InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "Who killed Laura Palmer?"

Pan (panriver) wrote in devils_tower,
@ 2008-11-19 09:51:00

Entry tags:

pan, shadow

Week Eleven -- Thursday
Who: Pan, NPC drifter, NPC Fox and Shadow
What: Pan stops by Shadow's to give her the gift he promised her (and have some company).
Where: The Outskirts and Shadow's apartment
When: Thursday mid-morning

Pan awoke that morning with the chills and a rather stiff body. He sat up with a yawn that sounded more like a whimper, an arm slid down his chest to lay across his waist. He looked down at the young drifter who'd shared his bed last night, if a few blankets on the ground could be called a bed. Pan had been to the outskirts only a few times before and it had never been for pleasant reasons. He pinched the end of the drifter's coat sleeve with his thumb and fore-finger and lifting the boy's arm he slipped out from under the arm and the blankets. He couldn't believe the kid didn't wake up. All the drifters Pan had been with before had practically slept with their eyes open, if they even stayed with Pan that long.

He slipped his boots on and dug in the mess of covers for his many layers of jackets and shirts. When he left the River Runners the night before he'd put on as many of his clothes as he could. Granted he didn't have many clothes, but what he did have hadn't all fit into his bag. It wasn't too chilly in the empty warehouse but it was cold enough for Pan. After he'd properly dressed he went to find where they'd hid their belongings for the night in the corner of the warehouse. He threw his own bag over his shoulder and re-hid the kid's things. Pan was not a thief.

He walked back to the makeshift bed and crouched beside the fire. The coals were still a candy-orange underneath and so Pan built it back up with what wood they had laying around.

"You're up already, want something to eat? I have something more left in my bag." The drifter, Pan hadn't even asked his name, sat up on the pile of blankets.

"No, no thanks love but I've got something to do today." That something was to deliver Shadow the gift he'd made her for helping Gypsy those many months ago. His heart ached at the thought of it, the thought of leaving his tribe. He stood and pulled on his holy and fingerless gloves and threw the drifter what he could muster of a smile before he turned to leave.

“But we- I haven’t given you anything yet!”

Pan didn’t look back but called over his shoulder, “And you don’t have to.”

It was Fox who Pan once again found at the edge of Wolf territory.

“I’m here to see Shadow, I hope that’s all right.”

Fox looked at Pan suspiciously. The last time they’d seen each other the boy had been skipping down the street towards him singing God only knew what, and now here he stood: calm, reserved, and well- aside from the insane amount of layers he was wearing-somewhat normal. “All right.”

Pan followed Fox down the familiar street to the Sundance Kid Apartments. Fox walked Pan inside and to the same door he’d stood at months before to ask for help. “Shadow?” Fox called as he knocked on the door, “There’s that River Runner here to see you.”

Pan looked at Fox when he called him ‘that River Runner’. He felt his stomach turn, but he made no move to correct the guard’s error. Fox nodded to Pan and left, throwing a nervous glance over his shoulder as he did so.

Pan pressed his fingers to the bruise on his chest with a small wince.

Ads by Project Wonderful! Your ad here, right now: $0

(Post a new comment)

shadow_sam
2008-12-01 01:18 am UTC (link)

Shadow was laying on the sofa feeling listless. There were things to be done, there always were, but she just didn't have the motivation to do anything right now. It was still cold out, but the morning sun was streaming through the window, warming her face and only adding to her lazy mood. She watched the dust specks dancing in the ray of sunlight. It seemed far more interesting to herthan it really should have.

Her thoughts had wandered far far away and she jumped, startled back to reality, when there was a knock at the door. Hearing Fox's familiar voice she dragged herself off the couch. As she walked to the door she tried to figure out just who 'That River Runner' might be. She was pretty sure Fox wouldn't dare call Gypsy that, so that left Pan as the most likely candidate.

She opened the door and gave both the guard and the guest a slightly tired smile. "Thanks Fox. I got it." She looked at Pan. Both his clothing and his demeanor seemed a good deal more subdued than the last time she'd seen him. "Hi there. Come on in. Is everything all right?" That was her usual greeting for nearly everyone. It was unfortunate but true that she tended to see most people when things weren't going so well.

(Reply to this) (Thread)

panriver
2008-12-06 01:51 am UTC (link)

Pan waited until Fox had left to actually greet Shadow. “Hello. Thanks.” He stepped inside at her offer and let his bag fall off his shoulders as he knelt down next to it. “I won’t bother you, I just wanted to make good on my promise.” He unzipped the bulging backpack and removed a bundle of fabric that served as a second makeshift bag, and in this case-wrapping paper.

He re-zipped his bag and slung it over his shoulder as he held out the bundle to Shadow. “It’s to thank you, for helping Gypsy.” He tried to smile, but he felt as if his heart would break at the mere mention of Gypsy’s name. He was terrified that he could never return to the River Runners. Where could he go? He could probably survive on selling himself and the things he could make but he didn’t want to have to do that. He didn’t want to be alone. More than anything else, he did not want to be alone.

“I made them.” He said, nodding toward the bundle. He was fairly crafty, especially when it came to clothes and he hoped that she would like what he’d been able to put together for her. There were two shirts and a pair of
wrist warmers that he’d modified and painted himself. "I hope they all fit you.”

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

shadow_sam
2008-12-06 02:46 am UTC (link)

"Your promise?" Shadow looked curious, but smiled graciously when he held out the bundle to her. "You really didn't have to, I was happy to help her, but thank you. I appreciate it." She knew, better than most people outside that tribe, that the River Runners had had a bad winter. She was reluctant to take anything more from them, but she also knew better than to turn away the gift. She'd helped enough people over the years who seemed so much worse off than she was, but they nearly always offered something in return, even when it was obvious they could scarcely afford to spare anything. At first she had insisted that she didn't need anything, didn't want anything, but she quickly realized that there was more to it than that. It was about fairness, and it was about pride, and it was about being able to help the next person.

She carefully unwrapped the bundle and examined the items inside. It was clothing. She started laughing. Two shirts and a pair of wrist warmers, all several shades brighter than anything she owned. "Wow, those are really colorful." She mainly wore blacks, grays, dark blues and greens, and everything only faded with time and use anyway. These items, well, they all had black in them but that was definitely not the dominant hue. She held up one of the shirts in front of herself, then set it down and pulled on the star-spangled wrist warmers. Looking down at them she grinned. It was almost ridiculous how much these unexpected presents had cheered her. Maybe she really could use a little more color in her life. Impulsively, Shadow turned and gave Pan a hug. "They're perfect. Thank you."

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

panriver
2008-12-06 03:05 am UTC (link)

He watched for her reaction as she unwrapped the gifts. He had hoped so much that she would like them so when she smiled he couldn’t help but smile as well. “I told you you needed some color.” His visit to Shadow’s was the last thing he’d had to look forward to. When he was there he had nowhere to go, except for maybe back to the Outskirts. Perhaps the nice boy from last night would there, or perhaps not. He knew how risky it was to be out alone and his heart was not free from the fears that that knowledge planted within him.

If Pan hadn’t been wearing almost all of the clothes that he owned, Shadow would have seen how thin he was before she hugged him. He was thin to begin with but the winter had truly shorn off any fat he’d managed to put on before hand. His clothes collapsed against him as she hugged him and he winced from the bruise on his chest. He was pleasantly surprised by the hug though; he thrived on physical affection and he felt some of the sadness lift from his heart at the joy she had in her gifts. “You’re welcome. I’m pleased you fancy them.”

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

shadow_sam
2008-12-07 11:24 pm UTC (link)

It seemed like winter had been hard on everyone. Shadow herself had shed pounds that she could scarcely afford to lose, leaving her clothes hanging more loosely on her frame and her bones more prominent. Still, she was somehow surprised to feel just how little there was to Pan concealed beneath all those layers of clothes. He'd been thin before, but now he seemed dangerously skinny. "Are you okay?" She felt like she might damage him with her spontaneous show of affection and didn't fail to notice his slight wince.

"I do 'fancy' them. And you were right, I could use some more color." Presented with the unexpected gifts, the unexpected but equally welcome visitor, and, to be honest, the possibility of someone to help, all of her earlier listlessness had melted away. "Why don't you stay for a bit? If you have time that is."

She moved towards the apartment's tiny kitchen area and flicked a knob on the stove, turning on the burner beneath the kettle so she could make them tea. She also considered what food there was. She hadn't had any breakfast, she didn't often eat in the mornings anymore, but from the looks of it Pan could definitely do with some nourishment. "How have you been?" she asked brightly, and, not knowing his circumstances, "How's your tribe doing?"

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

OOC: Whoa, sorry this took so long.. :( E>

panriver
2009-01-13 09:51 pm UTC (link)

“Oh yeah, I’m all right - just had a nasty fall the other day.” He was thankful that the dark blossom on his chest was the only physical thing that had resulted in his encoutner with Jed. Things could have been far worse, and probably would have been had Silver not appeared when she had. He nodded to Shadow with another smile. It was always nice when his efforts were appreciated by someone. Most people in his tribe considered him to be useless, but he truly wasn’t. He fished constantly and was always willing to trade his body, or the things he’d made. All the River Runners had to do was ask him and he would lay his life down for them. It was too bad that Gypsy was the only one who seemed to realize that.

He had readjusted the weight of his backpack on his shoulder and was about to leave when she invited him to stay. Part of him wanted to leave, but the greater part of him that was always seeking companionship won out. “I’m afraid time is all I really have.” He followed her to the kitchen and felt his stomach turn with an all to familiar rush of hunger at the prospect of food - or even a hot drink. Her apartment was considerabley warmer than the outskirts, his houseboat and well - everywhere he’d been within the last year. The electric warmth was almost suffocating in its unfamiliarity, but it was also comforting. Pan dropped his bulging bag of belongings in a corner and stripped off a handful of layers so that by the time he was done his bag was covered in a mismatch of brilliantly colored clothes.

He brushed his hair from his eyes and took a seat at the little kitchen table. “I’ve been…all right.” He hated to lie, but then again not everyone had an interest in the sob story of an eccentric brit. Everyone else had their own sob stories to worry about. “My tribe?” He sighed light and drew his bottom lip in between his teeth. It was only yesterday that everything had happened. He felt a new warmth across his chest, and though it was his chest wound seeping he failed to notice it, mistaking it for the new found warmth of her apartment, and her kindness. A circle of red appeared through the final layer of his t-shirt, no larger than a quarter. “They were well last I heard.”

He hoped she’d accept his change of subject, “How about you then, the Wolves treating you well?” He tried to make his voice sound cheerful but he was rather ineffective at it.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

OOC: No worries. <3

shadow_sam
2009-01-14 09:35 pm UTC (link)

Shadow flitted about the kitchen as they talked, pulling out mugs, herbal tea, and seeing what sort of food she could find. She hadn't asked if he wanted anything to eat or drink, she just started making things anyway. She'd gotten out of the habit of asking. So often people said no, out of pride or some misguided sense of nobility, even people who were clearly dangerously malnourished. Pan wasn't that bad, but he was getting the same treatment, hot food and drink that was as much a prescription as a social offering.

"Last you heard?" she said with equal parts confusion and concern. Had some of the River Runners split off? Or had Pan left? That was hard to believe, he'd seemed so devoted to his tribe, and especially to Gypsy. She didn't press him for answers though, noticing the way he changed the subject and trusting that the story would come out in time if he wanted to tell it. She would have pressed him about his injury if she'd noticed the blood on his shirt, but so far she was distracted and the small spot of blood hadn't drawn her attention.

"I'm alright. Taking care of the tribe is a lot of work, but they take good care of me too. It's the way it should be." She smiled warmly and gave him a conspiratorial wink. "After spending all winter cooped up in the city together though, I'm dead sick of them though. It's nice to see some different people for a change. Think you could stick around and keep me company for awhile, since all you have is time?"

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

panriver
2009-01-16 11:23 am UTC (link)

Pan propped up his elbows on the table and rested his chin in his hands as he watched Shadow move about the kitchen. He wasn’t sure what exactly she was making, or if she was going to offer him any but he certainly wasn’t one to refuse handouts - though he wasn’t one to ask for them either. He figured that people wouldn’t offer something to him unless they really wanted him to have it, and if he needed it then why say no? The drifter he’d hooked up with the night before had had some food with him and had kindly shared it with Pan. The drifter had been trying to warm up to Pan, but all of the show really hadn’t been neccesary; Pan would have stayed with him and kept him warm even if food and kindness hadn’t been involved.

“Yeah, I left them yesterday.“ He said quickly and quietly as if it were nothing but an afterthought. He felt his throat tighten, he could still hear Jed’s angry words and Silver’s pitiful attempt to mediate between the two of them. Tribe mates were supposed to take care of one another, sure. The River Runners liked to pretend that they were independent, which most of them truly were, but sticking together and working together certainly made life a little easier on everyone. “Hah,” he laughed sadly, “Being cooped up in a city is nothing to being cooped up in one tiny farmhouse, I assure you.” Winters were always quite the experience for the River Runners, with everyone pretending to be independent and often half-starving, tempers usually flared.

Has she just said that it was nice to see him? Well that was a nice change of tone, someone enjoying his company. He smiled meekly, meekness not being a usual trait of his, “I’d love to. I can help you with things too if you need, I mean, I’m no heavy lifter but I can clean a fair bit.”

(Reply to this) (Parent)