(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

[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.

[bigbaddy]

[ ...

The man goes quiet. Thoughtfully so. Yes, he's still scratching Dief's head, but that soft sound is the only thing filling the air for a moment or so. ]

Do you believe both sides always exist?

[ He thinks of his own past, the trail of destruction he left behind.

Bigby isn't so sure whether anything ever balanced that out.

It doesn't mean he's necessarily cynical of Fraser's words, though. Bigby can even see merit in them, given that there does seem to be some sort of force looking out for them here. Maybe it's more just.. that he's curious what the man has to say about this. ]

[maintiensledroit]

I believe that balance has a way of asserting itself.

[ He answers the question with his usual thoughtful honesty; he has never learned how to be anything other than frank and straightforward. ]

In some ways, I think we may already be in the midst of this world's attempt to find balance. Between the strange events we've seen, the odd behavior of the animals, and what seems to be an increasing amount of chaos in what is effectively a closed system, it's possible we're witnessing an accelerated increase on entropy in the pursuit of equilibrium.

[ He lifts his eyebrows and cants his head to the side in a slight shrug. ]

Of course, we have no idea what 'equilibrium' might look like for this place. It might not be beneficial to us at all.

[bigbaddy]

[ Bigby blinks.

Rapidly. ]

I, uh..

[ His head attempts to process that for a moment, but-- yeah, that's not happening. He understands the beginning of what Fraser says, and he actually does more or less understand the very end, but that part right there in the middle? There's no way Bigby's dog wolf brain is going to pick up on that one. ]

Are you.. some kinda scientist?

[ Bigby doesn't even sound like he means it in a bad way as much as he just sounds confused still. Is it just that he's that dumb, or is it that Fraser is that smart? ]

[maintiensledroit]

Ah… no.

[ He looks a little abashed. As usual, he’s gotten a little… carried away. He can almost see Ray rolling his eyes from here. ]

Just a voracious reader as a child and young man. What it boils down to is that almost every system put into disorder will try to regain balance… but things can sometimes get more chaotic before that balance is achieved.

Like the wolves and the caribou. When there’s too much of one, the relationship becomes imbalanced, until it can regain equilibrium. Of course…

[ He looks troubled. Everything about the wildlife here troubles him. ]

… it seems badly out of balance here.

[bigbaddy]

[ Alright, at least that does settle it in Bigby's mind as Fraser just being that smart. Not that it's a bad thing - even in a place like this, it's probably a good thing to have some people who have a little more hands-on smarts, and people who have more theoretical smarts. Maybe Fraser might be able to figure out entirely different things about this place than Bigby could, given Bigby's lack of knowledge of..

.. you know, whatever it was that Fraser was talking about before.

This metaphor, however? Bigby seems to grasp that one much easier, given that he is part of nature himself, part of its balance. (Or rather, considering everything he caused back home - its imbalance.) ]

I get it now. [ There's something vaguely grateful about the expression he shows the other. Not quite smiling, but the corners of his mouth do tug upwards just a little bit. ] Everything here is definitely way out of balance, if you'd ask me. I'm not sure if you've noticed yet, but there don't even seem to be many bigger animals out here. Both larger predator animals like wolves, and larger prey animals like deer or caribou-- They're very rare around here, even though there should definitely be more, given the size of the natural space.

[ And that means something is messing with the numbers. ]

I go out there often. I could let you know if I see anything that seems especially odd. [ Especially when Bigby is really good at looking at it from an animal's perspective, given that he.. is one.. ]

apologies for slow! fade this out for something fresh later?

[maintiensledroit]

I'd appreciate that. And, of course, consider the favor returned.

[ It's comforting to know there's someone he can discuss these things with, someone else who's familiar with the ways and behaviors of wild animals. Bigby might not be as used to this particular area as he is, but the man -- wolf -- clearly knows what he's talking about.

Diefenbaker gives Bigby's hand a last lick, then comes trotting back over to lie down at Fraser's side, apparently fully content in his new acquaintance. Fraser can't help it; he smiles, warm and amused and affectionate down at the wolf before he looks back up at Bigby. ]

I'm glad you and Dief met. I'm sure he'll be coming by to say hello more often, now.

yeah, that's fine! let's wrap it with this tag!

[bigbaddy]

Sure.

[ He doesn't even have to think before he says that. Bigby sure is reluctant to invite people over into his place here, but it's not like Dief is human.

That makes it way different. Beings like Dief are always welcome. ]

He can come over whenever, I won't mind. [ He's saying it to Fraser, but Bigby's gaze does travel down to where Dief is next to Fraser a moment later, just to make sure Dief gets that this offer is for him!! Because he's a special little boy!

(Bigby is definitely smiling a little bit too, but don't tell anyone.) ]