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Post by jarahamee on Mar 4, 2018 1:09:14 GMT -6
Cassius turned around when he heard the soft complaints of the Aaron-Beast. They were trying to tell him something that privacy would not grant. And they were being stubborn about it. Even the suggestion of the word would have helped him.
He then saw the bag, and the pile of clothes, and for a brief moment, his rather pensive expression lit up in a flash of sharp teeth and shining eyes. His grotesque mouth scar lifted his lip up on that side more than the other and he reached down and put Aaron's clothing in the bag with one hand carefully.
"I can carry that. You can also ask the Beast to grant you a hand to manipulate the clothing and bag. It will require more practice with balance though. There is a lot that you can do with this body."
Cassius considered: There was a lot that Aaron could have done. Maybe even more than Cassius had discovered in all of his time with it. He was not very creative but creative types would likely find all sorts of things to do with the powers they were given, perhaps even outside of combat.
Finding and disarming bombs, looking for lost children, helping solve murders. These were all things that he imagined the Beast and whoever was working with it would be able to form contracts about. He imagined that was not even on the deepest level of Aaron's mind right now, but sometimes, he considered it.
Perhaps, when he died, if he did, the Beast could find a master that would use it for non-violent ends. The thought made him smile. With the faint smile lingering on his lips, he suggested;
"Think about changing a part of yourself to a human part to help you."
Aaron sort of looks at his paw like he's expecting it to transform. He stares hard.
Cassius shakes his head. He looked more amused than annoyed or disappointed, but his words were warm and genuine.
"You have to feel it in your bones. Will them to do your bidding. You can do that with your ordinary body too, if the need arises."
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Post by MP on Mar 11, 2018 3:41:06 GMT -6
Aaron couldn't recall ever feeling anything in his bones, except maybe the occasional sprain or break. He stared a little harder at the paw, grey eyes widening in intense concentration. The dewclaw should be more thumb-like. Separate and longer. For a minute he thought it seemed to stretch. Then he was distracted by the sensation of his ears pricking forward with interest, and when he looked back, the claw was a dog's again.
His ears went flat with irritation. Something like a growl huffed from his throat - a more human sound than any canine noise. Aaron fixed his eyes on his paws again, trying to picture his own two hands there on the ground in front of him. The thoughts were more brute force than instinctive, as if thinking the word 'hand' enough, would force them to appear. He refused to look at Cassius until he got this right. Lack of sleep probably had something to do with it. Or maybe his frustration with recent events had finally found an outlet.
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Post by jarahamee on Mar 11, 2018 22:32:08 GMT -6
The paw obeyed, stretching out into a more hand-like shape, and grasping outwards. It formed a shape that would grasp the bag, should he wish to grasp it. Not as perfect as the grasping hand of a human, but good enough. The dog's brain struggled to wrap around it, but Aaron's brain understood perfectly. And more, it opened up a door to him and he found truth and perfection there. He could make this body do anything. He could feel it in his bones.
Cassius waited patiently. He had all the time in the world to see this through, and the evening would wear on until he had those matters done. He imagined that the sooner Aaron was able to navigate his life, the better. In many ways this was probably healthier than not-sleeping in his room at all hours.
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Post by MP on Mar 13, 2018 0:01:26 GMT -6
Beyond obeying the occasional instruction, Aaron showed very little motivation to explore his new abilities. He'd made a hand, sure. But he couldn't use it on the street or the disguise was pointless. That's all it was to him: a disguise. After this trip, he'd return the hide to Cassius and would never need to worry about its powers again. He'd never been good with magic, he didn't put much stock in it, and if he were honest, he was feeling too uneasy about the trip to rethink his opinion just now.
So despite the officer's lessons, it was Cassius who carried the bag of clothes to the car. Aaron padded alongside him as a large glamoured dog, sitting patiently by his feet and playing the part until the door was opened for him. Then he clambered into the back seat, cataloging magnified scents and sounds as he went and feeling relieved when they were abruptly shut off.
Safe in the vehicle - trapped in it - Aaron stared uneasily out through the windows while they drove. The grey eyes looked distinctly unfriendly, watching every swerve and turn. Maybe it was nerves, maybe it was the unkempt fur, but he was also beginning to shed a little on the back seat. Even with the glamour's assistance, he did not look like the kind of dog a passing animal lover would care to pat. More like the kind an owner would tow away on a choke collar while apologizing to the other dog walkers. When the door was finally opened for him, he plodded out from the back seat, looking around with wary, evaluating eyes.
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Post by jarahamee on Mar 13, 2018 10:24:52 GMT -6
Cassius drank the potion he had originally provided for Telmore, transforming himself into a hard-edged blond man of a similar size with bright blue eyes. His intensity seemed all the more unnerving, his face harder, its angles more raw. His scars had disappeared; a side effect of the potion, and been replaced by two small indents, one on the cheek, the other through the brow. His hair was nearly white-blond, brows curved permanently downwards in a frown. His teeth seemed very white and straight in his tightly-drawn mouth.
Cassius carried the bag to the car, holding Telmore's leash with his other hand. He said nothing outwards, but he felt a little disappointed in Telmore. Honestly though, what did he expect? The man was suffering from melancholy and perhaps worse. These things did not shed from a man easily, for some, never at all. He was hoping that once he had some time, and perhaps a few sessions of therapy, he would settle in and his state might improve.
He closed the door of the car, ensuring Aaron was sitting comfortably in the back seat, and watched his vaguely uncomfortable expression as they drove through the rear-view mirror. There was always time to watch the traffic, but he wanted to ensure that they were comfortable in travel. After what seemed like an eternity in city congestion, he pulled up next to the building of interest.
Cassius shifted the car into park, then shut off the engine, and released Aaron, free of the bonds of his leash. He also, subtly, slipped off his collar, and a part of him hidden deep within hoped that Aaron would behave in all of this. A part of him chastised his brain for foolishness.
"It's just in here."
A nondescript brick house with barred windows: Not an uncommon site in a place like this. Aaron could smell a myriad of smells about the entrance of this home. A familiar one stuck out to him. Your mate [/b] offered the mostly silent Beast, helpfully. An Agent it offered as a second comment. Glacea, a Silver badge he had worked with before. Serious and hardworking.
Cassius opened the door before them, allowing Telmore entrance. A wooden door. Aaron recognized the minute detail of wards in the border of the door. WDSA magic-user, more than one. Aaron could feel their distinct presences roll off as he focused in on them.
It was warm inside. Comforting. There was tea brewing, cookies. Pear, White tea offered the Beast. And Sara.
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Post by tsukikoko on Mar 13, 2018 12:46:44 GMT -6
Sara could hardly contain herself.
The last few days especially had been agony. When she had realised just how much trouble her outings and escape attempts from the protective confines she had been relegated to were causing for her protectors, the shifter had resigned herself to be good and stay put. That didn't mean she liked it. Trapped in her house, without Aaron or any way to properly distract herself from the events that had recently transpired, Sara had found herself plagued by nightmares and hallunications with almost as much frequency as when she had first been attacked. She hated that her protectors heard her screams, saw her bouts of illusion-induced terror; it felt too personal... too, embarrassing, if she were honest.
But she had weathered the storm, because the idea these agents were experiencing disciplinery action, that they were becoming frustrated and angry with her, made Sara more distressed than any amount of nightmares.
Then, a break in the clouds. Respite. Something to look forward to. The shifter had been informed she would be able to see a certain man she knew all too well, at a hidden and defended location.
Aaron. She could see Aaron again!
It felt like so long since she had been held in his arms. For good reason, she knew, given the danger Viktoria posed. But even so, she missed him terribly and wanted to be sure he was alright.
That want, that powerful desire, to see him again, caused Sara to pace in the room she waited in. Her guardian was nearby in a smaller, adjoined room, brewing tea. Even if the shifter had not watched them leave, she could smell the woman, hear what should have been the gentle clink of utensils as loud, crashing sounds in her more sensitive ears. She could have returned to human form once they arrived, shed the German shepherd skin when it's services were no longer required to hide her - even her tail had been normal, fluffy and most certainly not crocodilian, thanks to a short term charm given to her for the purposes of this visit. It had broken now, expended once she stepped past the wards of the door, but there was another for the return trip. Yet she remained an animal, her now scaled tail sweeping across the floor as she paced. Sara not only wanted to listen out for Aaron's arrival, she found the canine form a better outlet for all her nervous energy.
The door clicked.
Her ears swivelled straight upright, head snapping around to face the door with the guarding intensity this breed was known for. But there was no aggression in her gaze or her stance. She trembled slightly, a whine of excitement swelling in her throat, tail thumping against the floor.
She knew it was him, even under the strange scent and sights Cassius' beast skin afforded; had been informed via text that Aaron would be hidden in such a way. As such, the shifter did not baulk from the wolf in the doorway, instead she barreled towards him. At the clatter of claws across the floor there was a shout from Glacea, but the shepherd was not listening. She continued to run forwards and, once a few paces away, she quite literally launched herself into him. Sara had a moment, as she covered the space between them, to think how cute he looked like this, before she collided into the agent with a heavy thump. If the impact winded her any, it wasn't apparent to any observers; or to Aaron, who was soon smothered in canine kisses and a excitable puppy of a girlfriend. She rubbed her body against him, pushed her head under his chin, lapped at his face with her tongue and generally did her damnedest to be physically close to him.
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Post by MP on Mar 13, 2018 14:37:41 GMT -6
If he’d been in his own form, Aaron’s face would have been a treacherous shade of red as the leash was unclipped and the collar removed from his neck. In addition to the unnerving feeling of restraint, it was uncomfortable and vaguely humiliating, even as an act. He felt a sudden surge of sympathy for his coworker, whom he’d often seen adopting a similarly doggy disguise, and began turning the problem over in his mind with the old, automatic efficiency. He’d seen especially well-trained dogs carrying their own unclipped leashes in their mouths. If they tried something like that on their next case, maybe Cassius wouldn’t have to -
He suddenly remembered there was no next case. Not now, not for the foreseeable future. The sense of gloom returned, a grey weight that, compounded with the earlier embarrassment, lowered the wolf’s head and tail a little as he walked. This had been a bad idea. This had been such a bad idea. He shouldn’t be seeing her if he couldn’t even get his goddamned head together.
Get over it, he snarled inwardly. Shoulders up. She can’t see you like this. And at the thought of that happening, he felt almost sick with anxiety. His steps were a dull countdown. A few wisps of wavy fur drifted free with stress. But he forced his ears upright and corrected his gait, and as the door opened and Aaron padded through, he was suddenly grateful for the expressionless canine features. Especially when a black and tan mass came hurtling toward his face.
Aaron had been used to the Sara-dog brand of greeting, but he hadn’t expected how...startling it would look this close to eye level. Nor did he know how to respond to her dog behavior in a canine form of his own. The Sara-scents and helpful input from the wolf skin - things he’d never had to deal with in his relationship before - threw him further off. He took a half step forward, faltered as the shepherd loomed in his vision, and then braced himself, not sure what else to do. The impact still sent them skidding across the floor.
The wolf stood perfectly still throughout, paws wide for balance, looking distinctly unsure of himself amidst the shepherd’s affections. She seemed healthy. Seemed happy. He was glad to see it - to see her - even if he was too overwhelmed to show it in his body language. When Sara’s greeting had quieted to a (mostly) standstill, Aaron finally stirred. He looked at her in silence, trying to smile with his eyes in place of a human mouth. Then he laid his neck against hers, muzzle resting on her shoulder for a long moment before pulling away. It was a much calmer greeting. More human. Aaron didn’t know how to behave any other way.
He half glanced back to Cassius then, meaning to retrieve the bag of clothing so he could change back to human form. But something checked him. It had suddenly occurred to Aaron that a dog’s face couldn’t frown with worry. A dog’s eyes couldn’t give away fatigue or lack of sleep. He could take a few extra minutes in this form to collect himself. To look and feel more like he should. Like the man Sara wanted. Recognizing it, the wolf looked decidedly away. He could change back once he had a better mindset.
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Post by jarahamee on Mar 14, 2018 1:04:28 GMT -6
Cassius watched the bombastic canine greetings thoughtfully as his eyes drifted over the two of them. The bag of Aaron's clothing remained in his hands, and he shifted them thoughtfully from one to the other before pushing the door closed with a decidedly heavy click. He then turned half-way around and bolted it behind him, ensuring everything was secure. One, two latches. A seal, then it was done.
He looked over his shoulder, taking in Aaron and Sara's details. Somehow, the clarity and lightness of his eyes made his ordinary intensity a little more unnerving than usual. His body both fit and seemed mismatched in his casual coat, the change in his body shape broadening his waist and creating a more pointed shoulder profile. As he turned, he caught Aaron's gaze for a moment, and thought he understood, but then, Telmore's gaze turned away from him and back towards his lover once more.
Cassius stepped back to give them room, briefly meeting Glacea's gaze as he settled back. The tall woman stood in the far corner away from the excitement, though she seemed to be considering stepping back even farther to give them more solitude. He wondered if he should do the same, and looked down at the bag of clothes in his hand, pondering his choices.
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Post by tsukikoko on Mar 20, 2018 14:20:21 GMT -6
In the midst of her excitement, it hadn't dawned on Sara just how uncomfortable Aaron was until she had been nestled up to him for a good minute or so. When she did notice - after he laid his head upon her - the excitedly panting German Shepherd sat back on her haunches to look at him. Her head tilted to the side, tongue retracting most of the way into her mouth until she was blepping at him a little. The longer she looked at him, the more Sara's exuberance faded, her emotive state levelling out. She could sense the unease even past his carefully neutral face.
Of course... she was used to being a dog, embraced much of her animal selves wholeheartedly. But for Aaron, this was completely new. On top of everything else that had happened to him, this - she - had probably been too much. Gentler, she needed to be gentler.
The shifter's tail stopped thumping. She gently reached forward with her nose and then, very softly with the very tip of her tongue, she licked the edge of his lips. Then a second time. Then his nose. A single thump of her tail, a wiggle of her feet.
It really was good to see him.
Next moment, where a dog had been sat, a familiar red-haired woman appeared. Perhaps it would be easier on him if she wasn't also a canine? With a smile on her face, Sara leant forward, taking Aaron's fluffy face between both hands. "'Ello there sweet'eart, this a bit easier for ya?" She giggled, ruffling his fur. "Christ ya cute." She glanced up at Cassius then, flashing him a warm, grateful smile. She didn't quite have the words to thank him the way she wanted to, but hoped the sentiment came through in her gaze. A moment or two later, her attention turned back to the officer-turned-canine. "It's really good tah see ya luv." There was a lot more she wanted to say, a lot more she wanted to do, but Sara held back from much of it, waiting to see how Aaron would react now. Not wanting to push him too hard or too fast.
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Post by MP on Apr 15, 2018 13:07:46 GMT -6
Cute?? If a wolf could blush, Aaron would have gone beet red as Sara ruffled the fur of his face. As it was, his ears lowered in a slightly bashful expression, his tail curling a little about his haunches. He cleared his throat faintly and glanced aside before remembering his wolf form and its lack of blush. He made his best attempt at a smile in response to her words, thankful that the worst of his embarrassment was hidden by the animal features. But as useful as that stoicism was, there was probably no more need for the wolf skin now that they'd arrived safely. With Sara back in her normal form, to stay in the skin was almost rude.
He did look at Cassius then, back straightening in the wolf equivalent of squaring one's shoulders, and trotted quietly over to take the bag of clothing. He nodded slightly, a gesture of quiet gratitude, and retreated to a discreet wall to will the skin off his shoulders. He'd been very anxious about this part of the plan - questioning Cassius repeatedly in the hours before their trip to ensure he knew how to get the thing off. The last thing he wanted was to be stuck as a wolf forever, or even a few hours longer than was necessary. Thankfully it did not seem to cling, but only peeled away in a slightly disturbing display. Aaron changed as quickly and modestly as he was able considering the circumstances, and in a few minutes was back in his normal shape and clothing. He returned the skin back to Cassius and looked back to Sara, feeling rather self-conscious about the whole thing.
"It's good to see you too," he answered her then.
The smile was there and genuine, but the tone was off, and he knew it the moment the words left his mouth. Aaron stood there with a kind of uneasy formality, shoulders straight and hands stubbornly at his sides, no matter how badly he wanted to embrace the shifter. He was still conscious of the watching officers - an audience, even if they weren't trying to be. He'd always had difficulty relaxing, being fully himself in the presence of others. There were a select few with whom he might laugh and joke (as much as Aaron did, at any rate) but for all the rest, he fell back on his stoic reserve. It was an old habit, something he couldn't help. And as happy as he was to see Sara, as grateful as he was to Cassius for arranging the meeting, and as necessary as he knew the circumstances to be, he couldn't shake the behavior. His words were slightly stilted, his demeanor a little stiff. He only smiled at her from where he stood, for all his mental scolding.
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Post by jarahamee on Apr 19, 2018 11:02:36 GMT -6
The exchange was stiff. Telmore felt awkward. He could sense it. He could see it in their interactions. Perhaps visiting Sara had been a mistake. He waited for Telmore to come back from the bathroom, and tried to smile at him encouragingly. Try was the keyword; he knew that his smiles ranged from uncomfortable to grotesque but he was trying to be genuinely motivating. At least in this form he did not have his characteristic mouth-scars.
Cassius accepted the skin back and folded it carefully over in his arm, before placing it over his shoulder, giving him the uncomfortable appearance of being some kind of two-headed, bright-eyed monster. The yellowish-green reflection off the eyes of the thing stared back at them intensely, never blinking, fervent. That made two of them. Cassius himself retreated to a far corner to make himself unintrusive, and retreated to the kitchen of the safe-house.
They should have time to meet with one another. They should have time to relax and enjoy each other's company. Perhaps have some tea. There was already tea set up on the table, waiting them. Lunch in the kitchen.
Glacea seemed to follow his lead and slipped into the kitchen as well. Faintly murmured speech between the two of them was barely audible behind the wall as they caught up with one another. Cassius had been out of the loop for a while, and he felt it.
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Post by tsukikoko on Apr 20, 2018 12:26:29 GMT -6
Sara watched Aaron, assessing his straight-backed, stoical body language. She empathised, felt her heart go out to him; he couldn't relax around the two other officers, she could see it written plain across his features and made an effort not to be affectionate because of it. Even his words had been stilted, despite the sincere smile and brief look of longing in his eyes. She didn't want to embarrass him further, but she made a shrewd guess that he would like to hold her at least as much as she wanted to him. Rather than any sense of wanting to mock him for the ingrained behaviour, however, all the shifter felt was a want to relax her poor partner. She wasn't sure she could, in honesty, but she could at least offer affection once the timing was more appropriate and then conversation to distract and reacquaint later on. Cassius, bless him, had obviously sensed the tension too and before long the wolven officer had retreated to the kitchen along with her own protector, Glacea. The shifter watched him go from her peripherals, waiting until both agents were well out of sight and the murmur of conversation began to drift out of the other room.
Satisfied the two protectors had made themselves politely scarce, Sara took hold of Aaron's hand without a word and all but dragged him even further away from the kitchen door, until she could no longer hear any words from the adjacent room. She turned, the corners of her eyes creased with warm affection as she smiled with a slight air of humoured exasperation and then whispered, "Oh. Come 'ere ya daft bugger." The shifter pulled Aaron towards her as she came forwards, her arms wrapping themselves tightly around his chest as she buried her face in the warmth and familiarity of him. Cassius and Glacea could wait, just for a little while.
For a few moments, Sara said nothing, only relaxed her hold on Aaron until she held him in a more gentle embrace. Then, with a sigh somewhere between contented and longing, she spoke with muffled words. "Christ I missed ya." The shifter turned her face up then, resisting the urge to kiss him then and there, in case it was too far - she may, after all, have already overstepped how much he wanted, but she couldn't help it. She wanted so bad to hug him. "Ya doin' alreet luv?" she said, chin rested upon Aaron's chest, "Sorry I jumped ya a tad, like, I just- well..." She lifted one shoulder a little, chuckling sheepishly, couldn't 'elp meself." The moderately shy smile turned into a devilish grin as a twinkle entered the shifter's eye, the tip of her tail wagging with a kittenish excitement. She lowered her voice even further, reverting to more playful behaviour in an attempt to make her partner laugh. "Why aye, at least kept it safe for work, like." She saw the smile. Tiny. A subtle 'people might be listening' type smile. But it was there and she was pleased to see it. Sara then steered the conversation towards, perhaps, safer topics, knowing she couldn't really ignore the other two agents forever. "Eeee luv, ya wanna gan get a cuppa, like? Tell us 'ow ya been, 'ave a chinwag, or... ya know." Stay 'ere with me a bit longer. She nearly said it, but instead let the sentence hang for Aaron to fill with whatever he might be most comfortable with. "Might need tah pick ya brains abowt somethin' like." She added.
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Post by MP on Jun 20, 2018 23:01:10 GMT -6
Aaron, by contrast, wanted to ignore the other two agents for as long as possible. It wasn't that he was ungrateful to Lucidus. It wasn't even that he mistrusted him anymore. He just...didn't want to be around an agent right now. It was a thought he'd only recently been able to articulate, and one he tried his best to repress. There was a lot he wasn't sure of anymore, but one thing he was certain about was that he shouldn't be feeling this way. The WDSA was untouchable. It should have been. It should have felt like home. Not...this. But he couldn't help the feeling.
He looked at Sara in the pause, trying to focus on her features, on the comforting warmth of her instead of those thoughts. No, he did not want to talk about how he'd been. He didn't want to speak at all - just stay here for awhile, with her, and listen. A part of him was afraid that if he spoke - if she asked - it would all come spilling out: the doubt, the displacement, the spiraling loss of purpose. He didn't want to think about himself, never mind put that on Sara, who had enough to deal with. But she was waiting for an answer, for some thread of conversation. He seized on her offered alternative.
"Something?" he asked, hoping it was nothing too extreme. The note of cautious reservation sounded a little more like the old Aaron.
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Post by jarahamee on Jun 21, 2018 18:37:56 GMT -6
From the other room, the quiet murmurs of Lucidus and Glacea were heard. Now and then they would stop talking.
There was no interruption from the kitchen area, but they could hear cupboards being opened, things being shifted, chairs and furniture moved across the floor.
The sound of a kettle being placed on the stove. Then silence.
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Post by tsukikoko on Jul 18, 2018 17:14:32 GMT -6
Sara had a feeling Aaron might latch on to her alternative, preferring not to engage in conversation with the others for the time being. He had always been reserved, measured, choosing those he spoke to (especially outside a work context) very carefully. But since recent events, he had been even more withdrawn. Still, she didn't want to force him and she did have something she wanted to ask him about.
Sara's expression suddenly shifted, taking on the deadly, focused seriousness that only nerds and geeks could muster when talking about something exceedingly important and absolutely about one of their favourite subjects. Her hands came in front of her in a chopping motion, further expressing just how important this topic was. "Reet man, like, ah've been delving back intah me movie and game collection, ya know? And like, mechs-" She chopped the air again, "now I ain't talkin' suits ya wear like skin armour, ya know, like, proper mechs. I'm talkin' beautiful 30-100 tons of fun mechs, do ya 'ave, like a 'umanoid one, or more raptorial, or do ya go four-legged? 'Cause, ya know, ya divvint want tah be too top 'eavy and fall over, like, but bein' able tah punch is bloody crackin'. But then again, ya can forego fists for, like, extra speed or mounted missile pods where arms would be. What's the best loadout?"
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