InsaneJournal

What Kind of Were Are You?
Who: Krist and Tayne
Where: The house and around the house
When: When Tayne gets home from work

Krist had taken a different approach to being alone by the time the next day had rolled around, and, after sleeping in until around noon, he'd climbed off of the couch to begin his day. He'd showered happily, enjoying the warmth of the water and glad to have been introduced to it. It was relaxing, and helped him to wake up better. Once his shower had been finished, Krist had grabbed the rest of the lettuce in the fridge and headed outside to explore the outdoor areas of Tayne's property. It wasn't huge by any means, but it was still nice... and it was good to be outside. He'd been feeling a little cooped up, which was his own fault for having stayed in the day before. As Krist wandered through the grass he worked on the lettuce he'd brought with him, glancing up through the trees and feeling more at home out here already. The rest of the day was spent much in this manner, trying to refrain from shifting forms as he wasn't sure how safe he was here. After the negative experience with Tayne's phone, the last thing Krist wanted was to have more to deal with.

When Tayne got home from work, there was no sign of the horse-were-- and his smell, when Tayne took off his sense-blocking charm, was oldish. So, as he'd planned on doing from the start should the guy wander off, he went and dialed his cell phone. He just hoped Krist still had it in his pocket, or something, or else finding him would be a bit harder to manage. Still, Scarlet Oak wasn't that big....


Krist blinked when he heard the phone going off in his pocket, startled, his arms lifting a bit in surprise. He searched for the phone, finally pulling it out of his pocket to stare at it a moment. He remembered then how Tayne had told him to answer it and flipped it open, bringing it to his ear with a strange sort of half-smile. "Hello?" he asked, waiting for the voice to come from the other end of the line.

"Hey, Krist, it's Tayne," Tayne said with a little grin of his own. "Just got home from work. Where you at, man? Need me to come pick you up?" He would, of course. He was now loitering in the kitchen, shoes still on and keys and wallet and notebook still in his pocket, using the landline, ready to walk out the door again if needed.

"Oh... no, I'm okay. I'm outside." Krist smiled a little wider, glad to know that Tayne was home. He was always eager to get to talk to him. "I decided to... stretch my legs today. I've been out here since I got up." Headed out toward the front of the house, Krist watched the front door, eyes squinted slightly at it. "You wanna come outside with me? Or should we watch more of those movies that you like to show me?"

"Oh, I imagine we've got time for both," Tayne said, leaning aside to peer out the kitchen window, though he didn't see Krist immediately. "Are you close by the house? I'll come on out, if you are."

"Yep," Krist answered cheerfully. "I'm right outside. Come on out." He looked at the cell for a moment before closing it, not entirely familiar with phone etiquette just yet. Instead of worrying about it, he stuffed the small device into his pocket and waited eagerly for the appearance of Tayne, watching the doorway for when it would open next. He saw the truck now, and wondered how he'd missed the other were coming home. He figured he must have been so wrapped up in enjoying the outdoors that he'd simply ignored the sound of the engine.

The click was pretty obviously a hang-up, so Tayne hung up, too, and headed back out the front door curiously, looking around again from the vantage point of the porch. This time he spotted the guy-- he was too big to miss, and waved, grinning. He started across the street towards him. "Well, hey! Look who's out enjoying the heat."

Krist grinned as Tayne headed out toward him, reaching up to tuck back his hair to see him better. "I didn't feel like sitting around all day... like I did yesterday. It... feels nice out here. Relaxing." He loved the heat. He loved everything about being outside. The wind, the sunlight... it all did wonders for his mood and it was very clearly written across his face. His eyes were softened and his smile content. Being outside was just natural for him at this point.

Coming up closer, Tayne smiled, too. The guy looked happier, all right. Not that he'd looked unhappy before, but still. Happier, anyway. "That's good. You should get out. That's why I left you my phone-- I figured you would get out, and shit. Feelin' better, out here, than you did in there?" It sure looked like it.

Krist glanced to the house and then back to Tayne, shrugging loosely. "Yeah... I suppose I am feeling better out here. It feels strange, you know... being inside a house..." He shifted, chewing at his bottom lip for a brief moment. "It's like... I spent my whole life... on the outside, looking in. It's just hard for me to get used to... being inside with you. Does that sound strange?"

"No, it doesn't sound strange," Tayne said, shaking his head with a smile. "You're not used to it. You'll get used to it, though-- even horses have stalls, right? A stable? Just think of the house like your stable. Maybe that'll help. And you can go outside any time you want, so if it gets to be a problem, you can always go out."

"True," Krist answered, nodding as he moved to sit down in the grass. He got comfortable, shifting to fold his legs in toward himself. His eyes slipped closed briefly as a gust of wind moved past him, and then he opened them once more to watch Tayne. "All of this has been very different for me... I like it a lot, but... it's a lot to adjust to all at once. I hope you understand that... you seem to already, which is helping." He shrugged. "It will just take time..."

Tayne flopped down beside him, leaning back on his hands. The sun felt nice, even if it was a few hundred degrees out here, or something ridiculous like that. He shut his eyes, leaning his head back to soak it up. Cat, he told himself dryly. "I know it's different. That's why we're takin' it slow." He shifted to one hand, reaching over to pat Krist's shoulder companionably.

Krist seemed pleased by Tayne's ease in sitting down with him, glancing between the other man and the sky a few times. The touch on his shoulder caught his attention and he lingered, watching Tayne curiously. "Can I ask you something about yourself?" he said. Turning to his new friend, he leaned forward, bring his legs in a bit. "I wondered what kind of were you are... you know that I'm a horse, but... what are you?"

Now that he'd been told ahead of time that Krist knew-- something he should have figure out on his own, but simply... hadn't-- Tayne didn't do more than wince a little. "I only found out a few d-days ago, ac-- actually. What kind I am. I only just got b-bit this past full moon, so I was... you know, kinda in the d-d-d-dark." Goddamn stutter. He drew in a breath, let it out, then tried again: "But yeah. I'm a tiger."

Krist listened intently to Tayne's explanation, wondering about how this bitten thing worked. He had never been exposed to it before, or the myths that surrounded any of it. It was all news to him. "A tiger?" he asked, cocking his head further to the side. "What is that? And... what does being bitten have to do with it? I'm not really sure I understand..."

"You don't know...?" Tayne gaped at Krist. He had never imagined Krist wouldn't know that. Snapping his jaw shut, he ran a hand over his hair. "When a were bites a human, it turns them into a were, too. Similar type to what they are. Only on the full moon, and when they get angry or are threatened, they turn into a half-animal, half-human... monster thing, and basically want to kill everything. I got bit, I turned into a were. That's why my sister isn't one, too. None of my family is."

Krist sat back a little, mildly alarmed at Tayne's response. What was he supposed to know? The tiger thing? The bitten thing? "I..." He shifted, watching the anxiety in the other man, hoping he hadn't caused him more stress somehow. He blinked as he listened though, realizing that the fuss had been because of this bitten thing. "So... does that mean that you kill people?" he ventured, hesitating slightly. "I mean... on the... full moon? Can you not turn whenever you want to?" That would make sense, Krist realized, that Tayne couldn't turn whenever he liked. Otherwise, he imagined he might have seen it by now.

"Once I ch-change for the first time, next full moon, I'll be able to change whenever I want, yeah," Tayne said, trying to sound reassuring. "And I'll be able to do the real-tiger thing, and the no-killing-spree thing, just like you do. It's only on the full moon and if I lose my temper and ch-change, that I get... whatever I get. I ain't done it yet. But I'll b-b-be locking myself up on the full moon, so I won't kill anyone."

"Oh." The explanation was slightly alarming for Krist, but he tried not to dwell on it. "You... where would you be locking yourself up? Someplace other than home?" He didn't like the idea of Tayne going away for the duration of his first change, but he was smart enough to figure that it would probably be safest for him that way.

"Hell, man." Tayne grinned wanly. "I'll p-probably be goin' out of town to lock myself up. I ain't... exactly out and open 'bout the bitten thing yet. A lot of people think bitten were's're d-dangerous-- well, we are, but not all the time. Think we oughta be p-put down, or somethin' like that. So... I'm keepin' it down low, for now. Keepin' it quiet."

"That has to be frightening," he said, his eyes squinted slightly as something close to compassion came over him. He felt bad for Tayne, and had never known that other weres could have issues like these. "Not knowing what it'll be like, not knowing how you'll react to the change for the first time..." He wondered how it'd happened, if he'd been bit by another tiger then, not that he was entirely sure what that was... Part of him really wanted to ask about the event, but Krist figured Tayne would share if he wanted to. "I hope it isn't horrible. It's so... freeing, to be able to leave this form behind."

Yeah, Tayne was fairly sure that's not how it'd feel. His first change, according to everything he'd read and heard, was going to be painful and terrifying and he wasn't going to remember much of it. But he didn't want to upset Krist, so he just grinned wanly and said, "I hope it isn't, too. C'mon. Let's go back inside and I'll show you a picture of a tiger." He pushed himself to his feet, needing to move the subject along a little before he actually had to lie.

"Okay." Krist was up on his feet in a matter of seconds, eager to see this picture Tayne had to show him. "So after you've changed for the first time, you can change at will afterward...? Does that mean then that we could go out in our animal forms together?" He was curious because it seemed like fun, getting to roam the woods with Tayne in much more of a free way. "I would like that a lot, I think... if it's something that's possible."

"Uh, we could, but... I'm not so sure it's a good idea," Tayne answered with another little wince. "I'm not sure how much instinct'll take over when I'm an animal, and, uh... you're kind of the kind of thing a tiger would eat." Damn, that sounded bad. He led the way back across the street to his house. He was glad he'd gotten a book on big cats-- it had pictures of tigers in them.

Krist followed Tayne across the street, watching his back as they went. That was mildly unsettling, hearing that he was potentially meal material when in his horse form. "Alright... so maybe that isn't a good idea, then," he said, repeating the other man's sentiment. It was too bad, though, the probability that they would never be able to spent time together in their animal forms.

"Maybe not. Maybe it is, I just don't know yet.... I ain't wanted to eat you yet." He gave Krist an apologetic sort of grin. Which was more of a feat today, when he hadn't put his charm back on yet.

Oh, hey, he hadn't put his charm back on yet. And no killing urges. That was promising.

Tayne opened the front door and held it for Krist. "We'll see what happens. It might turn out all right. I've just gotta take all this slow and careful, you know? It's all new to me."

"Alright." Krist seemed fine with the answer. Really, he figured he didn't have much of a choice anyway. It wasn't as though he could predict the outcome, or make Tayne act a certain way in his were form. "So you have a picture? A picture of a tiger?" He wanted to see what it was the other man meant, what kind of creature this was that he needed to be afraid of. He knew about wolves and coyotes and common barn animals. Exotics -- and really, anything not native to the area -- were out of his league.

"I do. I have a book with a bunch of big cats in it, actually, cuz I wasn't sure which one I was, or if I even was one, I might've been somethin' shitty like a housecat or somethin'...." Tayne stopped himself from rambling, heading into his bedroom and the closet to find his were shit-- his notes, his journal, what books he had that he hadn't given to Rowena, all that shit.

Krist followed closely behind Tayne as they entered the other man's bedroom. Something about it caught him off guard, and he paused in the doorway, gaze scanning over the room slowly. The scent of his housemate was strong here, stronger than he'd smelled it before and Krist wasn't sure what to do with himself at first. He felt a mingling of feelings, his body visibly tensed in response to it. It wasn't necessarily bad, though he had no idea what to make of it. "Good thing... that you aren't something... shitty, then." Krist wasn't really sure what he was saying... he was simply speaking to keep up the conversation.

Tayne flashed him a grin over his shoulder, then pulled his things out of the closet and turned back to him. That was kinda cute. The mimicry of something he obviously didn't understand. "All right. Tigers." He tossed his journal and the notebook of notes onto the bed, sat down on the edge of it, and opened the book on big cats, flipping through until he found the section he wanted. "There. That's a tiger." He pointed to a picture of the big, striped cat sitting beside a lake.

Eager to see the pictures, Krist moved to sit next to Tayne on the bed, giving him enough room to set the book between them if he wanted to. He peered at the picture that was being identified as a "tiger", soaking in the image. "Like a large cat," he told Tayne. "I know cats... it looks bigger than those in the barns I've seen, though..." He chewed at his lower lip absently. "It's very pretty. Very... cool."

"Much, muuuuuch bigger than the ones you see in barns," Tayne said with a little laugh. "This thing probably weighs almost as much as you do, horse-shaped." That seemed a good way to compare: use Krist's horse form as an example. "It's not as tall, but it's probably about as long, if you include the tail. I don't know a lot about 'em, really. I'm still learning." This particular book was pretty simplistic, in fact, and hadn't told him more than the obvious: generally solitary, brave hunters, and hunted by camouflaging themselves then charging.

"Oh...?" Krist was shocked to hear how large Tayne's cat form was, curious to see it and a little sad that the other man hadn't had the chance to even use it yet. He touched the pages of the book, running a finger along the spine of one of the tiger images. "Very beautiful..." He smiled, looking up at Tayne a moment with bright eyes. "When you do get... um, normal... I mean... uh..." He was struggling with how to phrase it, "used to it... I want to see you like this. It's fair, right? You got to see me as a horse."

"We'll give it a try," Tayne promised, grinning a little at Krist's attempts at describing the state of being "used to it". Normal. And "fair"-- it was only fair so long as Tayne didn't try to gut him or snap his neck because the tiger part took over. Then it would be decidedly unfair. "Maybe with you safe inside and me outside, the first time," he suggested, "just in case. But we'll give it a try. I've still got a few weeks until I can, though, so we've got a while to wait."

Krist was pleased that Tayne was at least willing to try to let him see his tiger form. He was intensely curious and couldn't help himself. He'd never been around other weres like this, not that he'd known of anyway. It would be interesting to be able to spend time with him like that... if it were possible. "Okay, that sounds good then... is it safe for me to be a horse inside though?" he asked, smirking. "Maybe it'd be better the other way around... you inside and me outside."

"Uh." Tayne hadn't imagined Krist would be a horse inside, no, and he had a feeling him being a horse inside would be a bad, bad idea. "Maybe you're right. I'll stay inside, you wait outside. Whenever this happens. I ain't even sure how easy shifting on purpose will be...."

Krist laughed a little, sensing the hesitation in Tayne's voice. "That sounds good... that way, at least I have the room to move if I change... if I'm scared..." He shrugged. It wouldn't be anything he wasn't used to, panicking and running as fast as he could. It'd definitely be easier, and safer for everyone involved, if he were outside when the time arose - if it did at all. "It can't be too hard... can it? It's not that bad... not for me. It's almost easier to just be in my other form."

"Should I get you a stall somewhere instead of a couch?" Tayne asked, joking of course. That wouldn't exactly help with the "learning to be human" thing. "Naw, it'll get easier with time, promise. I'm only worried about whether I'll know how. Like if it comes natural if you're bitten, or if it's something you gotta learn."

Krist's eyes widened at the joke, and it took him a split second to catch on before he began laughing. "Okay then," he answered, shaking his head a few times. It was fun though, Tayne playing with him like this. "If you need help, I can try to offer my... uh... my help, I guess." He didn't know how else to word it at the moment. For some reason, the subject sent Krist's mind off to another topic and he asked, "Oh, and... have you ever ridden a horse?"

"I spent four years in Texas for college," Tayne answered dryly. "I'd have to be crazy to not have ridden a horse. Really, though, yeah. I love horse-back riding. Nothing so fancy as a rodeo or jumping, but I like just riding. Why?" The thought hadn't even crossed his mind to ride Krist; that would just be weird.

Krist was impressed by Tayne's knowledge of horseback riding, smiling pleasantly in return. "Well, because I was thinking... maybe you would want to ride me," he answered, tapping the tips of his fingers to his broad chest. "Most humans love to ride horses, and... since you do too, it would be fun I think."

Tayne managed not to gape at him-- just barely. Instead he stared a little, then said, hesitantly, "You're sure that wouldn't be weird? I mean, I couldn't put a-- a bridle on you." That just seemed wrong, putting a bit and bridle and reins on a thinking, intelligent being.

Krist shrugged and shook his head easily, leaning back a bit to prop his weight with his hands. "No, I don't think it'd be weird... it might be fun. Cool, even." He smiled, liking the idea of getting out and doing what came naturally to him. "Any time you want to... as long as I'm not asleep, I mean. We're friends, now, right? I want to be able to do... um, to be nice to you. It's not a big deal anyway. It's not like you would weigh anything to me."

"Do you like being-- uh, ridden?" Tayn asked, trying hard not to think about how else that could be taken. "I mean, do you like having on a saddle? And bit and everything....?" He supposed he could try to find a hackmore somewhere.... It would definitely be an exercise in trust, on both their parts-- Krist to let someone on his back who wouldn't beat him, and Tayne to get on the back of a creature he couldn't-- and wouldn't-- try to control.

"Yeah, I do... I wouldn't say we should do it otherwise." Krist shrugged, smiling lightly at the other were. "I like being ridden. It's sort of... calming. It was what I did for a long time, Tayne... for nearly thirty years." He yawned, trying to hide it behind one hand before setting it down on the bed again. "I especially love when I can go fast..." He grinned as though it were a point of almost childish pride. "Saddles and everything are fine." He wasn't a fan of the bits, but understood why humans appreciated them. It helped them to stay steady as far as he could figure, giving them some sense of comfort.

It was still a struggle to keep his mind on the right kind of riding, when Krist said things like that. "Well, all right. If you like it, I guess we can plan on it for sometime. Maybe...." He tried to think of when the hell he had time. "Sunday? Midday-ish, if it's not too hot? Yeah, I think I could plan for it then. We'd have to take you someplace and get you a saddle that fit-- one of the ranches, or somethin'."

Krist had no idea what was going through Tayne's head, and it was probably better for the other were that way. He wasn't afraid to initiate if it came up, and as long as it was kept from him he would likely not take the conversation intentionally down that road. "Sunday sounds great," he agreed, his tone light. "When... when is that, Tayne? Are we getting my phone that day too? I'm not... not sure what day it is now."

"Oh, damn. Yeah." Poor guy didn't know stuff like days of the week, very well, did he? "Today is Wednesday. Tomorrow is Thursday, day after that is Friday... I think I'll be gettin' you your phone Friday, so you'll get it day after tomorrow. Day after that is Saturday, and I've got a... party-thing I gotta go to that day." He made a face. Well, it could be fun. Maybe. "And Sunday is the day after that."

"Oh, okay..." Krist tried to keep that in mind, to remember what the next few days would be. It'd likely be gone from his memory by the next morning, but at least it put things mildly into perspective. "A party thing?" he asked, blinking his attention back over toward Tayne. That made him a little sad, but then... he was starting to want to go exploring himself. He supposed they couldn't sit around the house all the time.

"Don't worry 'bout it, I'll keep it straight for us," Tayne promised with a little grin. He closed the book and stood up, stretching. Food sounded like a good idea. He hadn't had time to eat much. A nap was sounding nice, too, but he had Krist to entertain, at least for a while. "Yeah, a party. A dinner-thing. A friend of mine invited me. It won't be for all day, not even as long as for work, just a couple hours. C'mon, want some dinner? I'll make something." He started out of the bedroom, leaving the book behind on the bed.

"Okay, good..." Krist watched the other were as he stood, smiling up at him fondly. He followed a moment later, stretching his legs out as well. He'd had a good day so far, and was always glad for these moments after Tayne got home from work. He felt lucky again, considering he could have been living with a few vampires at the moment instead... "Yes, yeah... I'd really like something to eat. All I've had is some lettuce," he admitted a little bashfully. "So this party... is it different than a normal dinner? Not like... what we do? Something more?" Krist glanced back at the book, considering taking it with him but gave up on the idea in order to follow Tayne toward what he presumed would be a trip to the kitchen.

Krist presumed right. Tayne headed straight for the kitchen. Krist-smell was everywhere, but at least it wasn't making him growly, not at the moment. "Lettuce? Hell, man, you need real food. I'll fix us something." He started rummaging in the fridge. "A party's different from a normal dinner-and-a-movie, yeah," he said from inside. "There's a shit-ton more people, for one thing. There's gonna be a barbecue-- uh, meat cooked out on a grill outside. And... I really don't know much more than that, honestly."

Krist paused briefly in the doorway of Tayne's room, picking up on how strong the other man's scent was -- here, in particular. It lessened throughout the rest of the house, and Krist found that he liked it. It didn't matter that he was a tiger... it was still somehow comforting, just having it around. It was the familiarity of it he thought, considering he hadn't had a home in so long. Krist ducked his head at the comment about only having eaten lettuce, shrugging behind Tayne as they entered the kitchen. "I guess I got distracted by being outside all day... I just... forgot. And also, I ate grass and things while I was out there..." He hoped Tayne didn't think that was strange... "Oh..." He considered that, having a house full of people. Maybe it was like a restaurant, only everyone ate at the same table? "A barb... cue?" The idea was intriguing. "Can we have one of those?"

For a beat, Tayne did think it was strange, and it gave him pause as he pulled the makings of a salad out of the fridge. He ate grass-- oh, horse. Hopefully horse formed, too. Tayne didn't want to think about how actual grass would settle in a human stomach. They were meant to digest that kind of thing. "I don't have a grill," he admitted. "So it'd be hard to have one here. I keep meaning to get one, and keep forgetting...." Or running out of money. He made a face at his lack of lettuce, and started replacing the salad-fixings.

Krist came up beside Tayne as the other were began to make them food, pulling things out of the refrigerator one at a time. He wanted to help but wasn't sure what to offer, and so for the moment he stood with his hands outstretched over Tayne, just hesitating. "I could remind you then," he offered, shrugging with a light smile crossing his features. "And... can... do you need any help? I could get out plates and silverware...?" That, at least, was something easy that he'd picked up on quickly. Krist wanted to be helpful... he just wasn't quite sure how to go about doing it.

"Why don't you get the big sauce pan out of the bottom cupboard there?" Tayne pointed. "I'm going for soup, since you ate my salad-fixings." He grinned, teasing, and gave Krist a little punch to the shoulder, getting out some slightly different ingredients, this time, including a can of simple cream of mushroom soup from another cupboard.

Krist immediately moved to do what Tayne asked of him, bending down - way down - to get into the cupboard and find what was asked of him. He paused, his hand touching a pan as he considered it. Was this the right one? Krist glanced up at the joke and smiled back, laughing as a flush of color filled his cheeks when the smaller man's fist hit his shoulder. Maybe he wasn't supposed to have eaten the lettuce while Tayne was gone... "I'm sorry," he said, feeling a little awkward for having done something that was clearly not exactly right. He pulled the sauce pan out and held it up, questioning with his eyes if it were the right one. In the back of his mind, Krist figured he would have to try and do something nice to make it up to Tayne... though he wasn't really sure what just yet.

Grinning, Tayne said, "Hey, hey, it's okay. I'm teasing. I can work with pretty much anything. Set the pan on the stove. Think I can trust you with a knife, to chop up some veggies for me?" He eyed Krist, only about half-joking that time. He didn't want the guy chopping his own fingers instead of the carrots and celery. Tayne might have had some skill with magical healing, but he didn't have that much skill.

"Okay..." Krist smiled as he stood up, putting the pan on the stove as Tayne had asked of him. He moved it a little, being sure he had it on right like the other man would and then backed off slightly. Looking back at Tayne, he shrugged and nodded, fairly sure he could handle anything he was given, even if it required some learning. "I would like to try, definitely. How should I cut them?" He moved toward where Tayne stood, glancing at the counter and what they'd brought out so far.

Pulling out a knife from one of the drawers, and demonstrated. "Hold it lengthwise and just cut it into pieces, like this, about this big. It's okay if they're not even." He offered the knife to Krist. "Just be careful you don't chop your fingers. Keep 'em out of the way."

Krist took the knife, his eyes huge and intrigued. He had watched Tayne's movements and went to repeat them, grasping at one of the vegetables on the counter to move it around. "Like this?" he asked, very slowly cutting into it with the knife. His heart was pounding and he wasn't sure why. He was helping make his own dinner, not just simply foraging for it or eating whatever he could find outside, and for some reason it was incredibly exciting.

Tayne could hear his heart pounding, but since he didn't smell scared, Tayne tried not to get too weirded out by it. "Exactly like that," he said, patting Krist's shoulder encouragingly. "Just keep those fingers back, and keep at it." They'd have dinner made in no time. Maybe eventually he'd make Krist do the cooking.

... then again, maybe not.

"Okay..." Krist continued to cut up the vegetables, focusing hard, too hard. He didn't want to cut himself, not sure what the sensation would be like and compared it inside his head to the feeling of other things from his past... "I'm doing great, righ-" Krist startled hard and dropped the knife suddenly, hearing it clang to the floor as he stumbled away from it, instincts on overdrive as pain flashed through his senses. He winced, hunched over while grasping at his other hand, breathing hard. "Not doing great," he grumbled, embarrassed as soon as he'd realized what a big deal he'd made out of it. It wasn't a huge cut, and still the horse inside him had reacted without him being able to stop himself.

Tayne, who'd been pouring the cream of mushroom soup into the sauce pan, jumped at the sound of the clatter, too. "What what-- oh. Aw, damn." He turned, caught the smell of the blood, and came over to investigate. "Ya didn't keep your fingers back, man," he chided gently. "Lemme see. How bad is it?"

Krist held his left hand out with a frustrated look in his eyes, brow low as embarrassment sank in. He took in a slow breath to steady his heart, knowing it was what was making him feel light-headed more than anything else. Blood seeped out and rand down into his nail, a fairly light slice between the two knuckles on his thumb. He shifted anxiously, not liking the strange throbbing feeling that came with it and sighed, his other hand running through his hair. "Sorry," he muttered, feeling miserable about it.

"Aw, that's not that bad," Tayne said. He could make due with a band-aid and neosporin on that, he didn't need to break out the healing herbs and the angel-blood. "Rinse it off under the faucet, hot water. We can just slap a band-aid on it and it'll be fine. Don't worry about it." He patted Krist on the back, ending with a slight push in the direction of the sink, while he went for the bathroom and the band-aids.

Krist sighed and stood up tall, looking to the sink instead of at Tayne as the other were left the room. He glared down at his finger when he was alone, accusing it in some silent way as though it'd done something wrong. Finally he moved to the sink and turned on the hot water, waiting for it to heat up before sticking his finger underneath the stream. It hurt and he made a face, but stood there as stoic as possible, trying not to make a scene out of it. He'd had enough excitement for one day already.