the moonlight shows us for what we really are

[Devon]

Theo noticed the softening of her tone as she tried to clarify about his status. “That's about the way of it, yeah.” He was a lycan, there could be very little to doubt or deny about that. Theo had only ever felt any form of attraction towards other men, but... did it still count as being gay if he'd never actually acted on it and had no intentions of acting on it? It wasn't safe to get close to anyone, he knew that, and so he'd always kept a tight lid on any urges of that nature he might have had. Still, 'gay' was the closest he had ever been able to come to giving himself some form of descriptor in that sense, and the admission of it did seem to placate the woman a bit.

As the woman said that she was a lesbian Theo turned his head in surprise, his cheek brushing against the rough bark of the tree. He was not attempting to look at her, and as soon as he realised that he had turned his head in the direction of her voice he quickly snapped it back to front again, hazel eyes looking off into the forest in completely the opposite direction. He was about to say something when she spoke again, sounding suddenly much less antagonistic and telling him to hold up while she got his bag out of the tree. “Hey, I ain't going anywhere.” A soft chuckle left his lips as she told him again not to look. “Not looking! I'll even close my eyes.”

Theo did close his eyes but he focussed on what he could hear instead. If it sounded like she was bolting after getting the bag down he would be after her; much as he didn't want to spook her or risk loosing this chance to talk to someone with the same condition, he was not going to let her make off with the bag. He needed what was inside it far too much, and there was no way he could make it into town without people noticing if he didn't at least have some clothes on.

The thud on the ground let him knew that the bag had hit planet earth, and he listened out for the sound of the zipper and buckles that were holding it closed. The air was cold and Theo held the pelt close to his chest as he waited, trying to both keep warm and resist the urge to just run out and grab his bag away from her, but eventually it was tossed over towards him. “Now it's your turn to not look” he said, only half-joking.

Peering around from behind the tree, Theo made sure she was at least looking the other way before stepping out fully and shuffling over to his bag, rummaging around in it and pulling out his clothes. She had quite rightly taken the clean set, meaning he would have to put the ones from last night back on, but they would do until he could get back home. As she thanked him the first proper smile of the day softly crossed his lips. “Don't worry about it... If we don't look out for each other, who will?”

After pulling on the clothes Theo sat on the ground, pulling the two small heavy-duty plastic bottles of water out of his bag. “All set.” Uncapping one of the bottles, he took a long drink before splashing some on his hands, clearing off the heavy of the woodland muck. The other bottle got offered out to the woman as she turned around. “You're probably thirsty. I've got some granola bars too, if you didn't... y'know... eat during the night.”

[Hunter]

As if he even needed to ask. Akita covered her face with her hands for good measure, just in case there was any doubt.

It was nice of him to let her borrow his clothes, but she still had her guard up, and she was still highly uncomfortable with the situation -- even the favor he'd granted her, which left her with a feeling of owing him something in return, and she couldn't count on when or if he'd call on her to repay the favor. His friendly demeanor wasn't reassuring, but then again, she'd take something like that over outright hostility any day. And even if she hardly felt solidarity with a person like him, he had a point, too. There still weren't any provisions or programs to do a thing about managing their condition -- if you didn't count that "registry" idea that was being batted around, the idea of which made her skin crawl.

He was right about another thing as well: she was thirsty, and famished. After he'd given her permission to look, she turned and shuffled over to him with some reluctance, holding the clothes up and feeling like a penguin from the way she had to waddle. "I could go for a full stack of pancakes, to tell you the truth." She took the water bottle offered to her with another quiet thanks, uncapped it, and drank from it as though she'd just run a marathon. It wasn't that her wolf side was too foolish to know to look for water during the night -- it was that the transformation back was physically strenuous, and it had a tendency to sap her of everything.

Water. Food. Extra clothes. These were all good ideas, ideas she'd be copying next time. She had to wonder how much experience he had with this.

"How long have you been..." She shifted her weight onto her other leg and rephrased. "How long have you had it?"

It scared her to think that one could even be an adult as old as him and still not have control.

[Devon]

Theo managed his condition the best he could. Last night was proof that he still sometimes failed, but he had learned enough to know that it was always important to try to at least have some basics in place. Food, water, spare clothes, and of course a basic first aid kit. Thankfully he rarely had to use the latter, but for moments like this it was always reassuring to know that there was something to fall back on.

The smile on his lips warmed slightly as she spoke about pancakes, and he gave a soft shrug of his shoulders. “Sorry, granola bars are the best I've got to offer... Oh, wait.” He dug around in one of the smaller pockets in the bag, pulling out a packet of tissues and some chalk, and then fished out a Twix bar. “Here” he said, lightly tossing the wrapped candy bar towards her.

Turning his attention to his feet, Theo pulled out the small Tupperware box containing his makeshift first aid kit. It was nothing fancy, made up of bits and pieces that you could get from any store, but it did the job. An antiseptic wipe was used to clean up the worst of the crap that had gotten into the small sores caused by the pine needles and small stones in his mad dash through the trees the night before. He then took another drink and pulled out one of the granola bars before sliding the little box along the ground towards the woman. “That scratch on your cheek probably could do with bein' cleaned up a bit.”

Her question should have been predictable but it still took Theo a little while to be able to answer it. It had been so long, and yet the years had flown by sickeningly quickly. “I was seventeen, out on one of the horses one night aaaaand we got attacked. I thought it was just a big dog... Didn't think too much of it, until the next full moon rolled around.” He gave a vague shrug of his shoulders, idly lifting up the leg of his sweats to show the bitemark on his calf. “How about you?”

[Hunter]

Akita slowly crouched across from him and reached out for the candy bar, watching him. She didn't think her scratch warranted a first-aid kit, but she was interested in examining the contents nonetheless as she unwrapped the Twix and bit into it.

She had forgotten how good any food, especially chocolate, could taste when you're hungry.

After she nearly inhaled the thing, she tried to dust off her fingers on each other and started picking through the box, looking impressed. She hadn't taken him for this meticulous a person. It was a character trait she appreciated, attention to detail.

For her, it seemed like she'd been dealing with this forever, but she had to stop and count to be sure. "A few months ago," she answered, while cleaning her face. "Almost a year." She didn't elaborate on how it'd happened. That's not what she wanted to talk about. "And it hasn't gotten any... better?" she asked him, referring to his side of things again. He came up with contingency plans, sure, but an ounce of prevention was worth a pound of cure, and she wanted to do more than cope with the consequences.

This was the first time she'd gotten a good look at him up close, without any impending danger hanging over her head, and as she studied his face, her eyes widened in a flash of recognition. "You're the guy with that shop!" she exclaimed, almost losing her balance. She tipped forward and braced herself on her fingertips. "That place with all the magic stuff!" She hadn't gone there, personally, but she'd passed by and seen him a few times before. He wouldn't know her, though. Not unless he went to the library often.

Well, they knew each other's secrets -- or what she considered the big ones, anyway. They might as well introduce themselves. "What's your name? I mean, what should I call you?" He was an adult, after all, and in her family you didn't call adults by their first names unless you were in the same age group. He looked old enough to be a high school teacher; it would be weird to call him anything other than a name prefaced by Mister.

[Devon]

Theo let her rummage through the first aid kit without batting an eye; if she wanted to run off with that she was welcome to. There was nothing in there that couldn't be easily and cheaply replaced; antiseptic wipes, band-aids, a neatly rolled bandage, safety pins, a small packet of over-the-counter painkillers and a small pair of scissors. Nothing at all fancy, but enough to get the job done if necessary. Once the cut looked clean enough for now Theo covered it with one of the band-aids he'd fished out before putting on his socks and carefully wriggling on the shoes. He then testily stood. It was tender and stung slightly but was nothing he couldn't handle; after a while in this life one tended to get used to scuffs and scrapes.

In his line of work Theo had quickly learned that the money was in the finer details, and that was something he had learned to adapt to this part of his life too. Always be prepared to adapt the game plan depending on what was presented, and always sweat the small stuff because you never knew when it could become big stuff.

Nodding slowly as she spoke about how long she had been carrying this affliction too, Theo unwrapped one of the granola bars and took a bite, swallowing before he spoke. “You're still pretty new then. Jesus, no wonder you were so spooked.” Not that he really had much room to talk; he'd been equally spooked when he'd found out he wasn't in the woods alone.

“I don't think it ever gets better. It gets... easier, I guess.” Theo rubbed the back of his neck, voice soft and quiet. “Last night was the first time in ages it didn't go right. Not that I'm blamin' you or anything. But... after a while you learn ways to make it not suck quite so hard.” He finished off the granola bar. “You can pick a good spot at least. I've never had any problems changing here before.”

Theo was tucking the wrapper back into the bag when the woman had her sudden revelation, his eyes widening slightly in surprise. In a way it was worrying that she knew who he was. Granted the chances of her telling half the town what he was were minimal considering he had the exact same leverage over her, but it was a fairly disturbing feeling having someone who knew about both sides of his life. For a moment he considered lying and saying she was wrong, but what would be the point, really? “Yeah, that's right. Bought it a good few years back. Sorry, but I don't think I recognise you.” Slowly he offered out a hand, his posture relaxed and the vague hint of a smile curling his lips. “Name's Theodore Burrell, but you can call me Theo. And you are?”

[Hunter]

He was just as oddly confident as he was sarcastic, but she supposed she should find that reassuring. The fact that he could be as he was, and not getting any better, and yet acted like it was all just water off a duck's back -- she found it hard to empathize with and a little eerie, because it seemed like it might be the best outcome she hope for. He acknowledged the problems, of course, it was just that he was so nonchalant about them. Probably because he didn't have a strict schedule set by other people for these things to interfere with.

"Akita," she answered, and she eyed his hand at first before reaching out to shake it. Then she leaned forward and set the borrowed water bottle, nearly empty, before his knee. "I should go find my backpack. You're coming with, aren't you?" She drew herself back up to her feet again, clutching at the loose fabric to hold it up. Maybe it was just a hunch, but she had a feeling he wouldn't want her wandering off with his clothes.

[Devon]

Knowing how new she was to this, it made it a little easier to understand why she had been so spooked while running through the woods. It was terrifying at first, especially without someone there to help give you a clue what to do. Scared of being captured or killed, or of harming someone else. These fears had never gone away from Theo but he had learned ways to significantly reduce the risks, both to himself and to those around him. And if they resulted in him being so very alone then, well, that was a price he would have to pay. At least this way he could still have something approaching a normal life, and not just stay locked up in a cage his whole life.

Theo's grip was soft and friendly as they shook, the smile on his lips edging a little closer to the surface. “Good to meet you, Akita.” As she set down the water bottle Theo gathered up all his things, shoving them back into his bag. All things considered, last night appeared to have gone a lot better than it could have done. “Sure, if you'd like. I might be able to help you find it.” Zipping and buckling that bag closed again, Theo hitched it up onto his shoulders. “I have a cell phone if there's anyone you need to call, let them know you're okay?”

[Hunter]

Turning to head off, she glanced at him briefly with an almost confused look on her face and shook her head. "My parents don't know." About the lycanthropy, she meant. But they also didn't know where she was, either, and probably weren't worried about it. "They think I've been out with friends." She had white friends whose parents she knew would be losing their heads in the same situation, but her parents didn't breathe down her neck like that. She'd have to be gone longer than this for them to notice. Maybe it was unhealthy, but she was just glad they hadn't kicked her out yet.

"I'd appreciate your help looking, though."

So no, there was no one she needed to call, though it was awfully nice of him to offer. Akita was already walking on forward through the trees, gathering her old pelt up in her hands and following an indistinct blur of a memory of where she'd been, when she slowed and looked at him again. "You, uh... Can I... Will you be here again, next month? Out here, I mean." She hadn't taken well to him at first, but the wheels were turning in her mind again. This was an older and more experienced lycan who took a caretaker's attitude toward her and had, at least going off what he'd shown so far, something of a kind personality. She didn't want to hand over her trust early by granting him any authority, but there was also the matter of the fact that she didn't have many other folks to turn to.

[Devon]

Theo could understand her reluctance to tell her parents what she was; it had been a few months before he had been able to face his own mother and tell her. It was a really rough decision and he didn’t envy her for having to make it. No matter how mild mannered and understanding ones parents were, you could never be certain exactly how they would take a bombshell like this. His smile turned sympathetic and he gave a slow nod of his head. “I get how that goes. I didn’t want to tell my mom either. Don’t worry though, your secret’s safe with me.” He wanted to tell her to tell her parents, tell her that the longer she left it the harder it would be, but it wasn’t his place and he didn’t know her at all well enough to ever be able to guess how her folks might take the news. He’d heard horror stories on the news of people killing their kids over this before – he’d hate for this young woman to become yet another gruesome statistic.

“I’m in no real rush to get back, we’ll find it.” That was a joy of having his own business; he could have the opening hours slightly later than most to make sure that he always had time to get home and settled before he had to open the doors to the store.

Walking along with Akita, Theo felt the tension waning and being replaced by that oh-so-familiar tiredness. Running around the woods all night took its toll in far more ways that one. At her question hazel eyes turned to Akita for a moment, thoughtful, before turning back to the forests ahead. “I’m not too sure. If you’re comin’ here then it probably wouldn’t be smart. I don’t know how two of…” He ran his tongue over his teeth for a moment, trying to find the right words. “Our kind would react if near each other. But I know loads of other places; I could show you some of them some time, if you wanted?”

[Hunter]

"You do?" She looked at him with a hopeful look in her eyes. Any information he had on this subject, she wanted it. She may have lived in town longer than he had, but she hadn't spent as much of her life searching out secluded places to let loose a wild animal.

"So, where else do you go to look for possums?" she asked with a sarcastic smile, turning her head to scan the forest floor. The scenery around here was starting to look familiar; that was a good sign.  She was still walking along with her arms crossed over her chest, but her shoulders were looser and her posture more open.

Akita didn't say anything in response to the idea that letting their wolves meet might not be a good idea, because she had the same concern, but she didn't know either.  Would they fight each other?  Gang up and go kill something?  She didn't like to ponder the possibilities.

After a while, she had another question for him, this one more hesitant, asked with a shy sideways glance.  "Have you ever met any others?"  Another moment passed before she added, by way of clarification, "others... like us."