Seth's Bedroom

[Nenet]

Nenet loved all the aspects of Seth’s personality, even the darker side which he tried to keep hidden from the world. It was all part of the puzzle that made him uniquely Seth, although she certainly enjoyed the lighter, more silly side of him when it appeared, even if it did mean she had to be careful what she said or did – anything could be taken as encouragement and before she knew it, she would be caught up in another one of his crazy schemes. Which were enjoyable she admitted, if only to herself.

“And then Kyle would come and gut you in your sleep for showing him up at archery and who would I have to try and fetch my breakfast after that?” Nenet asked, an eyebrow lifting in question as she spoke. “And I’m sure you could take them all if you really wanted to. Maybe if you tied their shoelaces together before kicking them, that would give you the advantage you need to get away.”

[Seth]

He kept his darker side hidden from the world mainly because it genuinely intimidated him; he knew he could cause damage, and had done, extensively, in the past. When he had confronted and fought the rogue wolves who had taken Nenet, and other females, after so long searching, he had shed so much blood that he had been convinced he would never stop smelling it… never stop tasting it, even. He tried his best to not even think about it, in case he succumbed to a side of himself that he knew was best left untouched. Seth didn’t want that darkness, even if it was needed sometimes, in the world they lived in; he wasn’t naïve, or stupid — he knew people, regardless of race and gender, hurt one another, and sometimes violence and brutality was needed, but… if it could be avoided, then he usually opted for the path that led away from such things.

“Bah.” Seth realised he had let them descend into silence after that ‘announcement’, and quickly swept back into full gear; “Kyle wouldn’t gut me, it’s too messy, and besides, he has those tonfa-sword things and I couldn’t use those if I spent years trying. So it’s not like I’d be more awesome than him at everything… just one thing.” He grinned, and laughed about her idea regarding shoelaces. “Ah, Princess, I like the way you think.” Seth waggled his eyebrows mischievously, and then paused. “But… huh… you’d claim you had nothing to do with it and then… well, if they all came to kick me in the shins for revenge, well… I like my shins. I need my shins.”

[Nenet]

For so long Nenet had let her own darkness mingle with the other side of her personality. When there had been other pack mates to care about she had let the rogue wolves do as they wished to her, no matter how demeaning. Inside she had seethed at the treatment, brooded bitterly on it and it was only the cold satisfaction she had gotten from making her captives think that nothing touched her that kept her from breaking completely. Now she hid again, but in a less dark manner, scared of the complete opposite to hate and pain.

“Ok, so he wouldn’t gut you. But I’m sure he would find some way to show how awesome he was compared to you. And of course I had nothing to do it with,” Nenet replied in surprise, her usual tiny smile appearing on her face. “I’m not the sort of person who would suggest anything of that manner and certainly not one who would encourage you. But I would defend your shins. Can’t have your poor shins lost to revenge after all, now can we?”

[Seth]

Seth had spent those years trying not to think of what the rogues might be doing to Nenet, and the other females who had been taken; the ones he hadn’t reached in time to help or save. He hated that it had taken him so long, but he supposed something ‘good’ had come of it; his tracking skills were now one of his most useful abilities, lycanthropy aside. But the solitude of those four years, after being raised in a pack like the one he had been born into, had hurt him; maybe not physically, but the loneliness and even fear of being by himself… he had never admitted how badly it had rattled him. He was simply grateful that he never had to face that again.

“He’d bonk me on the head, like in those cartoons. You know, bang,” he explained, bringing his balled fist down in a comical manner, “right on the top of my head, and I’d go down like a sack of bricks. Out for the count. No more awesome.” Seth sighed, his expression almost forlorn. “Well, defence of my shins aside, I’m kind of hurt that you would let me take all the blame, especially since you know they’d go easy on you.”

[Nenet]

In those four years Nenet had given up hope of freedom. She had seen almost everyone she cared for cut down in front of her and those few left had been the weights around her although she never begrudged them that. As daughter of the alphas from the old pack she had had a duty, an intuitive urge to protect as best she could, willingly inflicting scars on herself that mentally would never heal. Sometimes Nenet saw their faces when she closed her eyes, demanding to know what gave her the right to have any degree of happiness when they had suffered and died in foreign soil, un-mourned except by a few.

“You’ll always have a degree of awesomeness to me. So long as you don’t let it go to your head.” She nudged Seth’s side lightly, trying to bring him out of the forlorn expression even if it wasn’t a serious and true one – she’d seen that before and made a note never to let him look like that in her presence again so long as she had breath in her body. “I would admit my part but they wouldn’t believe me. They’d just think I was trying to protect you.”

[Seth]

The male of the pair tried to remind himself that he and Nenet had overcome the odds; they had lived through something terrible, and he planned to do the memory of his parents and loved ones proud, if he could. Perhaps he hadn’t achieved that yet, but he planned to, no matter how long it took him. He and Nenet were the last of their respective bloodlines… it was what kept them fighting; what had kept them fighting during those dark times.

Seth smiled and rocked with the nudge. “I don’t let anything go to my head. I may be a brat, but I’m not that much of a brat.” He actually winked, the expression cheeky and fleeting but heartfelt and cheerful all the same. “And… okay, well, that’s a point. Hmm, it’s a conundrum all right. It definitely requires more thought and careful planning.” His eyes narrowed again, and he tapped his chin with a finger, feigning deep contemplation.

[Nenet]

All either of them could do now was try and live as best they could, honouring their lost loved ones by refusing to give into the sorrow and grief that could have so easily consumed them. Nenet knew that so long as she had Seth by her side she would never give in and allow the deaths to have been in vain. She would live her life and while it may not be much and certainly not enough it was all she had to offer.

“If anything could go to your head, I’m sure it would be expressions of awesomeness. After all, they are awesome.” The wink, as brief as it had been had relived Nenet, a tiny part of her worried that somehow she had managed to insult him despite knowing that was far from the case. “Perhaps it requires food as well, to help fuel the brain for all this carefully planning?”

[Seth]

Seth had, he supposed, decided that if they were going to deal with the sorrow and grief from their past, he could be happy and silly enough for the both of them. He couldn’t force Nenet to laugh and make jokes, but he could pick up the ‘slack’ on her behalf, and make life that little bit easier and better for her. It was his purpose in life; help her along, and improve her life if and when he could, any way he could.

“Okay, well maybe.” He smirked playfully, shrugging his shoulders and chuckling. Nenet could never truly insult Seth; he didn’t think she was capable of saying anything spiteful or cruel to him and genuinely meaning it, which helped him to take everything teasing she said in stride. He knew she would never hurt him, and that she more or less shared his priorities; the way he put her safety before his own, though obviously reversed.

“Aha, brain-food!” Seth blinked. “Not… food made from brains, because ew, but, yes, fuel for the brain.” He cleared his throat with a sheepish little smile.

[Nenet]

There was no Nenet without Seth, not really. He was so much a part of her that she felt him being happy meant she was just as happy and sharing in his feeling, even if she couldn't actually feel what he felt. It was enough to see him laugh and smile, one of the few things she really wanted from life.

“You do have a way of bringing up the most delightful imagery.” Nenet's nose wrinkled up in fake disgust as she spoke, letting Seth know just what she thought of food made from brains. Even if she had tried Sheep brains once long ago, in another life. It hadn't tasted nice then and she doubted it would taste nice now. “Shall we go and find you some fuel for your brain then?”

[Seth]

Seth laughed as if proud of his ability to provoke that fake-disgust, though he had actually kept from conjuring such a mental image himself. Naturally part-wolf though he was, he had no desire to find out about such foodstuffs. He would settle for making jokes about it, rather than imagining what it would be like, or actually trying it anytime in the foreseeable future.

“Fuel for the brain,” he sighed, nodding his head. “Mmm, that sounds good.” He flashed her a grin, and then swept over to the door, pulling it open with a dramatic gesture that ended in a bow, his arm waving for her to go first. Seth was nothing if not spontaneously flamboyant, but only ever if he could entertain or otherwise amuse Nenet.

[Nenet]

Now that she was thinking about sheep brains, Nenet was finding it hard to stop. Seth was lucky that he hadn't been there when she had been forced to try the food – but then if Seth had been there, she wouldn't have tried it, wouldn't have been in that situation at all and so the whole train of thought was meaningless, just another pointless thing for her to dwell on every now and then when alone in the dark.

She dipped her head ever so slightly in acceptance and thanks for Seth opening the door for her, finding the old fashioned gentlemanly action charming when from the other Egyptian wolf. Nenet's skirt rustled as she moved gracefully through the open gap, her ornate dresses beautiful in appearance but hardly any good should she ever wish to sneak up on someone – Nenet couldn't imagine giving up her outfits for such a thing, now in this pack, not when Seth was around. “Thank you.”

Continued in: Hallways with; Seth

[Nenet]

POST TIMESKIP

Only humans would have created a game such as Risk where the aim was to try and take over the whole world. It wasn't the only game on the theme, not by a long shot, but it was one of the first and to Nenet's mind, one of the best. Complicated in its own right but simple enough to grasp the basics of, to understand and it was all about thinking ahead. Still, it was a very human like thing to invent. Then again, only a wolf like Seth would have enjoyed it with such unabashed glee, Nenet's expression softening a little as she took in her friend sitting across the board from her, staring down intently as he worked through his move. It had been far too long since they had done this.

The last few weeks had been more frantic than she was perhaps used to, dealing with the arrival of three new pack members - or at the very least potential pack members - while at the same time loosing some of the most important members and the whole shift of change, while inevitable, still left a nasty taste in Nenet's mouth. She tried to mask her concern at the changes by being there for Owen as much as he would let her, tried to mask her dislike of the fact that the new possible members had come to them so scared and hurt. It reminded Nenet too much of her own past, even though the details were different. The fact that there were still people in this world that would hurt others upset Nenet, the regal woman hiding her emotions to try and aid Owen, while seeking comfort with her best friend.

In all honesty, she didn't mind the game as much as her outward appearance might suggest, and even conceded that there was fun to be had in trying to rule the world, more so if it meant having to beat Seth in the process. Clearly he was better suited to the role of loyal second in command, following her every whim and order, except he was a dirty little cheater, trying to distract with his stories while illegally building up his armies. And if he cheated now, maybe he would cheat as a second in command and not really be as loyal as he would claim. "You're cheating again," Nenet announced, eyes narrowing and she saw through his attempts to sneak extra pieces onto the board and so bolster up his defences. Seth could cheat all he wanted, but next turn Egypt was hers. And once she won, she would give him some kind of ceremonial role within the new world order, maybe her fan barer. Yes, Nenet rather liked the sound of that, internal giggle easily smoothed down as she stared across at him, waiting for the denial or admission.

[Seth]

They were both of them wolves who had lived through a great deal of change in their years, though Seth was of the opinion that you could never really adapt to change because each one was different. In their lifetimes they had been born into a pack in a whole other country, spoken a different language for years, seen family and friends come and go in the most tragic way possible, hardened and acted in dark ways they'd never really wanted, and travelled clean across the globe to the other side of the world in order to get away from it all, all that shadow and death and blood that had hung heavy around them in their homeland. Seth and Nenet were accustomed to change, they had experienced it a great deal themselves, but that didn't mean that the changes of late hadn't affected them each in their own ways.

The new wolves were curiosities to Seth, but he'd kept his distance. He didn't understand what it was like to be one thing and then another, human and then not, and so he knew that curiosity of his was far from helpful, the new additions -- even if they didn't end up staying -- didn't need his inquisitiveness, it wouldn't make the adjustments in their lives any easier. When the time came for them to welcome harmless distraction, that was when Seth and others like him would prove useful, and he was fully prepared to play that part when it was needed. For now, though, he would keep his distance, respect their boundaries and all that palpable confusion. He knew that Nenet was spending time with Owen, the oldest of the new wolves -- though, from what they had been able to gather, ironically, the one who had become a wolf last -- and he admired her for that, but he couldn't help with that. It wasn't his place.

"What?" Blue eyes lifted, widened, and founds Nenet's gaze across the board. Oh. Without turning or dipping his head, Seth angled his eyes down and across to his left hand. "What, this?" Lifting his hand and rolling the piece into full view, he offered a smile. "That's been there the whole time. Really. You just didn't see these guys, all tucked up in the back. They were playing cards, relaxing, waiting for the right moment to strike. They're like ninjas, only... not so much." Would she buy it? Not even slightly, but half the fun was in spinning the story, and the youthful smile didn't slip for a moment.

[Nenet]

As much as she had tried to help Owen, she knew she could never fully understand what he was going through. Nenet had been born a wolf and had the fact she was a werewolf impressed upon her almost from the moment of her birth and so there had never been any doubt in her mind as to what and who she was. Her wolf had always been apart of her, another side and a faithful companion. It had been her wolf along with the memories of her family, the reminders of her duty that had kept Nenet going through her darkest days and so it was beyond her to truly understand what it was like to spend so much of your life alone, before suddenly having a wolf pressed upon you. She tried not to ask questions, not to press any further than Owen was willing to share, remaining a quiet and hopefully soothing presence in the background. If he ever had any questions about being a wolf, then Nenet would be more than happy to answer and help him, but she wouldn't force more things on him.

Nenet met his gaze squarely as he feigned innocence, acted as though he hadn't done anything by trying to cheat and was even now attempting to bluff his way into being allowed to keep his misbegotten extra pieces. She huffed lightly, eyes narrowing at the attempt to spin a story, her expression making it clear that she was not buying a single word of his claims. "Playing cards you say?" Nenet broke his gaze to glance down at the board, reaching out to the box and pulling out an extra piece of her own. "It's well known that cards are dangerous little things, you lower your guard for a moment and they attack," she told him, sweeping down and using the piece in her hand to know his naughty one over.

[Seth]

Seth could only imagine -- because he knew it wasn't right to ask, even of the older wolves who had been turned rather than born -- what it must be like to be only one thing for so long and then suddenly become two things, practically overnight. Then again, Seth was of the mind that the wolf was part of him, not something separate and living within. Certainly sometimes it felt like his human and wolf sides were at war, conflicted on a matter rather than united and harmonious, but there had never been any doubt in his heart or mind that they were one at all times. He simply couldn't imagine that ever changing, and though he knew in time werewolves who were bitten and not born came to understand the benefits of the change they had undergone, he couldn't wrap his mind around that kind of shift and addition to a life that, to him, would have seemed so empty and lonely before the wolf.

It wasn't so much bluffing as relying on his behaviour, cheeky and boyish as it was, being endearing to Nenet. Seth had been using that factor as a weapon in their harmless games for decades now, and fell back on the tactic often. His blue eyes widened at her assault, jaw dropping at the reminder of cards and all their underhanded tricks. "You fiend!" he gasped, pointing his finger at the now-tumbled piece and then at the one in her hand. "An unprovoked attack! Oh, now you've done it. The general of my army won't like that at all. He was willing to be honourable, enter into negotiations for a ceasefire, but now? Oh, no, not now." There was a sigh in his voice as though it were a great shame for him to speak the words, his head shaking back and forth, his eyes lowering to his pieces. "And his poker buddy was in that little platoon you just cruelly massacred. Oh, this is not good. Not good at all. It's going to be a bloodbath!"