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Ghosts
Jan 4, 2014 23:58:19 GMT -5
Post by Quinn on Jan 4, 2014 23:58:19 GMT -5
"I don't think Decoii would appreciate a bunch of god damn zombies knocking on her back door, asking for a cup of sugar," Talon said, crossing his arms. "I'm not saying that I will go with the Nightstar. Times have changed, and so have I, but I have to stay with the pack that I'm currently loyal to. Especially since my son's a dumbass that listened to the spew that came out of Satan's mouth," he said, looking at Maria. He wasn't quite sure to make of the entire situation. Maria would recognize Talon's nickname for her mother.
Fang growled lowly at Talon. He hadn't been alive very long. Maybe a year or so, definitely longer than his mother. He held himself proud, much like a high rank would within a pack. "Do you really think that we have another option?" He asked, staring at Talon. "We can't stay here."
"Actually..." Ryan started.
"Can it, Necromancer," Talon said, stepping up to the murderer that was his son. He didn't trust the bastard as far as he could throw him, and that was pretty far. Even though Fang didn't have the memories, Talon still did. "You do have another option, and a much better one than putting my god damn grandchildren at risk," he was fighting the urge to hit Fang. He knew that if he did what he truly wanted to beat the kid, Angus would pick up where he left off and kill him. Talon had killed him once, but he wouldn't do it again in front of Maria. "You move back to Nightstar territory and pick up where you left off. Gods be damned about the transition that Angus is wanting." He was fully aware that Nightstar territory was infested with rogues and other likes. He just assumed he could convince Fang to go it alone and not come back.
Fang looked up at his father, not afraid of his show. He knew that he wouldn't kill him. "Nightstar territory is infested with rogues, hunters, and probably other scum. I don't think moving back there is a good option."
Talon growled, balling his hands into fists. He hadn't raised his voice- he never had when it came to scolding his children. He never hit them. He never did anything wrong to them, and yet, they always seemed to hate him for some god forsaken reason. "Well then take it back from the hunters and rogues, Fang," he said, taking a step back. "Because that's what any good god damn leader would do." He didn't mean to indirectly compliment Angus.
Fang raised an eyebrow. "So you're saying that I'm not a good leader?"
"You never was," Talon growled. He had thrown the kid a bone when he offered him the Beta position back in Nightstar. Angus was too young at the time, and Fang was only a few days away from becoming of age. One of their Betas had died in a hunter attack, and were looking to Talon to name a new one. Everyone was expecting him to name Fang- the best Stalker they had in his age group. Not only could he hunt, though, he could fight. They needed a strong fighter. And Fang had let him down.
Ryan didn't say anything, just watched the exchange. He had expected something like this.
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Ghosts
Jan 5, 2014 1:17:43 GMT -5
Post by Azalea on Jan 5, 2014 1:17:43 GMT -5
"Decoii isn't particularly in the position to be making any decisions." Angus stated calmly. He knew that with how the woman's been acting, if someone asked for sugar, they were likely to get flour instead. "She's not a head of the household, and hasn't been for a while." He glared when mention of his grandmother came up, knowing that he had no control over it. He was just a child, what was he meant to believe when nothing else was being told to him.
"What did mom do this time?" Maria asked bluntly, not liking his tone this time. Besides, this time, it concerned her son. Her son was going too low, even for her mother.
Angus listened to the argument, not interrupting it at all. He knew that allowing them into his home had some major risks. Specifically? Fang. He was the only reason that Angus worried at all. He trusted his mother's word completely and he knew that they would be safe around the other pack members. That man there though? He didn't want to imagine the horrors that might happen to his children. He'd already lost one litter of children in his life to murder, he'd be damned if he lost a second.
He found the comment Talon made interesting considering that Angus had made a point before to tell him about all the troubles he had driving out the mess he made with all the rogues and hunters. Did that mean Talon thought he was a good leader? Angus didn't know. He wasn't about ready to jump to conclusions on that. The man rarely thought much of him after all, or at least from his point of view. Why else would he be calling him a dumbass? Regardless, he couldn't help but stand a little straighter at the comment, a little prouder.
"Boys!" Maria scolded, just a bit louder in order to get their attention. She glared at Talon and Fang the moment Talon state that Fang was never a good leader. She knew that Talon was blunt, and she loved him for it, but he was just being an ass right now. To his own son! "Cool it down. Talon, firstly, grandchildren?!" She looked at Angus and Talon. Angus simply shrugged his shoulders.
"I'm thirty years old."
Maria gave this look of disbelief as she looked Angus up and down and shook her head. "Secondly, just calm down. If you think I would let anyone harm them, you're crazy. They're my grandchildren just as well as they're yours. And they're Fang's nieces and nephews, so wh-"
"What?!" Angus burst out, his eyes bugging out of his skull. Fang was his- wha- how the hell. He automatically turned his glare to Talon. It was flat and cold. "Old man! This is why you fucking tell me things! But noooo! Leave him to his own devices to figure it out."
"What...? Angus, how didn't you know Fang was you're brother?"
Angus threw his hands up and shook his head. "Blame grandma apparently! She clearly did a number on me and brain washed me some fucking how." He took a deep breath, rubbing his forehead. "But, that's not the point of this. So, let's quit talking about family business and get down to the real issue at hand."
Angus was different than what Talon would have remembered him as before. He was calmer, more under control, and more rational. He seemed to have stepped up to the duty that had been placed in front of him and he'd definitely filled the shoes better than Fang ever could have. He wasn't the best, and he was definitely a flawed man with his own issues, but he was clever and resourceful. He could make a decision that needed to be made, but he also made rather risky ones. Based on the look on his face? He was going to make another risky one.
"Talon, look around. They can't even walk down a street without looking like an annual zombie walk. The world's changed. Technology, weapons, everything. You know that it was still more common for a shifter to carry a knife, even in a city, back in those days. Now, it's not uncommon to see a scouting party carrying semi-automatics with silver rounds specifically designed for that type of usage. Hunter's tactics have grown more advanced. If we send them out like this, you know we're sending them right back to the grave." He gestured to them, specifically to his mother.
He tried to communicate with his eyes that he wasn't happy with this either, but there wasn't much to be done.
"Besides, Talon, I've already lost a litter before. I'll be damned if I lose another. Even if there's an inkling of danger toward my children, you know that I'll make any fucking kill you've made look like a joke." That's when his face really did fall. His expression turning flat out murderous and nearly crazy himself. Then again, there was something else there. It was a dare.
He was doing something extremely risky. He was trying to get an excuse to slaughter Fang. It didn't matter who he was to him, Angus would still kill him all the same. If Fang showed hostility towards his children, the man would be drug down to that cage and all hell would break loose. Angus was confident in one thing, and that was his own determination to keep his family alive and well. In a way, it was also a test. If Fang didn't do anything...Angus wouldn't do anything. He didn't want to cause hostility. He was an Alpha of a differing pack, his mother's pack. He would never trust Fang, he'd always want him dead, but he wouldn't do anything without cause.
"I've lost too much to allow that Talon, and you know exactly how far I'll go to keep everything intact." Meaning the slaughter of Fang in the worst possible way. "Then again, it's also a matter of trust. I trust mother's word, do you?" He was very specific with that. He trusted his mother, he didn't trust his brother.
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Ghosts
Jan 7, 2014 17:22:12 GMT -5
Post by Quinn on Jan 7, 2014 17:22:12 GMT -5
"You're seriously asking me if I trust someone?" Talon asked, giving a sideways glance to Maria. Sure, he did. She had kept their secret together. Talon didn't want people knowing that he had a mate in order to protect Maria. Had he gone flaunting it about, his enemies would have found her. But even after three births, no one made the connection that he was their father. He looked back at Angus.
"I guess I do," he said, returning his glare to Fang. "But if you so much as break wind without my permission while on Angus' territory, I won't hesitate to gut you."
Fang was honestly curious as to why Talon was being hostile to him all of the sudden. Sure, they had never really got along, but that usually didn't imply death threats. Usually, those were saved for people he really despised. "I don't understand why you're mad at me," he said to Talon, "but it doesn't matter. Why would I want to kill my nieces and nephews?" He asked. Something about his look put Talon on edge, though. He wasn't sure why.
"Anyways," Ryan said, stepping forward. "What did you see in the flames, Talon? Typically, I would have seen it, but it seems that the flames wanted to talk to you today."
"It just showed a room. What you all seen is what I saw," Talon said, still looking at Fang. "There was another thing hiding in the back, just watching, though." The way he said thing piqued Ryan's interest.
"What was this thing?"
"Bad. It mocks people." He said.
"Like a doppelganger?" Ryan asked.
"A doppelwhat?"
"Something that pretends to be other people in order to ruin their lives and reputations," he looked at Angus. "That's why he doesn't remember the notes, but you do."
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Ghosts
Jan 7, 2014 18:33:53 GMT -5
Post by Azalea on Jan 7, 2014 18:33:53 GMT -5
Angus frowned but nodded his head. He was. Talon wasn't a trusting man from what he knew, so the idea that he was asking him to trust someone was insane. The thing of it was though, it was his mother that he wanted him to trust. Who he was asking if he trusted. The woman he was at least three times. Angus had been attacked by the women he's slept with enough to know that it took a degree of trust. He knew that especially well after the last woman he had sexual relations with tried to kill him. Along with several others in the past. Sadly, this one dragged so much more in and threatened everything with one blow.
Then, it took another degree of trust to even live with Angus. Especially after what his first born son, if Fang was even his first born son. Angus didn't know anymore. His first child slaughtered everyone that was living around him. It was why Angus had trust issues when it came to the pack house, why he hated living communally. The only real exception was Talon and those who would temporarily stay with him. Now, Decoii and his children were in the mix, but he still wouldn't live in the pack house. Talon had to trust him not to snap and try to kill him.
So Talon trusted, just not very easily.
Angus really, really didn't want to get close to Fang. He tried to hide that the best he could but there was an underlying tension. There as he moved to step between Talon and Fang and to the other side. He turned to look at Fang, giving him a small and awkward smile before reaching forward to pat him on the shoulder. It was a bit too hard, and Angus didn't realize. It was mixture of tension, anger, and just restrain that caused it, as well as the time he had spent around Stryker and Quinn with both of them using far too much strength for such gestures as well.
"Don't take it too personally, Talon's been a bit on edge since he came back." He tried to seem friendly, but he didn't know how he came off. He reached out and put his other hand on Talon's shoulder. This time, the moment he had hit his skin was a rather audible thud and he grasped it with a tense smile.
"Right, Talon?" His meaning should have been clear. He wanted Talon to calm down and not make it so obvious that he had something against Fang. Death wasn't a pleasing thought, and he didn't want to know what would happen if the memories were triggered in Fang. Who knows who he'd try to kill, how badly he'd snap. Fang was a ticking time bomb and he didn't want him to take the pack down again with him. He eased up his grip before letting Talon go completely and listening to what was being said.
A doppelganger, huh?
"That actually makes a lot of sense." He stated, looking at Talon, then Candy, then Ryan. "That would explain why the pack was in shambles- the Old man's too much of a hardass to let that happen. Then, there was general reports of him being violent. Now, it's never a surprise to hear of Talon being violent, but toward his pack? There were rumors that he was screaming at people, threatening to skin them alive and wear their pelt, or sometimes flat out eat them. Then, when he came home...nothing. No scolding, no glaring, no threatening to set his paper work on fire...no setting his paper work on fire and catching the curtains on fire. He was actually quite pleasant. Which, Talon? Pleasant? I'm shocked I wasn't suspecting something then." He laughed lightly, trying to lighten the mood.
"Just joking, on most of that, of course. Dad has a real hatred of paper work, but I don't think he's tried to burn down my house because of it, yet. But still, it's a good possibility."
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Ghosts
Jan 7, 2014 19:44:03 GMT -5
Post by Quinn on Jan 7, 2014 19:44:03 GMT -5
"No, actually I have set paperwork on fire before. Just not the house," he said, glaring at him when Angus put his hand on his shoulder, but getting the hint. "And I don't yell, if you haven't noticed. Yes, I threatened to beat them, gut them, skin them, and eat them. I would never act on those threats, though...well, often," he said.
Fang, however, had an entirely different response to Angus touching him. He shoved his hand away, growling at him. "Don't touch me," he said, glaring. If anything, he got his glaring from Talon.
Ryan listened to Angus, visually cringing when Angus touched Fang. He knew the kid's deep-seated hatred for Angus. He was surprised that he didn't punch him in the face and had enough control to just push him away. The kid was pretty mindless when it came to petty feelings. In Ryan's eyes, he was nothing more than an old child. Selfish, and acted on petty feelings. "And of course it makes sense. He was gone for much longer than just two years, but the doppelganger was there for a time. It seems that the doppelganger had got him right on some parts, but blew his cover when it came to others. Out of curiosity, did the doppelganger use glasses to read?"
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Ghosts
Jan 8, 2014 0:34:41 GMT -5
Post by Azalea on Jan 8, 2014 0:34:41 GMT -5
Angus let go of Talon slowly, nodding his head at his words. "Well then, old man, I wasn't aware that you were cannibalistic. Perhaps I should be more wary." He cracked a grin at Talon, chuckling.
Then, Fang pulled the shit he pulled. The moment Fang touched his hand, Angus snapped back at him, glaring. There was a quick and loud growl that ripped through his chest and he just glared at him for just a moment. It was a moment, but it was long enough to notice it was really happening. He looked like he was going to attack, then, nothing. He just stopped. Where his hand had been suspended in the air, positioned to to strike, it had dropped to his side and was now moving to be crossed across his chest. And just like that, he was smiling again.
It was that same tense smile that to anyone else that hadn't heard what just happened, might have been taken in by. Angus had snapped, now he got it under control. It wasn't like the man wanted to touch him in the first place, so the idea that he growled at him for it pissed him off. The response he got put him on edge and promoted the response he got. He was trying to be peaceful, but that was broken. It was useless to keep the facade up but he figured he should at least explain, lying of course.
"Of course, I apologize. I also apologize for the outburst. I've had a lot of things happen throughout the years and I don't particularly take sudden movements and growling very well. I'm already on edge and, well, it just set me off. I shouldn't have growled like that. I also shouldn't have touched you, after all, we barely know each other at this point. My fault entirely and I truly meant nothing by it." To a point, it was true. That's what made the lie believable.
He turned back to Ryan, having not noticed the cringe. If there was any hatred toward Angus specifically, he couldn't explain it. Then again, what use was there to explain a mad man's actions and feelings? Fang was mad, Angus knew it and he was just further proving it to him. There was no reason to act that way toward your own brother when he was stepping in to calm something down. Angus didn't feel anything brotherly toward the man but he never knew, that, and he knew what the man did. Fang knew, and Fang didn't know why Talon or Angus were acting the way they were.
Maria had watched the entire exchange and she actually began to feel...uncomfortable around her own son. He was clearly a broken man. Just looking at him, she could tell that he was very practiced in the art of lying. He looked like a charmer. Where Talon looked like a charmer too, he was far too straight forward for it. Too blunt. Angus looked like a man that could get what he wanted through any way he needed. He clearly had gotten a lot, he was likely a business man if he was a rogue like he said.
Then, that growl. He seemed like he was about to straight up attack Fang right then and there. She believed him when he said that he'd been through a lot in his life, but it only led her to believe that he was more broken than his confident posture let on. A man like that was dangerous, even more so when he was willing to lie and cheat. The two of them seemed to be hiding something, and she didn't like that. This was her son and her mate for goodness sake!
Then, she stopped. She had to remember, Angus wasn't the pup she knew but he was still her son. Talon was still her mate. She had to trust them. If she couldn't trust them, who could she trust?
"Well, I'm sure that's all right, Angus. There's a lot of things we have to learn about each other, it's been a long time. One thing's for damn sure, I want to meet those kids and your baby mama." She grinned at him, simply trying to relieve tension.
Angus glanced back to his mother and laughed lightly. "Baby mama? I suppose that term's accurate. Or hot mess, whatever you prefer. She's not exactly in the best of states at the moment. Some post-birth depression and such. We're trying to get it under control." He smiled genuinely at her, and Maria knew this one was real. She smiled back, walked over and hugged her son.
He looked down at her, shocked honestly. He hadn't been expecting a hug from her. Hell, it's not like there were many people that hugged him. The thought of it being his mother though...it couldn't help but make him feel like breaking down right there. He knew that he couldn't though, not in front of Talon and Fang. So, he hugged her back. The smell of rot was ease to ignore in favor hugging his mother for the first time in 23 years. He held her tightly, putting his head on top of her's. She laughed at that.
"Well then, you're almost exactly like your dad, that's for sure." She smiled, pulling back and shaking her head. She looked at the two. "I've held conversation up enough though. No more sentimentality for now." She grinned and walked closer to Talon. The closest she's been to him the entire time. She smiled up at him, patting him on the chest before turning toward Ryan. She really wanted to show more affection but she wasn't sure, honestly. That was up to him, always was.
"Now that I think back on it, I don't think he did. I was dealing with my own stuff at the time, and he was being rather quiet so everything just faded into the background." Angus' eyebrows drew together as he thought back. Had he ever seen Talon read without his glasses? He nodded absent-mindedly. "Yeah, I don't think he did wear glasses."
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