Flashback: My momma told me there'd be days like this (Tag Quatre)

[nevertellalie]

The sun was just shy of setting when Duo stumbled into town, it was only the fact that full moon was in a few days that kept him on his feet at all, and he was using every inch of his improved abilities to keep going.

He felt like he'd been travelling for days, but he knew it hadn't been that long, it was just the blood loss from the two tiny wounds on his neck - long healed, of course, but by this point he was pretty sure they'd been made in the same place enough times to leave a scar. He should be able to cope with the blood loss as well, especially this time of month, but he'd been pretty drained and he hadn't stopped to rest since he left, so his body was taking its sweet time to sort itself out.

Leaning against a wall, he glanced up at the darkening sky. This place was a riot of new smells and sounds that assaulted his enhanced senses, and he had no idea which way to go, all he knew was that he had to get somewhere before night fell, he was in no shape to defend himself if he didn't.

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[colonially]

Night was quickly on its way, but Quatre wasn't worried. True the streets weren't the safest place to be once darkness fell, but Quatre was used to being out when he needed to, never worried about himself so much. He could hold his own, was a great deal more capable than he looked at first glance.

His arms were full of bags -- a quick trip to the grocery store since keeping the sort of house he did required keeping the cupboards stocked as well. It was a mundane chore, but an important one. It ought to be routine, but when did anything ever go as planned? A flaw in one of the bags he carried, just at the wrong time, and the bottom of it gives way, sending its contents scattering at his feet, and coincidentally enough, at the feet of the man leaning against the wall nearby.

It stopped Quatre's steps though, brought his gaze at the mess at his feet and then up to look at the stranger curiously. Call it a trick of intuition or his inherent magic, a well-learned one, but he was quite sure that there was something not quite human about this man. "Aaah, sorry about that," a soft and sheepish smile finding his features. "What a mess." He set his other bags down, moving to pick up the various things that have spilled. "Would you mind kicking that my way?" He gestured to a can of soup that had decided that Duo was its true owner and fled for the safety of his feet.

[nevertellalie]

The clatter of groceries hitting the floor nearly made him jump a mile, echoing loudly to his sensitive hearing. He tried to calm his racing heart, giving the man who had dropped the things a startled, almost suspicious look. Cautiously, he nudged the can with his foot back towards the blonde, sniffing the air subtly and trying to weigh him up. He relaxed a little when he didn't detect the old blood smell of vampire, but there was a faint tingle that made his nose itch. Magic. Witches were a tricky one, it was always hard to tell whose side they were on. Still, Duo was the helpful sort, even while he was being suspicious, and there wasn't any way the other man would be able to carry all the spilled groceries as well as the bags he still held.

"...need a hand?" He offered, wishing his voice didn't sound as weak and strained as it was, it didn't exactly inspire confidencw in his carrying abilities.

[colonially]

Quatre is gathering up everything that's scattered, trying to see what he can fit in the other untorn bags he has, but the truth is, carrying things is going to be tricky, so the other man's offer is really a welcome one. He looks up as his expression brightens. "Actually, I think I might. I'm sorry for the trouble."

Though as he straightens up, he does take note of the stranger's voice, the exhaustion in it, the weariness in his posture. Quatre recognizes it too well, really, so he offers, voice softer. "To make it up to you, maybe you'd want to join me for dinner?" He's fairly sure that Duo could use the meal and he's hazarding a guess that he could also use a place to stay. And night is falling fast.

many apologies for utter failure and slowness

[nevertellalie]

"Hey, don't worry about it, glad to help" Duo shrugged, nudging himself away from the wall to walk over and hold his arms out for whatever Quatre couldn't carry. It's only groceries, he can manage this, and then he can go... somewhere else to find shelter for the night, he's already trying to figure out where he can go next when Quatre suddenly offers him dinner. It's almost embarrassing how quickly the offer makes him perk up, like an over-excited puppy, and he curses the proximity of the full moon and his overall weakness for how little control he has over that reaction.

"Dinner would be excellent, thank you." he doesn't even care that it'll probably be night by the time he's eaten, once he's rested and eaten he'll be much better placed to take on whatever might be lurking in the shadows.

<3 no worries

[colonially]

Whether he meant to or not, that reaction is downright endearing. Quatre does his best to mostly hide a smile, ducking his head. "Good. It'll be nice to have company." His house is seldom entirely empty, and even now there are likely at least one or two people who are working things out and still taking refuge there. But Quatre means it anyway. Company will be appreciated. Duo looks like he could use the meal, and the rest.

He divides the spilled groceries between them, careful not to overburden Duo. His head inclined towards the left. "It's not a far walk, luckily." And he'll start off in the right direction making sure Duo is following and keeping up. "I'm Quatre by the way."

For now he'll leave his family name out of the conversation.

Re: &lt;3 no worries

[nevertellalie]

Duo grinned a little, even though Quatre definitely seemed like the type of person to say that sort of thing out of politeness, it was nice to feel wanted for something as pleasant as company, it was a while since that was all somebody wanted from him.

"Don't worry about me, i'll be fine. You sure you don't need me to take anything else?" He offered, more out of a desire to be useful than anything, since he was actually pretty glad it wasn't a far walk, and while he probably could carry at least a couple more things, with the state he was in he was in dangerous risk of being overburdened.

"Nice to meet ya Quatre, the name's Duo."

[colonially]

"Mmhmm! I've got it I think. So long as the other bags hold up." Disaster could be averted. He keeps his pace casual enough, but slightly brisk. Night will be upon them soon, and while Quatre has little concerns for himself, if his companion is half as worn out as he looks, well, it's better to get inside to rest and take it easy sooner rather than later.

"Duo," he echoes with a nod as though he's committing it then and there to his memory. "It's good to meet you too." A brief pause before he adds, "I don't think I've seen you around before. Not that I know everyone or anything, but..." Well, his guess is that the other is new in town, or at least this part of it.

It won't be long before they're coming up on his house though -- an old building, a farmhouse once, before time built up the city around it, urban sprawl rolling its way over it. As they approach, as they get closer to the building, the ward spells that Quatre has spent a great deal of time and energy laying will make themselves known, at first in a faint pressure, like the air is getting heavier, thicker. The blond quickens his step to hurry ahead, reaching a hand out to settle against the post of the porch. A faint glow of warm golden light and the pressure and resistance in the air dissipates into nothing, like it was never there to begin with. Duo's an invited guest, after all, and the spell will remember him.

"Here we go. Kitchen's just down the hall," he shoulders open the door and heads inside.

[nevertellalie]

Duo does his level best to not look relieved when Quatre says he should be fine with what he's carrying, his arms are already starting to get tired. A meal and a sleep will fix him up almost entirely, and once the full moon hits he'll be fine, but he still has to get to that point.

"Nah, you wouldn't have," he admits, considering it safe to do so - Quatre seems like the sort of helpful type that might actually help him figure out what areas to avoid and where it's safe. He also might know about the local packs, Duo probably ought to go and check in with them before full moon hits and they get super territorial, the last thing he needs is a fight on his hands just for wandering into the wrong street. "I just arrived in the city." he confirmed Quatre's guess.

His steps slow at the pressure from the spell, he doesn't really have the strength to fight against it and it makes his breathing come a little slower, it's almost oppressive. Suddenly it's gone, his steps speed back up and his breathing gets easier, and there's the tiniest moment of thinking he was crazy for experiencing anything at all, but he trusts his senses and he caught that sharp, itchy smell of magic in the air. Definitely a witch. Perhaps Duo should be being more cautious, there are plenty of witches out there with enough fire power to do considerable harm, but he's too tired and hungry to really worry about it too much, so he just follows Quatre into the house and down to the kitchen, depositing his cargo before leaning heavily against the counter.

[colonially]

Maybe Duo ought to be more cautious. But then the same can be said for Quatre. Dealing with the supernatural brings undeniable risks and dangers with it, but the blond had long ago decided they were worth it. He's hardly defenseless, despite initial appearances, and besides, Quatre has come to realize many people, no matter what sort of people they might be, occasionally need a small bit of kindness. So he thinks nothing at all of inviting Duo in, werewolf or no, complete stranger or no. As they arrive in the kitchen, he starts tucking groceries away immediately -- a brief detour to put on the kettle for tea.

"Thanks, Duo! Have a seat," he gestures to the chairs around the kitchen table. "Make yourself at home." And the blond will settle up getting things out away in short order. And once he does, he turns a thoughtful eye to Duo, regarding him with unguarded curiosity. An absurd amount of the blond manages to seek unguarded, but then, he's always had some trouble keeping his heart off his sleeves. "It's a difficult city to be new to. It has its dangerous aspects." His voice is quiet, not disparaging the city so much as discussing the facts, difficult as they may be. "Do you have anywhere to stay yet?"

That could be important, after all.

[nevertellalie]

Dup takes one of the indicated seats gratefully, sinking into it with obvious relief. He's been on the move for a while, and it's almost overwhelming how much better he already feels just from sitting down and actually relaxing for a second. It does mean the exhaustion hits him, and he takes a momeny while Quatre's not looking to give in to it and slump against the table.

He forces himself to sit up and pay attention to his host after a moment, nodding along with Quatre's words.

"I'd heard that," he agrees "but..." he trails off, shrugging. Anywhere was better than where he'd come here from.

"Nowhere yet," he shook his head, forcing himself not to think about the past.

[colonially]

Quatre notices the exhaustion regardless. Detauls like that are seldom lost on the perceptive blond. It's only a few moments later that he turns back to the table and to Duo with two cups of tea -- far too quick to have boiled a full kettle but a tiny bit of magic was only sort of cheating, he expects. He sets one cup in front of Duo (because who doesn't like tea?) He leans over the back of an empty chair.

The way the werewolf trails off says just as much as any words he could have spoken, Quatre thinks. He nods in understanding. "It's a nice city too. I like it here. And settling in anywhere can be tough. But you could stay here, if you want. You wouldn't be the first. It's safe here, for whoever comes through the door. Neutral ground." At least Quatre does it best to keep it that way. He's only one man (one witch) but he mostly manages.

There's a downright hopeful look on his face as he waits to see if Duo will accept the offer.

[nevertellalie]

Duo reaches out gratefully for the tea, not even commenting on how quickly he appeared. He's not going to look a gift teacup in the mouth.

He nearly drops the cup at Quatre's offer, and he can't quite believe his luck. He perks up and, honestly, if he had a tail right now it would be wagging. He doesn't even care he's so grateful to the other man for answering his prayers, he was basically an angel at this point after everything he'd done. Sure, maybe it was too good to be true, but Duo could deal with that when the time came.

"Really? Do you mean it? Because that would be... wow, seriously man I don't even know how to tell you how much that would help."

[colonially]

That answer -- and really it's downright endearing again, the way Duo responds like a puppy, not that he'll say as much -- has Quatre smiling, clearly pleased by it. In this instance, at least, Duo won't find any ulterior motives in the blond. He wants to help, when he can, where he can. So the blond beams at him, nodding. "Then that decides it. I'm glad. You can stay as long as you need to."

He sets his own teacup down, wandering back to the cabinets to get dinner going -- since he did promise him a meal for his help. Quatre is no gourmet cook; growing up the way he did, he never had cause to learn, and when he's on his own he tends not to bother. A handful of nuts and an apple was like a meal, right? Right. But for company, he can do better. Something hot! Not gourmet, but competent.

"Are you looking for a pack?" There were several in the city, but then again, weren't there some wolves who deliberately chose to be on their own?

[nevertellalie]

"Thanks, really. I'll find a place and be out of your hair as soon as I can, but in the mean time thanks, I'll do what I can to pull my weight." He'd have jumped up to help with the cooking right there and then, but he was still pretty tired and now he'd sat down he wasn't quite ready to face getting up.

"I guess," he answered, the question making him stare down at the table and shrug "It's not that I don't want one, I just haven't... I don't want to settle in a pack just for the sake of a pack, y'know? I want to find my pack." He had no idea if that made sense, but he couldn't find a way to properly express it. Being in a pack felt like belonging, sure, but being in the right pack felt like home .

[colonially]

Quatre would have scolded him straight back into his chair, so it's best he stays there just now. It won't take him long to get dinner started anyway, and once it's cooking, he turns his attention back to Duo. "You won't be in my hair. There's plenty of space. To be honest, I like it better when people are around."

And something about Duo, Quatre thinks, he's the sort of person that Quatre can't help but want to know more about.

A Duo speaks though, his expression falters faintly, and he ducks his head in understanding. "I understand. It's supposed to be a family, isn't it? That's important. So you should definitely make sure you've found the one that's right for you. I really hope you do, Duo." Family, home. It's important. Quatre knows that, even if his own family situation is more than a little complicated just now.

[nevertellalie]

"Well I'll try be a good guest for you," Duo grinned. He did genuinely mean to get out as soon as possible, he definitely didn't want to overstay his welcome, but it was nice to have the reassurance from Quatre.

"Yea," he agrees, grinning more when Quatre was so understanding about the nature of pack. "It's an instinct thing so the bond can be even deeper than family sometimes. Not all the time, depends on the family I guess, but it's ... it's an important thing to have. A lot of wolves go a little crazy without one." A pack was an anchor, a way to ground yourself. It wasn't vital, it was entirely possible to survive without one, but you always felt that niggling loneliness in the back of your mind, and you had to be particularly strong willed to resist it.

[colonially]

The blond nods in agreement with that. So then, crucial really. He can tell by the way Duo speaks of it how important it is to him. Even if he's just met the werewolf, Quatre has a knack for reading people. Maybe slightly more than a knack, but those detals aside, he settles himself in a seat by his teacup now, sipping at it thoughtfully a moment.

"Where are you from?" he asks before adding, "Sorry. I'm probably prying. It's fine to say so. I guess I can't help but be curious."

[nevertellalie]

Duo shrugs. It's not that he doesn't know the answer to the question, it's just that it doesn't seem relevant any more.

"I've been around," he admits "All over the place, really, looking for somewhere to settle."

He was half a world away from where he'd actually started out, and not just in distance.

[colonially]

Quatre won't press for any further answers anyway. It's answer enough, and he nods his understanding. So Duo's wandered quite a ways. He looks young to have, but then age is a relative thing anyway, the blond reasons.

"Then you must've seen a lot of different places. I've always lived here." A pause before he corrects himself, "In this city I mean. Not here exactly." His family's estate is well on the outskirts of the city, a far cry from this house that he calls home now. "My family is from here." For generations back.

Quatre rises and goes to check on dinner. Nothing fancy, meat and vegetables and rice, but it smells decent enough. Good. Almost done.

[nevertellalie]

"A few," he agrees. Some of them he barely stayed long enough to remember what they looked like, but there were some places he'd enjoyed - enjoyed enough to be sad when he left them, anyway.

"I always thought it would be nice, growing up in just one place." he offers thoughtfully. Travel was all well and good, but it was hard to make memories when you were always on the move.

The smell of dinner is almost overwhelming to his sensitive nose, and his stomach rumbles rather loudly in response.

[colonially]

"It was nice. Growing up especially. The house was always full, always really alive." And he misses it sometimes. But childhood had faded and the emergence of his innate magic, well, it had been the source of some discord between him and his family, his father especially. And that rifts has grown significantly over the years, a fundamental difference of opinion of a human's place in the supernatural world. Quatre never has been comfortable with benign uninvolvement.

"Maybe that's why I like it better with company here. Too much silence is strange, isn't it?" He muses with a thoughtful smile as he pulls plates from the cabinet and makes one up for Duo and another for himself. Snagging utensils -- deliberately non-silver silverware, not that most was silver these days. Though his own upbringing may have been the exception -- and sets Duo's meal down in front of him. "Here. Hopefully it's all right. I'm still learning this cooking thing."

[nevertellalie]

"I know what you mean," Duo agreed "There's something about a full house that just makes you feel good."

Maybe, for him, it was a werewolf thing, the desire for pack, or maybe it was just because he was a sociable sort of person. When he was younger, a lot younger, he could vaguely recall hating being around so many other people. Now he'd learned to appreciate it, because you never knew when all those people would be gone.

"Smells great," Duo has time enough to assure him before he can't resist and he digs into the meal, wolfing it down - pun intended - in a matter of seconds. It was that long since he'd eaten Quatre probably could have given him the food raw and he still would have devoured it as quickly, the fact that it was warm and comforting and actually quite tasty was just a bonus.

[colonially]

Werewolf thing or not, Quatre agrees with it. He's fond of people in general, of being around people. Maybe that does come from growing up surrounded by so many siblings, or maybe it's just his nature to be drawn to others.

Either way as he sits down to start in at his own meal, he can't help but notice how much gusto Duo is inhaling his dinner with. He does his best to hide a smile before inclining his head back to the stove. "There's more, if you'd like."

For his part, it makes him happy that Duo seems to like it, that he's eating and already looking at least marginally better than he did when Quatre ran into him on the street. Maybe that's just him being hopeful.

[nevertellalie]

There was that puppy face again as Duo perked up, looking from his empty plate to the stove eagerly.

"Is that really okay?" He asked, but since Quatre had actually offered it he was more just asking in politeness, and he'd already started heading over with his plate before the blonde even had a chance to answer. He was feeling much better already but that didn't mean he didn't have a way to go to be a hundred percent. Besides, he liked food, he ate a lot even at the best of times.

"It's pretty good, by the way," he added as he piled more onto his plate.

[colonially]

Quatre can't help a quiet laugh at the quesrion, especially when Duo is already in motion. "Of course it's okay. I'd be happy if you did." Really, a new friend (and Duo should probably be aware that he can't escape from becoming a friend at this point) taking him up on his offer of hospitality is a good feeling. The blond wants to be helpful, to do something worthwhile.

Though at the compliment he lights right up, thrilled. "Is it? I'm glad. I'm not the best cook. I never had to learn when I was younger, so I'm still getting the hang of it!" A consequence of being a sheltered child of a wealthy family. Bit by bit he's figuring out the various life skills he missed out on developing at an earlier age though. "It's admittedly not always a success."

[nevertellalie]

"You're better than me," he admitted,  taking his plate back to the table and digging in again, this time slightly slower than before. "I would have burnt this, probably," he laughed. Cooking was something he'd never really had chance to learn, sure he had some definite skills making something vaguely edible out of whatever scraps he could find, but he rarely had time to cook real food.

"Well any time you want to experiment without it going to waste, just let me know, I'll eat anything."

[colonially]

Quatre allows a quiet laugh of his own. "I've burned my share. Really you just caught a lucky night I think, but even so, I'm happy you liked it." It makes him feel like maybe he's starting to get the hang of some of this stuff, managing being out and away from his family, with what he's trying to do.

Leaning his arms against the table, the blond watches Duo for a moment before his expression brightens. "Careful, I'll take you up on that. You might regret being my culinary guinea pig. But consider yourself invited for dinner then, whenever you're feeling brave enough."

[nevertellalie]

"I think running into you made it my lucky day," Duo said, his tone joking but definitely meaning every word. He leaned back from his second empty plate and sighed contentedly.

"We'll see who regrets it when I show up at your door every night begging to be fed," he laughed. He felt so much better now, more relaxed than he had in days, like his body was actually starting to recover. A good night's sleep and he'd be fit as a fiddle again, he was sure of it.