InsaneJournal

Not Everyone Loves Dogs
Who: Whisper and Ulf
When: Late night
Where: The park

It was rather late for Ulf to be out, but he was enjoying the exploring and meeting new people. He did, however, realize that a large dog running around late at night was more likely to be called into animal control (or shot on sight, with how nervous people were), so he'd stopped by the place he'd buried his people-clothes and changed. A teenager out late was suspicious, but a lot less intimidating. Maybe people would assume he was a vampire or something.

He'd already been all through the park, but places were so different at night. And besides, there was lots of space to run, if he felt like it. Or stow his clothes if he had to make a quick change back. He was dressed in oversized cut-off shorts and a similarly large sleeveless t-shirt, all Ammo's clothes that he'd snuck away with at some point. It looked a little funny, but it was better than going naked.

Whisper had had another one of her good days, though it had not had a promising start. The mornings were always the worst, when she woke up alone, but she had learned how to cure those ails. And there was that lingering possibility of having someone there every morning... she would have to see how that would go, and until then make do with what she had. At least her daytime activities left her feeling awake once the moon was shining and most people behind closed doors. Not that there were any doors here... somehow, the vampire had found her way into the park, rather enjoying the quiet sounds of the night. Until her ears caught the sound of someone else walking. Another vampire, perhaps? No, that was dismissed quickly when she picked up the sound of a heartbeat as well. Maybe even more fun. Humans were quite entertaining.

And this one looked like he did not know how to dress. "You're out rather late to be by yourself," she remarked, stopping a good dozen yards away. She had learned that a lot of people got nervous when approached late at night too quickly.

Ulf turned, surprised by the sudden approach, but still smiling. He almost never didn't smile, it was just his natural expression. Well, he'd never seen this pretty lady-person before! "Hello! Oh, I like going for walks. And it's not too late. I'm not even tired at all!" Of course, he'd been a ball of energy all day, positively delighted with exploring the new town. "What's your name?" He strolled forward, a little bounce to his steps, unconcerned with personal boundary issues. He'd probably have demanded pets if he was in dog form right about now. "And isn't it late for you to be out alone, too, if it's late for me?" One thing about being a housepet; he didn't get to talk to people nearly enough. So when he had the chance, words spilled out of him like verbal diarrhea. But he was so friendly and sincere that most people put up with it, to a point.

To say that Whisper was a little taken back by the sudden barrage of words and questions would have been an understatement. She was used to multiple sorts of people, but this was a little... intense. And then he was closer and Whisper's nose wrinkled - he smelled like a dog. Probably has one at home, oh how disgusting I'm so glad he doesn't live near me. To say that Whisper hated dogs would be another understatement. They were absolutely terrible creatures and she never allowed any anywhere near her. "It's never too late for someone like me to be out," she returned instead. "And my name is whisper." Something about this young man's manner and way of dress told her that he would definitely not see anything noteworthy about her last name. That was disturbing in and of itself, but he was paying attention to her and that was enough for a few moments of her time. "What is yours?"

"Someone like - ooooh!" Ulf caught a whiff of her scent, recognizing its significance from the man he'd met earlier. "You must be a vampire!" He looked, in turns, delighted, then worried, then delighted again. He didn't know whether she could tell he was a were, the same way the hippie stick-thrower could, but he was less concerned about that in this form. So long as no one connected his human form with his animal form, his secret was safe. "I'm U- uh, Adam!" The human name sounded strange to him now, but 'Ulf' was too distinctive to risk using for this form. "Nice to meet you, Whisper! I've never talked to a vampire before." Just played fetch with one.

Whisper had absolutely no clue to react to this young man that smelled like a dog, none at all. He was far too happy and bouncy and just... not like anything she was used to. Better to put her back with some uppity human who thought she was out to kill them than something so happy. "Yes, I'm a vampire." Delight was not something that usually came with that declaration, worry was more along the correct lines, but delight seemed to win out. "And I'm sure that the pleasure is all yours, Adam." She was not, for once, going to extend her hand because judging off of his clothes, this Adam had no idea how to dress. "And perhaps you have spoken with one, you just didn't know it at the time. We are everywhere."

"I suppose that's possible, but I don't think so." The wide grin on Ulf's face didn't waver one bit. "Oh, it's real nice to meet you. I just moved here. Isn't this town neat? You're real pretty, by the way." And she was. He wasn't one to talk to girls a lot, but he never really realized that he was supposed to be awkward around them. That wasn't his style. Besides, the ladies loved his adorable doggy self, so why would he be shy?

Does he have some sort of mental problem? Whisper found herself wondering. Because she was sure that she had never met someone this cheerful who was over the age of ten in her very, very long life. They tended to lose that sort of attitude once they realized that the world was not all sparkles and happy things. It was really hard for her to think of it as anything because she was doing her best to not back away from the scent of dog. She hated dogs. "Yes, I am quite pretty, thank you very much for saying." No matter what he was or what was wrong with him, Adam had just earned himself a few points for remarking on her looks. Nothing pleased the vampire more. "Your clothes... are they perhaps your father's? They look too large."

Ulf was perfectly mentally capable, but he was used to people thinking he was off, somehow. It just came from his dog half, he couldn't help his generally excitable and happy-go-lucky nature. And he did get along with kids very, very well. "You're welcome!" He bounced on the balls of his feet, still with that stupid grin plastered on his face. "Oooh, these clothes? No, they're from, uh, a friend of mine. I was just borrowing them 'cause mine were... dirty." Yeah, that sounded logical. "I need more, I guess." It really was a pity. He was a well-muscled young man, and if he bothered finding things that fit he'd actually look quite dashing, even as silly as he was.

He was wearing someone else's clothes because his own were dirty. Well, while that logic made some sort of sense, Whisper could not help but wonder why he did not know how to wash his. Not that Whisper ever needed to wash her clothes, either someone else did it or she just bought more and gave the old ones away. Doing laundry was far too close to a chore she had done while she was alive. "Yes, you probably do need more," Whisper agreed at last, reaching out despite the dog-smell to rearrange the clothes a little. It was natural for her to want to make other people look at least somewhat decent. She hated being around people who looked unpresentable, as was only natural for a fashion designer like her. What is someone wandered by and saw that she was conversing with someone who looked terrible? Unacceptable. "No one should ever have to wear things this much too big for them."

Oh, was there something wrong with the clothes? Ulf knew they were too big, but really couldn't see how her fussing made them any better. What he really needed was some money to buy his own, but one of the perks of his life was that he didn't have to deal with money issues. "Well, I guess I don't have to wear them, but I really shouldn't run around naked." He laughed a little, clearly joking around. "I guess I never really thought about it too much." Ammo certainly didn't care what he wore, but Ulf hadn't really grasped that big, beefy ex-military guys could get away with wearing pretty much whatever the hell they wanted, not wiry teens.

Whisper's mouth twisted a little. She knew that younger men fell to one of two extremes. Either they cared about what they wore and strutted like peacocks or they could not care less and ended up looking raggedy and... well, exactly like this. Terrible. "Running around naked is completely unacceptable," she agreed, pulling her hands away with a frustrated noise. This was a random encounter she was not sure she was enjoying, the constant smell of dog making her want to shy away almost automatically and setting her on edge. Whisper on edge was very bad, especially if she was touching somebody because she would be that much more likely to inflict her own madness upon them. Though Adam looked like he could do with it, maybe calm him down. "Perhaps you should run along and find yourself better fitting clothes, or make sure to wash the ones you have. People who see you like this will think you're a vagabond."

"Are you all right?" He had just noticed how uncomfortable Whisper seemed. "I mean, they're just clothes. I guess I should get some that fit better, but I don't mind it too much." Ulf wasn't ever the sort to end up beautiful like the vampire, anyway. "But I don't want to bother you too much! I guess I should go home, anyhow. But it was really nice to meet you, Whisper!" He beamed, tugging at his oversized shirt. "I really don't mind how people see me, y'know? I like them anyway." He laughed again and rocked back on his heels.

Way too cheerful, it was completely unnatural and more unnerving than the voices that Whisper heard when she was alone. "You smell like a dog," she informed him rather bluntly. Normally she was much more polite, but Adam's attitude and the way that he acted gave her the idea that manners did not really matter to him. "It's rather strong, actually, like you've been saturated in it or spent time sleeping in a pile of them." For someone who was not fond of dogs, it was really disconcerting. So much so that she had not even tried to figure out what blood type he was. No one who smelled like that could be a good meal.

"I do?" He looked confused, and a little hurt, as he turned to sniff his arm. "I'm sorry. I didn't know it bothered you... that's just me." He shifted from foot to foot and backed up a little. "Do you not like dogs?" Ulf had met a few people with that particular quirk before, but it always hurt a little. Not that they could help what they did or didn't like, and he certainly couldn't help being a dog. "I guess that's why you want me to leave, huh? I can, uh, go home now." That had definitely put a damper on his mood, though he wasn't completely crushed. More disappointed. He'd hoped he'd made a new friend.

"No, actually, I'm terrified of dogs," Whisper replied, noting how he shifted and looked uncomfortable after her remark. What did he mean that it was 'just him'? A terrible suspicion was beginning to form in the vampire's mind, all of it back up by just what she could see in front of her. "There were quite a few that were very cruel to me once upon a time and I've never come to terms with it." Only she had, in a way. Her terms just happened to deal with having them killed at every opportunity.

"Well, um, not all dogs are like that. The ones I know are real nice. But I don't like upsetting people, so I can just... leave, okay? You're real nice, ma'am. Thanks for talking to me." Ulf looked a little relieved that it was nothing personal, and he wasn't about to push his luck with the poor lady. He was certain there were plenty of other folk he could talk to and play with that he wouldn't make nervous like she was. He waved a little, ready to go running off on his own again.

Not all dogs were like that, but they all had the potential to be, with those sharp teeth and growls and... no, Whisper could not ever think of a dog in a kindly light. She nodded sharply to Adam and folded her arms across her chest. That suspicion was not fading in the slightest. There was something distinctly odd about this young man who smelled so much like a dog. "Yes, you run along and do whatever it is that you do." She would be more comfortable when the smell of dog was gone. And the one who carries that smell. She could already tell, the voices were going to come back. No amount of prior attention was going to make up for this.

"Yeah, uh, 'kay!" He turned around and jogged off, glancing over his shoulder. Vampires sure were weird. The first one knew he was a were and then played fetch with him, and this one was all... strange about dogs. It was too bad, she really was pretty. But he should go home to Ammo anyway, and hope that Patience hadn't dug up more ribbons for him for tomorrow. Not that he minded indulging the girl, but enough was enough. With his thoughts turning towards home, Ulf went to work looking for a place to stash his clothes.