(closed) may catch-all

[bigbaddy]

Who: Bigby (bigbaddy), Billy (notarat) and various other people.
What: A collection of various non-event things for May!
When: During all of May.
Where: Around Milton.

Content Warnings: Discussion of murder, discussion of homophobia, drinking, smoking

( I'm putting down some closed starters in this log, but if you also want a closed starter or want to do something with either of them outside of the event, 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 hickey - irving and crozier talk (being weird about that old man electric boogaloo!)

[notarat]

Honestly, this place hasn't been awful to Billy. Sure, some parts of it suck, and he utterly hates the threat of the Darkwalker constantly hanging over their heads. But even with the danger that sometimes rolls around, it's the first time he's really getting to live the way he wants. Not having to serve anyone, being able to share a house and a bed with his lover-- some of the people in town are actually even decent enough company, something that was hard to find back on the ship. Which means it was inevitable that something would come along to ruin it.

.. well, alright, maybe Irving's presence in town doesn't necessarily ruin it all, but it does put a huge damper on Billy's mood. Just as he was starting to feel a little bit more like he could live openly as himself, rather than having to hide so much, Irving is now here. It'd almost be ironic enough to be funny, were it not for the fact it's actually just really annoying.

It's the entire reason Billy definitely does not look like he's in a great mood when he returns to the house he and Hickey share. At least he has someone to bitch about it with, right. So the moment he enters, he calls out: "Cornelius?"

Please let him be home, and not running into Irving somewhere else..

[friendsfordinner]

John Irving is here.

Hickey hates that.

He's a wire, a bundle of energy, walking around the house, pacing, just doing anything to keep his mind off the fact that John Irving is here and he should be dead and really, that's an easy problem to solve, all he had to do was plunge his knife into that sanctimonious holier-than-thou prick's back, he's new here, no one would miss him, it would be so easy-

And Billy's there. Hickey looks over, a tightness in expression absolutely betraying his thoughts. "Billy! You'll never guess who I ran into today."

[notarat]

"Irving, I presume."

It's the name that would make the most sense. After all, Billy is pretty sure that he's the only person from the crew to show up so far, unless he missed someone else being around in town. But the sheer energy that the other man is giving off here and a single look at Hickey's expression tells Billy that whoever the other is talking about, it's definitely not someone Hickey likes.

So Irving then, surely.

.. but even if that part is easy to guess, he truly has no idea how that encounter must have gone down. Billy knows that he himself was capable of more or less awkwardly playing nice with Irving when he saw him earlier, pretending nothing at all was up, but it's different for Hickey. Especially when Billy knows Irving remembers his end. And in the worst case--

"Please tell me you didn't do anything drastic." He likes to think the other is smarter than that, but judging by the tortured expression on Billy's face, he can't rule out the possibility all the same.

[friendsfordinner]

"Fuck you," Hickey grumbles, though it's the grumble of a man who knows he's being read for filth instead of a man who is actually angry. Because yeah, 'don't do anything drastic,' that sounds like the sort of thing Hickey might do. And they both know that he did something drastic back home: stabbing a man twenty-odd times, desecrating his corpse, and blaming it all on the natives. But in his defense, Irving sucks.

"Nah, I didn't do anything drastic. We talked. Might have gloated about the fact that I know how things work here and he's running around clueless, but I didn't cause any problems."

At least, he hasn't caused any problems yet. Hickey is practically vibrating with spite, ready to cause problems if given the opportunity.

[notarat]

Well, at least that's a relief. It takes the worst case scenario off the table, and it's not like he can really blame the other for gloating at Irving. If anyone knows how big the temptation is to sass right back at that man, it's Billy, though he's obviously a whole lot better at actually holding his tongue. Having done so earlier while having met the man himself hadn't felt great, but it had been a protective measure to try and preserve his and Hickey's life here.

So there's just a small hum on his part. Not disapproving in any sort of way, but not really approving either. Maybe more just confirmation that he heard the other as he further steps into the home.

"He is afraid of you," he points out. Granted, it's a pretty obvious fact given the last thing Irving remembers. But Billy's own observation of the other earlier today confirmed it.

Letting out a huff of breath, his eyebrows drawn together into a clearly troubled frown, he adds: "Let's hope that is enough to keep him out of our way."

And Hickey out of Irving's too, given how likely those sorts of encounters are to explode when even a single encounter has already left the other with this energy.

for connor - family talk wild enough that bigby is driven to smoke once more

[bigbaddy]

After having spent enough months in this place as the only Fable, Bigby kind of figured that was it. That even if new people would consistently keep showing up here, they at least wouldn't be Fables.

How wrong he turned out to be about that one. First Snow arrived, and though Bigby was infinitely glad to see her, it sure made things here a lot more complicated right away. And then the recent arrival of Connor has been even wilder for very obvious reasons, and just as complicated. Bigby went from having a town of strangers to protect to not only having that, but having the object of his affections and a kid to look after. His kid.

.. god, it's still a wild idea. He can't get used to it. Days pass, a week passes, he constantly sees Connor because he's allowing the kid to live with him in his house while Bigby wants to be able to keep an eye on him, and he still can't get used to the thought that this is his kid. Some parental instinct might be rearing its head subconsciously, but that doesn't mean Bigby's active brain is fully ready to accept the idea just yet.

Case in point: right now. They're right in the middle of sitting in the kitchen and feasting on the rabbits Bigby managed to catch and bring home for their dinner when Connor suddenly mentions something that makes the man just fully freeze up mid-bite.

It's a small miracle that Bigby actually manages to chew and swallow without choking on it, given the shock that forms on his face.

"Wait, you have siblings?!"

[wolf_lover]

Connor was cursing inwardly at his slip of the tongue. He'd tried to be so careful. He didn't want his dad to know anything more about his future than he absolutely had to. So he'd been trying to self-censor how much he'd talked about the role Bigby had played in his life, though he'd tried to reassure his father that he'd played a pivotal role in his son's life, and how that had been a good thing for the young wolf.

But then it had happened. He hadn't even said anything huge, just something along the lines of 'How you and Mom raised us...' without even realizing what that meant for Bigby to hear. That caused Connor to look up from where he'd been chomping down on his own rabbit, looking a touch sheepish, though he had to admit the look on Bigby's face was absolutely hysterical now that he'd heard that little tidbit about his future, how he had multiple cubs.

"Uh, yeah, I do. Sorry, I probably should have mentioned that earlier." He rubbed the back of his neck. Well, now that cat was out of the bag, so it wasn't as if it couldn't get much worse than this. "I mean, wolves don't usually have just one pup, right?"

[bigbaddy]

"Well--" His mouth opens and closes a few times in quick succession. Nothing Bigby can really say to that, considering how it's just factually true, but it's shocking all the same. "Sure, but I thought-- I mean--"

Hold on, Connor. Apparently your dad needs a few moments to process it. He doesn't even touch his own rabbit anymore, instead looking utterly stunned as he's trying to cope with this new reality. The thought of him raising one cub already felt a little wild to him after not having been a father for such a long time, not to consider his own daddy issues.. But more than one? In fact, likely more than two, given the way Connor is talking about it, and given how big packs can get sometimes..

Bigby moves a hand up, pulling it through his hair nervously. The man definitely looks a little comical in this moment, considering just how many feelings he has to deal with at once.

"Does that mean your mother is a wolf?"

He was kind of assuming that it'd be either a mundy or another Fable, but at least a human, given how little time he's spent around actual other wolves for the past few centuries.. But if Connor is talking about how wolves usually don't just have one pup, then maybe he did get kids with a wolf, making Connor more like three-fourths wolf than the one-fourth he was expecting?

[wolf_lover]

Connor used the excuse of biting down into his rabbit to give him time to think about what he was going to say next. If he revealed Snow was his mother right now, he thought Bigby might just drop dead of a heart attack, so that was definitely out. He'd just have to go back to revealing as little as possible about the family and hope that his dad eventually put the pieces together himself at some point in the near future.

Though he wasn't entirely counting on it given how firmly Bigby seemed to be in denial that things were going to work out with his crush. Connor, hellion that he was, already had been cooking up a few different schemes to help push that right along to get them on the right path.

Finally when he chewed and swallowed, he gave Bigby his answer. "No. She's not." Though he could see how Bigby might get that impression from his words. It had simply been some strong genetics combined with more than just a touch of magic that had led to the septuplets inheriting the many magical powers that came from Bigby's lineage.

for snow - trying to hide your kid from your crush...

[bigbaddy]

Usually Bigby would have just been glad about Snow having moved in next door to him. It makes it so much easier to see her at any given time, and also so much easier to check in on her and make sure she's okay. He gets to have his daily dose of Snow and the reassurance of her relative safety.

.. too bad that he didn't know about the unexpected complicating factor that would show up about a month after he brought up the idea to her in the first place.

It's not like he hasn't considered all of this though. He knows it's a complicating factor. That's why Bigby hasn't bothered to bring Connor up to Snow at all - he just doesn't know what to tell her. He could tell her that he's just some Fable kid from their world, but then she'd probably question why she's never seen Connor around, and she might even question why Bigby is giving the kid a roof over his head in the first place. And he definitely can't tell her that he's his kid from the future. No way. What would blow his chances with Snow quicker than him having a kid with someone else?

(God, who else would he even have a kid with? What even happened? He can't imagine ever liking anyone the way he likes Snow-- was it an accident? Did he just settle?

He may have laid awake at night just thinking about all this.)

Of course it's impossible to fully hide Connor from Snow though when she's living next door. It's why he swallows when he hears a knock on the door, only to find the woman standing outside when he opens the door to greet her. Bigby already has a feeling what she's here for, after all.

".. Hey, Snow." He's trying so hard to sound casual, but there might already be a hint of something more in his tone.. Look, it's harder to control his emotions when he's been worrying about this moment. "Is something up?"

You know. Is something up? Clearly nothing special could be going on! You sure haven't seen a younger man constantly entering and leaving Bigby's house, right? No way!

[powersuited]

Of course, Snow's already aware of some of the newer Interlopers in town — she'd met Connor when he'd first arrived, dressed in a tux that had certainly given him a memorable appearance but proven poorly suited for the cold winter weather. While she hadn't had opportunity to run into him since, she'd spared a thought towards him every now and then, wondering how he was faring in the midst of so much of the strangeness that seems to persist here.

But living next to Bigby makes her just as aware of his comings and goings sometimes as it does the fact that he seems to have an unexpected new houseguest, or at least someone familiar to her too who's been coming around more often. It hasn't escaped her notice, but she also doesn't consider it a bad thing if Bigby has essentially taken Connor under his wing by giving him a place to stay.

What proves more confusing to her is why Bigby immediately tries to play off what's going on as soon as he opens the door to her, looking over her in a manner that seems too casual when she's only here to gently inquire about why he might have opened up his house to someone else.

"You tell me," she replies, giving him a more pointed look as her hands drop to her hips. "Is something up?"

[bigbaddy]

Suddenly the sheriff is the one getting interrogated, huh.

Not that Snow is even pressing him particularly hard here. That pointed look is something he's seen from her often enough, to a point where he's just kind of used to it now. But being used to it and being immune to it are two different things entirely - especially when there's something so heavily on his mind that he absolutely does not want to bring up to her in the slightest.

"Well.." He starts, obviously drawing it out a little, like he's giving himself a little bit more time to think as he does so. "I imagine that you've seen Connor."

Does she know his name? Bigby isn't sure, but Connor seems social enough that Bigby imagines he might have introduced himself to the neighbours. Even though he'd clearly know who Snow is. Considering she hasn't come to Bigby to ask him about the whole child deal though, he imagines Connor must have kept that tidbit to himself, at least.

Hell, even if Snow doesn't know his name, she's smart enough to put two and two together. She'd know he means the kid going in and out of his place all the time.

[powersuited]

"We've met," Snow murmurs, in the sort of tone that doesn't hint at any deeper answer, but she's not sure what kind of information she would volunteer even if Bigby probed further.

She'd stumbled across Connor back when she was still staying in the Community Hall, immediately standing out in her view thanks to that tux. Naturally, she'd pegged him as a new arrival right away, but the conversation that had followed had only revolved around the standard details, nothing more significant than general impressions.

He's a kind young man, and while she wouldn't have guessed Bigby would have taken a shine to him, maybe he'd seen something in Connor that had led him to want to look out for him. It's something that has left Snow more curious than immediately suspicious, but that doesn't mean she doesn't want to hear the story from Bigby himself.

"I thought you weren't really a fan of roommates, though." Evidenced by the apartment he keeps in Fabletown, if she needs to point to anything specific. "So what changed?"

for chloe - the woes of situationships

[notarat]

Billy did notice Chloe's absense for a part of last month. Sure, he might not notice just anyone going missing, especially with the annoying fog that had been hanging around town, but there definitely was one occasion where he went to see Chloe only to find her missing.

He wasn't sure if it was the kind of missing that seems to occur so often here, with people turning up dead later or just being missing entirely, or if Chloe just skipped town. Billy wouldn't put the latter past her, after all.

It's not like he's going to admit to having felt worried though. Please. Discussing feelings? Absolutely not happening. He refuses to even admit to himself that he's relieved when Chloe suddenly turns up on his doorstep again, letting her in and closing the door behind her.

Surely she's here for a reason if she's seeking him out, but Billy beats her to the punch, asking: "Where have you been this past while?"

Not that he was worried!! Just wondering!!!

[desperate_times_right]

Chloe laughs a little, reminded a bit of Nate dragging her into his hotel room to complain about her plan a lifetime ago. Billy’d never shove her around like that though, and thank god for that.

“Things got a little weird here, so I went over to Lakeside for a while. Why, were you worried?”

Sometimes it's easy to forget that other people care what she's doing.

[notarat]

There's a slight pause before he answers. Nothing too long, but it's enough to be a sign of hesitation if scrutinized - like Billy isn't entirely sure how honestly he wants to answer that one, always a little too scared of laying his feelings so bare.

".. usually when people disappear in this place, it is for worse reasons," he ends up settling on.

Which, let's be real, definitely means yes. He was worried.

He moves over towards a table with what seems like a sewing project lying on it - picking up the needle to continue mending the shirt he was working on as he sits down, gesturing over to the other chair for her to be able to take a seat as well.

It's only then that Billy admits: "I am glad to know that was not the case here."

[desperate_times_right]

“Oh, no. Nothing like that.” Chloe feels a little bad for making Billy worry, but she isn't very good at apologizing.

She takes the indicated seat and watches the sewing with mild interest. She's never been good at that stuff.

“Had a bit of a wild night on one of those green fog days and wanted to let things cool off a bit, that's all.”

for march - "wow we didn't cause the trouble for once" fight aftermath

[bigbaddy]

Bigby can't believe it's just the start of the month and things already feel so crazy. Partially because of the dumb fight that happened in the middle of town - something that'd be easy to brush off for most people, but not for Bigby Wolf who can't help but insist on being personally responsible for anything that happens here in town - and partially because he now has a kid to look after, which has been rapidly increasing both Bigby's stress levels and the rate at which he's going through his new supply of cigarettes he's gotten from Lakeside.

And since he's running low on those, he needs a different outlet. There's one person in town he knows for sure has some booze, and he hears that March was also involved in breaking up the fight after hearing the rumors around town, so it's the combination of those factors that have Bigby ending up over at March's place, having convinced the guy to share some of the goods with him - both having a glass filled with the makeshift alcohol.

"Can you believe they were just fighting in the middle of town?"

It's like the two of them are the only normal people here or something!

[questioningmermaids]

March keeps his house warmer than he probably should, but it means he gets to wear his favourite staples: a tank top and a print shirt, loud and open, wedding ring on a chain on proud display.

It's definitely not because he had to hightail it into the snow to rescue a feral cowgirl and is currently so hungover that the thought of putting on something more than a thin layer at the moment gives him a headache.

Or more of a headache, as it were.

Whatever, this is what the booze is for. He'd practically jumped at the chance for Bigby and him to drink, both out of the need for hair of the dog and the need for it to feel a little like LA's dingy bar scene.

"Who the fuck does that? Guy's bigger than my fuckin' head, why's he gotta throw around a teen and a woman like that?"

[bigbaddy]

".. That guy's not a teen, y'know."

Or at least, Bigby is pretty sure he isn't. Not like he's all that great at telling mundy ages, especially when Bigby has very much looked his current age for at least four centuries at this point. But he's pretty sure Jason looks just a little bit too old to be a teenager.

Though that might also just be the way he fights, or the way he seems to take a bottle to the back like it's nothing. It reminds Bigby a little bit of himself.

"Guess they were having a drunk bar brawl or whatever. Which is fine, but.. you got to keep that shit inside, right?" That's the point Bigby seems to take offence with. Maybe because he doesn't have as much of a Wynonna-shaped stake in this entire topic as March does. She can handle herself.

He drinks, swallows, and then adds: "The local kids could've seen that and gotten all upset about it. Some of 'em are way too delicate for this."

Mostly Kate.

But still, that's at least one delicate kid in town, alright!!

[questioningmermaids]

"He's, like, 18," March mutters, which is both factually incorrect and irrelevant to the actual conversation. What is relevant is the very simple fact that he and his good friend Bigby McWolfman are on the same page, for the most part.

"What if the church girl saw that shit and jumped in? It's bad enough the soft boat guy waltzed in--which, hey, can you drop by to make sure he's okay?"

March isn't going to. He will eventually cave, but he's riding very high on the fact that he's a big strong man that just stopped a fight and checking up on Little means being reminded of how complicated whatever-the-hell-everything-is.

for logan - post-fight bonding between furries

[bigbaddy]

The fight is still on Bigby's mind. Even though it was technically resolved, and even though he has - thankfully! - not seen any sign on the streets yet of a round two starting up, he still can't help but think back on the fight. It's mostly because he couldn't take care of everyone afterwards, really. He'd been so busy with making sure Jason was alright and not continuing the fight that Bigby had to abandon the other two in the snow.

At least he learns relatively quickly that Randvi thankfully took care of Edward, but that still leaves the mystery of the stranger. The extra downside of the mystery is that the stranger is so new in town that Bigby doesn't even have any idea where he lives, if he's claimed a house yet at all.

It takes some asking around before he finds anyone who seems to have someone that fits the description of the stranger head into a shack-- so that's where the man heads next.

Though he will at least just knock on the door, rather than bursting in.

Bigby is not going to cause round two just when he's relieved it's not happening, okay. He's not a total idiot.

"Hey," he calls out as he knocks. "Anyone in there?"

[lasttoolong]

As it turns out, Logan is currently between housing options. He has a few places in mind, but hasn't made up his mind to commit to any of them yet, while he's still figuring out how the town works. This is the most likely of them, small enough to be low maintenance and far enough away from the middle of town to feel like he's still got some kind of independence from all the crap going on, the stuff he didn't sign up for.

It's been a while since anyone lived in the shack, maybe even before -- whatever it was. Logan's found cans in the little kitchen nearly as old as he is and there's a hole in the roof that has let in the weather, as well as what smells like a decent sized family of raccoons.

He's been working off the last shreds of his hangover by shoring it up as best he can, clearing the chimney and chopping wood for the fire, tossing broken furniture and moldering upholstery onto a pile to be burned. When his company arrives, he's ducked inside on his way back from a scavenging-slash-supply run, resulting in half a tin of coffee and a pot to boil it in, a frying pan, a lamp and oil, and some candles. A deer carcass hung in a shed nearby is evidence of his intentions to feed himself.

Logan glances around at the presence arriving behind him, still far slower than he used to be and not happy about it. A cigar is stuck in the corner of his mouth. He tags a drag, exhales, and plucks it out to answer the obvious question.

"Yeah," he says, "and I'm alone, unless you count the spiders."

[bigbaddy]

"Well, glad I didn't catch you in the middle of something important," Bigby quips just a little bit. You know, the kind of important business people get up to when they're not alone, clearly.

Not that he lingers on it. Maybe he takes a cursory glance at everything around them - mostly Logan's efforts to try and make something out of this old shack - but then he's already looking back over at the other guy again to continue to speak.

".. Just wanted to check up on you after yesterday's mess." Surely he doesn't have to specify what mess, right.

Surely Logan didn't get up to more than one messy thing.

"Last time I saw you, you were out cold in the snow. Can't have been very comfortable."

[lasttoolong]

The check up on you earns a glance and a raised eyebrow from Logan, sensing a boy scout in disguise. There's something about this guy that suggests he's used to being in charge. Logan's not sure how he feels about that.

"The kid hit harder than I thought he would," he explains, grudgingly, setting a tin of beans on the table and closing up the leather sack he's been using to carry his supplies around. He turns to look at Bigby, nostrils flaring a little with the instinctive sniff that tells him fuck all between the cigar smoke and his dulled senses.

"I'm fine." Ignore the bruises, thumbprint smudges turning purple across his cheekbones, and the split over the bridge of his nose where his metal skeleton didn't yield to Jason's fist. And the bandages on his hands, wrapped tight around his knuckles and between his fingers.

But otherwise, you know. He's fine.