a boy is a gun

Cain sat up, looking down at Serkan from where he was, "Yeah I'm biased. Need some help? Bet I could use some kind of magic. Trip up another lycan or some shit. You know that would be fun." He gave a half smile, though he knew Serkan wouldn't want to win by cheating. He'd want to win by beating and pissing on everyone else. Cain was happy to see that. He turned towards Serkan a bit more, "You're insufferable. You damn near won? That's still losing. It doesn't make it sound any better. And you got your fucking ass kicked by a volatile. Which is illegal now, isn't it?"

"Wow, look how generous you are. You feeling okay?" A hand dropped to the other's forehead to check. Serkan never actually ever expected Cain to be nice to him in any capacity and that certainly included helping him cheat to win. It was actually pretty funny to think about how easy it would be if he were to just say yes to the proposition. Trip up some lycan or tie them up and he would be winning easily. Of course that was just not the kind of person he was. When it came to fights at least. He wanted that shit fair and square. "I'll win if I win. I'll fight like I normally fight. You shouldn't even be worrying about this. You'll get old before your time is up. You've still got what...a little less than five hundred years left to go, don't you? Worry about that."

It was quite the disappointment last spring that the seeds Zahrya planted among the lycan population didn't bear fruit, but he had been a mere eladrin then inexperienced in the ways of childrearing. Zahrya was a fully realized elve, and the most fertile in all of Audulë. It was his most fervent desire to spread the gift of nature with all, especially the lycans he still possessed a pet-like affection for. Of course, Adamo was the first he wished to check upon, but he was unable to locate the lycan as he skipped atop the snowy rooftops of the buildings. It did not matter, because from his perch Zahrya spotted a lycan whose look was perfect. Wide-set birthing hips and plenty of plump parts to nurture a litter, he figured he could plant a seed in that one and guide it to flourishing just in time for the upcoming lycan pilgrimage. "Wow, what an incredible specimen you are!" Zahrya exclaims as he leaps down, a floral wind carrying him to the ground gently. Morning light streams through the snow clouds to warm the area. Nature's cycle speeds up wherever the golden light touches, melting snow and growing early spring flowers almost instantaneously. "You appear to have incredible fitness. How sturdy are you? And are you in love with anyone yet?"

Preparation for Lupercalia had been all that was on Serkan's mind for quite some time now. It had been months since that whole debacle with dying and all that and he was ready to move past it as soon as possible by becoming Alpha again. Maybe, at least. There was no real guarantee that he would win. However, he was still making sure to scope out his competition and make sure that he was prepared for anything that could be thrown his way. Nevertheless, he was still training on his own. He'd been to Dante's a few times to fight, but other than that, he'd been using a punching bag as his form of training. It was what he was doing at this very moment when that damn chancellor decided to show up. He'd only heard of Zahrya in passing, but he'd been lucky enough not to have run into the elf until now. Maybe he should've been more elusive. "Get to your point," was all he said as he punched the bag again and again.

Felix, I’m a pariah. I can’t go back there alone. I need you to be my wingman.

"Are you planning on going out and seeing the booths?" The bar is emptier than usual, most of their costumers drawn by the Saturnalia market crowds. It's pleasant, the low murmur of people talking but the lack of their usual brawls. Tomorrow they will be back again, but for now? For now is quiet and she doesn't have to focus on not breaking her glass and growling at a random delta.

Hands within his pockets, his shoulders lifted in a shrug. "Maybe. We'll see. Why? You want to take a perusal at all of said booths with your pal Serkan now?" They didn't hang out outside of All Fours and he wasn't going to start pretending that they did now. Perhaps they would become actual friends rather than just boss and employee or pack members at some point, but that hadn't happened yet. It was mostly his fault though. Serkan couldn't really say he was all that pleasing to be around.

"Of course you should." Cain tilted his head now, grateful the conversation went that easy. He supposed it was to be expected, Serkan didn't have much to say about it all anyway. The former Alpha had a claim; he'd beaten everyone else down before. Alek had been a volatile, an unfair advantage no one had called him out on. They'd all tucked their tails in and followed the psycho. To each their own, psychos were always the easiest to follow. "I guess you could say that. He gave me a chance. Anyway, you worried about it? Or do you think you have a chance?"

"I don't know why I asked. Of course you'd think I should. You're fucking biased." Which was no problem for Serkan. If Cain wanted to gas him up sometimes, then he would absolutely take what he could get. It was a rare occasion when the druid did so he was always thrown for a loop. That was besides the point now though. Lupercalia was fast approaching and he had to prepare himself yet again. Maybe he'd lose, maybe he'd win. All he knew for sure was that he was going to fight until he couldn't anymore or someone else put him down. He wasn't going to make it easy though, that was for sure. "Everyone gives you a chance. I don't know why. You're fucking insufferable." And here he was suffering Cain anyway. "I'm not worried at all. I damn near won last time. I can do it again if I wanted to. Maybe I should lose though. I'll get some fucking niceties out of you just like last time."

Don't say anything about slick, that's all that Kayce needed to remind himself as he sat at the bar. Alek talked about it enough that it seemed to slip into his thoughts whenever he wound up in the same room as Serkan. Damn Alek. "So you were the alpha before Alek," it wasn't so much a question, given that Kayce had been there when the dynamic had shifted. You know, after he'd seen Alek rip the heart out of some poor bloke. "You thinking of getting the title back?"

Why did it always feel like Kayce didn't have much going on up in the attic? Not that Serkan was really surprised. The new lycan was dating Alek and that was enough of a reason for him to think that the other definitely had a few screws loose. But the guy was nice enough so he'd accept that because he certainly wasn't getting niceties from the former alpha. Not that he ever expected it, but still. "You would be correct. There was someone else, too, but..." He ran a thumb across his neck. She wouldn't be missed, but he'd never say as such to Damian's face. "Maybe I am. Why? Would you follow me?"

Their home was as safe as it could be, perhaps, and while Cain had always been a compulsive liar, there were many things that he didn’t keep from Serkan. Perhaps now, that rang true, as they sat on the bed. The former demon had never been much of a cuddler, the idea of being that close to a heater like Serkan something he never even gave a thought to. For now, though, his fingers ran through Serkan’s hair, their post-coital bliss something that would be interrupted by the Druid’s train of thought. “If Octavian came back, I would still follow him,” he said finally, knowing that question had been resounding between the species for a while. His fingers tightened in Serkan’s hair after a moment, “Lupercalia - are you going to get back your title?”

Cuddling was not even remotely something they did often, but he guessed he was getting used to it now. Really, the only reason it didn't happen was because Serkan was sure that one of them would say something to annoy the other and then they would just be out of bed. For now, well, they'd just fucked so what did they need to argue about? His eyes were closed as Cain's fingers ran through his hair. He only nodded his head as the druid spoke. That was all Cain really ever did. Just talking and talking nonstop with some gaslighting thrown in there sometimes. Again, Serkan had gotten used to it by now. "Well, why wouldn't you? He's like your Alpha." That was really the only way he could relate to the feeling. As the other's hands tightened in his hair, he opened his eyes to look at Cain. "Do you think I should? I'm thinking I should."

For centuries, tension between the lycans and the senate of Rome mounted until eventually the Tiber and the Arno defected entirely, consolidating under one, renamed pack: The Lupo.