newham territory claim (25th - 27th ~and beyond~)

[ghoulaid]

As with most things involving werewolves (or just Ghoul in general), it happens fast and without much warning. Tensions between wolves and vampires have been high lately- there have been a number of small spats throughout the month, but nothing particularly noteworthy or lasting happens.

The 25th seems to be a day like any other, until night falls. It starts small, with a handful of wolves deciding to strut their way around Newham like they own the place. The pack has been feeling stable and stronger lately, and the wolves themselves are ornery. Why not take back what's theirs?

Word spreads quickly, and by the 26th, the wolves have committed to a full-blown invasion. It's when the fighting begins in earnest, and each side takes turns rapidly gaining and losing ground. The standoff continues in to the 27th, with neither group able to make their claim stick. Newham is a lawless mess, unsafe for either faction as violence continues to escalate. No one seems to find surrendering an option. There's no telling how long this will last, or how much damage Newham will suffer for it.

Comments

[ghoulaid]

All right, point in her favor. Bony elbows hurt. Catching one causes Ghoul to grunt, but he doesn't let go just yet. He won't, not until he feels like they're in the clear. "You're by yourself!" is all he says on the matter, as if that highlights everything wrong with this situation.

It sort of does. She shouldn't be here in the first place, yet here she is and with no one to even watch her back. Once he's hidden them both away some place calm and quiet, he lets Girl go and plants his hands on his hips while sternly staring her down, waiting for her to defend herself.

[thelastjoy]

She would feel a little worse about hitting him if he wasn't dragging her away from the fighting. As it is, Girl's only disappointed it doesn't make him stop. She didn't come here to be railroaded by her own kind.

"I'm not by myself! Half the pack's out here." Not that she's been speaking to most of them. She didn't want to give them the chance to do exactly what Ghoul's doing. Girl crosses her arms, glaring up at him defiantly. "I've got just as much right to be here as you!"

[ghoulaid]

"It doesn't matter if the whole fuckin' pack is out there if none of 'em are watchin' your back." If he sounds angry, it's only because he kind of is. He gets the whole independent teenager thing, really, he does, but this is a step too far over the line. He doesn't expect her to do the smart thing all the time, as long as she's safe about the decisions she does make.

There's nothing safe about this. "What are you gonna do to defend yourself? If you wanna run around out here then it ain't a matter of if, it's when. So what's gonna happen when you got somebody on your ass?"

[thelastjoy]

"I don't need 'em to watch my back if I'm here to watch their's!" The angrier he sounds, the more riled up she gets. She didn't expect anyone to be excited to see her, but she hadn't expected this level of anger either. It's knocked her off balance, made her temper flare hot and quick.

Girl wrenches a pocket knife from her jeans, waving it in Ghoul's face. "I can handle myself. How the hell do you think I activated the curse? I know what I'm doing!" Her arms cross back over her chest, closed knife hanging loosely from her fingertips. "If one of 'em comes after me, let me worry about it."

[ghoulaid]

What's the best way to resolve an issue? Put two people with hair-trigger tempers together and let them yell it out, apparently.

Instead of comforting him, Girl's pocket knife only makes it worse, and, okay, first off- "I know you didn't activate it killin' a vampire, 'cause that's not how it works!" Maybe she mercilessly chased someone down and slaughtered them to activate her curse (though he doubts it), maybe she didn't. Regardless of how it happened, vampires are a whole new ball game.

And she wants to get within stabbing range of one. Ghoul drags his hands down his face, because this is the worst idea he's probably ever heard of in his entire life and he has no idea how to properly express the levels of no involved in this. "No knives. Fucking seriously, you can't get that close to one. You'll be dead for sure."

[thelastjoy]

"No, but it ain't like it's the first time I've killed something!" The fact she hadn't meant to kill anyone, that there had been a gun and the wrong kind of luck on her side, didn't need to be said. She'd still done it once. If it came down to helping one of the pack, Girl had to believe she could fight again. If she didn't believe it, she'd lose the nerve to stay. "Vampires might be tough but hell, so are we!"

She shoves the folded knife back into her pocket, recrosses her arms then puts her hands on her hips. All short, irritated movements. He wasn't her uncle and he wasn't her Alpha. And she was too much the moody teenager to look past that lack of authority to listen to his well meant concern. It was easier to write it off as anger. "No knives? What you suggest I'm supposed to do? I'm trying to help, Ghoul. Let me!"

[ghoulaid]

Is it possible for a single person to look tired, angry, and pleading all at the same time? It is now. The odd combination probably makes him look like he's about to be sick more than anything, but what else can be expected when dealing with a snappy teen.

The trick is to, somehow, placate the both of them. Letting her participate to a degree that she doesn't feel patronized, yet keeping her out of harm's way... Keeping her close by would be the best method of making sure she stays safe, but it would also mean pulling himself out of the bloodbath.

Ugh. How is he supposed to balance this shit. "Can't you just- scout, or something?!"

[thelastjoy]

"Scout?" Girl's caught off guard, stance softening by a hair. She'd expected a demand to leave, not an attempt to give her a job. It's not the work she came her for, granted, but it's surprising enough the urge to scream at him has dimmed to a more manageable level of grumpy teenager.

She narrows her eyes at him, head tossed back as she stares him down warily. "You want me to scout them for you? And that's that? You won't make a fuss about me being here. I can stay? If you say yes, you can't go get pissed and take it back."

It's a contrast to her earlier stance that Ghoul didn't have the right to give or take permission for her being here. She's watching him dubiously, expecting a trick. Experience said adults didn't just give in after yelling at her.

[ghoulaid]

It's the best he could come up with in a pinch, and it's still not perfect. Now that he's had time to think about it a little further, he doesn't want to say yes- the word gets stuck in his throat, and his jaw clenches.

But surely it's better than running her out of the area, because she's right. He's not her alpha. She'd have no issues in disobeying a direct order from him. She could double back and throw herself in to the fight as soon as she pleased. He'd be sick to death if she ended up doing exactly that and getting hurt.

The only safe-ish choice is to let her stay, with boundaries. "Yes, okay, you can stay for a while- but-" And that is a very forceful but. "You gotta get up high. Just not too high. Don't even step foot on a roof, 'cause they travel those sometimes. Stay hidden in fire escapes and shit. And use your phone to text, not talk. They'll hear you easier than you think." Is he done? No, he's not done. "No hero shit, either. Even if somebody's about to be ambushed, or you watch one of us get downed. If you're gonna be a scout then your job is to report what you see, not get yourself sussed out. And if I tell you to group up, you don't argue. You get down to me like somebody lit a fire under your ass."

Are all these rules really worth it?

[thelastjoy]

"A while?" Girl starts, argument starting in her voice. She was still getting pushed off into the corner. Given the safe job, treated like the load. She hates feeling perpetually like the child, like everyone had to take care of her. She wanted to prove she was mature enough to be useful.

Which arguing wouldn't do. She swallows the whine rising up in her throat, letting out a nasally breath. She's sure her face shows how ridiculous she thinks he's being, flared nostrils and lips pursed, but Girl tries to reign in how much shows in her voice. Girl rubs her face, sighs and then nods.

"And if I say yes, you'll let me get back to it?" If she sounds like she's just trying to move along the lecture, then that's because she kind of is. "Get up high, stay quiet. I got it! Really. I'll do it, okay? But we're wastin' time just standin' here havin' a fit about it."

[ghoulaid]

"A while," he repeats, in a tone of voice that leaves no room for argument. Having her out here in the first place makes him nervous, but if she does well then they could be on to something. A good pair of eyes in the sky can mean the difference between winning and losing a fight- if she takes to it, he'll have a hell of a time trying to block her from the field in the future.

They've officially made a deal, so with a frown and a grumpy jerk of his head that wordlessly orders her to follow, he turns and heads back towards an area that's had a decent amount of activity lately. "You're gonna tell me if you need anything, right?" What a mom.

[thelastjoy]

She takes a deep breath, holding it for a few moments until she feels less like saying something bratty to him. "Fine," she said, tone clipped. Being babied was the last thing Girl wanted from today but she didn't want to keep pressing and get kicked out. And, if Girl were being honest with herself, scouting was a better use of her time than running around looking for trouble. Not that she'd admit that's what she'd planned to do.

She follows after him a few paces behind, trying not to stomp and look too much like she was about to throw a fit. She frowns when he keeps pestering. The last guy who tried to be her dad hadn't even worried so much. Maybe that's what people were like when they didn't grow up with a pack. They just worried about everything. "I'm gonna be fine," Girl says. "I mean, yeah. Sure I will. But I won't need anything."

[ghoulaid]

"Okay." Yeah, just wait until she gets thirsty or needs to pee or something. She'll be sorry then.

Ghoul figures she'll have to learn for herself, so he doesn't say otherwise. Plus, she's got a point- she may be fine after all. They'll both just have to wait and see. Once Ghoul's sorted out a location, he waves her over. He'll linger long enough to give her a boost up towards the fire escape he's deemed acceptable, and maybe for a bit longer too until she gets settled in.

But from there, he'll make good on his word and leave her alone to do her job.

Mostly.

There may be a few check-up text messages separate from the pack's group message that he pings her in to, but he can get away with it because he is the responsible adult here.