jackson harris ( werewolf ) . (likefenris) wrote in light_of_may, |
Jackson might not have had any plans to stay in Scarlet Oak, but he did plan to keep on living, and that meant eating; not having an actual roof over his head wasn't such a big deal, and while he had paid up for a week in advance at the Lodge, he wasn't going to have much money left for actual food, at least not beyond a few days after the week was out. He had grabbed a couple of application forms for vacancies the previous day after he'd encountered Sasha in the park, but there was no guarantee that they would work out, even though he'd gone back and returned the completed forms today, hoping that the fact that it was raining heavily and he ended up more than a little soaked in next to not time didn't have any impact on his chances. There weren't a lot of places that were willing to hire someone so new in town, he suspected, especially when they had limited experience in just about all fields and no contact information beyond the number at the Lodge. It made him look like a bad bet, a poor investment, and by the time the day was drawing to a close, Jackson was not only soaked to the skin, but also feeling distinctly disheartened.
Since arriving in town, his experiences had been somewhat hit and miss. First there was the meeting with Troy, which had been pleasant enough; the man had given him the address to the Lodge along with his business card and an offer of accomodation should he have need of it. Then he had run into the other male wolf that same evening and things had taken a turn for the worse; neither had come out with lasting damage, but it had been clear right off the bat that they had each made an enemy of the other. Yesterday had been much the same, one good and one less so. Sasha had been a breath of fresh air, they had shared conversation along with a bag of grapes, and Jackson definitely wouldn't object to seeing the young female again. Finally, that same day when the sun had set and night had well and truly set in, Jackson had encountered that... whatever she had been, some sort of witch, presumably, but one with an unpredictable temperament. He wasn't in such a rush to see her again, that was for sure. If the pattern continued, then at least the next person he encountered would be on the more pleasant end of the scale. Did Jackson really believe in that sort of thing though? Not really, at least he hadn't before now.
Hands stuck in his pockets and head slightly downturned to try and keep the worst of the rain off his face, he moved along the street, ducking under cover as and when possible, though at this point it was like shutting the stable door after the horse had already bolted and he shouldn't have bothered at all. Instinct, he supposed, the animal in him wanting to avoid any further discomfort, despite the futility of it. It was as he was ducking under an outcropping store front that he heard the loud curse from nearby, and he turned his gaze through the slanting rain, easily able to pick out the source. The main problem was obvious, what with the spare tire propped up against the side of the vehicle, and for a minute Jackson stood debating his options. He could carry on like everyone else and go back to the Lodge to dry off, or he could do what people like his mate would consider the right thing, the decent thing.
When he put it that way in his mind, the choice was easy, and he stepped out from under the store front and into the rain once more, striding closer to the vehicle, water running from his sodden hair in little rivers down his face. "Do you need some help?" he asked when he was close enough to do so, without being so close that she might feel threatened.