[Bryn hadn't wanted to grab his arm like that, but he was being stupidly stubborn and she couldn't have any of that.
He was injured. He was human. He wasn't the one about to carry in the giant plate of raw meat for the wolf. Bryn had a lot more experience with wild animals and shifters than Tan, and it was far better that she risk herself rather than him.
She would heal faster, after all.
Bryn cast him a look as he unlocked the door and made his comment. The corners of her lips quirked up in a smile, though she tried hard to keep from grinning outright.]
Thanks.
[She pushed the door open a little with her shoulder and peered inside. The angle was wrong however, and she couldn't see the bed with so little space. Bryn leaned against the door and opened it further to find Ben in his human form, lying on Tan's bed.
She kept her gaze on him and slowly walked in with the platter of raw meat she'd gotten from the kitchens. A quick glance to the television showed the fishing channel playing. Setting the platter down on the table, Bryn kept her tone light and spoke up.]
You should have seen the tuna he got last week. Twice the size of that one.
[He'd picked up on her - and the other human, before they'd arrived at the door. Bloody noisy things, humans. Nevermind that he'd been one not too long ago himself. When you change, the wolf becomes so much more of your life than you could even anticipate as a human.
But the one who came through the door wasn't the man who smelled like the man your man should smell like the room smelled of. It was in fact a woman. A pretty, blonde, undoubtedly vapid woman.
Packing food.
Holy bloody Christ, he was starving. It was with the wariness of a predator that he watched her set the platter down.]
So you're, what, the welcoming committee, sweetheart? Little American bout of good-cop, bad-cop? Fucking hell.
[He was still eying up that meat. He could practically feel the wolf salivating in the back of his mind. It was with conscious effort that he resisted the desire to change.]
[Tan is slower to enter than Bryn, partly because he had to wait for her to get inside first, and partly because, yeah. He's still a touch wary. One dog-bite is plenty, thanks. He'd rather not get a matching one.
So the man your man smells like he steps in a few seconds behind Bryn and...pauses. Voices were somehow not what he was expecting. Wasn't it a wolf in his room and not a person?
Cue quizzical facial expression.]
Huh.
[Well, hey. Bryn's a shapeshifter, so maybe it's not so completely unreasonable for the wolf to have been one, too.]
[Bryn raised an eyebrow at Ben, watching him size her up, watching him look at the meat. It didn't take a genius to see the contempt on his face already. She shook her head slightly and backed away from the table, wandering over to Tanvir's side. She wasn't retreating, so much as giving Ben space to approach the table without her in the way.]
Welcoming committee? Sure, that works. Now that you're calmer we can get you up to speed.
[He'd appreciate that, wouldn't he?
With all casual ease, she tucked her hands into her back pockets and leaned against her elbows against the wall.]
My name's Bryn. The meat's for you but then again I was expecting to find you in your other form...
[And he Very Pointedly did not meet Tanvir's eyes. Even though his wolf had been vying for dominance at the time, he remembered.]
Start with what you want, then.
[his throat constricted with his words, thickening that not-inconsiderable British accent. He still couldn't feel his alpha - but weren't there things that could sever the pack connection? Maybe Adam wasn't dead, maybe someone was trying to manipulate him through Ben. Fairies? He sniffed the air. The man smelled human. The woman... smelled just as human. There was a subtle difference to her that he couldn't quite place, probably as simple as the shampoo she used.
They'd brought meat. Raw meat. Which at least meant they knew he was a werewolf. No point in hiding it, then.]
You couldn't have picked a worse asshole to go after. I'm the farthest thing from a dominant you can get, and the Alpha of the Columbia Basin pack would just as soon let me rot than risk anyone trying to save me.
[He folded his arms. The words hurt to say, even if he knew they weren't true. Adam would walk through fire for any one of his wolves. But the implication still brought up memories he'd rather not deal with, just now.]
[Okay, so maybe he's lousy at reading animal body language (he is oh god he is) but he's at least kind of decent at reading human body language, and he definitely notices that Ben is Not Looking at him. Which is...
Interesting.]
We didn't "go after" you.
[He stops and glances at Bryn before settling against the wall himself, arms crossed--if she's not outwardly concerned, he's not concerned. Yeah, that's right, Puppy, Tan's deferring to her for the moment. It only makes sense, considering she knows way, way more about the ship than he does.]
Not very thorough for kidnappers, are you, you can't even figure that much out?
[He snapped his teeth theatrically in Bryn's direction. Those arms stayed folded. He was doing his level best to ignore that plate. And Tanvir. Ben doesn't give a fuck if he's letting the girl do the talking, he's still in charge here, even if he's trying - for whatever reason - to hide it.]
[Hey now, Ben, you can pretend-bite people in your own room. Tan does not approve. He stands a little straighter and uncrosses his arms, sliding his hands into his back pockets.]
Hey, be nice. She's just asking your name.
[That? is his we're-all-friends-here voice. Works miracles on angry drunks? Hungry werewolves...hard to say. But his tone is easy, anyway.]
The Elegante is the ship you're on. You want to know more, you'll have to ask her.
[Politely, preferably, but he won't mention that.]
[That tone? Sarcastic as all fuck. But... He does look away from Tanvir, and unfolds his arms in case he needs to get in a fight. It's pathetic, really. The bastard's only human.]
... But you can call me Ben.
[THAT IS THE ONLY CONCESSION HE'S GETTING OKAY. Fuck you, man-your-man-should-smell-like.]
[Bryn was already drawing on all of her reserves of patience. Ben would likely take all of it before this conversation was through, if things continued the way they were.]
Alright Ben, like I said before, you're on the MS Elegante. It's a ship headed for a place called the Golden Shore. Captain Redd and his crew say that they have rescued us and that we will be safe once we reach our destination.
[She's content to let him draw his own conclusions from there. Most passengers didn't enjoy being on board. Bryn knew she was part of the minority who was happy to be there, despite the fact that the ship itself had proven to be dangerous in several ways.]
The Captain is a powerful man who is capable of things that...well, for the sake of simplicity, I'll say they require magic. It's how he was able to punish you without lifting a finger.
[He still wasn't eating the meat. Either he didn't in human form, or he didn't trust it.]
The Captain will punish for hurting others, or at least, whoever hits first. Those that kill go to the brig for three days. The punishment for death is light because well...it isn't permanent.
[Bryn paused then to see how well Ben was absorbing all of this. She'd decided to talk about punishments and death first because well, they were the most relevant. An explanation for the vuvuzela would at the very least clear up some confusion he likely had.]
[That said, he shuts up, listening to Bryn talk. Yeah, definitely better having her do the talking. He'd have been worthless trying to explain things coherently.
He's glad she insisted on coming with.
Once she's finished, Tan turns his attention back to Ben, assessing his reaction to it all.]
A real, honest-to-fuck psych ward. And these people are even crazier than he is. Which is saying rather a lot.
Ben gets up from the bed - slowly, warily, because he is very much thinking that he'll have to rip them apart any second now and heads for the steak. He can't smell anything on it - no drugs, just pure grade... well it's not grade A beef but it's not terrible, either.
He grabs one bare-handed and rips it in half. And then eats it raw. Because honestly, you think a little raw meat can deter someone who goes fuzzy and feral on the full (and other phases of) moon?
He settles into the chair at the table and rocks it back on two legs. And yeah, Tanvir, that's him putting his feet up on your table, you wanna do something about it? (On second thought: don't. He's lost enough dominance contests this week.)]
You lot have any idea how fucking off your nut you sound?
[om nom, steak.]
Listen, blondie, as much as I can appreciate the fact that your IQ probably ain't much past your waist-circumference, you really think that makes a lick of sense? So there's an omnipotent captain on a ship bound for somewhere I've never heard of, and he gets his jollies off punishing people who get into fights? Fuck me.
[Why yes, he is talking with his mouth full, and his eyes have gone to gold. He's hungry, and it's not much helping that temper of his.]
And next thing you'll tell me that I'm stuck here with you wankers, right?
He was injured. He was human. He wasn't the one about to carry in the giant plate of raw meat for the wolf. Bryn had a lot more experience with wild animals and shifters than Tan, and it was far better that she risk herself rather than him.
She would heal faster, after all.
Bryn cast him a look as he unlocked the door and made his comment. The corners of her lips quirked up in a smile, though she tried hard to keep from grinning outright.]
Thanks.
[She pushed the door open a little with her shoulder and peered inside. The angle was wrong however, and she couldn't see the bed with so little space. Bryn leaned against the door and opened it further to find Ben in his human form, lying on Tan's bed.
She kept her gaze on him and slowly walked in with the platter of raw meat she'd gotten from the kitchens. A quick glance to the television showed the fishing channel playing. Setting the platter down on the table, Bryn kept her tone light and spoke up.]
You should have seen the tuna he got last week. Twice the size of that one.
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But the one who came through the door wasn't the man who smelled like the man your man should smell like the room smelled of. It was in fact a woman. A pretty, blonde, undoubtedly vapid woman.
Packing food.
Holy bloody Christ, he was starving. It was with the wariness of a predator that he watched her set the platter down.]
So you're, what, the welcoming committee, sweetheart? Little American bout of good-cop, bad-cop? Fucking hell.
[He was still eying up that meat. He could practically feel the wolf salivating in the back of his mind. It was with conscious effort that he resisted the desire to change.]
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So the man your man smells like he steps in a few seconds behind Bryn and...pauses. Voices were somehow not what he was expecting. Wasn't it a wolf in his room and not a person?
Cue quizzical facial expression.]
Huh.
[Well, hey. Bryn's a shapeshifter, so maybe it's not so completely unreasonable for the wolf to have been one, too.]
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Welcoming committee? Sure, that works. Now that you're calmer we can get you up to speed.
[He'd appreciate that, wouldn't he?
With all casual ease, she tucked her hands into her back pockets and leaned against her elbows against the wall.]
My name's Bryn. The meat's for you but then again I was expecting to find you in your other form...
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Start with what you want, then.
[his throat constricted with his words, thickening that not-inconsiderable British accent. He still couldn't feel his alpha - but weren't there things that could sever the pack connection? Maybe Adam wasn't dead, maybe someone was trying to manipulate him through Ben. Fairies? He sniffed the air. The man smelled human. The woman... smelled just as human. There was a subtle difference to her that he couldn't quite place, probably as simple as the shampoo she used.
They'd brought meat. Raw meat. Which at least meant they knew he was a werewolf. No point in hiding it, then.]
You couldn't have picked a worse asshole to go after. I'm the farthest thing from a dominant you can get, and the Alpha of the Columbia Basin pack would just as soon let me rot than risk anyone trying to save me.
[He folded his arms. The words hurt to say, even if he knew they weren't true. Adam would walk through fire for any one of his wolves. But the implication still brought up memories he'd rather not deal with, just now.]
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Interesting.]
We didn't "go after" you.
[He stops and glances at Bryn before settling against the wall himself, arms crossed--if she's not outwardly concerned, he's not concerned. Yeah, that's right, Puppy, Tan's deferring to her for the moment. It only makes sense, considering she knows way, way more about the ship than he does.]
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Then again, most everyone showed up alone. This was nothing new.]
We're passengers on the MS Elegante, just like you. I've been here over a year and a half...Tanvir...[She glances over to him.] ...just a few weeks.
[She tilted her head to the side, studying Ben carefully. He was upset, and she wasn't really sure if he was ready for the hard truths or not.]
What's your name?
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[He snapped his teeth theatrically in Bryn's direction. Those arms stayed folded. He was doing his level best to ignore that plate. And Tanvir. Ben doesn't give a fuck if he's letting the girl do the talking, he's still in charge here, even if he's trying - for whatever reason - to hide it.]
So, I'll bite. The fuck's an Elegante?
[Selective hearing. He has it.]
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Hey, be nice. She's just asking your name.
[That? is his we're-all-friends-here voice. Works miracles on angry drunks? Hungry werewolves...hard to say. But his tone is easy, anyway.]
The Elegante is the ship you're on. You want to know more, you'll have to ask her.
[Politely, preferably, but he won't mention that.]
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[That tone? Sarcastic as all fuck. But... He does look away from Tanvir, and unfolds his arms in case he needs to get in a fight. It's pathetic, really. The bastard's only human.]
... But you can call me Ben.
[THAT IS THE ONLY CONCESSION HE'S GETTING OKAY. Fuck you, man-your-man-should-smell-like.]
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Alright Ben, like I said before, you're on the MS Elegante. It's a ship headed for a place called the Golden Shore. Captain Redd and his crew say that they have rescued us and that we will be safe once we reach our destination.
[She's content to let him draw his own conclusions from there. Most passengers didn't enjoy being on board. Bryn knew she was part of the minority who was happy to be there, despite the fact that the ship itself had proven to be dangerous in several ways.]
The Captain is a powerful man who is capable of things that...well, for the sake of simplicity, I'll say they require magic. It's how he was able to punish you without lifting a finger.
[He still wasn't eating the meat. Either he didn't in human form, or he didn't trust it.]
The Captain will punish for hurting others, or at least, whoever hits first. Those that kill go to the brig for three days. The punishment for death is light because well...it isn't permanent.
[Bryn paused then to see how well Ben was absorbing all of this. She'd decided to talk about punishments and death first because well, they were the most relevant. An explanation for the vuvuzela would at the very least clear up some confusion he likely had.]
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And I'm the queen of England. Right.
[That said, he shuts up, listening to Bryn talk. Yeah, definitely better having her do the talking. He'd have been worthless trying to explain things coherently.
He's glad she insisted on coming with.
Once she's finished, Tan turns his attention back to Ben, assessing his reaction to it all.]
Think you got all that?
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A real, honest-to-fuck psych ward. And these people are even crazier than he is. Which is saying rather a lot.
Ben gets up from the bed - slowly, warily, because he is very much thinking that he'll have to rip them apart any second now and heads for the steak. He can't smell anything on it - no drugs, just pure grade... well it's not grade A beef but it's not terrible, either.
He grabs one bare-handed and rips it in half. And then eats it raw. Because honestly, you think a little raw meat can deter someone who goes fuzzy and feral on the full (and other phases of) moon?
He settles into the chair at the table and rocks it back on two legs. And yeah, Tanvir, that's him putting his feet up on your table, you wanna do something about it? (On second thought: don't. He's lost enough dominance contests this week.)]
You lot have any idea how fucking off your nut you sound?
[om nom, steak.]
Listen, blondie, as much as I can appreciate the fact that your IQ probably ain't much past your waist-circumference, you really think that makes a lick of sense? So there's an omnipotent captain on a ship bound for somewhere I've never heard of, and he gets his jollies off punishing people who get into fights? Fuck me.
[Why yes, he is talking with his mouth full, and his eyes have gone to gold. He's hungry, and it's not much helping that temper of his.]
And next thing you'll tell me that I'm stuck here with you wankers, right?
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