|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Mon Jan 01, 2018 5:19 pm
Regan's acquaintances with the new wolves were limited and well...limited. Out of what she would think of as the original small group, only Dia, herself, Laby, Silk and Zircon remained.
Zircon was more of a mystery to her then even Laby himself as the woman had gone missing just at the same time that Laby had. Out of them all really, Dia and Silk were the only ones she truly knew and that was something she wanted to change. She didn't want to be distant or unreachable for the wolves.
She did want to change. She didn't want to be the small girl who ran and hid and only showed herself when the general was present. She was not his shadow, and she was not his pet. Not that he ever thought of her or any of them as such. So in her attempts to not only mend the...distant between herself and Laby, she had returned to the house where they all were welcomed and had their own rooms. Hers had been a bit dusty but she had deposited her clothes for a couple days worth of stay. It was a test for herself, for Chase and for getting to know any of the wolves.
She gritted her teeth as she tightened a bolt on Hermes, tuning the machine and doing its monthly updates. Chase treated his bikes well but she made sure to keep them tip top and even though she was suppose to get to know other wolves, she couldn't help gravitating to the area where she was the most comfortable in the house.
Dressed in worn overalls, her hair pulled into a messy ponytail and face covered with grease, she was hidden among the piles of tools and parts and different bikes she was tuning. No music played today, and the garage smelled a bit of oil.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Jan 20, 2018 5:44 pm
The garage door would have banged, it was pushed so violently open, except that Trey grabbed it before it could, afraid the noise of it would alert the house to where he had gone.
The usually suave young man hunched as he pushed the door shut behind him, sealing out the volatile general he had left behind and the... problems that came with him. His corruption had only been a few weeks ago and the trauma of it was still raw in his mind, weighing heavily on ******** secret society of magical soldiers who drained energy to feed a faceless queen... It was s**t off a TV show, not real life, and yet he was living it. With a man who was nothing like Trey had thought he was, anger and shadows lurking behind his dark gold eyes every time they looked at him now. He tried so hard to keep his mask up through it all... be accepting and genteel, do what he was told... but there were limits to what even he could handle, and this was so far over it.
The tall figure scooted along the wall till he could turn and lean against it, digging into the bag slung over his shoulder for the little metal case he kept for... emergencies. It shone a fine chrome, wrapped in black leather, and inside was a neat row of white cigarettes, arranged carefully with a lighter. Smoking wasn't something Trey really permitted himself to get hung up on, but sometimes... sometimes they were a good way to soothe nerves, and right now, that was exactly what he needed. The case clicked shut and disappeared back into his bag as he tucked on between his lips, flicking the wheel of the gas station lighter to set the end glowing.
The smoke filled his lungs and he sighed as he released it in a stream of blue from between parted lips, settling back at last to relax against the wall. A small reprieve, but it would be enough. One cigarette and he could put the mask back in place, head back into the house. Deal with the bullshit.
As though I don't have enough to ******** deal with from my mother.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Jan 20, 2018 5:57 pm
Regan almost didn't notice someone coming into the garage, it was very wide and large. Such were the perks of a mansion and its toys that filled it. Not many came down to the garage either, unless Chase wanted to take one of his pieces for a ride.
Sometimes Prissy or Suri would come down, but they were short visits. No, the garage, if anything in the house was claimed by anyone, was Regan's place. It was her home away from homes. It was her sanctuary in the large mansion, while her general, who was suffering his mood swings and afflictions.
It was her way of staying close, but still in an area to stay safe. Thoughts like that drifted through her head as she worked, so she hadn't expected anyone else to come through, or disturb the quietness. It had been the flick of the lighter that had her rolling out of her current project, and the smell of sweet tobacco that made her slowly lift herself, grabbing a rag. As far as she knew, none of the wolves smoked, at least not here.
As she looked over at the intruder, her head tilted, recognizing him as the newest addition to the wolves and the corrupt of blight. His name....she took a moment, to remember, was Trey?
Quietly, she grabbed a old small cap and brought it over for him for a makeshift ashtray. "I don't have anything better for you." She said, her gaze steady as she studied him. "I will make sure too though if you wish to come down here more often." It wasn't denial of the young man, but it was an invitation.
She wasn't sure how to talk to him, as she never really had to talk....to any of the wolves really. She just existed among them.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Jan 27, 2018 4:28 pm
Trey heard movement and he froze. He hadn't actually expected anyone to be out here... its why he'd retreated here in the first place.
Eyes wide with uncertainty, he only recovered once he saw the woman rise from the pile of machinery that had gone ignored over on the other side of the garage. Dressed in work clothes, he realized she was the source, or rather cause, of the smell of oil and metal that hung in the air here. Surprising, when he realized the pretty face behind the smudges of grease was Regan.
Trey remembered her on the periphery of everything so far, quiet and unobtrusive. She hadn't made much of an impression, beyond the mental note he had made that she could be a stunning model for some of his mother's designs, even at her height. He'd forgotten her, in the upheaval, and now it meant he had virtually nothing to go off of when she gave up whatever she was doing to join him.
Surprise again when, rather than lecture him about smoking, she simply handed him something. It was dirty, but he took it anyway. His long fingers turned it around and over into his palm before he glanced back up, smoke curling in a thin stream from the cigarette in his grip.
"Thanks." He said, a little at a loss. The gesture was... unexpected, but comforting, and he should have had a smooth reply to produce for her, but there was just... nothing. He didn't feel smooth right now, or diplomatic, or charming. He felt ragged edged and fragile, truthfully. He hoped she hadn't noticed in the few seconds his guard had been down.
"I don't usually smoke, but that would be nice. I'm sure Mr. Black would prefer his garage kept clean." There was a bitterness to the name when he said it, and a weight that edged on sarcasm. Another crack in his mask, that it had slipped through when he had no idea how this one felt about it. For all he knew, she'd go running off after he left to tell Chase all about how his newest recruit was already being insubordinate.
He pressed his cigarette to his mouth for a long draw, easing the grip he'd taken around the makeshift ashtray.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Jan 27, 2018 5:14 pm
Rather then turning to go back to the work at hand, she continued to look at him. It was, in her way, studying the newest addition to their ranks. She was not a good conversationalist, and found that the times she had been was because Chase had been good at inferring her meaning.
She knew that Suri did not think much of her, and that Prissy had treated her well, but it was a cautious sort of distance. She had a hard time trusting men and women alike, and Prissy was like the girls in her school who didn't take to kindly to Regan's tomboyish quiet nature.
She tilted her head at him, as he said thank you, and then commented on Chase's thoughts of his smoking in the garage. Since none of the other wolves or Chase smoked (at least she hadn't see him smoked, had she?), she wasn't sure how to answer. The sarcasm wasn't missed, and she processed that too. Chase's questionable behavior and problem with corrupt senshi would arise a sense of hostility among most of his recruits. They were working on it though, weren't they?
"I dirty the garage all the time." She instead offered, reaching over to her counter space for her already dirty rag. She wasn't sure how to continue the conversation though. She didn't want Trey to feel unwelcome, or unwanted. He was hand chosen by Laby himself, and the wolves were suppose to take everyone in for them. Her face, didn't quite show the array of thoughts in her head taking place, so she settled for one. "Do you dislike Chase?" It was a simple question. She was curious what the other corrupt thought of being dragged into this world, and with a general who was unstable at that.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Mar 01, 2018 2:48 pm
I dirty the garage all the time.
It didn't have any right to be comforting... but it was. Dark lashes veiled his eyes as he quietly drew on his cigarette, letting the smoke slide between his lips on the exhale. Chase could hardly take afront about a little ash when there were grease stains on the concrete already, but a traitorous voice whispered Regan was already accepted, and he was not. They might not have the same rules, rules he wasn't even sure he understood yet, and that was just another part of the problem.
He didn't know what face he was supposed to put on for... all this. What was expected of him? What were the rules? How was this supposed to fit into his already crowded life? He had responses for damn near everything, already indexed and sorted like cards in a file, to pull out to answer any situation... except situations that came from suddenly having a magical alter ego.
Trey's mouth pinched and then his expression froze, eyes sliding up to study Regan's face after her question.
Did he dislike Chase? The ******** sociopath who had stuck a hand into his chest like it was supposed to be an honor, after months of lying to him? Leading him around by his nose... all while studying him, judging him... Trey coughed and cleared his throat, trying not to pinch his fingers too tightly as he looked away.
"Oh, I hardly know him, to dislike him." He said with forced lightness. Diplomacy was probably the safest route here, with a woman he didn't really know, in a house owned by someone who radiated anger and demand. What else could he say? No responses, for any of this... he felt so off keel and out of his depth.
Trey hesitated, then slowly asked, "... Do you like him?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Mar 01, 2018 9:03 pm
She didn't know about the voices in his head or heart, but she was sure if she heard them, she could've related. It was hard to integrate in a world when there was already others there. Just like this was her safe space, and having Trey in it, changed it. She was trying to be open though, she needed to be more open.
And less dependent on Chase and Laby. She didn't watch him continously though, her own thoughts pooled at trying to be a better person then she knew she was, and how to be a better person when she wasn't.
But as they made eye contact again, she could see the question...perhaps even a little fear in the eyes. The long pause only made her head tilt, but her face remained stoic. If Trey feared their general, then that was one thing. Everyone feared him right now, in the state he was.
She could tell the forced lightness of it, and it oddly made her want to push at the man. He was justified in his feelings, why would he not express them? Because he was probably like her. Feelings were hard.
She mulled over how to handle this, because she had never really handled or talked with someone like this for so long. Suri ignored her for the most part, and Prissy was a pink whirlwind of energy and...and....things.
"Yes." She tilted her head, wiping her hands. "And no."
She frowned, the first different set of emotions to appear on her face. Could she disclose personal information to someone she had just met? Would she attempt to open herself to others? Would they hate her, for the truth of what she was? A former punching bag of a man who extorted her for money and grounded her being into nothing more then the stardust she used to protect herself.
"I didn't like how he changed me." She started carefully. "He came into my life, and it was....too much." She looked away, "I was...." Her mouth felt dry and she attempted to do something with her hands, reaching over for a piece of the motorcycle parts she could take apart while she talked, "There was a man in my life who had more control over me then anyone could have over someone. I was broken, and I was okay with being broken because that's all I knew."
She paused again.
"Chase came. He changed that. It wasn't good at first. I suffered and he suffered. Then he changed me." She looked at Trey, "And now he's changed. I'm afraid of who he is now, but he was there for me when I was changing, so I will be there for him while he changes." She set the piece down.
"I like him, but I also don't." She looked up at the man. Not sure why she felt strangely better sharing the information. She didn't expect him to accept her because of her truth, but she hoped, perhaps, he would see that they were all broken in the house....and eventually they would come together to fix each other.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Mar 18, 2018 5:44 pm
She spoke carefully, slowly, and with honesty he could read rather plainly, unless she was a very, very good liar. But why lie to him now? She didn't have much to gain by it. So rather, the honesty was a balm, as was the answer she gave.
She could hardly find fault with him being uncomfortable with their general, if she was too... though he had to wonder how similar their situations really were. She was established, he was not.
Trey looked away, off into the middle distance, and took a long drag of his cigarette. It was burning close to the filter now, a stubby piece of nothing in his hand. It was good, at least, to know what some of the others were willing to reach out to him. Suri he knew, sort of, but not what was behind the face she had shown him. Was she like Laby? He hadn't gotten a chance to tell yet. Prissy was... Prissy. Devoted, or at least unwilling to intervene or dirty her hands. Chase's pretty little decoration. Regan had been the unknown, and still was, but maybe less so now. She seemed open to connection, and the solid quietness of her was more soothing than it had a right to be.
"I feel like I've done something wrong and I don't even know what it is." He said quietly, his lips brushing the cigarette he still held to his mouth, his elbow cupped in his other hand. The smoke was going to make his hair smell, his mother would complain... he'd have to take a shower with that citrus soap to bring himself back to her exacting standards... He wondered if the control his mother exerted over him was anything like the control she talked about. They might have another thing in common there....
"I don't like doing the wrong thing, and I don't like being unprepared or not knowing what to do." Trey's nose wrinkled and he finally crushed out the last of the cigarette in the piece she had given him, turning to set it carefully aside. "My life has clear lines of expectation. I know where I stand. Here... I don't know anything."
"Thanks for letting me invade your space." He said as he tucked his hands into the pockets of his slacks. Trey eyed the young woman with a new sort of interest than when he arrived, and a new curiosity. Things were too rough edged right now for more, but he felt better for his little escape. Couldn't do it too often, but it had helped. "I should be heading out. My mother will be expecting me tonight."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Mar 18, 2018 6:22 pm
Regan contemplated with him as well, though she couldn't offer anything more then what she had already said. If Trey felt he had done something, perhaps he would have to work out what it was and grow from it. That was how they all grew after all.
"You're in unknown waters." She nodded, "I get that." She didn't know what she had been getting into when she joined and sometimes now she still didn't know what she was into.
"You'll find it." As he prepared himself to leave, the woman brushed a bang and nodded. "And if you do not, the garage is always open." She waved her hand.
"I'll have an ashtray for when you visit next."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
