cahooted | [PSL] You put that urban fantasy right back where you found it (for zunesareawesome)

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[PSL] You put that urban fantasy right back where you found it (for zunesareawesome)

Flynn doesn't get involved.

Not anymore; there had once been a time where he had been involved in many things. Wonderful things, adventurous things – but that time was long gone, that life lay behind him now. It had ended when he had convinced Simone to let him stay with her, to bite and turn him. He had looked forward to a lifetime, no, countless lifetimes, with her, spending eternity together. Had been ready for it, or so he had thought.

After three days, three frightening, wonderful and confusing days with Simone, it had ended. Kubichek had not been killed by the grenade (of course not, that wasn't how vampires died, they should have known, stupid, stupid) and he had come back for his revenge, taking them by surprise. They had defeated him but it had cost Flynn dearly.

Now Simone is gone (forever) and Flynn is more lost than ever before in his life. He has taken refuge in Simone's old hideout, living off the remaining blood bags and postponing finding another place to live that isn't full of painful memories. He has secluded himself in here and here he will stay.

Alone.

He can't go back to the Library, he knows he can't. He turned his back on it and maybe he deserves the earth-shattering loss and loneliness of his rash decision; he has eternity to brood over that question. Part of him wishes he could see Judson and Charlene, just one last time, but he knows he wouldn't be able to face them after letting them down like he did. Sometimes he feels like he's catching Judson out of the corner of his eye, in a mirror, a movement of a reflection that can't be Flynn's, but when he looks there's nothing.

Flynn spends the days reading. About vampires, mostly, trying to catch up on his new existence. Most of the nights he spends reading, too, and really, if it were up to him he would never leave the apartment. But spending all his time reading also means he has to go out from time to time to find new material. Tonight is one of these nights and he already regrets it.

They're werewolves, he's pretty sure. It's like his gift to read people has been transferred to the supernatural and he can sense what these creatures are, can see it in their movements, feel it in the air, he just knows. They haven't changed form, only partially, their eyes gleaming in the moonlight, feral and dangerous and... mean. They have circled someone and Flynn can tell that this someone is a werewolf, too. A werewolf that the others don't seem to like for some reason. At all.

Flynn knows bullies when he sees them. They take their time, circling their victim, sometimes attacking for a punch or a scratch or a bite. Flynn pulls a face as he watches from the shadows of the trees before turning his back on the scene. Whatever. This is stupid. It's not his problem. He will seek out the trader he is supposed to meet for a stack of rare books, go home and hate life. Or unlife. Whatever he is supposed to call himself these days. 'Idiot', maybe. Yes, he thinks he'll go with that.

Flynn doesn't get involved, not anymore.

He makes it two steps back into the underwood, trying to ignore the snarling and growling, before he slows and stops. He closes his eyes, exhaling sharply at the sudden fear of a decision already made, before he turns and, with a gust of a dramatic whoosh ports himself forward and onto the clearing. He miscalculates and stumbles on a stone but thankfully for him the werewolves are too busy with their prey to notice his little mishap.

Or... anything about his dramatic entry really as nobody has even noticed him appear. Well, that was a colossal waste of time and energy? The old-fashioned way then.

"Hey! Leave him alone!"

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The growl lessens, but it's still there, as Peter tries to calm himself.

"I know, it's cool, just--"

He takes a deep breath. Calm down. Chill.

"...sorry. It wasn't me, it was the--y'know."

He rolls his shoulders, trying to get the sudden tension out of them.

"I know. It's uh, it's fine."

But something in his eyes stays on guard, watching Peter closely. "I can see how he wouldn't like that particular story. For what it's worth I think it was totally right to break free from these shackles and tell the vampires where to shove it?"

He actually does, it's not just some empty talk to save his hide. "I mean, would be nice if it hadn't sprung a century old war but I can see the necessity?"

"Yeah. Wolf's got some beef, that's for sure." His eyes are still golden, but his body language is far more relaxed than it was a couple seconds ago.

"I wonder how they won it, then? Other werewolves came to break them free? How did they enslave them, anyway?"

"I guess there's going to be a thousand versions on that as well."

He picks up a tome. "And it will change depending on who wrote it. The old problem with historical accounts. It's gonna be difficult to find reliable information."

"Yeah. Maybe if we figure out where the beef is, it'll calm down this guy." He points towards his own heart, making a circle with his finger. There wasn't exactly a place the wolf lived, but it was so instinctual he figured his heart had something to do with it.

A pause.

"You haven't read anything on how to stop...me, if it ever gets out of hand, have you? Like I mean, I know you have the skills and you do your..." A hand-wave. "Vampire thing, but I think in movies they used silver?"

"No, I haven't. And I guess we'll have the same problem here, thousands of stories, thousands of versions, and they probably hold true for some werewolves out there but not the others."

He frowns. "Do you think we should? Find something, I mean. Not for you but, you know, for the other werewolves."

"Maybe we can make our own story. Our own book? Of supernatural rules? We go out and in our--adventures--" he waves a hand towards the nearest window. "And when we figure out stuff, we write it down. And that could help anyone else that comes after us, y'know? I mean, you're gonna live for what, forever? You could keep that book around and hand out a copy to any good guys you meet."

A nod. "Yeah, cause like that pack we met? There's bigger packs out there. And I know you can do all the cool stuff you can do, but what if it's too much, y'know? It's better to have a plan." He pauses again. "And I don't mind if you have something that can stop me. Peace of mind, y'know?"

Flynn brightens at that proposal. The idea warms him and it's like something dark and heavy is slowly lifting from his soul. "Like a guide. An almanac of vampire- and werewolf-hood! What a great idea."

He hasn't felt like that in a long time, not since the... the Library. And suddenly he realizes why that has him so excited. It's a purpose.

"Peace of mind... yeah, I guess. I'll see if I can come up with something."

"Yeah! I bet it could help a lot of people too? Because I so wish I had something like that, when...y'know, it happened. Could have saved a lot of trouble." Peter beams because sometimes he doesn't come up with the best ideas, even though he thinks he does, and for someone else to say it was really cool. At least Peter's eyes aren't golden anymore, his inner wolf calming down. Though with his temperament it seemed like anything would set it off easy.

"Good." A pause. "And how about you guys? Do vampires lose control easy?"

"It depends. There was this artifact once, it was kind of like the Holy Grail for vampires? But it's in a safe place now, we don't have to worry about that."

For a moment his expression turns sad but he shakes it off quickly. "Other than that... the most dangerous thing is the hunger. At least that's what I heard, I never... I never let it get to that point. And honestly, isn't that true for any living being? I mean, wolves that get hungry are probably just as bad. And humans that get really hungry can do a lot of nasty stuff, too. Hunger is just... bad all around, I suppose."

"Okay, okay yeah, so we're cool with you then, and that's good--" Not gonna lie, he was a tiny bit worried about that part there. "Yeah, I...I know what it's like to be a hungry wolf and you're right." He doesn't want to think about how vicious himself as a hungry wolf can be, and he's pretty sure Flynn doesn't want to think about how vicious he could be as a hungry vampire.

"How often do you have to...uh, eat?" He waves a hand and reaches for another book to pour over.

"I don't know. If I want to keep my strength, every day. I've never tested how long I could go without and-- I'm not too keen to find out, to be honest?"

He sighs. "I'm currently working on getting new supplies. I have blood bags which are gonna last me for a while but they will run out eventually and I'd like to. You know. Just not let them run out in the first place?"

"Do you get weak if you don't eat every day? I mean--like the same way regular people would feel if they didn't eat properly?"

Peter turns a few pages. "Yeah. Agreed, that'd be...the best for everybody." Chasing after a hungry vampire didn't sound particularly fun, or easy. But Peter was sure if it came down to it, he'd be the one trying to protect Flynn--and probably protect people from him.

"But hey, it's not so bad a deal right? You get immortality for a little...diet change, but it could be worse, right? Except for the whole living at night thing." A pause. He's not sure if this is too personal, but blurts it out anyway. "Do you miss the sun?"

"That's actually a pretty good comparison. Yeah. I get cranky, weak and... I'm really not myself." He sighs. "I just don't know where to restock. I don't want to just rob a blood bank, I mean, the hospitals really need those supplies for injured people, you know?"

Flynn pauses at Peter's last question and his expression softens. "I do. More than anything."

"So basically you get hangry. Totally get it!" He pauses in turning pages to make a face. "I mean, maybe we could make like a fake blood drive? Probably unethical, but it's not like you're taking blood from people who need it? And it's like, hey, we're saving lives by making sure a vampire doesn't go hungry? Win-win, right?"

There's a look of sympathy as he tries to imagine what that must be like. "...wow. Yeah, sorry man, that's...that sucks." What would it even be like to have to live at night only?

"Very hangry from what I've learned so far." Peter's idea gives him thought and he nods slowly. "I guess that would be... one option. For the greater good."

He flips a couple of more pages. "It does. The world looks really different by day. I really miss the brightness of colors and natural light."

"I'm good at running scams," he says this proudly. "I could totally set one up for you, I know a few guys, it'd be real legit and everything."

Peter frowns and studies him for a moment, his brows furrowed. "Putting up a few more lights around here won't cut it, huh? Man, I really can't imagine...I'm sorry." Though there was the point that if he was gonna start partnering up with him on adventures, he'd end up living mostly at night, too. But he wasn't limited by it, he could see the sun if he wanted. "...you can't even take just like, a short peek?"

Flynn doesn't know how to feel about that and he is about to point out the discrepancy between 'scam' and 'legit' but... it's actually not a bad idea. After all, Simone must have gotten all this blood from somewhere, too, and it would be kind of hypocritical to use it and stay on a moral high horse. "That... yeah. Sure. Why not? As long as nobody gets hurt."

He shrugs. "It really burns me. Just staying in the shadow isn't enough, even in the shadow the light is still there. After all, you can get sunburn in the shade, too."

"Yeah! And I'm not sure how much blood you'd get out of it but we could do it in different towns and cities around here so nobody would get suspicious, y'know? Stock up for awhile, that way you never have to worry."

See? Problem solved! And surely nothing bad will happen!

"Aw dude, that really sucks. Guess there's no way around it, then." He scratches his head rapidly in a slightly dog-like fashion. "Well, superheroes usually operate at night anyway."

"That..." He blinks. "That actually sounds very reasonable. Thank you."

Flynn smiles at the word superhero. "Well, we got that going for us at least!"

"See? We're a team already!" They will be the best team ever, bro. His currently non-existent tail is wagging wildly at the fact that Flynn is pleased about his contribution. He's a helper!

"Do you get a lot of vampire crime or supernatural stuff going on around here? I mean, we could go out on patrols and stuff, like Batman."

Edited 2018-04-16 14:56 (UTC)

His smile widens involuntarily. Team. It's been a long time since he had that and the notion is - nice. Really nice, actually.

"Sometimes. I try not to get involved, but..." But that's actually a lie. "When I see something I try to help."

You know. Like yesterday. "It's just, you know. The right thing to do."

"Me too. I mean, I didn't really used to be that way? I guess I was a little more selfish. But then sometimes you can't ignore stuff...and then after all this happened I guess...I think people need more help than they let on." They are totally a team, bro.

"You were really great out there, I mean...thanks." A half-grin. "I could have taken them myself, but y'know. Didn't want to hurt them or anything."

Flynn laughs. "Of course. I wasn't trying to steal your thunder. Your secret is very safe with me."

He pauses. "I'd say I take it to the grave, but... see what I did there?"

Fingerguns? Fingerguns!

"Fangs a lot."

Total fingerguns, bro! That gets a very loud laugh from Peter. He can appreciate the dead guy jokes!

"Watch out, you're kinda deadly with that sense of humor."

Please stop him before this gets worse, Flynn.

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cahooted - 2018-05-14 11:21 (UTC) - Expand

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