The city was still a gem in the eyes of the hybrid. He'd ventured out of Phoenix Valley, how in the world did he manage to sober himself up the past few days he was unsure but possibly the fact of not remembering the nights before had begun to rein in on his mind.. Just what had he done the night before. He had no answers to those questions and the nagging feeling that sooner or later he'd regret finding out was enough to make him kick the bucket for a moment or two... not that those precious moments were something he really would treasure. The past few days had been filled with the thoughts that the booze had suppressed from his mind for a time of blissful ignorance, now with the pain drawn across his heart and soul like a razor again he wished he hadn't taken the time to sober back up.
The male had been strolling down one of the dingier streets of Halifax when his own bane seemed to catch his eye and the male gave into temptation, just telling himself that he was going to check the place out and be on his way. The man was a liar of course, and not too long after he'd found himself in the bar was he strolling down the sidewalk with a bottle tucked under his arm and a bit of weight taken off his shoulders knowing that if he needed to waste away the memories once more the whiskey might not be on his breath already but it was close enough at hand just the same.
He hasn't even realized it but his paws were taking him off the sidewalk and down towards one of the parks he'd discovered on one of his more sober rambles before the weight of the world rested upon his back. He smiled slightly as the old trees, fountain and stone benches came into view. The perfect spring retreat to wash the woes of winter away.
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The Aatte youth had returned to the city of Halifax today. It hadn't been to escape his home this time. Well, maybe a little, but it wasn't the main reason. He hadn't gotten a chance to explore the place as much as he had liked the last time. On his way home from getting his ear pierced in Phoenix Valley he had run into Ehno here and after gathering a few things had headed for home. So he had come back on his own to do some further investigation and exploring.
He had brought his guitar along, strap crossed his chest as the instrument itself laid against his back. His searching of the morning had been quite successful. He had found a nice canvas bag to put stuff in (though he didn't have anything to put in it at the moment). But the most exciting things he had found had been in a clothes store. No one in Crimson Dreams really wore clothes except Jazper who had some shorts. Haven had liked the way they looked and wanted to find some of his own. The kid had been in luck, finding some jean shorts that went down to his knees. He had used his claws to rip a hole for his tail and was now wearing them comfortably around his waist. The find that he was most happy about was an olive green army jacket. It helped keep the cool wind blowing through the city from chilling him.
Done looking around he had found a small park and taken a seat on the groun leaning against a tree. Rolling up the sleeves of his new jacket to his elbows he laid his guitar across his lap, strumming some chords. He was still learning to play the instrument, but he had a sort of natural gift for it. A pleasant made-up melody drifted through the air as jade eyes stared up at the sky. Haven's nose twitched as he smelled someone familiar. It didn't take much looking to see his uncle walking into the park. With a smile he lifted one hand to wave at DaVinci. "Hey! Fancy meetin' you here!"
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The Savant really hadn't thought that he'd find another in the middle of the old park but he couldn't help but grin when the sight of the pumpkin hued young adult came into view. The weight of the bottle under his arm had already tempted him too much and the make popped the top before reaching the perch of his nephew, the fire trailing down his throat made him sigh as he took in the sight of just what the boy was up to as he chuckled. "Even the big guys need to loosen up every now and then.." he teased as he joined the boy at the base of the old tree.
He raised his eyes to the flash of gold that adorned the boy's ear as he smirked. Nodding his head he asked. "So, how'd they take it?" he could probably imagine some little hissy the girls might have thrown or even just utter shock at it.. but sometimes his sister just surprised him and let things slide under the radar. He let his arm rest stretched out across his risen knee as he tilted the bottle of whiskey back and forth between two fingers lazily, the smile never leaving his lips as he took in the whole of the guitar the boy had seemed to be working on. "You're taking well to the form.." he commented, the clothes, the guitar, the piercing. It didn't seem like Haven had any real problems with change, atleast, not the ones that came with adulthood.
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As his uncle came near he could tell how weary he seemed. Even more so than the last time he had seen him (which hadn't been long ago at all). He watched curiously as he took a bottle that had been under his arm and took a long drink from it. What was in there? Was it water? Did humans put water in bottles? That seemed very strange to him. If they wanted water why wouldn't they just go to a stream or a lake and get it there? And especially why would DaVinci be drinking water from one. He couldn't imagine it tasted better than fresh water.
The question about his earring made Haven think about his conversation with Anu. Absentmindedly he reached up to feel the metal that was pierced through his bleached ear. "Anu wasn't happy about it. Nani didn't seem to care though." His jade eyes darkened as they focused on nothing in particular. "They broke up...my moms..." He had known something was wrong for a while but finally he had confirmation. It felt strange. He wasn't mad at either of them, just sad. He almost felt lost.
"Yeah I guess so. I like it." The kid's voice lightened with those words, but they were still tainted with the sadness from his broken family.
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DaVinci hadn't really expected the words that Haven had greeted him with, he'd assumed some bit of laughter and joking about how his two mothers had nearly come undone by what his uncle had assisted him with, but the news of his sister's mateship falling through pricked at his heart and soul, reminding him of his own loss he'd been suffering through. The silvery blue male shook his head as his eyes watched the liquid in the bottle roll back and forth as she sighed. "I'm sorry Haven.." he said hesitantly, not really sure what the right words were for the boy, or if there even were right words. He just sat there quiet a moment before he admitted. "I.. lost someone I loved.." The echoing of the pain cutting through his soul once more demanded the bottle and so the Savant took another hit off the hard liquor and closed his eyes a moment.
He opened his eyes after a moment and turned his gaze back to the younger male as he chuckled sadly. "I HATED shifting.. until I met her.." He sighed and dropped the bottle down beside them as he studied his young nephew a moment. "How.. are you taking everything?" He never really had a perfect family to begin with so he couldn't really understand how the child could feel once the pieces started to crumble. There was little he had to offer, or so he thought.
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That had been one of the reasons he had stayed from Crimson Dreams so long after his first shift. He had known something was wrong and deep down in his gut he knew that it was serious that wouldn't change. It was the first real disappointment he had ever had to deal with. Even though many outsiders had viewed the family as weird, because there were two mothers and no father, Haven had loved his family and couldn't imagine it any other way. His father had never been around and now that he was growing older that fact was beginning to weigh heavy on his mind. Why was the man never around? What was really wrong with him? Now even his nontraditional little unit was broken.
Sad jade eyes looked to his uncle as he said he had lost someone he loved. Apparently they were both in some pain now, though for different reasons. The older male took another drink from the bottle. What was in there? Would it help with the pain? "I'm sorry uncle...What happened? Why did you lose her?" Maybe if they talked about it it would help. He wondered if the man had anyone else to talk to about this kind of thing. "There's a girl I like...I don't think I love her, not yet anyway. I don't know how she feels though." When he had tried to kiss Siobhan on the boat things had gotten weird. He hoped he hadn't ruined their friendship.
"I don't know...it's just weird. I'm not mad at either of them and I don't want to take sides...but I don't know what to do. Everything's just tangled up in my head..." Once again he eyed the dark bottle as it was placed between the two hybrids. "What's in that bottle? Can I have some?" Even if it wouldn't help the pain maybe it could distract him from it.
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DaVinci's love life and his pack life were beginning to intertwine dangerously. Oddly enough that's what he was trying to prevent when they'd broken things off.. and yet somehow he'd screwed up in the end and had caused trouble to fall on the small pack. He dropped the bottle to the ground and shook his head, his hands running through his long locks as he laughed sadly at the questions that Haven seemed to rain down on him. Luckily the whiskey was already beginning to dull the pain or else he'd probably have just stared off into the distance lost in some trance.
"She belongs to the clan." he said quietly as his stormy eyes stared down into the dark liqour as he rumbled on. "There's bad blood between the clan and I.." Almost everyone but Haven's mother had bad blood between the clan, but his luck seemed to be worse than most. He picked the bottle back up again and took another swig as he tried to explain. "She loves the clan too much and I have my duties to my pack.." it all seemed rather stupid now but it was the truth.
When Haven went on about his own girl troubles DaVinci just shook his head and chuckled. "Girls are nothing but trouble.." a sigh escaped his lips as he grinned. "Can't live with them, can't live without them.." He took another hit off the bottle, knowing that he should just slow down but.. the idea of washing away the memories if even for a night was live heaven to the broken hybrid.
He listened halfheartedly when the conversation was turned towards Naniko and her mate's issues. DaVinci had never really been one to get into the troubles of his siblings and he really didn't want to start now. Haven's prediciment was bad enough and Davinci couldn't blame him for not wanting to get involved though he could probably guess it was hard not to when it was your close family. Suddenly it seemed mid sentence the conversation shifted to a topic DaVinci was getting more familiar with as he just smiled at Haven.
"This?' he asked as he held the bottle up to let the boy see it better. "Well, your mother would kill me.. but she doesn't have to know eh?" he chuckled as he handed the bottle over to the boy to inspect. "It's whiskey. Alcohol. The humans made it long ago.." he smiled to himself as he leaned back against the tree and closed his eyes. "It will make you forget all the pain.. if only for a little while.."
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Ears perked up as his uncle admitted that this lady he loved belonged to the coyote clan. He wondered what this "bad blood" was and Haven was secretly afraid it might effect his relationship with Siobhan. After all, he was related to DaVinci (not by blood, but the young hybrid wasn't aware of that). Having to make a choice between someone you loved and your home had never occurred to him. It was silly, because it should have. While he didn't know how Siobhan felt about him, if they did end up wanting to be together one of them would have to leave their pack. Haven was pretty sure that he would not be allowed to join Inferni, for he was more wolf than anything else. Would she leave for him? Or would she want to stay like his uncle's love?
"I'm sorry...that really sucks..." What a crude way to put it, but he didn't know what else to say. There really wasn't anything else to say. "It's kinda funny though. Not "ha ha" funny, but ironic funny. The girl I like lives there too. In the clan." Jade eyes watched as the stormy hybrid continued to take long drinks from the bottle. Obviously the loss of this lady was really hurting him bad. He couldn't blame him though. He was nervous about what was going on between him and the petite snowy coyote, and he wasn't even in love with her. Haven didn't have anything to say in response to his uncle's little mantra. He was too young to have much experience either way.
As DaVinci handed the bottle over to him the youth looked at it curiously. He brought the top to his nose, but quickly pulled his nose back, his muzzle wrinkling. Man it smelled strong! Like nothing he had ever smelled before. Haven gave the man a half-hearted grin when he mentioned his mother. "Wouldn't want to break tradition now, would we?" Last time he visited he had got a piercing, it seemed that he was doing a lot of things mothers didn't approve of with his male relative. He was hesitant to taste the stuff, but when it was told to him it would take away the pain, all that left him. He put the bottle to his lips and let the liquid drain into his mouth and throat.
The boy wasn't able to take a very long swig though, as he moved the bottle away from his mouth, coughing. It burned! He could feel it burning all the way down his chest! But then at the same time he could feel strange warmth begin to spread throughout his body. "Must be an acquired taste," he said between coughs. Still, he liked that warm after feeling so he took another drink. It went down smoother the second time.
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DaVinci just shook his head as Haven spoke of how sorry he was for the pain that he was going through now. "You don't have to say you're sorry, you didn't cause it boy." he gave the boy a halfhearted grin as he spoke of his own love, or belief that he loved the girl. DaVinci wasn't really sure if he was ready to hear about all the love there was out there in the world but he wasn't going to be a bastard to his nephew. He sighed softly and glanced across the park as he spoke softly, his words bitter. "Inferni is just to twisted and backwards. They pride themselves on their coyote blood when half of them are nothing but mutts like you and me." his disgust at the rules and regulations of the clan were starting to get to him again so the male returned to the bottle again for a moment to ease off the pain.
When the bottle had been handed off to Haven DaVinci soon forgot about the reason he was so twisted up inside as Haven joked about their run on breaking all the rules. A light grin spread across his maw as he chuckled. "someone's gotta show you the lighter side to life." he said as he watched the boy take the bottle to his lips and start off with a shot of the burning courage.
He couldn't help but roar with laughter as Haven tried to gain his ground, coughing and sputtering as the liquor took it's first course through the smaller male's frame. He grinned as he watched the boy take a second swig of the bottle. "It grows on you after a while.." he promised as he leaned back against the tree and sighed. "I wish everyday could just be like this, right here." Just two guys sitting back and forgetting the good run of bad luck life had handed them.
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He knew that he didn't have to be sorry, that it wasn't his fault, still he needed to say something. Or at least he felt he did. It would've been rude and insensitive to just not say anything. What else was there to say aside from sorry? "I know, but still, I am." Haven hadn't even thought that his uncle didn't want to hear about his affections. Though they weren't exactly going the best either. He had kissed Siobhan and she had run away. He worried that he had royally screwed everything up. "That's not exactly great now either. I uh...kissed her, and she ran away. Now I'm worried I ruined everything." The boy didn't share his family member's distaste for the clan. As of yet he had no reason to dislike them. It seemed a lot of people did though. He wondered what was so bad that he was not seeing.
As DaVinci burst out in laughter at Haven's reaction to the whiskey, he couldn't help but chuckle a little as well. Surely it was pretty funny to the veteran drinker. It would have been a good prank to pull, he thought. Tell someone it was just water and wait for their reaction when they realized it wasn't. Of course that hadn't been the case this time, but it might be a good one to pull on someone sometime. After his second drink of the liquid he smiled. "Yeah, I can already see that it does." There was a fuzziness settling in his head that was relaxing. It felt good, what this stuff was doing to him. DaVinci had been right. "That would be pretty great, wouldn't it?" Haven took another swig before handing the bottle back to his uncle. "I think we're gonna need more of that stuff," he said with a crooked grin.
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DaVinci watched the boy with sad eyes as he still admitted to DaVinci that he felt sorry for the whole situation that had fallen through. DaVinci waved it away as he himself pushed the thoughts to the back of his mind. He didn't need to be reminded of anything sad and heartbreaking this day. Actually he had tried to forget anything that had attached lingering emotions as of lately, aside from Haven very few actually saw the male. If they did it was either drunk or hungover. He was on a path of self destruction and nothing was there to pull him back just yet, or perhaps he wasn't ready to be pulled out.
Haven went on to another subject, or better phrased, he went back to another subject. DaVinci turned his stormy orbs to actually study the look on his nephews face as he spoke. DaVinci wasn't the best when it came to romantic situations and what to do, he'd already ruined his own. He glanced down at the simple celtic bracelet that glittered on his slim wrist as he spoke. "Girls are funny, especially at your age.. just give it time.." he didn't know if the advice was sound or if it would just send the boy down a trail waiting and hoping for something that would never come. He wished that wasn't what the boy's future looked like but he couldn't tell.
When Haven had moved on to the bottle DaVinci's eyes kept a little light of amusement as he watched the boy. The chuckle he was granted when Haven recovered from the first fierce shot of whiskey was enough for DaVinci as a small smile settled on his lips. The smile moved into a full grin as the alcohol began to buzz at her entire being and Haven plunged into this new adventure headfirst. He sighed and closed his eyes, the smile still on his lips as he replied softly to Haven's questioning comment. "yeah.. life would be good for once then.." he marveled at the thought a second before those dreams were interrupted by the reappearance of the bottle.
Taking it from Haven and downing a long swig the male let a hiss slip through his teeth as Haven pointed out the cold hard truth. They were getting to the bottom of the bottle and that was not part of the plans. DaVinci groaned as he handed the bottle back to Haven and grinned as he staggered to his feet. "I know.. just where to find us some more." he said with a wink as he began to move away. "Don't wander too far now!" he called as he traced his steps back through the park and down one of the city streets to the closest bar he'd discovered in the area not to long ago. Living close to the city did have it's advantages in some areas.
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Whatever this was, it was great. She had been a little skeptical at first, testing just a small taste before actually letting an entire mouthful flood her throat. The bottle had been fairly easy to open, and now it had found a relatively permanent place in Ryan’s right palm. She wandered the streets of Halifax, raising the bottle to her lips every so often. It was a strange, sweet drink that stung her throat while it went down. Oddly enough, it was making her day seem much more bearable.
It didn’t take long for the Inferni woman to wander across the park. The handsome young man, with guitar straddling his lap, wasn’t quite familiar at first. Haven had done a lot of growing up since Ryan had last seen him. She made her way across the ever greening grass, the purple plaid dress billowing around her frame as she walked.
"Well, look at what I found here! Who’s this handsome boy? Don’t think I’ve meet him." She gave Haven a playful wink, settling herself down onto the ground next to him. For a short moment, Ryan set the wine bottle on the ground. "How've you been?"
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He was glad that DaVinci knew where to find some more of the alcohol. Now that they were almost out the thought of not being able to drink anymore was upsetting. It gave him such a nice feeling and he wanted it intensified not to ebb away! The silvery hybrid got to his feet after handing him the bottle again. His grin became toothy as he saluted his uncle. "Yesssir!" Jade eyes watched as the older man disappeared down one of the city streets. Hopefully he'd make it back soon. Already Haven was missing his company.
Lifting the bottle to his lips once again he managed to drain the rest of it. The haze in his mind was getting pretty thick at this point and his limbs felt heavy and warm. A silly grin on his lips he rested his hands behind his head and closed his eyes for a few moments. What a wonderful feeling. But it wasn't long until a voice that was most definitely not DaVinci's broke through the silent air. His eyes opened lazily to take in the dress clad form of Ryan de le Poer. The boy's smile grew to show his pearly whites again. "Well hallo thar pretty miss! What brings you out on such a fiiine day?" He gave the coyote woman a quick hug as she settled next to him on the ground.
"Oh I've been alright." He was feeling too good to go into his girl and family problems. Jade orbs glimmered at the bottle she had set aside. "I see I'm not the only one partaking today." Once DaVinci returned they could have a grand old party!
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The hug was strange, but welcomed. She could tell now that Haven was growing, maturing. His grip was not that of a boy anymore – the softness associated with a child had given way to firm muscles, strong sinew. It hadn’t been what she was expecting, though it was clearly visible much had changed with the young Aatte. "It is a fine day, isn’t it?" She replied, smiling back at him. Had she known Conri, she would have marveled now at the similarities between the two. But as it was, she did not.
"Partaking?" Her eyes followed his and landed on the wine bottle. "Ohh," she giggled, and picked it off the ground. She held it out towards him, offering it. "Want some? It’s very yummy!" And because her words were so convincing to herself, she took a sip before holding it out again.
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The last time (and first) he had seen Ryan had still be before he could shift. He supposed he was lucky he had such a unique fur color so people could recognize him in either form. He supposed he had his scent too, but oh well, the copper coat helped anyway. Even though it hadn't even been a month since he started shifting he had taken to the form quickly. He spent most of his time in it when he wasn't traveling or hunting. Everyone had their preferences, and the two legged form was definitely his. "Very fine! With very fine company!" the boy said with a wink.
Haven chuckled with Ryan as she giggled about the subject of her choice of drink. Black nose sniffed the bottle as it was held out to him. It smelled much different than the whiskey, more pleasant and fruity. "Wellll, if you're so kind to offer..." he said smirking and took a swig of the stuff. His pink tongue licked his lips as he handed the bottle back. "That is yummy! Not as harsh as the whiskey I was drinkin'." It was amazing how different the alcohols could taste!
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"I know, isn’t it just delightful?" She replied, taking the bottle back from him, so that she could throw back another large gulp. The bottle was set on the ground between them, and for the moment, Ryan rested her palms in the canopy of fabric that was stretched between her thighs from sitting cross-legged. "Any good with that thing?" She asked Haven, making a vague gesture towards the guitar he had. Sewing was really her only talent, so she loved seeing all the things others were capable of. It was only then that Ryan noticed the empty whiskey bottle that had found itself laying on the ground next to Haven. She smiled a crooked grin, wondering if he had been able to finish it all himself. She knew that that stuff was a lot different then the wine she had secured. Surely Haven didn’t drink it all in this occasion – he would have been much less coherent.
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He was so glad that he had decided to come to Halifax today. The alcohol was making him feel so much better. This was the best he had felt in days! The youth heaved a contented sigh as Ryan took another drink from her wine bottle. "It is. I love the way it makes me feel." It was better than worrying about all his problems, at least it sure felt better. Plus he just felt all warm and tingly. Her question drew his attention back to his guitar that was laying across his lap. How silly, he had almost forgot it was there! "Ah, this? I dunno 'bout bein' good, but I'm learnin'." He'd had only a few weeks to start teaching himself the instrument, but he did have a knack for it.
"I guess I can let you be tha judge," he said smiling at her. His left hand took its position on the neck and he poised his right hand fingers over the strings. He began strumming the little melody he had been before DaVinci had found him. It wasn't much, just something he had come up with while learning how to play. It was pleasant though, mellow. Perfect for this kind of day.
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Ryan clapped her hands together, smiling. It was absolutely great! She wished she had some sort of musically inclined talent, but knew that would probably never be the case. "Wonderful, Haven! I like that a lot." She scooted closer to him, watching his fingers move to make the guitar work. She silently wondered about the instrument, about all its inner workings… how did it produce something so pretty?
"Where did you find it?" She asked him, referring to the guitar. "Did you just teach yourself how to play it?" She couldn’t imagine doing that. Though he made it seem easy by playing it now, Ryan knew she would have been clueless if someone were to hand her the instrument.
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The boy's ears dipped back and his smile turned sheepish as Ryan clapped and complimented his playing. He really hadn't played in front of anyone yet, but he was glad that she approved and confirmed the fact that at least he didn't suck at it. "Thanks, it's nothin' really." Hopefully he would continue to improve and learn some more impressive songs. This was hardly more than just a little ditty. Once he was better he wanted to go and see if he could find any sheet music to teach himself. That would probably be the most helpful thing.
"I found it here in the city, in one of the little shops. It was really outta tune, but I took it back to the mansion and used the piano there to fix it up." It was a good thing Jazper kept the piano at Crimson Dreams in good condition, otherwise it might have taken him hours to find the right notes. "Yeah, just been playing around with it, figurin' things out. It's not too hard." Haven picked up the wine and took another little drink. "Thought I might deserve a lil' treat for playin', heh"
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"Huh, that’s really something," Ryan commented, still marveling at the guitar that Haven had in his lap. The wood surface was so smooth and shiny, she outstretched a hand and slid a few slender fingers across it. She didn’t even look up to see if Haven minded or not – it was just too pretty. "Amazing," she commented, throwing her palms behind her so that she was leaning back. She watched as Haven drank from the bottle, smiling at him. "Of course, help yourself!" She grinned, grabbing at the bottle when he was done. His song had made her thirsty too.
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