But did you die?

Kyung won: idk im inside i’m hiding behind a smashed table

Kyung won: i’m so scared

Kyung won: we cant get out

Kyung won: orion was fighting but idk where he is

Kyung won: i love you rudi whatever happens

Rudi: its going to be alright, everything will be okay

Rudi: just wait for me, im looking for you. imma find you, i promise

Kyung won: can't answer

Kyung won: hiding

Kyung won: vampires attacked we're locked in i can't get out

Kyung won: idk what to do

Rudi: stay hidden stay quiet, youre doing the right thing.

[2 missed calls from Rudi Khatri]

Rudi: where are you???

Rudi: where the fuck are you?!?

After everything that had happened with Jameson, Eli offered up his home to the two werewolves, which James greatly appreciated.  He didn’t have the energy to do much, so at least his partner could keep an eye on Phobe and make her meals.  The older werewolf spent most of his time laying in the guest bedroom or laying on the couch.  He was on paid leave while the department, pack, and founders figured everything out.  So it wasn’t like he had somewhere to be.

The two wolves laid on the couch, James sulking and Phobe playing with her phone.  Until she poked him in the side.  He groaned but refused to move, his back towards the door.  “Someone’s here,” she pointed out, before going back to her phone.  Still not bothering to move, he gave a low growl.  “What?”

“Does Eli usually just keep his door open like this? Any old anyone can walk in.” Rudi stood in the doorway with his hands in his pockets. His eyes flicked to Phobe and then back to James. “Who are you?” he asked cooly.

    madison rolls her eyes,  cracking a smile as she murmurs her order to the bartender.    why not,  right?    not that it’ll actually make a dent in her sobriety but she could at least participate in the ritualistic social norm of a post-work rum and coke.    and so she does,  bringing the straw to her mouth as she spins the stool to face him.    “  truth or dare,  huh?  ”

“  i’ll bite,  ”    she starts,  taking the straw between her teeth and very deliberately suspending a moment of silence.    feigning deep thought as one leg crosses over the other.    “  but do you really want to waste your first truth on my name?  ”

Rudi raised his eyebrows, pleased that she was playing along. She was sexy and sharp and had a nonchalance about her that he could appreciate. He could totally kill an evening with her playing this dumb bar game until one of them was too drunk to continue. 

their eyes lit up at the mention of steven universe. sometimes they wondered if rudi intentionally only brought things up they liked or if they were really that compatible. it seemed too good to be true, but they’d been friends long enough to know that, whatever his real interests, rudi’s friendship was as real as any friendship they’d ever experience. maybe even more. “wait! wait, i want to be in steven universe’s, uh, universe! i change my answer.” they rested their chin in their hand, still beaming at him. “if you think about it, we both want the same thing. social harmony where everyone is equal and we al support one another. incidentally, we both apparently prefer sci-fi leaning universes,” kyung won added, matter-of-factly.

Rudi was definitely a social chameleon, but he liked the persona he was allowed to don when he was hanging out with Kyung won. Every invented version of himself had a sliver or more of the original. It wasn’t even a spy thing, it was his love of being liked. In Kw’s case he tried harder to impress them, even though he knew he didn’t need to. They're worth the effort! “Your choice was so clever and philosophical, I just want to hang out with some enby ladies and get fries. ‘Scuse me, fry bits,” he corrected. He leaned on the counter and rested his chin on his hands too, mirroring their body language. “By golly, you’re right. If you ever travel to a dimension like that, don’t you forget about me, okay?”

tae was only distantly aware of where those movies were filmed. he loved a good fantasy epic as much as the next guy, but he liked action-comedies or horror films more. he snorted. “they’re the taste you outgrow, right? like when you’re a kid and your parents still, like, tell you who to like in movies, you like them. dicaprio was so memeable. now you’re like “eh,” he gave an exaggerated shrug. “nah, i haven’t. historical stuff isn’t really my thing unless it’s, like, a musician biopic, or, like, peaky blinders where it still feels badass and modern.” the guy didn’t seem to know who he was, which was always a bummer for tae. he wasn’t exactly their target demo, apparently, but he still dreamed of getting recognized wherever he went.

“Yea, and what happened to Matt Damon? A mood for all the Gen X favorites.” Rudi shook his head. The barista called Rudi’s name and coffee on the bar across the cafe, but Rudi didn’t stand-- he hadn’t heard her. At the mention of music, a rusty gear in the back of his head tried to start turning. “You’re just the whole package, aren’t you. Showy vocabulary, refined taste in non-fiction, great hair,” Ru said, smirking. 

orion gave his a tight lipped smile, trying not to let his frustration break his oh-so-charming composure. “smart man,” he said, raising a hand to signal the bartender. “whiskey- single malt, and whatever this guy wants,” orion ordered, before flashing a smile and adding, “on the house.” from the glazed over look in the bartender’s eyes, orion would drink himself stupid tonight- all for free. “orion,” he responded, eyes narrowing on the knife before shaking rudi’s hand. “you new in town?”

“holy shit, that’s cool. in new zealand? damn.” tae always thought himself well traveled, so whenever he met someone who’d gone further than he had reminded him how much of the world he had left to see. “seee, i could definitely see any of those dudes doing it, but i really don’t want clooney or dicaprio, so i guess? emile hirsch? he at least kinda looks like chris christopherson.” tae grinned, reaching out to give rudi’s hand a solid shake. “i’m tae. good to meet you.”

“Yea,” Rudi said, “they shot The Lord Of the Rings there, but, like, who doesn’t know that in this day and age.” He waved his hand dismissively and went on, “Yea, they’re such an.....not acquired taste, I’m just. Bitter about how much praise Gravity and The Revenant got because lowkey I didn’t get those either. Hirsch was good in that Bonnie and Clyde remake, have you seen it?” Rudy scratched his head as he shook Tae’s hand, trying to figure out where the hell he knew him from.

           of course she looks a whole league better when she wasn’t in uniform,    but she can totally appreciate the fact that he thinks she looks at least a little hot in uniform.    “  i would say that i tried my best,  but that’s not the truth.    however  —  if you think i look great after ten minutes of prep,  you should see what i can do in thirty.  ”    one faux curtsy later,  and she’s on the stool,  leaning her chin into the palm of her hand and flashing her best smile.    the kind she reserves for cute boys,  pretty girls,  and speeding tickets.    “ so,  give me the rundown,  handsome.   what’s on tonight’s agenda?  ”

Rudi fanned himself and exhaled through his mouth, like the thought alone was enough to turn him into a blushing Southern Belle. “Well, me-oh-my.” He resumed his seat and hailed the bartender over who topped off his Manhattan and asked Madison if she wanted to order anything. 

“i don’t know,” they answered, a quick answer for a quick question. they could’ve gone on about how they never thought they’d see magic, yet here they were, half-magic with pointed ears to boot. “i think i would pick something like… well, some place with lots of magic, i think? or maybe the world of star trek, where capitalism and inequality are a thing of the past, where science, reason, and empathy prevail. i know it isn’t a very exciting answer, but these days it’s all i want.” they smiled, wryly. “we’d all have to give up pockets, but i think social harmony is worth the sacrifice.” if there was anyone who got their humor, it was rudi. 

The thought of other worlds unnerved him, but he already had s much to worry about that he could afford to ignore that. Like his fear of space or the depths of the ocean, his fear of greater magic was irrelevant to his daily life. “I think so, too,” he admitted, laughing. Rudy thought Kyung won was hilarious. Their humor was clever and good-natured; they went through their whole life like that. It was admirable, and it made Kyung won even more of a delight to be around. “That’s a really good one, now I feel silly,” he shrugged, still laughing, “I want to live in Beach City. You know, Steven Universe’s universe? Powerful space ladies and everyone in town is shockingly progressive, supportive, and loving? The dream.”

The ghost rocked on his heels. It was great to be awake again, really. So many fresh faces to bother. “Oh I’m just the worst,” Charlie agreed, an entertained smile that only seemed to widen as the man actually did it. Giving him a respectful clap, the ghost placed both hands on the counter, lifting his body up to sit on the bar, ignoring the bartenders protests. “Too easy? Fine, what is your idea of a dare?”

Rudi held his hand up, then hesitated. “Can you give me a high five?” he asked genuinely curious, but he was still laughing. “Wearing your underwear over your clothes for the rest of the night? Eating a plate of nachos without using your hands? Text your mom something really ominous then turn your phone off? Come on, you gotta access that juvenile teenager in you.” Rudi shook his head, “I guess if you can’t eat and don’t have a phone, I dare you to do the underwear thing. I’m Rudi by the way.”