InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "Shoes. Shoes. Shoes."

Will Graham (killingthoughts) wrote in crownplazaic,
@ 2021-07-15 21:35:00

Entry tags:

!log/thread, sirius black, will graham

WHO: Padfoot and Will
WHEN: 7/15
WHERE: Kitchen
STATUS: In Progress
WARNINGS: TBD

A part of Will’s mind itched. He was brought to the hotel at a pinnacle decision moment in his life and without Hannibal there, there was no real way to stop the nightmares and dark thoughts that played in his head whenever he was alone- which was more often than not. Waking up to a room without a roommate had been a blessing- Winston loved having a bed to herself- but it left Will to his mind and the hotel did not offer the same silence as his farm had. Not internally.

Masterfully dissecting the raw meat from the bone, Will prepped Winston’s meals for the week. A raw food diet took a lot of time to set up but in the end, it was the best thing that a dog could have.

Looking down, Will smiled at Winston. Many of the other dogs had disappeared with the mass switch of guests. Beyond his own darkened thoughts all he wanted was the best for his dog and Abigail. Friends for both of them. Some sense of normalcy, even if none of them were actually normal.

“I’ve met several people,” he said to Winston. “We just need more dogs.”

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hate_fleas
2021-07-16 03:33 am UTC (link)

Sirius didn't make a habit of running around as Padfoot most of the time, but after the weekend of no clothes it had turned into something he'd needed to do, well he could have probably spelled something to work, but it was just easier to run around on four legs than it was to deal with that. And sure they had their clothes back now but he could still wander around from time to time on four legs.

Which was how he found himself wandering into the kitchen that day, initially planning on finding something to eat before he made his way outside to lay in the sun for a bit. Sure being a dog wasn't exactly the most incredible magic out there, but he could get away with things like this, and it was hard to beat laying in the sun.

Instead of wandering into the kitchen and fining it empty there was a man there, and more surprisingly another dog. It had him pulling to a stop as soon as he noticed sitting back on his haunches, head tilted to one side as he took in the pair. He could smell food, something fresh, raw no doubt, which wasn't exactly his favorite, but he'd been known to make a meal of just about anything on nights when they'd run with Remus.

But this was something else entirely, and Sirius should probably shift back, but hadn't really been prepared to talk with anyone just yet, so instead he just watched them.

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killingthoughts
2021-07-16 08:14 pm UTC (link)

Winston turned around, having heard the other paws on the ground and started wagging her tail at Sirius. Will had to shift his position at one of the counters to see what she was reacting to, his light gaze falling on the black dog momentarily surprised before he settled. "Hey," he called out to the new dog. "You here for meal time too?" Will saw dogs less as pets to be owned and more like equals to be spoken to as such and related to in a large world that let so many fall through the cracks.

The freckled face dog trotted over to Sirius, tail held high and nose down to sniff around him. She really was his most observant dog; relating the most to Will than the others of the pack. Wild at times, Winston never lost the street dog essence but connected easily.

Setting the bowl with the meat parts in it aside, WIll continued to cut up the vegetables. "That is Winston and I'm Will," he continued to talk to Sirius as he did anyone, without knowing he was anything more than another dog at the hotel. "If you smell something you like, just tell me and I'll make sure to make you a portion of it."

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hate_fleas
2021-07-16 10:00 pm UTC (link)

What surprised him most was not finding someone else in the kitchen or even another dog, but it was the way he spoke to him. It was one thing when the Marauders talked to Padfoot like any other person, they knew the truth, like Lily too - but this man wasn't looking at Padfoot and seeing a man in the shape of a dog, but a dog who he spoke to like a man. It made him tilt his head a little considering them both as he sat there while Winston sniffed around him.

He wagged his tail a little as Will went on, sure he hadn't exactly come looking for a meal or anything like that but he wouldn't mind getting to know these two a little bit more. What was the worst that could happen? He outed himself as an animagus? Maybe he'd startle Will a little with the revelation, but there were worse things.

He padded a little closer towards where Will was working his head tipped up to get a whiff of what he was cutting up and gave a low huff of a bark, making his interest clear.

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killingthoughts
2021-07-20 08:10 pm UTC (link)

"Okay, I'll portion you out some also when I'm done." Will responded to the huff with a genuine smile. It took a certain level of comfort and trust for him to genuinely smile at a human, but he connected with dogs like no other. Everyone said that it was much less the idea that they were dogs that drew Will into how he treated his pack of Strays, but that- like him- they had been left at the wayside to be forgotten because they were hard to understand or handle.

A light gaze eyed the dog and Winston's body language towards it. There was something off, he could feel it in the back of his mind. Much like how he could feel when missing information was missing with purpose. Something in the air, something in the body language of his dog or the new one. He was not entirely sure.

"We were just talking about how some of the dogs we had come across previously were no longer here. It's nice to see a new face," he continued to chat nonchalantly to the silent responders.

Finishing up the vegetables, he swept them into the metal bowl with the meats bits and bone stirring it all in by hand so each meal would have a little of everything. He quickly washed his hands and grabbed a second bowl for the new dog to eat out of.

"Here you go," he offered, setting the bowls on the ground. "Or I can cook yours..." The words came out of his mouth without thought to the logic of it. A raw meal was the healthiest for a dog and cooking it rid the food of much needed nutrients. He leaned back on the counter, watching the dog with a kind of suspicion.

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hate_fleas
2021-07-21 03:35 pm UTC (link)

In truth, it had been a while since Sirius had done this in this way. He'd spent time as Padfoot in Azkaban, it helped filter out the some of the deep horrible cold of the dementors presence, it helped keep him sane. But since he'd run around embracing life as Padfoot - it had been before they'd truly gotten into the war, before they had faced the realities of the world they lived in. So maybe this was a chance to get a little bit of that back.

And Will was interesting as he talked to both Padfoot and his own dog Winston like they both fully understood what he was saying, and sure Sirius did - but he didn't know about Winston, though he didn't seem all that bothered by being talked to like that.

When the bowls were set down, Sirius moved closer a little slowly, giving it a sniff, though he couldn't help the way he lifted his head in surprise at the idea of the meal being cooked. Surely people didn't actually do that with their pets. Which made him wonder if Will had already figured out that he was more than he appeared or not.

He huffed another soft bark before he turned his focus back to the bowl giving the food a sniff, his tail wagging a little as he took a delicate bite, like he was trying to figure out if it was safe.

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killingthoughts
2021-07-22 10:53 pm UTC (link)

Watching the new dog with curiosity, Will would have sworn on whatever life he had left that it was not exactly a dog. It reacted to his offer to cook the food, even if it was trying to cover the reaction up. Though, if he was honest with himself, the variety of humans in the hotel could easily extend to the pets that fond their way back to their owners. Winston could have been a clone of his own personality, even as it changed over the years and suffering.

Winston watched Sirius, nudged her bowl into eye-sight and started scarfing down the food as if to show it was okay. Her tail wagged as she filled her belly with the handmade food.

Letting himself slide down the cabinets of the countertop, Will rested his head against the wood waiting for the dogs to finish. He never moved to pet them or interact with them as they eat. He found it a rude gesture to demand ease of touching from dogs who had questionable backgrounds. "I won't be insulted if you aren't interested in the food. I'm used to feeding seven dogs, so I always overmake- just in case there are other dogs here on a raw food diet." He smirked. "It gives me something to do with my hands."

He sighed running his fingers through his long curls. Haircuts already were a difficult situation because he had to interact with people, that he had not even bothered in the hotel to get someone to cut it shorter. "So where did you come from?"

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hate_fleas
2021-07-24 06:25 pm UTC (link)

Winston seemed eager and happy to tuck into her meal, though obviously this was her kind of normal, being fed like this. For Sirius it was less so, but after his initial taste he decided it wasn't too bad and he had been after a snack after all, so why not? The alternative felt a little too revealing midmeal - maybe after though, he could come clean, because he'd feel bad if he left Will thinking the entire time that there was some lost dog running around this place on its own waiting to be fed by whatever soul he managed to come across.

So he ate, taking his time without the same sort of hurry that his furry companion seemed to have as she worked on finishing her meal. Listening as Will talked to them while sitting on the floor near them both, he seemed lonely - or maybe just ... Sirius didn't know, maybe he recognized something in him.

He huffed another low bark when Will asked where he came from, like he could answer him like this, like either of the dogs could respond back to him. But there was something a little charming about that, a man who talked to animals like they knew him and could speak back, like they were worth that kind of thing.

Licking the bottom of his bowl Sirius finished what he'd been given, laying down near Will for a moment, his tail thumping in thanks, another low bark for him before he was up and turned in a circle a few times and trotting off behind a counter so the transformation was a little less of a shock maybe? He hoped at least as he stood up straight a moment later. "So uh-" He started, rubbing a hand against the back of his neck a little sheepish. "I didn't actually think anyone was going to be in here. Let alone offering meals."

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killingthoughts
2021-07-27 10:41 pm UTC (link)

Will closed his eyes and nodded in response to the bark, his hands crossed over his bended knees. If the dog was not a guest- there were stranger guests- nor had an owner, he would take him back to his room for a least some semblance of safety. Letting his head lull to the side, he smiled as both dogs finished the food. Will was not anywhere close to a chef or cook for humans, but for his dogs, he went out of his way to make sure they had a natural diet and a happy stomach.

"You're welcome," he smirked, rubbing the black dog's head before it stood up and wandered off. Will's brows knit as he watched it move to behind the counter, leaning slightly to see where it was going. Mid thought that it might be wandering off to its owner, a man rolled up from behind the area causing Will to jump- hands to the ground, grabbing the knife from the counter in one swift movement to his feet. Winston was sitting, unbothered by her bowl, watching in case she needed to step in.

The pattern played out in his mind even without closing his eyes. The movements and little things that told Will something had been off all lead to this outcome. Light eyes stared through a single curl of brown hair, knife gripped tight, ready for a fight. "You were... the dog?" He asked, his tone sharp.

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hate_fleas
2021-07-27 11:18 pm UTC (link)

He'd tried not to startle the man, but really he knew what it was to see someone transform into an animal and he was a wizard, how much more strange would it be as someone who didn't come from his world? And Sirius was fairly certain this man was not from his world. So when he caught sight of the knife in his hand he tried to keep his own hands in sight without grabbing for his wand just to make certain he didn't startle him any more than he already had.

"Yeah," He agreed sheepishly, "Yeah sorry, I -" He started and stopped shrugging. "It's easier sometimes." He admitted, especially after everything. He was trying of course, he spent time with Jamie, he and Regulus were well not getting along exactly, but he was attempting not to be openly antagonistic with his younger brother. But in a hotel filled with strangers, it could be overwhelming at times. So sure there were times he preferred wandering around as Padfoot.

"It's magic," He added, "I - where I'm from, I'm a wizard." He went on, explaining a little more, knowing he was breaking some of the basic laws of his world, but all things considered he didn't think he could be a bigger criminal in his world than he already was. To say nothing of the fact that no one there was going to have any clue he was talking to muggles about what he was and what he could do so it didn't really matter. "Sorry."

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killingthoughts
2021-07-28 02:43 am UTC (link)

Will needed a moment to process any of it. None of it belonged in his world. There were other worlds similar to his own that he might have fit into that had abilities, but he had never seen anything like what had just happened. His jaw jutted from one side to the other in thought. His hand lowering the knife back onto the counter.

Shaking his head, he couldn't respond for a few more minutes. He processed information quickly, crime scenes, everything, but to make sense of it took concentration. He overloaded with information he never processed on a daily, which was why he was prone to nightmares. "Magic..." He said slowly.

Rubbing his face, he sighed out the stress and gave a short scoff. "Being a dog would be easier." He paused. "I have seen too much weird shit here to even question this. So... what did you think about the food?"

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hate_fleas
2021-07-28 04:54 pm UTC (link)

Sirius let himself remain still even after the knife was set down again he wasn't eager to have that come back into play, even if something like that was hardly a threat to a wizard he didn't relish the idea of fighting anyone, especially over something like a misunderstanding. So he stayed where he was, letting Will take his time to process what he'd just seen and been told.

He gave him a sort of apologetic look when Will repeated the word Magic, there was really no true apology one could make for magic, it was all he knew of course, but he was fully aware that here in this world it was not the norm and facing muggles with that fact could be a lot to deal with. "It's a lot easier." He agreed, "Sometimes it's really the only way to make it through a day." He admitted, lifting his shoulders in a slight shrug.

He huffed though when Will asked him about the food, giving up on trying to truly understand the magic and all of this. "It was good," He grinned, "Better than a lot of what I've eaten at times like that." It was the first time anyone had ever fed him like that, but a lot about this hotel was made up of firsts. "You do that for her every day?" He wondered, curious.

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killingthoughts
2021-07-28 11:59 pm UTC (link)

Will nodded. It was the first time he had a verbal critique from a dog he had fed, not that his strays ever complained nor left anything in their bowls, but he had to admit it was nice to hear. No matter how strange the situation was. "I am no cook for humans, but I understand my dogs."

Understanding the other's body language, Will stepped away from the knife. Magic or not, Will had a darkness and viciousness that had been released by Hannibal; something he currently accepted as a part of him. They were a reflection of each other, after all. Still, the fact that Sirius was also a dog gave him a level of safety from that darkness more than any plan human. If he ran into the man again in dog form, he would treat him like he treated the rest of his dogs.

"Yeah," he took a deep breath. "I usually prepare enough for a couple of days at a time, since the freezers are big enough here. Winston rarely complains." He smirked. The man had dog-like eyes.

"My name's Will Graham."

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hate_fleas
2021-07-29 01:00 am UTC (link)

"I've never known anyone who talks to dogs the way you do." Sirius admitted, tilting his head to one side just a little as he considered Will, the same way he would have if he were Padfoot actually. "In any case I'd say dogs are probably very happy if they've got you feeding them." He assured him, feeling a little more at ease when Will put a little distance between himself and the knife, leaving Sirius feeling a little bit like he had been mostly forgiven. Or at the very least like he wasn't going to be attacked for what had happened.

He nodded while Well went on explaining about his routine. "I can't imagine she would." He chuckled softly. "I guess this place has some benefits with all the space we have available to us." Even if it was tempered with some less than great things as well. It was all about what they could find that worked for them to balance things out a bit he supposed.

"Sirius Black." He introduced himself as well, "Or Padfoot if you prefer." He added with a cheeky grin. "Nice to meet you, Will."

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killingthoughts
2021-07-29 11:04 pm UTC (link)

Will shifted his eyes away from the gaze, his brows raising. "They're my family. And I'm not too fond of humans." Will was completely serious about the statement. So many humans disappointed or bored him on various levels. His dogs never did. Will nodded, smiling that he was doing something right- when he wasn't playing dangerous games with criminals.

"Padfoot? You have a name for your dog form?" Will chose to skip over the fact that Sirius' name was literally the dog constellation, he was sure the man was already well aware of it.

"Nice to meet you too. You're welcome to join us for food any time. My human food is not anything impressive."

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hate_fleas
2021-07-30 04:01 am UTC (link)

"Sure," Sirius nodded, "I mean I get that - people are ..." He trailed off shrugging, "Well they're people and that's a whole complicated mess even with the best of them." Sure he loved plenty of people, and he was comfortable in his own skin most of the time, but he got it. Especially over the last couple of years, people could be far worse than he'd ever imagined them to be, they could stab you in the back. "I'd much rather have dogs for family than most of what I got." He admitted, Regulus was endlessly maddening, and he supposed that he'd keep him as the person he was, but he could absolutely have traded in their parents.

He huffed with a grin and lifted his shoulders a little, "It's a nickname really," He admitted, "But yeah, some of my mates and I we all learned how to transform, we all had nicknames for when we were like that." He explained. "We weren't really supposed to have learned is the thing, we did it on our own, so we had the names so we could talk about it without letting everyone around us know what we'd done."

"Oh I'm positive anything you can make either for the dogs or human food is better than anything I can manage." He assured him. "I haven't ever done any cooking before," He'd never had to, and since his arrival at the hotel he'd mostly been relying on the kindness of others most days, either that or sticking with tea and ready to eat foods he found, so really that Will could cook at all put him leagues ahead of Sirius.

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killingthoughts
2021-07-31 12:18 am UTC (link)

Will loved so few people. He could not even say that he actually knew what love was for all the darkness he absorbed and how his brain latched onto it. His empathic connecting to others did not translate to actually feeling for them. Except maybe... Well, he would have liked to think that he loved Abigail in the only fatherly way he understood. "I don't have family other than my dogs." And Abigail, but Will didn't say that out loud. At the hotel, he could be the protector he wanted to be of her. At the hotel, she wasn't dead.

Tilting his head to the side, Will studied him. "It is something you can learn in your..." He hated the term world or dimension. "... reality, but are not supposed to?" He supposed that made a lot of sense in some way- having no other context of the magic of his world.

A grin graced his typically sullen expression. "Find me or Winston, here, and I'll feed you. I should go take her for a walk, though." He nodded. "Next time."

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