if i get home before daylight

[salamanca]

who: lalo salamanca + you!
what: lalo's log for the month of august, including closed + open threads! ft. lalo's bulletin board post and the re-opening of his restaurant at doe's retreat in lakeside
when: throughout august
where: lalo's restaurant in lakeside (first 2 weeks of august) + all around milton (second two weeks of august)


[ open + closed starters below. ]

Comments

[salamanca]

[ Lalo gives an affronted whine when Kostya asks if the biscuit is good enough. Clearly not!

When Kostya says it would be like eating cardboard, Lalo happy dances excitedly, prancing in the snow. When Kostya bends down to examine the treat, Lalo briefly licks his face before stopping.

Waaaait a second! Lalo just licked a man's face! Is that... allowed?? Right?? NOT WEIRD? It can't be, can it?

Fortunately he doesn't get to agonize over it too long. His tail flips happily at the offer to come with Kostya, and he eagerly joins the man's side. He does look at him questioningly, though. There's definitely an interesting smell surrounding Kostya. One Lalo hasn't encountered before. It's not dog, or wolf, or any other animal. ]

cw: unhappy alien parasite things...

[sputnik]

[ The lick to his face startles him again — an animal as big as this licking him anywhere is a bit daunting, but it's so very doglike that his startle quickly becomes charm, and the man's laughing again. ]

You're a very friendly wolf, aren't you?

[ It's not weird at all! Totally fine! Konstantin will certainly be completely fine later on if he witnesses this wolf turn back into an entire human man. It's fine.

None of this is fine to the alien residing within him, however. That lick to Konstantin's face caused so much wolf smell to enter his senses, and the alien is none too happy about it. It gives an agitated squirm, and Konstantin suddenly grasps his stomach with a sharp exhale of breath. ]

Ah—

[ After an odd moment, he starts walking towards town, figuring maybe he can find a better snack for his new companion at the community hall, or the general store... to the displeasure of his alien stowaway, who continues to be irritated about this situation. Why are there so many wolves around here?! It's frightening..

Konstantin gives another soft laugh, keeping one hand to his stomach. Look... no wolves are going to hurt you, okay? Turning his head back down to the wolf alongside him, he addresses him again — and keeps his voice calm, attempting to soothe his unhappy passenger. ]

Everything's fine. You're not scary, are you? You're just like a big puppy.

[salamanca]

[ Lalo's wolf instincts say this worm smell from Kostya's stomach is bad news. His instincts say: get it, hunt it, root it out. Sickness.

But some of Kostya's words get through to the man inside, who is currently watching Kostya with an intent, confused, head-tilted puppy expression. Everything is... fine? He is a puppy? Lalo isn't totally sure what's happening but it seems like Kostya is talking to something -- someone? -- inside him so he figures he should play along.

Kostya is right! He is a big puppy! Lalo runs off, happily loping through he powders of white, kicking up snow and rolling around on his back before trotting back and shaking snow off. Yes! He is a big puppy! That's right!

Feed him good food now, please. ]

[sputnik]

[ Konstantin looks up as the wolf takes off, having a ball as he rolls around and shakes off snow, unable to resist laughing delightedly again at the sight, though he continues to keep one hand to his abdomen. Everyone's okay...! No need for any alien upsets or emergences.... ]

You're definitely a cutie! I wonder what your name is.

[ If only Mukhtar could be so animated and friendly as this....

Once the general store is in sight, Konstantin hesitates a moment, before turning to the wolf again. It truly seems to understand his words, so... he tries speaking directly to it again. ]

I'm going to go inside and find something for you. Can you wait out here?

[salamanca]

[ As the general store appears into view, Lalo's cheerful, puppyish demeanor fades, replaced by something more menacing. His black hair stands up on end. His lips pull back, showing his teeth, and he growls at the building.

Louis.

But when Kostya tells him to wait, he stops growling. He looks up at Kostya with eyes that seem to understand every word. He even lays down in the snow, as if waiting for Kostya to go inside. ]

[sputnik]

[ Konstantin startles at the reaction, brows quickly lifting as he tenses instinctively back a bit. Something's wrong — the wolf's angry, or maybe frightened. Whatever it is, something has clearly got its hackles raised about the store.

Or maybe someone inside of it.

Konstantin has seen a glimpse of what's... wrong with Louis. He doesn't know how to identify it, other than something dangerous — and maybe familiar, but also very different to his own situation, too. Whatever it is, he hasn't addressed what happened, though he certainly hasn't forgotten. He hesitates for a moment as he watches the wolf, before it stops growling and lies down, almost obediently.

Konstantin leans down to give it a gentle pat on the head, almost soothingly, before he'll head inside. He won't be gone long, picking up a couple of things for Vasiliy and then managing to find some remaining jerky; it actually seems pretty fresh, maybe someone made it out of a caribou or something. Wildlife has thankfully made a return these past weeks.

Once he's finished, Konstantin heads back out to his new wolf friend and reaches into a little paper sack, fishing out the strip of jerky. There's not much, but it's something. Grinning, he tosses the thing to the wolf and laughs brightly. ]

There you go! That's the good stuff.

[salamanca]

[ Lalo-the-wolf immediately jumps to his feet, grinning a happy doggy grin. He gobbles up the jerky in two quick bites, swallowing it down so fast that it might be worth it to ask if he's even tasted it.

He definitely seems to enjoy it, judging by the way he jumps up on Kostya, attempting to lick his face! As a man, he'll be deeply embarrassed at his own behavior when he returns to his original form, but as a wolf, his playful instincts take over and he's all to happy to show his appreciation this way.

Yay! Food! ]

[sputnik]

[ This certainly is very different from Mukhtar, whom Konstantin hasn't even been able to pet; the dog's still too wary of him. He gives another delighted laugh as the wolf seems to approve of the treat, making quick work of it, and then jumping up to lick at his face. Konstantin's foot moves back to steady himself as he lifts his hands and tries to keep the wolf's weight from sending him backwards, laughing again as he scratches his fingers against the top of his head and then his ears. ]

I guess that means you approve! Ah, you really are just a big puppy. A good shchenok!

[ Tragically, someone else is freshly displeased by the wolf jumping up like this, tongue licking against Konstantin's face, sending a wave of Wolf Scent right into his senses. The man gives another sharp gasp at the sudden jolt in his stomach, and stumbles back a bit. Is he not allowed to have anything nice... ]

Ah— I think the cold might be getting to me...! [ He says aloud, still half-convinced the wolf can actually understand him. ] Should head back soon. I wonder where you live, shchenok. Out in the woods somewhere?

[salamanca]

[ Lalo does, eerily, seem to understand him. He notices the jolt when he removes himself from Kostya, too, and does a doggy headtilt.

But he understands he's being waved off. He almost seems to shrug, if wolves can shrug, when asked where he lives. He doesn't know what a shchenok but he knows he is a good one and that pleases him immensely.

But he gets the message. With a final wag of his tail, he turns around and gallops off into the woods. ]