Where's Everyone Going, Bingo?

in theory, claire knows exactly what to do: investigate, confront her kidnappers, then find a way out! it should be routine, but exploring's only left her more stumped; compared to what she'd expected, life here is so normal! shops, restaurants, and weirdest of all: no threats.

funny. that guy up ahead even looks a lot like...

"leon!?" she rushes toward him with a bemused laugh, motioning vaguely to their surroundings, "figures we'd both get mixed up in whatever the hell this is." was he taken, too? sent on a government mission, maybe? either way, with all they've been through together, she seriously couldn't ask for better backup than her kick-ass best friend (awful quips included). it's a huge relief.

there's just one teensy little thing...

'...she does always seem to run headfirst directly into the chaos. But it's not like I can talk in that department... Ha. Must be why we get along so well.'

As soon as he's close enough, he goes for a hug, unable to hold back a smile. It's good to see her, even if the circumstances aren't perfect. With a quick once-over to make sure she isn't hurt or anything, he pulls away. Jeez, where should he even start?

"Yeah, uh..." He holds up the bag sheepishly, hoping she won't look too hard at the contents. Frozen meals, cheap liquor, snacks... it would be embarrassing if she didn't already know him. Back home he never had the downtime for cooking; it's not like he's going to start now.

"Have you been here long? If you want, we can head back to my place and grab lunch while we catch up." A pause as he glances at the grocery bag with a sigh.

...

"Heh. Nah, not werewolves. Well - a werewolf was involved, apparently, not that I ever met 'em - but that's not really the point. I'm not a werewolf, is the main thing." He lifts a shoulder in a half-shrug. "Guess it would be accurate to call me a wolf-were, not that I use the term. Doesn't make much sense to come up with a word for it when I'm the only one like me." And when everyone he'd interacted with back home had known the story, more or less.

How much to tell? Leon really deserves an explanation - frankly, everyone in the city probably deserves full disclosure, just so they know what they've got in their midst, but so far Bigby's managed to calm his uneasy conscience on that front with the excuse that there are enough visible threats on a regular basis that everyone should be on guard, even if they don't know the extent to which he's one.

He tips back his head and sighs, squashing the urge to dig for a cigarette with Bingo around. Leon, in particular, is owed at least enough of the story to explain what he must have experienced in Bigby's body. And that means a fair bit of explaining, even if he skips over most of his own blood-soaked past.

"Very long story short? I was born a wolf, although not strictly the same as the regular kind. Lived that way for a while. Bunch of shit happened. Then the uh, the... beings... who lived around where I lived, things went bad there, and we all had to pack up and move, hide out in - well, it wasn't America yet, but it is now. Anyway."

"Had to keep it secret, that we were all different from, y'know, regular humans. There was - well, there were a couple of options, a couple of communities, but there was too much bad blood between me and the people who were going to hide away from humans, so I couldn't go there - don't get me wrong, I deserved it. But the other place, where we were gonna blend in and pretend we were like them - obviously I couldn't go there the way I was. I mean, I don't know how good of an idea you got, but you were actually smaller than I really am. Couldn't have passed for a dog, much less a human."

Is he rambling? God, he is, isn't he? Maybe it's because he's not used to telling the story - everyone knew, of course, back in Fabletown, and the few times he's tried to explain here he's usually been in a situation where he's trying to stress the whole I am an incredibly dangerous mass murdering predator angle rather than skipping over it. (Not that that's worked out, historically.)

"I see. A story like that is just so crazy that I have to believe it." Leon runs a hand through his hair, sighing.

"I'm not gonna pretend like I completely understand," it's never been his job to understand, "But I think I get the gist. And from the brief experience I had, I don't envy you." Bingo lays on the ground between them, slowly blinking up at Bigby before closing his eyes as if to fall asleep with his head still raised.

He trusts this other human-shaped wolf, and he thinks his friend does, too.

"I'm... sure you had questions about my setup, too. I promise I'm not some crazy guy who hoards weapons; back home there's a reason I needed so many. But I can't shake the habit of having to have a way to survive if shit goes south." He puts his hands in his pockets, shrugging.

"I'm mostly just a normal guy, but I'm willing to do whatever I can to help people out of tough spots. It's why I do what I do," he looks up at Bigby.

"So, uh... might have been weird circumstances, but if you ever need help with anything..." he puts his hand out for a handshake.

"Waah--!"

With a thud, Link fell to the ground below; taking a moment to collect his bearings as he blinked up at his apparent assailant. However, compared to the usual suspects he had to deal with back in Hyrule, this one was a welcome surprise; despite Twiwolf immediately growling and getting on his haunches in the other canine's direction.

However, as the wolf was called back, Link put an arm out in front of his own; shaking his head a little. It was a perfectly harmless interaction-- he was just excited was all, though the much larger creature next to him had certainly grown protective over Link in their short time together.

"I'm fine," he answered the man once he was able to get back onto his feet, brushing the dirt off of his trousers. Twiwolf still seemed defensive, so Link began scratching him behind the ears, in hopes it would settle him down some. "He was probably just happy to see someone like him-- this one doesn't mean any harm, either. Their kind aren't really meant for leashes though, so wearing one might.."

... hold on a second. Did he just call it a..

"I don't normally keep him leashed, but with all the weird creatures running around, I didn't want him getting into trouble," a sigh as he runs his hand through his hair. "Not that that stops him, apparently."

It's been nice having this companion around, as well as the weird Spiramon thing that keeps following him around. Another dog... but this one seems to be hanging back a bit, as if wary of Leon himself.

He'll keep watch, but he isn't about to go trying to force things.

"He seems to like whatever it is you're doing, so I guess it's fine?" He presses his hand back against Bingo's head awkwardly, less of a petting motion and more of an attempt to ape the motion of two heads rubbing against each other. "Well, more specifically, he, uh, he says he likes you. And your food and shelter. No accounting for taste - no offense - but if this is what he wants, and you're not constraining him in case he changes his mind, it's probably all right."

Frankly, Leon should probably be awarded some kind of medal for patience, given that Bigby's now all but dropped the subject into his lap with the whole 'I know what he's communicating' chestnut. Huffing out a breath, he glances around for a bench - this is going to be a long conversation, so they might as well sit down while they're at it.

"Well whattya think, bud? Friends?" A small smile crosses his features as Bingo bumps his hand. It feels nice to have someone by his side.

"Yeah, I'm not planning on keeping him hostage or anything. Like I said, he's just been kinda... following me." He shrugs, putting his hands in his pockets. Of course he had questions, but he'd never wanted to cross any lines. As far as he's concerned, that's the other guy's business.

"I experienced some of it first hand," though he doubts that's the full experience. "But I guess my first question is what the deal is with the change in appearance. I'm guessing it's not some sort of horror movie werewolf situation."