InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "but I don't remember anymore"

Friedrich Johann Köhler (wolfwork) wrote in vie_en_guerre,
@ 2008-01-23 22:53:00

Current mood:	busy
Current music:	Simarik - Tarkan

Who: Friedrich and Marie-Pierre.
When: Morning, December 1940
Where: A random Paris alley.
Summary: Interesting people meet other interesting people and interesting bargains are made.
Complete/Incomplete: Incomplete.
Rating: PG13 for potential bloodshed.

Friedrich was navigating by smell and touch right now; familiar flagstones, familiar scents. Not by sight - during the day, in a city, his vision wasn't all that good, shades of black and white in what was typically brilliant color. That was the only thing he hated about his wolf body - the color was gone.

He was moving fast, avoiding people carefully. Sticking to shadows and doorways and alleys and the lesser-used side routes. He didn't like sneaking, but he wasn't really supposed to be seen in this shape, and one who saw a wolf out of the corner of the eye might be led to believe it was only a dog. Moving fast, there was less of a chance of being noticed - even less of a chance of someone seeing him long enough to...well...

Cry wolf?

He hadn't expected to take this long. The mission had been simple enough - no contact, just finding an address or two. Boring reconnaissance. He'd been distracted, and now it was light, and he was being forced to skulk. The pavement was cold under his paws, and, for once, he found himself wishing for socks and shoes between his feet and the ground. That was another part of the reason he was in such a hurry now - coats and shoes and gloves. Those, and coffee. Clothes, and coffee, and not getting written up.

He pelted into the alley where he'd left his uniform folded on a doorstep - and came to an abrupt, skidding halt before he reached it. There was a man in the alley already.

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duclos
2008-01-24 04:18 am UTC (link)

Duclos had finally found out what Tremayne's "Black Diamond" was, and had then discovered that someone had left a perfectly serviceable German uniform in an alley, and was now discovering that there was a wolf in the alley as well.

Taken singularly, these were highly interesting (for lack of a better term) discoveries. Taken in aggregate, it was like Christmas and your birthday coming all at once, only instead of presents you got Highly Unlikely Wolves.

He had seen wolves before. Not in an alley in Paris, to be sure, but. He looked at it and said "shoo," not very hopefully.

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wolfwork
2008-01-24 04:30 am UTC (link)

Boo?

If wolves had eyebrows, Friedrich's would have been raised in extreme skepticism. As it was, this was a bit of a quandary. Various Authority Figures had been rather adamant before he'd left on the topic of "killing people today." They'd been rather strongly against it. And, as he was already late...

He just didn't want muzzled again.

But then, they had also seemed to view "letting people know you are a werewolf" in a strongly negative light as well.

He shifted on his feet, glaring at the man. He smelled strangely familiar - like headquarters, for one; and as if he'd met - or at least passed - him before. There was something else there too, but at the moment he had other things on his mind. He let out a low growl, and took a step forward.

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duclos
2008-01-24 04:36 am UTC (link)

"I am fairly certain this isn't how this is supposed to work," said Marie-Pierre, side-stepping slowly. "You're supposed to go trotting away when I say that, because I am taller than you. This is the generally accepted way of the world, which, I admit, you are already violating by being in an alley in Paris. I am still talking, and you are still not trotting away, and I do not appreciate the growling."

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wolfwork
2008-01-24 04:50 am UTC (link)

Well that one was a fairly normal reaction. The side-stepping, not the talking. Friedrich had to admit most people did not talk when they saw him - they generally ran, which was silly. Running made it that much easier, 'cuz then they couldn't see you and all. He took another step forward before deciding the Frenchman before him did not seem likely to attack.

This decision reached, he trotted towards the doorstep, nosing his uniform, making sure it was all still there.

It was. That just left the one little problem. He turned yellow eyes back to the man. He didn't quite look as if he were in that much a hurry to leave.

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duclos
2008-01-24 04:54 am UTC (link)

There are some things in life that are so interesting that they are worth being mauled to death by Highly Unlikely Wolves. If asked about the topic Marie-Pierre would likely not have numbered this among those things, but in practice, he really did want to know what was going on, and the best way of doing that is to watch them as they go.

"There aren't any dead rabbits or whatever it is you eat in the pockets of that thing, you know." Talking to it hadn't done any good so far, but it didn't seem to bother it.

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wolfwork
2008-01-24 05:18 am UTC (link)

Friedrich just gave a wolfish approximation of a sigh, moving his feet again. They were cold and this man wasn't, apparently, planning on leaving so he could get them not cold.

He bent down, latched his teeth gently around his clothing - they didn't need more holes - and turned to nose the door. It was just an old, deserted shop, but it would work well enough, he thought.

Provided he could get in, of course.

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	duclos 2008-01-24 05:28 am UTC (link)
	"I've only been awake for twenty-six hours. Hallucinations are not supposed to set in for another ten, at the earliest," said Marie-Pierre, shaking his head and putting a hand to his eyes. Christmas, his birthday, and the Englishmens' Guy Fawkes Day, but with wolves instead of fire. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

wolfwork
2008-01-24 05:37 am UTC (link)

Friedrich took a glance over his shoulder at the Frenchman. Let him think it a hallucination. One more minute and he'd be out of his way. He took the other's distraction to shift his paw, slightly, just enough to grip the knob when he leaned against the door, raised on his hind legs.

The door fell open. He gave a bare-toothed smirk, dropping back to all fours and started to trot into the building.

The first step was somewhat akin to setting his paws on fire, a sensation that traveled up and through his body, seeming to strip nerves bare in its wake. He threw himself backwards, sides of his nose burning with the smell of garlic - garlic? - and wolfsbane. That would be the part giving him the problem...

It was too late, though - the fine powder on the floor had done its job. There wasn't enough there to kill him - or really, even, make him sick, - but it was enough to be damn fine inconvenience. As he was now, abruptly, back in human form, sprawled against the wall; his uniform still clenched between his teeth and his hands red and itching.

He tried to mumble around he heavy fabric. "I do not suppose you could be convinced that this is merely another part of your hallucinations?"

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	duclos 2008-01-24 05:43 am UTC (link)
	Marie-Pierre looked up through his fingers, raised both eyebrows, dropped his hand and averted his eyes for the sake of the fact that the wolf was now a human being who was wearing precisely as much clothing as one would expect of a wolf. "I can be convinced of many things under appropriate circumstances," was all he said, drily. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	wolfwork 2008-01-24 05:51 am UTC (link)
	Friedrich dressed hurriedly, the "cold" problem only made worse by the sudden lack of fur, grumbling to himself as he pulled his socks on. "I am going to hope," He managed, voice still hoarse from the unexpected - and thus rougher than usual - shift back. "That this can be the appropriate circumstance, as the alternative is less pleasant." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	duclos 2008-01-24 06:02 am UTC (link)
	"If you look at it logically, there is no need for unpleasantness anyway. No one else would be likely to believe that it wasn't a hallucination, after all," Marie-Pierre pointed out, lighting one of his precious cigarettes. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	wolfwork 2008-01-24 06:04 am UTC (link)
	"You would occasionally be surprised." Friedrich, clothed once more and much more civil feeling for it, rubbed his hands. His fingers still hurt. He'd have to ask someone to come clean that one out - old alleys were in high demand; he never knew if he might need a building a second time. "I see your point, but my superiors may not, ja?" (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	duclos 2008-01-24 06:07 am UTC (link)
	Marie-Pierre sighed. "Ah, yes, your superiors. Terribly amusing people to deal with." This was not the way he had expected his morning to turn out. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	wolfwork 2008-01-24 10:37 pm UTC (link)
	"Ah, but they are your superiors as well, aren't they?" Friedrich brushed dust off his jacket. "I could have sworn I have seen you at HQ before." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	duclos 2008-01-25 02:46 am UTC (link)
	"You have, and this is true," agreed Marie-Pierre, "but, you see, when I am complaining about them, they are yours." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	wolfwork 2008-01-25 04:18 am UTC (link)
	"Is that how this works?" Friedrich tilted his head, testing the air. The man didn't quite smell scared, yet, and he supposed that was fine. There was no reason for him to. "I never knew." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

duclos
2008-01-25 04:35 am UTC (link)

"It is the accepted way of things, yes? Whenever an item is shared between two people, when the speaker desires to praise it, it is his, and when he chooses to denigrate it, it is the other's. This happens often with children, if you have ever had the misfortune of being around some."

Marie-Pierre tipped ash off his cigarette and looked at it critically. "I really should have offered one of these to you when I got it out," he said, "but I believe at the time I was distracted."

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	wolfwork 2008-01-25 11:40 pm UTC (link)
	"I generally try to avoid being near children these days." Friedrich rubbed under his nose. "And yes, I hear it can be a bit distracting." He would have liked a cigarette before he'd hit the powder. Now, his nose hurt too much for it to be an attractive possibility. "I would have refused, much as I will now, danke." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	duclos 2008-01-26 07:03 pm UTC (link)
	Duclos nodded. "And now - we merrily trot away on our separate paths, forgetting that this ever happened - one presumes upon pain of wolfing?" (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	wolfwork 2008-01-27 01:32 am UTC (link)
	"I do not know." Friedrich answered, head tilted to the side. "You smell..." He shook his head, trying to think the right words. "You smell of bloodshed, and there is something else not right...I just cannot..." He fell silent with the realization that he was thinking out loud. His eyes narrowed. "I fear my curiosity has been awakened." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	duclos 2008-01-27 01:39 am UTC (link)
	"There would be scope for a clever remark here," said Marie-Pierre drily, "if only one of us were a cat. As it is, I will have to give my wit a rest." (Reply to this) (Parent)