Connor's Apartment

[Connor]

The bedroom walls were all but covered in posters and other things Conner had stuck to the wall within hours of moving in. There was the giant map of the world, surrounded by smaller maps, ones that covered a whole wall just on their own. The rest of the walls were covered in random posters and other things that he had placed up just to get rid of the disgusting colour of the walls. Clearly, the pervious tenant had no taste. And was colour blind, or possibly just blind.

The centrepiece of his personalisation however, was not the giant world map, but the A0 sheet stuck to the ceiling above his bed. He had to bounce on it slightly to reach the sheet, but that was the way Connor liked it. Plus, it meant he could lie on his back and study it at his leisure. A giant, detailed street plan of Los Angeles, a thick black marker showing the dividing line between the two packs. The line didn’t finish yet, Connor not having had time to completely track the line. Then he had to find each pack’s stronghold and somehow get a good look at all the members, as well as searching for every werewolf not in a pack he could find. It was a long, arduous process, one that always frustrated him.

Connor paced backwards and forwards, stalking from one side of his bedroom to the other, feeling rather like a rat in a cage. He was old enough to be able to suppress the wolf on nights such as this, but there was also the feeling that he was wasting his life on a pipe dream. He could spend the rest of eternity searching and still never finding Dylan. The world was a large place after all and werewolves knew how to stay low under the radar and avoid attention – well, most werewolves. Connor liked attention most of the time. But that didn’t change the fact that he had been at this for a couple of lifetimes and was no closer than when he started.

On his next pass, Connor spun the globe that sat pride of place on his bedside table, not bothering to watch it, his frustration growing. At this rate, he was never going to succeed.

He picked up the globe with a snarl, yelling as he threw it; “Goddamn it!” The mostly blue orb flew violently through the air, smashing against the wall and splintering into many pieces. Connor’s shoulders sagged as he stared at the mess, running a hand through his hair.

“Great. Now I’ve got to buy yet another new globe,” he sighed, shaking his head slightly. “I really need to find a better stress reliever.”

[Connor]

He couldn’t take his room anymore. The four walls crowding in on him, threatening to suffocate him. Even moving into the rest of his apartment hadn’t helped, because the wolf just saw was another enclosure, still trapping it. Connor rarely let it out as it was, certainly not enough to satisfy it. The wolf wanted to run free, or at the very least, for Connor to run so they could both experience the joy. Connor knew that to go running on a full moon – even in human form – on a pack’s territory was stupid and foolhardy. It was the type of choice that meant he had to move on faster than he normally would have liked… but then Connor was never one to go by the cautious route.

“Screw this,” Connor muttered, kicking at the fragments of globe in his bedroom. He turned on his heel and walked sharply towards the door, ignoring the little voice of reason in his head. The werewolf grabbed his thick black duster as he went, making sure each of his weapons were fully loaded and in the correct pockets.

Just because he wasn’t being cautious tonight and giving in to his baser instincts, didn’t mean he couldn’t be prepared.

Continued in: Alleys and Streets; Back Alleys

[reese]

Continued from: Parks etc.; Devonwood Park with Connor

The walk to Connor's apartment had been either a quiet one...or a very seemingly awkward one. Which ever of the two. It clearly depended on the person other then what was going through Reese's mind when Connor opened the door and the welcoming heat hit his face. Oh...that was quite nice. And it was a nice apartment too. Much better then the makeshift house he managed to make himself. Or the abandoned places he found while wandering.

The pain in his side had all but disappeared. Thanking whatever higher power there was that he was a werewolf. Otherwise he'd still be in horrible pain. And Reese...didn't deal with pain well. It shown quite often in the way he remembered being tied to a stake in the middle of a small village and screaming in agony when they set fire to the straw they managed to gather up.

He shivered slightly from the memory when he crossed the threshold, giving a slightly warm smile. "I'll sleep on the sofa..." He gave a forced grin, not nearly as bouncy as he was when he first met Connor. But slowly and surely that bounce would return to him. It was just how Reese managed to function. Though some would argue that doing that just made it worse when everything piled up on each other. He could deal. He always had and always would.

Reese blinked several times when he looked into the living. "...Is that a tv?" He tried to focus on the television more then the pain in his shoulder. Better to keep your mind off what's ailing you.

[Connor]

Post-Skip

Connor had risen with the dawn, as was his norm. Sleeping in was a luxury unheard of in his old pack and even though he was on his own now and so could do as he liked, he still found himself following his training and going silently through his morning routine. Sit ups, press ups, a silent Tai Chi act. All had taken place in his bedroom instead of the wide space in his living room, Connor not wanting to disturb Reese if he could help it.

Last night Connor had left Reese staring at the TV in fascination, after carefully cleaning up the wounds as best he could and applying makeshift dressings to them. Despite his tendency to get into fights, Connor had a very limited first aid kit. As for the TV… well he just hoped the other werewolf hadn’t found his collection of DVD’s – it did sort of ruin a macho man’s image when the collection mostly consisted of children’s shows and movies.

The fighter kept the door between his room and the living room open slightly, having already checked in on his guest who was still sleeping. Connor settled himself on his bed, legs folding under himself, his eyes closed as he began to focus on his breathing. Long, deep breaths. It was time for his morning mediation, where he cleaned his mind of everything.

[reese]

Reese's fascination with the television when he had found a rather comfortable spot on the sofa, curling in on himself as he slept. The young wolf's eyelids twitching slightly from the repeating nightmare that he usually suffered from. Though this was much, much worse. Humans...and fire...and being bound. Repeatedly screaming for help until his throat was raw and he could taste the blood rising.

The fear flooding his senses.

Reese panted softly in his sleep as that fear began to rise once again. No one ever saved him in his dreams. No one could save him from those. But...subconciously he sensed the presence of the person who had saved him this go around. Connor. Brown eyes fluttered open and he scanned the lighted up living room. No trees. No dirt. Inviting and warm. The pain in his side was gone. And his shoulder wound was already healing up. Thank goodness for Watson's healing abilities.

[Connor]

As he sunk deeper and deeper into his meditation, Connor had become more aware of his surroundings. It was part of the skill of meditating, that by closing off one of the senses and opening your mind to the world, you could hear and smell things so much more clearly than you could before. And if you were a werewolf with enhanced senses to begin with, then the scope was limitless.

He breathed deeply, taking in every tiny thing in his own private little kingdom. Connor liked to know everything that was happening in his apartment; right down to dust settling on some of the less well used items. He heard the panting and slowly his blue eyes opened, Connor moving gracefully from his lotus position to stand in the doorframe, quietly watching the other werewolf who seemed caught in a nightmare. The fighter knew what it was like to suffer nightmares and if the sounds increased or Reese seemed to be suffering any other form of distress then he was going to wake him.

Thankfully Reese seemed to wake on his own, and Connor watched, not wanting to startle him so soon after waking.

[reese]

Reese curled up on the sofa, glancing around the room for a moment. Watson gave a low whine in the back of his head. Still trying to get used to the events from the night before. He hated humans. Or he feared them. So much so that he never wanted to leave the side of another wolf. Reese propped his head up on the arm of the sofa. His blue eyes adjusting to the light.

"Connor?" The young wolf wanted to be with his pack now. He hadn't even met them and he wanted to meet them. His wolf pined softly, tilting his head to the side giving another yawn.

[Connor]

“Morning Reese,” Connor responded, slowly padding across the room and heading for the kitchen. He refrained from any of the bland comments about the weather or asking how the other wolf had slept – he had seen the answer to that question and didn’t really want to do anything that could remind him of it. His pewter bracelet caught the light of the sun as he paused to open the curtains, giving the room a little more light than before. Connor turned his head to glance at Reese for a moment, watching him yawn before nodding in satisfaction to himself and entering the box that was laughing referred to as a kitchen.

He pulled open his cupboards, surveying the insides thoughtfully, as though they might have changed since the last time he looked. A single bag of sugar was still all that awaited him and Connor sighed softly, shaking his head. He was going to have to do some kind of job today, he desperately needed money for a number of things and the pitiful remains of money from last night didn’t even begin to cut it.

“Unless you want to eat sugar for breakfast, we’ll have to take you to the pack first.”

[reese]

Reese canted his head questioningly to the side. He didn't want to leave the safety of the apartment so soon. But then again, Connor was going to be by his side so he was sure he'd be just fine. Humans seemed to fear the other wolf when he got reasonably angry. Reese, on the other hand, felt safe with him. He hoped the pack gave him the same safe feeling. Otherwise he might want to stay with Connor. Though he doubted the other wolf would allow such a thing.

"Is it candy bar sugar? I had a Reese's peanut butter cup back in England before getting on the flying death trap." He rested his head on back of the couch. He could live off of those candy bars of goodness. Best invention of mankind...EVER. Way better then anything he couldn't possibly come up with involving chocolate and peanut butter. So yummy. His eyes lighted up slightly with a hopeful glow. He wanted to meet the pack he'd set out to meet. But...he was afraid they wouldn't want him a part of the pack.

[Connor]

He blinked a few times before pulling the bag out of the cupboard and shutting it with his hip. Connor moved back into the main room, tossing the closed bag from one hand to another, a thoughtful look on his face. “I actually have no idea. All I know is that its white sugar,” Connor admitted, giving a small shrug as he spoke. He was well aware that having a bag of sugar as your single foodstuff item was slightly odd.

The fact of the matter was that sometimes he would just take a spoon, open the sugar up and dig in, munching down mouthful after mouthful of pure sugar. The rush Connor would feel after doing that was intoxicating, even if his werewolf metabolism killed it off pretty quickly – if he couldn’t get drunk every now and then, then he was going to go for the next best thing.

[reese]

Giving Reese sugar...is not exactly the smartest thing Connor would ever be able to do in his life time. The younger wolf tilted his head to the side in a questioning manner when Connor came back in with the bag of sugar, making a slight face. There were just something's he wasn't able to understand about some people. Eating sugar was just one of them. He sat on his knees, leaning forward slightly.

"Do you think they'll like me?" It wasn't as though Reese had gotten in contact with them. Some packs he had run into back in England weren't the most friendliest in the world. Some of them wouldn't so much as spare Reese a second glance unless it was a disgusted one. Second thoughts about something like this was not a good thing for the younger wolf.

[Connor]

Reese had snubbed his sugar. If he was a more childish werewolf, that would have no doubt insulted him. Or rather, if he had been more awake and energetic enough to feel annoyed, he would have taken it out on a punching bag or bought another globe with the sole purpose of destroying it. Connor wasn’t very good with dealing with rejection on any level. He also wasn’t very good with dealing with gratitude. Or question’s he didn’t know the answer too.

Not that he would ever admit it, but there were a lot of things he wasn’t very good at, when it came to personal contact.

“From what I’ve heard of the pack, they are pretty decent for a pack. They don’t run non pack members out of their territory unlike some packs I’ve dealt with in the past. Unless that wolf is causing trouble of course. They protect their own but seem willing to give new member’s a try. Just remember to be respectful to the Alpha when you meet them. No sudden movements until you’re accepted, because somewhere there will be a fighter watching you on the off-chance you are somehow a threat. I’m sure you will do fine.” It was the longest speech Connor had given in a long time.

[reese]

He hadn't snubbed his sugar...he just wasn't a sugar sort of guy unless it was chocolately goodness. Oddly enough. Though...he hadn't tried everything as of yet. The recent discovery of the television and reese's peanut butter cups was enough to give the wolf culture shock for the century. The sight of him seeing a car was enough to send onlookers into a laughing frenzy. But that was back in England before he got to LA.

Reese's blue eyes darkened slightly, giving a nod. He found reassurance in his friend's words for a moment. Connor was the first person Reese would ever consider a friend. In all his years as a werewolf, no one treated him like this. That he wasn't a monster. Of course the fact that Reese had a crummy past with wolf packs and humans before. He wanted it to change. It had to change. Everything had a habit of doing that sooner or later.

"A-Are you going to stay with me...just until they say that they won't kill me?"

[Connor]

He had moved away from the other werewolf at the nod, retreating back into the kitchen to snag a spoon which he then produced to dig into the bag of sugar. It wouldn’t be smart to eat too much – he would get hyper and considering he was planning to drive his bike and still look out for Reese, getting hyper would not be conductive to safety although it would be fun.

Connor crunched down on a spoonful of sugar as he considered Reese’s question and how best to answer it. “In all honesty Reese I don’t think that’s wise. I won’t help your cause if I show up, glare at them and then leave when it’s clear you’ll be safe. It isn’t going to endear them too you.” He eyed the now empty spoon for a moment before scooping a second and final lot of sugar. “But I’ll be close outside, don’t worry. They aren’t the type from what I’ve seen to just kill you anyway.”

[reese]

Reese chewed tentatively on his bottom lip for a moment. He really didn't want to go in alone. He wanted to hide behind the other wolf, just in case. That just went to show that the wolf was just a big wimp. He tilted his head as he watched Connor eat the sugar for a moment. His mind traced back to the previous night when Connor wasn't there and that...human.

He gave a slight shudder for a moment before nodding slowly. "I scream...you come in?" Just needed to make that sure. Even though through experience he knew Connor would.