don't call me "pup"

It was easily the tea that sold him. Coffee was very much an American atrocity that Remington West couldn’t bring himself to care for. It wasn’t as if his upbringing courtesy of the streets and alleyways of Europe had coaxed him into having some sort of refined manner, but at least they didn’t try to force the hot bean water on him. It seemed, even the street rats had standards. The thought was enough to bring a trademarked grin to features, inviting and enticing all in a single go.

Instead of actually paying for his own tea, he seemed to be more encouraged to make himself welcomed at her table. This, was of course not the way he intended to approach the subject, though. Instead, he turned, pulling out the chair opposite of her for a moment as if he were asking permission, before actually doing so. She was greeted with the corners of that grin first though, to sweeten the deal.

“Mind if I join you? If one of them spills that hot brown sugar water on me while I’m trying to explain how to make a proper cup, it’s quite possible I’d lose my bloody mind.”

Sarah might have said something to the man if she wasn’t so interested in seeing what his next move was. As he sat down across from her she made the astute observation that he didn’t even have his own drink. His grin was met with an apathetic line of lips. Sarah set her cup down, crossing her arms across her chest and leaning back in her chair.

She raised a brow at his question. “Seems you’ve already placed yourself at my table...” Her eyes were steady on him like a hunting dog spotting a rabbit in the woods. But she just took a sip of tea, her gaze softening. “Now is the part where you introduce yourself? Ask me what my favorite drink on the menu is or something like that.”

It should have been comforting to know another of her kind. To feel the familiarity of the wolf within another, even a stranger, but Naomi felt a touch of sorrow at the notion. The sadness that came with knowing the darker possibilities that came with what they were. It wasn’t anything she expected people to understand, to it remained something she kept hidden. Save for the flash of softness that came every now and again. 

The grip caught her by surprise, and for a heartbeat, she tensed. But there was nothing malicious about this one. Odd, perhaps, but not harmful. “Smoke,” she repeated as attention dropped to the box she pulled and, curious, as she was, she took it. Fingers fumbling just slightly as she pulled one of them out, haphazardly handing it back to her. 

She rolled the cigarette in her fingers again, finding far more enjoyment of the feel the second time around. Bringing it up, she ran it under her nose, taking a breath. “I don’t smoke.”

Sarah didn’t wait for the younger woman. As soon as Naomi took her own cigarette Sarah grabbed the one left behind her ear. With a quick flick of her lighter, the end of her cigarette glowed. The air grew thick with the sticky sweet smell of tobacco. “You sure?” She asked raising her brows, cigarette hanging out the corner of her mouth. She took a quick draw before taking the cigarette out of her mouth. “I don’t think their as harmful to us as they are humans. At least, that’s what me and my pack thought. Advance healing and all that.”

Even if the cigarettes were just sticks of death Sarah wasn’t sure that would get her to quit. Besides their practical side effects-- she just really liked smoking, the act of standing outside rain or shine, bitching about life with other nicotine-addicted people. 

Still, Sarah held out the open cigarette box, ready to take Naomi’s smoke. “Are you new around here or are you always this quiet?” 

“What an interesting philosophy to have. I don’t think many would agree with you.” She had a rather hard time doing so as well. Lost fights often meant dead, and that she just couldn’t see as worth it in any regard. “Maybe don’t try and take off a limb or anything of that nature? I would like to be able to walk out of here on my own after the fight’s over and as much as some of the dirtier moves can be fun, I don’t have any sort of accelerated healing. What I get it what I deal with.”

She lifted an eyebrow at the admission of her species. If it had been her, she’d have kept it to herself to use for an advantage. “I haven’t fought too many of you, but I’m certainly familiar. No magic trick or anything particularly exciting. For all intents and purposes, I’m mostly regular, aside from living past my natural expiration date and having years of practice.”

“No claws. No teeth. Got it.” Sarah sized up her opponent, looking her up and down. “You look pretty good for an old woman,” her voice was dry. Sarah took a defensive stance, ready to dodge if needed. A smirk pulled at her lips. 

She was used to hitting first-- getting the jump on her enemy that always underestimated her because of her size. But this time Sarah held back, curious as to what sort of moves this woman had. That, and what exactly she was. The age thing made Sarah immediately think vampire but nothing else about her struck Sarah as Vampiric. “What’s your name, by the way?”

“What a question. Makes it sound like love is a unicorn or something. But no. I don’t believe in love, just like I don’t believe in unicorns.” 

Three wishes they have.

“I wish someone would screw me right. Seriously– I hate to admit it, but it’s been ages since I’ve gotten a good fuck. More long-term wishes… I’d love to get a dog and I guess that dog is going to need a friend, so two dogs.”

Three things they wouldn’t want their parents to know.

“That list is way longer than three. But to start, I wouldn’t want dear old dad to know about my sex toy collection– not that I’m sure he knows what a sex toy is. I wouldn’t want him to know about how I made my money the last six years. And– oh yeah, he can’t know about me being a werewolf either.”

       “Who says I don’t? I just don’t necessarily like having them out for display all the time. Sometimes people want to touch or ask me to fly. It’s a pain in the ass usually.” The tone is off putting, but it’s not Jinx’s problem. If it took this woman longer to warm up, that was her business. “Oh! New in town. How are you finding out little slice of life.” She sips at her coffee and idly plays with a sketch. “I’m fairly sure we have quite a few of your species here. Maybe help make it a little less lonely. I can’t remember the last time I ran into a fae.”

       She smiles as she looks down at the sketches of Margeaux. Her finger traces the lines of her face missing her even though it hasn’t been so long since she saw her last. “She is very badass. A Valkyrie. She wears it well.” She clears her throat as she shuffles all her sketches back into an orderly state. “Exciting? We’re all normal people. But I guess the tea shop isn’t exactly where you go to see everyone acting a fool. It’s pretty quiet here.” 

“Hm,” Sarah hums, nodding. “I could see how that would be obnoxious.” She sips at her tea, wondering if she would have had some absurd request for the fae had they met under different circumstances. “It’s hot. Not sure how I’m going to adjust to endless summer.” Her eyes flickered over to her leather jacket, discarded beside her on the couch. “Are fae not common? Sorry. I’m new to...” her voice trailed. “I’ve really only spent time with other wolves. My pack was pretty reclusive.”

Sarah drank her tea to hide her smirk. It was pretty funny to think of Jinx, an almost literal pixie, with a powerhouse Valkyrie. Even funnier when looking at that blush across her apple-like cheeks. “You say normal, but flying-- for most, isn’t normal. Not to mention the whole sponsor thing. Not that I’m knocking the system. Seems to do wonders for a lot of people,” her smirk was now in full view, giving Jinx a knowing look. 

The question seemed to catch her off guard, just slightly. Blinking, Naomi glanced around them, trying to remember why she had come up this way in the first place, before she got distracted with the light. Between her brain and her tongue, she couldn’t quite manage to find the words, so she pulled what she could from the other’s, offering a small shrug. “Bored,” she repeated. 

Again, the wolf blinked, her head cocking as she looked to the girl’s hand. Taking it, Naomi’s grip was light. Careful. “Naomi.”

The hair on the back of Sarah’s neck tingled. The longer she watched the girl move about like a spooked pup the more she was sure the girl was another wolf. Sarah suddenly felt at ease. Her pack back home might have been turbulent and toxic-- but they understood. This girl was a stranger, but Sarah knew she could start bitching about the cycles of the moon and this girl would just get it.  

She took Naomi’s hand with a firm grip. “Naomi,” she muttered the girl’s name to herself. “You smoke, Naomi?” She pulled a box of cigarettes from her back pocket, offering it to Naomi. “If you don’t, now isn’t a bad time to start.”

“You might regret that after you hit the floor,” she said, slipping into the banter easily. At least, she considered it banter, maybe the other didn’t. Still, the grin that stretched her lips was unmistakable. “Come on up here then, I won’t go easy on you in the slightest. I should warm you though, fighting is kind of my life,” she said, standing back so that she could come and join her in the ring. This would certainly be interesting.

“Is this where you tell me you’re some sort of gifted human who can see the future and so you know that somehow I’m going to lose this fight without it even starting?”

“I would never,” she rebutted. “Regret the fight I mean. I’m not a spoilsport. Even a lost fight is a fight worth having.” There was an easygoing grin on her face as she slowly circled around the fighting area. Sarah stretched her shoulder as Coralie spoke then rolled her head back and around. Sarah squared-up her eyes dead set on Coralie. “Any rules we should establish?” Sarah was used to no rules, all survival. Whether they were dealing with humans or the supernatural, the wolf pack showed little mercy-- or that’s how they’d like to think of it. Sarah recognized their actions for what they were-- feral and stupid. Still, Sarah had picked up a couple useful tricks.

“That would be a good trick but no. I’m a werewolf-- if that changes your mind about fighting.” She pursed her lips. “Do I get to know your magic trick as well?”

Hal listened to the younger wolf’s words, plucking leaves from the stems of flowers to prep them for an arrangement, an eyebrow staying raised as she spoke. Someone had told her quite a bit about him, clearly- though, he wasn’t exactly hiding any of the information she gave. 

He smirked in return, looking up at her from over his glasses, “Uh, yeah, I might have some information on him.” He said with a small chuckle, moving to cut the stems off of a few roses so they’d be the right height for the vase he’d chosen. “He prefers Hal, he turned fifty-three in March, he has a twin brother, and he took over the business here when his ma passed.” He shifted, pushing up his right sleeve to show off a tattoo of a bisected daisy, offering her a smile, “He loves flowers. What can he do for you, pup?”

Sarah couldn’t help but glance over to watch him work. Nor could she help but meet his eyes when looked straight at her. The game was fun but she really did need his help. God, there had to be a way to say that without sounding so fucking desperate. 

She was just about to say he looked good for an old man when he said the word-- that pet name that wouldn’t go away. She rolled her eyes and clenched her jaw, trying to pretend like it didn’t bother her so much. “I guess the puppy smell doesn’t go away.” She glanced back at the flower-filled fridge. “You seriously don’t keep beer in these things? Vodka? Seems like a waste.” Focus Sarah.

With a heavy huff, her shoulders rising with her breath, she turned to Hal. There was a steeliness in her eyes. “I’m new to town. And obviously new to... the stuff that goes on here.”

Hal, Naomi, Marcas. Maybe even more than a kiss.