Turning Leaves (Robin, Uno, Bob, & Lyra)
Quote from Indy on September 12, 2020, 6:05 pmIt has been several months since Robin and Uno settle into a low-income housing home just on the outskirts of Middlecrest. Everything seems to be going well, however Uno has been tasked with a serious task: a date with a young police woman Lyra. Yet things go sideways when his car breaks down and he realizes his "date" is in-fact looking for answers on what killed colleague Kimberly - and that thing just-so-happened to involve werewolves.
Robin, meanwhile, is evasive as she both supports Uno's date while simultaneously attending to business in-town. When he returns from a weary day spent misleading a young woman from tracking down his alter-forms goings from the full-moon, he finds Robin packed up and ready to go her separate ways. The two exchange terse words, before finally admitting this change is necessary to support their separate personal growths: she in managing the same safe-house that saved them all those years ago, and he in becoming a cop just like Chapman to ensure the next-generation of werewolves can remain safe. Uno helps Robin move into the safe house, a tiny cabin in the middle of the woods, and they spend the night playing old card games and reflecting on just how far they've come.
“You look like a bum,” I grumbled.
I was standing in front of a bathroom mirror, starring back at a man just as equally unimpressed with me as I felt about him. The aftershave still stung from where I’d splashed it. I rinsed, inspecting the lines of the beard. That really didn’t help, well, the rest of me. It was about as good as it would get.
I felt my gaze wander to the silver parcel perched at the edge of the countertop. It looked smug, if that was possible for an inanimate object. There was some fancy lettering telling me who made it and why it was important on the package somewhere, but I hadn’t bothered to read it. Kelly from the department store had insisted on it really, and that was all I needed to know - it let me get out of there as fast as possible.
I poked my comparatively monstrous hands into the package. I was almost nervous about tearing it, so I carefully let the contents drop to my palms. It was an amber-toned bottle. It had a nice weight in my hands, but it was still very small.
“Dior Sauvage,” I squinted at the paper stuck to the side, “Orchestrated with zesty Calabrian bergamot…. blah blah… purest quality…fresh and wild”.
Fresh and wild. Because I needed more of that in my life.
I had no idea what I’d gotten into. But I figured Eu de Sauvage had to be better than Eu de Deodorant At the Grocery Store. I sighed, giving it a couple of sprays as I tried not to sneeze. It smelled pleasant enough I guess, but let’s just say my sensory input was a touch more sensitive than the target demographic.
“Great”.
Everything in order, I started to creep down the hallway. I ran through a mental checklist.
Location set, triangulated to be twenty miles away, at minimum, to the outskirts of any local pack territory. Check.
Car gassed. Check.
Date and time double-extra confirmed. Check.
Time set to be on the other side of our favorite giant orb. Not that I was planning on being out late, but I’d rather not be antsier than I had to be.
Robin…
I felt my skin go clammy. I was pretty sure she was asleep. Pretty sure - she’d gotten off a long shift and a moon to boot after all. It was just a few feet away between me and home-free.
It has been several months since Robin and Uno settle into a low-income housing home just on the outskirts of Middlecrest. Everything seems to be going well, however Uno has been tasked with a serious task: a date with a young police woman Lyra. Yet things go sideways when his car breaks down and he realizes his "date" is in-fact looking for answers on what killed colleague Kimberly - and that thing just-so-happened to involve werewolves.
Robin, meanwhile, is evasive as she both supports Uno's date while simultaneously attending to business in-town. When he returns from a weary day spent misleading a young woman from tracking down his alter-forms goings from the full-moon, he finds Robin packed up and ready to go her separate ways. The two exchange terse words, before finally admitting this change is necessary to support their separate personal growths: she in managing the same safe-house that saved them all those years ago, and he in becoming a cop just like Chapman to ensure the next-generation of werewolves can remain safe. Uno helps Robin move into the safe house, a tiny cabin in the middle of the woods, and they spend the night playing old card games and reflecting on just how far they've come.
“You look like a bum,” I grumbled.
I was standing in front of a bathroom mirror, starring back at a man just as equally unimpressed with me as I felt about him. The aftershave still stung from where I’d splashed it. I rinsed, inspecting the lines of the beard. That really didn’t help, well, the rest of me. It was about as good as it would get.
I felt my gaze wander to the silver parcel perched at the edge of the countertop. It looked smug, if that was possible for an inanimate object. There was some fancy lettering telling me who made it and why it was important on the package somewhere, but I hadn’t bothered to read it. Kelly from the department store had insisted on it really, and that was all I needed to know - it let me get out of there as fast as possible.
I poked my comparatively monstrous hands into the package. I was almost nervous about tearing it, so I carefully let the contents drop to my palms. It was an amber-toned bottle. It had a nice weight in my hands, but it was still very small.
“Dior Sauvage,” I squinted at the paper stuck to the side, “Orchestrated with zesty Calabrian bergamot…. blah blah… purest quality…fresh and wild”.
Fresh and wild. Because I needed more of that in my life.
I had no idea what I’d gotten into. But I figured Eu de Sauvage had to be better than Eu de Deodorant At the Grocery Store. I sighed, giving it a couple of sprays as I tried not to sneeze. It smelled pleasant enough I guess, but let’s just say my sensory input was a touch more sensitive than the target demographic.
“Great”.
Everything in order, I started to creep down the hallway. I ran through a mental checklist.
Location set, triangulated to be twenty miles away, at minimum, to the outskirts of any local pack territory. Check.
Car gassed. Check.
Date and time double-extra confirmed. Check.
Time set to be on the other side of our favorite giant orb. Not that I was planning on being out late, but I’d rather not be antsier than I had to be.
Robin…
I felt my skin go clammy. I was pretty sure she was asleep. Pretty sure - she’d gotten off a long shift and a moon to boot after all. It was just a few feet away between me and home-free.
Quote from Adriana on September 13, 2020, 10:19 amThe sun was warm but there was a crisp breeze in the air-the season was beginning to turn.
I sat on the porch of the rental house. We got a decent deal on the property-it was on the more secluded north-west edge of Middlecrest. On top of that, Uno was able to get us some kind of income supplementation - I'm not sure how, nor did I want to know. But we had a room each and beds and a coffee maker and I was grateful for that, even if we payed a month to month lease because like everything in life, this was as uncertain as tomorrow.
Normally I'd be in bed. I worked a graveyard shift as a security guard for hire, and most of the time I'd be home by eight or nine and in bed until the next shift. But today was special-it was her birthday. She was twenty-seven today. I exhaled into cool air. That meant I turned forty five at some point in the year. Not that anybody under the good Fathers sun needed to know that save for me.
I still remembered the day she was born. Dark, ink black hair and a lot of it.. we had guessed that much. Her skin wasn't dark like mine though, she took after her father. But a few months would pass and one thing would become obvious, her eyes were very different from both of ours. I thought she was going blind but it didn't seem to cause problems.
I wonder if people look at her differently because of them. Maybe she wears contacts.
I rolled a cherry flavored sucker in my mouth and stared at nothing, my eyes had gone out of focus a while ago. I kept a pocket full of suckers these days-after my lovely evening with the Svalnaglas, I had gotten a long dreaded check-up to see what the matter was. And I mean, the whooole checkup. I'm as fit as a fiddle, all except it turns out I have hypoglycemia, like my own Momma. After everything I'd been through, having to rely on a little cherry lollipop to keep me alive was downright humiliating.
The door opened behind me and I turned my head over my shoulder, then stood-I couldn't help but feel a smirk creep way up one side of my mouth. I took out the sucker and crossed my arms, raising a single eyebrow in the way that made Uno know I was scrutinizing him from here to Timbuktu.
"Well, well, well..." I whistled, "You even tucked your pants in. Do I smell cologne?"
The sun was warm but there was a crisp breeze in the air-the season was beginning to turn.
I sat on the porch of the rental house. We got a decent deal on the property-it was on the more secluded north-west edge of Middlecrest. On top of that, Uno was able to get us some kind of income supplementation - I'm not sure how, nor did I want to know. But we had a room each and beds and a coffee maker and I was grateful for that, even if we payed a month to month lease because like everything in life, this was as uncertain as tomorrow.
Normally I'd be in bed. I worked a graveyard shift as a security guard for hire, and most of the time I'd be home by eight or nine and in bed until the next shift. But today was special-it was her birthday. She was twenty-seven today. I exhaled into cool air. That meant I turned forty five at some point in the year. Not that anybody under the good Fathers sun needed to know that save for me.
I still remembered the day she was born. Dark, ink black hair and a lot of it.. we had guessed that much. Her skin wasn't dark like mine though, she took after her father. But a few months would pass and one thing would become obvious, her eyes were very different from both of ours. I thought she was going blind but it didn't seem to cause problems.
I wonder if people look at her differently because of them. Maybe she wears contacts.
I rolled a cherry flavored sucker in my mouth and stared at nothing, my eyes had gone out of focus a while ago. I kept a pocket full of suckers these days-after my lovely evening with the Svalnaglas, I had gotten a long dreaded check-up to see what the matter was. And I mean, the whooole checkup. I'm as fit as a fiddle, all except it turns out I have hypoglycemia, like my own Momma. After everything I'd been through, having to rely on a little cherry lollipop to keep me alive was downright humiliating.
The door opened behind me and I turned my head over my shoulder, then stood-I couldn't help but feel a smirk creep way up one side of my mouth. I took out the sucker and crossed my arms, raising a single eyebrow in the way that made Uno know I was scrutinizing him from here to Timbuktu.
"Well, well, well..." I whistled, "You even tucked your pants in. Do I smell cologne?"
Quote from Indy on September 13, 2020, 1:41 pmI stopped dead. And by dead, I'm pretty sure my heart stopped beating for a second there. If I'd been in dog-form, all the hairs at my hackles would have stood on end as I sensed myself watched. The air was heavy with suspense and artificial cherry flavor.
Instead, I stopped at the threshold and - very slowly - turned to face her. Unbothered. Casual. Because if I was known for anything, it was casual.
Right.
"Just trying something new," I shrugged, making sure to keep my face blank. I was good at that much at least, "Can't... live in T-shirts forever".
I crossed my arms, "How are you even walking? You're basically a member of the undead".
I stopped dead. And by dead, I'm pretty sure my heart stopped beating for a second there. If I'd been in dog-form, all the hairs at my hackles would have stood on end as I sensed myself watched. The air was heavy with suspense and artificial cherry flavor.
Instead, I stopped at the threshold and - very slowly - turned to face her. Unbothered. Casual. Because if I was known for anything, it was casual.
Right.
"Just trying something new," I shrugged, making sure to keep my face blank. I was good at that much at least, "Can't... live in T-shirts forever".
I crossed my arms, "How are you even walking? You're basically a member of the undead".
Quote from Adriana on September 13, 2020, 3:22 pm“Mmmhm..” I waited, but it didn’t seem he was going to talk. It was a nice enough attempt to turn it back on me.. but he knew me better.
”Where did you two meet?” I asked, genuinely curious-my one eyed wonder didn’t exactly get out much.
“Mmmhm..” I waited, but it didn’t seem he was going to talk. It was a nice enough attempt to turn it back on me.. but he knew me better.
”Where did you two meet?” I asked, genuinely curious-my one eyed wonder didn’t exactly get out much.
Quote from Indy on September 13, 2020, 10:59 pmHere's the thing about Robin. When she digs her heels in, she doesn't let go. I'm convinced she doesn't wear heels - she wears spurs. If you try to deny her, you'll find yourself with some impressive gouge marks. Especially when you're running out of plausible deniability.
"The middle of Broadway Street," I finally managed.
Here's the thing about Robin. When she digs her heels in, she doesn't let go. I'm convinced she doesn't wear heels - she wears spurs. If you try to deny her, you'll find yourself with some impressive gouge marks. Especially when you're running out of plausible deniability.
"The middle of Broadway Street," I finally managed.
Quote from Adriana on September 14, 2020, 11:09 pmI wouldn’t pry. I’d find out the details at another time. My inquisitive eyebrows would still be there, and Uno would still be intimidated by them.
”Well?” I gave him a second, as if he were supposed to answer more questions.
”What are you talking to the likes of me for? Go on, don’t keep her waiting. And buy her some flowers, ain’t nothing wrong with a timeless gesture like flowers.” I popped the sucker back in my mouth, stepping up to the door and going inside.
It’s hard not to smile. He deserves a good thing. But I was slow to trust the situation wholeheartedly.. I wouldn’t be too far behind.
I wouldn’t pry. I’d find out the details at another time. My inquisitive eyebrows would still be there, and Uno would still be intimidated by them.
”Well?” I gave him a second, as if he were supposed to answer more questions.
”What are you talking to the likes of me for? Go on, don’t keep her waiting. And buy her some flowers, ain’t nothing wrong with a timeless gesture like flowers.” I popped the sucker back in my mouth, stepping up to the door and going inside.
It’s hard not to smile. He deserves a good thing. But I was slow to trust the situation wholeheartedly.. I wouldn’t be too far behind.
Quote from Indy on September 15, 2020, 10:48 pmI watched Robin go back inside. I waited, but she didn't come back out. A little while longer, but the door wasn't becoming any less closed. I'd never known Robin's eyebrows to turn at the threshold of intrigue before. Still, what was I to do - sit out on the porch all day like a lost dog?
I walked towards the car. I even popped the trunk and inspected it, as well as the passenger and backseat, just in-case, but everything was as I last left it. I sighed, wearily. For once in my life, maybe I could just take a good thing at face value.
Robin was right about one thing, though. Flowers. If I left now, I'd even enough time to stop by the grocery store and some to spare. I turned the ignition and started down the road.
Not even two minutes after the door was shut, the landline started to ring.
I watched Robin go back inside. I waited, but she didn't come back out. A little while longer, but the door wasn't becoming any less closed. I'd never known Robin's eyebrows to turn at the threshold of intrigue before. Still, what was I to do - sit out on the porch all day like a lost dog?
I walked towards the car. I even popped the trunk and inspected it, as well as the passenger and backseat, just in-case, but everything was as I last left it. I sighed, wearily. For once in my life, maybe I could just take a good thing at face value.
Robin was right about one thing, though. Flowers. If I left now, I'd even enough time to stop by the grocery store and some to spare. I turned the ignition and started down the road.
Not even two minutes after the door was shut, the landline started to ring.
Quote from Adriana on September 15, 2020, 11:31 pmNaturally I had just closed the bathroom door when the phone began to ring.
“Already? If he’s calling from his car, so help me..” who in the world even had our landline? I moved across the living room and picked up the phone. I didn’t answer, and instead waited for a voice on the other end of the line.
Naturally I had just closed the bathroom door when the phone began to ring.
“Already? If he’s calling from his car, so help me..” who in the world even had our landline? I moved across the living room and picked up the phone. I didn’t answer, and instead waited for a voice on the other end of the line.
Quote from Indy on September 16, 2020, 1:26 pmThere had to be laws against how long a man could look at flowers. I stood peering at the stand with great intensity, while elderly women and young mothers with children scuffled past me. If anyone thought it was an odd sight, none let on. But I certainly felt out of my element enough.
They were out of sunflowers. They must have been out-of-season by now.
Red roses - that was too presumptuous. I was trying to remember what the different colors meant. White was friendship? Yellow happiness? Or was it the other way around? I decided to leave roses well enough alone. They were a dangerous territory, and I didn’t want to dive straight into it with half the answers.
There were some yellow daisy looking things. I thought they looked childish, the thing you picked in the field in kindergarten with dirty hands and a broad, simple smile. I was a lot of things, but I thought childish wasn’t one of them.
I started to sweat. How long had I been here? Tick tock goes the clock, my doom foretold in those colorful heads. Maybe women like flowers because they’re a lot like them - confusing, disorientating, and pretty.
“Sir, do you need help?” a middle aged with woman with freckles and a sun kissed tan came up from behind wearing an apron. She must have worked there. I wondered how long she’d been watching me.
“Yes, please,” I managed weakly, “Do you have anything for….” I fluttered my hands and hoped that was enough to explain my predicament.
The woman laughed, “Sure hun, just tell me what she’s like”.
The voice on the other end of the phone was quiet a moment.
“Hello, Val?” a young woman’s voice started. Her tone was a little deep and rich.
There had to be laws against how long a man could look at flowers. I stood peering at the stand with great intensity, while elderly women and young mothers with children scuffled past me. If anyone thought it was an odd sight, none let on. But I certainly felt out of my element enough.
They were out of sunflowers. They must have been out-of-season by now.
Red roses - that was too presumptuous. I was trying to remember what the different colors meant. White was friendship? Yellow happiness? Or was it the other way around? I decided to leave roses well enough alone. They were a dangerous territory, and I didn’t want to dive straight into it with half the answers.
There were some yellow daisy looking things. I thought they looked childish, the thing you picked in the field in kindergarten with dirty hands and a broad, simple smile. I was a lot of things, but I thought childish wasn’t one of them.
I started to sweat. How long had I been here? Tick tock goes the clock, my doom foretold in those colorful heads. Maybe women like flowers because they’re a lot like them - confusing, disorientating, and pretty.
“Sir, do you need help?” a middle aged with woman with freckles and a sun kissed tan came up from behind wearing an apron. She must have worked there. I wondered how long she’d been watching me.
“Yes, please,” I managed weakly, “Do you have anything for….” I fluttered my hands and hoped that was enough to explain my predicament.
The woman laughed, “Sure hun, just tell me what she’s like”.
The voice on the other end of the phone was quiet a moment.
“Hello, Val?” a young woman’s voice started. Her tone was a little deep and rich.
Quote from Adriana on September 17, 2020, 10:17 pm"No, ma'am - he just stepped out.. this is his roommate. Can I take a message?" I replied evenly. I was hoping his date wasn't calling to cancel. And if it was, that she had a good reason or I'd have to give her one.
"No, ma'am - he just stepped out.. this is his roommate. Can I take a message?" I replied evenly. I was hoping his date wasn't calling to cancel. And if it was, that she had a good reason or I'd have to give her one.
