Anklebiters (Feb open post)

[wolfmarked]

Why do you care what people think?
Department store, early February

"No. No, no, no. Also no."

To say that Skip is picky is... Well. It's very accurate. But Lupercalia with a new pack isn't exactly an every day occurrence. What she does and what she wears there will get back to her father, so she actually has to put some thought into all of it. Even if she'd rather just ignore everything that happens in the middle of February.

"Purple and gold, maybe?" she says, half to herself and half to whatever poor person might be walking too close.


Try to remember how it felt
Jolly Roger, all February

On the clock, Skip has only two settings. She is either excessively friendly or incredibly short-tempered. The usual good will of her as a bartender is sorely lacking, and woe to the person who implies that anything related to her being female has any bearing on the situation. Women are given proper service with a fair amount of friendliness, but men are singled out more than usual as either targets of her rage or objects of her interest. In the bar itself and in the back room.

"'Nother round?" she asks, stopping at a customer to collect what's empty.


Fall in love with yourself
Coffee shop, mid February

February and Skip simply do not get along. She's on edge far more than usual, especially when out and about. And being out with her sketchpad, sitting at a table by the window. It's deceptively warm with the sun pouring in.

The drawing she's working on is of a skeleton, laying back against a bush. Thorns have encircled the ribs, and, in the center of his chest, there is a single rose where the heart should be.

Skip sips her coffee as she sketches in details.


The only one you've got
Simon's flat, February 17th -- closed to Simon

Lupercalia is done. Valentine's Day is over. And Skip can finally start pretending that this month doesn't exist. She still hates February, yes, but at least it's almost done.

So, after a bit of warning -- mostly to make sure they're alone -- she's at the door, holding a bottle of vodka and dressed in an blue ombre cocktail dress.


A broken mirror to reflect
North Pole, late February

Dressed in thigh-high tights and a skirt that barely covers the top of them, Skip is completely at home in the noise of the club.

Tonight, she has only one goal: not going home alone. Maybe not going home at all.

With the music pounding in her ears, she sways to the beat and moves from partner to partner on the dancefloor. The more eyes she can get on her, the better.

When she does take a break from dancing, she stays close to the bar, leaning against it and making sure her cup stays full.

Comments

The only one you've got

[protagonized]

Simon, on the other hand, is wearing a hoodie and jeans and sports a patchy two day fuzz on his chin. His eyes are rimmed with red from lack of sleep, making Skip's sudden phone call out of the blue even the more startling. And now she's at hos door and he realizes he hadn't expected his...sometimes-girlfriend? Friend with benefits? Fuckbuddy? to show up looking so formal.

Suddenly, he feels distinctly under-dressed.

"Hey," he says with a small smile. "You look amazing. C'mon in."

And once she does he adds, "Are you all right? I hadn't expected to hear from you."

Try to remember how it felt

[facethewolves]

Alex is there hoping to meet a witch who might have information on where her old pack's new den is. There's no point sneaking into Russia just to end up searching hundreds of thousands of acres of forest. She needs a more specific target, which is why she's willing to wait for hours on the slim chance that the witch will show. She doesn't like spending time here, the sounds and smells of drunkenness set her teeth on edge, and even close to the new moon her temper is fraying. The only drink she's ordered is a glass of water, which she occasionally sips from as she glances around the room.

The bartender is vaguely familiar. Another wolf, maybe, someone she's seen around with James or other members of the pack. Just as the girl stops to address another customer near Alex, a man - a stranger, not the witch she's waiting for - sidles up to Alex and drunkenly asks for her number. Even after unsubtly being warned off, he won't go away, and Alex's patience finally snaps. In a burst of pure vicious instinct, she slams the heel of her hand into his throat, knees him in the gut, and then kicks his legs out from under him. He falls backwards, directly towards the bartender.

Try to remember how it felt, early Feb

[paenumbra]

Matt was in a bit of a haze at the Jolly Roger. It was one of the many pubs in his rotation as he wasted the nights away, avoiding the moment when he would have to crawl home. He was still avoiding Simon, among other things, and drinking let him drown the sensible voice in his head that told him he was being stupid.

The voice didn't register right away. Matt glanced up and smiled, the old charm immediately kicking in. He didn't bother to hide it anymore. He was beyond caring if he pushed someone too far, manipulating their wants to sync with his own against their better judgement. It was easier when everyone loved him.

"Sure thing," he said with a wink, his words heavy and seductive. "In fact, why don't you sit down and have one yourself. I'm sure no one will mind if you go on break."

Valentines

[youronlylaw]

James drives like he's being chased by something until he gets close enough to the park to see her standing there all skinny and ... shit, covered in blood.

He doesn't think about her rules. He can't. It scares the crap out of him to see her like this and he leans over to pop open the passenger side door. There's traffic coming to a standstill behind him and

"Skip, Jesus...," he can't even smell her under all of it. It makes something like instinct in him want to kill something and - he didn't realize he still had his Moonlight Jewelry on, but his claws scrape against the steering wheel.

"Get in!"

Why do you care what people think?

[akillersmile]

"I don't know if purple's really your color. Did you try the red?"

Kyle leans on the edge of the door frame into the boutique, looking fairly out of place in a t-shirt and jeans. He caught a glimpse of her from outside and decided to pop in, especially after Simon's glowing review of her as a person. Almost. Still, he doesn't exactly like how they left things and he has questions about werewolves that he's hoping the damn girl might be willing to answer if he can get her out of the hate camp.