hopechess (hopechess) wrote in thegrand_ic, @ 2012-03-04 11:32:00 |
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Entry tags: | casper jameson knight, chess scott |
Who: Casper & Chess
What: First meeting
Where: The Park
When: March 4th
Warnings: Low Rating/Language
Status: Complete
Chester Scott was too wide awake to go to sleep. He'd just spent the evening at work at The House of Blues. As a sound technician he always wore earplugs but it didn't always prevent the ringing in his ears. They were extra sensitive working in the music business for so long. He'd had his hearing checked and lost some of his abilities to hear the higher pitches. It wasn't uncommon for this to happen to musicians. So, with as alcohol buzz wearing off and a lingering buzz in his ears he set off to walk his dog (a white chihuahua) around the park in the middle of the night, not the safest idea. But, Chess hardly heeded caution flags. He sat down at one of the park tables where people gathered and played the game of chess remembering his last game. "Fucking bishop took my rook. I should have seen that coming." He was talking to his dog. The dog stared at him silent, but Chess just kept talking, "Don't give me that look. I know I should have gone for the gambit. I totally wussed out. My failure is shame." The boy just kept talking to his dog as if the dog understood the complexities of the game, but he kept acting like the dog was talking back and being a smart ass too. Finally he got upset and looked around, "Anybody out there? I have a dog for sale. Great with Chinese food I hear." Oh Chess really? Threatening the dog in public? "One dog, dog for sale!"
There was something about Boston, something strange that Casper just couldn’t quite put his finger on and the more he explored this new and unfamiliar town the more the fine hairs at the back of his neck stood on end, the more scents reaching his nose that had his inner wolf growling inside of his mind and yet he had not the faintest idea as to why.
He shouldn’t have moved to another city, he knew that the moment he’d laid his head upon his make-shift pillow and tried to sleep. He could hear everything, the night time traffic, the footsteps of strangers a few blocks away, the police siren wailing off in the distance but to him sounding as though it was right outside his door. There was even a rat somewhere in the building, he could smell it, and closing his eyes he located the furry rodent on the storey below, its tiny paws pitter pattering against the linoleum, its needle sharp nails scratching along as he went. It was driving him insane.
With a growl of frustration he pulled on his shoes and left the abandoned building he’d come to call home, dressed in a pair of dark grey jeans that looked as though they had once been tight but were now far too loose for his slender frame, his torso hidden beneath the warm folds a of a black hoodie that was far too large for him, in fact the only colour he wore at all was that of his bright pink sneakers and even they had faded and become dulled with age and wear. Running his hand through his messy, just past shoulder length blonde hair he found himself entering the closest park, hoping for something, anything that would distract him enough to ignore the sounds of the city around him. If only he’d picked some place quiet, some place with a forest, some place where an arctic wolf roaming around during a full moon would go unnoticed. He was idiot that much he knew for certain, if only...
The calling voice of a man broke through Casper’s thought process and a brilliant set of azure coloured eyes far too sharp to belong to any mortal roamed across the park, locating the stranger and the little dog beside him rather quickly, his nose scrunching up when he focused in and actually paid attention to what he was saying. “You’d really sell your dog to someone who wants to make it into food?” He asked the moment he was close enough for the human to hear him, his eyes filled with worry, concern and shock written all over his face, every word laced with the slightest hint of an accent.
The human sitting on the bench didn't actually expect anyone to be around. He thought the place looked like a ghost town when he first rolled in. Maybe this pale blonde was a ghost? Naw. Chester shook that thought off the moment it entered his mind.
Then he felt suddenly protective of his pet and patted his leg leading the little normally yappie pup to jump up on his lap where he gave some instant stroking down its spine. "No, I wouldn't do that to her. But, we were in the middle of a debate. I swear she thinks she's better at Chess than me, but he's not. And besides she's just a little too red carpet, gets a big head. He's a diva really. It wasn't going to kill her to have her shaken up just for a minute. He knows sarcasm is just one more service I offer." Then he looked down at the little dog and started to baby talk the little canine, "Yes you are. Daddy's little diva. Aren't you? Aren't you?"
Casper relaxed the moment he realized that the other was only kidding and then mentally kicked himself for even asking and making it sound as though he had actually believed the other to be serious, he couldn’t have helped it though, actual conversations with people were something that he seemed to have lost touch with, sure there’d once been a time when he had no trouble conversing with strangers but these days were another matter entirely. “Sorry, you just had me worried for a moment there...” Great, now he was even admitting he’d believed the guy out loud, way to go Casper.
“What’s her name?” He blurted out, trying to think out something that might just help him save face a little, not sure whether or not it would work though he took a slow step closer, eyes on the little dog, his movements slow. Dogs were strange around him, they either didn’t mind him, were afraid of him, or became super protective of their owners whenever he was around and hated him.
Chess's little dog was curious sniffing the air and Chess couldn't figure out why she was so calm-seeming. She was usually pretty yappy with strangers, very ankle biter guard dog. So, Chess just kept petting her trying to reward her for good behavior. He just didn't know the good behavior was going to be so short lived. Its whiskered doggie lip started to turn up, a low growl started to emit.
"Oh sorry I skipped the intros. This is my diva. She's totally being one right now too, ignore her, but her name is Hooker and no he's not named after a prostitute. That always gets asked. I named him after the late great John Lee Hooker, born to a share cropper family, only to ride his miles to juke box number ones. Now that's real blues man." He informed. "She's wears the name proudly." He added continuously flipping the dog's pronouns from he and she. "And I'm Chess. No not the board game. She's not a prostitute and I'm not a game." He explained as if it really needed explaining so the person across from him wouldn't be confused.
About to take another step closer, Casper stopped quickly in his tracks the moment the small dog started to growl, a slight frown making its way onto his brow as bright blue eyes flickered toward its owner, waiting until his eyes were on the dog before the young werewolf curled his own upper lip up right back at the furry little thing, it was all he could do to stop himself from growling back.
“It’s nice to meet you Chess but not the game and Hooker but not the prostitute.” He replied politely, not even realizing that he was still having a staring contest with the other’s dog, dominance instinct and all that had kicked into action and there was no way, Casper’s wolf was going to submit to a canine smaller than some of the city rats he’d seen in his lifetime. “I’m Casper but not the ghost.” He added, finally realizing what he was doing and forced his gaze away from the animal and back to the owner instead, offering him a small, somewhat shy and lopsided little smile. “Can’t you decide if Hooker’s a boy or a girl?” He finally asked when curiosity got the better of him.
Chess kept looking between the dog and the stranger. There was just something weird about the way he was looking at him. He leaned to the dog's ear and shushed it trying to calm it back down. The growl started to taper off but the dog still seemed stiff in posture. But, after Chess's initial thoughts when he heard the stranger show up out of nowhere thinking he was a ghost, he couldn't help but start to giggle when he heard the guy's name. His shoulders shimmied back and forth and his chest jostled. "As long as you're still friendly, it's all fine by me." Then his smile really seemed to shine. But, his brow rose shortly after. "Oh that? Well, her gender is not really for me to decide now is it? Sure I can lift his doggie skirt and see what he was born with but who knows what she identifies with? I wouldn't dare be so presuming and she hasn't told me yet." Chess looked absolutely serious too, or at the very least matter of fact, no off color joke there. He seemed totally sincere in his reasoning.
Casper scrunched up his nose and pulled a face the moment Chess started laughing giggling, he had a nice laugh, at least that’s how it sounded ringing around inside of the young blonde’s eardrums, it was oddly innocent and yet there was this hint of underlying mischief in the way the pitches rang like bells, it made him oddly curious. It was a good thing he wasn’t a cat.
“Yeah, yeah, get the laughs out of the way now.” He murmured out beneath his breath with a little grin, finding it hard to get too irritated with the other for laughing at his name when he saw him smile like that, then again, everyone seemed to get a bit of a kick out of hearing his name so it wasn’t anything knew after all. At one point he’d taken to calling himself Jamie instead just to stop those little snickers and sideways glances. With one more look in the dogs direction he moved to sit down beside the other on the park bench, making sure to stay out of reach of the animal’s sharp teeth, a bite wouldn’t bother him of course, the hard part would be when he had to try and convince the owner that even though there was a bit of blood the teeth had actually missed him and he was vastly running out of plausible excuses as to why he seemed to heal so quickly, it was far easier to just play it safe. “I guess that makes sense.” He finally replied, head cocked to the side as he thought about what Chess had told him, he was no stranger to things like that, growing up he’d more often than not been mistaken for a girl himself and yet that never bothered him, what he felt like on the inside though he wasn’t entirely sure, in his own mind, on the inside he wasn’t even human, he was a wolf, even though his other half only came out to play once a month. “As long as the little thing answers to both he and she and doesn’t get confused then I guess it’s a good thing right?”
"Aww, come on now" Chess reached out with one hand and gave Casper a playful little push, friendly, still grinning, while holding the dog back with the other, "I think it's cute, especially on you" he admitted looking around seeing a rather large man off in the distance starting his motorcycle up and revving the engine. Even from the distance and the vision being mostly a silhouette it was easy to tell this was a pot-bellied, but rather large biker, and with a ZZtop beard to boot. "Now that guy over there, that's a guy I would be scared to laugh at for it. Not cute. He might just up and decide to run me over and make me road kill or stew me up like Bug Bunny in a cauldron of hot water while he chops up vegetables right on top of my head. Me laughing just meant you feel safe." He explained with a lace of still giggly in his voice. "And it's totally a good thing about Hooker. He answers to anything. I've also decided that she must be one of those born geniuses that are gifted with languages. Maybe the reincarnation of some Dahli Lama or someone really special important. How else would he know how to answer everything no matter what language I speak?" Ok, now Chess was a little odd, he said some outlandish things. And half the time he was joking and sometimes it was hard to tell, but either way he was grinning. "Do you have any pets?"
Every month was the same, during the week leading up to the circular moon, Casper seemed to get jittery, things seemed to annoy him which was probably why he cringed and glared at the motorcycle in the distance when it roared to a start and broke through the moment of relative silence he’d been rather enjoying, tonight though, oddly enough not even the behavior of Chess’ dog was getting on his nerves. Maybe it had something to do with the park; the sounds of the invisible animals within were oddly calming even though they did make him a little hungry. He grinned when the other shoved him; even though he was playful he was pretty sure that judging by the size of his own tiny frame he should have at least shifted a little but he didn’t it was basically the equivalent of shoving a prick wall.”Oh great, now all the bugs bunny talk is making me hungry.” He replied, adding a playfully grin as an afterthought to try and cover up the fact that he may have just hinted at either cannibalism or bunny stew being appetizing, he really had to be more careful. “But no, no pets...animals don’t really seem to like me...actually it’s the same with small children too...maybe it’s a ghost thing.” Ghosts were good. Ghosts were a safe subject, unlike people and bunny eating werewolves. “Who knows, maybe one day I’ll find a pet that likes me...” He trailed off when he heard the sound of wings, his nose twitching just a little as he turned his gaze upward far too soon to watch the owl fly by and land in a tree not far from them.
Chess's jaw dropped in animated shock and horror. "You would eat Bugs Bunny?" He appeared 100% appalled but then he waved a gestured matter of fact hand, "I mean the Nestle Quick Rabbit? OK? I can see that. I think he's made of chocolate. Or the Trix are for kids Rabbit, gobble that boy down. Release his never ending tormented madness of never tasting such his rainbow cereal. But, Bugs? Per shame my friend per shame." He was chuckling and giggling by the end of it not able to wear that trying-to-be-serious face through out the whole questioning. It really just seemed Chess was pretty giggly through this whole chance meeting, having fun, even if was acting a bit awkward.
Then the subject came back around to ghosts and pets and Chess was about to say something back when that owl went by. "Woah. Did you see that? I want to touch it." And Chess slowly rose up, tied his dog to the bench and started to sneak-walk undetected on his tip toes closer to the tree trying not to scare the thing away.
Casper’s eyes had been fixed on the owl when the older man beside him rose to his feet and broke his attention away from the winged night creature, a slight frown making its way onto his brow as the young Werewolf watched Chess tie his dog leash to the bench and start creeping toward the tree. He couldn’t help but laugh softly as he watched the other, sure he was trying to be quiet and for a human he was being so, but to the ears of an animal the man might as well have run up toward the tree yelling, screaming and with arms flailing. The owl had already seen him, large round eyes fixed on the human and it made Casper grin because the bird hadn’t moved just yet. Slowly he stood up, sidestepping past the other’s dog that still bore a look on its furry face that suggested it would like very much to try and rip him limb from limb, or at least gnaw him to death while it tried to. Quietly, not making a single sound at all he followed Chess toward the tree, somewhat torn between wanting to help the other and staying back away in case the owl decided he was a threat and either took off into the night or tried to attack him, sure it may have sounded stupid but it had happened before, if he’d have been human he would have had the scars to prove it. “You’re going to scare him away making all that noise.” He whispered to the other once he was close enough behind him.
"I don't wanna scare him. That's why I'm being so stealth." Chess explained really thinking he was being damn quiet. He turned his head to glimpse the other, his Chessy-grin never leaving excited to be on some sort of mission impossible up in his mind. If one could have looked in his mind right then he would be picturing himself dressed like Tom Cruise spinning down from the wire from the ceiling in that movie. Chess put his arm back to tell Casper to stop but he stopped moving so suddenly that his motion wouldn't have been caught fast enough to stop - at least not for a human anyway. The owl and he had locked eyes and he crouched down quick practically in a squatting position low to the ground. "Fuck he's spotted me. Abort mission. Abort mission." Then Chess jumped forward, ninja rolling across the grass to nowhere in particular like he had to make a quick get-away. He popped back up to his feet with his arms spread out wide. "Fall back! Fall back!" He tossed out some emergency mission orders trying to save Casper from the owl.
When that arm was thrown back in a warning for him to stop that was exactly what Casper did , just in time too otherwise he would have walked straight into the other and probably knocked him down, as it was there was barely a centimetre between them when he came to a sudden standstill and froze, far too quickly and far too still for a human but that was something he didn’t really realize. When Chess suddenly dropped and rolled Casper’s eyes followed him and he couldn’t help but laugh at the other’s antics, completely forgetting about the owl for the moment until the startled creature took flight and swooped. His eyes weren’t even on it but his hearing heard it’s wings and in a reflex movement far too fast than what could possibly be considered normal, the young werewolf dodged the sharp claws that would have surely collided with the top of his head in a movement that was far too graceful, bright blue eyes watching the owl continue on its flight path away from the park. “I think you scared him off with all your mission impossible antics.”
Chess was shaking his head in denial, "Naw man. No way. He's going to warn the flock. We better take cover quick before we get rained on by flying monkeys or something." He ran to his dog as if this was an in dire straights moment. Hastily he untied the little yapper and scooped the pup up cradling her in his arms. "Time to seek refuge man. It's our only hope." He caught Casper's eyes then and couldn't keep up the act, breaking down into more of a chuckle holding his stomach. "I'm sleep deprived and starving man. They say driving sleep deprived is the same as driving drunk. Don't judge me." He teased, "I'm well over the legal limit in lack of sleep. Plus, it's time for Diva here to go to bed. I don't know how he talked me into coming out to the park this late at night. Spoiled rotten I tell you. I gotta get out of here and sit my ass in a lazy-boy chair with some cold tacos or something. You wanna come?" He offered.
Casper found himself just watching the older male, wondering whether or not he should tell him that an owl wasn’t a flock bird, but unless the guy was completely insane he wasn’t being serious, or at least that was the conclusion the young werewolf had reached and the last thing he wanted to do at that point was make an even bigger fool of himself. He was grinning when Chess finally met his eyes once more before eyebrows shot up in surprise toward his hairline the moment he was offered to go with the other. He couldn’t remember the last time someone had invited him over or even stayed and spoken to him as long as Chess already had, it was a bad idea, he knew it and his wolf knew it too. His wolf had a very bad habit of making its way toward familiar scents every full moon maybe though, just maybe this time would be different and he wouldn’t leave this town in a wake of carnage. “Sure, I’d like that a lot.” He finally answered, his eyes glancing toward the ‘little diva’ in Chess’ arms wondering if she’d just settle on glaring at him all night or if things would turn nasty. “So where’re we headed?”
Chess motioned his head for the direction to follow. "My house dude. There's a lazy-boy and a cold taco with my name on it in the fridge." Then he upped his steps, picking up pace until they made it to his house. He drudged up the steps though like maybe he was winding down by then and each step took effort. He fumbled for his keys and unlocked the door and then said, "Welcome to Chateau Chester or what I have also humbly dubbed and nick named, The Bitter End Ranch." He stepped on through leaving the door open for Casper to follow. He sat the dog down who went running under the coffee table, but stuck her nose out, cautiously keeping watch on the uneasy situation of the intruder being in her home. Chess made a path through the living area into the kitchen though and went for that fridge grabbing a beer and that cold taco. "You hungry man? You want a drink?"
Following the other with absolutely no trouble at all, Casper let his eyes wander to their surroundings, he hadn’t been in this part of town yet and though he wasn’t at all worried about getting lost, his nose was far too good to allow that to happen, he did want to familiarise himself with this place, it was something his inner wolf demanded with every new city, if the need to run ever did arise, he had to know his way around, all of his possible escape routes. When they reached Chess’ house his steps faltered a little and his mouth dropped open. “Pyhä paska...” He cursed softly beneath his breath at the size of the house, eyes taking in everything there was to see as he followed the other inside, not even realizing he was being spoken to until after the older male had stopped speaking. “Huh? Sorry I was distracted by the size of your house...do you live here on your own?...it’s huge.” Coming from a boy that had literally spent the last ten years of his life living in either run down little apartments or abandoned building, this place was like a mansion.
Chess shook his head, "First off, what did that mean before? You said something weird. And you have a different accent. Where are you from anyway?" He asked getting more curious about the other male. "But, uh Yeah no. Not alone. I live here with Hooker. But, other than that? Yeah. Alone. If you went on a scavenger hunt around here you might not find much either besides leaky pipes. I mean, most rooms are still empty besides the food in the kitchen, my living room slash office and the mattress in my bedroom. The best stocked room is my studio. I pretty much just stay in there. It has my lazy boy and all my instruments and stuff. I never even use the rest of the house yet. It has two sides like for two families. I'm hoping to knock down a wall someday so I can get to both sides without having to walk outside to get there ya know? But, slowly. I can't afford all this shit at once. I've only lived here a few months." He explained. "I never had anything that was mine like this before. But, then again I never stayed in one place very long on the road." Chess cracked open his beer and said, "Help yourself man to whatever you want in the fridge. Let's go in the studio though man. Seriously I think my knees might give out soon." Chess was pretty open, just babbling on about his life ready to get to know each other.
Casper was frowning again when Chess asked him what he had said and it took him a while to actually figure out what the other was talking about but when it finally clicked he ducked his head and a slight, embarrassed little blush made its way onto his cheeks as he listened to everything the other had to say trying to recall the last time he’d ever heard someone talk so much, he was pretty sure he’d never had. “Oh I’m okay for now, thanks.” He replied, trying to answer one question at a time so that he wouldn’t miss any of them, waiting for the other to lead the way to the studio because even though he was pretty sure his nose would lead him in the right direction he figured it wouldn’t be very polite nor very normal to find a room he’d never even seen before straight away in an unfamiliar house. “Originally, Europe...well Finland, but I move around a lot...and pyhä paska means...well it’s basically the equivalent of ‘holy crap’.” Now that the conversation seemed to have turned to him, Casper was starting to feel nervous, his muscles starting to get just a little more jittery than they had been back in the park. “So why do you have a Studio? Are you a musician?”
Chess just chuckled. "I'm going to remember that one so I can use it and no one will know what I'm talking about." He went to leading Casper through the relatively empty home navigating his way to the music studio stopping just in front of the doorway and turning around with bright engaging eyes very interested in Casper's background. "Hold up. Do you just have that accent cause of your parents? Or I mean did you move here. You've been there right?" He was tripping over his words. "What I mean is, wow... Have you seen the northern lights and everything?" Chester always wanted to see the northern lights. Casper was also right that Chess could talk like there was no tomorrow, and he kept on that way too, "I saw where they have a glass igloo hotel and you can lay right in bed and watch the sky. Oh fuck man, that would be the shit." Then he turned and kept going into the studio waiting anxiously for Casper's reply. "And yeah, I'm a musician, I always wanted to write a song about those lights." He shirked a shoulder, "But, I can't really write about a feeling I've never felt." Then plopped into that lazy boy he kept talking about which was right across from a slightly worn out couch which was across from all the technical electronics and instruments including guitars, keyboards, drums, soundboard, PA system, microphones, among a few others things. Chess wasn't lying when he said that room was well stocked.
Looking somewhat alarmed when he was bombarded with all the questions and the stare of utmost interest that Chess was giving him, Casper tried his best not to panic, even though his teeth had started to worry his lower lip. Chess was asking him questions as though he was someone interesting, he wasn’t, or at least he tried not to be, he didn’t want to be the centre of anyone’s attention and sure he knew that there was nothing from the massacre back in Finland that could be traced back to him unless the police knew that there was a boy running around turning furry every full moon so there really was no reason at all to be so nervous talking about...right?
“No I grew up there, moved here when I was eig...about sixteen.” He corrected himself at the last minute, sure his birth certificate said he was twenty-four years old but his wolf had his outward appearance pinned at around seventeen for a few years now and it just didn’t seem to be changing all that much, he was lucky if he could pass as twenty-one on his best days. Distracting himself for a moment by looking around the studio they’d just entered, having never seen one before, Casper eventually made his way to the couch and sat down, wondering if Chess had found it on the street, it had a lingering scent of someone else other than the man across from him. “They’re beautiful...the northern lights...” He finally spoke up again though this time around he wasn’t entirely sure whether or not he was talking to the other or just himself. “They’re like the end of the world...or the beginning depending on which way you look at it....the point where the earth meets something....somewhere else, like a secret we’re not supposed to know about...that’s what I felt anyway...when I saw them...” He let his words trail off when he realized he was getting a little carried away and with a nervous laugh he dropped his gaze from the other and shrugged. “I think it’s different for everyone though. And the hotel I’ve never been to.”
Casper was close. He didn't get the couch from the curb but he did get it from a secondhand shop, a Salvation Army, so it might as well have been the equivalent, not mention the drunken musicians that would pile into the studio for jam sessions sometimes. He was about to ask how old Casper was considering he offered him beer, but didn't swept up in watching Casper go on about the northern light like he was smitten. Chess's expression wasn't too far off with as much affection for the other's descriptives as Casper held in his voice. He was honestly drawn in and his gaze wouldn't have left the other's if Casper hadn't looked away. Chess shoved the taco in his mouth and reached to the side of lazyboy where there was a pocket and he pulled a notepad scribbling down Casper's words. "Don't worry if I ever use these words I'll credit you I promise. And I don't want it to be different, if I ever get to go there, I want it to be just like that, just like you said it." Then he sighed, "I can't imagine affording a vacation like that though. This is the first real job I've had like this. I'm a real nine to fiver now." He explained realizing he hadn't actually told him what he did for a living, "I work over at the House of Blues. I'm a sound technician. I've always been on the stage before this, not behind it. But, what do you do anyway?"
Casper blushed the moment he realized that Chess was writing down what he’d just said; it wasn’t as though he had given the best description in the world, he wasn’t really a literate person, maybe he would have been if he had of finished school, he would have loved to give the other some beautiful precise and poetic description but he just couldn’t, at least not in his English vocabulary, certain words just weren’t the same nor were they as beautiful in English. “Oh no, if you do please don’t credit me.” He blurted out before he could think to stop himself, offering the other a sheepish little smile as he tried to correct his little verbal outburst. “I mean....you don’t have to.” He added, biting down on his lower lip again and forcing himself to look around the room once more, anywhere but at the other. He wanted to ask if he had a band that he was a part of that was in the room a lot with him but he wasn’t sure if it would be a normal thing to ask because it was the different scents in the room that had made him want to ask it in the first place. “I just got hired as a busboy at a restaurant in Downtown, well, more of a dish-boy really. I wash the dishes...What’s the house of blues? Like live bands and things?”
All those shifting expressions pinking on Casper was the first moment Chess realized how cute the guy was. Chester wasn't really the type to just look at someone's outer shell first, and used to being surrounded by people, and had a certain amount of blocked heart that didn't bother looking at people completely at people at all, aside from his silly antics, and having a good time. But they'd spent a little time together playing in the park and talking now, but that was when he properly took him all in, even noticing his pink shoes for the first time too. "Well, maybe I'll ask you again if I use them, you might feel different later. And at least you have a job. I know what it's like to be down and out boy. The low down dirty out with nowhere to be." That was only a half truth there. It was perfectly true in Chess's mind, but he did always have family he could turn to. He was just the type to never ask for a handout or favor. "I've slept in my car too many times to count. And lost too traveling around not knowing where I was at. Running out of gas money and having to stay till I earned more to move on. Sucked ass so bad." He explained. "You've never heard of the House of Blues?" He quizzed. "You really aren't from around here are ya? It's almost as big of a franchise as the Hard Rock Cafe. They have them everywhere. But, yeah it's a restaurant and a bar and a concert hall. We cater to small time local bands to even big name head liners. Like let me think, here in the next few we've got a few big ones coming, like... Oh...Counting Crows, The Cranberries, Gotye with Kimbra, Johnny Lang, Buddy Guy. I get to work with them all as the sound tech backstage and stuff. You should come sometime. I'll get you in the back with me."
Casper was good at reading people, well at least he thought he was and it wasn’t something he really had to think about either, having the keen senses of an animal let him subconsciously pick up on things, like the way Chess had suddenly started looking at him differently, not impolitely or anything like that, just differently, as though he was actually seeing him now where he hadn’t previously and it made the younger male shift just a little nervously in his chair, eyes peeking up to meet the other’s gaze. “I know what you mean...when I move around I usually get a job and wait until I have enough for a new destination before I move on again...I’d like that though, to go with you sometime, I even just go there alone to see it, I don’t know who any of those people are though...is that bad?” He asked, looking genuinely worried, ears twitching a little beneath his blonde hair when he heard Chess’ dog move in the other room.
"You do that?" Chess was getting more curious and fully engaged in the conversation. He grew concerned the person he just met might be leaving sooner than later by a statement like that. He wanted to ask if he'd be leaving again soon, but he stopped himself. Some sort of innate habitual detachment from the situation trying to kick itself in. Chess had a way of being super friendly and present, but just not fully there sometimes. It was a self-defense mechanism from one too many times he'd gotten attached to people and they'd let him go like he were worth less than a curbside couch, not just lovers, but supposed friends too. The music industry was just full of ruthless selfishness and he'd been victim to it many times. "No no. Don't go alone." His eyes brightened again when he heard that. "No reason to go alone and pay for tickets when I can sneak you in the back and even scrounge us up something from the kitchen. They have the best pulled pork sandwiches you'll taste man." Then Chess hopped reached to that same chair pocket and pulled a remote and started to aim it at a CD changer. "It's okay you don't know those people either. You're not from around here and it'll just give me more reason to show you everything. Open the doors to a new world on you." Then he found the song he was looking for, "This is the Cranberries and it's fucking sad song. But I love it." He informed bending way over the arm to snatch up his electric guitar and plugged it into a small amp next to the chair. He'd obviously had this set up and did it all the time. It was his chill out zone. He closed his eyes when the song came on and strummed to it, mouthing the words like they meant something to him, gritty expressive faces as it went on.
Nodding his head a little in response Casper didn’t say much else about his constantly moving around the place, he wasn’t sure what he would say if Chess decided to ask him why he moved a lot, he could lie of course but he didn’t really want to straight up do that figuring he lied enough to the other just by not telling him straight up what he was, not that he’d expect the other to believe him if he just came out and said he was a werewolf, it could go both ways really, he would either laugh, or he would run out the door screaming like the only other guy he’d ever told and call the police, the officers probably wouldn’t have believed him but either way it wasn’t a risk that Casper had been willing to take, he’d been out of town long before the guy had even finished explaining. The truth of the matter was simple really, he moved around a lot because it was dangerous for him and anyone around him if he stayed in one place too long and because he didn’t really belong in any of the places he’d ended up so far but if he told Chess that it would be too sad, too sappy and a pity vote or a vote of any kind wasn’t anything Casper wanted to experience.
He flinched a little when the music started up and the sound of the guitar through the amplifier followed just because he hadn’t been expecting it and to his own ears it was loud but not completely unbearable and once his hearing had adjusted he cocked his head to the side and listened, the action looking almost more like something a dog would do than a human, his sharp blue eyes fixed on Chess, the very corners of his lips quirking up ever so slightly as he watched the expressions make their way across the other’s face before his gaze dropped instead to watch his fingers move expertly across the fret board of the guitar. “You’re very good at that...” He murmured out when the song came to a close. “...But the songs sad.” He added with a frown.
"I'm okay I guess." Chess answered. He never did give himself enough credit for his talents. He soaked himself into every note and every word of every lyric when he engaged in music, his only real passion in life. "I mean, I've won some awards before. Made it to the International Blues Challenge in Memphis more than once. Even made it in the top 5 before, but it's not like I won or something. I've won some local awards too. It wasn't for my band, it was an individual award as a guitarist." He shirked a shoulder like it was sort of meaningless. Chess didn't get famous. That's all he knew in the end. He went as far as one could go without making it and this was his life. It just wasn't how he pictured it. "And fuck yeah. It's too sad. Let's put on something else. Let's listen to a real blues man." Then he put on Buddy Guy. He sank real low in his seat for this one and slung a leg over the arm. He had been drinking his beer and he was still running on empty from the last day and half feeling pretty hazy in general considering how much he'd drank earlier that day, long worn off, but his body was slowing, all of it finally catching up to him. He got a real lazy look in those puppy eyes and wore a quirky grin as the sound hit the air and he played his own finger picking accompaniment like a harmony on top of the song being played. He didn't keep his eyes closed this time though. His head would sling back and even sang the song out loud this time. He was feeling mellow and totally into it, pushing the world away and just living inside that moment. That was Chess.
Casper thought that maybe he should try and say something to reassure the other because after all, from what little he’d heard him play so far sounded pretty damn impressive to him but the truth was that Casper didn’t really know much about music, nor did he really take much time to listen to it unless it happened to be playing somewhere he was but other than that he tended to steer clear from it, there was just certain notes in most music that made him cringe and had his ears ringing for days and for someone who relied almost entirely upon his keen senses, damaged hearing was not something he wanted even though he knew it would heal right up anyway. So instead he remained silent, shifting around a little where he sat on the beat up old couch to make himself a little more comfortable and ended up half lying on the couch, his eyes not once leaving the other as he watched him play and sing along, grinning at the way he sank right down in the chair. He’d never really seen someone like that before, someone completely absorbed and sitting within their own element, just being who they were as though there was no one else that existed in the world at that very moment, it was open, it was honest and there was just something about it that Casper found fascinating. He found himself wondering what it would be like to be like that, completely relaxed and just being oneself, not worried about who might be watching. “Well whether you’ve won things or not, you sound pretty good to me and I have very good hearing.”
Chess randomly picked runs down the neck of his guitar, tinkering a bit as if the song hadn't ended yet as he spoke, "Thanks Casper." His nose scrunched up a tiny bit in modest appreciation, his head canting in towards a slight lift of his shoulder. But then his eyes really started to veil and his body spasmed. It was a sleep-jerk, his body fighting the inevitable. He sat the guitar aside the chair and pulled an Indian blanket off the head of his chair and down into his lap, spread it out and finally kicked off his shoes from underneath leaving them kerplopped on the floor. He snuggled himself up into a right cozy ball, laying on his side, in that recliner. He had the blanket fisted and pulled up to his chin as he peeked out across to Chester. His voice was as lazy as his eyes. "There's a blanket behind you." He was letting Casper know he was welcome to stay and to cozy up if he wanted to. Unlike Casper Chess always had music on, even when he slept. Hopefully he didn't keep picking things that bothered Casper's ears, but he turned on something soft and even turned the volume very low, like his own brand of lullaby. He was still fighting that sleep like an infant though refusing to give up. "We should go to Waffle House for breakfast." He suggested looking kinda dreamy across to his guest.
Casper had his head cocked to the side as he watched Chess go through the motions before finally start to fall asleep, it reminded him of the one place he’d only ever called home, lying awake at night and watching all the other boys fall asleep, oddly enough, no matter how different people were from one another they always seemed to fall asleep the same way, that wasn’t to say that they all slept the same, some were restless, some were relaxed and dead to the world, other’s made noises, sometimes they cried and sometimes they’d laugh at what they were dreaming. Casper unfortunately wasn’t quite so lucky when he slept, he had nightmares and he’d stopped sleeping near other people when he’d found out he made wolf sounds in his sleep. “We can go if you want.” He replied softly, not even sure if the other was conscious enough to hear him at that point, “Do you want me to stay or meet you there in the morning?” He asked, chewing on his lower lip and looking around, wondering what it would be like to stay the night and whether or not it would be a good or a bad idea, if he did he was definitely going to have to close the door to keep the dog out.
Chess didn't know any of that of course he was pretty used to having people sleep in his house somewhere with the types of crowds he ran in. "I do want. I have a hankering for a big stack with all the fixings." He grinned, "Stay, it's practically morning. We'll just go together in my car after we catch some Z's." He rationalized. He was also very used to people staying in his home who didn't belong there. "Just if you've got someone waiting for you at home, you come up with your own excuses. I'll tell you what I tell everybody else. I'm not lying for anyone. But, you're a big boy, you make your own decisions. I dictate no one." This was kind of his party boy code with his own slice of morals. It was also his way of asking if Casper had someone who would be wondering where he was.
Casper grinned when he heard that, watching the other’s eyelids open, only to slowly fall shut again, it was fascinating to him just watching the other try to stay awake but after a moment of thinking about it he instantly felt bad, he doubted that the other would be so willing to fall asleep and let him stay if he knew what he was. The thought process had that all too familiar frown dancing its way back along his brow. “I don’t have anyone waiting up for me. I live on my own.” He told him, his teeth once again worrying his lower lip, his previous train of thought a very cold, and a very harsh reminder as to why he didn’t keep company, why he didn’t have friends, it was okay though, the full moon wasn’t for another few nights, just so long as nothing made him mad between that moment and when the other woke again things would be fine, things would be safe, at least he hoped so. “Good night, Chess.”
"Good" Chess said back without any particular pointedness as to which thing he was saying good about. But, as his eyes finally set on Casper's catching them for the last time. A very genuine Chester smile was cast between them as his eyes closed. "Good Night Casper." He spoke with an air in his tone, breathy. He was so on dreamland's edge. "My friendly ghost" Chester wasn't even aware he said that one out loud. He probably wouldn't remember it later. He was pretty gone and Casper would be able to tell too. The signs were there, his breathing changed to long deep heavy breaths and his mouth started to part, his whole body going limp. Hooker was out in Chess's bedroom curled up in his doggie bed which sat on top of the mattress and unless the wolf got up and directly crossed him, most likely nothing would happen.
Casper frowned the moment he heard that last part but he knew it hadn’t been said as a mean stab at his name, as much as people making fun of his name did irk him sometimes but no, he might not have minded and that might have been the only thing he picked up on but his inner wolf was growling inside of his mind at the word Chess had put at the start of his little sentence. ‘My’ His wolf didn’t like that and it was all that Casper could do to keep himself on the couch and force himself to stop glaring against his own will at the older male whom was sound asleep. Instead, he closed his eyes, took a slow deep breath at the now somewhat familiar scents that surrounded him and focused his ears on the music that was still playing, oddly enough it was a nice distraction and though he hadn’t in fact been expecting it to lull him into sleep it eventually did, who would have thought that music would actually be a capable solution to drowning out the noise of the city.
Poor Chester. He wouldn't even remember he said it and besides that it was used more as a term of endearment not to be making fun of him at all. He was so clueless to the wolf that lurked beneath Casper's skin. Hell he didn't even know that werewolves could be real, much less believe there was one sitting right across from him. The nap time would go on though, decently silent, aside from the soft music, and also aside from the few murmurs of Chess's dream-state, slurred speech, "lights. wanna see...lights. buuiful." He must of been dreaming of those northern lights again. That was something he did pretty often.
His body did finally stir eventually after a few short hours, smacking his mouth open and shut, "Casper?" He quizzed out loud not even with his eyes open yet, running on auto pilot.
It had been a few days since Casper had last caught even a glimpse of the peaceful nothingness that could be sleep, since moving to the strange new city he’d been struggling to block out everything around him but when he’d finally closed his eyes early that morning on Chess’ couch and drifted off into subconscious though he was out like a light. The wolf within was restless though, with each passing night the full moon came closer and he was eagerly awaiting it, craving it like a human would crave the most addictive of drugs. He needed it, he needed to run, he needed to hunt, he needed to howl and above all he needed to kill, it had been too long, far too long indeed...
As he slept Casper had his usual recurring nightmare, more of a horrid and vivid memory than a dream. It was the first time that’s he’d killed someone and not just one, but many, the women who had raised him and protected him, the boys he’d grown up with and come to know and friends and family, the children younger than him that he’d helped care for in the orphanage, it was only in sleep when he remembered every grotesque memory of that night that plagued him, when the wolf’s mind was active and running. He growled, long and low in the back of his throat, the sound rumbling up through the small male’s chest a sound more suiting to that of a wild beast than a tiny blonde, seemingly androgynous boy. His nails had dug deep into the fabric of the couch, tearing a small section of the worn fabric before the sound of a newly familiar voice broke through his dream state and his eyes snapped opened so suddenly that he was nearly blinded by the light in the room they’d forgotten to switch off, sitting up so quickly that his head started to spin.
Chester didn't know anything was wrong just rousing himself. He started to sniff and cough just clearing his system, pushing his lazy boy back into a sitting position. "Just seeing if you were awake man." He informed rising from the seat and folding the blanket back up and throwing it back over the headrest of the chair. He turned the amp off from the night before irritated he left it on. He doesn't like to keep his guitars plugged in when not in use. But, then stretched up to the ceiling standing on his tip toes leaning to the right and left and giving the world another big yawn. "I'm going to let Hooker out in the backyard. It's fenced." He said letting the other know it was safe. Then he crossed his arms and tugged at the edge of his shirt, pulling it over his head, leaving his heavily inked skin on display as he wadded up the shirt. He then put his arms up in the air and tossed it like a 3-pointer into a laundry basket and added, "I'm taking a shower real quick. Then we're gonna go eat waffles till we puke out our gut factories." He tugged at the back of his jeans as they were slipping not noticing the rip in the couch yet.
It took Casper a good few minutes to remember where he was and why he’d woken up there, he wasn’t exactly the most functioning person having just woken up but he did figure it out eventually, the other’s voice almost like background music to him mind and thought process before he finally blinked sleepy eyes toward the other and started to pay attention. His eyebrows shot up toward his hairline the moment Chess removed his shirt and Casper caught himself staring at all the inked pictures across the older male’s torso, sharp, bright blue eyes taking in every single piece of work before he realized just what exactly he was doing and diverted his gaze, ducking his head more than a little embarrassed. “Mmkay...sure...” He mumbled out, his voice thick with sleep, his accent just a little heavier than what it had been last night due to his tired state. It didn’t take long for his gaze to locate the tear in the couch , mentally cursing himself the moment he realized that he had been the cause for it, his hand moving to slyly cover up the holes in the upholstery, wanting to keep it hidden from the other at least until he’d figured out some sort of excuse as to why there was what looked to be a claw print right where his hand had been resting all night. “I’ll be here.” He added, his free hand rubbing his eyes and trying to flatten out the disarray of blonde hair that was sticking up in every direction on top and looking wilder than a birds nest.
Chess was being very nonobservant and didn't notice if he was being stared at in any sort of fashion at all. "Cool. Back in a bit. Make yourself at home in the kitchen or whatever." He offered as he left the room. He did what he told Casper he was going to do. He put the dog loose in the backyard and fed and watered her to, gave her a few extra treats for good measure. Then he went along to do his morning routine in the bathroom. Having guests didn't change how he normally acted. So, Chess... well Chess sang in the shower with Casper's highly sensitive ears it wouldn't be a wonder if he caught every bubbly measure, even his mock falsetto just being silly as he got himself clean and ready for a new day.
He bounded back in the room to find Casper holding a water bottle in one hand he stopped along the way for. He walked all the way in and sat on the far end of the couch wearing new but worn out jeans and Depeche Mode T-shirt. He held two sox in his hands and spoke as he unrolled them stretching them over his feet one at a time, "You sleep okay dude?"
When he was left alone in the room the first thing that Casper did was shift himself around on the couch until he was sitting over the tear he’d made, hoping that at least that way Chess wouldn’t notice it until after he returned home with Casper long gone from the house, speaking of, he couldn’t help but wonder if it would be better off if he took his escape now, maybe he should just leave while the other was in the shower, it would be very rude of him to do so sure, but at least that way there wouldn’t be much of a chance for him to break or accidentally destroy anything else between now and his departure. Those thoughts of leaving vanished though the moment he heard the older male start singing in the shower and he laughed, out loud and to himself but he couldn’t help it. He was still grinning a little when the other returned to the room so finishing up where he had been retying his shoelaces to kill some time, Casper looked up at him, able to smell the soap he’d used from a mile away it was almost enough to make him sneeze but he settled with just breathing through his mouth instead of his nose until the scent died down a little. “Surprisingly yes, thanks for letting me stay.” He replied politely, his hand reaching up to brush stray strands of blonde hair away from his face and behind his ear. “How about you?” He wanted so badly to ask Chess if he always sang in the shower but figured a human might not have heard what he had from all the way in the Studio and if he did bring it up it might sound as though he’d been eavesdropping.
Chester would have probably laughed himself to death if Casper called him out on that one. Chess had a good humor about himself. "I think I slept weird." He answered rubbing a bit at his neck. Then he bent down to slip his shoes on. "I think I was dreaming about reindeer sled riding in the arctic circle only for some reason there were no lights and I was fucking pissed I rode all the way to the circle and weather fucked up my sky man. Then the reins got all tangled and I couldn't control any of it and the sleigh was all swerving back and forth and then I slammed into a giant hill of snow and went flying over the top and landed on a frozen lake. I slid half across the the lake sliding on my back. Then when I stopped spinning they were up there. The problem is I never know if my dreams are really how they look. So, I can't decide if they're cool dreams or not." Chess was zig zagging his body back and forth, shimmying his shoulders, and making sound effects to describe what he was dreaming all animated with faces to match whatever action sequence he was describing, "Well anyyyyyway, You ready for some waffle-age?"
Casper watched fascinated and Chester practically acted out the dream he’d had for him and every time the other pulled a face or added a little sound effect the young werewolf couldn’t help but grin, he was quickly coming to realize that the other was animated in just about everything he did, it was almost like watching a cartoon, absolutely fascinating, at least it was to someone who hadn’t actually seen a cartoon since the age of seven. “As fun as it is to watch you act it out for me the actual dream itself sounds...kind of scary. I’m sorry you didn’t sleep well. I didn’t keep you awake did I? Apparently I’m not a gentle sleeper...” Licking his lower lip out of nervous habit he nodded his head a little in response, getting up off of the couch and crouching down to finish tying his other shoelace before standing up. “Okay, I’m ready. Last night you said we were going to....I forget what you called it...never mind.”
Chester was pretty animated. He'd learned to be in everything he did. It might have had to do with him being a stage performer? Or maybe the stage had him because of it. "It was exciting to me. Kind of." He furrowed his brows still thinking about it. "And you didn't bother me. I don't think I woke up even once. I'd been up for far too long before that. I was practically the walking dead when you met me." He informed. But, then Chess really smiled, "Oh you mean go eat waffles till we puke out our gut factories?" He stuck the tip of his tongue out biting down on it, brows raised to his hairline, wiggling it emphasizing how they were about to go smorgasbord on the Waffle House. "Let's go man. I'm ready to turn myself into a Pork-op-olis. What about you?"
Casper laughed when Chess repeated exactly what he had said to him and nodded his head a little in response, tugging the sleeves of his worn out and slightly too large black hoodie down over his hands more so out of habit because even though the weather was chilly out it never seemed to bother him, it could have been a werewolf thing or it could have been because he grew up in a place twice as cold where some days in the middle of winter the sun never made an appearance. “Yeah, that’s the one.” He told him, head cocked slightly to the side as he tried to figure out just exactly what Chess meant when he said ‘pork-op-olis’ he tried not to think about it for too long though because chances were he’d just irritate himself trying to figure it out entirely. “Me? I’m starving, I could eat an entire house so long as it looked somewhat edible.”
"Just don't go munching on my house dude. I have enough repairs to get to already. It's a long damn list." He laughed as he headed them both on out to his car. It was a red Toyota Yaris and the outside looked much cleaner and sleeker than the inside. He had fast food wrappers up in the dash and candy wrappers on the floor mixed in with foot pedals and wires and packs of guitar strings all just strewn about pretty haphazardly. "Sorry about the mess." He said half-way awkwardly because his mother had been harping on him to clean it up before someone important ever needed to get in his car. Chess laughed at his mom and said back that no one he hangs around would care, he already had a job, he wasn't trying to impress anybody. But, he found himself reaching over and pushing some of the mess aside in an attempt to make it appear more tidy.
Casper didn't have a problem with mess, mess didn’t bother him at all, sure the smell of old food that still clung to the take out wrappers left in the car had now clung to the car seats and filled his nose with scents that were far less than pleasant but he had smelt worse. No, the problem Casper had was with cars in general, usually they didn’t bother him too much even though he genuinely didn’t like them but on these days, so close to the full moon it was a struggle for him to even open the door, his wolf, hidden just beneath the surface of his skin had control issues, and did not want to get inside of the vehicle where another would be, for the short trip ahead, in control of his life. Thankfully the smell of old food and a mingle of other familiar and strange scents were enough to distract Casper’s internal beast of a companion long enough for him to force himself inside of the car and close the door just a little too quickly behind himself before he could change his mind about it all. “I’ve seen messier.” He told Chess in what he hoped was a reassuring tone, offering him a small forced smile even though his teeth were currently clenched together, grinding against one another. He’d hitchhiked enough in his life to know that both he and his wolf should be used to being in the passenger seat by now, oddly enough, neither of them were. Maybe it was a werewolf thing.
"I wish you'd tell my mom that." He laughed back finally turning the car on and taking the short trip to the Waffle House not so far away. Chester of course turned on the radio and had some Stevie Ray Vaughn playing while they took went. Chester bobbed his head around jamming like he hadn't a care in the world right then. And really? He didn't. Chess had a way of filing through life by the seat of his pants just going with the flow.
But, once they got all parked and the engine shut down, opening his side of the door, the smell of maple was in the air thick even for a human nose and they hadn't even entered the building yet. "Oh mah gaawwwwwwwwd" He moaned out stretching a hand up tall and claiming, "I'm going to order a stack thiiiiiiiiiiis big" as if a human belly could even fit such a thing inside it. "I feel like I haven't eaten in days." And point of fact he hadn't eaten much, the cold taco he'd shoved down held his system off, when he got to drinking like he had the days prior he would often forget to eat at all.