― i still got shit to run.

dru smelled the other wolf -- and smelled that whoever she was, she wasn’t an o’phelan. not someone to ignore but not her highest priority. she took a sip of her drink, glancing over when the blonde approached the counter. she raised a dark brow when the blonde also ordered her a drink. “generous of you,” she said, raising her glass to her lips -- downing the rest of the amber liquid. “suppose i should know your name if your going to buy me a drink.”

“you’re probably right. not much else far a small town like this to entertain themselves with.” especially now when the outside world was off-limits. she grinned at him. “thanks. whiskey on the rocks,” she said, directing her drink order at the bartender. “for some reason, people aren’t as in need of a solicitor right now. guess they’re all on their best behavior -- or a bit distracted.”

entering the wonky cross, dru took one of the many empty bar seats. still early in the evening, the crowds hadn’t streamed in yet. a little surprising to her. the attitudes people had taken since the barrier went up seemed right at home in a place like this. she nodded to robin. “how’s business?”  /  @finchrobin​

flipping the page of her book, blue eyes scanned the page -- but the words had long since lost her interest. meaningless ramblings by an author to full of himself. she set the book down with a sigh and looked over to the person at the table next to her. “i generally like reading the guardian with my morning coffee. been a bit hard to do that recently. you been have any similar troubles?”  /  @unamused-eldrid​

as dru reached into her pocket for a cigarette, she noticed someone approaching the bar’s entrance. “wouldn’t recommend going in,” she warned the young woman. “bit chaotic in there.”  /  @brokenintoshardsx​

“yeah... i’ll leave the arts and crafts to people who actually know what they’re doing.” she was a lawyer not an artist. very different professions that attracted very different people. “it comes up every couples years for me --  i’ve got a big family. never gets easier. booze is probably the answer but it’s even tackier than a gift card.”

“we’ve all got our talents. i’m sure you’ve got something notable about you.” some people were unremarkable but, for her current purposes at least, non of wildemount’s pre-existing wolves were unremarkable. “that gives me other impressions. like that you spend your weekends in the woods fueling conspiracy theories.”

“that makes sense, yeah? but somehow it’s not personal enough. it’s something i’ve been told repeatedly.” why her pack kept trying to give her gift-giving advice was beyond her. did she look like the type of person who cared? and yet, here she was. to make them happy, she told herself. “what would you get a twenty-something young man who’s recently graduated from uni but still trying to find his place in the world?” 

holding a small knick-knack in her hand, dru stared blankly at the shelf. her eyes were narrowed. “i don’t get why gift cards are considered bad gifts,” she said, looking over to the person standing nearby her in the aisle. “there so much easier and it’s unlikely you’ll get them something they’ll toss as soon as your back is turned.”  /  @veilsstarters​

being new in town herself, dru had been surprised when she found the invitation in her rented home’s mailbox. she wasn’t one to turn down an invitation though, especially not to a place like the mansion she saw on google maps when she looked up the address. as she entered, blue eyes scanning the room, she was quickly approached by a werewolf. she squared her shoulders but all did was hold out his hand and introduce himself. the host. “please to meet you benji,” she said, shaking his hand in return. “thanks for the invitation. you’ve got a nice place.”

“we can all be a bit lazy,” she responded. “frankly, i don’t trust people that are always going. seems like the type of person who’d stab you in your sleep.” morbid. “or, more likely, collapse under the weight of it all.” still philosophical. “well, i should leave you to relax i suppose. hopefully your day isn’t too much longer.”

a cup of tea in a cafe. it was a little... quaint... for dru. yet here she was, with a the cup on her table and today’s paper on her knees. something about a lost dog being found and a proposed vegetation thinning in the forest. uninteresting. wildemount had been somewhat disappointing so far. as she flipped to the next page, the person at the table next to her spoke. she looked up, raising a brow at his question. “no, i’m not. been trying to figure that out myself. so far i’ve found a strip club and some challenging hiking trails.”

“effort. the bane of many things.” her tone was light although the curl of her lips didn’t quite reach her eyes. “has it been a long day or are you just being lazy?” that might’ve come across as insulting, and if it did than dru didn’t care, but it was a genuine question.

“not here,” she said, “but i’ve been out since the eighties. visited plenty of similar establishments back in london. i like to have fun.” she knew she might’ve been on odd sight; women her age didn’t usually frequent strip clubs. but women her age had usually settled down with some average-looking fellow and were seeing off their obligatory 2.5 children. 

dru took his hand -- her grip was firm as she shook it. “good name. used to know a guy in uni with that name. i think he went on to be a heavyweight boxer.” she stepped back; her expression and posture were open but her eyes hard. “have you always been this clumsy?”