[html] All welcome, but only 1-2 people please! Gardenia Grove.
It wasn't much of a surprise that he'd been scarce as of late. Now manning Phoenix Valley single-handed, Jefferson spent a majority of his time scouting and keeping tabs on his members. DaVinci's departure had returned extra responsibility to the Patriarch's daily life; he took it in stride and held his bitter feelings of abandonment to himself. DaVinci had been one of few that knew the darkest secrets of the cyclops and understood the complicated machinations of the one-eyed beast and his often sporadic and unpredictable behavior. The two had never truly gotten along as a normal friendship would have predicted, but their relationship had been a rivaling friendship. They had known to be themselves around each other; DaVinci had seen Jefferson at his absolute worst, and yet the silver-furred hybrid had stood alongside the three-legged idiot and picked up the slack where the Patriarch failed in leading the pack. Knowing that he was once again on his own, however, put a caustic concoction of feelings in the pit of his stomach. The once-loner Jefferson now hated working on his own. DaVinci's assistance had enabled the cyclops the space to breathe, think, and raise a pup in addition. What did Addison think of it all, now that her grumpy guardian was so suddenly hard to find?
The smiles he'd put on were no front when he'd addressed his members on the pack's birthday. Perhaps the initial shock and disappointment hadn't set in quite yet; Jefferson was not struggling, so to say, but the slight sag of his shoulders and the shuffle of his feet made perfect evidence that he was not quite as sharp and peppy as his usual self might have been. Even a stone-faced idiot like Jefferson could miss his close friends when they so suddenly left him behind. Then again, what else was new? Iskata had died, Zana had moved to Inferni, DaVinci had left (as well as his children, though Ty returned). Perhaps it was something within the bloodline that drove Iskata's children to wander and leave when they saw fit.
The rain had been particularly miserable all morning. It had downpoured from the second he'd stepped from the ranch to start his rounds along the pack borders to spot stragglers. Of course, there was none to be found and the cyclops was struck with an unsurprising case of disinterest, at which he rather abruptly decided on a break to escape the rain. The scent of gardenias (though dulled by the thick rain) attracted him from his route and the Luperci wandered the grove aimlessly, ignoring the trickle of rain as it tapped at his nose and ears and soaked him from head to foot. Even in the rain, the flowers were their usual brilliant shade of indigo and blue; he could only stand and admire them, raw and defenseless against the downpouring of the rain and the mist that had risen in turn.
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Heyya Lin, mind if I join? I need the post count and I figure Asariel needs to get to know Jeff anyway ^^ Be warned though, I'm not the best RPer.
The young woman trotted, on two legs naturally (rarely was the woman in her wolf form) through the heavy rain, her ears pressed flat to her skull. She hated the rain, the cold, and the wet. Her usually tan-colored fur was now resembling wet sand, and it was pressed close to her body. She paused her slow running for a minute to shake the excess water off of herself before continuing. Where she was going she rarely knew. Asariel never seemed to go anywhere with a purpose, it was always because she either had to (Well that counts as a purpose) or because she was just wandering.
Asariel seemed to have a lot on her mind lately. Lysander, the whole fiasco with Ty, the pack's first birthday...it was all one big mess, swirling around in a vortex that much represented a hurricane of the brain. As she wandered, the girl noticed her pack leader, Jefferson amongst the striking flowers. She wandered closer, investigating. "Oh, hello there sir," she said, her voice containing nothing but respect and mild admiration. Asariel really knew nothing about the old brute; just that he was extremely scarred up and that he was their Patriarch. She wandered around so that she could see his face and so that he could most certainly see her. She knew she wasn't really presentable -- as wet as she was. But the rain came from Heaven, and Heaven is where all good things originate, after all.
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Guess I'll tag along too, if that's alright, I haven't really roleplayed with you lin
Ty had been roaming the area looking for ways to keep himself busy. Ty had been doing everything he could since his father left to keep the pack together as a family. he would constantly visit Rendall, Anya, Pendzez, and Xeris, keeping them with him at all times, they were the closest things he had to family. But today was different, there was no calm of Pendzez, no spunk of rendall behind him, no wit or wisdom from Anya or Xeris. No, today Ty wanted something different, he wanted to find the loners of the pack and talk to them, try and bring them a bit out of hiding. Of course, he wasn't going to try and make them uncomfortable, but perhaps talking with them now and again would be some kind of attempt not to lose them. The kindhearted warrior had made it to the Grove, the flowers and plants flowing with each small pass of the breeze. His carefree spirit had led him here, why? Were there people here, was there something to be done here? he dind't know, and he didn't really care, at this point he was going where he felt like it.
Much to his surprise, there was someone here at the grove, two people, to be exact. One was someone he admired and respected, the one eyed brute himself, Jefferson. Ty was nevertheless happy to see his old mentor, but at the same time slightly worried. Why had Jefferson been so distant all the time? Sure, when Ty used to be here, Jeff was always around him, taking care of him, protecting him. Ty could only assume now that since Ty was old enough to fend for himself, Jefferson had other things to take care of.
The other person, well, let's say Ty had a mixed bag for, Asariel Knight, the attractive and sweet wolfess whom he had recently given his body too. Though, to be fair, she didn't really seem into it, and to be honest, he was having doubts. Of course, Ty was happy to see her, even wagged his tail at the sight of her, but he knew her reaction to seeing him would be mixed as well, both were trying things out, getting a feel for romance, so the warmth wasn't totally there. "Jefferson! Asariel! Hello there!" Ty cried out cheerfully as he bounded across the flowers to the two pack mates. "Fancy seeing you two here!"
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It wouldn't have surprised him if he'd been standing there for hours without realizing it; once the plague of thoughts in his constantly spinning conscience got to work, the outside world had to make a distinct effort to break him out of the dizzied daze. The rain was cool to the touch to match the unprovoked, calmer temperatures the week had introduced early. The rain had a cleansing effect within the droplets, washing away the darkest of thoughts and emotions with ease; that said, when Asariel's voice rapidly broke him from his thoughts, the cyclops jumped in surprise but turned a slight smile to her, devoid of the clouds within his head. "Asariel, right?" It had taken him a moment to recognize her. The two had only met in passing, essentially, and the cyclops had never found an opportunity for conversation with the wolfess. "Ditch the formalities," he smirked. "I'm not a 'sir', just a Jefferson." He was never quite worthy of a title that hinted towards respect.
Before he could question her on reasons why she was wandering the rain and flowers like he, Ty came leaping and bounding from who-knows-where, cheery and bright as a beacon in fog (the way Jefferson knew him to be, of course). Jefferson could only question where the boy inherited his overly cheery disposition and naivete -- he certainly didn't get it from the sarcastic and off-and-on brooding character DaVinci had been, and from the way the steely hybrid had described his first love, Ty's mother was probably no different. Skylar, of course, had been her father's child. That went without saying. "Ty," he nodded, now turning to face the two as they gathered. The two obviously knew each other, and judging from the slight anxiety made obvious by the boy's brief tail wagging and cutesy glance, perhaps there was something more between them. It was an innocent analysis based on little data, of course, and then again Jefferson didn't really care for the love affairs of children. "If I'd known so many of my members took nature walks in rain, I would have been out more." The cyclops cocked a brow. "You two know each other?" He didn't care much, but he was still "Uncle Jefferson". If DaVinci wasn't going to be around to embarrass his kid, Jefferson willingly picked up the slack.
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Asariel couldn't suppress a dry chuckle as Jefferson told her to 'ditch the sir'. Asariel indeed had felt a bit silly addressing him as such, but she'd felt the need for formality. He was her leader after all, and leaders should be treated with utmost respect. She lowered herself onto her haunches and watched the old brute. She wondered how he had come to be Phoenix Valley's leader; how's he come across all his injuries? Countless battles, perhaps. Maybe just one. Victim of abuse perhaps? She didn't suppose it was the last one, but one never knew with Phoenix Valley.
Asariel blinked as Ty came bounding through the trees and in their direction. She smiled warmly, giving him an inviting hello. She knew Ty and Jefferson knew each other; she'd learned this with one of her conversations with the young man. She frowned. They'd agreed to have a sort of fling if you will; yet it didn't seem to be working out too much. She was just too distracted, her thoughts weren't on Ty lately at all. Lysander, Lysander, always Lysander. She was so confused; what was happening, why was she thinking about him all the time? She huffed and decided to just let herself relax, smiling at Jefferson as he spoke. "Oh, I'm always out and about it seems" she said, then cast a furtive glance at Ty as Jefferson asked if they knew each other. "Yes, we've ran into each other once or twice,"
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"Yes, we have met a few times..." Ty hesitantly agreed, apparently Asariel was happy to see him, but also hesitant to admit anything was going on. Sometime later, Ty would address this with her, but not now, not in front of the pack leader. Instead, he simply smiled and closed his eyes, nodding slowly. He felt the rain wash down his fur, turning his once fluffy coat into a soggy mess. Of course, he was never one to mind that sort of thing, although now it was getting to be a little heavy, so Ty's head sagged a bit. After shaking his head, he continued after finding the words. "I think we met like once before the pack meeting, and now we're pretty good friends. But then again, I seem to be getting along with everyone here at the valley...I hope."
Turning to Jeff, he couldn't help but smile about him being out more, it would make Ty happier to see Jeff now and again. He remembered when he was a young pup he saw Jefferson all the time, always around to take care and teach him things. Although now an adult, he still loved Jefferson like an uncle, and wished he could see the old man a bit more, but Jeff was a loner. He couldn't really remember who Jefferson used to talk to, but now he didn't seem to talk to anyone. Was it because this pack was now full of fairly new faces? Ty found out that a lot of the members had joined all around a month or two ago, with only the loners and anti-social wolves being veterans here. Ty began to wonder how the pack even stayed together sometimes, not as a bad thing, but just as an observation. With half the wolves being loners, how do they coordinate? It was both astounding and confusing to Ty. Nevertheless, he replied to Jeff's little comment. "Oh, you like walks in the rain Jefferson?" He asked as he again shook his coat slightly.
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Ty had integrated himself into Phoenix Valley well; he was a socialite at heart, probably taking such a trait from his mother rather than his sarcastic, steely father. The Patriarch's one-eyed gaze only saw DaVinci when it fell upon Tyrone, however. The boy was growing fast, aging into a handsome and energetic yearling though his maturity seemed to be trailing a bit behind, though the cyclops had no complaint. The slower Ty took to growing up the better -- Jefferson hated to see that boyish naivete leave for good and just become yet another memory of what once was in the back of his dark, spinning mind. "I've seen people do worse at getting used to pack life," he shrugged. "You two are social enough. Looks like you're doing fine to me."
The brute couldn't help but feel a bit overprotective as the uncle-that-wasn't for Ty, but any spark of possible romance between the boy and Asariel was instantly judged and determined in a steady silence by the older man. Asariel didn't mirror any of the youthful excitement that the hybrid boy bore for her; perhaps the cyclops had overlooked something or jumped to conclusions. In the end, he found himself caring less and less. They were young, but they could manage themselves. If something came up, well, he'd find out about it eventually. Live and learn, after all. The idiot zoned back into reality just in time to hear Ty's query, at which he rushed a subtly stupefied answer. "Not so much," the cyclops shrugged. "My arm aches when storms are on the way, so I usually just avoid them." His arm, scarred and useless (and the reason for his limp when four-legged), rested comfortably in its rain-soaked cloth sling across his chest. It wasn't good for much, but at least it put itself to some use.
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The lady smiled to show that she was still paying attention, though that was about it. She sat back to watch Jeff and Ty have their conversation as she idly wondered what it was like to have a relationship like they had with someone you weren't related to through blood. Though Asariel was normally outgoing and enjoyed throwing herself into a conversation, she just wanted to sit back and observe Jeff and Ty. She knew she didn't really have any feelings for Ty at all, and he felt the same. They had both agreed to try things with each other, but it had never happened.
Asariel couldn't help but be amused suddenly. She'd been so distracted, her thoughts so wound up, that she had forgotten all about her poor friend. She then felt momentarily saddened; her emotions had been everywhere lately, scattered every which way. She was only beginning to gather them, but hey, you had to start somewhere right?
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[html] Ty chuckled lightly at Jefferson's observation, knowing full well he meant every word of what he said. "Well, that's good to hear...though I never knew you were one for giving compliments." He chuckled again before giving a warm smile to his uncle, or what Ty at least accepted as his uncle. Sure, they weren't related by blood, but Ty didn't need to be related by blood to feel close enough to people to consider them family, and Jefferson was one of the closest. He loved Jefferson like an uncle, a man who was basically one of the role models in his life, despite his temper issues and other assorted issues, Ty still considered the man motivational.
However, Ty could not help but snicker childishly at how Jefferson said his arm acted up, he couldn't help it, it was just a funny thing to hear. "Do you have any idea how old that makes you sound?" He asked with another snicker, folding his arms and giving a casual smirk to Jefferson. His eyes made a quick glance toward Asariel, noticing she was simply watching them. And Ty was okay with that, he didn't overly enjoy being the center of attention, but he didn't despise it either, and he really was too busy talking with his uncle to pay too much attention to it anyway.
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Ty joked, accusing the Patriarch of closemindedness when it came to compliments and that range of affection. It was true, the cyclops shoveled out words of familiarity and grace all too rarely, but he was hardly given the chance on most occasions. Of course, Jefferson was the perfect analyst: even with one eye, the brute subtly noticed and recognized the gifts his members had been allotted, their skills, their talents, their hobbies. This information was kept under wraps, of course, though as a result the Patriarch appeared distant, even unattached. "I'm not that much of a stiff," the cyclops smirked. "I don't say much, but I keep a close eye on my members. I'd be a fucking terrible leader if I didn't." He scratched at the end of his nose shallowly, eye darting to Asariel in curiosity of his silence only to be questioned by Tyrone once again.
"I'm not old, I'm handicapped," the idiot excused, sending the boy the most sarcastic of looks before wiping his brow clean of rainwater. Jefferson glanced idly at the sky, frowned, and turned his shoulder to them in retreat. "One of the empty cabins is nearby. This rain is killing my arm."
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Asariel trilled a small laugh; Ty and Jefferson were indeed fun to watch. Jeff had indeed always did strike her as the gruff, unhappy one. And Ty...well, Ty was just Ty. She had no current word to describe the ball of energy; he just was. She really did have to agree...if Jefferson didn't keep his eye on the members of his pack, he would be a pretty fucking terrible leader if he didn't. She looked up to Jefferson, though she hardly knew him. Was it perhaps because he was Phoenix Valley's leader? Oh, probably. What other reason was there, after all?
When the male suggested they go find the cabin because the rain was killing his arm, Asariel couldn't help but be amused (even though she tried terribly hard not to show this), but she said nothing. For now, she would just remain silent and observe instead of throw herself into the conversation as per normal. She waited for Ty or Jefferson to be the first to move to signal that they were leaving for the cabin; now she would be a follower and just simply bide her time.
She really did hate waiting.
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[html] "You do have a point there." Ty replied, nodding as he spoke. "Of course, you can't be everywhere at once, but I think you do a good job with what you can do." He smirked and clapped Jeff on the back in a friendly manner. He spoke to Jefferson with the utmost sincerity, because he knew how hard Jefferson tried to make sure his pack was happy and functional. Without him, Ty knew the pack just wouldn't be the same, and right now he couldn't honestly seeing a better wolf being leader right now.
Ty then chuckled as his uncle complained about the weather, saying it was killing his arm. He couldn't help but laugh again, either his arm was really sensitive, or he was simply acting old again, nevertheless, Ty couldn't help but agree. "Well, I usually enjoy the rain, but right now I'm starting to lose sight of you guys, all I see right now is my fur drenched over my eyes." Ty chuckled as he shook the water off of his fluffy, yet slightly shaggy fur, as it turned into a wet mop during the rain. "Lead the way Jefferson."
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Somehow, Jefferson earned himself an earnest slap on the back from the overly exuberant boy, his reaction of which was rather taken aback. Clearly, this was something he didn't receive often (and who was to blame him, considering the front he put up seemed too intimidating that anyone would willingly touch him, save Geneva). He gaped at Ty rather bewilderedly thereafter before shaking his head and snickering beneath his breath. If nothing else, Ty could keep energy levels high with those he met, even the stonefaced Jefferson who tried so terribly hard to muffle his emotions.
He turned and led the way to the cabin, knowingly more comfortable with Phoenix Valley land than his two underlings. The cabin was hardly a distance away; the three were there within a few quick, marshy strides. Jefferson made haste into the cabin's innards, quickly wringing some of his hair dry before moving slowly to one of the windows to watch as the rain fell outdoors. "This might turn into a thunderstorm," he said, frowning, before glancing over his shoulder. "You're more soft-spoken than I expected, Asariel." Jefferson wasn't the type to point fingers, but find the truth in less-than-subtle ways instead.
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Asariel stood and followed Jefferson; she wasn't really up for staying out and getting soaked in the rain, after all. She would admit that she was indeed surprised by how close the cabin was. As she stepped inside she instantly felt secure, and knew that she should invest in one of these things. However, she'd never really gotten around to it, so the young lady was still outside, preferring to sleep outside. Asariel didn't really know why, she just knew what she liked.
Ears flicked forward when Jefferson turned the spotlight on her. She smiled warmly and laughed a bit, before opening her mouth to speak. "Oh," she started, "Well, sometimes I prefer to just sit and watch..." she said in a warm tone, still smiling softly.
Sometimes it was better to just sit and watch, after all.
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[html] Ty chuckled slightly at Asariel's comment that she liked to sit and watch, giving a slightly accusing glance to her, he jokingly spoke to her. "So now we are playing the entertainment is that it?" He laughed softly. "We must be an entertaining duo to listen to then seeing as how you've said so little since we all met up..but you got a point." His uniquely colored eyes turned to Jefferson, then back to Asariel. Sure, he was being cheerful and excitable at the moment, but somewhere inside he couldn't help but agree with Asariel in some instances when being silent is the best method. This was not one of them for him, but he knew of times being quiet was a good thing.
Grabbing his tail, he wrung it out onto the floor, the water dripping down his hands as he removed the water from his hind appendage. He then proceeded to walk back outside slightly, onto the deck which was still covered by a roof, then vigorously shaking his thick fur until the excess water flew off his body, after which he stepped back inside. Chuckling again, he complained as he wrung out his tail again "Man, sometimes having heavy fur can really get annoying." before looking at the other two. He spoke to his uncle again, with a more curious tone to his voice, wanting to know more about Jefferson's life, as he knew very little besides pack leader and his former mentor. "So, Jeff...what's been keeping you busy these days? After our celebration of the first anniversary of Phoenix Valley, you sort of vanished....although you tend to do that a lot anyways."
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He smiled something genuine at Asariel's response; the girl had a certain charm to her, one she herself probably wasn't aware of. Although she was soft-spoken, Jefferson could see she was a bit of analyst like he, taking in situations before charging at them with conversation. Perhaps her level of analysis was lower than he, since she hardly looked at grim and serious as Jefferson did when he went silent, but on the other hand... she was no Jefferson. Somehow, he prided himself on being the only one.
Green eye turned to Ty as he questioned the Patriarch; Jefferson had thought his business was self-explanatory after that day in June when DaVinci's departure was first announced, but apparently that was not so. "Running a pack by oneself isn't a walk in the park," he replied stolidly, gaze returning to the rain as it tapped and slid down the glass panel. "I had more free time when DaVinci was here, but picking up the slack when he left ate the rest of that up. You two don't know responsibilities beyond your ranks yet, but... enjoy what little you have while you can." Rarely did he have an uninterrupted nap, and that was all he could have asked for at that point.
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[html] Sorry I haven't been around D8 and also sorry it's not that good...my muse is dry currently.
Asariel smiled in observation as she played with her hands. The Were had always been fascinated with how normal wolves had gotten the ability to shift into two legged beings that could do so much, learn so much. But she had always wondered, what had driven them to possess the desire to learn. What had driven her kind to love learning so much?
She supposed there were those who didn't appreciate learning; Asariel was not one of those. She was jerked out of her thoughts by again, more voices -- Ty was saying something about entertaining. She was staring idly into space; her brain currently seemed to be on autopilot, so out of it was she. She gazed at Jefferson and continued to try and figure out his story -- a lost cause for sure, but...
You never know. Good things happen.
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"I couldn't imagine it would be." Ty remarked to Jeff's talk of leadership. Although Ty wanted to be a leader at one point somewhere in the future, he knew he knew very little about actually leading, but he had years to catch up on that anyhow, and there would be many more people who were eligible leaders before him. Ty didn't know all the responsibilities of the three-legged cyclops before him, but he bet that Jeff was probably swamped with work. he wished he could help the old wolf out more, but Ty was young, he was still treated by some in the pack as an innocent youth, as far away from that as he was. Age played a big factor in a pack, and Ty respected that to a fault, but he wished some wolves would take him more seriously.
Ty took Jefferson's advice about enjoying what he has to heart. While Ty disagreed with having "little", he expected to lose some as he got on in years. "But now you have Geneva to take his place don't you?" He asked. "Shouldn't that ease your responsibilities?" Sure, that was a valid point, if a pack loses a leader they would replace it with a new one a new one. Did that mean Geneva wasn't filling his father's shoes? He couldn't imagine that, Geneva seemed like a good wolf to be in sub-leader position,or did DaVinci do more for this pack than Ty knew? His face contorted to a puzzled expression as he pondered the his father's deeds. How he wished his father was here now to talk to, the old silver wolf left without even so much as a goodbye after all.
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Keep in mind, this thread was made before Geneva's promotion to subleader. ;D Also, I'm gonna steer this towards a close; it's getting to be old. You both can post one more time if you want.
In Jefferson's eyes, Ty was still the big-eyed pup he'd been when the cyclops had mentored him; he was a year or two old now, of course, but even the briefest passing glance over the tan-furred boy brought back happy memories of older days. They were long past, now; the days before Jefferson had been forced into leadership roles, before the pack was thrust into his unwilling palms, before Iskata had died and DaVinci had deserted him. The cyclops held a long, still silence -- nothing different from the ordinary -- as he gazed something sad and nostalgic at Tyrone, briefly forgetting the troubles and worries of now in exchange for the longing feeling for days long ago.
After some time, he breathed in and out and rolled his shoulders. "Right, right. Geneva will probably take his place," the cyclops remarked, stepping away from the window distractedly. "Things will ease up soon. Life goes on, right?" He chuckled something empty, cleared his throat, and reached for the cabin's front door once more. "Back to business, rain or not. Take care of yourselves."
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