Nick Iacoletti (cookedbooks) wrote in shadows_rpg, @ 2018-08-28 20:58:00 |
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Entry tags: | #november 2017, nick, nick x rylee, rylee |
Who: Rylee and Nick
Where: Juniper Inn
When: Evening, Thursday, November 9
Status: Complete
Between working and helping Carson as much as she could while she was home, it took her a bit of time to contact Nick Cooke. That didn’t mean she didn’t stay up late after Carson had fallen asleep and Googled the guy, just to try and get a feel for who he was. Obviously he was not a local or Rylee was fairly certain she would have heard of him at some point. In fact, from what she managed to figure out online, he was an author. An author of books Danny would have probably loved, had he still been around.
Today toward the end of her shift at the diner, Rylee finally sent him a text, aware that she probably should have called, but then she knew she would have started rambling on about her problem - well, Carson’s problem - and it was not a conversation to be had over the phone. Thankfully he responded fairly quickly, and agreed to meet with her. Nick was apparently staying at the Juniper Inn, which made sense, as there weren’t many options for visitors to town. Sometimes Rylee thought that the town was designed that way on purpose. Make it harder for outsiders to come here and overstay their welcome. Or maybe it was to protect them. Rylee didn’t really know anymore.
When he agreed to meet with her after her shift was over, Rylee felt a small spark of hope. If he had been the one to show Adam those photos, then the guy had to know something about werewolves. It was hard finding accurate information online. Most of it seemed pop culture based, or myth that was formed centuries ago. She had no idea if any of that held up today or not. But maybe Nick Cooke could clear things up for her.
After clocking out at the diner, Rylee walked to the Inn with her umbrella, not really minding when her sneakers got wet from the random puddles on the sidewalk. It had been raining on and off all week, but Rylee wanted to take advantage of being able to walk wherever she wanted while she still could. Soon it would be too cold to go anywhere without driving.
When she reached the inn, Rylee stepped inside and closed her umbrella before saying hello to the night clerk. She found room number two with no issue and Rylee stood outside the door, taking a moment to breathe and try and calm her nerves before she finally knocked.
Nick was not a stranger to receiving texts from random local numbers, asking questions about the supernatural. Anytime he settled somewhere for any length of time, at least one person came out of the woodwork, needing help, wanting to consult him about some paranormal problem they had. He had a feeling if he stayed in Point Pleasant for very long, he would get more than one. As he was munching on some Chinese takeout in his room and looking over the map of the town again, this latest inquiry took him a little by surprise, but she made the connection clear up front. The cousin of Adam’s poor werewolf friend. It sounded like keeping that secret had not gone well.
He’d told her to come on over whenever she was ready, then he’d gotten a little more dressed and tidied up his room. It was about time for Nick to find a bigger place to live. Somewhere he could have guests without having to make the bed and shove all his important papers under it every time. When Rylee knocked on the door, he was quick enough to answer, pulling it open and giving her a little smile. “Hi, come on in,” he invited, stepping back to make room for her.
Rylee's first thought was that Nick Cooke was a big man. She had seen his picture online, obviously, but it hadn't really prepared her for his size. No, he wasn't overweight or anything. But he had an intimidating presence from the start. Rylee returned his small smile with one of her own and she stepped into the room, finding a corner to set her umbrella against the wall. "Thanks for seeing me," she told him. "I'm sorry it such short notice. This just wasn't something I felt like I could put off, given the circumstances. I'm not interrupting anything, am I?" If she had been Rylee was sure he would have suggested talking another night, but Rylee didn't want to be rude.
Nick was aware of his bulk, especially in the presence of women. Especially when it was just the two of them alone. He pushed the door closed behind Rylee, but made a point not to lock it. “Not at all, it’s a fine time,” he assured her. He was sympathetic to her rush, even though he was going to have to tell her there was nothing she could do about it. Nick sauntered further into the room and took a seat on the bed, gesturing for Rylee to take the chair. He didn’t want her to feel trapped or on display or anything. He crossed his legs like an oversized kid and looked at her. “So it’s your ... cousin, right? Who got bitten?”
"Yeah. Carson." Rylee felt the urge to explain that Carson was her best friend, but some part of her feared what might be evident in her expression if she started talking about how much he meant to her. This guy wasn't there to play therapist, he was there to help. Or at least answer her questions. "I don't expect you to fix anything," Rylee continued, taking a seat in the chair and clasping her chilled hands together. "I guess I just had some questions, if you don't mind answering them. Obviously, I mean... I went online but there's so much out there and most of it seems pretty ridiculous. Different mythologies and legends. So much pop culture." She couldn't help but roll her eyes some. "I just want to know what's real. What is he, exactly?"
Nick swallowed down a chuckle at her first declaration -- there was no fixing her problem, but he had to break that to her more tactfully. It had probably taken a lot for Rylee to come to him, he didn’t want to laugh and alienate her right off the bat. He did smirk a bit at what she said about the online ‘information’ though, because he’d waded through all those cesspools a hundred times. “I don’t mind, I’ll do my best,” Nick told her, then rubbed his hands together thoughtfully. “This’ll probably sound ridiculous too, but he’s a werewolf. They are real. A lot of the old mythology about them is the true stuff, but it’s been warped by young adult authors and movies ... pop culture, like you said. But it’s an ancient curse, passed down through saliva getting into the bloodstream. They’re not sure yet if it’s some kind of virus, a genetic mutation, or what the science is behind it, if any, but some folks are uh, working on it.”
Rylee had more or less resigned herself to the fact that Carson was a werewolf. Yes, it sounded ridiculous but it was reality now and she was worried. Still, Rylee listened to Nick and she was sure her ever changing expression gave away her incredulity. "There are people researching this?" She had assumed this was some underground knowledge that was passed on by word of mouth. It was difficult to imagine people trying to work out the science of being a werewolf. "What do you think it is?" she asked him more directly. "Virus? Mutation? Do you think this is something that might be cured someday, if you get to know more about it?"
He just nodded to the first part, because of course there were. And Nick was willing to bet there were more people studying the affliction than even he knew about, around the world. He just couldn’t give her any details about what he did know. He pursed his lips thoughtfully at the questions, then gave Rylee a faint, regretful smile. “I don’t know, honestly,” he said. “That part of it isn’t my field of expertise, and I don’t wanna give you false hope. I think anything’s possible. In my humble opinion? I think it’s a magical mutation, and I don’t personally believe that all ‘magic’ is just ‘things science can’t explain yet.’ Some things are beyond our capabilities to measure in a lab and understand.” The research part of it seemed extremely difficult since the only symptoms cropped up during a full moon, and part of those symptoms was the desire to kill everything in sight. “I know you want to help him, but right now it might be easier if you only think of it as a curse,” he added.
A magical mutation. Rylee sort of wished she had knocked back a couple shots before coming here. It might have made all of this easier to digest. She refused to believe a cure was impossible, because new technologies and discoveries happened all the time. If people were actually researching these kind of things, there was always hope, right? "It's a curse that can kill people," Rylee pointed out. "And hurt him, I'm sure. He... I was told they tried to use tranquilizers to knock him out before he turned, but it didn't work once the change started. Is there anything we can do to knock him out when he does change? That way he stays in one place and won't hurt anything?" Or anyone.
Nick was very aware of the damage the curse could do, he’d seen it first hand and didn’t need reminding, but he didn’t want to get snappy with her. It was obvious that Rylee was having a difficult time swallowing all of this. He’d only meant she needed to think of it as something that didn’t have a cure right around the corner. A curse, not a disease. “The first thing you need is a secure place to hold him,” he said. “The tranquilizers that Adam used probably weren’t strong enough. But giving him stronger shit while he’s still human could kill him, so ... he has to be contained before he’s tranqued. I would recommend getting a rife that can shoot the darts they use for big wildlife, or feeding him raw meat laced with the stuff. You’ll need a cage though, a strong one, and somewhere to put it where nobody’s gonna hear him get pissed off about it. Because he will be. Their only instincts are to be outside and kill and eat. He won’t recognize you, you can’t talk to him, he’ll be a predator on steroids. Be as prepared as you can be for that.”
She couldn't help the tiny nose wrinkle at the thought of feeding Carson raw meat laced with sedatives. He likely meant after Carson was changed, but still. Would that mess up his digestive system, even as a human? Rylee made mental notes of the advice. A rifle, tranqs, raw meat. A cage. Jesus Christ. Where was she going to find one of those? And where in the Hell would she even put it without it being found? "Don't worry, I don't plan on playing Werewolf Whisperer anytime soon." Rylee rubbed her temple for a moment before her lips twitched. "You wouldn't happen to have any contacts who specialize in large cages that can be transported into the woods, do you?" Where else would she even put something like that? Maybe near the cabin that Carson and Adam had gone to? She would have to check with them. Nobody in town sold guns, but she supposed she could drive out to Bangor and start the process to purchase a rifle. Then again, maybe dart shooting rifles were easier to get a hold of.
Nick knew all those things were tall orders. Animal tranquilizers were pretty tightly controlled -- at least through legal means -- and one couldn’t just buy a big iron cage on Amazon. The thing was, he probably did have contacts who could help, he just wasn’t positive that word wouldn’t get back to his agency of employment that there was an uncontrolled werewolf where he was. They had skilled hunters who didn’t fuck around with giving people these kinds of options. Even though Rylee’s question had been tongue in cheek, Nick dragged a slow breath in through his teeth and looked thoughtful. “Let me make some phone calls,” he told her. “And I’ll try.” It was too bad there wasn’t some defunct zoo around somewhere. “The cage might be more of an issue, but I can get you a tranq gun pretty easy, and enough juice to get you through the first few months.”
She hadn't really expected him to help beyond answering some questions and Rylee's brows rose in surprise before her shoulders released some of the tension she had been feeling for the past few days. "It would be an understatement to tell you how amazing that would be. Any... any help we can get is appreciated. I'll pay you whatever I can." Not that she had a lot of savings, but she would figure something out. For a brief moment she wished Carson had kept the money Brad gave him. But then again, who would ever plan for something like this to happen. "I suppose we have some time before next month. But is there anything we should until then? Will this affect Carson in any way? Will he feel different? Act different? He's on medication, but I don't know if this would change his... oh, I don't know, metabolism or anything like that."
Nick waved off the offer of money -- he had plenty of that, and didn’t want hers. It wasn’t exactly a favor, it was more a way to keep the town he was going to be staying in for a while safe. He was starting to see he was going to have to be more involved in this werewolf issue Point Pleasant had, especially if there were two of them now locally. The one that had bitten Carson hadn’t been accounted for, and Nick needed to neutralize that threat too, lest they get overrun. Then his employers would step in. And there might already be others who’d been cursed. “His metabolism will only be different when he’s changed, so his day to day life shouldn’t really be affected,” Nick told Rylee, hoping that was at least reassuring. “Some people don’t even know they’re cursed. I dunno how they justify the whole waking up in the woods naked thing, but denial is powerful. The uh, burden of knowledge on his psyche might be a whole other issue. It’s a heavy one. Purely physically though, as far as I know, he’ll be the same every other day of the month.”
Carson already had multiple burdens on his psyche, so adding yet another one worried Rylee. She already felt helpless, like she wasn't adequate enough to help him with all of this. But she was going to try, at least until she knew what to do, or at least until she found someone who could help him. "He's been through a lot already," Rylee murmured, though she knew it wasn't Nick's job to fix any of this. She certainly didn't expect him to. Were there others in town who were 'cursed' like Carson? Did they know? Would they be able to help? Sighing, Rylee stretched out her legs and then offered Nick a small smile. "I appreciate you meeting me. Other than what we talked about, is there anything else I should know? I mean, should he get loose again... is there anything I can do? Or should I just depend on the tranquilizers and hope for the best?"
Adam hadn’t told Nick much about Carson, but he’d done a little digging of his own, just in case Adam disappeared and someone had to do something. He knew the guy was a disabled vet, and well-liked in town, so all of this did sound pretty shitty for him. Nick just hoped some of that high-stress training he must’ve had would help carry him through this, until he got a routine in place.
Nick shifted a bit at Rylee’s question and looked at her seriously. “If he gets loose again, you just worry about finding somewhere to run and hide. Put doors and walls between you, because he will tear you to shreds without a second thought,” he said, his voice steady and even. “There are ways to take them down, they’re sensitive to silver and wolfsbane ... so bullets, herb bags to keep on your person that might make him avoid you ... but nothing’s guaranteed, and I’m pretty sure at this point you don’t want to think about having to kill your cousin.” Nick gave her a faint, rueful smile. They still had a month, she might come around to taking real precautions, or Carson himself might insist, but Nick was sure Rylee wasn’t ready to load up a rifle with silver bullets just yet.
She inhaled softly, but sharply, having not quite thought that far ahead. Nor did she want to. She knew she couldn't kill Carson. Wouldn't. Was she willing to let him potentially kill her if it came down to it? It was something Rylee didn't want to think about, so she wouldn't. She would just take the right precautions to make sure that choice never fell on her shoulders. "I'll be doing everything I possibly can to make sure I'll never have to think about that," Rylee told him. "I'm willing to do whatever it takes. Preferably with the right precautions. And if you can just point me in the right direction with those... I'll be grateful." Even if it was with a few phone calls to find what they needed. Rylee and Carson could take care of the rest. "I just... don't want this getting out. I don't want people out hunting some rabid animal, you know? This such a small fucking town..."
It was tempting to tell her that now she had to think about it, she had to accept that it might become a real necessity, but Nick knew that wouldn’t go over well. Rylee was just now wrapping her head around what had happened to her cousin, one step at a time. It would only take one full moon for her to respect the danger, if she survived it. Nick was going to try and make sure she did. And Carson did. He nodded his understanding and made a little zipping motion in front of his lips. “No one will hear it from me,” he said. And he would keep to that ... unless the situation got out of control and his superiors really needed to step in. “And I’ll make a few phone calls and see what I can find, as far as ... accommodations.” Nick knew he could get the stuff, it was just getting it through channels that could disappear again.
Accommodations. Also known as a big ass cage. It felt as though her life took a sharp left turn down into Bizarro World. Or maybe this was just one long nightmare that she would wake up from eventually. Before werewolves and witches and empaths and crazy mirrors. "Thank you," Rylee told him, and she meant it. She wasn't sure Adam really knew how to handle this and she certainly didn't. Having someone in town who seemed aware and had connections eased her mind a little, even if she wasn't sure there was much for her to do for him in return. Standing from the chair, Rylee offered Nick a small smile. "Just let me know what you can find and how much it'll cost. We've got some time, but... I think we would both feel better if we had something safe lined up before then. And... it's not much if you ever want a free meal, come to Moxie's and I'll hook you up."
Nick stood up when Rylee did to see her out. Not that it was far to the door from where they were, but he wasn’t raised in a damn barn. He gave her a smile back, then laughed a little. “At Moxie’s? I’m in love with the place already, that’s plenty,” he said. As Nick escorted Rylee to the door, he touched the back of her arm lightly. “Listen ... I don’t wanna downplay how dangerous the situation is. Forewarned is forearmed. But it is possible to live with this. It’s a shitty New Normal, but you can deal with it.” Nick didn’t want to leave her with no hope, after all. He didn’t personally know any werewolves, but they had to be out there, taking care of themselves without slaughtering towns full of people, right? “And I’ll do what I can to help. I’ll be in touch with you soon, promise,” he added.
Rylee knew she probably wouldn't really understand the gravity of the situation until she saw it happen with her own two eyes, but she knew this wasn't good in any capacity, and that it was just one more thing for Carson to deal with. But Nick was right. They could deal with it. Live with it. If what Nick said was true, with the cage and tranqs... it was once a month. They could work things out and with any luck, Carson could live a mostly normal life the rest of the month. "That's actually the motto of this town, didn't you know?" Rylee's smile was faint. "Welcome to your Shitty New Normal." She took her umbrella and her smile softened a touch as she opened the door and looked back at Nick. "Thanks. Again. I'll probably never stop saying it. Your help means a lot."
Nick knew that was accurate probably better than most newcomers to Point Pleasant and he gave a huffed laugh, reaching to hold the door open for her. “So I’m gathering. But you’re welcome,” he told Rylee. He was out of bounds, dealing with this on his own. But werewolves happened to be close to his heart in a very weird way, as his first exposure to the paranormal, and he had grown plenty of compassion for those with the curse. He also understood how dangerous they were, and if Nick could save lives, he wanted to do it. His bosses would just scoop Carson up and keep him in a secure facility for the rest of his life; effective, but hopefully unnecessary. His life counted too. “Take care, Rylee.”