happend to her
not himso a hand lifts
not as confident in aim as hers
a slow tickle of fingers up her dropped arm
rouch edges catching the fabric of her sleeve then shoulder
the gentle touch against cheek returned(eliza)
He can feel the lift of her cheek in a faint smile that he can't see at the moment, tilting her head into the palm of his hand. The gesture helps somewhat, some of the humming tension that had surrounded her, even resting back against the tree at the lower end of the garden, abating.(james)
that's when he lifts his other hand
to feel the faint smile curving against his palm
now both hands cup her cheeks
and his eyes open"I know how lonely you feel."
but he doesn't say anything more about it
he doesn't explain what it is that makes him ache
just an arm that curves around her shoulders
turning her towards the house
hiw voice a low murmur"C'mon.... Mae's glaring at me breakfast is getting cold..."
[fade out]
Posted by james at December 13, 2002 12:00 AM
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