no more tights

[eyecontact]

Date & Time: 6/28 and onward
Location: couple locales
Characters: Adrasteius, Syllona, Billy, Dick Grayson, Kirian, Sollux, Jericho, PROBABLY OTHER PEOPLE I'LL JUST KEEP ADDING
Summary: gone are the days of TV-Y7; it took more than a year (wow)
Warnings: S...AD CHILD



The uniform was pretty much done for – much like its wearer until mere hours ago, thanks to friends with some pretty potent powers. It was a pretty potent sign: A lot of what Jericho was and knew had changed here and there over time in Exsilium, but as far as he was concerned, everything had changed, and all that he had been was good and done with.

Pretty dramatic, huh? Well, things can seem pretty dramatic after closing your eyes on impending doom, opening them up again to a completely different scene. It was all with the perceptions of a teenage boy, where the things that impact the self were much more dramatic, where time was still supposed to be moving so slowly, where life after a half-thought-through plan was not thought through at all...

He'd probably cut himself some slack later, well after giving himself a hard time for having taken it so hard. That would follow after all of this.

Comments

PETER

[eyecontact]

[a walk should clear his head a little, he thinks. walk away from the remaining mess in the city and try to look for something gentler (or even green, if he's lucky). he knows it's not too safe in the outlands, so he's leery to go very far from the view of buildings, but there's something nice about the openness out here. nice...but sad, too.

he frowns around at the area before him, the weight of his sketchbook becoming more apparent by the second.

There's not really even any bugs making noise out here...]

[perdre]

[not the sound of bugs, but the sound of soft steps padding on the rocks and pebbles, hidden behind the debris. Peter's shape is dark among his monochrome surroundings, licking his muzzle with an idle concentration as he looks ahead, spotting the boy no too far from where he stands.]

[eyecontact]

[he's thumbing through the sketchbook, not aware of the giant wolf – not right away. blank page, blank page...there.

he sighs, staring at the page for a length before looking up again. crooked trees and interestingly shaped rocks, sure...an--

wh--

there's an instant shock of dread at seeing such a big, looming shape in the distance. what is that...?]

[perdre]

[Golden eyes shimmer in the shadow, watchful and still. It could be a sign of danger, it could just be the sight of a curious creature with harmless intentions. Slowly he lifts his snout to sniff at the air, carefully padding towards the boy. What's he holding-?]

[eyecontact]

[Jericho knows you're not supposed to show an animal fear, but...well. he's scared. that's a really big...wolf? coyote? he's not sure. other than its bigness, anyway.

he can't call for help if it lunges after him...he's afraid if he runs, it'll just tear after him and rip him to bits.

gulping hard, he clutches his book to his chest and stiffens up, head ducked between his shoulders. are you supposed to look them in the eye or NOT look them in the eye? he has no idea.]

[perdre]

[Peter comes dangerously close, enough to simply leap and throw the boy down if he simply feels like it. He can sense the fear, see it plainly in how tense his muscles and expression are, in the way his fingers clutch that book a little tighter with every passing second. The wolf remains perfectly harmless, however, intentions clear or not, and he lifts his snout again for one last curious sniff before he sits, giving Jericho some distance, and tilts his head to see what he does next.]

[eyecontact]

[it's...

it's just sitting there. Jericho stares, unblinking, for a very long time, not certain as to what it means. other than the obvious thing about not being ripped to shreds, that is.

he has no clue what he can do other than...well. just.

sit down, too.

he sits, wondering if making himself smaller was all that helpful. it makes the wolf look bigger, after all.]

[perdre]

[And in a peaceful impasse they remain, gold on green, quietness settled between them. Peter's tongue licks his snout absentmindedly, then he paws slowly towards the boy to meet him properly. It's the closest the wolf can get to a hello, who are you, well within the reach of Jericho's hands.]

[eyecontact]

[it's a pretty lengthy silent exchange, with Jericho still wrestling that sick-to-his-stomach sensation that came in waves as he assessed reality and wrestled against an uncomfortably vivid imagination of what might come.

he tenses up at the movement, holding his next breath. when nothing happens, he lets it out. so, less scared...more confused. it's not a monster...or it's just not hungry.

it's kind of acting like a dog, isn't it?

he swallowed, wincing a little around the eyes, and stretched out his hand ever-so-slowly. that's what people do to meet dogs, right? he's somewhat sure...]

[perdre]

[He leans in, tail wagging softly in expectation, perhaps.

Sniff sniff.

Peter licks his hand briefly, ears perked up with attention. He seems kind, so the wolf has kindness to offer in return. His last encounter in these lands was nowhere near as pleasant.]

[eyecontact]

[is it a universal reaction? do all kids get so endeared to animals showing kindness like this? Jericho feels his eyes welling up and it startles him a little; he hadn't expected it. rather, he's been doing alright keeping it in.

his mouth twitches and he sniffles, withdrawing his hand to wipe it carefully on his knee. the wolf gets a little smile, but Jericho's got to blink a lot and suck in a long breath to keep it together.]