I'm fairly local; I've been around (OPEN)

[viduation]

A. DAY:

[ creature of the night he may be, Derek's life is far from nocturnal. admittedly, this is partially because he sleeps less than he probably ought to, especially these days. however, it's also because even in London, there are places that aren't 24/7. yet. a bank. a decent mechanic. somewhere that sells smores flavoured pop tarts. combined with his own restlessness, and a sense that he still doesn't quite belong, Derek is unable to hang around at the den all day.

when he's out, he's watchful. even on the streets of the city centre, Derek has come to learn that he can't afford to overlook anything. perhaps it's an inhuman kind of scent that has his gaze catching, lingering, or perhaps a face he recognizes from the Redbright ball has him staring in heavy, curious scrutiny. maybe he simply has to squeeze past the same PETA collector on the street, muttering something about no goddamn escape. ]

B. NIGHT:

[ after the sun sets, Derek retreats to his own territory. generally speaking, he's not looking for a fight, and lurking around other areas of London at night is sometimes as much a provocation as is necessary. he keeps to the east end, hemming along every county line like a sentry, watching - waiting, maybe - for any suggestion that things are not as they should be on his turf. his. he'd never considered it in those terms when he'd been following Laura's lead, when there had been another alpha running things. aside from an inherent wolfish sense of territory, he'd felt little investment. now, his position has changed, but the disconnect here lingers. in the wake of his own hasty decision making, he still feels like he's standing in. that only makes him all the more tense.

and all the more eager to work. he covers a surprising amount of distance on foot, keeps his ear to the ground to keep track of what's going on. maybe it's quiet. maybe it's not. but he stays out late.

if, on his unofficial patrol, he comes across something or someone that seems like they shouldn't be here - well, Derek follows. ]

C. CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE!

( catch all! feel free to tag in with your own starter - just give me a heads up if you're looking for anything in particular - or let me know if you'd like a specific heading! 8] )

Comments

[eyeforaneye]

[ Achievement Unlocked: Derek Hale smiled ]

You certainly chose a messy environment to move into. Territorial politics grow more irritating by the day. [ As little history as he has with them; the mere mention seems to threaten him with a headache. ]

[viduation]

We're territorial people, [ Derek comments nonchalantly, as though the idea doesn't stir up a headache of his own. he hates the levels of politics and bureaucracy here, but he's made himself a part of it. now there's no backing down. ]

Why involve yourself?

1/3

[eyeforaneye]

Because I don't have anything else to do during July.

2/3

[eyeforaneye]

...

3/3

[eyeforaneye]

At least, that's my revenge for your stupid answer about British food.

I have some questions I'm trying to answer about my own heritage and getting involved in this world seems like the best way to accomplish that. I've affiliated myself with Hillingdon first, though, so getting information about other groups in order to make trades is the only way I'm going to make much progress.

[rules_winter]

She can almost feel his reaction to her interest in the expression his face. And it makes her smile a little. His calming breath ticks the corner of her lips up a couple of centimeters. He was absolutely delightful.

She lifted a hand, palm up in acknowledgement to his request. "I had assumed this was expected in the alliance." She looked at him thoughtfully for a moment before closing her fingers and opening them back up reveal a card. "You may contact me there, should a problem arise." Implying both of the aggressive sort or the gate left open and wolves going missing sort. Mab had a pretty terrible teacher for the phone but she can manage phone calls and emails.

[viduation]

[ well, he probably earned that much. actually, the back and forth goes some way to putting him more at ease. the effect is somewhat dulled by the mention of Hillingdon, however. there are a lot of hunters out there, some that need to be taken out and some that can stay, and all of them need to be watched out for. ]

So what are you hoping to trade for, then? Hillingdon keeping tabs, I guess?

[viduation]

Derek's eyes flicked down to the card. In a way, accepting it struck him as something to be tentative about. It felt like it set things in stone. Perhaps taking the card was like taking the pomegranate, but Derek was hesitant to be that theatrical about it. And he was no coward. Reaching out, he took it, studying it briefly. His eyes caught on her name. Mab.

Tucking it into his jacket, he nodded in thanks. "Heiji said you'd be making a move soon. You're involved?"

[rules_winter]

Mab had been passing the cards out like candy. Though most had her pseudonym instead of her real name. There was the real danger to him. She would not be happy if everyone and their dog knew her name. It was a sign of something close to respect that he had one with her real name on it. Also a double edged sword as saying her name aloud tended to draw her attention even if she wasn't present.

"I am assisting both Sir Heiji and the Lord of Stars this month. I imagine I will make my own personal foray into this realm not long afterward." And she wasn't going for something simple when she did it. Perhaps one of the lawless territories. Mab was fond of laws.

[viduation]

Later, he would reflect on the significance in the fact that she'd given her name - what he thought must be her true name. They're important amongst the fae, he'd heard. He will perceive the gesture to be one of goodwill, and of fledgling trust, but also a test. Later, when he is alone, he will decide to keep it private, secure, safe. At least, for now.

And Mab certainly had no trouble in piquing his curiosity. The other title mentioned was filed away - although unfamiliar, he had to assume his path would cross with the Lord of Stars eventually. The stylings of the fae, in all their strangeness, all their pomp and circumstances, had always been weird to him, if not funny, but the laughter felt far away when he was dealing with one of them.

He didn't promise his further assistance. It felt too early for that. First, he wanted to see how their initial cooperation worked out. Instead, something else caught his attention - recalling Stiles' intervention in his conversation with Heiji, he asked: "South of the river?"

[rules_winter]

It was good that he took a moment to really let her information sink in. If he had dismissed it too easily she'd have been disappointed in his forethought. Everything Mab did was sort of a test. She was fairly judgy.

Her hand fell back to her side now that he had the card and she looked curious about the question. "I believe both will be south of the Thames, yes." She hadn't heard that there was any reason for the fae to avoid North of the river though.

[viduation]

Satisfied, he nodded. Derek had not made plans yet, had not allowed himself to set anything up, still too tentative and hesitant in his new position, still too engrossed in a hunt that was proving ever fruitless. But he wasn't about to admit as much; besides, doing so seemed unnecessary. While he hadn't made his mind up yet, he had beginnings, starts of something more.

Havering was only the logical step, after all.

"I'm keeping an eye on Havering for now," he offered, by way of gruff explanation. There was a request there, but he wouldn't word it as such.

[tippytoes]

"Me, too."

She means it. In fact, he even gets a little smile with it, her body language suddenly a little bashful. It's... nice. To be part of a family. It's one of those things that you don't realize you miss until you have it again.

"Let's go."

[rules_winter]

Keeping an eye on it. As far as she knew it was surrounded by his own territory, it seemed like a logical choice to her to claim it officially. "You need but ask for assistance should you decide to make your move." She replied, not knowing his inner turmoil but the lack of decision on Havering seemed to say something about his mental state none the less. "I believe the others are selecting Bromley and Bexley." Though her being north of the river now meant she'd been looking at Havering for a reason. Perhaps to see if it would pose a problem. If the wolves claimed it and the alliance stuck it would pose no problems. It narrowed down quite a bit of her own land she would need to cover.

She considered the place herself. "I imagine I will eventually move on Greenwich or Lewisham myself if not Croydon. I am still assessing the situation."

[megidoomed]

Text, actually. My voice doesn't reliably pick up on mics anymore, which makes conversations pretty one-sided. So text is easier.

[ She's still watching him as he offers the phone, noting the quick switch from surprise to skepticism at her request - it is a rather silly thing to ask, truth be told, and bringing it up makes her feel like an idiot. But part of her deal with Mystery Dude was to keep him in the loop, and... well, there's always a chance that something might go wrong. It's safer to have someone she (mostly) trusts aware of her plans.

Besides. Grumpy here looks like he needs friends, and Aradia knows Mystery Dude has no social life. Maybe they'll hit it off. ]

I promise I won't damage it. [ Much. Derek's reputation could take a hit if her well-meaning warning goes off the rails, but mentioning that would be counter-productive. Whoops. ] I'm just letting a friend know I'll be wandering further than usual. So he doesn't worry like an idiot and come looking for me.

[ She wasn't really intending to play the sympathy card, the remark having slipped out as she edged forward-across-into the phone, but if it ends up helping then so much the better. And it might do something to ease the pain of the entirely unremarkable text war that occurred over the next minute or so in the humble confines of Derek's phone bill. ]


( ooc: Hey, I'm... really sorry about how late this reply was. If you're not down for continuing the thread, I completely understand! )

[emotioneater]

I doubt he's going t'get aggressive, but if he does, I can handle a newborn on my own. Those newly turned tend t'be kind of stupid.

[He tries to think like one. If Cooper was newly turned, and had ended up in territory where he shouldn't have gone, where would he go? The answer would be wherever there was the most people to feed off of.]

Don't suppose you know where the local spot is 'round here? He's going to head for where there's lots of folks. Better chance t'pick one out of the crowd that way.