eleventh. text. (i just want to turn the lights on in these volatile times.)

[torrefied]

[Mello's getting a little tired of making these announcements, truth be told. And sure, maybe they've technically got more pressing matters at the moment, but Chris was here a long time, and he had many friends - of which Mello was one, believe it or not. The rest of them should probably know what happened sooner rather than later. That's what Mello would want, anyway.]

Chris is gone.

I'm looking after his wolf.

Comments

action.

[hasitsthorns]

[ The orchard isn't what it used to be. Though it wasn't a target of the Null, there had been enough people on their hit list finding refuge in the rows of trees that some of it had been razed.

Rose had saved the weed though so, y'know. Not all bad in Hadriel. They still got silver linings. Just like Rose's in this tough time is the wolf. Soon as her eyes fall on the canine, there's a spark of some genuine happiness behind them that likely hasn't been seen but fleetingly for months. ]

Hey, you, [ she coos, immediately crouching down and extending a hand for Wolfie to sniff. ] Aren't you beautiful. [ A beat. ] Your owner looks like he's seen better days though. Don't tell him I said that. Our secret.

action.

[torrefied]

[Wolfie is a good wolf friend and so he sniffs her hand and then circles around her, continuing to sniff her over in a way that that means he's accepted her. Mello watches, smiling halfway at the comment about him.]

I don't really think you can own a wolf.

[She's not wrong, though. He's definitely seen better days. For all Mello's talk about fighting a war back in his own reality, it's a simulated one, like a game of chess with extremely high stakes. Actual combat is something he's not accustomed to, and the fight against the Null has definitely taken its toll on him.]

action.

[hasitsthorns]

[ The woman smiles all the while as he does. She sits calmly and is careful in her movements; wolves are not nearly as tame as their cousin dogs, but she understands when she's gotten his stamp of approval. Good. He certainly is a docile wolf. He couldn't have been too high up in the pack hierarchy- ]

No, you can't. People have tried with me and found out the hard way that it's not possible.

action.

[torrefied]

I don't have much experience with animals. My mother had a dog - I remember seeing pictures - but that was before I was born.

[And there were no pets in the orphanages he ended up in after her death, and he was too busy surviving to deal with pets after he left the orphanage. A strange cat stayed with him for a while, but he disappeared some time ago.]

So when you call yourself a wolf lady, am I correct in inferring that you're not speaking metaphorically?

action.

[hasitsthorns]

[ Rose had never owned an animal before. Haven had been devoid of all animals beyond the people like her that were part but not whole.

She missed dogs more than anyone will ever know. ]

Nope! I'm... Well, I'm technically just a wolf I guess. Got the soul of one. My people are called yokai and we're a bit complicated to explain, but. I'm a wolf, through and through.

action.

[torrefied]

[It sounds strange, but Mello's seen enough strange things both in and out of Hadriel to believe in possibilities. There would be no point in lying about something like this, either.]

Then I guess you're in a unique position to understand Wolfie.