Contemplate the End of the World [Open]

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Tony stared out into the swirling colors of the bleed, shoulders slumped. He felt off. The beast inside of him constantly bristling, ready to tear something apart, kill someone for the slightest insult - the one he'd learned to control. It still gnawed at him, roiled up when he didn't need or want it. It made him moody. He grumbled to himself and ran a hand through his hair.

"Stop feelin' sorry for yourself. Universe or whatever is counting on you."

Which only made him feel marginally better. Seventeen years old and a soldier in a losing war for the fate of the world was heavy responsibility on its own. Then a whole universe had been dumped on it. But he was Garou. He was a Bone Gnawer - and Bone Gnawers did or died. They preferred to do and live, of course, but when the chips were done they got the job done. He turned away from the swirling colors of the bleed and glanced over the rest of the lounge. Sorta quiet, kinda dead.

Hell, he needed something to do besides mope.

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[thewolfdaughter.livejournal.com]

San had lived many years in silence.

Moro's pack could speak, and well too could all the forest, but what use were words? That she ran the city and river and ship in silence was not taxing. She was, despite herself, very human. One thing humans did as well or better than any else was adapt; and so she fund herself adapting until she could hear the fluids in Stacy's hull shift and know someone was coming, or knew by the echoes of feet on cobble who came. She ran many mock-hunts, poised to strike down crew-mates and passengers, but never took the leap.

She knew the blood-restlessness of the Garou, even without that other-body within. So, when she paced through the obs deck on one of her rare forays into shares shipspace, San noticed Tony's state of mind in the curve of spine and the cant of his breathing, without having to ask.

"It doesn't have to be a burden," she shouted at him or it seemed a shout, in the relative quiet. Then again, San always spoke stridently, even when she was being silent, "Just because it's heavy."

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Tony blinked and turned 'round to stare at San. After a moment a smile blossomed on his face. He was fond of the wolf-girl and he had started to think of her as something as an adopted younger sister. She was loud, but he was used to loud. "Yeah, I know, San. Doesn't stop it from bein'."

He toed the ground reflectively. "Not sure what I'm gonna do or how I gotta figure this stuff up here out..."

He gestured at his head. "Can't let it distract me too much."

[thewolfdaughter.livejournal.com]

"You're thinking like a human," She chastised, but it was almost teasing rather than acerbic, "You can't worry this much about the past. It's just sitting over you, like a crow, waiting for you to die. We move forward."

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"I was born human," he replied with a small smile. "Sometimes it's hard t'think like a wolf."

He rolled his shoulders with a small sigh. "Time, time, time. Shouldn't worry so much. But I keep thinkin' about home and everything. What do you think San? What do you worry about?"

[thewolfdaughter.livejournal.com]

San looked away a moment, and tried to find something else to look at. It was a clear sign of weakness, but it didn't last.

"Ashitaka is missing," She replied, softly, "I worry about my brothers. I grew up with them, but they're still just big puppies. I don't know if they're alive or dead."

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"...I'm sorry." And he is. Although he hadn't known Ashitaka, from the way San talked he could tell he'd been important to her. "I'm sure he's OK... Probably just runnin' mazes."

He gave her a soft pat on the shoulder. "Still alive, aren't we?"

[thewolfdaughter.livejournal.com]

"We are," Tony's hand was the only human one, aside from Ashitaka, that had touched her since she'd been born. It was too warm and calloused— San couldn't help the little flinch, "But that doesn't give us the right to squander it with self-pity!"

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Tony drew his hand back and sighed. San wasn't really used to the whole human contact thing. "True that."

He laughed, managing a grin. "You sound like a Get."

[thewolfdaughter.livejournal.com]

San turned her head away primly, as she'd seen the women in the foundry do, when they wanted to make it clear that men were stupid. Despite herself, Ashitaka had had some mitigating influence between them.

"I'm Moro's daughter," She snorted, looking at him down her nose, "It's only natural."

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OK, he had to grin. She reminded him so much of the Get he'd met (and the very, very few Red Talons). He ran a hand through his hair, chuckling. "Yeah. Only natural. Glad that you're doin' OK, though."