westfallcorndog | Worgen Hard or Hardly Worgen?

It had been a few minutes since Harrow saw his body, occupied by Viatorus, wandering around. Lucky for him it's a very tall body, and it's a hard one to lose. But now as he scans the crowd he doesn't see pale blue skin or blonde hair or glowing eyes. Where could V have gone off to? Could something be wrong?

And then he sees them. The ears! He knows those ears! Viatorus is in his worgen form. Something must have gone terribly wrong, and before he remembers the anti-violence field his mind fills his thoughts with worries of blood and pain. Could V have mauled someone? Could someone have hurt him out of fear or loathing or any number of things? He's got to find out, more for V's benefit than his body's. He knows which one is the sturdier of the two.

"Viatorus!" he shouts as he bobs through the crowd. He nearly goes too fast and feels his lungs start to flutter. He can't run. He can barely powerwalk. Either way, he can't stop moving. He heads for the massive wolf-creature as quickly as the crowd and his body will allow.

((A continuation of plots from the Walk a Mile event, posted here to the journal to save our inboxes from certain Hell. Tagging heirtothearcane!))

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Viatorus isn't sure he understands this. There have been a lot of confusing things that have happened in the past twenty-four hours, but this notion is definitely one of the most baffling. He's never heard of people just being sad before.

"But... that doesn't make sense. Happiness is a person's natural state. People are always sad for a reason. I just... don't want to be the reason. I want to make her happy, but... I never do."

Harrow glances left, then right. Happiness is a person's natural state... Did he hear that right? Is Viatorus a character out of a children's story?

"I ain't tryna shit on your parade, man, but... You... Actually, honestly believe that most folks are happy by default?"

His voice quiets then and a deep frown overtakes his features. "Is that true for you and your life?"

Viatorus looks around before meeting Harrowheart's gaze. "You don't meditate, do you?"

He sits up and gestures as he speaks. "When you clear your head. When you stop thinking about everything and worrying... Even when you're supposed to be nothing but empty, or peaceful... You're happy. It just... gets buried."

Harrow grunts. He crosses his arms over his chest, leans back in the bench, and slides down until he's sitting as much on his back as on his rump.

"You're not the first person who's said that," he says as gruffly as Steve's throat allows. "But the first person who told me was bein' a sarcastic dick about it."

He's positive Viatorus isn't capable of sarcasm or dickery, though. And though he doesn't show it in any way other than roaming eyes, he's thinking it over.

Suddenly he grunts again. "Maybe you can... show me or somethin' sometime, Idunno..."

Harrowheart just keeps on surprising him. His eyes widen a little. "Show you?" He blinks a little and realises that he might be coming across as rude. "O-Of course. Yes. I... I've never taught someone how to meditate before..."

A small, uncertain smile pulls at his mouth. "It... It might be nice."

An idea strikes Harrow then and as it forms his eyebrows rise.

"Why don't you try it now? Can you do it here? Like this? Maybe you'll find your center and turn back into a man?..."

He sits up and watches closely. He'd like to see V try, at the very least.

It's... not a bad idea, but Viatorus frowns, concern creeping up on his again. "I... I don't know... It would feel strange. Doing that in someone else's body. Focusing on being in another form... What do I have to do to turn back?"

"That's like askin' me how to move my arms. How do you explain somethin' that's part of your body like that?"

Harrow closes his eyes and thinks. In a few deep breaths he feels close enough to the answer to at least attempt it.

"Think about my human form, if you can remember what that looks like. If not, think about bein' human in general. Imagine your claws retractin' into normal hands, your legs makin' the right angles, your shoulders gettin' square again. Think about all the parts of you that you can move and try to move 'em so that you feel like you look human. Your body might get the hint, and once the transformation starts it'll finish itself before you gotta worry any more. It's all one big flowin' motion."

He has no idea. He has no idea at all and, truth be told, he was hoping Viatorus would magically transform back into a real boy without meaning to and save them all the trouble. He sits tensely on the bench, fingers gripping the seat, and he waits. Hopefully his advice will work.

If that's the closest thing to an answer he's going to get, then he has to take it and work with it. He tries not to look as uncertain as he feels as he gets into a more comfortable sitting position. It's not perfect, but it's close to what he's used to. Folding his hands, he closes his eyes and starts to regulate his breathing.

It's unnerving, doing this in worgen form. The more he concentrates, the more aware he is of the body he's in. Slowly paying attention to each inch of muscle, and the weight of the fur. The strangeness of it makes him open his eyes and flex his hands, clenching and relaxing them. "Sorry. It's... It's harder to do like this. Let me try again."

Harrowheart will have to deal with silence for a while as Viatorus tries again. Without warning, the wolf-man begins to change back into a corpse, startling Viatorus even though that's what he was aiming for. He reaches out for the bench and scrambles a little in alarm at the odd feeling, but it's soon over.

"Oh that felt terribly strange..."

Harrow is just as surprised by the transformation as Viatorus! Perhaps more. He's never been able to watch his body change like that, and it stuns him to finally see it. Quick as it is, he did catch some of the details. And when his human body emerges from where a worgen's had been? Bizarre. Words are beyond him for a moment or two as he stares in thought.

But V is startled, and he needs someone to assure him that everything is right. And he has done a very good job at changing back! It's natural to smile for his achievement.

"You did it! Light, Viatorus, you're real brave to go through all'a that you know? I remember the first time I ever changed into a worgen and how terrifyin' it was to turn back. But you're a man again! Even if you are a man with ripped-up clothes."

He laughs as he plucks at some of the loose shreds of cloth that once made up the shoulders and chest of a tight shirt. "You're gonna have to dress my body up so you don't look like roadkill. I think I got my overshirt in my – your? – bag, if you don't mind wearin' plaid."

Right now, curling up with a big glass of wine and watching old movies would be really nice, but... Then he's getting reminded about the fate of the shirt he'd been wearing. He lifts a hand to his face and touches the tatters still clinging to him. "I'm so sorry... I... I should buy you some new clothes, at least a new t-shirt, but... maybe I'll wear the overshirt until then."

Harrow's first instinct is to tell Viatorus that no, he doesn't have to buy anything. He'll earn it on his own and, really, it's fine! But something brings him back to earlier in the conversation. Viatorus had said he was sorry. Harrow told him not to say that. The intention was to make him feel better, but it only made him more worried. Without realizing it he nods his head as he comes to a realization. Viatorus is a person who wants to be able to apologize to be sure everything is good.

"You can buy me a new shirt, if it'd make you feel good?" With a goodnatured laugh he quickly adds, "I ain't gonna hold you at gunpoint for it or nothin', but if you want to? I could always use a shirt or two."

He opens up the satchel swung around V's shoulders, mindful not to get too close to his runeblades as he does. Out comes the shirt, and he's even willing to help V put it on. The perfect butler. When it's through he waves in the vague direction of the commercial district.

"We can have a good afternoon shoppin'. Maybe even get a gift for Steve."

Being properly clothed again is much better. He smiles gratefully at Harrowheart. It's not exactly easy helping him out with the height difference between the two of them at the moment.

"I'd like that. I'd... I'd like to get you some trousers too. Maybe a suit. I think you'd look nice in a suit." And it would be clothing he's actually comfortable in.

Worgen Hard or Hardly Worgen?

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A big glass of wine and an old movie. Omg V is a 40-year-old woman.

His secret is out!