heartfeltsanity (heartfeltsanity) wrote in the_dome, @ 2013-11-20 00:16:00 |
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Entry tags: | 04-14-2017, audrey, audrey and eli, eli |
turn, turn, turn
Who: Eli and Audrey
Where: Their place
When: Afternoon
It was one of those days where staying in was the only option and Eli had taken up beside the fire, sketching away in his notebook. He’d spent the morning helping chop wood for people, his good deed of the day, and now he just wanted to relax. Maybe later he’d go see Corey, perhaps join her for dinner, but he wanted to see if the storm let up a little. When the electricity went out, he sighed, but was otherwise unbothered. They’d gone years without electricity; a few days wouldn’t kill them.
Audrey came up behind Eli and gave him a little squeeze on the shoulder as she sat down next to him. "Hey," she greeted. She was still up in the air over everything with Finn and Liam, maybe she needed a little Eli time. Also, there was the matter of becoming a werewolf, which she was still on board with. “You look cozy.”
He heard Audrey coming before she was there, caught her scent on the air. It was nice to be able to identify people without looking up from his work, though when she came to join him he looked up anyways. “Hey,” he said with a small smile. “It seemed like a nice afternoon to chill by the fire. What’s up?” While he didn’t close his notebook, he did pick his pencil up, his full attention now on her.
"Couple things," she said. "First - remember what we talked about before? About me..." she made a vague gesture toward him, indicating his whole self. "Things didn't go bad at the moon," she said. Which they'd wanted to wait for. "I wanted to talk about that again. How would you feel about it?"
“I remember,” Eli said with a little nod. Things had gone well. Incredibly well, considering, which meant he had no reason not to let Audrey in on it. “I’m okay with it, but I’m wondering how it might affect other people. I wouldn’t usually care, but Corey’s grandfather is kind of watching all this from the sidelines, just to make sure things don’t go bad. And then I wonder what Corey will think. Or if I should ask Jack.” He’d never had to take so many other people’s opinions into account and he wasn’t sure he liked it.
Audrey blinked, also not having realized there would be a lot of people in on the decision. "I...who's Jack?" she asked. "I'm asking you. If you're worried about what Corey would think, ask? But...I'm asking you. Ultimately, isn't it your decision?"
“Jack’s kinda this guy who helped me,” Eli said with a shrug. He didn’t know how to describe the loyalty he felt towards an almost stranger. “I don’t think he’d care, but he seemed to have a better idea of what was going on than I did. And I’m kind of torn on what to do about Corey because I want to do it for you anyways, but I don’t want her to think I’m making another reckless decision.”
"Another?" Audrey asked. "Have you been making a lot of those lately or something?" God, had it been that long since she'd properly caught up with him? Maybe so. They'd just both had their own stuff going on, and the werewolf stuff hadn't lent itself to a lot of talking, and he seemed happy with Corey, so...yes.
“Well, I… I kinda told Finn to kill me if things went bad at the werewolf camp,” Eli said, ducking his head as he looked up at Audrey. “I was thinking of things like they were with the zombies, how we had that agreement if one of us got bitten. Corey got a little pissed at me. Pointed out that there were lots of other alternatives and I shouldn’t have put that on Finn.” It was probably the worst decision of the year and he didn’t need another in his book.
She stared at him in shock. "You...what?" she asked, though she didn't need that repeated. "I...Eli! No!" she said, shaking her head. "I can't believe you'd do that," then she paused. "I can't believe you'd do that without telling me." She sighed. "...are you okay?" she asked. "In general, I guess."
“I know, I know!” he said, running his hand through his hair. “I realize it was not the best decision. I just didn’t want to risk hurting anyone and I felt like I needed a failsafe. But, yeah… not the way to go.” It hadn’t even occurred to him what that might do to Finn, having to kill him. If there was ever a hope of bringing him back to reality, it would probably be squashed completely. “Otherwise, yeah, I’m fine,” he said with a little shrug. “I’m used to the way things smell now, and the sounds. I’m just me.”
She didn't want to harp on him, particularly since it did look like he'd got the message. "I'm glad you're okay," she said, reaching out to give his arm a little squeeze. "And I'm glad you sound acclimated to things. How hard is it to do that?" she asked.
“Thanks,” he said, glad that she didn’t feel the need to lecture him further. He’d gotten the point from Corey and still felt bad about it. He realized now that options that threw his life away probably weren’t real options. He had a bit more to live for these days. “It takes a few days. It’s hard at first because you’re hearing so much more, smelling so much more, that your head feels like it’s going to explode, but eventually you adjust. It becomes normal. And then you learn to use it. I haven’t really had to work at it. I think it’s instinct.”
Nodding, she took that on board. "I still want to do this," she told him. "Maybe it'll even be better for you too, with two of us around. Our own pack. We already have one anyways, right?" She gave him a light smile. "And you can teach me what you know."
“I’d like that,” Eli said, smiling back at her. He hoped she wanted to be in his pack, though that was a dynamic he knew he couldn’t predict. For all he knew, Audrey might be an alpha. “What do you think I should do about Corey?” he asked. “I feel like this is your decision and that if I don’t help you, someone else will. Do you think she’ll understand?”
"I think if you talk to her she will," Audrey said. "I don't know her well enough to really answer that properly but if she cares about you, and you explain, I'm sure it'll be okay. And just assure her I have no plans to do anything crazy either," she said.
Eli nodded, then closed his notebook, setting it aside. “When do you want to do this?” he asked, leaning back on his hands. He hoped Audrey was right about Corey. He hoped she would understand. The hard part was that, if Audrey wanted this, he’d do it no matter what Corey thought about it. As much as he liked Corey, Audrey was currently his oldest friend and he wouldn’t deny her this.
"Now?" she suggested. "The sooner the better, means I can get going on getting it all straight myself." She had no idea what to truly expect, so she imagined it would be overwhelming. which actually had her pausing. "Wait - before we do that, I wanted to run something else by you," she said. Biting at her lower lip, she sighed. "...I sort of have feelings for both Finn and Liam, and they both sorta have feelings for me too. Finn I know, Liam...we haven't spoken since Finn mentioned it."
“Okay,” he said, taking a deep breath. They could do this now, if that’s what she wanted. It would give him a chance to really see if he could force a change, otherwise he’d be testing out the biting as a human angle. But before he could get into that, she sprung something else on him, leaving Eli staring at her for a moment, eyes a bit wider than normal. “You have feelings for both of them?” And why was he kind of hurt by that?
She nodded, looking down and pained at the same time. "....yeah," she said. She drew in a huge breath and let it out in a rush, before she started in on things. "It all started when you all were up at the auction, and I just...I don't know, got jealous. For everyone. And eventually I sort of worked out what was actually wrong with me, and I don't know. Liam...he's just so sweet, y'know? And, y'know, gorgeous even if he doesn't know it, but still. And Finn, he can be so caring, but there's all the Ranger stuff that I can't deal with either, but..." She trailed off. "I don't know what to do, obviously. If I should do anything at all."
Eli looked towards the fire, not sure what to say. He had Corey, so it didn’t matter, right? Right. Definitely nothing he needed to get himself worked up over. “I wouldn’t rush into anything,” he said. “Especially once you’re a werewolf. Things seem… more intense.” He found himself wanting to protect Corey all the time, even though she obviously didn’t need it. “I thought Finn was seeing someone…” In fact, he thought Liam was, too, but he hadn’t caught up with them lately. They’d all been so busy.
"Yeah, there's that problem too," Audrey said, clearly miserable. "Though Finn told me that he only was dating Avery because I told him to," she said. "Which I didn't know. I know I shouldn't rush anything either. Trust me, I don't want to. I just...you're my best friend. I want your opinion. Even if it's I'm a bitch, and shouldn't do anything with anyone ever."
“No, no that’s not it,” Eli said, reaching out and taking her hand. “They’ve both got their issues, but we all do. I think, if you decide it’s Finn you like, you need to see him as Finn first, rather than the ranger. And Liam… I just don’t think you want to make a move there unless you’re sure, because I think he’d take the rejection harder.” It would be so much easier if both guys were the way they used to be, the way that Eli never knew them to be.
Audrey was grateful for him taking her hand. "That's what I keep telling him, that I don't know him. I want to talk to Finn, not the Ranger." Though part of her wondered how big a difference there was, sometimes. Because lately he'd been feeling a lot more like...not the Ranger. But she couldn't be positive, either. "I...I'm insecure about Liam. I never noted him seeming interested at all. But he's so quiet, maybe that's why?"
“I don’t think they’re totally different people, but I do think they have different ways of seeing the world. I think the Ranger is so focused on his mission that it sometimes prevents us from seeing the rest of Finn… if that makes sense,” Eli said. He really needed to track down Chiri and see if she’d talk to Finn. He could use it. “I definitely don’t think you would’ve noticed Liam unless he wanted you to. I feel like he’s hard to get to know, too, but for completely different reasons. It wouldn’t surprise me to find out he likes you, though.”
"Oh, it makes perfect sense." Audrey said. Which was why she was having trouble with it all. But she knew she'd be having trouble even if the Ranger wasn't in the equation. That's what one got when one crushed on two boys. She also nodded to his assessment of Liam, he was spot on there too. "...I don't want anyone to get hurt. And if I did anything and it messed up, wouldn't that destroy what we've got? I can't be responsible for that."
“I think it’d only destroy things if you led them both on, and I can’t see you doing that. Picking one or the other…” Eli shrugged. “It’s what people do. Why not wait and see which one you develop stronger feelings for?” It didn’t make sense to him for her to try and make the decision now, when she wasn’t sure about either. And maybe just a tiny piece of him didn’t want to see either of them with Audrey. She wasn’t his, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t possessive of her.
She considered that, then nodded. “You’re right,” she said. “I should definitely do that. I don’t want to lead anyone on, period.” That was the last thing she wanted. “...you’re sure I shouldn’t just...bury everything?” she asked. “I’m pretty good at burying my feelings.”
Eli considered that, along with the chance to keep Audrey to himself, then shook his head. “That won’t make anyone happy. Not you, not Finn, not Liam. You talk about moving on, but burying feelings just to keep the status quo would be the opposite. If things change, they change. But that’s what’s supposed to happen.” She was the one that had told him that in the first place.
Audrey sighed. "I know. I just...yeah. Sorry, I'm sure I sound like an idiot." She probably wasn't making much sense, either. He was totally right, and she'd been saying the same thing. She couldn't back down now, just because things had gotten complicated. "I'll try. But if you see me burying things, give me a verbal smackdown, okay?" she asked.
“You don’t sound like an idiot,” he told her with a small smile. “But sure, I’ll call you on it. You don’t have to start by making a move of anything. Just spend time with ‘em. Get to know ‘em better and you’ll figure it out.” He could see either guy going for Audrey, so it really was a matter of which one she decided she liked better.
She smiled back. "Right! I can take things slow. This doesn't have to be some big huge thing I have to tackle right now." She sounded like she was talking herself into it more than talking to him. Which was true. Then she shifted, and hugged him tight. "I have no idea what I'd do without you, Eli."
Eli hugged her back, inhaling that scent that was just Audrey. He’d known it even before he’d turned, identified it as one of safety and trust. He was almost one hundred percent sure he wouldn’t be alive today without her. “You too, Audrey,” he said, eventually releasing her with a smile.
She grinned at him. "...okay. Now that we're done with my insanity...let's get this werewolf thing happening."
“Okay,” he said, climbing to his feet, then offering her a hand up. “I haven’t done this before, obviously, but I’m pretty sure it’s just like the movies. I need to bite you.” And he probably needed to be a wolf to do it, though that part he wasn’t as sure about. It just felt more natural than biting Audrey as a human.
She took the help up, and nodded, having expected as much. "Alright. How do you want to do it?" she asked. "And where?" She wasn't quite sure how to go about this, so she would follow Eli's lead. She thought she would be nervous, but strangely, she wasn’t.
“I feel like I need to be a wolf, but that might be because biting you as a human seems weird to me,” he said, leading her to his room. On the off chance that the guys got home, he didn’t want to do it in the living room. “Is my room okay? I can go in the bathroom and shift, then come and just… bite you?” He really hadn’t thought this out.
"Sure, no problem," Audrey said, following him to his room. She was getting that little thrill of anticipation down her spine that usually was reserved for hearing really exciting music. Or when she got so lost in the chords that she danced like no one was watching. "Sounds fine to me," she said, giving him an encouraging smile.
Eli was nervous. Not only had he never shifted on his own before, but he was worried about biting her. What if he bit her too hard? He didn’t want to hurt Audrey, but he didn’t think he could change her without a bite that broke the skin. “Okay,” Eli said, taking a deep breath, nodding to himself, then pulling his shirt over his head. “You’re sure about this?” he asked, feeling like he should ask just one last time. Once he was a wolf, it would be harder to communicate on his end.
She laughed a little, smiling. "I'm sure!" she insisted. "I promise. I'm absolutely on board with this. I'll sign something if you want. But if this isn't okay with you, I can go to...er...you said Jack?" she asked, not wanting Eli to be put in a bad spot, if he was super uncomfortable.
“No, it’s okay,” he said with a small smile. “If someone’s going to turn you, I want it to be me.” She might not like him like the others, but that was okay. They had something else, a friendship that wasn’t complicated by romance. And now they’d have this. “I’ll be right back,” he said, stepping out of the room and into the bathroom. There he could strip down and focus on turning, which seemed silly at first. How exactly was he supposed to force something like this? It took thinking back to the full moon to make it happen, remembering the feel of his second skin, the way the wind moved over his fur. When he returned to the room, it was in the form of a white wolf with blue eyes, staring up at Audrey, waiting for some kind of a signal.
She smiled as she saw him, getting down to the floor to get a better look. It was amazing. The zombies had been disgusting and traumatic, but this...this was something else. She'd rolled up the sleeve on one arm, and held it toward him, hoping her wolf form turned out to be as pretty as his.
Eli wagged his tail as Audrey came down to his level, licking her face. It was his way of letting her know he wouldn’t hurt her, except in the way that he had to. He looked at her arm, then to her again. There was a moment’s pause and then he bit, just a snap, but enough to break the skin and draw blood. Eli whined, looking up at her worriedly, the taste of blood still on his tongue and the scent strong in the air. It made him want to run, to hunt, to tear something apart, but the desire to protect Audrey was stronger, so he waited, watching her carefully.
She hissed at the broken skin, but she knew he'd been as gentle as possible with her. There wasn't all that much damage, just a few punctures from teeth. She'd been prepared for it. Watching the blood well up, she wondered when she would feel something happening. She smiled at Eli, gave him a kiss on his furry head, then stood up to walk into the bathroom herself. She turned on the water, and started to clean the wound, wondering what smelled so sharply. "Eli, I think you need to clean your...bath...." she trailed off. As she watched the water disappearing the blood down the drain, that scent was getting fainter, as others started to crash in. Soap from the shower, a tiny hint of mildew, the scent of fur, the scent of Boys. She rocked a little on her feet, catching herself with the basin. "....god you weren't kidding with overwhelming..."
Eli began to follow her, then held back in his bedroom, shifting back to human form and pulling on a pair of sweatpants. As much as he wanted to run and play in his new form, concern for Audrey trumped everything else. By the time he made it to the bathroom, she was leaning against the sink. “Are you okay?” he asked, looking at the wound. He knew it would heal fast, but he still pulled some bandages out of the cupboard before leading her back to his room and sitting her down on the bed. He could already sense a change in her scent, the kind he’d learned marked her as a werewolf.
She went with him and sat, letting him patch her up. "Yeah, just...the scents. Wow. And I can hear the rain like it's falling on a drum. I'm sure this is going to get to be a whole lot in a short time," she said. "How do you get used to it?"
“I don’t know. You just do,” he said, carefully bandaging up her arm. “It’s like your brain eventually learns to process it, but until then it’s almost too much. I do think it’s cool how everyone has their own unique scent, though.” He could easily tell Finn from Liam from Audrey from Corey.
She nodded, then got closer to him, drawing in a deep breath of his scent. "You remember them all?" she asked. "Is it automatic?"
“Kind of? Familiarity helps,” Eli said, putting his arm around her as she leaned into him. “You know how you know the smell of grass or apple pie or clean clothes? You know ‘em because you’ve grown accustomed to ‘em. It’s like that. The people you’re around the most you get to know first.” He knew a few others, but not like he knew those he lived with. Plus Corey. He’d know her scent anywhere.
She nodded, still drawing his scent, getting used to that. It seemed like it had a lot of layers, which she was guessing was normal. "I can hear your heart," she told him. She could also catch what she thought was the lingering scent of the wolf, the fur on him, or something.
“Yeah,” he smiled. “I can hear yours, too. It’s weird at first, but I kinda like it.” He found it soothing, the steady beating, though when someone else got worked up, he found himself reacting to their racing heart. “You’ll be able to see better at night, too. If we were outside the dome, it’d be awesome.”
“I can completely understand getting to like it,” Audrey admitted. “And really? God, yes!” she laughed a little. “This just...seems right,” she shared. “How hard is it to shift? Does it hurt?” she asked.
“No, doesn’t hurt, but if you’re wearing clothes, you’ll end up ripping them up,” he advised. What he’d worn on the night of the full moon had been torn to shreds. He’d known it would happen, but sitting in the cage completely nude wasn’t something he was willing to do. “We’re going to have to install a doggie door at this rate.”
She laughed. "Not the worst idea I've ever heard..." she said. "I suppose I should ask...what if the guys want to do this, too?" she asked, sitting back slightly, still trying to pick out all the different sounds and smells, which seemed to be crowding in on her senses.
“Um… I dunno. I guess we let ‘em,” Eli said, though he wasn’t all that fond of the idea. Maybe Liam, but with Finn… he felt like there were enough complications when it came to Finn before adding in a werewolf factor. “I don’t think I can tell them no after telling you yes.” It would be mighty hypocritical if they did.
She nodded, thinking the same thing. "'Kay, just wondering," she said. She had no idea if it would happen or not, but she figured she ought to get that cleared up sooner than later. "Now...wanna spend a while helping me figure this out?" she asked. She smiled at him, feeling good, about everything.
“Yeah, let’s do that,” Eli smiled. It was cold and wet outside, so spending it by the fire with one of his favorite people wouldn’t be a bad way to spend the day. It was nice to be able to share this with someone else, someone he was close to rather than a stranger. If there was anything he could do to help Audrey along the way, he’d do it, even if he was pretty new to it all himself.