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[texashunt]

[texashunt]

"They're a part of me... a part I can't get rid of. Don't make much sense to worry 'bout it now." Maybe he was just used to them, he'd had them for over a century, so he supposed he'd had more than enough time to deal with how they looked, what they represented. "Good to know." At least he wasn't at the top of the list of suspects, though he did have to laugh at the 'ol man' comment as he leaned up against the side of his bed, arms lifting to cross over his chest. "Si puedes guardar un secreto." Jonathan wasn't one to hand out his secrets to just anyone, but those he did, he offered his trust with the hopes of not making a grave mistake. Sometimes it was. "Long story short? Somewhere 'tween a werewolf 'n' human is my best guess. Got 'em scars to thank for that." He noted as he nodded in the direction of his back. "Weren't enough to turn me, but, uh... sure left somethin' behind."

A small hum at his words. "So, you're more neutral about them," she notes. The explanation about his scars made sense now to why he felt... off. She had been around weird people long enough to feel them, never to spot them. There's a small sigh as she lowers the papers to look at him. Now, she seems completely unbothered by him. "Murder cases under odd circumstances. You aren't a suspect, but I must ask. What are you, ol' man?" She pauses long enough to look at his smile. Always reassuring. The smile isn't returned, instead a look of disappointment replaces it. "¿Me vas a decir la verdad? Truth only."

[texashunt]

He had to admit that he hadn't expected anyone to offer him help. In some ways, he felt bad, the whole thing was a show, he could throw those bags of feed onto his truck without the slightest bit of effort if he really wanted to, but it was best to play along. He didn't need any unwanted attention thrown his way, it was how he'd survived so long, how he flew under the radar, keeping himself out of the limelight.

Jonathan stepped closer to the back of his truck, grabbing the bag of horse feed as it was offered to him and placed it down, making sure to leave plenty of room for the others.

"See, make a good team already." The hunter noted how much easier the whole thing was when he didn't have to do all of it. Not that it was incredibly difficult in the first place, his body was resilient thanks to whatever lycanthropic poison ran through his veins, but the sentiment remained.

"Me? I'm jus' 'ere to pickin' up some feed for my horses. Got a small ranch a couple miles out." He explained just briefly, pausing to scour over the man who'd been kind enough to help him. "Name's Jonathan, by the way. Or John. Whatever folks prefer."

Russell had been on his way to get a few small groceries from the smaller store closer to the apartment, but he had come across this stranger loading what looked like some rather heavy bags.

Horse feed. Yeah, that would be heavy. He was built for running rather than lifting, but as long as he used the right technique, Russell would be fine. Right?

"S-sure, that, that works," Russell said, with a small smile and a nod, as he moved so he could lift with his legs rather than his back, as he had been taught before.

It took a moment to get into a good position and get the right kind of grip, but sure enough, Russell managed to stand with the bag in hand.

"Here, here you go, bag, bag number one," Russell said, just so they wouldn't be loading up in awkward silence, "I've, I've not seen, seen you around be-before."

[texashunt]

"You're a vegetarian?" A vegetarian werewolf -- - that wasn't something that John had been expecting, nor something he came across every day. Or ever before, if he was honest. "What's your wolf gotta say 'bout you bein' vegetarian?" He couldn't help but ask out of sheer curiosity.

"Folks who abandon their humanity. Y'can be whatever you wanna be, but you start killin' folks for fun? We gotta problem. In my book, y'jus' lost the right to call yourself a person in my book."

"D-definition?" Her definition of people? What did that mean? People were people... right? She avoided eye contact, rubbing her nose, anxiety climbing higher in her throat.

"I... hunt rabbits sometimes --sorry--. Um. I'm a vegetarian on my off-days? Except I cheat sometimes, like with gummy bears a-and sometimes jerky... cuz it's chewy... Wh-what do you think isn't a people-- a person?"

[texashunt]

"That's the million-dollar question, ain't it?" John mused as he tidied himself up, tugging his shirt down and grabbing a hoodie from close by. It was a question he'd pondered more than once in his life, what was he exactly? He wasn't a werewolf, he didn't transform on a full moon, there were no triggers that could make a beast tear out of his skin -- - but he wasn't human either. The fact that he was still stood there at over two hundred years later was enough to make that quite clear.

No, he was something in between, cursed to walk between the two lines, outside both camps.

"I'm jus' some freak who helps those who need it... those who don't? They're the ones who gotta worry." The hunter made it clear as he looked back at Thistle, standing tall as a pensive expression crept across his face. "I don't hunt indiscriminately. There's folks out there who don't mean what they are, don't mean to cause harm. But there's also folks who do... they're the ones I go after." He stepped over to the side, sliding his feet into his boots. "I've seen both sides. Hell, I've stood on both."

It wasn't uncommon, unfortunately. Plenty of people got into the business because of unsavory shit. He knew folks that had lost children, parents, lovers. It was always a risky way to dip into hunting; too many of them brought their pain and their grief with them and just made more pain and grief. Thistle had seen plenty perpetuate a cycle-—he'd had to break the wheel a few times for folks so they didn't get themselves killed, didn't keep hurting innocent supernaturals.

Thistle moved to cross his arms, inclined his head some and regarded John thoughtfully.

❝ And what exactly are you today? ❞ the Southerner was curious about the literal, of course. Did that make John a werewolf too then? He was mostly curious about what the man's character was. What type of man was he? Why'd he do what he did? Was the motivation noble? Or tainted by some unspoken need for revenge or retribution?

[texashunt]

@fortitudina sent: ❛ my friends ditched me here and now i could really use a ride home. ❜ ( from Abby Carner )

🐝  *  ―  𝐅𝐈𝐑𝐒𝐓 𝐌𝐄𝐄𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐒𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐄 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐒.

It wasn't entirely unusual for a complete stranger to ask for a ride, though he had to admit that it was far less common in recent times, given just how careful people had become. He wasn't sure if things were just more dangerous or if getting somewhere was easier than ever before. After all, John could still remember hitchhiking through almost every state back in the mid-1900s. "I got a pick-up truck I can give you a ride home in..." He admitted, hesitation in his voice. "Y'sure you don't got no one who can come get you? Friends? Family?"

[texashunt]

@spungolden sent: ❛  you looked lonely so i got you a drink.  ❜ // dio

🐝  *  ―  𝐅𝐈𝐑𝐒𝐓 𝐌𝐄𝐄𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐒𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐄 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐒.

The familiar voice drew the Texan's attention as he dragged an arm from the bar and twisted his waist to eye the source properly, pleasant surprise softening his slightly pensive expression. "Jus' can't get rid of ya, huh?" He teased as he sat a bit straighter on the bar stool, leaning more weight onto the elbow that still rested against the wooden surface that was likely laced with old and new smatterings of alcohol. Not that John cared much, it wasn't as though he could get sick either way. "Why not? Jus' a beer for me, please."

[texashunt]

@flutterbyowns sent: ❛ can you please pretend to be my boyfriend for a moment so my ex will leave me alone ? ❜

🐝  *  ―  𝐅𝐈𝐑𝐒𝐓 𝐌𝐄𝐄𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐒𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐄 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐒.

The hunter hadn't been paying much attention to his surroundings. Just paused outside a diner while he double checked that he definitely had his wallet on him. When he heard someone, her words. John picked up, brows tightening just briefly. "Of course." He uttered without hesitation, an arm moving to wrap around her shoulder, hovering just above it. "It okay I put my arm 'round ya for show?" Just another thing he wanted to double-check first too. "Why don't we head on inside? Get y'somethin' to eat. Good to stay out in public view. Extra deterrent."

[texashunt]

@pushspacetocontinue sent: ❛  here, let, let me, let me help you.  ❜

🐝  *  ―  𝐅𝐈𝐑𝐒𝐓 𝐌𝐄𝐄𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐒𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐄 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐒.

It was an easy enough job. Throw a couple dozen bags of horse feed onto the back of his pickup truck at 25kg per load. With his heightened strength, John could've done it in moments with relative ease, but that wasn't how the game was played. He had to make it look like he needed to put a bit of work into it just to keep from drawing any unwanted attention. It seemed to have worked. "Yeah? Well, thanks. How 'bout you pick 'em up 'n' I'll load 'em onto the truck, how's that sound?"

[texashunt]

Was down at the boat yard to wash the RIB, the hose wouldn't connect properly and I got absolutely drenched right in the face twice. Looked over to find my Commanding Officer doubled over laughing. 🤣

[texashunt]

@dreamswideawake sent: ❛  oh god. please tell me you haven’t just heard me talk to myself.  ❜

🐝  *  ―  𝐅𝐈𝐑𝐒𝐓 𝐌𝐄𝐄𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐒𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐄 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐒.

"Would it make y'feel better if I pretended I didn't?" The thick-accented Texan found himself teasing the man a little, not wanting to make him feel uncomfortable, but also not entirely wanting to lie to him either. "Don't worry, ain't no harm in it." John reassured him with a growing smile that seemed to light up his slightly worn face. "I talk to myself all the time. Talk all ya want. Pay me no mind."

[texashunt]

🐝  *  ―  𝐅𝐈𝐑𝐒𝐓 𝐌𝐄𝐄𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐒𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐄 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐒.   (  random assortment of sentences that can but don’t have to be used for muses meeting each other for the first time. feel free to adjust to better fit your muses.  )

❛  i know we only just met but i already feel like i’ve known you my whole life.  ❜ ❛  umm, is this seat taken ?  ❜ ❛  don’t be alarmed now but there’s someone following you. pretend you know me and come with me. i’ll get you somewhere safe.  ❜ ❛  my friends ditched me here and now i could really use a ride home.  ❜ ❛  i don’t think we’ve met yet but you looked like you needed someone to talk to.  ❜ ❛  can you please pretend to be my boyfriend / girlfriend for a moment so my ex will leave me alone ?   ❜ ❛  are you always this straightforward with strangers ?  ❜ ❛  here, i noticed you lost this earlier.  ❜ ❛  i’m sorry, i must’ve mistaken you for somebody else.  ❜ ❛  so, what brings you here today ?  ❜ ❛  hi, my name is [name]. it’s nice meeting you.  ❜ ❛  you’re cute. how about i buy you a drink ?  ❜ ❛  can’t you watch where you are going ?!  ❜ ❛  i just moved into the apartment next to you, so i guess we’re gonna be neighbors now.  ❜ ❛  oh god, you’re [name], aren’t you ?  ❜ ❛  here, let me help you.  ❜ ❛  is there a reasons you’re here on your own ?  ❜ ❛  apparently we’re going to be working on this together now.  ❜ ❛  you look like you could use a hand with that.  ❜ ❛  what do people around here do to have some fun ?  ❜ ❛  looks like this will take a while, huh ?  ❜ ❛  oh god. please tell me you haven’t just heard me talk to myself.  ❜ ❛  excuse me, i think i’m lost.  ❜ ❛  i just wanted to say that i really like your outfit.  ❜ ❛  do you come here often ?  ❜ ❛  do you mind if i join you for a bit ?  ❜ ❛  you looked lonely so i got you a drink.  ❜ ❛  i don’t think we’ve met, i’m [name].  ❜ ❛  what the hell just happened there ?  ❜ ❛  have you seen this anywhere ? i must’ve lost it.  ❜ ❛  can i please use your phone ? i have to call someone to get me out of here.  ❜ ❛  seems like we’re gonna be spending a lot of time together.  ❜ ❛  come with me, and don’t ask any questions. it’s urgent.  ❜ ❛  i heard strange noises coming from your apartment and just wanted to make sure everything is alright.  ❜ ❛  i have a spare ticket, you wanna come in with me ?  ❜ ❛  you don’t know me but will you be my date for tonight ?  ❜ ❛  we’ve got some time to kill so why don’t you tell me a little about yourself ?  ❜ ❛  i don’t usually just walk up to strangers but my friends set me up to it.  ❜ ❛  i think our orders may have gotten mixed up.  ❜ ❛  do i have something on my face or why do you keep looking at me like that ?  ❜

[texashunt]

By now, being asked didn't really bother the hunter. He barely even thought about the scars down his back, having lived with them for over a century now. They were a part of him, the reasons that he was still walking around and not buried 6 foot under like the rest of his family.

The answer about them, on the other hand, depended on the person. Those without supernatural knowledge got one answer while those who did, or were a part of the supernatural community, by what they were or what they did, got the truth. This one was privy to the latter

"Close." He smirked a little under his breathe. "Werewolf." John added before he pulled on a shirt. "Killed my folks, big brother 'n' tore up my back. Was the first steppin' stone for all I know... everythin' I am today."

Thistle wasn't so much flustered that he'd been caught as he was vexed he was now caught between a rock and a hard place. Now he HAD to ask.

❝-— Ain't scared, was just tryin' to not be rude is all. ❞ fat load of good that did. Staring was just as rude, idiot. He exhaled a low breath and inclined his head a bit to gesture for the marks.

❝ Fine. Since y'wanna tie my hands on the matter, I'll bite: what happened? Y'look like you fought a fuckin' bear or somethin'. ❞

[texashunt]

x

[texashunt]

"Bit of both, I guess. I ain't no werewolf, but I ain't exactly human neither. Been alive long enough to come to that sorry conclusion myself." That, and maybe the few additions to his senses after he'd been scratched. Heightened hearing, smell, a smattering of lycanthrope without the transformations. Some might prefer it, but to him, it made him an outsider. He wasn't welcome amongst werewolves and he didn't belong with humanity either. Then where did he belong? Anywhere? "You? Can't say this ol' sniffer's come across somethin' like you before neither." He admitted, tilting his head as he looked the guy over. "Maybe. Might jus' be why I'm here to begin with."

"That they do. Tell me though. You don't smell fully like a lycan. Which makes you a what then?" It was not something he had come across on his travels. Full werewolves of course he had met. Fought. Killed. Vampires. Goblins. You name it but not something like this human. "Possibly." He was tracking something that had killed a family the next town over. The trail led him here. He was ready to keep walking when he stopped, turning back to look at this...man. "You wouldn't happen to know of any recent deaths in the area?"

[texashunt]

The strange thing was that Jonathan wasn't wholly ashamed of his scars. Was that odd? They'd made him who he was and while he still questioned what he was almost every day of his uncertain life, he knew who he was, knew who he wanted to be. "Those scars are the only reason I'm still here at all." John noted casually, stepping to lightly clasp one of his shirts in one hand. "If it weren't for 'em, I'd be long since pushin' up daisies." Just like the rest of his family. "But don't worry 'bout it, me casa e su casa 'n' all that good stuff." He smiled over at her, doing his best to reassure her. "Anyways, I'm guessin' y'didn't come to my door to ogle at an ol' freak."

Her attention was on the papers in her hand instead, or was. Eyes glance quickly over him before looking back down at her papers. For her, a glance was enough to get all the physical information. Sadly, the scars were part of it, something people always try to hide. Those people include herself. She clears her throat as if trying to forget what she saw. “I apologize for not knocking.” A paper change. “Scars are nothing to be afraid of. They simply mean that you survived. It’s up to the person to decide if surviving was good or bad.”

[texashunt]

"Traumatizin'?" The Texan mused with a faint knowing smile, slowly nodding his head in agreement. "That's sure one way of puttin' it." That night had kept him up for years, nightmare after nightmare, every canine that looked at him sending shivers down his spine. "Sure weren't no walk in the park. Was a werewolf. Partin' gift after it wiped out my folks 'n' big brother. Not necessarily in that order." He tried to smirk, the noise sounding more sombre than he'd intended. "Hurt like hell for a long time. Slept on my sides 'n' stomach for a real long while."

she couldn’t say much— it wasn’t as if she could easily hide the scar on her eye. everyone had scars— and whilst she doesn’t like discussing her own, she certainly was nosy herself. “i’m not scared.” back presses to the doorway as arms cross, eyes kept locked on his form. “but it does look traumatizing.”