It's a fool who plays it cool

[foolsmakeitcolder]

WHO: Jude & OPEN
WHAT: Arrival & settling
WHEN: Early Justinian
WHERE: First the Vimmark Mountains, then the Gallows
NOTES: Warning for giant ass wolf, giant wolf ass, nudity, violence.



Starters to come.

Comments

[foolsmakeitcolder]

Jude laughs as Abby pulls back with the realization, sudden and loud and warm like rainy summer night thunder, like he never learned to hold it in. He echoes her by putting a hand over his face, realizing that he did come close but never actually told her.

"I did," he answers, still laughing at himself as much as her. His voice climbs an octave with the strain. "Oh, hell."

Yeah, that. All of that.

"My people, my pack," he confirms. "My family, blood or no blood, fur or feathers or scales or skin. We're not that picky."

[armd]

His people. Now hold on.

"You're all wolves?" All shape-shifters, of some kind? Or is this a werewolf situation? Abby's eyebrows have shot up.

As much as she wants him to stick around and explain all of this, the dude is standing around wrapped clumsily in a tarp. That can't be comfortable. But... how do you tell somebody to go and get dressed and then come back.

Hrm. She elects not to say anything. For now, anyway.

[foolsmakeitcolder]

"If you're in our pack, then yes. You're a wolf."

But that doesn't quite track with what she's asking. "Most of us are wolf shifters. We take in the odd human, or bobcat, or grizzly bear, or fox, or hawk, or raven-"

Jude, she gets it.

"You're from another world with no shifters?" he asks, sounding a little solemn.

[armd]

Okay... now Abby truly understands what it's like to be a Thedosian on the receiving end of brand new information about the infected. The casual delivery, the weird follow-up questions, the assumptions?

She nods, slowly.

Adds, "I don't think so. But I'm pretty certain."

[foolsmakeitcolder]

Confusion flickers across Jude's dark eyes, a pinch in his brow before he asks:

"How do you not know?"

[armd]

"It could have been going on behind my back."

She's clearly joking.

[foolsmakeitcolder]

Jude allows for a very eloquent shrug, conceding the point with a thoughtful stillness in his dark eyes. They glint like an animal's when light hits them, reflecting back the torches and the moon.

"Shifters were hunted to extinction, once. They created legends to explain us. Werewolves. Forgot what we really were. That might be the case in Thedas."

[armd]

Abby's brow furrows. She asks, "Why?" Which is probably naïve. It's a case of humans seeking to destroy what they don't understand, right. But- well, Jude is so friendly and helpful, and it sounds like he had a good pack with him. A pack that hung out in Yellowstone. Why go out of the way?

[foolsmakeitcolder]

Jude smiles, one of his sadder, more somber ones, his eyes steady. He pats her shoulder. Even if she can guess, it's good to ask. To understand.

"The settlement of the west nearly wiped us out," Jude explains, as he would to one of the younger members of his pack, learning.

"A few hundred years ago, there was a bounty on wolf ears. We weren't seen as people." Not human, obviously, but still people.

"Given how native Thedosians treat any race that isn't human, it would make sense for them to hide. And for that matter, I've been told that shapeshifting "magic" is frowned upon. Haven't been told why."

[armd]

"Right."

She looks troubled when she adds, "Guess you couldn't keep the secret from them forever." Because of course, as Jude currently is, standing in front of her, she never would have guessed he could turn into a wolf if she hadn't just seen it happen. But what should his pack have done, never shifted again just to be safe? A denial of their nature. It isn't fair.

She sighs. "I don't think there really is a specific 'why'. Most people here are wary of any kind of magic."

[foolsmakeitcolder]

"Seems like a terrible way to live. Hiding who you are."

Not a part. All. Jude doesn't view himself as part man, part wolf. He is one person, one soul. How is.

He gives a sigh.

"There are werewolf legends here, too. I'll keep looking."

[armd]

Oh, shit.

"Are there?" She didn't know that. "I... hope you find them?"

[foolsmakeitcolder]

"Thank you."

He warms, brightening again. While he doesn't cover up the sadness, it's a natural part of life, he wants to make sure he won't hand it to her by surprise, either.

"Anything you want to find here?"

[armd]

"Cup of tea would be alright," Abby says and shifts her weight, looking past him. She isn't stupid, she knows he means something a little more philosophical than that, but she doesn't know how to say something like 'a purpose?' to a guy she's met twice. So.

Cup of tea it is. It's not not true. "You might want to come with me to find one." Tarp outfit doesn't shield entirely from the cool night breeze.

[foolsmakeitcolder]

"All right, then. Keep your secrets."

Jude gives her a slow smile -- and just to be a little bit of a shit, shifts back. The tarp falls down between them, and he snags it with his teeth, pulling it back into place. Mostly.

It's far more comfortable, back in fur. He's so dark he nearly blends into the night, and would if it weren't for the torchlight.