Ransom Weiss (struckonce) wrote in light_of_may, @ 2010-02-17 22:41:00 |
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Entry tags: | 2009-07-04 |
Family Matters
Who: Ransom and Madock
Where: Madock's place
When: Morning
The house Ransom drove up to was barely a house and he frowned in dismay. If it wasn't for Madock's car in the driveway, he might've thought he was at the wrong place. Unfortunately, this seemed to be it. He wasn't pleased with Madock for the way things had gone with his sister, but when it came down to it they were still together, and would be for the rest of their lives. Either he could get over it and move on, or hold a grudge against the person who was most important to Jessa. With a sigh, Ransom parked the car and headed up to the front door, knocking soundly and waiting for an answer.
Madock had planned on sleeping in that morning and would have had it not been for the fact that the call of nature would come far too early. It just so happened that the knock at the door came right about the time that he was retreating to his bedroom again. Sighing, he pushed his hand through his still messy from bed hair and walked over to the door, yawning a little as he opened it up. The person on the other side of the door surprised him and he had to blink a couple of times to let the fact that Jessa's brother was standing on his doorstep. Immediately he thought something was wrong, why else would Ransom of all people be there at his house?
"What's wrong?" he asked, giving life to his thoughts that were racing with all the worst possibilities. "Is Jessa okay?"
A smile tugged at Ransom's lips as he shook his head. If he'd ever worried that Madock didn't care for his sister, it was that sort of thing that would help convince him. "She's fine," Ransom answered. "Nothing's wrong. I know it's early, but I've got work, so... Do you have a minute?" He could tell he'd woken Madock up, for which he was apologetic, but he'd made the effort to be there so he was hoping they could actually have a conversation. "The full moon's coming, and I wanted to talk to you about... stuff." He didn't like saying cage. It felt wrong, even when it was necessary. "Jessa mentioned you might need some help."
A little relief wave washed over him and Madock let himself inhale a breath, realizing he'd been holding it for a brief moment. When Ransom mentioned the full moon and 'stuff', he wasn't sure what to think, but he certainly wasn't going to turn the boy away. "Yeah." he said, nodding a little. "Sure, come on in." Waving a hand in the direction of the couch, he pulled the door open more and allowed Ransom to enter before shutting the door behind him. "Want something to drink?" he offered, trying to be a good host despite the fact that the worry about Jessa, now dashed, had been replaced with concern about what Ransom wanted to talk to him about.
"Thanks," Ransom said, stepping inside the house. He couldn't knock the furnishings, seeing as how he didn't have a place of his own yet, but it was easy to tell that Madock wasn't quite equipped to live on his own quite yet. Then again, he did have a couch, and privacy. Ransom had neither. "Can I have a Coke?" he asked as he twirled an unlit cigarette between his fingers. He'd been tempted to smoke it on the way over, but then remembered that Madock's nose was now as sensitive as his own. Besides, he wouldn't smoke inside and he didn't really think it would calm his nerves. "So... how are you adjusting?"
"Sure thing." he said with a nod, leaving for the kitchen long enough to retrieve a coke for himself and for Ransom. Upon returning, he handed one over to the other boy and settled himself on the couch with him. "I'm... dealing." he said. "That's about all I can do, right? Still getting used to smelling things I never even noticed before." he admitted. "And hearing things..." he added. "The worst part is trying to get to sleep, but I've invested in some earplugs and those seem to help..." It was weird to be talking about those things to Ransom, especially when he knew the guy had every right to be completely and utterly pissed at him. He hadn't made the best of decisions and he'd complicated things for sure. Not being attacked for it was a bit surprising, though Madock was thankful to say the least. "Gotta get used to it though." he said. "I'm kinda... more worried about the full moon than anything else.." Nervous, scared and completely unsure of what to expect covered it more.
For someone who had wanted to be bitten, Madock didn't seem quite as cocky as Ransom had imagined he might be. That was a good thing, he supposed, as it would have been far more worrisome. "I've heard you'll get used to it," Ransom said, since that was all he could offer. Being born a werewolf, he hadn't had to adapt to what he was. There had never been a fear of something that had come naturally. "Do you have a plan yet?" he asked, popping open the soda can. "I don't know if Gabe told you, but I built his cage. My dad and I, actually. I was wondering if you needed one or... if you had something else in mind." The only other thing Ransom would have found acceptable was going down to the county jail, but that also meant putting himself on a list and, frankly, Ransom didn't like the sound of that, even for Madock.
Madock's lips parted as if he were about to speak, but he closed his mouth again and let himself collect his thoughts. "Gabe and I kinda... were at odds for a little bit." he admitted. "Understandably so, but... well..." he sighed and pushed his hand through his hair and leaned forward to set his as of yet unopened soda on the crappy little coffee table. "I was going to get a loan from a friend in order to buy one... but... it kinda fell through so I was thinking about the other options I have and I mean either one sorta blows because I mean... That Moriarty guy said he'd give out cages, but then I'd have to go up to him and be all 'I'm a werewolf, can I have a cage?' and that just blows because, not that I'm ashamed of it or anything, but I kinda feel safer not having the world know about me. Just the people I trust and the same goes for going to the jail and staying there. They'll know who I am and they'll just... they'll know and I don't know what else to do." he sighed. "I'd feel pretty shitty asking for your help, honestly, knowing that you probably don't agree with my decision anymore than Gabe did. And..." he said, glancing around. "It's probably pretty obvious that I don't really have much to offer by way of payment."
Ransom gave a little nod, sitting quietly as he thought for a moment. As he took his time absorbing the information, he took a sip of his cola, then set it on the coffee table as well. His hands were better occupied playing with a cigarette. Eventually, he sat back to look at Madock. "I don't really know how I feel about your decision. Mostly, I don't think it was well thought out, but that's just me," Ransom said, then paused for a second more, pressing his lips together before he spoke again. "I was upset with Jess. Still am, sometimes, because... I guess, in my eyes, she shouldn't need to bite you. I can't imagine a reason why she ever would. And if there's one thing we're taught from birth, it's not to bite. You know what kind of werewolves bite people? Crazy-ass mother-fuckers who want a hunter chasing after them. The kind of werewolves that make up horror movies, not my little sister. And if word got out that she was biting people... I dunno. It scares me to think about it." There would always be hunters looking to take down a rouge werewolf, and everyone's definition of rouge was different. "I'd rather you weren't stuck in a public cage for personal reasons, I guess, but they're pretty much the same. You can just say you owe me, if you want. Supplies aren't bad, so it's really just the labor of putting it together."
He understood everything that Ransom had to say and he agreed with it and wasn't about to pretend that he didn't. "You're right." Madock said, nodding a little. "It did need to be thought about more and thinking never was my greatest quality to begin with and with everything that was going on I guess I just... lost my head for a little bit and I'm not going to call it a mistake because I love your sister, okay, I do but I do think I should have thought about it more. I do think that I shouldn't have asked it of her no matter what the reasons behind it." With Clarissa being gone at the time and his world seeming like it was falling apart, Madock was grasping at straws for some sort of sense of security and regardless of how things had happened, there wasn't any changing it now. "I'm sorry for asking her to bite me, but it's because of how it's going to effect her. Now that everything's all said and done it's like... I just... I feel like she's going to suffer because of this more than I will and I don't want her to suffer even for the briefest of seconds." And the topic made Madock's stomach churn uncomfortably and he had to pause before addressing anything else that Ransom had to say.
"If you'd help me with a cage, I'd find a way to pay you back." he promised. "It might take a little while, but I would." He knew he had to have one and he had to have one soon. The full moon was just around the corner and drawing nearer still everyday. "But do you think you have enough time to get it done before the full moon? That's... a lot to ask."
"Oh, I don't know that you won't suffer," Ransom said with a little snort. "You get the privilege of shifting for the first time after staying human for eighteen years." He couldn't speak directly to it, but he'd heard that stung like a bitch. It was something he was glad he never had to go through and wouldn't have wished it on Madock, except it was obviously too late. "Jess won't suffer if the two of you can keep it quiet. I know, Charlotte knows, Gabe and your sister, and I think those are all people who can keep a secret. I can guarantee my family isn't going to tell anyone. So you might want to work on a story that doesn't include Jess biting you. For her sake." It wasn't advice that Ransom had thought a lot about ahead of time, but now that he was saying it, it made sense. Life would be a lot easier for Jessa if she could let that little detail about Madock die down. "As for the cage... I think I can get it done on time. It might have to stay in the barn for this month, but that might be safer than you being out here alone." Even if Madock was on pack lands, it was better if he was somewhere that he could be watched, just in case.
Ransom had a point there. Madock knew it wasn't going to be easy on his side of things either. Of course what lay in store for him he could only imagine. He hoped that Gabe would be able to shed a little light on what was going to happen to him and give him at least a brief amount of time to let it all sink in and prepare himself for it. If there was even a way to prepare himself for that sort of thing.
"Trip knows too..." he admitted. "But I know he wouldn't just run around telling anyone." he assured immediately. In thinking about what he'd just said, he realized that he probably should have kept that to himself, but honesty was always the best policy, right? "I can make up something though." he nodded. "Because I don't want people to look at her like she just goes around biting people." he sighed. "I'll just say... I don't know... something. I'll think of something." Not that he wanted to have to explain everything at all really. "And I guess it doesn't much matter where the cage is." he admitted. "Your barn or the basement isn't a big deal so long as I can't get out and can't hurt anyone."
Trip was a nice guy, but Ransom didn't know if he could count on him to keep his mouth shut. If Madock thought he could, then hopefully it was so, since there wasn't much they could do now. "I don't think everyone needs to know you're a bitten werewolf," Ransom said with a sigh. "The only way they'd know is if they're one too and they catch the change in your scent. Otherwise, everyone you meet going forward only knows what you tell them. Just like... last year, no one knew I was, or Jessa, or any of us." While it was good to tell the truth, Ransom didn't think it needed to be shouted off mountains. If Madock worked at it, it shouldn't be too hard to hide how it had all gone down. "The barn's only easier in that that's where I build it. After this month, you can set it up wherever you want."
Madock nodded a little. "Yeah." he agreed. "Guess I don't really have to tell anyone unless they smell me and question it. Can't really lie about it if that's the case, they'd already know I was a wolf to begin with. I'll just keep my mouth shut. I think that's the best course of action all around." He never for one moment thought he'd be sitting there with Ransom and actually getting along with the guy, let alone having him be decent enough to offer to help him with a cage. "I could help." he went on, looking over at Ransom. "With the building I mean. Even if it's just toting and fetching. That way you wouldn't have to be doing it all by yourself."
"If you want, you're welcome to," Ransom offered, picking up his soda again. "I need someone to hold the pieces in place while I solder them together. If you don't mind my brothers and sisters running all over you, I'd appreciate the help." It had bothered him that Madock had spent almost no time getting to know their family before becoming a part of it, but Ransom figured that could be changed if he made an effort. He knew it would make Jessa happy, and it would probably go a long way with repairing the relationship between her and their parents. Ransom didn't say so outright, but he hoped Madock knew anyways.
A little smile moved over Madock's lips and he nodded at Ransom. "I'd like that." he admitted. He always wondered what it would be like to be part of a big family. To have people always around that cared about you and looked forward to seeing you instead of the hand he'd been dealt from the beginning of his life. "Just let me know when you'll need me." he said. "I work most evenings, but I'm off during the day and in the afternoon and I'm up for early mornings if that's what it takes. Or late nights. Or both." He hoped that he didn't sound too overeager, but he was.
"I'll let you know," Ransom said, nodding with a small smile. It was nice to see that Madock was willing to put some effort in on his side as well. Lord knew this was the most difficult thing Ransom had done in quite a while. "Well... I've gotta get to work," Ransom said, rising to his feet. "You know your sister blew out something in her car yesterday. We towed it down to the shop yesterday, but I've yet to take a look." It was just idle conversation, but it was better than silence. With people he didn't know well, Ransom found silence awkward.
"Alright." Madock said, getting up to walk Ransom to the door. "She texted me about it yesterday. Hopefully it doesn't give you too much trouble. It can be a pain in the neck," he admitted. "At least she took it to someone who might be able to fix it." he smiled. The meeting had turned out far better than he thought it would. All in all, he was happy that Ransom had stopped by. He didn't expect any sympathy or any acceptance really, he didn't think he needed to beg for either, but it was nice to know that no matter what, he could count on Ransom to not be an ass about the situation. That meant more to him than he could have probably ever expressed. "Thanks for coming by." he said. "For everything really. It means a lot to me."
"If I can't fix it, my dad can," Ransom said. "I don't think there's anything that he can't fix, or if there is, he's made sure I wasn't around to see it." While Ransom didn't want his father's life, he was still proud of his father for supporting a family and working hard. When there was an opportunity to brag on him, he couldn't pass it up. "It's nothing," he said, giving Madock a little smile as he stood by the door. "I mean-- We're family, right? So... We're cool." Not best friends by any means, but better than before.
"We're cool." he agreed. That was more than he could have asked for and he definitely appreciated it. His day was already looking up and damn if he couldn't be happier about it. "I'll see you soon then." he said. "Just let me know when you need me and I'll come down, okay? Don't work too hard." A little flick of his hand in a wave in parting, a grin upon his face, Madock leaned against the door frame and watched Ransom until he was in his car and was pulling out of the drive. Shutting the door behind himself, he made a beeline for his bedroom. Sleep seemed better now when there would be one less thing weighing heavy on his mind.