And I'm trying hard to hide, keeping the sun out of my eyes

[willinglychanged]

WHO: Andrew Warner and YOU!
WHERE: Everywhere/Anywhere. In Heropa mostly. Bars and such. Out in the city.
WHEN: The 31st of July day and night!
WHAT: There's a full moon rising... open post.
WARNINGS: Potential for anything and everything instinctive- also mentions of drug use, language and nudity.



A. Morning - In the Streets

[He should've known it was coming, should've known he could only avoid the cycle for so long. He'd been lucky so far, things had matched up pretty perfectly with his own timeline and he'd arrived in this place with the full moon a week behind him, but as the days went on he knew he was getting closer and closer to that horrible day. More importantly, it would be his first full moon without a pack in years and he didn't know just how well he'd be able to handle it.

He was handling it though and he'd been well prepared, his deal with Abduxel was about to make itself really damn useful indeed, it was times like this that he needed that little extra. But first he'd have to get through the day, which meant going to his decidedly useless job, try and handle holding a razor blade with a shaky hand and avoid accidentally savaging a customer.

It was on his way to work though, that he happens to bump into a stranger, his shoulder jarring against theirs. Whether or not it was their fault or his didn't matter, because suddenly there's a man with a face full of fangs in your face, snarling.]

How about you watch where the fuck you're going, huh? [He'll be so ashamed of this later.]

B. Afternoon - In a bar.

[Drew's morning at work hadn't gone too well, he'd been snappish and pretty much a bitch to everyone around him. There'd been one customer who'd made the point about how he didn't look too suited to be in a position for trimming other people's facial hair and he'd snarled at them too. Which is when he decided he was leaving the little barber shop and potentially not coming back.

It'd been a short trip to his apartment after that, to do the one thing he knew would take the edge off the Moon's pull and effect before he was back out on the streets, a peaceful yet strung out smile on his face as he wandered through the roads, eventually finding a bar and heading inside there, ordering himself a beer and accidentally introducing himself to your table, or any table really, throwing himself down onto a chair and draining half of his beer with a contented sigh, resting his arms on the table and staring expectantly despite being not all there. Daydreaming of the run he'd have later, his legs twitching beneath the table.]

C. Night - Heropa.

[He'd let time get away from him during the day, going about his business and hadn't given himself much time to prepare. The moons pull was strong though and Drew wasn't masochistic enough to avoid the power it held over him. He barely had time to get out of his apartment before the first convulsion racked its way through his body, sending him to the ground.

A cacophony of pops and breaking noises later and there's no longer a man standing in the streets of Heropa, instead there's a humongous wolf standing at roughly five feet with huge claws and fangs. It looks, however, surprisingly friendly. Now that he'd been liberated for the cycle a lot of his aggression and irritation was gone. Instead there was a pretty damn happy beast, sprinting its way through the streets, trying to find somewhere he could truly let go and run.]

D. Following Morning - Heropa

[Don't mind Drew, he's going to wake up wherever he does, finally a human again and completely naked, looking unashamed and content as hell. His hair messed up with leaves and twigs, traces of mud still on his flesh. He looks like a man who's had one hell of a night going about his walk of shame with a satisfied little grin on his features. Feel free to stop him and remind him of social etiquette.]

E. Wildcard

[Do whatever you want! Its the full moon, wild things happen! Any interaction you want with a more primal Drew will be taken on board with much gusto.]

Comments

C

[hisheartsdesire]

[Tonight is just like any other night that Toby wanders around Heropa. He'd much rather familiarize himself with his... hometown, as it were, rather than use the Porter to investigate the other cities. He's off at the park somewhere when he hears something big coming fast.

He jumps out of the way with a grunt and finds himself face-to-face with a gigantic—wait a minute, this wolf (because that's what it must be, it can't possibly be a dog) looks incredibly friendly. But it isn't so much his looks that give him away. It's his scent.]

Oh, don't do that. [Seeming relieved and smiling, he brushes himself off.] Seriously, I don't know what I thought was coming to get me.

[willinglychanged]

[The part of his mind that was still Drew recognizes the man in front of him as Tobias but the wolf just recognizes him as something akin to friend. He nozes against the other man, first his chest, taking loud blustering sniffs just to make sure it was the right person before his head cocks up and softly padded paws are on Toby's chest as Drew's long rough tongue licks up the side of his face.

You could tell if the man were still a man he'd be absolutely laughing his ass off. Right now he was just hoping Toby's vampire strength would keep the two of them upright as he lets out a low whine. It was a whine that said you shouldn't be afraid.]

[hisheartsdesire]

[The remnants of Toby's fears and shock subside quickly. He lets out a small laugh as Drew snuffs at his chest, and then takes a step back to keep his balance and stay on his feet. His hands go for Drew's paws to keep them both steady before the wolf's long and wet tongue slurps across his face. Again, he laughs, and it's louder this time.]

All right, all right. I'm really happy to see you too. [He smiles before looking up and noticing... ah, that's the full moon.] What's this—out on the prowl this evening?

[willinglychanged]

[His jaw lowers almost as if he was smiling before he licks Toby again, tasting him this time. It was a strange taste but he wanted the other man to know he was happy to see him too. It was as close to a smile as you could get as a wolf though. One of the problems with this though was that he couldn't
really communicate, he whines again, butting his muzzle against Toby.

He glances up at the moon himself and howls loudly, a deafening sound despite the two men being together before moving back towards Toby, pacing back and forth in front of him. He wanted to run, to be free.]

[hisheartsdesire]

[He can't help wondering if it's all right to pet Drew or scratch behind his ears and through his scruff like a dog, but decides against it for the time being because he's perfectly aware that the wild operate on different rules than tame pets. Besides, Drew is a werewolf, and Toby isn't entirely certain how to handle one.

But he can tell Drew is happy to see him through even the wolf's sharp-toothed smile. Perhaps if it were anyone else, that expression might've been terrifying; here and now, it isn't. The howl on the other hand...]

Wow, that's... incredible. Care to play a game—hide and seek? [He rubs his chin in contemplation before giving a playful smirk.] Then again, you have such an unfair advantage.

[willinglychanged]

[He makes another snuffling noise before butting his head into Toby's chest. He probably wouldn't have minded being scratched between the ears but Toby was probably right about not simply reaching out and doing so without a proper invitation.

His head cocks to the side in interest at the prospect of a game before he shakes it from side to side, mouth hanging open as he pants slightly. He'd probably win regardless.]

[hisheartsdesire]

[He laughs at the wolf's response.]

Yeah, I didn't think so, either. Still, you seem restless, so I shouldn't keep you. We'll probably run into each other again later anyway.

[Besides, Toby's thinking of going up the promenade where there's a gorgeous view overlooking the city. If Drew finds his way there, they might be able to horse around on the clifftop.]

[willinglychanged]

[There's another low whine as he swivels his head to the side, trying to push a question into his eyes. Where was Toby going? Why did he want to leave Drew?

They were meant to be friends after all and friends stayed with friends on the full moon, he butts into him again, this time almost pushing him along on his way with the intent of following him. Usually he surrounded himself with people on nights like these and the wolf wasn't about to let him change that.]

[hisheartsdesire]

Oh—!

[Not being a werewolf himself, Toby doesn't really understand pack mentality; in fact, he doesn't really understand bonding and companionship very well after having spent several lifetimes on his own. But he starts picking up on what Drew's getting at as the werewolf whines and shoves him along.]

All right, all right. I think... I think I know what you're getting at, and there's somewhere I'd like to go. [So he begins pressing onward through the park.] We can run there, and it's a little bit of a climb. But maybe we could wrestle there, though you'd probably win that, too. Sound good?

A

[lackey]

Whoa, whoa... Jesus...

[It was probably Mike Parker's fault his shoulder collided with Drew's. A very long night's become a very long morning and his head's killing him and it's so bright outside now... How could he really be expected to see that guy walking there?

But, you know, he's run into people before! He's run into a lot of people before! Run into people, fell into people, accidentally caused people to trip... And not a single one of them has gotten all up in his face about it.

Mike jerks away, holding a shaking hand up to try and shield his face.]

The fuck's your problem, man? [He mumbles and then immediately regrets his choice of words. Don't pick a fight with somebody looking for a fight unless you're actually ready for a fight. Or, at least, are in any condition to fight.] I'm sorry, okay? I'm sorry, dude. My bad.

[willinglychanged]

[Drew was still a snarling mess even when mike isn't instantly up in his own face. He'd expected something a little more like a fight back, that's what tended to happen around the full moon. Then again he tended to hang around with a few too many werewolves too on moon nights, where anyone would bite off the other's arm for even so much as looking at him funny.

Except this stranger was instead apologizing and shielding his face, which made Drew look like one hell of a dick. He rocks back on his heels, a rough hand rubbing down the side of his face as his jaw turns into something decidedly more human, licking over his lips to chase away the blood that'd spilled when his lips tore.]

Damn, shit. [He still scrubs his face as if trying to fight some kind of tiredness.] My fault. Sorry. Promise 'm not usually this... [He waves the free hand.] Worked up.

[lackey]

[Mike goes on cowering a moment longer, even backing up a step and running into a lamppost behind him. When he hears the apology, he lowers his hand enough to peek out over his fingers. Risking a quick glance at the post, he decides to sidle right around it and put it between them. He lowers his hand to about chest-level then.

He only caught a brief glance of the angry guy before he threw his hand up, but in hindsight, he can't help but think the stranger looked... a little odd? Different, somehow. Maybe that's just his hangover talking. After all, the guy looks fine now.

... But Mike's not taking any chances here.]

Yeah? You okay? [He mirrors Drew slightly, wetting his lips.] Havin' a tough time of things?

[willinglychanged]

[He could tell the guy was putting distance between them and could smell something almost close to fear waving off the other man. it was just enough to make him feel like shit, he takes a bit more of a passive stance, relaxing and melting into something more fluid.]

Look man, I'm really sorry. [With one hand he gestures to the sky.] Its the moon, goes on ahead and brings out my bad side.

[lackey]

The moon?

[Mike rests his hand against the lamppost and leans over so he's watching Drew from the other side of it. The moon? Really? Money problems, he could see. Money or job problems, car problems, relationship problems, maybe even roommate problems... But moon problems?]

That some kind of hippie... thing? [Bullshit, he means. Hippie bullshit.] Like those uh... you know, those um... the animals? Like if you're born in a certain month or a certain year, you're like... this or that?

[willinglychanged]

[He just laughs loudly. Try not to sound so damn turned off by some hippy thing, man... for all you Know I am some kinda hippy thing.

[He really was some kind of hippy thing, just so everyone knows. Except he understood the confusion and his eyes glow slightly as he scans for the moon.]

And its some kinda werewolf thing... there's a full moon tonight, guess y'could say I'm feelin' a little wild.

[lackey]

[Mike wrinkles his nose at the laughter... but then slowly steps out from behind the post. He stuffs his hands into his pockets. His posture is still slightly hunched and defensive.]

Hippie things can be weird. Hippies can be weird. Confused... sometimes. [He peers at Drew questioningly. Are you confused, hippie dude? Well, whatever... Mike scoots sideways, sizing Drew up as he moves around him.]

Werewolf thing. That a joke? [He follows Drew's gaze upward for a second then there's another look straight at the guy, less questioning, more accusing.]

Or you mean like... you saw a werewolf movie and it got inside your head? [His expression falters. That's a totally reasonable explanation. Even if it doesn't explain that... strangeness he thought he saw.] I get that way with movies sometimes. Especially like... action movies. Always wanna go do... action stuff after watchin' 'em. Wrestle around with someone, shoot at some targets...

[willinglychanged]

[He just tilts his head to the side.] Confused? Nah... I'm always at least kinda sure 'bout what I'm doin'.

[He shrugs at the next question.] Ain't exactly a joke. Anythin' I do could be considered a werewolf thing.

[Except he tilts his head to the side again, this time he is confused. The guy said what seemed to him to be a completely rational line of excuse.] Aain't exactly like that, neither. Only thing in my head is the actual wolf, not some kinda movie wolf.

A

[kinesia]

[ Ordinarily, Grey is very good in a crowd. He's tall, but thin enough to be unobtrusive, and he has a way of winding around bodies to move in even the smallest places. He keeps his head down and moves as if he's never existed anywhere but within this one crowd.

Every so often, that's a disadvantage, because it means he's not easy to see. As used as he is to crowds, he's always used to being bumped into, and he wouldn't give it a second thought if there weren't fangs and startling blue eyes in his face a moment later.

He jumps, startled, and automatically tenses. His shoulders roll back and his feet spread, instinctively turning defensive long before he's recognised who's in front of him. His hand reaches behind, ready to pluck his knife from its hiding place. But then he makes the connection, and sees Drew beneath all that anger. This is so far removed from the Drew he'd met that he wonders if something has happened. But more importantly, Drew is not someone Grey will attack. His shoulders loosen again, and he holds up his hands. Words quickly over his cheek. ]

I'm sorry

[ That vanishes, and then: ]

Drew ? Don't bite .

[ At least, not with the kind of fangs that will give some to Grey in return. He stays very still, though even with the fangs in his face, he's wary rather than frightened. ]

[willinglychanged]

[Drew had been angry at the stranger until he realized it wasn't a stranger at all but rather someone who'd been particularly nice to him back when they first met. He breathes out a long sigh, hands coming up to Grey's upper arms and resting there as he takes a couple shuddering breaths, his fangs disappearing but there's still a blue shine to his eyes when he looks back up.]

Shit, Grey... sorry. [He shakes his head, hands dropping from the other man's arms.] Not gonna bite you. Promise. Usually I'm not this angry, kinda feelin' the moon a lot more without my pack than I thought I would.

[And he felt like shit because of it.] Told you I was a mess.

[kinesia]

[ The moon?

The full moon. Grey's eyes widen when he puts that together. He's never paid much attention to the moon. He's never had to keep track before, but he should have realised that was what the problem was. Drew had said that it made things difficult for him. Apparently, it made him likely to show his teeth in public.

Grey doesn't mind that, is the thing. He doesn't care if Drew has huge teeth and glowing eyes and claws and the likelihood of turning into an animal at any given point. Those are just factors of who Drew is.

But he can't do it here. Not in this crowd, among these people. They'll panic, and they might hurt Drew as a result. Grey reaches for him, moving his hand to the space between Drew's shoulder and neck, and he squeezes it. He's not afraid, and doesn't want Drew to think that he is. Words keep flashing over his cheek, or on his neck, or across his collar bone. Wherever Drew's eyes fall are fair game for those moving tattoos. Grey tries to make them follow Drew's gaze. ]

you aren't .

[ A mess, that is. All of this is normal for Drew. He shouldn't have to worry about it; Grey just doesn't want him getting in trouble for it. ]

it's not your fault .

can i help ? tell me how to help .

[willinglychanged]

[There's a small growl of a noise when Grey's hand is suddenly close to his throat, curling over his shoulder. It was such a pack-like gesture, the kind of thing that Grey wouldn't understand the significance of but held quite a meaning all the same. His head moves in that direction, cheek brushing against the other man's hand as he squeezes his eyes shut.

When they open again the glow is gone, instead he's following the words tracing along Grey's skin, using them as some kind of distraction.]

Its okay dude... there isn't much y'can do. I was gonna try go to work, be some kinda normal human being. Back home we get time off for it, ain't like I like my job to begin with. I've got a fix for it, back at my place... but uh, I'm tryin'a avoid that too. [He was doing great at avoiding everything.] Normally I wouldn't be alone.

[kinesia]

you aren't alone

[ Grey asserts that immediately, with barely any thought. Drew doesn't have to be alone just because his pack aren't here. Grey will stay with him for as long as he likes. That's easily done, and easily offered. He doesn't have anywhere else to be.

Drew does, though. Grey has been a casualty of the workplace system here, so he knows what that's like. He also doesn't think to remove his hand, especially when Drew nudges it. It's the first thing he's seen has helped Drew, so he not only keeps it there, but brushes his thumb gently against Drew's jaw in return. ]

you shouldn't go to work like this

what fix do you have ? is it bad?

[ By bad he means dangerous, and he unconsciously turns his arm around to show Drew his 'Danger' tattoo as well. This one is static, one of those he'd gotten on the Train. It used to be a warning, but in this world, it's usually a question. It's strange how things change. ]

[willinglychanged]

[He manages a weak smile when Grey said he wasn't alone. In his heart of hearts he knew that was true, he'd jumped into the city and surrounded himself with new people rather quickly and efficiently, building the closest thing to a pack that he could at the time. Except it was never exactly the same, not the same as having that instant connection, knowing where his family were at all times, knowing to go to them for help when he needed it.

He closes his eyes for a second and breathes softly again, Grey was doing very well at comforting the werewolf... in a way that the other man probably didn't even know he was doing. He opens his eyes quickly enough though, knowing it was the only way for the two of them to keep talking.]

I probably shouldn't, nah. [He let's the words out in a soft mumble. Except then he's grinning at both the question and the word danger.] Could be dangerous, I guess. Takin' a little poison with a little somethin' to take the edge off. Y'might judge me if y'thought I was some kinda a druggy now, huh?

[kinesia]

[ Poison and drugs? Grey's hand stills against Drew's neck, and his eyebrows pinch with concern. Drugs do take the edge off, he knows that. He's seen that. He's seen what they do to people, and the mess they leave people in. Kronole addicts eventually become insensible. Grey had always been warned to stay away from it.

After a moment, his thumb moves again, and he shifts a little closer. ]

kronole .

[ The word only appears faintly, as if he's not sure whether to mention it at all. He hasn't seen it here. He's not sure that it exists in this world, but other things like it certainly do. The letters fade, and are replaced by new, stronger words. ]

i dont judge

if you take drugs you'll start to need drugs . i dont want that

we should come out of this crowd .

[ We, because Grey isn't leaving him like this, and away, because he doesn't want Drew to attack anyone. Grey doesn't fear being attacked himself; he can handle it, if that happens, and he's always less concerned about his own safety, anyway. ]

[willinglychanged]

[Grey moving in closer was probably a great thing or a terrible thing, Drew sucks in a breath and all it does is surround him with the other man's scent, it swimming over him even in the crowd. He can't help but take a small step himself, only leaving enough distance between the two of them so that he could still read the words appearing on the other's face.]

Kronole? [Except it was so faint and then its gone and he figures it might've been the communicative version of a misprint.]

Hey look, the drugs... they ain't bad. Back home we get 'em off doctors, its to help with all this, I promise.

[Except he did sound like someone trying to convince rather than explain.] I had to get 'em off someone here but its the same thing.

[He'd almost forgot about the crowd until Grey mentions it again and he looks around, suddenly feeling swarmed.] Yeah let's get out of the crowd... where were you headin'? [Except that didn't seem quite right of the question to ask considering he was meant to be going to work.]