(closed) february catch-all;

[bigbaddy]

Who: Bigby (bigbaddy), Billy (notarat) and various other people.
What: Various February happenings!
When: During all of February.
Where: Around town.

Content Warnings: None so far, will add here when applicable.

( if you want to do something with either of them this month, just let me know and i'll gladly throw up a starter! contact me either through a pm to my journals or over on plurk at queeningsquare. )

Comments

for chloe!

[notarat]

[ Billy has certainly seen Chloe around more often. He's not sure if that's something he should be worried about or not (considering just how often he has to be worried that a certain someone is concocting a scheme that might just be a generally bad idea..), but at least seeing her around isn't.. bad. Sure, Chloe is a woman Billy absolutely can't understand, but since that already is true for pretty much all women in the world, it's not like Chloe's very modern eccentricities can make that all that much worse.

Besides, something has been on his mind. And while Billy sucks at talking about things, he figures he should talk about this one - or at least try to get more information about it. And since he only knows about two people who know both him and Hickey - and don't despite the latter -, and one hasn't seemed to be doing so great lately, Chloe does remain as the only option.

So the next time Billy spots her around, he approaches Chloe right away, with a little polite dip of his head.

You can't take the manners out of a guy, especially when he's still a little nervous about spending time with a woman.. alone..

Is this easier for men who are actually attracted to women?? Billy sure doesn't know. ]

Forgive me, but.. I was wondering if you had a moment to spare. If so, maybe we could take a little walk? There is something I wanted to ask you about.

[desperate_times_right]

[Unfortunately it is not any easier for men attracted to women, at least not with Chloe. Billy’s pretty much on Nate’s level in terms of actually being able to have a conversation with her and he’d been super into her once upon a time.

She is, predictably, charmed by what seems like an old-fashioned request from someone so shy.]

Sure, yeah. You can come to me any time. What's up?

[notarat]

[ There's something about her reaction - especially the you can come to me any time - that seems to visibly surprise the man. Billy outright stares at Chloe for a moment in surprise, until he seems to realise he's doing exactly that, which in turn just makes him flustered and shy, forcing the man to duck his head for a moment. ]

Ah-- Thank you.

[ Will talking to women ever become easier for Billy? Who knows. This, apparently, is not the moment for it though, since the vague flustered quality seems to continue to hang about him as he starts walking, leading the way. ]

It's just about.. [ .. he pauses, suddenly realising he has no idea how to use the other's name in front of Chloe. Billy is so used to Cornelius only when they're alone, Mr. Hickey around everyone else, but Hickey had said they could be open about their relationship here. That people wouldn't judge them.

It's still a very terrifying thing to Billy, but.. you know what, maybe he should just start with Chloe. She seems like the last person who'd ever think him using the other's first name would be strange, given.. well, everything about Chloe. ]

--about Cornelius. I know you have spoken to him recently as well. During that time, did he say anything that seemed.. odd to you?

[desperate_times_right]

[Chloe isn't going to forget it, how in the blind terror of that supernatural house fire, Billy had come back for her. It's something that even now she doesn't expect, particularly from guys who aren't expecting her to 'thank' them afterward. At this point she’d let him do almost anything.]

Who? Oh, right. [Cornelius is such an old man name to Chloe, incongruous with the man in question’s jovial energy.] Odd how? I think he was depressed or something for a bit there, but he seems okay now.

[notarat]

[ So other people had noticed that too, huh? Billy nods at the mention, though it is somewhat telling to him that Chloe doesn't seem to realise what he's asking about. Maybe Hickey hadn't brought it up around others after all? ]

Odd, as in.. [ For a moment his voice trails off as he walks, but then he continues. ] Any mentions of that creature that appeared in our dreams last month? The one that killed that woman.

[desperate_times_right]

Oh, no. Nothing about that. [Is talking about that thing really that odd? Chloe’s trying not to think too hard about it herself - accept the things you cannot change and all that - but it makes sense to be a little freaked out about it.]

We did talk about the other dream we both had, though. The one with the stag?

[Maybe she shouldn't take for granted that Billy knows about that but if she's reading the hints here correctly he probably does.]

[notarat]

[ Hm. Billy isn't too sure how to feel about that one. Sure, it feels like a good thing that he isn't talking about it - maybe it means the other man put it out of his mind after all - but at the same time he's very well aware that Hickey being quiet about stuff isn't always a good thing either..

He shoves the thought back for now, instead focusing on what else Chloe brings up. ]

The dreams, yes. I know what you mean. [ He knows that people had different ones that time. His own had been different. But Chloe's and Hickey's had been the same? ] Did he mention anything in particular about it?

[ It seems like less of a concern, but if Chloe is bringing it up, maybe there's a little bit more to it. ]

[desperate_times_right]

I was trying to hunt - it makes you so hungry - but I wasn't very good at it yet. He gave me some of his food.

[Billy may be able to see what this is in a way that Chloe can't because she's still so grateful.]

I asked him about it, and we talked about it a little. How it feels. We had a race. It was pretty fun, he's a scrappy little guy.

[She sighs, looking over at the man walking next to her.]

I think we’re both worried, you know? Supplies are scarce as it is, and that'll only get worse. And then there's people like us, him and me, who need more than the others do. Who knows what’ll happen to us if things get bad? Especially with no one in charge.

[notarat]

[ He's definitely recognizing some stuff here. Billy is observant enough for it. It's easy to figure that Hickey likely shared that food with Chloe to try and get her on his side - probably not realising that Billy was already building some rapport with her. And then there's what she moves on to say-- talking points that could have come right out of the other man's mouth. Hell, he's pretty sure he has literally heard Hickey say some of them before.

For a moment Billy wonders if it's just that Hickey was able to manipulate her so easily, but-- he doesn't think that's it. Knowing Chloe, it's more likely that it's a value she was already sharing with the other man anyway. Maybe that's why Hickey opted to share food in the first place, trying to band together with people with similar thoughts, especially when their situation is a bit of a powder keg with so many of their crew around.

Billy isn't even really quiet as he processes it. Silently observing people is pretty much half of his job back home, so he processes the information quickly enough that it doesn't even seem like he's really been thinking about it in the first place. ]

Having someone in charge wouldn't make that better. Leadership is often.. arbitrary. Fickle. We can't trust anyone here to make the right decisions for us.

[ He speaks about it so seriously, but that's probably nothing out of the ordinary from how Chloe has seen Billy before. Often serious, often withdrawn, though there's a bit of passion in those words, like he fully believes in them.

What Billy doesn't realise, though, is that he's started to subconsciously twist the ring on his finger a little with his other hand while he thinks and talks. ] I am sure Cornelius told you the same thing, but all we can do here is look out for our own.

[desperate_times_right]

Yeah. I haven't been through the kinds of things you guys have, but I've seen it before, what can happen in isolation when one guy gives himself power over others. [It's pretty scary how quickly she’d become numb to watching Lazarevic execute his own men for minor infractions. Sometimes when she closes her eyes she can still see what Harry had looked like the last time she’d seen him alive.] What are we gonna do out here, call the cops? They can do anything.

[Doubtlessly something he's heard before, all things considered. Chloe shoots Billy a sidelong glance, curious but not wanting to spook him.]

That's new since the last time we talked, isn't it?

[notarat]

[ Sorry, Chloe. He startles a little bit anyway - because Billy would have, regardless of the approach. It's not like he's been open about this sort of thing with anyone here, after all. And despite what Hickey told him, it's not like he's had concrete proof of the fact that people are alright with what they are here.

But despite the way he seems to visibly startle a little, immediately dropping the hand with the ring back down to his side, he doesn't attempt to avoid the question itself. ]

.. it is. [ P-Please don't mind him looking more awkward.. He's not sure what to say here, especially when he instinctively wants to shove just about everything here down.

But he has to test the waters at some point, right? Maybe he should test it by being a little indirect about it. Just in case. ]

Cornelius gave it to me.

[ The most neutral wording possible!! 'As a bribe' also totally works here!! ]

[desperate_times_right]

[Chloe’s honestly a bit surprised that he came straight at it like that. Obviously, she can't know exactly what it's like but she can imagine what a risk it is to wear it at all, to talk about it, especially when other members of their crew are here.]

He gave you that here? [That rascal. She wouldn't have expected a romantic streak in him.] I guess in a place like this, there's no such thing as good timing.

[The idea of it, of putting that shackle on herself, makes her squirm, but she can kind of imagine Billy being into it. Too bad he’ll never meet Elena, they might have gotten along.]

Should I say congratulations?

cw: mentions of period-typical homophobia

[notarat]

[ Billy is not blushing, for the record.

It's just that it's cold. It's the damn cold! If his cheeks are even the slightest bit pink or red at all, rather than their usual pale hue, it's definitely just the cold and absolutely nothing else. Nuh-uh.

(It's just strange, receiving this sort of reaction. Billy has lived his entire life in fear of the opposite, of judging eyes, of being cast out, of judgement, and now there's someone asking if they should congratulate him.

It's insane.

It's so nice.)

He visibly swallows, trying so hard to not look flustered and rapidly failing, and he glances down at the ring, like he can't even hold Chloe's gaze directly. ]

He was right. [ Billy finally manages to say after a moment of flustered pause, even failing to directly answer the question. ] You.. really do not think it's strange.

[ Which is a wild concept to Billy over here!! ]

for dief... (and fraser, i guess!! (no he's very welcome))

[bigbaddy]

[ Of course Bigby is going to notice the other wolf in town. A wolf that, in fact, looks way more than a wolf than Bigby himself currently does. It's been difficult to really get in touch with the wolves here, considering the only time they stopped hiding themselves was when they attacked the town and couldn't be reasoned with months back, so seeing a wolf around town right now..

It feels like a treat, really. Even if Bigby hasn't lived among wolves for a whole long time back home, something about it feels familiar. Comfortable.

It might be why the man actually has a rare smile on his face when he spots Diefenbaker while Bigby is out around town. He even squats down to be more on an even level with the creature. ]

Hey.

[ Yes, he is currently ignoring any people who might be nearby in favour of trying to communicate with the wolf, okay! He is the person at a party petting the dog in a corner.. That's Bigby.. ]

You doin' alright?

[maintiensledroit]

[ There's a moment where the wolf pauses, scenting the air, his eyes locked on the... man. That doesn't smell wholly like man.

Only a moment, and then Diefenbaker comes trotting to meet him, sniffing around Bigby's legs and feet at first, then his hand and face when the man crouches down. His tail waves like a flag, and he barks, inquisitive, before snuffling at cigarette-scented fingers.

Not too far away, a Mountie sits on a porch step, an unstrung guitar in one hand and the silvery glint of an E string in the other. He doesn't get up or call out, only watches, interested, as Dief tumbles to his back and wriggles in the snow in front of the man, belly up and vulnerable. ]

[bigbaddy]

[ Something lights up just a little bit in Bigby's face when the wolf actually seems interested, coming over and all. The sniffing. The interest.

.. it lights up further when Bigby realises what Diefenbaker is doing by the time he rolls over like that. Maybe Bigby doesn't realise they're being watched, or maybe - for once - he doesn't care, but the man lets out a warm laugh before he reaches out his hand to give the wolf some good bellyrubs. The best kind. Bigby knows exactly where the right spots are that feel the best, after all, being a wolf himself. ]

There we go. That's the good stuff, isn't it?

[ Bigby is so into it that it takes him a moment to even realise they're not the only presence here.. When he looks up from Dief, the belly rubs slowly coming to a halt, he finally does spot Fraser sitting there - their gazes crossing for a moment with how the other man was regarding Bigby and the wolf.

The smile slides off his face a little, replaced by something more awkward. ]

.. sorry. Is he with you?

[ Hard to tell if he's asking Fraser or Dief that, honestly.. ]

[maintiensledroit]

[ Diefenbaker barks, for all the world seeming to answer the question, then whines and wriggles up to his paws. Now that he isn't getting belly rubs, there's no very good reason to go rolling around in the snow... unless, maybe, Bigby would like to go for a roll, too???

Just checking.

On the porch, Fraser sets the guitar across his lap. He's smiling, though there's an angle of curious interest in the expression, in the way he squints at the other man. ]

Looks like he likes you.

[bigbaddy]

Yeah, I got a vague idea why.

[ It's actually kind of reassuring. Just reassuring enough that Bigby does shoot a slight smile in Diefenbaker's direction, despite the fact that he's fully aware now of the fact he's also being witnessed by a human here at the same time.

After all, this is practically the first external proof he's gotten that he's still a wolf, even though he feels less like one than he has in a long time, due to this place's influence. If this wolf can still sense it on him, then it's not completely gone.

He moves over in the direction of the porch, just enough so he's within reaching distance of Fraser. He holds out his hand, like he's offering a handshake. ]

Bigby Wolf. [ And before Fraser can say something - or rather, in case he would - Bigby quickly adds: ] The 'Wolf' part's literal.

[ It's not really a secret anymore in this place at this point, anyway. And if this guy really is close to Dief, then Bigby wants him to know what's up with the instant friendly behaviour from the wolf. ]

[maintiensledroit]

Constable Benton Fraser, Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

[ He says, as he meets Bigby's hand with his own in a firm shake, before his eyebrows hitch up toward his hairline. ]

Literal?

[ There certainly is something wolfish in the man's face, in the hair that looks almost like a pelt and in the intensity of his eyes, but Fraser has never met someone whi looks like a man but says they're a wolf before. It's like something out of an Inuit tale.

But Diefenbaker does seem to like the fellow, trotting along up to Fraser with him, tail lifted and wagging. ]

Well, that would explain Dief's reaction... I'm sorry, what do you mean, literal?

[bigbaddy]

[ Huh. It's not like Bigby's really been up to Canada - even before he turned human and was roaming the mundy world as a wolf, it had been more of an European thing - and so he might only have a vague idea at best of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, but that does mean the other man has to be at least somewhat of a cop.

He isn't really sure how to feel about that part. Most mundy cops are just a pain in the ass, after all, and the other looks very mundy to him right now. But then again, if Diefenbaker seems cool with him, Bigby is willing to give the man a chance too. ]

I mean exactly that. Literal.

[ .. even if that answer is extremely unhelpful. But Bigby doesn't just leave it at that! ]

I imagine this might sound ridiculous to you, were it not for the bit of proof he's given you. [ Bigby gestures to Dief. Sure, there could be many other reasons why the wolf would suddenly like someone, but this is one possible explanation - even if Bigby knows it's outlandish to mundies. ] But I am a wolf, just like him. It's just that this place forced me to be stuck in a human form instead.

[maintiensledroit]

...Ah.

[ He's no stranger to the concept of magic, even if Ray mocks him for it; there are simply some things that cannot be explained without it. And he'd certainly grown up with stories of people who could shift from human form to animal, of spirits that interacted with humans, of other worlds where the impossible was everyday.

But it's still incredible to be faced with such an unexpected statement. He looks to Dief, indulging in a moment of silent communion before he looks back at the other man... wolf. ]

Well. No wonder Dief likes you so much. The other wolves here are... strange.

[bigbaddy]

[ Honestly, Bigby is already glad the other man isn't asking for proof. He does figure that Dief is definitely helping that fact, since the wolf liking him this much is kind of proof in and of itself, but he's so tired of having to transform just because mundies don't believe he's actually the Big Bad Wolf. It feels too much like he's being made to perform circus tricks, or something like that.

Either way, it's definitely giving Fraser some credit in his book. ]

They are.

[ There's something knowing about his tone. ]

It might have been before you were around-- I'm not sure. [ Although Bigby does like to keep track of who's here and who isn't anymore, after a while the specific times of arrival all start blurring together. ] But they attack town before. They were acting.. strange, yeah. Like they were possessed by something outside of themselves. Maybe something about that never fully wore off. Dief over here is the first one I feel like I'm having some normal communication with.

[maintiensledroit]

[ Fraser nods, a troubled little divot tucking between his brows. Everything about the wildlife here is strange and unsettling; all the patterns he'd have expected are off, or nonexistent. ]

I wasn't here for that attack, but I did hear about it. And for a while people were nervous of Dief because of it.

[ He glances at the wolf, who is gazing up at Bigby, and smiles, slight. ]

It's extremely odd. I can't think of another reason why they've been so aggressive... but then, I haven't seen any caribou, or even that many deer, here. They must be hungry.

[bigbaddy]

I feel like that Darkwalker thing might be having some influence on nature around here. [ Bigby knows it's just speculation, but.. honestly, Fraser seems like an intelligent enough guy. He might as well put whatever ideas he has into the other's hands, just to see if the other can do something useful with it.

.. even though Bigby is definitely busy leaning down to give Dief some good headscratches again, okay. What else can he do when such a good boy is staring up at him? Not to mention that he definitely knows what it feels like when people are nervous of you, just because of what you are.. It's a bummer.

He can even talk to Fraser at the same time. True multitasking. ]

That's how it works where I come from, anyway. Forces that are powerful enough to have legends about them often influence the territory around them.

[maintiensledroit]

[ Fraser lifts his eyebrows and leans back, thoughtful. ]

Well, I've certainly heard any number of stories attributing sudden changes to supernatural or divine entities. And the Darkwalker, although not mentioned in any of the stories I grew up with, still seems to fit within the archetype of a spirit or god of destruction and death.

But that's only one half of the cycle. I wonder if we'll find, at some point, another entity representing the other half; life and birth.