Its not okay

[Wendy Berber]
*Its late. She's so psyched from her first day at Triarii that there's no chance the skinny kin can sleep, and so she's reading on the sofa, a single light on in the packhouse. The house is quiet except for the rattle of a shutter against the siding, and the steady drip of the leaky bathroom tap.*

[Boy]
And the rattle is joined by the sound of footfalls on the cement steps out front. Then a shuffling. Then a bump at the front door. It sounds like there's something scratching for a moment, but then it stops and is replaced by silence.

Which is in turn replaced by a knock at the door.

[Wendy Berber]
*Wendy starts a little, pushing her glasses up and padding in socked feet to the door. She's in her "men's shirt/shorts" arrangement that she seems to favor around the house. She moves the curtain to the side and looks through the window cautiously.*

[Boy]
Its a little hard to see. There's someone slumped in front of the door. No, against the door. A moment later that someone stands up straight. Its Boy. Sort of. He's sweaty and his eyes are red. He squints back at the skinny girl in the window.

"Weeendy. My key won't fit."

[Wendy Berber]
Your key....won't fit? *She's opening the door, brow pinched in concern as she offers the boy her skinny hand.* Um.. did it get bent? Are you ok? *The house smells like pinesol.*

[Boy]
And he smells like something else. Something far heavier and muskier than pine.

"I dunno." He says nonchalantly. "It just wouldn't fit. I'm fine. Just had a long walk. Man, I'm thirsty. How are you?"

His hand touched on her shoulder as he entered. Other than that his mind seemed to be on the kitchen, which is where he was headed.

[Wendy Berber]
*Wendy sniffs as he breezes past her, shutting and locking the door before crinkling her nose and heading after him to the kitchen.* Oh, um careful.. I just washed the floor. it mights till be um, wet.

[Boy]
He stops just then, balancing in his own tracks.

"Mm-mm. I don't want to muddy the place. I think I'll..."

He begins to take off his shoes and sets them aside, before proceeding. Leaving fuzzy, sock shaped track marks on the wet floor. They go this way as he gets a glass from the locker, that way as he pours some water from the fridge, and the next way as he finally hoists himself up on the counter to drink it.

"Ah. That's better. So how come you're still up?"

[Wendy Berber]
*Wendy watches his path across the floor with a little look of dismay, then pads into the kitchen herself with a shrug. She moves to the freezer and dishes herself up a bowl of tiger tiger icecream.* I c-couldn't sleep. I like my job. Alot. I get to um, work with computers. .. I was reading. Oh.. um. *she offers up the half empty container.* W-want some?

[Boy]
"Ooh! Ice cream. I love ice cream. I'll share it with you. Pass me a spoon. Mm. Ice cream. So, where is this new job anyway? What will you be doing?"

[Wendy Berber]
Oh um. OKay. Its orange and licorice.. Its called Tiger Tiger. Because of, um, well the stripes. *She gestures with her spoon, putting the rest of the ice cream in the fridge and fishing spoons out from the drawer. Once done she leans back on the counter beside him, Bowl cradled in skinny fingers between them. * I um, well I'm just doing basic c-coding right now. But maybe I'll actually be able to um, come up with the programs myself.. someday? *She gives a nervous smile, shrugging skinny shoulders.*

[Boy]
"C-coding? Is that like that internet thing you showed me?"

Every so often he scoops some ice cream up and takes his time licking it off the spoon.

[Wendy Berber]
Oh um. yeah.. I write instructions sorta. to make the computer do things. *She nods and tries to eat ice cream at the same time. Not advisable, as half a spoonful of orange and black plops on her shirt. *she quirks her lips into a frown.* Crap.. *She starts looking around for a papertowel, not sure where she'd put them after her futile floorwashing.*

[Boy]
Boy chuckles at that, and reaches out for the blob of icecream on her shirt.

"You're messy." he says, as he leaves most of the melting ice cream on her shirt, and has managed to put the rest on his fingers, where it will no doubt become sticky in a matter of minutes.

"Um....we need...um...."

[Administrator]
....., welcome to Lake View (Northside) (Now)

[Administrator]
..... has switched to Caern & Surrounding Territories (Now)

[Wendy Berber]
.um. yeah. *That's a blush. She nods, resorting to wiping most of the ice cream on her hands and rinsing them in the sink. She stoops to check in a lower cupboard for towels and nearly takes herself out on Boy's knee, forehead glancing off with a sharp clunk.* Ouch.

[Boy]
"Ohno!" He does indeed say it as one word, and a moment later he's hopped down, both hands waiting to catch her on her sides. And he's looking up, yes up, at her forehead.

"Are you okay? Are you hurt?"

[Wendy Berber]
*Her glasses are a little askew, the wire in the middle coming untwined where it holds them together. She blinks rapidly, hand coming to her forehead as she straightens and looks down. Cheeks pink.* um. yeah.. its ok. I'm j-just clumsy sometimes. *Or all the time. She offers a small apologetic smile* Is your um, knee ok? *She sets the ice cream down on the counter.*

[Boy]
"My...heh...my knee?" Another chuckle, and he's got his arms around her, hugging her gingerly before stepping away again.

"My knee is fine. Maybe we should go sit down."

[Wendy Berber]
*She doesn't quite have time to return the hug before he's stepped away. She turns and puts the ice cream back in the freezer and nods, moving after him.* Um, ok. Did you have a good night?

[Boy]
"I...Y'know, I think I did. I saw Marcus. He wants my help in starting a business, so I may have a job soon too. Nothing as impressive as you and Marrick, but its something. And...I did something I haven't done since Oklahoma. And it feels...alright."

He notes Wendy's abandoned book in the couch and sits near it, leaving space for her.

"See, I said Oklahoma and I'm not crying. That's good right?"

[Wendy Berber]
*She sits on the love seat, tilting her head and righting her glasses. And doing in again. And then a third time, a quirk of her lips as they just won't stay straight. But when boy starts talking about OK she leaves them be, setting her book to the floor and nodding.* Yessir. That is good. I mean its, um, its still ok to cry when you feel sad, but.. this means you're feeling better.. right? *She nibbles a finger and watches him.*

[Boy]
"I think so. I think I am. I think...I think I needed this. To stop looking for people to care for me. To start looking for people i care about instead. I think that's like...growing up."

He squints at her a bit, and slowly his hand reaches up.

"Lemme see those glasses."

[Wendy Berber]
*She nods, letting him take them, before tucking wispy black hair behind her ears. It was getting long. She let it grow much longer and she'd hardly be able to see. She looks to her knees, squinty without her specs.* I think.. Its supposed to work both ways. Y-you know?

[Boy]
"What do you mean?" He says idly, looking at the glasses from different angles to see just where it was bent.

[Wendy Berber]
*The glasses are broken. In two. Held together with a combination of tape and copper wire looped inside the nose guards. The copper wire has come loose, allowing for bend. Wendy for her part shifts uncomfortably.* i mean.. um. People are supposed to care for you. too. The people that you care for. I mean.

[Boy]
"Oh."

He frowns at the glasses. He could fix this, he thinks. He could fix this if he had the right tools and materials. And if his fingertips weren't so fuzzy. Best to just tighten it all up.

"I hope so. I mean a part of me does. I know I'm supposed to be...stronger...than this. But a part of me just wants the comfort of...tiger tiger ice cream and someone else to open the door when I can't. Hm-mm. No. Lets not talk about this."

He slips the glasses on his own face, blinking and squinting behind the frames.

"Wow."

[Wendy Berber]
Oh. um. yeah. I'm pretty blind. *She nods, rubbing the back of her neck and smiling shyly.* You... You look.. sorta nerdy. *She lets the rest of his comments go. Wendy was good like that. Good at listening, when she wasn't scared of you.* My prescription is v-very strong. Your eyes are probably p-perfect. I've never seen a.. well.. trueborn with glasses.

[Boy]
"Heh. I have. But he didn't really count."

He takes them off and blinks. Hard, allowing his eyes to refocus on their own. He begins to hand them back, but catches a glimpse of her.

"Oh...Hi." He smiles, withdrawing the glasses before she can reach them.

[Wendy Berber]
Hi?! I'm.. wh-what? *She gives a confused shake of her head, having reached out for the glasses only to have them taken away. A smile works its way onto thin features.* I n-need those to um, to see you! *She leans forward to take them, laughing a little as she squints ink blue eyes, trying to focus better.*

[Boy]
"You're almost a different person without them. You look different. Alright, alright. Let me put them on for you. Ready?"

[Wendy Berber]
I know. I just.. I'm no good with contacts. I'm too.. way too clumsy. I'd go b-blind. *She clears her throat, correcting.* Um, Blind-er. Oh. Ok. *She ducks her head a little, watching him out of the tops of her eyes, staying still as possible so she doesn't end up with her eye poked out.* R-ready.

[Boy]
The glasses are slipped on, and along with the sudden sheen of clear vision comes the sudden realization of just how close Boy's face was to hers. And how little he had to move to snatch a kiss from her. No shyness. No apprehension. Just the sudden affectionate mischief, immediately followed by loopy laughter.

[Wendy Berber]
*He gets a shocked squeak and a blush for his troubles, kin girl speechless for a moment before she starts to giggle, smiling shyly down at her lap.* n-no fair.

[Boy]
"Ha! But fun. Ohh...I think I want to dance. I can hear drums. No. Wait."

He stops, and presses both hands palm down on his chest.

"Oh never mind. Mm. I think I should go to bed before I get in any more trouble."

[Wendy Berber]
If you wanted to um, dance.. I can d-download drums. *She offers, tilting her head as she ventures a glance up at him, still radiating pink.* Or b-bed. I mean not to d-download. I mean I c-cant do that. I- *It begins as a blurt, and ends in a fluster, complete with wild gesticulation.* I meant we could - Well I mean not we.. I meant more you underneath and me ...what? wait NO. I - GaH! I'mdonetalkingnow. *She's the reddest shade a human can get, just shaking her head and burying her head in her hands.*

[Boy]
"Or I could show you. Right? I promised that I would, and I haven't yet. And it'll be my moon soon. And I want...I want to be..."

And then it happens. While he's still talking, while he's still closing his eyes and holding his hands to his own chest, he begins to shrink. He gets smaller, and smaller, but not too small. The wolf that shakes off the clothes Boy was once wearing is certainly not a dog. He's bigger than any dog. Fuller in the shag of his grey and brown coat and the size of his paws. And somehow that intense stare is still there in his eyes even as he's staring at Wendy.

He whines. It's high and barely audible, and half the time exists as just a fine rasping of air in his chest. His ears are held back close to his head, and his head is carried low, nose pointing toward Wendy. Its as if he wants nothing more than to be touched.

[Wendy Berber]
*She peeks between fingers and gasps, hands coming away from a face that drains of color almost as quickly as Boy grows fur. Her eyes are wide and frightened suddenly, but to her credit she doesn't throw herself away from him. She doesn't do more than swallow hard and bite her lip. She wouldn't whimper. She stares at him in scared uncertainty, before swallowing again, and venturing her hand to touch a furry cheek. Almost as though she half expects it to return with a bloody stump.*

[Boy]
The hand returns covered in slobber. And even this is after the Boy wolf leans into the hand, nudging at her with the top of his head and nose. The whining is replaced by panting and for a while he just stays like this, enjoying being touched. Enjoying having fur for her hands to run through.

And next he's stepping away, walking awkwardly backwards like most canines that don't quite understand how to move their legs in that direction.

Slowly, the wolf grows. The head grows more than anything, but soon the body catches up. There's a monstrous dire wolf standing in the living room. It growls just by breathing. It does not have a friendly expression. It cannot. The most it can do is the look of stern, expectant patience. Horrifying eyes fix on Wendy as the Hispo wolf sits on its haunches, occasionally letting a too large tongue flash out on either side to lick at its own muzzle and give a hint at the ivory daggers in its mouth.

[Wendy Berber]
Dice Rolled:[ 4 d10 ] 1, 1, 9, 10 (Failure at target 6)
(wp - omgwendy don't panic)

[Wendy Berber]
*Its far easier for Wendy to crab crawl backwards and plaster herself against a wall than for Boy to move backwards in lupus apparently. Her eyes are riveted to the dire wolf, his every move a menacing study of violence waiting to fall on someone. Her chest rises and falls rapidly as she struggles to stay calm and fails. A high wimp as she turns her head, and swallows hard, arms wrapping around her.*

[Boy]
There's that rippling heat and tension in the room, like the thing she can't will herself to look at is just standing there, staring holes into her. Boring into her very soul.

Only it isn't just standing there, is it? No, its moving. She can hear the foot falls. She can feel the heat of it coming closer to her. Closer. So close, in fact, that she can feel its hot breath on the finer hairs of her neck and shoulders.

"Wendy?" it asks. No. Not the wolf. Just the Boy. A very naked, but more noticeably, a very concerned Boy, kneeling on the floor in front of the couch. He doesn't speak to her, so much as whisper and coo, as if assuring a small child.

"Wendy, it's okay. Its gone now."

[Wendy Berber]
*She tenses, draws spindly legs up, as though expecting to be attacked, curling smaller into herself. She ares a glance to him and hangs her head.* No. it.. its not ok. *She blurts, bursting into frustrated tears.* Its not okay. I'm so s-s-sorry. I'm So sorry.

[Boy]
"Shhhhhhhh."

And now he's curling up next to her, easing his arms around her.

"It is okay. It was just too much, too fast. Its fine. Its only our first try. Its fine. It's fine."

He's rocking now, and as a result, so is she.

[Wendy Berber]
No I - I just.. I'm s-sorry. *She rests her head on his shoulder, hugging back. Clinging as they rock. Her breathing slows, and she's silent but for short sobs and the sound of her swallowing against tears. Trying to stop crying. Finally she sniffles and mumbles* you're a p-pretty wolf Boy.

[Boy]
"Heh. Thanks. I guess."

He holds her close, until he feels her breathing colm down. And then? And then he keeps holding on.

"Exciting, huh? You ready to go to sleep then?"

[Wendy Berber]
*Her heart finally stops trying to flutter out of her ribcage and she slumps weakly, taking a deep breath as she rests against him. * um yeah. Exciting. *Her arms tighten a little in a more genuine hug, and she rubs under her glasses before drawing back to look at Boy. ..And right about then she realizes he's naked, and turns pink up to her scalp.* um.. you're. Boy. you're kinda..a whole lot of.. well. You're naked.

[Boy]
"Hm? Oh, yeah. That happens. A lot. Is...is something wrong?"

[Wendy Berber]
No i just.. I've uh. Never.. this is as close.. I- we- *She blurts shyly, dragging her eyes to the floor.* I'm not used to naked!

[Boy]
"Oh. Uh. Okay. Let me just um..."

His clothes, luckily, were right there on the ground where the wolf had sheken them off, and since he'd gotten smaller before he'd gotten bigger none of it had been ripped or damaged in any way.

"Maybe...maybe on the new moon. We can try again then, if you like. Would you like that?"

[Wendy Berber]
*Wendy nods and burns pink, swallowing and studying her hand.* um.. I'd like to try again. You really d-don't mind? I'm sorry.

[Boy]
"Of course I don't mind." He said, balancing on one leg to get back into his jeans. "You'll get it. I believe in you."

[Wendy Berber]
Thanks.. um.. Bed? *She murmurs, clearing her throat and standing, a quick peek over to boy, noting he's only half in pants with a blush.*

[Boy]
Fully in pants by the time he's brushing past Wendy, though with his shirt tossed over his shoulders. He turns to her at the steps, offering her his hand.

"Bed. Sleep heals everything. In the morning, you'll hardly remember a thing."