Hunting the Hounds (invitation only)
The Wolf stroked his pet's ears, muttering little nothings to the animal before rising to his full height and regarding the wolves in front of him. He was not as close to the other two as he was to the one he had petted, The Alpha, but The Alpha listened to him, and the others listened to the Alpha, and that was good enough for The Wolf's purposes.
He considered for a moment what he should do now, knowing that the Heir and his companion were following him. Lay a trap in the sewers? That would likely be effective, but he would have to make quick work of it lest he be walked in on, and The Wolf was not interesting in being quick. No, he thought; he would lead them to a place where he could take his time.
They should be honored, really; few were lucky enough to see The Wolf's lair.
Of course, they wouldn't live to tell about it.
With a single gesture, he began making his way through the tunnels of the sewer, heading homeward.
"Poor guy, you'll give him a complex. If your own dog was not so confident in his caninehood I'd say you'd give him one too."
He looked at the others and then back at the wolf.
"She has an interesting sense of humor, Our Danielle."
Standing up and leaning over to Thaddeus, He answered her next question.
"Alas, I do not have them. Thaddeus of the Many Pockets has the sacred duty of being the Key Holder."
Alfarinn leaned against his companion but refrained from searching Thaddeus's pockets like he had done earlier while in search of a cellphone. He smiled and felt very cared as Dani listed off her concerns, things he had not thought to mention in his haste to be home. Alfarinn chided himself for making her worry.
"Thaddeus has a place not far from here. We can safely walk there."
He shrugged and blushed at the idea of getting caught, leaning down only to realize that his hair was still braided except for the wisps of it that had come loose. There was nothing to hid his amused grin.
"Clean shirts it is then. Thank you."
It was good of her to think of it, Thaddeus's shirt was ruined as well and his companion probably would not be fond of walking around in public, even in the wee hours of the morning, looking like he did. Though to Alfarinn's mind, Thaddeus never looked more wonderful; he was perhaps a bit biased and still more than a little relieved.
[We are -not- calling him 'Stinky'.]
Like Alfarinn, he eliminated 'Dunbløt' as the less dignified option.
"I rather like Skodde, though I likely wouldn't shorten the name. What does it mean?"Â?
He wasn't certain of exactly how they would persuade the wolf to follow them, though if anyone could convince him it would likely be Alfarinn. Well, in truth Chryseis would be perfect for such an endeavor, depending on how far her ability stretched, and he wondered if she might help them at some point.
He had to admit, if only to himself, that Dani really did seem to be a valuable resource in more ways than one for Alfarinn. He had not even considered his appearance in at least the past half hour, which, he thought dryly, must be some sort of record. Smiling, he pulled the car keys out of one of the cargo pockets and handed them to Dani.
"Your help is greatly appreciated. Now I know how Alfarinn always manages to look so very put together."Â?
With a little wink, he turned and smiled softly at Claire.
"I cannot thank you enough, Claire. I feel so fortunate to have met you."Â?
"Be realistic, Claire, there is no chance that Sorin's dagger would help them in any way." This killer obviously had plans to harm her maker and that information should be taken to him alone. He could decide what to do about it or if there was a continued threat; for all she knew this man worked as part of a team and these two managed to catch him alone.
"I..'m happy to be of help."
She looked over and Dani and then headed towards the door as it would appear her friend was just about ready to leave.
"Well I do hope you will both be fine for your walk and perhaps we shall see each other at the Manor. I am pleased to have met you, Thaddeus and to see you again, Alfarinn."
/ooc feel free to move her about and out or whatever
“Oh, I don’t know how much credit I can take for that.”
Seeing that they had elected not to go with her choice of names, though it was met with a sense of humor from Arin rather than distain at least, she grinned down at the wolf and gave him a gentle pet on the head.
“You two be safe, okay?” She looked up at Arin. “Give a call if you need –anything-...” ’Or just to check in..,” she added mentally. It would make her feel better to know Arin was safe and sound, but she answered to him, not the other way around. Even so...
"...or if you want to give me a buzz when you get in that would be nice."
Turning to Claire, her smile broadened and she followed the taller Anantya to the door, dropping the keys in her bag as she walked.
/ooc Dani and Claire out
He thought it best to keep that thought somewhere in the forefront of his mind lest the thoughts of shower, sleep and curling up with Thaddeus over power everything thing else. People worry, Dani worried about him and she deserved his consideration, hell she deserved a lot more than that; it would be terrible of him to be a selfish after all she had done for them.
Alfarinn watched the women leave and then turned and pulled his companion close again while they waited for the limo driver
"Skodde means mist or fog."
He lapsed into silence and just rested a moment until he heard the sound of a car pulling up outside.
"I'll be right back."
Alfarinn went and accepted the shirts and gave his thanks to the driver with assurances that he did not need a lift. Coming back in the house, he pulled the black tee shirt over his head and handed the other to Thaddeus.
"We'll have to get you a new one like this one. I did not get nearly enough chance to enjoy touching it."
Alfarinn fingered the ripped shirt that Thaddeus had on with a smile and then looked up at the collar his companion was still wearing. The leather had small slice in it and Alfarinn's fingers reached out and touched the strip as if to prove that his eyes were correct in what they saw; blades had come this close to his lover's throat. It shook him again, that realization, despite the confrontation being over and despite his companion needing to get dressed and them needing to leave, he wrapped his arms around Thaddeus again to reassure himself more than anything else that Thaddeus was alright. He hoped Thaddeus would not mind his stalling their departure a little longer.
[ Things could have gone so differently... ]
He pulled himself together after a moment and stepped back.
[I'm sorry, we should be going.]
Alfarinn looked around and saw the bag of things that Dani had left on the counter. Finding a good sized bone, he hoped it would work to entice their new found pet to follow along.
Thaddeus watched as the two women headed out for their respective homes, thanking their good fortune to have met them both. He leaned into Alfarinn’s touch, resting one hand lightly on his companion’s back.
“I do believe you chose wisely with Dani.”
Alfarinn seemed almost disquieted at the moment, though he explained the meaning of the name, and Thaddeus found his own voice was kept to a lower volume in response.
“Skodde, then. I think it fits well.”
He rested his cheek on Alfarinn’s shoulder, then, and waited quietly for the limo, simply holding his companion close. He stepped back when Alfarinn went out to the car, returning quickly with shirts in hand, but before he could remove the now ruined shirt, his companion was touching the soft fabric once again. He nearly mentioned making an effort to keep the next one in better condition, but then felt Alfarinn’s fingers move to the collar. Alfarinn seemed shaken upon noticing the cut in the leather, and Thaddeus gladly wrapped his arms around him when pulled close.
Not quite knowing what to say to Alfarinn’s thoughts and finding what came to mind wasn’t much comfort, he ran one hand up and down Alfarinn’s back, holding tight with the other arm.
“I usually take much better care of the things I borrow.”
Resting his head under Alfarinn’s chin, he added:
[You’re right. But I’m still here, and I’m not letting you go.]
Feeling Alfarinn pull away, he loosened his hold, though he put a hand on his companion’s shoulder when he started for the kitchen, reaching up to take his chin in his hand.
“Don’t be.”
Standing on the tips of his toes, he pressed his lips to Alfarinn in a brief but resolute kiss before releasing him. He watched his companion for a moment before stripping off the ripped shirt and replacing it with the black tee. The wolf…Skodde…seemed to have taken an interest in the bone Alfarinn had found in the kitchen, and Thaddeus hoped it would be enough to lure him all the way to the apartment.
“Let’s go, then.”
/ooc Thaddeus and Alfarinn out