asher vaughn. (freewolf) wrote in rulethenight, @ 2011-08-08 10:03:00 |
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Entry tags: | !log, asher vaughn, rex |
log: rex and asher vaughn
WHO: Rex and Asher.
WHERE/WHEN: Backdated to Friday afternoon, somewhere in Roxbury.
WHAT: Times may be tough for Rex, and things may not be going so well, but occasionally good things happen. With no strings attached. Asher finds Rex dumpster diving to get enough food for himself after he's fed his pseudo-family, and offers him a burger, just 'cause.
REX: What was that saying, every city was different and every city was just the same? Although he'd never been well-traveled before this year, Rex was finding that to be true about every place that he and Ava had ended up in since they'd left Alaska. In Canada, in the United States, it was all the same. Even the buildings looked the same. It was a good thing, though; once you knew how to get through one, you could get through any of them. You knew the signs for what neighborhoods were what, you knew how to find or avoid certain types of people, learned what areas attracted what species. And you figured things out pretty easily and quickly on a micro level, too. Once you'd dumpster-dived for food in one place, you'd done it everywhere, basically. And that was what he was doing now, out behind an Outback, rifling through some of the things that had been tossed. He and Ava had only just gotten here, and most of the money they'd had holding over from the last city had to be saved for their room. Motels were insanely expensive, and shelters weren't always reliable -- not to mention, it could be hard to find one that would take all three of them, and Ava wasn't okay with Rex sleeping on a bench somewhere. Which meant that they had to cut corners in other places. She may have been his maker, but he still strongly felt the responsibility for watching out for her and her daughter. Regardless of how archaic it was, he was the male. They were his females. Failing to protect them, take care of them, look out for them, it undercut everything inside of him. So when it came to food, he made sure that they ate, but he didn't have to use more of their money to buy something. Not when there was food that was perfectly good right here, and only thrown out because someone hadn't wanted the rest of it. And thanks to his preternatural senses, he knew what food was still good, and where it was. Ripping open another bag, he found a to-go container that someone had left at their table -- still closed, too, which was a bonus. Didn't have to worry about stray substances having mixed in with it.
ASHER: Even though this neighborhood was protected by a shifter that he knew, it wasn't Locard territory, not really, and Asher was not one for straying too far away from the areas that he knew well. But he couldn't spend his entire life roaming the same neighborhood, if only for practical reasons. There were places that he needed to go around here, and sometimes it was better just to go do his errands himself -- as quickly as possible, but at least he was saving himself the trouble of asking someone else to do it and risking them not grabbing the right things. Or worse, them thinking that he wasn't capable of taking care of himself. Asher knew full well that he had limitations, but he wasn't handicapped. He wasn't a coward. And he'd gotten a lot stronger with time, more confident in himself, pulled it all together. Moreso than he ever had in his life, to be perfectly honest. Even before his traumatic experiences, he'd always been sort of a mess, selfish and irresponsible. The only thing he'd ever been good at was running away and making excuses for himself. Unlike Rex, when people had relied on him in the past, Asher had avoided taking on the hard burden of looking out for them. He knew that, now. He also knew that he was a changed man. Mostly, he credited that to being in the pack and seeing for the first time really what it meant to have people who cared for each other, who looked out for him, but he didn't examine the reasons too closely. He just knew that it was true, and didn't question why. It was that same surety that guided him away from the main street and into a back alley when he caught the unmistakable scent of a wolf. It was heavy in his nose, a strong musk -- maybe a young alpha? -- and he followed it without hesitation. As he got closer to the figure by the dumpster, his keen eyes took in the scruffy young man's features. Good-looking, but a little ragged around the edges, and there was something in his movements and posture that triggered an odd feeling inside of him. Something he hadn't felt in a while -- recognition, almost, or kinship. Like he was looking at a reflection of what he'd been when everything sawed on his nerves, when he was terrified of anything that came too close to him and wanted to lash out with unconfined violence to put down the threat. He stopped almost immediately then, at a good distance. Not enough that he had to shout or call out to talk to the boy, but far out of reach. A moment later, considering the situation, he took his hands out of his jacket pockets and let them hang by his sides. Unarmed and not poised for attack. "Hey...the food here's not bad." Asher's voice was low and even, naturally calm, the way he always spoke when he was at home. It took some effort to keep it that way, in public like this when his instinct was to add a guarded sharpness, but he managed to control himself. "You new in town?"
REX: Being upwind had kept Asher's scent from hitting the air near Rex, and he was too busy digging through the trash to notice him walking up. It wasn't until he'd spoken that Rex was alerted to his presence, starting a bit and moving back from the dumpster immediately. His eyes (or his good eye, at least) went first to Asher, taking in his size and scent (another wolf?), before darting to the side to note how much of the way out he was blocking. If Rex needed an exit then he already knew he'd be going over the fence down the alleyway behind them, but it was an automatic response anyway. He didn't know who this person was, but he had to at least subconsciously prepare for the worst. There wasn't anything skittish in his reaction, though. Wary and perhaps overly alert, yes. Hints of aggression and dominance at the edges of his body language, claiming the space. But he didn't seem afraid, per se. He tended to expect attacks to come out of nowhere, but had learned awhile ago that giving off a fear-scent would only increase the chances that he'd be hurt. He was wearing a hoodie that was pulled up to help shadow and hide the scarred half of his face, something he preferred not to make obvious if he didn't have to. Especially not when he was possibly being sized up -- someone knowing that he was half-blind wasn't exactly a thing that would intimidate and keep them away from trying something. And then there was always just the human and youthful embarrassment factor to plug in. It wasn't there in spades, granted -- he was far beyond letting things like that stop him from eating, after all. But still, being caught getting food from the trash wasn't exactly anyone's finest moment. Or maybe this guy wanted it? But he didn't look like he was homeless. "...Yeah, it's even better when you don't have to pay for it."
ASHER: When their eyes met, Asher actually broke eye contact first, out of habit more than anything. He wasn't an alpha, not even a little bit, and the shift in Rex's demeanor from damaged wariness to suddenly owning the space around him made Asher feel for an instant like he'd made a real mistake interrupting him like this. Not because he was worried about what Rex might do to him, but simply because it was rude. It wasn't his place in the order of things to try to force anyone to accept help, especially not someone who had a level of dominance to preserve. Apologizing and backing away was one option. But that wouldn't accomplish anything. He wouldn't learn anything about who this new wolf was, if he was staying or going, where he'd come from, and (importantly) if he'd try to pose any threat to the Locards. If he was just a young man in need, well, there was the halfway house for that. Asher just wasn't used to doing a whole lot of recruiting for them. It wasn't a habit for him to go out of his way to help some kid in need, and he didn't have the social worker's instincts that helped him figure out what to say to get a stranger to trust him when they usually knew better than to trust anyone. He was quiet for another moment as he focused on the dumpster, his attention on Rex even without looking at him directly, and eventually he shrugged. "I'm Asher," he said directly, without any kind of expectation in his voice. This wasn't an attempt at making friends, it was just an offering of information, which he figured the young man could use. "I live around here. There's a pack -- the Locards -- obviously this isn't their territory, but some of the other shifters around here are friends with them." So if Rex caused any trouble, or caught too much attention, he might end up getting a visit from another alpha anyway. Roxbury was Agnes's territory. "I don't want to bother you. If you're hungry, though, I know the guy who owns this place, and he owes me a couple of burgers..."
REX: Asher doing that made Rex relax a bit. He had no clue who this guy was, but he wasn't giving off any signals that he was looking for a fight; quite the opposite, actually. And that was all that Rex really cared about, anymore. He didn't give a shit about territories or hierarchies or any of that. He would gladly take the Omega position in a pack if it meant that he didn't have to be constantly looking over his back anymore, or worrying about when the last time Ava ate something healthy was, or if Lucy was going to end up being left alone for hours again. Being alone was no easy task, especially as a wolf, where it seemed to weigh even more heavily on you than it would on others. And, of course, especially when you were fighting several nights a week now for the pleasure of a bunch of vampires that saw you as nothing more than a dog. That tension in him flared right back up at the mention of a pack, though. Alphas were no good thing in his book -- if they weren't forcing you into things then they were running you out. He'd have to keep his head down to try and stay off of that one's radar, whoever he was. He glanced toward the building, considering. He'd thought he was too proud to take charity, for awhile. But a few actual hungry nights had driven that level of pride out of him some time ago. If Asher was offering out food, Rex would take it. He was just wary still, of who might be in there. He looked back to Asher. "Are you in the pack?"
ASHER: "Yeah..." Scratching at the side of his nose, he shifted uncomfortably where he stood. How did Rex make that sound like a bad thing? He loved his pack, the people who had gone so far out of their way to look after him and take care of him, who were practically his family. And yet the wary tone in the other wolf's voice made him wonder if he shouldn't have mentioned it at all. "I'm just here doing some errands, though. Not...on pack business or anything." He patted his messenger bag, which already had a couple of purchases from this trip tucked away in it. "I fix places up sometimes. There are a couple of hardware stores in this neighborhood that had the things I need. Things are always getting broken at the halfway house and it's a pretty old building, so sometimes I have to go hunting for parts." It wasn't really all that important what he was doing there. He couldn't seem to help his urge to be honest and straightforward, though; something about this young man made him want to seem as unassuming as possible, lacking ulterior motives, whatever. "Anyway, I'm going to go inside and get something to eat. If you want to come with me and have something too, I mean, the offer still stands. Good burgers you won't have to pay for." Even having said that, he stood in place for another long moment or two, studying Rex with a hint of concern. He wished someone else had found this kid, Rowan or Aldric, someone who knew what they were doing. Someone who wouldn't potentially screw things up. But there was nothing he could do except try and hope for the best, so at last, he turned back towards the street and followed his nose again towards the front door. He didn't glance over his shoulder to see if Rex was following him, as much as the nape of his neck pricked dangerously with the knowledge that he'd just turned his back on someone who could shift and try to snap his spine with his jaws in an instant. He didn't even listen for footsteps. Instead, he made his way inside, and it wasn't until he got through the front door that Asher finally looked around to see if he could hold the door for the young wolf. If the other wolf was there.
REX: Yeah...Rex had thought he loved his pack as well. You had to be careful, Asher. He glanced back to the store, and then briefly (and subtly) to the dumpster again. He could always bolt if he walked in and felt more pack congregating. And if this guy was telling the truth and they weren't, then free, real food was in it for him. He knew he should save some for Ava and Lucy, but his stomach was tight enough and his body was still tired enough from fighting that he knew that conviction likely wouldn't last very long. He finally looked back to Asher, watching as the other wolf moved to go to the front. When Asher turned to get the door, Rex was there behind him, light illuminating some of the scarring that his hoodie had concealed back in the alley. "Thanks." For the door. But, you know, for the food as well.
ASHER: Oh -- goddamn. He hadn't caught the scar until now, Rex's hood effectively doing its job of covering the worst of his disfigurations, and when the young man moved into the light, that disturbing old wound practically took his breath away. Not from shock or surprise so much as it seemed to reach into him and pull distractingly at his own scars, a painful connection between them that he felt suddenly confirmed why he'd been so drawn to approach this kid in the first place. He must have sensed it, somehow. Like the scent of fate leading him down that alley. His hand rose unconsciously to rub at the thick scar around his neck, which was somewhat hidden by the collar of the flannel that he wore over his white muscle shirt, despite the heat. There were certain discomforts that they both had to put up with, it seemed, in order to disguise their differences. "You're welcome," he replied automatically, forcing his gaze to shift to the restaurant around them rather than locking for too long on Rex's face. There was an open booth away from the door and he walked to claim it, taking the side that left his back to the door but still gave him a decent view of the street out the window -- that was just him being generous again, letting Rex watch the entrance so that he could feel a little bit more comfortable in this situation. Obviously, the kid was already putting himself out there. Asher wasn't about to force him to sit with his neck exposed to any potential threats. "I'm Asher, by the way." He offered his hand to shake, if Rex was willing.
REX: His good eye glanced down briefly to notice the edges of the scar that Asher had touched, but he looked away just as quickly after seeing it. He knew what it was like to get stared at for that kind of thing, after all, and didn't have an interest in making someone else feel like a freak. Still, it was something he noted and filed away for later. Also noted (and appreciated) was the way Asher let him take the seat that could leave him watching the door. Not to mention the...not-mentioning of it. He reached out in return, after only the briefest of hesitations. "Rex." Perhaps not the most usual of names (or more usual than most, considering he looked like a big, vicious dog when turned?), but 'Asher' wasn't either, so that fit nicely. Free food, a wolf that wasn't instantly aggressive with him, someone not staring at his scars -- for once, Rex realized that he might actually have a good night.