Trama in the Store (OPEN THREAD)

[~Nighthunter~]

I have thrown away my vice, Done away with paradise, See what's going on inside my mind...

_____________________

It was late in the day with the sun disappearing behind the clouds as it neared the edge of the horizon. Its hue was a beautiful violet blue, and while its beauty was to be admired, it was nothing that Yorick Grey hadn't seen before. Many times he would gaze at the sky and wonder at the simple things in life. Things he was grateful for, things he was afraid or worries about in his life. Now he had something huge to think about, and he was trying to avoid it all together. Several days ago Yorick had been hunting with Ulric, the Alpha Male of the Veronti Pack. Of course he had been cautious, but they had been hunting bear. Normally for lycans the size of Ulric and himself in wolf form, this was not a big problem, however this was one smart bear. In the end both of them had ended up getting knocked around, and he had sustained multiple injuries, among them a broken right arm. Ulric even had to abandon the kill and leave the bear for another patrol to collect, because he had to carry back his sorry hide because he had fallen unconcious. Frankly Yorick was surprised and glad that Ulric had the decency to carry him back.

Yorick was not originally from Veronti, therefore he did not share there bloodlines, and so others often gave him trouble for it. Most of the time he shook it off, as worthless ruckus designed to get him into trouble with his superiors, which was exactly what it was. He was no fool, he saw the consequences of being caught harming or breaking the rules laid down by Ulric. They were strict and merciless, the worstamong them was death, not to his surprise. Grey however was pretty sure that Urlic had been testing his merits as a member of his pack, so he had no clue what fainting from bloodloss would have earned him.

As for his current situation, Grey was trying to clear his head. Tramatic injuries weren't exactly his cup of tea. At heart he was a strong soul, but he was not a heartless berserker, he felt pain, he felt loss, and right now he was feeling both. Not too long ago his family had died, they were humans, they were defensless, he was vicious and unrelenting in his revenge. His memories of them burned livid with a new fury, as he realised that he could have been side by side to them if the bear had aimed a few inches higher. Was he lucky though? Thats what he couldn't figure out. Sure he liked living, but he almost got to see them again.

Yorick was dressed in his usual strony dark grey leather jacket and dark black cargo pants as he made his way through the woods to the Village of Elone. It was slightly problamatic trying to stay in wolf form while his arm was in its bandaged sling, he had refused a cast, preferring an older form of bandaging. If he had to protect himself he would change and fight for his life, but if not he wasn't even going to bother trying. He wanted to blend in, something he was having trouble doing in the pack, perhaps the humans or others he would run into in the Village would prove more company. He headed into a random store hoping it would be something interesting. Instantly all sorts of smells assulted his nostrils. Spices of all kinds and other foods that the villagers grew were stocked on hand made shelves or displayed out in the open by owners trying to haggle over prices. If nothing else this place was loud and very distracting, kind of what he needed at the moment. Looking around he remembered cooking for his family, he had been quite the chef once. No telling what would happen in this little store, let alone the village, but something had to happen right?

_____________________

680: words.

[silent]

The small slip of a woman reached the village and quietly cursed herself. She had left later in the day, having kept herself all too busy throughout the morning around her home village of Nerian, and it had been a decent walk to Elone- now, here she was, night falling, and knowing that if she didn't turn back about... thirty minutes ago, she wouldn't make it home before nightfall. She groaned outwardly. Lycan or not, she didn't enjoy being alone at night- an irrational fear of the dark kept her on her toes- she was always inside, with the doors locked by the time the sun set, purposely flooding her home with light until she went to sleep. But of course, she simply had to come to this village. The day prior, while out browsing local shops for various spices, foods, interesting items in general, she had grown flustered with how little she found that interested her. No spices or exotic vegetables to brighten her meals, no lovely flowers to bring an airy, sweet scent into her home- flowers she so adored to shine colour into the cozy house, no seeds for her much beloved garden- and that's when someone mentioned a shop in Elone, a country-side village known for their produce and products. She had immediately planned to go the next day, but household chores kept her busy until late afternoon, and even running part of the way through the forest in her wolf form hadn't helped her get there before the sun began to set.

She looked up at the sky and stifled a second groan. Blackness crept from the east, bleeding into shades of violet and red toward the sun, dipping below the horizon now, casting long shadows the buildings around her. Part of her told her to turn back now, and at least she could get home before it got severely late, and she wouldn't spend the entire walk in darkness- but at the same time, the more stubborn side of her demanded she at least take a look in the shops- she had come all this way, hadn't she? Brushing off her frustration, she started down the streets, still alive with people, either bustling off home, or simply enjoying the last fading rays of daylight. It was beautiful, and all of the even tempered village folk she passed brightened her spirits even as the world turned dim and the stars began to dot the sky. As she drew into the shop area, she quickly learned she hadn't been directed wrong, shops everywhere boasted the freshest fruits and vegetables, or other exotic items. It made her blue eyes glow even in the dim light, and a smile to soften her face. Leah was a chef, a gardener, a florist, an artist bundled into the tiniest little packaged lady you'd ever see. A discrete, yet glowing beauty kept friends close and men enraptured, even as she obliviously went about her life, enjoying it to her fullest with a big smile and a polite demeanor.

Eventually one shop in particular caught her eye. Through the windows and propped open door, she saw the busy swarm of people inside, bargaining and buying, a strong scent came from he door, the hearty scent of fresh produce and a sharp scent of hundreds of different types of spices. She hurried across the street and dipped into the building, looking around, enthralled by all the activity and selections. She began to browse, purchasing what interested her- a fruit or vegetable she had never seen, a spice she had never heard of, flower seeds to fill her garden, to bloom flowers to set her house aflame with colour. This would satiate her lady-of-the-arts personality for some weeks to come, she knew. Whatever she purchased, she placed neatly into the satchel that hung from the side off her shoulder, brushing her hip, a simple item that suited her needs when it came to days like this. In her excitement, she turned sharply away from the vendor she had just been to, spinning on her heel, and staring away, only to ram into a man double her size, one of his arms bandaged and in a sling. The satchel slid from her shoulder and toppled, sending some of her purchases rolling out. Her heart skipped a beat, and she dropped down, quickly begginning to gather the items before they could get kicked away from her. "Oh goodness, I'm sorry, so sorry!" She cried out as she hurriedly tried to gather her things, a furious blush turning her pale cheeks pink, hoping dearly she hadn't hurt his already obviously injured arm, even if she did stand just under five feet tall and couldn't hurt a fly, even if she stepped on it, she couldn't help but worry, and pray he wasn't an aggressive person toward mistakes like this as some she had met were, seeing as injuries were easy to aggrivate.

[~Nighthunter~]

[atrb=border,0,true][cs=7][bg=617186] I have thrown away my vice, Done away with paradise, See what's going on inside my mind... _____________________ Yorick was starting to forget where he was, having thought of his family he once had again had brought back memories both painful and upbringing all in one. Too tired and weary to shead tears for them anymore, he no longer wanted ot hurt. Thye would always live with him, but he just couldn't deplete his life anymore, they wouldn't have wanted him to.Standing around in the store gave him hope oddly enough. He wondered what kind of hobby he could only imagine what sort of things he could conjure with the spices and flavors of the products. With his good arm he began picking through some fruit. Thinking of food had put him in the mood for a fruit salad. Grabbing strawberries, grapes, blueberries, and a pineapple, he searched for a place to put it all. With one good arm it was difficult to hold a large ammount of items. He was about to turn and get a basket, when all of the sudden his injured arm was jarred as someone walked into him. His eyes watched as the food he carried spilled out ahead of him. While still facing away from his aggressor, his face pouted in a puppyish way as it seemed the only thing not scattered everywhere was the pineapple. Grumbling to himself, he turned around to see who had caused his food to fall. Turning around he was about to sniff out the culprit and give chase when there was no one in front of him. Looking down however, he saw a woman picking up her own discarded goods and wanted to smack himself for causing her stuff to go everywhere. Being a lycan it was hard to get knocked down let alone hurt from someone her size hitting you on accident. Yorick realized that to those around them that it would be odd if he hadn't been sore and a little irked because she had hit an injured arm. Sometimes blending in is a pain in the ass. Seeing her picking up seeds and fruits among other things, he felt terrible. Surely she had hit him, and it wasn't his fault, but he couldn't help feeling that it had been. Afterall he had been lost in a daze all evening. Had he been paying attention he could have dodged out of her way hamrlessly. Forcing his face to look slightly pained for show, he bent down and started to help mend the situation if that were possible. The whole time she was apologizing like crazy. In truth he had never heard someone say they were sorry for hitting him as much as this one lady was now. Hoping to diffuse the situation he spoke, trying to explain how non - angry he was. " Oh let me help you with that. I'm sorry I'm so aloof sometimes I need to pay more attention. " Picking up several spices , he held his good arm out to hand them to her. _____________________

[/b][/blockquote]

[/color][/size][/td][/tr][/table][/blockquote]

[silent]

Her hands were in a flurry, lashing out to grab a rolling apple here, to snag run away seeds, only to draw back quickly and shove them into her bag. It was a miracle no one had stepped on anything yet. Her mind was on two things: gathering her purchases as quickly as possible, and shooting out a flurry of apologies from her still running mouth. She was cut off abruptly however as she saw him crouch down next to her, grabbing a few of the spices and holding them out to her. speaking. She bit her tongue, pausing in her endeavors to look up at the man offering her the spices. He had dark hair, and peculiar eyes of a dark honey-ish hue, and his build was double hers- most people were larger than her, yes, she was no more than a pixie, but something about this man made her feel further dwarfed, intimidated, and had the strong smell of spices not dulled her senses so, she would have scented her own kind on him. She reached out, blue eyes still locked on him, and smiled weakly. "No, no it was my fault, really, I should pay more attention myself..." She inwardly chastised herself for her lack of attention, "I'm really, really sorry, I don't think I can stress that enough." She murmured, taking the spices from him, and placing them among the others in her bag. She again glanced at his arm, "I hope I didn't jar that too badly..." Glancing around, she found she had gathered everything, and quickly straightened, reaching up to brush dark brown curls back behind her ears, readjusting the satchel.

Part of her felt the need to flee- she was an outgoing girl, in a laid back way. A lover of company, but when situations- such as her prior mishap, get in the way, sometimes a breath of fresh air is what she really wants- and yet, at the same time, that same part of her made her compelled to stay put. Her gaze found behind him scattered fruits, and she quickly realized that in her ramming into him, he had dropped his own objects. Her eyes grew wide and she bit her lip. "Oh, your stuff..." She flinched slightly as the maruading crowd- many people, haggling what last-minute necessities they needed to pick up for their dinners and breakfasts, further scattered the fruit- some of it already damaged or purely lost. She dropped down once more, rescuing a pineapple, the only thing not to have been kicked away and trample. She stood, nervously handing over the spiny, strongly scented fruit, looking up at him, forcing a nervous smile and chuckle, "Sorry..." She apologized for the umpteenth time, her delicate fingers fiddling nervously with the strap of her satchel. Of course, she knew the whole ordeal had been her fault. Feeling a bit claustrophobic, she spared the man one last glance, nodding her goodbye and turned, making a beeline for the door. She stepped out, only to find the sun had set, casting the world in blackness. She paused outside of the shop, suppressing a whine of frustration. It would be a long trek home in this dark, and she doubted even her lycan would get her home quickly enough. She cursed her irrational fear of the dark. Wolves were supposed to love the dark, weren't they? Maybe, maybe not, it helped her none. Heaving a sigh, she hoisted her bag firmer over her shoulder, and began to walk down the dim street, her body stiff, heart fluttering nervously. As far as she was concerned right now, every shadow around her was a beast, a murderer, waiting to pounce.

[Deleted]

[atrb=border,0,true][cs=7][bg=617186] I have thrown away my vice, Done away with paradise, See what's going on inside my mind... _____________________ Her eyes locked with his during a brief void of silence on her part, and he couldn't help but fall into there depths. they were a brillint shade of blue. Long strands of wavy dark hair fell over her shoulders. In his mind he knew he was staring, but he tried to keep his expression soft instead of a creepy intent glare, though he had no idea if he was able to avoid looking like that. As soon as she pulled her eyes from his, he felt like he was waking up from a dream, and suddenly felt the items leaving his hands. Blinking, he closed his fist and pulled his arm back away from her. His eyes shot to the floor to search for more of her goods. In an instant she was back to apologizing. Her sweet voice carried her sorrow to his ears, and it made him feel even worse. How do I make her stop? Its sweet, but its really not her fault. Just as he was about to try and get her to stop saying sorry, she asked about his arm that she had walked into. He cursed the stupid sling for drawing attention to his injury. He certainatly didn't want that on her mind all day. Trying to look in conspicuous, he was about to prod his arm and show her that he was ok, when she started to hurredily comment on his thrown goods, and handed him his pineapple. Then in a blur she darted out of the store, he wasn't even sure she had paid the cashier as the man behind the desk was looking at her as she left. His arm sank, though under the weight of guilt rather then the pineapple that was the only remainder on this endevor. Yorick felt compelled to follow her, but he was upset that he hadn't said what he was going to say. He was going to pay for the mess and her goods in an effort to clean up the matter. Looking outside the store, he noticed how dark it was getting. The spices were thick, but he hadn't sensed lycan on her at all, and he was loathe to let her walk around alone in the dark. He felt responsible for her now in a weird sort of way, eventhough none of it had been his fault. Darting over to the counter, fruit in hand , he paid for his pineapple and all the food the lady had run out with on accident. He was still made at himself for causing her to be so uneasy that she had run off like a bullet. Then he gave chase, pineapple in hand. After a short jog, he saw her seemingly power walking. Smiling to himself , he hurried to catch up. Once close enough he called out to her, hoping not to scare her in the process." Hey , wait up!" If she decided to bolt away from him, he had already decided to take to the roofs and follow her silently from the shadows. Whatever she did , he was going to make sure she got home safetly. _____________________

[/b][/blockquote]

[/color][/size][/td][/tr][/table][/blockquote]

[leahwalker]

Leah was quickly reminded of why she hated the dark. The shadows seemed to suck all joy out of the world with the light. Everything suddenly became a menacing threat. A chill moved down her spine, and she folded her arms over her chest, as if she was cold- and oddly enough, even in the sucking, palpable heat of summer, she had slight goosebumps. It was too quiet, her heart racing in her chest the only thing she could hear as it pounded in her ears. Inside, she felt her wolf flex, and yawn nervously. The idea of pounding off through the forest at the merciless speed of a lycan was tempting, and it was settled as noise reached her, the haunting hoot of an owl overhead as it dipped through the trees spooked her, and she knew the second she reached the safety of the forest, she would run. This however wasn't to be- behind her, someone called out to her, and trusting of any person when compared to the evil of the night around her, she spun around to face them- only to see the man from before there. She bit her lip, was he angry? What did he want?

Despite her stress of being in the dark, a strained smile touched her lips. "Oh, hello again." She chuckled, reading up and brushing a stray lock of curly hair from her eyes, half debating flying into another flurry of apologies. Deciding against it, the apologetic look did however return to her eyes. "I'm still really sorry about what happened back there." She did however manage out, looking up at him as he stopped in front of her. She looked him over once more- it was harder to see him the dark, the waning moon making it even darker as it shed little silver light, but honey coloured eyes did assure her it was the same man. What a peculiar colour, she decided as she relaxed slightly. It was easier to bear the dark, not being alone- especially if she didn't focus on the creeping shadows, and just the man in front of her. A calmer smile softened her face and chased away a bit of the stress in her eyes. "I'm afraid I didn't introduce myself." She spoke in a gentle voice, "Leah, Leah Walker." The owl from prior once again gave a shriek, and her head jerked in it's direction, it sat on a branch, glaring down. It scented the wolf as the wind and humidity chased away the scent of spices, quite slowly, and was immediately defensive. Silly bird, wolves don't eat owls. Then again, she couldn't deny she'd seen a hungry loner here and there chasing down even pigeons in search of food. The owl didn't concern her- what did, was with her attention turned toward the nocturnal animal, she was once again focused on the night, and the shadows that seemed to reach out from every quiet crevice. She once again tensed, and grew stressed. Why couldn't it be daytime still? Why did she eve bother leaving her home today? Her eyes flicked back up to the man from the shop expectantly, waiting from him to speak, hoping that if she focused on him again, she'd forget that she was standing outside, at night, in the creeping darkness.