open ♔ holidays

[wynn]

WHO || Everyone and Will's dogs.
WHAT || The holidays
WHERE || Knights castle / downtown London
WHEN || December-January
HOW || Actionspam

[ Castle repairs are still well underway, so there's that ever present remaining air of tension in the wake of the attack, but nevertheless it's the holiday season and people want to celebrate.  Any and all holiday season things can go here! ]

On this post:
Bonnibel // R&D Lab/kitchen
Rumbelle // Closed
Kenzi & Groot // Around the castle
Mars // His room + around the castle
Deryn // Halls + gifts + various
Barry & Thea // Closed
Kate & Baal // Closed
Found Family Christmas // Closed
Felicity // Open
Lila & Sylar // Closed
Irish Christmas // Closed
Gaz // Holidays / Training Room / Woods
Elijah // Around the castle
Deadpool // Open
Cora & Malia // Closed
Poe // Arrival out back
Caroline // Open
Tony // R&D Lab
Derek // Open
Rey // Open
Solo family lifeday // Closed
Katniss (& Francesca) // Open
Des // Open 
Cyclops, Wolverine, Emma F, Nathan // Closed
Pietro // Open

Comments

Derek Hale | open (Dec 23rd on)

[grumpypuppy]

It was harder to get back from Andres than Derek had expected. After seeing Dimitris on the Drakenet phone, he knew he wouldn't be able to get back to help them that very minute but he knew he had let himself hide in the repair efforts in the city for far too long. He wrapped up his part of the recovery effort and grabbed his things before making the trek back to London.

He had had a lot of time to think while he was away, and he was determined not to let the fact he couldn't remember his past bother him as he had let it before. This was his life now, and he had proved to himself he could do good here. Now he needed to find a way to make a life here that he would want. To do that, he needed to figure out where he stood with some people - one in particular.

The demolition of the castle wasn't what he was expecting, but he could imagine it had been worse. And he could at least do some things here to help. So he hiked his bag up on his shoulder and headed to find a place to bunk down in again and see where he could help. And somewhere that day, he would hunt his little sister down.

When he wasn't working on construction, he would be in the library helping with the books and putting it back together. He wasn't really big on leisure activities, but he may be found reading a book while idly eating a meal every now and then as well.

[ooc: open to prose or action threads]

[impetere]

In the weeks since the attack she's been spending a lot of her time outside, shaking off the lingering effects from the way her two least favorite things had been used against her (fire and enclosed spaces). By the time the holidays roll around, she's spending more of her time inside (because as much as she prefers outdoors, she still doesn't like the cold of English winters), but she's still keeping to herself some, wanting to readjust so she isn't so she isn't as prone to snap at a moment's notice. She's spent a lot of time on her own as a kid - having people around are new, and she still isn't used to not having to lock things down all the time.

There are people she doesn't - Abigail, Henry - but as of right now, Derek isn't on that list. Not with the way things stood after Andres. She understands that it's not really his fault - he didn't choose to have the Veil take her away from him, but the fact that he wouldn't stay and try hurts all the same. The walls are up, especially after what happened in the castle, and she isn't inclined to bring them down around him anytime soon.

She's in her room when he tracks her down, something that isn't particularly her style, but she and Abigail have been adding little touches to make them feel more at home. There are constellations on her ceiling mirror in glow in the dark paint and the bedspread has been changed out for something more practical and warm, but there's not much else she can do about the general decor. Her back is to the door when he gets there, but she catches his scent first (wisdom 11), something so ingrained in her since birth that she doesn't need to look at him to know it's him.

Her first reaction is torn between anger (what took you so long), happiness (you came back), and anxiety (how long until you leave again), and as much as she tries to swallow it all down and pretend to feel nothing, she can't (will save crit fail). So she doesn't turn around, fingers tightening around the chew toy she's holding in her hand before she finally manages to speak.

"You're back."

From the swirls of emotion underlying her speech, it's hard to tell how she actually feels about that.

[grumpypuppy]

"I'm back."

He can't really get a read on her (sense motive 3) so he isn't sure how she feels even if she wasn't in her own turmoil. He just watched her back a moment longer.

"I heard about the attack. I came back to see if you were okay."

[impetere]

"Now you care."

The words come swift and snappish, and her hand tightens around the chew toy again, before taking a deep breath and pulling herself together (will save 14). Once she's sure she can handle it, she turns to face her dog who is resting on the bed, peering at Derek curiously.

"I'm fine."

She's missed him, she's aware of that, but that also doesn't mean that she isn't upset that he left her alone all this time to begin with. She knows there are extenuating circumstances, but she can only handle so many emotions at once and right now anger is easier.

[grumpypuppy]

Derek nodded, looking at the floor a moment, his arms crossing over his chest defensively. "I needed time to think. I couldn't do it here." He couldn't do it where there were people looking at him like they were expecting things from him he didn't know to give.

"But I'm back. Until Wynn sends me on another mission."

[impetere]

"Good for you."

She keeps her attention on the dog, not really sure what to do with that otherwise. Just because he's here, doesn't mean he actually wants anything from her. She ruffles Bernie behind the ears as she sits on the edge of the bed, still not facing her brother.

"Is that it?"

[grumpypuppy]

He could say that it was it and retreat and that would be the end of it. But he knew he couldn't do that. He didn't remember his family at all, but there was something inside of him that screamed that they were important to him. "No," he started, unsure how to ask. He didn't want to seem vulnerable, but he would rather just get it out.

"I want to know... about us. About the things I can't remember. It was too much too fast before and I wasn't ready. But I think I am now."

[impetere]

Her hand hesitates on top of Bernie's head, before moving to shift so that she's sitting cross legged at the head of the bed and actually facing Derek. As she does, Bernie moves to put his giant head in her lap and she strokes the back of his head gently, using the dog almost like a security barrier between her and her brother.

Part of her wants to scoff, but now that she's facing him, she can tell he's being sincere (sense motive 28). She swallows, looking down at her hands for a moment before deciding to test the waters further.

"I don't know all of it." She doesn't want to give the impression that she does. "I was just a kid for a lot of it, and they didn't really tell me much. And the stuff I know about our family now I got second hand from someone else here."

[grumpypuppy]

He gives her a small half smile, trying. "It's more than I have now."

He waits for her to invite him in, not wanting to invade her space. Space was something he needed, and he could only assume his sister would be the same.

[killingtodeath]

Stiles is definitely not much help in the construction area, but the library is something he's invested in, so he can put some time in there. Plus, he's got some sweet spells that help out a bit, which means that book Derek was going to grab? Lifts up all on its own just as his fingers touch it.

"Sorry! Didn't see you going for--" He stops mid sentence as he notices just who it is that's helping out around here. "Holy shit, Derek?" He really didn't expect to see the guy ever again.

[grumpypuppy]

Derek's fingers pulled back from the book and his head snaps down to look at the voice calling his name. It took him a moment, but he remembered the boy from his squiring party. "Yeah. Stiles, right?"

[killingtodeath]

"Yeah, yeah that's right." He has to remind himself that Derek doesn't actually remember him from home. It's still weird as hell. "Haven't seen you in awhile, man."

[grumpypuppy]

He nodded, glad he remembered the name. "I was in Andres, helping rebuild the area. I just got back before Christmas."

[killingtodeath]

"You're just in time to help rebuild around here." He says with a little laugh. "Guess you should be pretty good at it by now, at least."

[grumpypuppy]

Derek chuckled at that. "I guess. Add it to the resume."

[killingtodeath]

"Something like that. I was thinking more that you can do your part around here and give me a break, but hey- if you're wanting to put in some applications for a new gig, by all means." He's kidding. Don't leave, Derek.

[grumpypuppy]

"No, I got that. I'm staying for awhile... at least until Wynn sends me off again."

[theminotaur]

It's a couple days after Christmas that Abigail runs into Derek in the library. She'd been looking for Belle to deliver her belated present (it's a book, surprise!) and instead found Derek. She doesn't know he's Cora's Derek or even a Derek at all, but Jamie Foxx, her tiny arctic fox, recognizes his scent from Cora's room and makes a bee line for the man, sniffing him impatiently before growling the tiniest bit. A baby growl.

Abigail follows after him with similar impatience. "Leave strangers alone. Jamie, let's go." The fox doesn't budge and Abigail sighs. "Sorry."

[grumpypuppy]

"No, it's fine." Derek looked down at the tiny fox and just raised an eyebrow. "He's just smelling the wolf in me."

[theminotaur]

"Wolf?" Her eyebrows shoot up, surprised. "You're a werewolf?"

How many of them are there? Jesus. She makes an idle note to tell Stiles. He and Cora are the experts, after all.

[grumpypuppy]

"Yes. All my life. I... thought there were a small pack here that it wouldn't be surprising here."

[theminotaur]

"It's usually the third or fourth thing people get out. Not the first." She shrugs, shaking her head like she's trying to push past her surprise. "Even Alcide introduced himself first and I found him naked in the woods."

[grumpypuppy]

"Sorry, I've been gone awhile - I don't remember who I introduced myself to and who I haven't. Derek Hale."

[theminotaur]

Hale.

Of course he's Derek Hale.

Cora had told her, of course, explaining the whole thing while they were huddled under blankets at Alice's family's home over Christmas, sipping hot chocolate and calling Derek names while Sadie licked their faces. Honestly, Abigail thought he'd have ditched again by the time they returned this morning.

Her mouth thins into a line, shoulders stiffening as a memory floats through the back of her mind, realization plain on her expression. They have met, fleeting, Lemon was probably more memorable than Abigail; certainly that's the case for Abigail's memory of Derek. It's easier now that she has a name to put to the face and it explains the weird déjà vu from the animal approaching him first.

But all that is unimportant: He upset her best friend, Abigail is pissed at him by default. No one is allowed to upset Cora.

"Oh." A beat, she schools her features into neutrality. "You have, we met before Andres, briefly. I'm Abigail, but you probably remember Lemon."

Lemon is a hard dog to forget.

[grumpypuppy]

Her stiffening has him instantly on guard, not sure what would be causing it. He thought back to that time, when he had first gotten here and things had been crazy with so much happening and so little in his memories.

But then he nodded, looking at her. "I remember. We were talking about an albino crocodile... which I have still yet to see but that is more my doing than the crocodile's."