don't know who I am right now [open]

[vibing]

Who: Yuri Lowell, but as a child, & you!
What: Yuri attempting to train with a sword and stealing some jerky
When: January 12-19
Where: Crenshaw, Willful Machine, the beach

Content Warnings: N/A

A. Training
[ When Yuri first woke up here, he woke up in a room with a lot of weapons in it. At least three swords, two shields, and more knives than he could count. He immediately took one of those swords. He doesn't have one yet at home, but it's a dream, a dream to have a sword and become a knight and change the Empire for the better.

With stolen sword in hand, a ten-year-old Yuri is out in some barren area of Trench, whatever greenery was there killed by the cold and snow. The sword is too big and too heavy for him, more than half his height in length, and his arms are shaking from the exertion, but he needs to learn. He needs to fight. He was told that this place is dangerous, and he needs to be able to fight, to defend himself, and defend those who can't defend themselves. That's what he's going to do. That's part of the oath he swore with Flynn: to make the world a better place for everyone.

He slashes down with a grunt, but with too much force, and the tip of the sword lodges itself in the ground ]

Stupid-- sword--!

[ He grumbles and tries his best to get it out, but the ground is frozen and hard around it ]

B. Haggling
No, that's too expensive.

[ Maybe it isn't that strange of a sight in Trench to see a child haggling for food. Here is a ten-year-old, bundled up in a coat that is too big for him, sleeves bunched up on his arms, the shoulders hanging off his thin frame. He's trying to buy some jerky, something that seems practical and filling and he's ten and doesn't know how to cook yet.

The Trenchie doesn't look very enthused by this kid who only has a few stones to his name, and rejects his offer. Yuri's little hands ball into fists ]

Fine.

[ He turns on his heel and stalks away, making a show of it, only to twist on his toes a few yards later, and lurches back toward the stand to grab some of the jerky, making off with it before the Trenchie can grab him. Who knows if this is even illegal in Trench?

Yuri dodges through the crowd, clutching the jerky close. Do you stop him? ]

C. Wildcard
[ Want to run into tiny Yuri somewhere else? He can be found around Crenshaw, Willful Machine, and by the beach. Hit me! ]

Comments

[mactirebeag]

Yeah! Town tasties.

[Mebh says that as though it's obvious what she's talking about. She sniffs at the jerky poking out of Yuri's pocket, but she doesn't try to take it.]

Towns are smelly, but at least they've got tasty stuff to eat.

[vibing]

...yeah. Some good stuff.

[ Yuri slows in his four-legged run, now. His hands hurt from hitting the ground like that, and he doesn't think they're being chased anymore.

He doesn't even think about it, and pulls a stick of jerky out of his pocket ]

You want some?

[mactirebeag]

Yeah! Thanks.

[That saves Mebh the trouble of having to steal some for herself, at least. She takes the stick of jerky from Yuri and immediately starts chowing down on it. She never passes up on the opportunity to scarf food down if she's presented with it.]

[vibing]

[ Yuri takes one for himself, too. He wants to ration it, so he has enough for later, but at least he can eat some now and sate the gnawing in his stomach.

He contemplates her while he eats, finally settling on: ]

Why do you run like that?

[mactirebeag]

'Cause it's faster. [Mebh says this with her mouth full, because she's a lady.]

And I already run like that when I'm a wolf, anyway. Runnin' on roads hurts a bit, though.

[Mebh spends most of her time barefoot, so she's become hardier to the elements as a result, but running on stones with no shoes and using your hands isn't always pleasant.]

[vibing]

You're a wolf.

[ Yuri pauses in the middle of eating, staring at her. That... isn't what he expected at all. He looks her over, but she looks like a person to him. ]

You're lying.

[mactirebeag]

Well, I'm not a wolf right now. [Though Mebh would probably be a wolf all the time if she had her way.]

I'm a Wolfwalker. We're wolves when we sleep, and human when we're awake.

[vibing]

So you just, you just turn into a wolf?

...doesn't that mean you don't sleep.

[ Because that sounds pretty awful, tbh ]

[mactirebeag]

Me body's asleep. When I come back to it, I'm all rested up.

...but it's harder to fall asleep here. [That's something Mebh definitely noticed when she first arrived.]

[vibing]

Why is it harder to fall asleep? Because it's cold? It took a while to find a good spot, but I found one.

[ And he's not going to offer to share just yet, but it isn't too far off ]

[mactirebeag]

I dunno. I just...don't feel like I need to sleep as much.

[Which is a problem for Mebh, since she likes being a wolf while she sleeps.]

I've felt that since I got here.

[vibing]

[ Yuri frowns at that, squinting at her. ]

That's weird. So you don't get to be a wolf much? Do you miss it?

[mactirebeag]

Of course! Bein' a wolf is the best. You can hear and smell everythin', and you can run really fast and jump so high!

[And then Mebh deflates a little.] But it's not so fun bein' one in the town. There's not enough room to run around.

[vibing]

That sounds really cool. You run pretty fast as a person, too. [ He can't quite wrap his head around her being a wolf, but, well, there you go ]

...what's outside the town?

[ He hasn't looked outside, because he's never been outside the city back home. It was too dangerous there, but if this girl has been outside, maybe he can too ]

[mactirebeag]

There are woods, but they aren't worth goin' in. Nothin' really grows there and it smells bad.

[Mebh can barely hide the disappointment in her voice. She's still not quite over how Trenchwood is unlivable at best and dangerous at worst.]

There are farms and stuff further out, though.

[vibing]

Oh.

[ Yuri is pretty disappointed about that, too. ]

So you don't like? [ Because she doesn't seem to like the town either ] I've never seen the woods. It's all trees, right? Just a lot of trees.

You should show me.

[mactirebeag]

They're not normal woods. In the day it's just trees and blood and bad-smellin' water, but at night, there's...somethin' in there.

[Mebh isn't normally afraid of the dark, or of most things that can be found in forests, but even she can tell that Trenchwood isn't safe a lot of the time.]

[vibing]

And you live there?

[ That doesn't seem safe, and even this young, Yuri's protectiveness is rearing up. He frowns at her. ]

Maybe that's why it's hard to sleep. You can't sleep when you don't feel safe.

[ He knows this all too well ]

[mactirebeag]

I don't live there. The Dog Man's lettin' me stay with him at his big windmill. [She's talking about the Waystation.]

...it's not the same as livin' in the woods, though. If I'm inside that place too long, it feels like I'm stuck in a box.

[Like other Sleepers, she's long accepted the fact that this place is her new home, but that doesn't stop her from wishing there was a proper forest to stay in that doesn't have bloodstained trees and monsters in it.]

[vibing]

[ Well, now Yuri wants to help her. His mind is ticking, trying to figure out how to help her with what she wants. ]

What... what about a garden? Or a tree in the city?

[ Sorry, he doesn't really Get how you live, Mebh ]

[mactirebeag]

What, just one tree? That's barely anythin'.

[Mebh may be feral, but she does have standards.]

And what's a garden?

[vibing]

How many trees do you need?

[ Look she's not very big ]

It's a place that rich people have with trees and flowers and stuff.

[mactirebeag]

Lots of 'em, so we can take cover behind 'em if we have to.

[Which is good for ambushing any unwanted visitors, in Mebh's experience.]

You mean people with loads of money? I don't need money.