Inbox for sticksandbones

[lupusxylem]

I will not make this look pretty later, don't believe me it's all a lie

====

INVENTORY:

-The Punisher: Wolfwood's cross gun, normally covered in wrappings.
INFO from the mods on use so I don't forget: The cross-gun will be able to fire regular bullets (regains of these can be handwaved; silvered bullets can be purchased in the bonus AC store) just fine, without any special nerfs. The laser feature will be usable a max of 3 times a month.

-4 Vials of his Drugs(tm)
Info from the mods on use so I don't forget: Wolfwood can start with up to 5 vials of his Lab Drugs. More of these can be regained for the price of a Small Item (a maximum of 5 at once), but they will not work on other player characters for obvious reasons. Their healing ability will also be slightly nerfed to not heal anything instantaneously, but rather over a few minutes.
3/7: All Vials have been used. Will need to purchase replacements if he wants to use them again.
???: Forgot to put the date here but he's purchased more Vials, one has been used to he has 4 currently.

-A lighter

-A carton of cigarettes, more can be purchased/handwaved

-A winter coat that Heimr bullied him into purchasing

-A matching pair of boots for the coat

-A little knit wolf with sunglasses from Elsword.

-A blanket from Livio.

-A handgun with a wolf engraved on the handle.

-A black husky named Angelina

-A belt pouch to carry his regeneration vials with a cross emblazoned into the leather.

-Authentic rosary beads, with beads made from black glass and a heavy, silver cross pendant

-A black leather choker with a silver cross pendant, similar to the rosary

-A whole church(tm)

-A wool knit cat plushie from Pure Vanilla

-3 tomas chicks that currently live in Kiera's barn

-3 londonites

-Wolf skull shaped cufflinks

-A dagger for his "birthday" from Gnosis

Comments

[oleaeuropaea]

[Well, hunkering down and moping hasn't gone so well. Guilt grips him any time he thinks about dirtying up another room, just for the sake of his own griping. Trying to hide in the rec center had been okay, but with nowhere to sit, it had just gotten too uncomfortable too fast.

So if rest won't come easy, Vash decides to at least try to walk his feelings out. Maybe being amongst the trees and crunching through the snow will help him feel better. He doesn't even have to go far. He'll just pace in circles around the inn until he feels better about himself.

Not that he's paying attention to where he's going. He's staring down at the glittering, frozen mess and willing his mind to not wander. He certainly doesn't notice anyone that might be outside moping and smoking to their heart's content. Nope!]

[lupusxylem]

[Wolfwood has had...a Day. He wasn't planning on getting super high first thing, but sometimes you accidentally take too many weed brownies and that ends up being the rest of your day. It's probably somewhere close to evening by now, possibly dangerous to be outside and anywhere near those woods, but hey. Wolfwood had decided hours ago he didn't care. So.

After finally shaking off that miserable high and going to break shit for a while, he still doesn't feel better. So, armed with a sheet he stole from the Inn, he finds the tree line and plants himself there, expecting to probably not be bothered so long as he's not in the woods, but at the very edge of it. He takes some time to wrap the Punisher with the fabric, careful to get every inch of it so that none of the metal is peeking out. Honestly, given that he has no front to upkeep here, there shouldn't be any reason for him doing this...but really, he just doesn't want people asking him about it. If they all think he's a Priest, then that's for the best.

Once he gets the belts reattached, hooked around, and in place, he'll stab the cross into the snow on the other side of the tree he's sitting beside before he pulls out a cig to light up. He has vauge memories of wasting...his entire stash he bought from Heimr, which means he only has two left in the last carton on his person. What a fucking waste.

He exhales deeply, resting an arm on his knee as he stares into the deep woods. He doesn't know or care if anyone else is out here, but. If nothing else, the telltale traces of smoke always pinpoint Wolfwood's location.]

[oleaeuropaea]

[Well that family meeting sure happened.

Vash will make sure Wolfwood makes it back to his room, then finds an excuse to sneak out. However, one trip to the river, followed by stop at the trading post later, there will be another knock at the door.]

Hey, Nick? I brought you somethin'

[lupusxylem]

[Wolfwood is glad to be back in his room, for once. The temptation to just leave and charge into the blizzard is still quite high, if it weren't for the fact he's reasonably sure he'd just freeze to death if he tried.

So.

Vash leaves, and he immediately lights up a smoke by his bedroom window, sitting crosslegged on the mattress as he pours all of his emotions into the smoke. It may not be weed or capable of getting him high, but he sure as hell can get lost in it if he's allowed to for long enough.

Vash will be greeted by the smoke long before he fully opens the door, with Wolfwood grumbling on the other side.]

...what is it?

some time after "saint nick" has finished his rounds-

[dissonanz]

( there's a knock on the door to wolfwood's chosen inn room.

kreide's not sure about this, honestly. he's not sure about a lot of things. but... )

[lupusxylem]

[Oh my godddd he's tired.

...and then he hears a knock, and seriously considers just not getting up to answer it.

He will, begrudgingly, opening the door to the tune of a hazy cloud of cigarette smoke. Sorry, Kreide.]

...oh. It's you again.

[oleaeuropaea]

[Well... Vash is feeling better. And clearly that's the only thing in this equation that matters. Has he taken the time to think about how Wolfwood might be hurt and need time? Has he really stopped to consider the impact of his actions? The answer to both of these questions is a very large, very resounding no.

Which is to say... he's knocking on Wolfwood's door now. His eyes are still a little puffy from his earlier talk with Mizuki, and his glasses wound up - somewhere. It's hard to say where. Vash thinks is all very good on his part, though. He's showing vulnerability, right?

His hands sit at his side, fiddling together as he waits for Wolfwood to answer.]

[lupusxylem]

[Vash is lucky that anyone is even in right now. Wolfwood actually hasn't been in his room a lot these past few days, instead wandering from place to place, person to person, trying to process his feelings in the forced space provided. Unlike Vash, he hasn't come to any sort of grandiose conclusion about what he should do, and he certainly doesn't feel better. Maybe he feels less immediately raw over the whole thing, especially after some talks with people whether he wanted to have them or not, but it's still...it's not enough.

But right now, he is in his room. He is not expecting visitors, and when he hears a knock come at his door, he considers simply not answering.

...but Miss Angelina has other plans, as she immediately starts yipping from where she'd been curled up by his face on the bed, scrambling and stumbling towards the foot of the bed where Wolfwood manages to intercept and scoop her before she tumbles off head first. Given that his room has a bathroom, he's just going to temporarily shuffle her in there for the time being. Last thing he needs is to be chasing a dog all over the Inn.

Honestly, he's only answering the door because he's thinking it might be to inform him of some new bullshit occurring, or maybe it's Livio come to check on him, or anything else he could moderately deal with.

...he is. Not expecting to pull the door inwards and see Vash's stupid face looking back at him.

And he does not give Vash a single breath to speak. The shock, hurt, and anger flash across his face in the span of less than a second, and unless Vash uses his Plant reflexes to dodge somehow, Wolfwood is going to level a cold-clock punch right into his jaw, no holding back, no mercy.]

Christmas Day

[simplicitas]

[Hey hello Elsword has left you a crimesmas gift on your doorrrrrrr]

Hi Wolfwood!

I made you a gift! This is your favourite animal right?

[Is it offensive to assume a man's favourite animal based on his last name... anyway Wolfwood is getting this. It comes with a pair of tiny sunglasses too.

...

Yeah he was really inspired about this one.]

packidge

[livlaughlove]

[Wolfwood will, at some point, find that a note and a large package have been dropped off at his door.

Inside is a blanket of decent size and thickness.]

Nicholas,
I'm here if you ever need anything. Stay warm.
I love you.
- Livio

Intermission | January 10th

[lupusxylem]

[Aldric's Grove is calm once more.

Wherever the castle was that kept them all prisoner, whether it was in the Grove itself or elsewhere, now seems as if it were merely a nightmare, or a long forgotten memory. Ice makes for poor souvenirs, after all. It has a habit of melting away without a trace, leaving no evidence it ever existed. Yet, the beauty of it all is somewhat lost when that castle brought with it only death and destruction.

And yet, the Grove has the gall to be calm. Animals, previously seemingly a non-entity in the forest, now exist within its fringes, however strange they appear. So long as they do not get brave and try to attack the residents, though, they may remain as simple reminders that things are changing. Something strange is happening, yet Wolfwood doesn't have the mental bandwidth to think about what that might be right now.

He's up extremely early. So early that the sun has yet to even rise. No one in the Grove should be awake at this hour, and if they are, they'd simply be overlooked by him anyway as he sets off from the house by the river, leaving a peacefully slumbering Vash and Angelina behind. Vash, who had just revived earlier in the week, hadn't fully recovered from his ordeal. Slowly but surely the ice around his heart seemed to be thawing, but it's been made abundantly clear that it will never be as simple as surviving. Reviving. Existing, somehow, undying.

Wolfwood's boots crunch through the snow as he makes his way, Punisher slung over his back. It's been re-wrapped, tied up in cloths and belts to make carrying it on his back easier. He's smoking a cigarette that he seems to have lit sometime earlier, his gaze centered forward as he walks. It seems strange, that he would go for a nightly stroll with his massive cross, but maybe makes a bit more sense when you remember it's his weapon, and that anything can happen out here.

But then...perhaps it makes less sense, now that he has a brand new silver handgun glinting in a holster at his side underneath his blazer, with the other side of his belt holding a pouch with his last three vials inside. Neither of which he draws right now, even as he meanders towards the center of the Grove, past the Inn, the Lab, the Clinic...

He makes it to the forest's edge, and with his enchanted sunglasses, he disappears into it.

Wolfwood isn't thinking about the Forest's dangers right now, not particularly. He has somewhere he wants to be, and the glasses are there to ensure he at least makes it that far without getting lost. He has no interest in getting himself killed necessarily, but he doesn't seem to be acting in his own best interests in that regard, either. No, he simply...goes, the same as he might if he were traveling the sands of No Man's Land. Alone.

In the end though, he doesn't actually get as far as he wanted to.

Even with the permissible paths being lit up for him like beacons, he can't...quite remember the way by himself. He gets turn around constantly, to the point where he begins to notice landmarks that he crosses by two, three, four times as the moon shifts positions in the sky. He isn't sure how many hours he does this, endlessly wandering and avoiding the wall of Fog until it occurs to him that the wall itself has been causing him to chase his own tail the entire time. It's...infuriating.

Eventually, Wolfwood stops in a copse of trees still a considerable distance away from the Grove, far enough that he can't see any of the buildings behind him when he looks. A feeling of bitterness rises up in his chest, foul and angry, that he barely manages to tamp down before he can get the urge to be destructive. The last thing he needs is to rile up something in these woods and invite trouble he wasn't looking for. So, with no desire to keep wandering for nothing, his shoulders go slack as the Punisher slides off his back. He pivots just slightly so he can lift it up, hefting its weight up to his waist before plunging it down into a deep snowbank in the small clearing he's found himself in. In the wood where he can't see, a few deer and a stoat watch him silently as he sinks to his knees.

It isn't the church. But this would do.

With the moon at its zenith in the sky, the light casts long shadows that stretch beyond the confines of this little piece of the woods that Wolfwood has come to rest in, with the shadow from the cross bearing down on him with a sort of otherworldy finality that makes him feel like he's being weighted down. It makes him feel small and insignificant as he folds his hands in front of himself and begins to pray.]

I don't...come here often.

[His shoulders slump. Great start. He clears his throat, readjusting his hands, pressing them a little more firmly together.]

Maybe it's because I gave up asking for anything a long time ago. You sure as hell didn't come through for me when I was a kid, and I didn't have anyone else to turn to. I remember asking, "Why, God? Why is this happening to me? I'm going to die. I don't want to die. Someone, please, save me."

Now look where we are.

[The wind rustles the branches around him as he pauses, feeling the way the ice starts to melt under his knees, seeping into his slacks.]

So. It ain't about me. Guess it's part of the whole M.O. that I'd get an answer over someone else, first. [His brows furrow as another gust of wind causes the straps on the cross to thud against it, flapping in the breeze.] I don't know who...or what is out there, listening. If anything. But if there is a God...thank you. For saving him. I don't...

[...]

I've fucked up. I let this...stupid bastard get into my head. I've fooled myself into believing I love him. Funny, right?

...kinda complicates things. Here...back home. I don't really know what's gonna happen anymore. I can't let him keep fucking me up like this whenever something happens, but I can't help it.

[But it was like that back home too, wasn't it. He just never wanted to admit it. If he ever saw Vash dying there...]

He...needs to be here. Not just here, but here. In the world. I know he's going to do more shit that will almost get him killed. And maybe next time he won't be so lucky. But, just...

Thank you, for this one time. He deserves it...but I don't.

[He bows his head lower.]

Please keep Vash safe. And Livio. ...Elsword. Mizuki. N. Gnosis. Kreide...

[And lower, as he lists off the others living in the Grove that he knows the names of, until he circles to the ones that have been here from the beginning.]

...Ydalir. Heimr. The...Gargoyle. Moder. And Nene. ...and all the ones we haven't found yet.

[...]

...Nai. For his sake.

[After that, Wolfwood stays silent for a long time. It seems like he might get up and leave soon, but he hasn't yet. He merely listens to the sounds of the forest, though there eerily aren't that many.]

This ain't gonna be the last big catastrophe, I know it. Something else is gonna happen and it might be as bad as the castle was, or worse.

[Wolfwood unfolds his hands, and this time, he presses them flat into the snow. He's less bowed in front of the cross at this point and instead is crouched there on his hands and knees, his eyes opening to look into the ice beneath frigid fingers.]

...I always feel like I'm going to die. I've only got so many vials left, and soon enough it's not gonna be enough. So...please.

[His fingers dig into the snow.]

Please, Lord...don't let me die. Not here. I've never been closer to death than I was in that castle, and when it was happening I thought...that I was okay with it, but.

I don't want to die. I don't want to leave them. I have...too much to do. I can't.

Please. You couldn't save me from the Eye. You didn't save Livio, and I don't expect you to listen to me now. So don't...not for me.

Do it for the people who matter.

[And that's all.

Wolfwood finishes his prayer and rights himself, lingering in the snow for a while longer. Perhaps he feels the need to keep a quiet vigil out here as the snow falls and leaves a thin blanket over his neck and shoulders, but the reality is that he just doesn't want to make the long trek back home yet. But if he doesn't now, he won't make it before Vash wakes up and wonders where he's gone.

So, with an arduous effort, he pushes himself upright and pulls the Punisher from the snow, slinging it over his shoulders once more.

Perhaps next time, his prayers will be confined within the walls.]

[oleaeuropaea]

[[Continued from here]]

[Thankfully, Vash manages to not completely eat shit. He even manages to twist the two of them, so that Wolfwood's back is toward the bed. It allows the Independent to hook his leg around the door and gingerly nudge it closed. Thankfully the sound of the door clicking doesn't seem to bother Angelina any.

Satisfied that they were now secure, Vash turns his attention back to Wolfwood once more. His eyes narrow, an almost hungry look passing over his face. He compliments this by licking his lips, dampening them as he slinks forward. His hands settle against Wolfwood's chest, fanning out and stroking over his pecs for a moment. He admires the warm skin beneath his fingers for a second, before finally giving one last shove down onto the bed.]

More like I have you all to myself, Nick.

[Despite it all, Vash's voice comes out in a bright little chirp.]

[lupusxylem]

[Not to worry, now that she's had her treats, she's flat on her back fast asleep in her little puppy bed. They won't have to worry about her for the night.

(At least until like, 3 am, in which she comes to whine at the door until one of them lets her in)

It's not usually like Vash to take charge like this, but it's also not unlike him, either. Suffice it to say, Wolfwood mirrors that look he gives him with one of his own, contemplating taking off his shades before he decides...naah. If Vash wants them off, he'll take them off. He's actually pretty curious to see what he'll do.

And that starts with being shoved unceremoniously down onto their shared bed, sneering as he ends up sprawled flat on his back on the combined mattresses. He could sit up, or get over to the pillows, but he decides instead to stay put, letting Vash manhandle him for the time being.]

Fuck, well. I ain't gonna complain about that. I'm all yours, blondie.

at the church, some nebulous time before heimrquest

[livlaughlove]

[livio is polite enough to knock before entering, even if it's technically a public building. he made sure to come on a day he'd seen nick already working hard for at least a couple of hours.

he's carrying something today, a parcel wrapped in brown paper much like things come packaged from the shop. the scent of baked goods wafts through the church as he enters.]

Hey -- this a good time?

[lupusxylem]

[Wolfwood...is tired. He's been cleaning up bird poop for what feels like days, but at least now the aisles are spotless. For now.

But that doesn't mean he's stopped, having moved on to sweeping now. He did a ton of chores back at the orphanage, don't get him wrong, but even Miss Melanie would be impressed by his work ethic right now.

Regardless, the sound of the doors creaking open- coupled with the smell of baked goods- is enough to get Wolfwood to look up.]

S'good'a time as any. What'cha got there?

Sometime after Heartspaces

[oleaeuropaea]

[Despite everything, Vash and Wolfwood have fallen into a comfortable routine. They might spend time doing their own things throughout town — the priest at his church, and the plant flittering about town causing trouble — but eventually they wind up back home together. Sometimes, Vash has dinner ready for them, and other times he whines until Wolfwood cooks for him.

It's... a little different this time, though. Ever since the incident with the chocolate had happened, Vash has had something gnawing at the back of his mind. It's a subject he hasn't been sure how to broach with Wolfwood, though thankfully it hasn't felt urgent. There's no guilt to be found here, just... thoughtfulness.

One day, this day specifically, he finally reaches a break in his thoughts. Determination fills him, and so now he waits at the piano, drumming his fingers against his knee and bouncing his leg as he waits for Wolfwood to come back.]

[lupusxylem]

[Wolfwood has been out cleaning up the area immediately around the church today, instead of within it. The surroundings need pruning as much as the sanctuary itself, even though the snow still on the ground makes it difficult to tell what exactly needs to be done. It's been a lot of picking through the slush and making sure there isn't broken glass scattered around from the windows, mostly. Maybe when it gets warmer he'll start thinking about ways to make the outside look a little less...ancient.

But it has given him a lot of time to think, and just like Vash, he's had quite a bit on his mind in the wake of the unique brand of chaos this month has brought to them. It's not necessarily been bad, it's just...a lot to think about, particularly with the chocolates influencing a lot of them. Wolfwood included, even though he hadn't told Vash about it because he's pretty sure Vash could tell. Kindof hard not to, when Wolfwood is going around being weirdly placid with people.

That said, he isn't expecting Vash of all people to have something to talk about today, so when he comes home to the tune of Angelina yipping excitedly at the door, he's half expecting to see that Vash isn't home yet. He'll pause long enough to scoop her up and prop the Punisher up against the wall, noticing Vash at the piano a moment later.]

There you are.

[He doesn't comment yet on him being at the piano, mostly because he doesn't want to touch on a sore spot. His brother hasn't been absent for all that long, after all, and it's really one of the few connections to him he has.]

Waitin' on me to get food going?

angelina.

[livlaughlove]

[it's dawn by the time livio has bathed and changed his clothes. if it weren't for this, he wouldn't have bothered. but it seemed cruel to walk up to an animal covered in its master's blood, so... he managed.

even through the numbness, livio is scared as he stands outside wolfwood and vash's home. this is all he has left of nick, and he's terrified that he'll hurt it. hurt her.

but no one else is here. she needs to be looked after. surely livio -- even razlo -- can stay his hand, for the sake of nick's memory. no... not "surely." he will. razlo can go fuck himself on this front, actually. livio will fight him to his own dying breath, should the "protector" try to pull something.

livio opens the door, blocking the opening with his body as he enters. the last thing he needs is the dog darting between his legs to go sniff out her master's body.

face to face with her, though, livio finds himself feeling again for the first time since wolfwood last spoke to him. fear. sadness. not just for himself, but for this poor puppy.]

I'm sorry, [is the first thing he says, clutching vash's jacket and wolfwood's rosary in his arms, as if she understands the sentiment. if he forgot he was wearing his bone ring, that's between angelina and god.] Oh, Lord, please don't jump on me. I need space.

[lupusxylem]

[Angelina has been home by herself since this morning, but she isn’t worried. Vash and Wolfwood do leave her home alone sometimes, and since she can’t help herself she might find a piece of paper and shred it for fun, or sniff around on the floor to see if Vash has “accidentally” dropped any snacks for her. She isn’t as small as she once was, growing fast as puppies do, so she could theoretically get into more if she wanted.

But she’s good. She’s a good girl. She doesn’t have accidents (mostly, as long as she goes out often), and she waits patiently for her fathers to come home every day. So when the front door opens…

Sorry, Livio. Angelina doesn’t understand. She sees the door open and starts to bark, a high pitched little yip as her nails click against the floor, spinning rapidly in an excited circle. And while she doesn’t go exploding outside thankfully, she isn’t giving Livio a whole lot of space at first. He’s a new smell, and she can’t stand to not smell that new smell, sniffing the air and the area around his feet. He’s washed himself thoroughly, so it isn’t immediately evident…where he’s been.

But she doesn’t jump on him like she does with Vash and Wolfwood. Normally she might, but…

Livio told her to not jump. And perhaps bizarrely to Livio in particular, she listens, stepping back and sitting in the center of the floor, even though she’s practically vibrating.]

Hi!!!!!!

[A childish voice, like that of a little girl, suddenly rings in Livio’s ears.]

I sit! good girl!!

forward dated to after vash comes home. this will get nsfw. u have been warned.

[livlaughlove]

[things aren't normal, per se. they likely won't be for a while again, at least until they all discover a new normal. but vash is home, and nick is on his way to recovery... it's a far cry from recent times, as far as livio is concerned. it feels like only a few short days ago, he was at quite possibly his lowest.

now he's got a place with his best friend slash boyfriend and his boyfriend. livio has never had his own bedroom and felt safe. forget his childhood, forget the orphanage. even the inn was too public, and haunted besides. and by magic or otherwise, this was made specifically for him.

it's all a lot to take in. he catches a quiet moment at some point in the day to just sit on the real bed -- nick was right, it is very different from a couple floor mattresses -- that's actually big enough for him and stare around the room in awed silence.]

[lupusxylem]

[It's been long enough now that Wolfwood has been swapping between using a wheelchair and a pair of crutches to get around. The latter are currently reserved only for inside the house, where the ground is completely even and he doesn't have to worry about possibly tripping over a rock or a root or something, and then falling on his ass outside where he wouldn't be able to get back up. That is not something he could handle well right now, because it's been hard enough showing his face like this in public to begin with.

But...at least he feels less like that in the safety of his own home. Safe, with just Vash and Livio, now that Livio actually has a room. Though he gets why Livio has it- it's more for space reasons than anything- he does find himself wishing they could all be in one room together, but...yeah. That's probably asking for too much.

Nothing saying he can't come visit though, the soft thunk of his crutches heralding his arrival as he makes it to the doorway.]

Beats sleepin' on the floor, eh?

KNOCK KNOCK IT'S LEG

[succiduous]

[Hi Wolfwood. Your leg is complete. Gnosis is standing on your doorstep holding it and a bunch of other medical equipment he definitely stole from the clinic (RIP Add). There's a pen clenched between his lips, and a second pen tucked behind his ear. Someone is a little frazzled this morning.

Kicks the door with his foot hey open up.]

LEG? FOR ME??

[lupusxylem]

[There's a pause before the door opens, one filled with the sound of dog barking. It's Angelina of course, who is becoming less and less puppy by the day, excitedly spinning in circles as she waits for Wolfwood to come answer the door. He's in his chair today, since why bother with the crutches if he's not planning on going outside?

The door pulls open, revealing him sitting there with his hair mussed, looking a whole lot like he just rolled out of bed. That perpetual scowl is quick to flip on its head when he realizes who it is, and sees what it is that he's brought to him.]

Gnosis? Wasn't expectin' you.

[He's quickly wheeling out of the way so he can come in.]

[oleaeuropaea]

[Vash the Stampede has fallen into a pattern over the last few weeks. It's long been clear that he and Wolfwood struggle to keep their hands off of each other. Even now, when Vash can't help but fret over every little detail about his new appearance, he loses himself in the moment. It's hard not to where Nicholas D. Wolfwood is involved.

The problem is that, more than once, he's abruptly pulled out of whatever hot and heavy makeout session they've found themselves in. It doesn't matter how perfect the mood is, nor how obviously worked up either of them are. The moment Vash finds himself getting too comfortable, he abruptly pulls back.

"Sorry, my head is hurting."
"Ah, I forgot I needed to grab something"
"Oh, ow ow ow I think I pulled something.

The excuses go on.

Today, of course, is no exception. He's currently planted on Wolfwood's back. His mouth is blissfully occupied, and his fingers have just begun the rapid descent from being tangled into his hair to dancingdown to pluck off Nick's shirt. It's only once his fingers brush against bare skin that he realizes just what's happening.

The mood shift is abrupt. all at once, Vash practically flies off of Wolfwood's lap. Hell, judging by the fluttering of his wings, maybe he did fly. He takes a few steps back, head whipping this way and that as he feigns trying to make out a noise that doesn't exist.]

Did you hear that?

[lupusxylem]

[Once is chance. Twice is a coincidence. Three times...

Wolfwood has noticed. Boy, has he noticed. You give him a beautiful man like Vash the Stampede, and you think he isn't going to want to get frisky at least once a week, if not more? Especially since it's been a fucking while since the last time...since Vash got corrupted. Since he got himself killed, lost his leg...since a lot of things, really. They've had a lot of things to recover from, and those things take time. He gets it.

But he thought they were getting back into some sort of semblance of normalcy. Sure, they both were different, but that's fine. Vash's new bug parts are no worse than his alien parts, they're just new bits to get used to, Wolfwood reckons. As it stands, he's a lot less conservative when it comes to necking with Vash, to the point sometimes where one wonders if he actually meant anything at all when he said he'd be careful...

Regardless. Each time an excuse crops up, Wolfwood doesn't press the issue. He stops when Vash wants to because that's what a good partner does. He lays down with him when his head hurts, he waits for him to grab the thing he never ends up finding so they just give up instead, they stop because he pulled a muscle and is being a huge baby about it. Any number of things, Wolfwood is fine with.

But he's also not stupid. He knows when it's an actual reason, and an excuse, and it's starting to creep more towards the latter. And...thing is, if Vash didn't want to have sex, wouldn't he tell him? He would, right?

...

It's another day, and they're wrapped up in each other. It's exactly where Wolfwood wants to be, and this time he doesn't intend on letting Vash get away from him. He keeps his grip tight yet not painfully so against the Independent as they kiss, his moans muffled between them as he relishes the feeling of Vash's hands moving from his hair down his shoulders, down to start to get his shirt off of him-

He jumps off so fast that Wolfwood is literally kissing the open air for a second as Vash is there one second, gone the next. He blinks owlishly and nearly falls flat on his face because of it, managing to just catch himself on his elbow as he rolls back upright with a scowl souring his expression.]

Come on, blondie. Th'fuck are you talkin' about, it's dead silent!

[Well save for the sound of their uh-]

after raz and ww's beach fight

[eidxiety]

[So that was bad. That was just real fuckin bad man.

Ain didn't want to get involved and tell them to knock it off, he doesn't know them like that and he's sure it would be taken poorly by both of them... he's not sure what flip switched in Livio although he's pretty sure it's a Laby-Nisha situation. I cannot believe Ain knows what DID is but cannot tell you what anxiety is, anyway,

He will find Wolfwood shortly after. Is he injured at all? Regardless, the first and only thing Ain says is,]

Are you alright?

[It's a very soft tone, very worried. Wolfwood probably hasn't heard it from him before.]

[lupusxylem]

[Wolfwood's beach time has been so weird. Oscillating between stupid fun and getting in fights with people. But, at least fighting with LR is a little different...he's sure it looked bad on the outside, but that's just how Razlo is. While Wolfwood is in denial and refuses to think that was anything but the guy being a dick, it was definitely probably his way of showing affection, some-fucking-how. He'll just have to go talk to Livio later once they've both had a chance to cool down. Thank him for keeping Razlo from killing him, honestly.

What he isn't expecting is to be checked up on, least of all by Ain. Ain will walk up to see Wolfwood holding his forearm, which sports a bite along it courtesy of Razlo. He bit him hard enough to draw blood, and since he doesn't have his vials anymore, that's not healing any time soon. He doesn't try to hide it when Ain walks up though, he's sure Ain probably saw the whole thing.

...why does he sound so genuinely concerned? He was fully expecting him to walk up with some kind of smart comment about what happened, but...]

I'm fine. This just...happens.

Shortly Before Beach Time Ends

[oleaeuropaea]

[It's probably been a solid handful of days since Vash left the grove. In that time, he's lost a wing, uncorrupted himself a little, and made at least two whole bug friends. Arguably, he's been having a okay time. If not for the fact that he and his boyfriend have been fighting and Vash has been dealing with the reality of having killed millions.

Yay! Yippee!

It's probably late enough in the evening that Wolfwood might reasonably be back at the cabana by now. Assuming he's still staying there. Vash... really hopes he is, because he doesn't exactly want to go wandering around looking for the guy.

Despite the fact that the cabana is "his," Vash still knocks on the door. And while he waits, he begins to fret with his torn up, half burnt shirt. He really needs a bath and a change of clothes. This is just sad...]

[lupusxylem]

[Despite everything, Wolfwood is still staying here. Granted, he wasn't for a little bit...but that didn't translate into him just leaving either. He went onto the beach and got some of his anger out with Zazie (it just made him feel worse, lbr) and then he spent a couple hours laying in the sand until Livio eventually carried him back. He's kindof just...been there since, for the most part, as the whole appeal of the beach really lost its luster after that fight. Now he just doesn't want to be here. He wants to go back to the Grove, at the very least.

So he's here. He's giving Angelina scritches because she's looking up at him between his legs and trying to cheer him up, licking his hands and just generally being sweet. At least until that knock to the door comes and she fucking bolts, paws scrabbling on the floor as she BARK BARK BARKs excitedly, jumping up on the door like !!!

Wolfwood doesn't immediately get up, mostly because if it were Livio, he probably would have just come in without feeling the need to tentatively knock. And because that isn't what happens...he knows who it must be.

And he dreads opening that door. He hates that he does, but he fucking does. He doesn't want to.

...

A full minute passes before the sound of Wolfwood's metal leg thunking against the floor signals his approach, a slow shuffle all the way there before he opens it inward. And he sees Vash there, dirty, and burnt, and of course injured again. And he says nothing- mainly he can't, because Angelina is going fucking ballistic, jumping at Vash and whining because she hasn't seen him for days.]

the night of The Divorce™

[livlaughlove]

[well. livio has made sure vash wasn't going to just walk into the ocean, or something. and he may have also stayed out a couple more hours even after parting ways with the independent. he's having a hard time convincing himself to flip that switch in his brain back on, but he knows it would probably distress wolfwood to see him in such a state. unfortunately, there's also the concern he would cause nick simply from being gone for too long, especially right after losing vash...

at some point, though, it passes that threshold of spending a reasonable time away, and livio figures he has no choice but to head back to the cabana. nicholas probably recognizes his gait as he approaches, but he knocks on the door before letting himself in, anyway.

once inside, he doesn't know what to say. not even while he's focused far more on logic and survival than on how the whole situation is deeply affecting him. guess he'll just... look around to confirm wolfwood is even still here, then sit himself down somewhere.]

YAY DIVORCE

[lupusxylem]

[The moment Vash left, Wolfwood grabbed his cigarettes and lighter and went to smoking. He will probably apologize later to Livio about just how badly the cabana now reeks of cigarette smoke, but at least given the nature of these little houses, it should be easy enough to air out. He's not particularly thinking smartly right now as it is, and chain-smoking is the one vice he's decided to immediately turn to. There's instant gratification to be had, a burn in his throat and chest as he holds the toxic smoke in. It's fitting, given how he's feeling right about now.

He's through smoking by the time Livio arrives at least, mostly because he blew through his entire supply in one sitting and does not have the gumption to go get more right now. Nor does he get up to answer the door this time, recognizing the gait to be Livio's, as well as his knock...and it seems that Angelina recognizes it too. It's actually a little sad, to see how identically her reaction to Livio mirrors her reaction to Vash just hours prior, as she barks excitedly and hops around his feet the moment Livio steps in. She's a smart dog, she's aware that something is going on since she can sense Wolfwood's stress, but...she's also still a puppy. She's excited to see Livio, bottom line.

Wolfwood says nothing as Livio comes in. He's worn out in a new kind of way, and his eyes ache from the effort of holding his tears back. He's pretty sure some leaked out while he was smoking, but he has yet to actually sit there and cry it out. No, he is shoving his feelings waaaay the fuck down over this one, because he doesn't want to think about it any harder than that right now.

But. Livio deserves his attention. Livio didn't do anything wrong, here. Livio is caught in the crossfire. So, once the larger man has a seat nearby, Wolfwood will finally lift his head from where his chin was resting on his chest, still sitting in the same chair Vash left him in.]

Did he talk t'you?

[during the Catastrophe]

[mermaidcursed]

( maybe wolfwood intentionally hung around the clinic after the public arrangement on the netbook, or maybe it's just luck. regardless, he is at least there to hear her desperately calling out. it doesn't sound like she's in pain or anything, just- panicked?

man, considering they were banking on pure vanilla cookie being around as needed for her in the clinic they might need to reconsider some things. )

[lupusxylem]

[Wolfwood is here because he's been outside more than he's been as of late. Not counting the beach, he tended to stay indoors while he was recovering from his injuries back in March. But ever since his fight with Vash...staying at the house feels worse, so he's been coming up with mental excuses to be anywhere but.

So when he hears the sound of Nene crying out, he doesn't stop to think about what else has just happened, or what the consequences could or could not be if he just charges face first into whatever bit the others. He makes sure his pistol is holstered before he takes off in that direction, cursing the fact that he can't run like this. He can barely manage a quick hobble as he hurries towards...where? Where is it coming from?]

Kid? Oi-!

i promised modelling // end of the month, this will get nsfw

[eidxiety]

[Ain flirtatiously, underwater in a tin can: "Hey I'll model these outfits you bought for me for you :)"

And then they were underwater in a tin can so they couldn't. However!! Now that they're back at the Grove...!

It's later at night. Ain is done with his work at the tailor shop for the day, and has invited Wolfwood to his inn room for the aforementioned modelling. He was told about this, of course. So surely when the bathroom door creaks open, he'll expect something sexy, like the dress, or that skirt...

but no. No no. Ain squeaks open the bathroom door and teehees and comes out in that Dachie kigu, fanning his arms out on either side of him and giggling wildly. Surprise!!!]

What do you think? I think I look just like him!!

[Sorry Wolfwood you picked this one]

[lupusxylem]

[Thank GOD they're no longer underwater in a tin can. They're back in the Grove and shit is still Kindof Stressful so honestly, when Ain invites him over, Wolfwood is happy to stop by. He's more than a little interested to see just how Ain looks in the outfits he picked out for him, so to say he's eager would be an understatement.

...which is why the outcome of Ain just waltzing out in that kigu is all the funnier. He snorts seeing him in it, with Dachie's dumb face printed on the hood and everything.]

You do. Same goofy face and everythin'.

[He picked this one]

You ain't boilin' wearin' that?

hey i'm back // early august let's get the flu together (aka nsfw)

[eidxiety]

[Fun Ain facts: Apparently when you give him attention and enable him a little bit, his libido goes from "fairly average for a man" to "rabbit". Which is what Wolfwood is finding out today. In lieu of a real date because there aren't too many places to go and Ain is out of really romantic ideas right now, he has taken to occupying Wolfwood's free time with Himself, because of Course he has.

Why would he not. He's obsessed with this man let him be worse.

Of course, it's raining fucking buckets outside, which means it's a good day to spend inside where it's warm and not rainy. Surely his opinion on this will not change right.

Back in his bedroom, though... he is currently trying to seduce this man by laying on the bed on his side, cheek propped up in his hand and left knee bent up toward the ceiling and his other hand on his hip. Paint him like one of your french girls etc, he's holding a rose between his teeth and grinning. It does not look sexy, it looks extremely goofy, this man has no rizz don't fall for this Wolfwood—]

this made me cry laughing at work js

[lupusxylem]

[Wolfwood is slowly beginning to realize that he, like Ain, has a type. And that type is currently sprawled out on the bed in front of him with a rose in his teeth like it's the most romantic thing ever, and Wolfwood can't even hope to stop the way he snorts laughing at the display.]

...you know you coulda' just said "I'm horny, come over".

gift // no need for a response unless you want to

[eidxiety]

[At some point after the rain stops, Ain sneaks into Wolfwood's house and into his room with Liv and Vash. He sets down a small bundle, pats it, and then leaves.

...

So whenever Wolfwood goes home, there will be a tiny Thing on the bed, sitting in a pile of blankets, staring at him with big eyes. OvO

...

A note on the dresser from Ain says:]

Hiii! Nikolaus, I got you a baby Dachsologie! :O !!!

I think it will change colours at some point, it's just sort of white now :O You should give it a name ^^

Bye, I love you! <3 See you later!





PS

If Mr. Plant or Mr. Giant sees this, you can have one too if you want :O!! But please leave this here for Nikolaus to see first.

Kicks your door in

[lupusxylem]

[It's a miracle that Angelina didn't eat it.

Or, well, to rephrase: a miracle she didn't slobber all over the little guy before he gets back to the house. Fortunately, Ain placed the baby in the bedroom with the door closed, meaning it could sit there safely without getting licked for however many hours until Wolfwood actually comes back.

He gets home, and there's just...a little guy on the bed. Staring up at him with the biggest god damn eyes he's ever seen. He recognizes it as a Dachsologie immediately, even if he's never seen them small like this. It's got the same look that Dachie does, just. Much smaller, more mochi. And he introduces himself the only way he knows how to an animal: by holding his hand out for the baby to inspect.

The baby stares. Peeps. Pecks at his finger.

OvO

...

Wolfwood scoops the little guy up in one hand (he can literally hold it in ONE hand, what the hell), gently stroking the top of its head with his other hand as he immediately circles back out of the house, heading straight for the Inn where he knows Ain must currently be. He knows where his room is, so he isn't even knocking, he just pushes the door open with the edge of his foot.]

Ain? You here?

[Dachie is beeping. Beep beep beep-]

letter/note, assume this is way at the end of the month

[thebladebringstheflame]

[Stapled (yes, literally stapled) (this is not a metaphor this man literally stapled this shit to Wolfwood's front door in MULTIPLE locations so that it would be annoying to remove) to the door is a note, surprise:]

Hey Wolfdude

I don't know if you're gonna return or not but before you try to beat my ass over this, I took care of your boytoy's flowers all month because he's just been letting them die like a cock.

If he decides to exist again here's the watering schedule now:

[This is another annoyingly-stapled list, but this is actually coherent. Hydrangeas this, fragipani this, etc.]

If you come back and need a fight you know I'm available, we'll do it with our fists this time.

[...................that's it that's the note. No "bye" no "from Flamebringer", but he does append it with a drawn flame emoji so ??? uh??????]

add a third stapled note to the door

[thebladebringstheflame]

Oh by the way if you're wondering about the broken window, that was me. The Old Caprinae and I were looking for you, your pet bug, and your pet giant.

[Yet again: That's it. Sorry Wolfwood.]

the ain distribution system is working as intended // end of sept, nsfw warning

[eidxiety]

[Now that Ain feels a little bit better about his life and can go outside without wanting to cry/explode/scream/etc... he's going to go to Church. Because that's what you do when you're a man of god (literal) obviously. Except his intentions are not really to actually pray or engage in religious practices that aren't his. Really, he just wants to be a little shit, like he was when he and Wolfwood first met. So.

Ain, wearing a pretty, white, accurately-themed dress, slips in through the double doors and, finding it empty, goes to sit where he knows the confessional is. He knows Wolfwood has confession about this time. He has no earthly fucking clue how these things work, and he's not going to find out the correct way.

He will wait patiently for Wolfwood to say something first, hearing his breathing on the other side of the booth, and then say:]

I'm sorry daddy, I've been naughty~.

[lupusxylem]

[People don't come to confess things very often, if at all. Probably because there's a whole slew of newcomers and Wolfwood doesn't advertise, or maybe it's because he charges for it. Who can say! But he charged for his undertaking services on No Man's Land so like, you can lead a horse to water etc.

He's here most days regardless, sitting in the confessional booth and waiting for people to come by. They almost never do, most of the time he naps in here to be honest, so when he hears shuffling on the other side of the door he actually startles upright. Oh God, uh-]

...put yer shells down if you wanna confess.

[Is what he said first, before Ain says. That.

There is a long pause before Wolfwood exhales on a sigh.]

Ain. Do you know how a confession works?

after FB kills his doppelganger // literally all i do with your inbox is send you smut tags

[thebladebringstheflame]

[Flamebringer just killed "himself" and honestly, if anyone asked him, he'd say it was the best experience of his life. Again not because he's suicidal, but because the fight was... something he's never getting again. Not here. Not ever. He's being Weird about this. He knows he is.

Yet. He can't shake the feeling of being absolutely fucking wired, even after Mizuki went through the trouble of healing him (and he had to go see the more experienced healers for the rest). His pupils are still blown just as wide as they were an hour ago, like he's high or something like that... and god, he cannot get rid of whatever this is.

(It's horny, he's horny, surprise.)

It's been a weird fucking day. Or night, rather, because it's probably like four in the morning at this point and Flamebringer can't sleep if he tries. So.

If nothing else... maybe Wolfwood can fucking slug him and it'll break the haze of Whatever This Is? (It won't. But he's knocking on the man's front door anyway. Hi, are you home—)]

as if Im COMPLAINING

[lupusxylem]

[Wolfwood is here, it is four in the morning and he was fucking asleep what is going on-

He opens up the door, and Flamebringer will be greeted to Wolfwood just. Shirtless, wearing just his boxers, because he didn't really care to get dressed to come get the door. His hair is all fucked up and he's got one eye closed, peering through the semi-gloom at Flamebringer standing there, vibrating.

...um, hi.]

...are you high?

[DREAMING] (cw: mild gore)

[sticksandbonesmods]

Wolfwood is alone in the dark, somewhere he can't see or smell any discerning details about. The wind howls around him, deafening the world.

Does he struggle against the winds? Does he stand there and let the silence take him? Regardless, soon he knows he's not alone. Piercing yellow eyes stare at him in the dark, bestial and ravenous. It's a gaze he knows, a hunger burning in his own belly since the corruption began.

It steps closer and he tries to step back but can't, even as the figure becomes more clear: a wolf man with blood and sinew drips from it's maw. A tattered black jacket hangs from it's haunches, and it's jaws snap as it tries to shake something from it's head. No, Wolfwood cannot back up from it-

A hand gently pets his wolf ear affectionately and a voice he knows to be no more than his new master speaks softly:

You cannot run from yourself, after all.




Wolfwood awakens.