luc devereaux.

Clara smiled as politely as possible when declining to smell someone. It was hardly the sort of situation that the blonde often found herself in. Still given there current location, it was hardly the most bazar. She imagined that he must be at least part shifter or were. They did like marking their territory. She raised her brow, watching as he ashed the cigarette before completely extinguishing it. "Oh darling, you didn't have to, but I do appreciate it very much." Whether or not he did quit was hardly her business, yet the small gesture spoke so much of his good character. "But for next time, you can simply come talk to me. There is no need for any ploy."

“A beautiful woman like yourself? Nah, I’d get all shy and bashful,” Luc lied, doing their best to smile coyly. For a moment, the shifter tried thinking of anything that might force a blush to help their case, but alas, the bear was shameless. “If this friend is half as lovely as you are, I’d love to meet them and their bear sometime.” A sentiment that Luc found they actually meant, their bear responding in kind with a huff of excitement that only the shifter could hear. Having evolved considerably, bears were very intelligent and social creatures, and it seemed like their’s in particular craved companionship from its own kind. Seemingly caught red-handed by the witch, Luc tilted their head to the side, intrigued. “What makes you say that?” They asked, thinking they’d been vague enough to keep this little human charade going a little longer. “Now, I don’t know about that. I’d think it’d be quite nice to be nursed back to health by someone as lovely as you, Miss Woodhouse. But I suppose I am pretty handy, should you need any help around your…home?” They asked, unsure if she was still being put up in one of The Institute’s suites. “I change a mean lightbulb.”

Dougal was heating up some soup to sip on as the snow was falling in the backyard. The snow reminded him of home but also reminded him of the day he was turned and lost his humanity. But he doesn't hold that memory any power anymore and embraces the bright white snow covering like a winter wonderland. Alec was sleeping in his cage when the hawk perks up and caws at the door hearing something outside the patio. "Hm what is it boy is there something outside?" The vampire asked calming his pet down before he looked outside to see a giant bear laying on the patio. This was the first time he had seen any wild life outside but could it also be a shifter resting up?

“My mom told me not to talk to strangers,” Luc yelled over the howling wind. Or, at least he’s sure she would have, if she’d had a single maternal bone in her body. But alas, he knew nothing about the woman, and cared to know even less. Casting a passing glance over his shoulder back towards the tree line, Luc tried to estimate how long the trek back to his clothes would be, all while freezing his beautifully sculpted ass off.  With a disgruntled huff, Luc hung his head and glanced over at the stranger. From where he stood, Luc guessed he could probably take the guy in a fight, despite knowing nothing about what supernatural “affliction” this man may or may not be living with. “Small might be a bit of an understatement.” His thighs alone were like two tree trunks, Luc never skipped leg day. After a long pause and much internal deliberation, Luc decided that he’d be better off warming up for a bit and then tackling the hike back to his belongings. “You got any beer in there?” He shouted, shuffling through the snow, and towards the house. “I’ll take a nice warm robe too, if you’ve got one.”

It had been quite the surprise for her to go into her garden and seeing a large bear just sleeping there, there were many reasons why of course but still, surprising. She got closer, way to sure that nothing bad could ever happened to her and began to try to wake the bear up, when the bear suddenly became a man a very small disappointed oh escaped her, of course she had expected it but she also had hoped it was a real bear "Hi... I take it was a wild night?

“A wild night?” Luc chuckled lightly and spared a quick glance at his naked form. He shrugged. “Uh… no, ma’am. I just…” The shifter paused for a moment. There really wasn’t any use trying to conceal the truth or spare her any details. She’d already seen him shift plain as day. “I was looking for a quiet place to shift, that's all. I’m sorry if I scared you. I really didn’t mean to cause you any trouble, miss.” Thankfully, the lounge chair cushion was long enough to wrap around their entire waist, a gesture that was more for her sake than his. “It wouldn’t be too much trouble if I asked you for a towel or somethin’, would it? I mean, assuming you want your cushion back.”

“Oh, Lord-“ Strix inhaled sharply as he spotted the giant ball of brown fur on the porch. He shut the door right away to hide. In moments like these, Strix realized that one really could not betray his nature. Despite a lifetime spent opposing his true self, the imminent dread for conflicts resurfaced at once. He was frightened, but unsure what to do. Bears on the island was not a problem he had on his radar – apparently, ever. Strix went through his mental archives, knowledge from thousands of years of history, and realized that he had not made a single entry on how to prepare for a bear attack, or avoid one altogether. Moreover, he could not hide out in this house forever – it wasn’t his and doubted that, after this experience, he would find it in himself to buy the property. And in an hour, he would be expected to give a class on health and illness in a social context. Something had to be done.

The shift should have been long enough for Luc to have better control over his temper, that was the deal, after all. Play time in exchange for a bit of self-control. But the man’s words, and as a matter of fact, his tone made the bear prickly. It hadn’t been in a proper scuffle since Luc packed up and left Oregon. “You better watch your mouth, tough guy. You aren’t better than me.” The shifter’s body temperature rose at the insinuation, his eyes taking on an unnatural, yellow glow.  Luc could feel the heat pouring off of him, the cold that he could once feel down to his bones suddenly an afterthought. “Right, next time I’ll just put ‘em in one of my many bear pockets. Why didn’t I think of that?”

The blonde chuckled at the way his eyes widened. She'd become so accustom to supernatural beings simply wandering about that she tended to forget ostentatious shows of power were not normal. "I cannot say that I do much camping. Roughing it means not getting to use my hair dyer." She'd been through the nights when there were no resources to go around. She'd suffered through rationing, and Clara never wanted to return to that. She much preferred a plush bed to a stiff cot and threadbare blanket.

With her polite declination, Luc lowered their arms back to their side and gave a little ‘your loss’ sort of shrug. Though really, the loss was theirs. Instinctively, Luc tugged at the collar of their shirt and took a quick, and hopefully discreet, whiff, just to make sure they didn’t actually smell like an ashtray.  “I tell ya what,” The shifter started, taking the cigarette out of their mouth and putting it out on the heel of their boot. “I’ve never denied a pretty woman anything in my life, and I sure ain’t gonna start now.” It was yet to be decided if they would actually quit, after all, there was nothing better than a cigarette after a good fuck. But they could certainly refrain for the time being. “It was mostly a ploy to get you to talk to me, anyway.” Flicking the cigarette into the nearest garbage, Luc raised a confused eyebrow at her question. “I’m sorry, Bumbles? Ya lost me… This place has a bear named Bumbles?” The Institute really was a world all its own, every day seemed to bring something strange and new. “No, can’t say I’ve met any bumbles. I grew up with shifters… worked with a bunch of bears in a logging camp for a while. I guess getting crushed by a tree was pretty likely too now that I think of it.” Luc’s green eyes watched the flame disappear in fascination. “Luc Devereaux. I’m the new Head of Maintenance.” The shifter held their hand out towards her, “It’s an absolute pleasure, Clara. What do you do here?”

The witch keeps her arm up long enough for them to take the lighter before she lets it drop on the back of the bench, dark eyes looking over the stranger curiously. "You're brave for a newbie." She comments with a raise of her brow. They seemed more relaxed then the other slaves when they first arrived, usually there was a more 'scared' look on their faces. "Why don't you keep it." The brunette lifts her wrist to wave off the lighter before taking a long drag of her own cigarette. His words make her laugh, smoke escaping from her lips when she replies. "If only..." She scoffs lightly at ever being called a saint before smirking at them. "I'm Beth."

“Yeah?” A smirk crossed their own lips. Luc’s been called a lot of things, but brave has never been one of them. “That’s certainly one way of putting it. Usually I get ‘dumbass’, but brave’s real nice of you.” Given permission to keep the lighter, Luc didn’t bother to question it or think twice before pocketing it. After a single once over of the woman, Luc could tell that she probably didn’t want for much. Besides, she offered. It would’ve been rude to decline, right?

"Seems that way." Now Paris had lost his train of thought, not even sure what else his day would consist of past the unserious person before him. Then again, he had to have some respect - the other wasn't a grant student. No collar around his neck so he was clearly smart enough to land somewhat on top. "What is it you do here?" he asked, the condescension mostly fading from his voice as he spoke, curious now about the kind of person who unabashedly swindled someone's cigarette lighter and place it back in his pocket, touching and straightening his clothes. Even the slaves he couldn't see doing anything as such. He held out his hand for the other to shake. "Paris Ness, professor."

Luc let the question sink in for a moment while they mulled over a reply, smoking down the last of the cigarette and putting the butt out on the heel of their boot. For a second, they contemplated lighting up another one and then thought better of it. Chain smoking wasn’t really their thing, it was more of a nervous habit than anything, something to do with their mouth so they didn’t go off shit-talking the wrong person. And something about Mr. Ness absolutely reeked of “wrong person”. Probably whatever expensive cologne he was wearing. “What? I don’t look like a payin’ student to you?” Their face was dead serious for a moment, and admittedly, part of them was kind of miffed at the assumption that someone like Luc could only attain their master status because they were in The Institute’s employ. But that only lasted a fraction of a second before they smiled despite themselves, in an attempt to mask any distaste they were wearing on their face. “I’m just joshin’ ya, handsome. I’m the new Head of Maintenance. Luc Devereaux, at your service.”  Luc held a hand out towards Paris, looking down at their open palm expectantly, almost urging him to take it. A show of good faith, they’d call it. It was the polite thing to do, after all.

@handsonluc | replying to this starter

“Don’t tempt me, handsome,” Luc jested, graciously accepting the light. “No, I don’t suppose I could.” The shifter inhaled deeply, looking up at the clear blue sky like they were pondering something. “Or could I?” Luc asked, light green eyes squinting in thought. They’d seen people do all sorts of wonderful things with magic. Luc even had their own little gifts of sorts. Why wouldn’t they be able to get themselves a handsome little pocket man? Fishing around in the breast pocket of their flannel, Luc didn’t give it a second thought before handing over the box to the stranger, all while trying to figure out where they recognized that funky outfit from. “Keep it. I’ve been trying to quit anyway. A beautiful witch once told me I smelled like an ashtray, and it seems I may have developed a bit of a complex.” After another moment of entirely conspicuous staring, an image of the guard uniform from the welcome packet flashed in their mind. “What’s it like?” Luc asked, giving a nod to the man’s attire. “Is that…impolite to ask?” Not that something like that had ever stopped them before, Luc’s curiosity tended to get the best of them more often than not.

Well, Freddie did love eating out (all the ways, of course, he was equal opportunities). He poked his tongue out just a little, that part of him desperate to get his flirt on difficult to ignore. Besides which, working class kids stuck together. He had far more in common with the janitor than he did any of the rich kids paying their own way. Good for you I don't have expensive taste.

Luc didn’t have a lot of money, that much was probably obvious, but they’ve always known how to get creative when money was tight, and life on Malvolio wasn’t going to be any different. Cigarette hanging limply between their lips, Luc took out their institute issued phone and pulled up the directions, looking up from their phone only when it seemed like Freddie was trying to communicate something. “Yeah, the pay’s decent.” Which was a monumental understatement. When Luc accepted the job, they hadn’t expected much, maybe a boiler room in the basement with a cot for them to sleep on. Needless to say, the five star suite was a pleasant surprise, maybe even enough of one to make them overlook everything else. “What, like the dental?” Luc smiled, showing their brilliantly white teeth, like something out of an orthodontist's wet dream. “I haven’t rented anyone, if that’s what you’re asking. Not that I'm opposed to it, that is… if someone wanted me too. I just don’t see that happening any time soon. Don’t really know a lot of people.” Having smoked the cigarette down to the filter, Luc dropped it on the ground and quickly snuffed it out with their boot. “I guess I don’t see the appeal of forcing someone to be with you when they’d rather be anywhere else. What about you? Staying safe?”

The smile barely left Thalia’s face – something she would ponder and be embarrassed about later. “Oh, I don’t have to tell you…”, she trailed off, only to find her eyes searching for his again moments after. “I always thought the Masters were more prepared for it, however. I hope it hasn’t been too much of a surprise?” Having 4 years under her belt, she had seen and participated in unthinkable acts. But like many others, she had grown to survive and thrive in this alternative society. The fact that she had never experienced ‘normal’ likely helped with the transition.

“Can’t say I was prepared for this,” he replied, off-handedly gesturing to their surroundings. Though maybe that was partially his fault, perhaps he’d overlooked all of the obvious red flags because he needed something good for once. Of course the cushy, well-paying, island job had some sort of catch. Why wouldn’t it? “Though I suppose I don’t really got much to complain about, do I?” Luc’s eyes dropped to the woman’s neck as he absentmindedly rubbed at his own, as if confirming that there wasn’t a collar secured around it. “Just shifters,” he admitted. “Wasn’t much of anything else where I’m from. ‘Least not any that I knew of.. But I suppose I’m not all that surprised by the rest of it.” Luc didn’t think much about Thalia’s line of questioning, and chalked it up to a pretty girl taking a little bit of interest in him. Which was more than welcome in his book. He’d been having a bit of a dry spell since arriving at the island. “When you watch a man turn into a bear, witches and vampires don’t seem all that far-fetched anymore. What about you? You seem to be takin’ all of this in stride. You grow up around supernaturals?” The word sounded odd coming out of his mouth, like he was still getting used to the idea of it all. “I’m sure you’re right. I’ve made it this far without gettin’ torn to shreds, I’ve probably got another few good decades in me.” Luc let out the slightest, little chuckle at the irony of her sentence. “How about you let me worry about what is and isn’t fair?” The woman was a grown adult with no real control over her own autonomy, letting her pick what they did for the next few hours was literally the least he could do. “Well will you look at that? You’re able to make decisions all by yourself, who would’ve thought?” It wasn’t meant to sound like he was making fun of her. Luc wasn’t the type to poke fun at someone that didn’t honestly deserve it. He just had a strange way of poking fun at things that didn’t particularly rub him the right way, like the whole master/slave thing, for one. It was easier to make fun of their situation than to face the gravity of it all. “Tired of you? I could listen to you talk all day, gorgeous. Lead on, I am at your mercy.”

Paris wasn't a sharer by nature. His things were his - lighters were just lighters, but it wasn't as if he had something cheap from a convenience store. It was silver plated and carved with his initials, a gift from his brother. He could always procure another, but it was the principle of it all. His eyes followed the way the other put the lighter in his shirt pocket with a mildly quirked eyebrow, masking it with a somewhat amused smirk. "I'm not suggesting you're new, I'm stating it." This one was very comfortable around strangers, and Paris never knew what to think of people like that. "I don't keep track of anyone," he said, with a wave of his hand and a quiet chuckle. He gestured to the other's entire being, trying to think of the right phrase. "You just have that... newness to you. It's very specific, hard to pin down." He tapped the other's cheek with his palm. "You'll outgrow it eventually."

Luc stood there for a long moment, smiling absently and nodding along to the man’s every word, all while mindlessly daydreaming about how absolutely punchable the guy’s face was. A shifter with less control would have succumbed to the change before Paris’ hand had even met their cheek. Luc, on the other hand, had a sort of understanding with their bear. There was a respect there that gave them a bit of room to think a situation through before allowing it to react. Reaching out, Luc plucked a piece of fuzz off the lapels of Paris’ jacket and graciously smoothed them out. While Paris seemed to struggle with speaking plainly, Luc didn’t have any trouble picking up on the subtleties in his words. “Guess only time will tell. But, as it stands, I’m a bit of a hard-learner.” In other words, the shifter thought themselves un-fuck-with-able.

Layla was trying to focus on the words of her text book, however she'd reread the same sentence three times before a voice interrupted her.

“Advanced Magical Theory, huh? Look, I’m already impressed, you don’t gotta rub it in..” The light flush to Layla’s cheeks didn’t go unnoticed by the shifter, and only really managed to further inflate Luc’s already enormous ego. There was something about bringing a smile to a pretty girl’s face that made them feel like they could hurtle a semi, but maybe that was just the bear in them making its presence known. “Why the change of heart? You’re clearly an incredibly talented artist.” Luc chuckled a little at the thought of them attending The Institute as anything other than a glorified janitor. “Me? In school?” They’d barely gone to school when it was required, let alone now that it wasn’t. But the last thing they wanted was to make her feel bad about her choice to pursue education or whatever the hell people did at these places. What little they knew about universities and the like typically came from movies, and those usually focused on the keg-standing, high-pour lovin’ aspect of college life. This place, on the other hand, seemed vastly different. Everything always felt so serious, like every day was life and death. And Luc supposed, that for some, it was. “I’m not much for book-learnin’ and lectures. I just like gettin’ my hands on somethin’ and seeing where it goes from there,” they concluded.  Luc gave her a little once over, which was about as subtle as one could imagine, and decided they’d like to get their hands on her sometime and see where that goes. Consensually, of course. Luc wasn’t about this whole rental business. They much preferred their company willing. “I’m sorry, how terribly rude of me. I’m Luc. I uh, I work on campus. Hopefully, we’ll be seein’ a lot more of each other.” Luc at least had the sense to smile coyly, like there was even an ounce of shame left in their body.

Clara closed her eyes, leaning against the building. Everything was finally getting back to normal- or as normal as things got in this place. At least most of the rubble had been cleared and the buildings were almost all repaired. While Clara indulged in the dramatics, the Headmistress' entrance was over-the-top even by her standards. Still life went on. They got upgraded phones, and Clara had to learn to use ebay to replace the collection of vintage skirts the dragon torched.

Well, shit. For a brief moment it seemed like Luc was going to have to haul their forgetful ass all the way back to their suite for a lighter, and for that split second they could’ve kicked a kid in the shin for the inconvenience of it all. Luckily for them, and any stray children that may have been running amok, the woman in front of him started a campfire in the middle of her fucking hand. Which shouldn’t have come as so much of a surprise to someone that could turn into an actual bear, but life in the trailer park was pretty sheltered, and they mostly kept their own kind around. “Well fuck me sideways, ma’am, that’s impressive. You must be a hit on camping trips.” Leaning in, Luc graciously lit their cigarette and thanked her with a little nod. “You ever cooked s’mores on that thing?” Careful not to blow the smoke directly in her face like some lowlife, Luc turned their head to the side when they exhaled. “Hey, now, I’ll have you know, I smell fucking lovely. You’re welcome to see for yourself,” they offered, opening their arms in invitation. It was one of the things they prided themselves on. Luc didn’t go anywhere with their Listerine strips and Altoids. They even went as far as having a signature scent depending on the season. With Autumn now in full swing, the woodsy-er scents were in rotation, oakmoss and flint, with a hint of…orange? It was something expensive, with a label in French that they couldn’t pronounce. They’d lifted it back in their days before the island, back when their assets weren’t quite so liquid and more nonexistent. “Anyway, thanks for the surgeon general’s warning, but chances are it’ll be my smart mouth that gets me killed, miss. Either that or I’ll get mauled by a bear.” Which was infinitely more likely. Luc probably should have left it at that, but something about the woman piqued their curiosity. Like the fact that she could summon literal fire in the palm of her hand, for one. “So, that uh – fire thing you did, that the only think you can do?”

“No, you’re fine. I was completely out of line”, Thalia assured him with only a hint of uncertainty. She meant what she said and she figured that was precisely why they ended up in this awkward series of apologies. Maybe it was on her to break this cycle that she caused with her complaining. Yet it appeared equally important to make assure him that she was not ill-mannered, or at least not as rebellious as some of the other slaves. In the end, it was him that moved the conversation along. His comment made him chuckle and appreciate him as a conversation partner. When was the last time that somebody made her laugh? “Or too busy breaking things. You’ll be busy for a long time”, she smiled. “Does that mean you are human too?”

Luc shared her chuckle when she informed him that the rowdier residents would be keeping them busy. “This place is kind of a shit-show, huh?” It was more of a question than anything. Luc was certain that what he’d seen thus far paled in comparison to some of the more “exciting” days on the island. And while he was less than eager to find out for himself, he also wasn’t keen on being blindsided. “Yeah, seems like it,” for the most part. It wasn’t exactly a lie. He did seem human, most of the time. It was probably safer for both of them if Thalia wasn’t privy to too much about the shifter. People might see them out together and assume she knows more about them than she does. Call him paranoid, but it was the right call. “Wouldn’t have offered it if I did, gorgeous.” Luc wasn’t one to do things that they didn’t want to, and really, what better use was there for his time than to try to seduce the island’s residents? If there was one, he sure as fuck couldn’t think of it. “That’s me, just your regular ol’ upstanding citizen or whatever.” For a brief moment, Luc could’ve sworn he felt worry. Not the kind he felt for himself, that sort of paranoia lived inside him all of the time. This was different, for someone other than them. Part of him wanted to tell her that he wasn’t all she thought he was cracked up to be, that even people that seemed nice could be dangerous. But just as quickly as the thought had occurred to him, he shut it down. Since when were they the kind of condescending asshole that went around telling people who they should or shouldn’t trust? Thalia was a big girl, she didn’t need him around to figure shit out for her, she could do that herself. “Luc, it’s a pleasure.” Trying to mask the sudden shift in his mood with a smile, the bear shifter grabbed his tool bag and stood up. “Well, gorgeous, the world’s yours. Sort of…. What do you want to do with your time?”