fandomtownies | Streets of Fandom, Sunday Morning-ish

Entry tags:

Streets of Fandom, Sunday Morning-ish

Ezra had shown up on Fandom shortly prior to things going to shit. Shortly after things going to shit – and ruining what had been a lovely encounter and ensuing overnight stay with a nice guy from J,GoB's in the process – Ezra had switched to fox form.

And he hadn't swiched back since.

And yes, he probably should've helped solve whatever this was. Or fought things. Or -- just about anything. But sometimes, he wasn't that person, and this just hadn't been the week for it. Not even a little bit.

And see, the sun was out. Things were probably going to turn out just fine without him. So, don't mind him. He was just a fox sniffing around town.

[ooc: *shows up late to the BDE sans Starbucks but with focus issues* Open.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

And she was just a girl, running through the town on legs that were long and strong and whole again. For once, not running in fear or desperation, but just for the joy of running. Her hair streamed out behind her, her breath puffed in the cold morning air, but the sun still shone on her and that was enough.

[Sorry not sorry, had to.]

Of course he spotted her. Keen fox senses and all, not to mention the general level of alertness he'd been keeping up since the town first changed around him.

It wasn't as bad, this time.

Or maybe he just didn't feel it. He hadn't acted human in days, and there was a kind of detachment that came with that. Not to mention how he could've been accused of excessive aloofness in his entire reaction to the events of this week.

Still, he should've scurried off instead of staying and parking his furry butt on a sidewalk to watch her.

Kathy didn't recognize the fox for who it was. Maybe it had been too long since she'd last seen this form, maybe she'd just lost those memories entirely. But it had been a very long time since she'd seen any kind of animal on the island. Most of them had ended up in someone's belly, she supposed, either the hollows' or the survivors'. Or maybe she'd just forgotten she'd seen any at all.

Or maybe, just maybe, this was another sign that the fighters had done something right?

"Hey there," she said, slowing down not to startle the fox. "Hi, little friend. Aren't you brave, to be out here all alone? Brave or brazen or both." Unlike the harsh tone she usually adopted these days, Kathy's voice was soft, crooning.

After all, animals only hurt if you hurt them first.

Hah.

The fox tilted his head in a manner that looked wry. At least if you were the type to read fox cody language, or to assign anthropomorphic meanings to animal behavior.

Digging into her pockets, Kathy found a bit of jerky she had left and held it out for the little fox to sniff. Funny, she begrudged sharing food with most other people, but an animal...That was different. Somehow. Shut up.

"You want some, little guy?" she asked, hunkering down. And, god, even that simple motion felt amazing. "It's...well, I'm not sure what it is, but it's meat. Probably best not to ask too many questions."

He didn't care about the jerky (although he probably should have – it hadn't exactly been easy to find food over the past couple of days). He sniffed her hand, instead.

She smelled wrong.

He wasn't surprised.

After years in this place, it was a wonder if anything would smell right. "Hey now," she chuckled, sounding warm. "Kathies are not for eating."

Still, she kept her hand still and steady, letting him explore her for as long as he wanted.

Ezra didn't really need much past the initial sniff. He certainly didn't need the other two to make sure she smelled weird, but he gave into the urge anyway.

But then she said that, and he made a sound that would've been a strangled kind of a laugh from a human and which was just a weird noise from a fox, and he had to back up.

He looked up at her. Just... taking a moment before he would definitely have to run away.

"Aww, come back little guy," Kathy urged. "I give good pets." Not that she really thought the promise of settings would entice a wild fox, even if it had spoke English. If it didn't want her jerky, there was probably nothing she could offer to make it stay.

But still. She wouldn't mind having a little friend. Friends were still pretty far and few in between these days.

"Won't you stay? Get a nice brush for your handsome coat?"

Kathy, you can't bribe a fox like you could Alluka.

Especially a fox who shook his head at her.

You know. Like foxes often did. Totally normal.

Anyway, he took a few more little steps back before he began to turn away. He needed to not be here. He was starting to feel things and feeling things was not good.

Okay, that was not normal fox behavior. In fact, that was downright weird fox behavior. And if there was a weird fox, then it was likely an

"...Ezra?" A scattering of memories flitted across her mind. "Ezra, is that you?"

Well, shit.

Ezra stopped, half turned away. He could still pretend that meant nothing to him, right? Right?

"Ezra," Kathy said and she sounded more confident each time she said his name. "Yes. I remember. 'A handsome dark fox in either form'. I think I called you that once."

He could keep going. Kathy pretty much expected it at that point. But she'd still know it was him.

It'd been better when she hadn't remembered.

It didn't feel good that she remembered.

After a moment of imitating the world's most realistic fox statue, he kept going.

Kathy might have been able to catch up with him. Her legs were working again and she was a lot faster than any non-supernatural fox in the wild. She couldn't remember if she and Ezra had ever raced, so she didn't know for sure how she'd stack up against a supernatural one.

But what was the point? Ezra--if this were Ezra and she wasn't just gaslighting herself over a random woodland creature--had made his feelings clear on the issue. He wanted to go and she would let him. Like she'd done for everyone else who'd wanted to leave her behind.

"Bye," she called softly after him. And jogged on.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Streets of Fandom, Sunday Morning-ish

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject