open ♔ winter castle socialization (jan thru march )

[wynn]

WHO || Everyone! [ota]
WHAT || Shenanigans.
WHERE || Anywhere in the castle, surrounding environs, London, Andres, etc!
WHEN || Any time in January/Feb/March
HOW || Actionspam

[ The castle can be a happening place, even on more mundane days. This log is for random interactions over the course of these few months. Because not everyone is into parties, ok.   

You are encouraged to start your own threads and tag around, and feel free to threadjack into any on-going threads that aren't specified as 'closed' in the subject lines since people can enter into rooms even in the middle of what's going on. WE ARE BIG ON THREAD-JACKING HERE. You can also specify 'single thread', meaning you want only one response for all participants, rather than multi-thread, where a number of different scenes/threads can be done as replies to the top prompt.]

On this log:

Cheryl @ the desk
Felicity @ the desk
Des @ London/firing range
Andres election results @ Andres
Faith L. @ Bars/museum
Thea @ training / castle grounds/ various
Vi @ her room
Malina @ London/TV room
Alex & Eric | closed
Lila @ Library /kitchen/firing range/magic library
Mark @ Andres
Thea & Felicity | closed
Kali @ training room / kitchen / TV Room
Hasmed & Neal | closed
Dante @ training room & old man bar
Grammy Reactions @ TV room
Alice & Will | closed
Neal @ Various
Andres porn party @ TV room
Bo + Gatewood family | closed
Gus @ NYC
Felicity & Thoster | closed
Lila & Astrid | closed
Malia @ Various
Zoe @ Training room / kitchen
Regina & Snow | closed
Hook & Emma | closed
Willow & Buffy | closed
Rose & Dean | closed
Myri & Mark / Myri & Buffy | closed
Abigail & Stiles | closed
Rose @ training room / TV room / the bar
Myri @ kitchen / courtyard / dragon's light wing
Helen @ library
Stiles @ halls
Elena @ training room / bar / front desk
Shawn @ various
Des, Helen, Ashley | closed
Vi & Nyna | closed

Comments

[impetere]

Cora stops, glancing over her shoulder and listening to see if there's anyone around (listen 26). From what she can tell, there's no one out and around - just Mellie lumbering off in the woods not too far away. She then turns back to her with a nod.

"Yeah. This should be good." She then turns to face her again. "Did Scott teach you how to shift without the moon?"

[animalistic]

She shakes her head. "I -- I can't fully shift anymore. I haven't been able to since he forced me out of my coyote form."

Malia had been more that just upset with him for that. He'd taken the choice away from her and made her face a world she wasn't prepared for. She extends out her hands, showing her the claws that have already produced themselves. "It just happens."

[impetere]

Oh-kay. That's a lot more work than she thought. But it at least gave her a basis to start, and a full moon was as good a time as any to figure out your anchor. In fact, it was usually the time that gave you the most motivation.

"When it does happen, how do you pull them back in?"

Since she obviously doesn't walk around with coyote claws out all the time.

[animalistic]

"I breathe. Or Stiles helps me focus." Really it's not something she thinks about too often. It just happens and then she has to deal with it.

[impetere]

Stiles. Okay. She's going to opt not to ask too much about that and just focus on what's practical for right now.

"The goal is to find an anchor. Something that helps you control your emotions and focus on maintaining your human side, rather than your wolf side - or in your case, your coyote side." She turns to face her more. "Once you figure that out, you can use it to go from girl to coyote and back again when you need to. It can be a person or an emotion or just a way of calming you when you need it to like a mantra or a focus point."

She pauses again, before determining that in the end she's going to have to happen that can of worms. "When Stiles helps you focus, what does he do? Is it something that he says to you or is it more about how he makes you feel?"

[animalistic]

Malia frowns. She can't use Stiles as her anchor. Not anymore. She has to learn again, because he isn't her anchor here. He's someone who looks at her as if she's insane.

"I don't want to talk about Stiles."

[impetere]

Cora hesitates, because she knows that she shouldn't push the issue, and if she doesn't want to talk about him, Cora isn't sure it's something she can insert herself in the middle of. So she'll just take a breath and try something else.

"Okay, well, if not Stiles, then how about your family? Parents, siblings, friends?"

[animalistic]

"No. They won't work either," she frowns, upset with her own answers, but she knows it's true. She killed her mother -- her sister and her dad is a stranger that she can't tell the truth to.

Any friends she had -- they don't even remember her, except -- "Liam. He's the only one that knows me. That remembers anything that I know."

[impetere]

"Okay, good. So let's ... let's use Liam." If he's grounding her emotionally in the castle, maybe he can help ground her coyote as well. She takes a deep breath, before moving to sit on the ground in the area they picked, crossing her legs under her as she does.

"Just sit with me and try and focus on Liam. Think about you two hanging out, or conversations you've had. Things that remind you of the girl." The girl she is and the girl she wants to stay if they're going to make it through the full moon. "Use that calm you feel when you're with him to keep you calm now."

It sounds ridiculous when she says it out loud, but that's how it works. You find something that calms you and use it to keep the beast in you at bay.

[animalistic]

It's weird to try and focus on Liam, but it's the only thing that she can think of that feels normal. It's the only thing that feels like something she knows and that's what she needs. She needs home. She needs that stability of someone that doesn't think she's crazy. Or unstable.

Nodding, she tries to breathe slowly -- "I can do this." She states it, but she's not even sure if she believes it.

[impetere]

Cora nods in agreement, letting her hands rest gently on her knees as she sits with her. "You can." They all can. It's all in them to control their shift, they just need to want it. And she knows that Malia wants that control. She shifts closer after a moment, extending her hand to her.

"And if you want, you can use me too."

Liam will be her anchor from home, but Cora can be her anchor in the Knights, that feeling of pack and knowing that someone has your back. They don't know each other well yet, but Malia's her squire. It's all part of the mentor/squire package.

[animalistic]

Malia glances at Cora and she understands what she means. It's not the same and it's not what she's used to, but it does help. She takes her hand and nods, expressing that understanding to her. It's going to take some time, but having someone to support, someone that doesn't care that Malia is unsure of where she fits in here.

Malia wants that anchor to be easy to find and if she has to place it onto someone else, if she needs to use whatever she can grip tight to, she's going to do that.

It's just what she has to do to survive and Malia knows how to survive.