deercountry | December Catch-All

You sure? Maybe you should check.

[They're both hysterical.]

[The sand feels a bit icy underfoot. But it doesn't seem to be bothering Vyng or his buddy. He holds out a hand for Slippers to sniff. The left one. The one that actually has a scent.] Yeah? Good for him.

You okay? Howling aside, you seem quiet.

I would, but I'm pretty sure it bounced with my tent.

[Har har.]

[Slippers, meanwhile, pauses to look at Shiro's hand with mild confusion. Despite all her years with people, she tends to be indifferent toward most men and only a little curious about new women. After exchanging a couple of low boofs with Vyng, however, her nostrils flare in front of the offered hand.]

Who, me? Just contemplating. You've seen me do that before, haven't you?

Pfff. Good one.

[They're just absurd.]

[He keeps his hand steady, waiting for the wolf to finish up. By this point, he's not even remotely fazed by Vyng speaking to animals - with their own words, even.]

Yeah, yeah, I know. Just... checking in I guess. Making sure you guys are hanging in there okay.

Yeah. We're hanging...

[His gaze wanders over to the endless horizon, and the ice reflecting the moon's bright light back at the sky. It's a scene commonly found back in the Frozen North.

The truth is, he and Slippers were howling for her previous owner. Instinct-driven behavior, when someone is missing from the pack. Someone deeply important to Vyng, as much as she was to Slippers. Or, rather, she would have been important to him. If he'd had a chance to meet her himself.

A relationship that simply never was. But sometimes — most times, even — that's simply how it is. One possibility lost in a sea of hypotheticals.

There's no point in dwelling on it, though. Instead, Vyng returns his attention to his friend. Slippers, meanwhile, continues sniffing at Shiro's hand.]

When you think about it, smelling is sort of like the animal kingdom's version of checking the network. She's very interested in your cat, ahahah...

She can take her time. I'm not in any hurry.

[He'd prefer to sit down with Vyng to check in on him, but this works just as well. Letting a wolf sniff him all over works. He told Adam he was headed to the beach to do a quick sweep before turning in - he'll only be in trouble if his omni starts ringing.]

How's everyone settling in?

[You know, the kid who just appeared, after so long of Vyng missing him.]

Aw, thanks. That's very kind of you.

[Not everyone has patience for animals. Then again, Shiro has the patience of a saint. He's got to. He's friends with him, Tuck and now Billie.]

We're settling in as best as we can. Tuck worries, I think, about Dad stuff. Billie's a nine-year-old, you know? [A pause.] ...Well. Basically. And this town isn't exactly family-friendly. But Tuck's hometown had demons and zombies in it too, so. A "same shit, different day" kind of deal for him, probably, even if it's scary.

Hey, animals are a little like angry teenagers. Give them some time, they'll come around.

[Just don't tell any of the wayward teens he's picked up about that comparison. Vyng and his family might not mind, but some of the others would.]

I understand. [Boy does he ever understand. The ones he's picked up here were never as young as Billie seems to be, but, still. Kids like Will, or like Eddie had been in the beginning... Edddie...] If you're ever worried about him, you could let him stay at the orphanage while you're out.

I've never seen anything bad happen to a kid while they're there. I know it doesn't fix everything, but, if you're in a bind...

Hah. You're not wrong. Just gotta meet them wherever they're at, is all.

[Deer's favorite Dad comes through with a sensible suggestion, as usual. Still, something about that idea gives Vyng pause.]

Feels kind of bad, dropping our kid off at an orphanage. Might give him the wrong idea, ahahah... [He scratches his cheek, considering other angles.] But it's probably the best place for him to find playmates and get a little more structure.

And keep them from doing things like chewing on plastic, if it comes to that.

[... that's the cat person in him talking.]

Yeah, I get that. If we had more of a safe space for kids like that... it'd be different. But I haven't seen one yet. [He does, finally, hunker down on his heels next to his friend.] Just an idea.

[Slippers, at least, has apparently decided Shiro is alright after all. Sensing that they might be chatting for awhile, she settles down and rests her head on her paws.]

It's a good idea. And I appreciate it. He won't ever let us fight without him, but I think it's a good place for him to make friends. [A beat.] ...Unless there's a bunch of school. He'd get bored and wander off, for sure. We're still trying to teach him his ABCs.

Good girl...

[That's one hundred percent for the wolf. Murmured sort of off-hand, like it's habit.]

From what I've seen, there's only as much school as they want. No one really chases them down to drag them back to class, at least.

[Slippers lightly wags her tail. Words like "good girl" remind her of home. Meanwhile, Vyng reaches over to gently scratch between her ears.]

So not that much structure, in other words.

Just enough to keep them busy and safe.

[He falls silent for a few moments, watching the skies overhead. When he speaks up again, it's very quiet.]

... you did come back, right? In your world? If... you went back there, you'd still be alive.

[Please say yes.]

[Vyng lets the silence linger between them, with zero rush to fill the gaps with idle chatter. When Shiro finally speaks up, though, he turns to look at him with mild surprise at the sudden shift in conversation.]

Yeah. Tuck and Billie got some help, and then they got me back. It was a whole thing. But they rescued me. They brought me back to the physical world.

[He'd come back broken. In some ways, Vyng is still dealing with the fallout from his unplanned journey through the Spirit World, even now. But he was alive, and that's the main thing Shiro is asking about here.]

[So... it's not as bad as it sounded. It was still horrible, knowing someone else he cared about had ... had died. But at least, in this case, it had been a bit like Deerington. Vyng came back.]

[He swallows.]

[And then shifts, enough to put an arm around his friend's shoulders. A one-armed hug. A tight one, at that.]

Okay. I'm - we don't have to talk about it. I won't force you.

Just... glad you're here.

[Vyng softly smiles. Without a second thought, he leans into the warm hug...and wraps his own arm around Shiro's back, giving him a reassuring squeeze.]

Thank you. Me too.

[As cagey as he can be about his past, he doesn't enjoy keeping the people around him in the dark. But he doesn't feel the need to volunteer stuff about himself without being asked, either.

Still, it doesn't seem to deter Shiro from thinking of them as close friends. Content, Vyng quietly sits in the embrace and gazes out at the moonlight rippling across the ocean. An affectionate "heh" escapes his mouth, before he adds:]

I sat like this with Billie and Tuck, too. When they got me back. We stayed in a cuddle pile for hours...

[He'll listen to those details, if Vyng ever decides he wants to share. If he ever needs to share, then Shiro will be there. Listening, helping. Doing whatever he can for his friend. But until then, he'll wait. Sometimes, people just need time. It's enough to know, right now, that things worked out.]

That really doesn't surprise me.

[The hug is absolutely welcome. And he tightens it, by a fraction.]

Sorry - to bring it up like that. I just - had to know, you know?

[That somewhere, someone got through things alive.]

You don't need to apologize. It's okay.

[Vyng speaks in a gentle tone...the same way he typically does when someone is quick to say "sorry" for something he isn't upset about.]

You were just worried about me, right?

[Followed by a fond nudge with his shoulder.]

[He wants to ask if Vyng is sure, but - well. He knows better by now. Better than to try and ask when his friend uses that tone.]

[So instead, he just nudges right back.]

Yeah. I was. Big surprise, huh?

[Vyng chuckles.]

Somebody's gotta worry about all the insane people in this town. Might as well be the resident dad.

[Well, that was all well and good, the moment nice and friendly. Then Vyng said the D-word.]

... why does everyone keep saying that?

Pretty sure we had this exact conversation back at the orphanage. You know, the place you hang out all the time? 'Cause you're weak to parentless, wayward children who need an authority figure to set them straight.

[Stop denying it, Shiro. YOU KNOW IT'S TRUE.]

... I am not.

[Yes, yes he is.]

They just needed someone - I was there. Easy as that.

Yeah, okay. [He gives Shiro's shoulder a gentle pat.] Keep telling yourself that, pal.

I do, because it's true.

[Don't you patronize him, Vyng.]

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